A compromise, introduced by Bismarck in the Reichstag, between an annual vote for military purposes, and a vote for an indefinite period. It fixes the military establishment and the requisite supplies for a period of seven years.
A petition presented to James I by certain Puritan clergymen of the Church of England, said to have numbered a thousand, asking to be relieved from the celebration of certain ceremonies to which they were conscientiously opposed. The petition was rejected.
An Act passed in 1692, authorising the raising of one million sterling by means of tontine annuities, in aid of the expenses of the French War. This is the first instance of the English Government raising money by means of annuities.
The ministry of the Tiers Parti in France, under the Duc de Bassano, in 1834. It held office for three days only.
A ministry under Lord Grenville, with Fox as Foreign Secretary, formed on the death of Pitt in 1806. It is so called because it was not formed exclusively from Grenville’s supporters, but was an attempt to bring together the best men of various political shades. Thus Earl Spencer and Mr. Windham, who had been members of Pitt’s first administration, held office in it.
These were closed to the free coinage of silver in 1893, and the value of the rupee for exchange purposes fixed at 1s. 4d.
A militia of 12,000 men enrolled during the American Civil War by the State of Massachusetts. They bound themselves to be ready for service at a moment’s notice.
The Russian village commune, holding and tilling land in common. The land is divided into plots, of which a certain number are allotted to each family, in proportion to its size. These plots are farmed by the family in common, and they pay into the coffers of the Mir a certain fixed sum, retaining the rest for the general use of the family. The Mir is responsible to the Government for the payment of the taxes of the community, which are in the nature of a poll-tax on the adult males. The division of the land is periodically revised, to meet changes in the circumstances of the different families. The affairs of the Mir are controlled by the village Elder, or Selski Starosta, who is elected by the heads of families.