SWEDEN" AND NORWAY. 



769 



The following is a statement of the progress 

 of the works of the Suez Canal up to the end 

 of 1865, made by Mr. Lange : 



The western jetty at Port Said has advanced con- 

 siderably, and now forms part of the isolated island, 

 thus forming an uninterrupted pier of 4,800 feet long, 

 with a depth of from nine to sixteen feet, the result 

 of dredging operations. The number of vessels 

 which have discharged their cargoes at this new town 

 of Port Said, five years ago a blank and dismal waste, 

 is 2,037. This includes all the vessels registered up 

 to the 1st of July, 1865, and their cargoes being 

 chiefly materials and provisions for carrying out this 

 great work, it will be readily seen with what unabat- 

 ed vigor it is being pushed forward. All along the 

 maritime canal the greatest activity prevails. Nor 

 are the accessory fresh-water canals, meanwhile, 

 neglected. At the end of December 80,000 Egyptian 

 workmen were busy excavating the line of fresh- 

 water canal between Bulbeis and Abassie. I ought 

 to mention that this portion of the work is being 

 completed by the Viceroy of Egypt, under the super- 

 intendence of the company's engineers. In clearing 

 away the "heaps of earth beneath which the rocks of 

 Chalouf, in the Desert, have been buried for ages, our 

 men discovered a quantity of marine shells. Remains 

 of fish, and more particularly of the shark tribe, 

 have also been brought to light. These highly inter- 

 esting specimens have been carefully collected, and 

 may materially aid geologists in determining the 

 phases in the formation of the isthmus between the 

 two seas. It is generally known that a passage be- 

 tween them has oeen effected, and that it is the in- 

 tention of the Canal Company to throw it open to 

 the commerce of all nations. Of course, for the 

 present, and until we have obtained a depth of twen- 

 ty-six feet, and a width proportinate to that depth, 

 only the smaller class of vessels will be able to take 

 advantage of the opening, and the Mediterranean 

 p_orts may find their commercial geographical posi- 

 tions suddenly changed, and brought almost face 

 to face with countries now the most remote from 

 them. 



SWEDEN and NORWAY, two kingdoms 

 in Northern Europe, united nnder one king. 

 Present King, Charles XV., born May 3, 1826; 

 succeeded his father on July 8, 1859. Area of 

 Sweden and Norway, 292,440 square miles. 

 Population of Sweden, in 1863, 2,304,122; of 

 Norway, in 1855, 1,490,047. The budget for 

 the financial period from January 1, 1864, to 

 December 31, 1866, estimates the ordinary an- 

 nual revenue at 32,909,500 rix dollars; the ex- 

 traordinary revenue at 35,553,360; ordinary 

 expenditures, 31,250,000; extraordinary, 85,- 

 704,636. The public debt of Sweden, on De- 

 cember 31, 1863, amounted to 52,136,680 rix 

 dollars. In the Norwegian budget for the pe- 

 riod from April 1, 1863, to March 31, 1866, the 

 annual revenue and expenditures are fixed at 

 4,770,000 (Norwegian) dollars each. The pub- 

 lic debt was, in 1859, 7,651,800 dollars. The 

 Swedish army consists of 124,807 men ; and 

 that of Norway of 35.115 (inclusive of 15,604 

 landwehr). 



The value of imports and exports was, in 

 1863, as follows: Sweden, imports, 96,627,000 

 rix dollars ; exports, 92,524,000. Norway, im- 



K>rts, 19,354,000 ; exports, 14,947,000 dol- 

 rs. 



The movement of shipping in the same year 

 was as follows : 



You T. 49 A 



The Swedish merchant navy, in 1863, con- 

 sisted of 3,236 vessels, of an aggregate burden 

 of 86,404 lasts; and that of Norway of 5,621 

 vessels, of an aggregate burden of 301,778 lasts. 



The year 1865 is memorable in the history 

 of Sweden, on account of the radical change 

 effected in the Swedish Constitution. Accord- 

 ing to the old Constitution, the Diet consisted 

 of four Chambers or Estates, namely, those of 

 Nobles, of the Clergy, of Citizens (Burghers), and 

 of Peasants. The chief provisions of the nevr 

 reform bill introduced by the Government are 

 the following : 



" The Rigsdag is in future to consist of two 

 Chambers only, which are to meet every year 

 on the 15th of January, and cannot be dis- 

 solved until after they have sat four months. 

 When the Parliament is dissolved, another 

 must be convoked within a period of three 

 months after such dissolution. The members 

 of the first Chamber are elected for nine years, 

 and are 119 in number, or in the proportion of 

 one member for every 30,000 inhabitants. 

 Their qualifications are a minimum age of 

 thirty years, and a landed estate of 80,000 

 rix dollars, or an income of 4,000 rix dollars. 

 They are to receive no pay. The members of 

 the second Chamber are elected for three years, 

 and are divided into town and country depu- 

 ties, of whom the former are in the proportion 

 of one to every 10,000 of the population, and 

 the latter in that of one to every 40,000. 

 There will thus be 50 of the former and 130 of 

 the latter. These members are to be paid at 

 the rate of 1,200 rix dollars for the ordinary 

 session, and 10 rix dollars a day for the extraor- 

 dinary ones. A bill which is not passed in 

 both houses may not again be brought forward 

 in the same session, and if the budget is re- 

 jected in either house the votes of the two 

 houses together are to be taken, and the major- 

 ity is to decide. A superintendent and a dep- 

 uty superintendent of the judges and officials 

 are to be elected by the Parliament, and also, 

 every three years, six learned men for the pur- 

 pose of securing the proper employment of the 

 liberty of the press. The privileges of the no- 

 bility and clergy are maintained, and cannot b 

 altered without the consent of those classes." 



The Chambers of Peasants and Citizens pass- 

 ed the bill on December 4th. In the Chamber 

 of Nobles a determined opposition was made 

 to it, but chiefly owing to the influence of the 

 Government, it was, on December 7th, passed 

 by 361 against 294 votes. On December 8th 

 the Chamber of Clergy unanimously adopted 

 it. The adoption of the bill was received with 

 demonstrations of great joy both in Sweden 

 and Norway. 



