GOVERNMENT. Greece is a constitutional mon archy, the kingship being vested in the royal House of Holstein - Sonderburg - Gliicksburg, of which the present head is the King of Denmark, whose second son, George I. (Georgios), ascended the Greek throne in 1863. The legislative power is vested in a Chamber of Deputies (the Boule), which meets annually in Athens, the members being elected by popular vote for a term of four years. The suffrage is restricted to males, twenty one years old or over. Members of the Bou16, and all officials, must be at least thirty years of age. The executive functions of the State are in the hands of the six heads of departments, who com pose the Ministry. Military service is compul sory for two years in the active army, and for ten years in the reserve. The army on a peace foot ing numbers 25,180, including officers and men; in time of war it is increased to 82,125. The fleet consists of 67 vessels, manned by 4042 officers and men. Besides three battle-ships and two other
armor-clad ships, a cruiser, and a royal yacht, the navy includes coast-defense vessels, gunboats, and torpedo-boats. The average annual revenue is over $20,000,000, derived from the customs, stamps, monopolies (salt, petroleum, matches, and playing-cards), and the tobacco tax. The receipts much more than provide for the cur rent expenses, but as the net proceeds of the monopolies and tobacco and stamp taxes are ap plied to diminishing the public debt, the budget usually shows a small deficit. The public debt in 1899 was $157,200,000, not including the paper money in circulation. The monetary unit is the drachma, equivalent to the franc. The gold coins of the leading countries are accepted, by royal decree, as legal tender. The metric system of weights and measures was introduced in 1898 and is gradually supplanting the old system.