SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



675 



He called his settlement New Helvetia. He 

 built a mill, tannery, and fort, equipped with 

 two or three small cannon, on the Sacramento 

 River. In 1841 he already owned several 

 thousand head of cattle. He carried on a lu- 

 crative fur-trade with the Indians. The Mexi- 

 can Government invested him with the magis- 

 tracy, but so many Americans gathered about 

 him, and the project of annexing California 

 was so little concealed, that he fell under the 

 ban of that Government. When the Wilkes 

 Exploring Expedition reached San Francisco, 

 Sutter gave them aid and information. One 

 of the vessels, the Peacock, was wrecked on 

 the bar of tbe Columbia River, and it became 

 necessary to send a party overland under the 

 command of Lieutenant Emmons. Beset with 

 perils, by sea and land, these men were re- 

 ceived and entertained by Sutter with un- 

 stinted and unrecompensed hospitality while 

 resting at his fort. He furnished them with 

 horses and a launch to enable them to rejoin 

 the fleet. 



He extended a similar welcome to Fremont 

 and his expedition. The Mexican Government 

 became suspicious. They offered to buy him 

 out. Sutter was the owner of over a hundred 

 thousand acres of land and countless cattle. 

 They then endeavored to drive him out and to 

 incite the Indians to hostility. To protect him- 

 self, he gathered a large body of immigrants 

 around him. Castro ordered them to leave the 

 country. Colonel Fremont's second expedition 

 opportunely arrived. It was judged necessary 

 to raise the United States flag, and this was the 

 initial step toward the addition of California 

 to the States. A squadron was on the way 

 round the Horn, and General Kearney began 

 his transcontinental march, but the annexa- 

 tion was practically completed before their 

 arrival. California was ceded to the United 

 States by treaty in February, 1848. In that 

 very month gold was discovered in Sutter's 

 mill-race. This event flooded the Pacific coast 

 with population. General Sutter was elected 

 first Alcalde of his district and delegate to the 

 Convention to make a Constitution. He was 

 also Indian commissioner. Lands became valu- 

 able, and his titles were contested. He filed a 

 claim for thirty-three square leagues, eleven of 

 which had been granted him in 1841 by Gov- 

 ernor Alvarado, and twenty-two by Michel- 

 toreno in 1845, in recompense of his military 

 services. His claim was allowed by the com- 

 missioner. It Avas appealed to the Supreme 

 Court, and decided adversely to Sutter. De- 

 spoiled of his property and reduced to want, 

 the California Legislature granted him a pen- 

 sion of $250 a month. In 1864 his homestead 

 was burned out. In 1873 he removed to Penn- 

 sylvania. He died in Washington, June 17th, 

 at the age of seventy-seven. 



SWEDEN AND NORWAY, two kingdoms 

 of Northern Europe, united under the same 

 dynasty. The King, Oscar II, born January 21, 

 1829, succeeded to the throne at the death 



of his brother, Charles XV, September 18, 

 1872. He married on June 6, 1857, Sophia, 

 daughter of the Duke of Nassau, born July 

 9, 1836. Their oldest son is Gustavus, heir- 

 apparent, Duke of Wermland, born June 16, 

 1858. 



SWEDEN. The executive authority is in 

 the hands of a King who acts under the advice 

 of a Ministry, which at the close of 1880 was 

 composed as follows: Count A. R. F. Posse, 

 Minister of State ; Baron C. F. L. Hochschild, 

 Foreign Affairs; Dr. J. H. Loven; Dr. H. L. 

 Forssell, Justice ; Baron C. G. von Otter, Navy 

 Colonel O. F. Taube, War ; F. L. S. Heder- 

 stjerna, Interior ; and Dr. C. G. Hammarskjold, 

 Ecclesiastical Affairs. 



The area of Sweden, inclusive of inland 

 lakes, is 170,741 square miles ; the population 

 on December 31, 1879, was 4,578,901, of which 

 2,228,855 were males, and 2,350,046 were fe- 

 males. In 1878 there were 29,151 marriages, 

 138,385 births, 85,339 deaths, and 3,921 still- 

 births. The population of Stockholm in 1879 

 was 173,433. 



The budget for 1881 estimates the receipts 

 and expenditures at 74,995,000 crowns each 

 (1 crown = 26-8 cents). The public debt of 

 Sweden on December 31, 1879, amounted to 

 220,296,130 crowns. The Swedish army in 

 1879 numbered 183,063 men. The navy con- 

 sisted of 43 steamers, of 20,271 horse-power 

 and 155 guns; 10 sailing-vessels of 105 guns, 

 and 87 smaller vessels of 113 guns. The im- 

 ports in 1878 amounted to 239,513,000 crowns, 

 the exports to 184,320,000 crowns. 



NORWAY. In Norway the executive is rep- 

 resented by the King, who exercises his au- 

 thority through a Council of State, composed 

 of two ministers of state and nine councilors. 

 Two of the councilors, who are changed every 

 year, together with one of the ministers, form 

 a delegation of the Council of State, residing 

 at Stockholm near the King. 



The area of Norway is 122,280 square miles, 

 and the population, according to the census 

 of 1875, was 1,806,900. The receipts for 1879 

 amounted to 40,724,200 crowns (1 crown = 

 26*8 cents), and the expenditures to 48,571,- 

 600 crowns. The public debt on June 30, 

 1879, amounted to 99,632,000 crowns. The 

 imports in 1879 were valued at 132,226,000 

 crowns, and the exports at 89,222,000 crowns. 



The King, in opening the Swedish Rigsdag, 

 January 17th, announced that, inasmuch as a 

 committee on taxation had been appointed in 

 the previous year, all the schemes for a thor- 

 ough reform of the system would, for the pres- 

 ent, be postponed. 



In considering the army bill, the First Cham- 

 ber adopted a paragraph extending the age at 

 which men shall be liable to military service 

 to forty years. The bill was rejected by the 

 Second Chamber, and the Ministry in conse- 

 quence resigned, April 13th. A new Cabinet 

 was formed, in which Count Posse, who held 

 the office of Minister of State and Councilor of 



