EUROPE. 



wealth. The amount of coal raised annually is 

 about 16,000,000 tons, and the number of men 

 employed is over 100,000. The most important 

 manufactures are woollen cloths, at Verviers, 

 Liege, Ypres; carpets, at Tournay; linens, ai 

 Bruges, Courtray, Ghent, Termonde, &c. ; cotton 

 goods, at Ghent, Bruges, Courtray, Mechlin, 

 Louvain, Tournay, Mons, and Antwerp; superb 

 lace, at Brussels and Mechlin; ribbons, at 

 Antwerp, Tournay, Ypres; metallurgy, at Char- 

 leroi, Liege, Namur, &c. ; steam-engines, fire- 

 arms, and machinery, at Liege ; hardwares and 

 cutlery in various localities ; porcelain, at Brussels, 

 &c. ; glass, at Namur, Liege, and Charleroi. The 

 internal communication of the country is carried 

 on by means of the rivers, already noticed, a 

 number of well-kept canals, good macadamised 

 roads, and a partly national system of railways, 

 which in 1882 had a length of 2600 miles. 



The government, as established in 1831, is a 

 constitutional, hereditary monarchy. The legis- 

 lative power is exercised collectively by the king, 

 senate, and house of representatives the members 

 of both of these chambers being elected by all 

 citizens who pay a small amount of direct taxes. 

 The executive is exercised by the sovereign, 

 assisted by responsible ministers. Population, 

 5,520,000; revenue (in 1882), 12,000,000; debt, 

 72,000,000; imports (in 1 88 1), 112,000,000, and 

 exports, ,98,500,000; army, on the war-footing, 

 100,000 on peace-footing, 40,000. Capital, 

 Brussels, with a population (including its 8 

 suburbs) of 395,000. 



religion of the state, and according to the census 

 of 1880 was professed by all but 17,000 of the 

 people. Elementary education is widely diffused, 

 attendance at school being obligatory from the 

 age of seven to fourteen. Almost every one can 

 read and write. Besides the university of Copen- 

 hagen, there are thirteen gymnasia in Denmark, 

 where classics are taught, and a large number of 

 what the Germans call real-schulen. The parish 

 or elementary schools are nearly 3000 in number. 



Industrially, Denmark is more an agricultural 

 and pastoral than a manufacturing country. Its- 

 commerce consists almost exclusively in barley, 

 wheat and oats, cattle and butter. The total 

 value of the exports in 1880 was 12,650,000. 

 They consist mainly of butter, grain, and cattle ; 

 and nearly half go to Great Britain. 



The government is a hereditary monarchy. The 

 constitution of 1849 gives an elective parliament, 

 or Rigsdag, for the whole kingdom, consisting of 

 two houses, a Folkething and a Landsthing, the 

 latter forming a Senate or Upper House. Since 

 1866, Slesvig and Holstein have ceased to be 

 Danish provinces, and now form part of Prussia. 

 Population (in 1880), 1,969,000; revenue (in i88i) r 

 2,875,000; debt (in 1882) 11,203,000; army, 

 38,000; navy, 41 vessels, of which 8 were iron- 

 :lads. Capital, Copenhagen, with 273,000 in- 

 habitants. 



SWEDEN. 



DENMARK. 



This small but ancient kingdom occupies the 

 reater part of that peninsular and insular portion 

 af Europe betwixt the German Ocean and the 

 entrance to the Baltic Sea ; and lies between lat. 

 54 35' and 57 42' north, and long. 8 5' and 12 

 45' east. The Danish dominions consist of the 

 kingdom of Denmark proper, which includes the 

 peninsula of Jutland, with the islands of Sjaeland 

 or Zealand, Funen, Laaland, Falster, Moen, Lang- 

 land, &c. The area is 14,740 square miles. 



Superficially, both the peninsular and insular 

 portions are low and flat ; in many places rising 

 little above the sea, and requiring the protection 

 of mounds and dikes ; and in no portion exceed- 

 ing an altitude of 1200 feet. In the north and 

 west of Jutland, large sandy tracts are prevalent, 

 partially covered with bent, heath, and juniper, 

 and utterly unavailable for culture. The soil of 

 the islands is composed of calcareous sand and 

 clay, and is, upon the whole, of average quality. 



The climate, in consequence of the low-lying 

 nature of the land, and the proximity of the sur- 

 rounding seas to its most central portions, is, on 

 the whole, much milder than the latitude would 



indicate. The distinguishing characteristics are ! low and sandy character as the opposite coast of 

 humidity and changeableness. All the common I Denmark. The most important mineral products 

 grasses, rye, wheat, oats, potatoes, hemp, flax, are iron (the best in Europe), copper, and lead 

 and rape-seed, are raised ; and in several of the in abundance ; cobalt, zinc, antimony, gold, and 

 islands are large orchard-growths of apples, pears, silver in minor quantities. 



This country occupies the eastern and more 

 important section of the Scandinavian peninsula, 

 and is situated between lat. 55 20' and 69 north r 

 and long. 1 1 10' and 24 east. Its extreme length 

 s about 965 miles, and its average breadth 188 : 

 the area is computed at 172,000 square miles. 



Physically, the country presents several districts 

 of very different aspect ; the whole, however, 

 declining from the Kjolen and Dofrine ranges 

 towards the basin of the Baltic. Starting with 

 these, which have the character of an irregular 

 table-land, about 20 or 25 miles across, and only 

 at intervals studded with mountains of more than 

 5000 feet high, we find the general elevation 

 between 2000 and 2800 feet, covered with strag- 

 gling forests of pine and birch. From this tract 

 the country descends by steps or terraces. 

 Throughout the whole of these, the rivers which 

 rise in the mountain-plateau hold on their course, 

 presenting numerous rapids and water-falls ; only 

 a few of them, as the Angermans, being navigable 

 during the lower stages of their descent Such 

 is the superficial character of Nordland. As we 

 travel southward through Svealand, the face of 

 the country becomes flat, or only diversified by 

 the insignificant ridges which inclose the great 

 lakes Wener, Wetter, &c. South of the lakes, 

 the greater part of Gothland presents the same 



cherries, and hazel-nuts. 



The people belong to the Scandinavian branch 

 of the great Teutonic family, and speak a modern 



Respecting climate, Nordland, part of which 

 lies within the Arctic Circle, has from five to six 

 months of winter ; snow and ice then covering 



form of the old Norse, which is much simpler in j the mountains and rivers, and locking up the 



structure, and more musical in sound than its 



venerable parent. 



waters of the Gulf of Bothnia. On the other hand, 



Lutheranism is the established the summer is sudden and short, but excessively 



221 



