Since 1881 the ruler of Ru mania has had the title of in accordance with the decision of the Rumanian Parliament. Previously the title was prince, or in Rumanian "Domnu" (Lat. dominus, lord). The father of the present ruler was elected by the peo ple, but the dignity is hereditary. There are two legislative houses, a Senate of 120 members elected for eight years, and a , Chamber of Deputies of 183 members elected for four years. The members of both , chambers are chosen by indirect election, the first voters choosing electors, and these in their turn the deputies. A deputy must either belong to a learned profession, to a military or civil service or have an annual income of about $2,000, and must be 25 years of age. All citi zens of full age and paying taxes are electors. The sovereign has a suspensive veto over all laws passed by the two chambers. The execu- . tive is in the hands of the sovereign assisted by a council of eight members, the heads of the departments of the Interior, of Finance, of War, of Foreign Affairs, of Justice, of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works and of Public In struction and Worship. For purposes of local government Wallachia is divided into 17, Mol davia into 13 and Dobruja into two depart ments, each administered by a prefect, a re ceiver of taxes and a civil tribunal. Judges are removable at the pleasure of the superior au thorities. The legal codes are founded on the civil law and customs of the two provinces; but though several reforms have been effected in the system of jurisprudence much yet remains to be done, especially in the administration of the law, which is said to be very unsatisfactory and corrupt. The budget estimates for 1916-17 were each $129,143,860 for revenue and ex penditure. The public debt in 1915 amounted to $368,077,000.
Army and military forces of Rumania are divided into five classes: (1) the permanent army, with its reserve; (2) the ter ritorial army, with its reserve; (3) the militia; (4) the civic guard; and (5) levies en masse. Every male inhabitant, from the age of 21 to 46, , must serve three years in the permanent army in active service and five years in its reserve, Or'five years iii the teiritbriaf infantry and three years in its reserve. The active service in the cavalpy of the territorial army lasts four years, and is followed by four years in its reserve. Whether a young man enters the permanent or the territorial army is determined by lot. Those who for 'some sufficient reason have not been subjected to the conscription form part of the militia, and those who have finished their term in the, permanent or the territorial army also enter the militia till' the age of 36. After this age, in the country they enter the levies en masse; in the towns, the civic guard. The peace establishment of the Rumanian army in 1914 was 5;749 Officers, 124,389 men, 28M5 horses, 808 guns and 570 Machine guns. The force mobilized in connection with the war 1914-1918 amounted to a total of 600,000. The effective force of the civic guard and the levy en masse is not definitely fixed; but altogether Rumania can, put into the field about 290,I300 men. The navy is insignificant, there being only one'armored cruiser of any consequence.
Ethnology and Population.— The Ruman ians claim to be the descendants of a colony of Romans located here by the Einperor Tra On, and •call themselves Armani or Romeni; hence Runianla, which is now universally adopted' by 'the natives as the name of the' united principalities. This view, however, has
been seriously questioned by ethnologists of repute and may be reasonably doubted on his torical and linguistic grounds. By them the evident LatinitY of the langnage is considered of 'later origin. The race is certainly a mixed one, being modified by Greek, Gothic, Slavic and Tnrkish elements. This mixture makes itself' apparent in their latiguage; among words in common use are 'Oa (..at. aqua), water; pane (Lat. pants); bread; alby (Lat. clibscr), white; negru (Lat. niger), black; and so on. The conjugations also of the verbs, which are four in number, correspond exactly to the four conjugations in Latin. For a long time Greek was the language spoken by the court and the upper classes; but latterly this language has been largely superseded by French, The popu lation of Rumania, 'according to the latest cen sus, numbered 7,500,000. The Rumanians are in general strong and stoutly, built, with black hair, brilliant yes ' and a complexion similar to that of the Italians. Besides the Rumanians prbper there are about 400,000 Jews, 300000 Gypsies,. 95,000 Slays, besides Germans, yars, Greeks, etc. There are also large numbers of 'Rumanians inhibiting Hungary, Transyl vania, 'Bessarabia, etc.
Sociology.— Since the introdnctioti of rail Ways great change haVe taken place in the con dition of the people. The peasants were never, properly speaking, serfs, but being compelled to work gratis for the proprietor a certain number of days every year they became fixed to that part. of the' country in which they were born. They ' are now, however, not only perfectly free, but each head of a family received during the late Prince COuza's reign a small portion of land, 'of which he became absolute proprietor. the landlord having been compensated by bonds bearing 10 per cent interest, Their dwellings are generally of a wretched description. Many of the towns are merely agglomerations of large houses, the residences of the boyards, sur rounded' by the huts of their dependents. ' The streets are illy paved, or, most generally, not paved at all, and are usually filthy; the roads, of which there are too few, are in most cases in a wretched state. Agricultural labor, the chief employment of the inhabitants, is cheap, as most of the laborers are so poor that they for work to be done three years after ward, in order to obtain advances of money. More than three-fourths of the population are peasants. Handcraftsmen are comparatively few, as the peasant usually builds his own house and makes his own furniture and uten sils. In Moldavia there are about 3,000 boy ards, besides an extensive lower nobility; in Wallachia they are still more numerous, every twenty-eighth man being a nobleman. There is no native middle class, and the higher ranks of society have only the lawto them as a profession. The commerce le country is in the hands of the Jews and foreigners. The staple food of the inhabitants is maize; the common beverage is wine, which is produced in great quantities though mostly of inferior quality. This, however, is owing altogether to the manner in which it is made, and, as already rod stated, some good wine is also puced. The common people are good-humored, sober and cleanly, and murder and robbery are almost unknown.