737 



SWEDEN. 



SWEDEN. 



738 



an average width of 3 miles. It is 899 feet above the sea. The Kiune 

 Kulle, another of these, stands on the banks of Lake Wener, and 

 IB 9 miles from south to north, and 5 miles wide. The highest part is 

 902 feet above the sea-level. The declivities of this mass, where they 

 consist of limestone, are very fertile, well cultivated, and populous. 

 Though the general slope of the plain is regular, its surface is often 

 undulating. The soil is an alluvium, composed of sand and clay, and 

 possesses a considerable degree of fertility. Some tracts, where the 

 sand predominates, are covered with heaths. Rye, barley, and potatoes 

 are extensively grown. The meadows and pasture-grounds are of 

 little value except on the borders of the lakes. 



13. The Rocky Reyion extends for about 90 miles in length, between 

 the Gota on the east and the Skagerack on the west, as far as 59 

 N. Kt. and the boundary line of Norway. The width at the southern 

 extremity hardly exceeds 10 miles, but it increases rapidly to the 

 northward, so that at the northern boundary it is rather more than 

 55 miles. It may be divided into three districts, which extend longi- 

 tudinally over the region the rocky district, the middle or woody 

 district, and the ngricultural district. The rocky district lies along 

 the shore of the Skagerack, and extends 10 or 12 miles inland; the 

 southern part of the region, as far north as Trolliattan, is entirely 

 occupied by it The surface of this tract is covered with rocks, rising 

 near the sea with a precipitous ascent from 100 to 300 feet, and then 

 extending in some parts on a level, with very inconsiderable depressions 

 or eminences, and in others with a hilly surface. Farther north, espe- 

 cially near the boundary of Norway, the rocky masses rise 400 or 500 

 feet, and on them there occur other masses, which are from 100 to 200 

 feet higher. The rocks are in general covered only with lichens; most 

 of the narrow valleys between them are mere peat-mosses, or over- 

 grown with juniper bushe*. Fire-wood is scarce. The middle or 

 wooded district begins in the parallel of the southern extremity of 

 Lake Wener, where it is of inconsiderable width, but it grows wider 

 as it proceeds farther north, where it is 25 miles across. The hills 

 and rocks here have rounded tops and less precipitous elopes. The 

 hills are generally covered by a layer of earth, on which grow birch, 

 fir, and pine woods, and tolerable pastures. The depressions and 

 valleys are rather wide, and contain many cultivated tracts and 

 meadows. The eastern or agricultural district lies along the shore of 

 Lake Wener, with a width of 6 or 8 mile*. The surface of this 

 tract towards the south is very even and slightly elevated above the 

 level of the lake, and has a rich alluvial soil. Towards the north 

 however the surface is undulating, and in some places hilly ; but the 

 soil is of good quality, being a mixture of clay and loam. In this 

 district much rye and barley arc cultivated, and a considerable pro- 

 portion of wheat. Peas and potatoes are grown extensively. 



The ratio of cultivated, meadow, and pasture land to the unim- 

 proved portion of the surface of Sweden is much greater in the 

 southern province* than in the northern. This difference is less the 

 effect of the climate than of the soil. Though in the southern 

 portion there are several extensive tracts which consist of bare rocks, 

 they are small in proportion to tracts of the same kind in the north. 

 The boulders, which are extremely numerous, diminish the extent and 

 value of the cultivable tract There hardly occur ten square miles, 

 with the exception perhaps of the level plain of Scania, in which 

 there are not erratic rocks in great numbers, and in some places they 

 cover nearly half the surface. These rocks, as well as those ' in situ,' 

 are of gneiss, and the soil derived from their disintegration is barren. 



The lowering of the sea along the coast of Sweden is a fact that has 

 been established by continued observations for a whole century. This 

 decrease of water a greatest towards the northern extremity of the 

 Gulf of Bothnia. It diminishes gradually to the southward, and its 

 effect seems to disappear along the southern coast of Sweden ; but it 

 has been noticed in the Cattegat north of Cape Kullen, and still more 

 north of the mouth of the Outa, where it is about as much as on 

 the eastern coast, under the same parallel. The difficulty of explaining 

 this phenomenon satisfactorily has snggested the notion that the whole 

 Scandinavian peninsula U raised gradually higher by the force of some 

 internal power. 



Laket; Riteri ; Canalt ; Railway*. The number of lakes in Sweden 

 is very great. It is estimated that they cover 21,918 square miles, or 

 nearly one-eighth of the area of the kingdom. 



The largest lake is the Wener, which U traversed by 59 N. lat. 

 The surface is 144 feet above the sea-level. Two headlands projecting 

 from the northern and southern shores divide it into two unequal 

 parts, of which the western and smaller is named Lake Dalbo. Lake 

 Dalbo extends from south to north about 55 miles, and from east to 

 west 20 mile*. The strait by which it is connected with Lake Wener 

 is about 15 miles wide, but numerous small rocky inlands lie across it, 

 leaving only narrow passage*, a circumstance which renders the navi- 

 gation dangerous, on account of the gales, which arc not unusual on 

 the lake*. Lake Wcner is 60 miles long from south to north, and 

 80 miles wide where broadest. A large part of the shore is lined with 

 rocky ^ Islands; this is also the case with Lake Dalbo. The rivers 

 which* fall in from the south have not a long course, and do not bring 

 much water; but the northern rivers flow from other lakes of 

 considerable extent, and contain much more water. 



The largest feeder of Lake Wener is the Ktar, which rises in Lake 

 Famund, on the confines of Sweden and Norway, 2280 feet above the 



oeoo. DIT. YOU IT. 



sea. The outfall of Lake Famund is called the Tryssild, and runs 

 southward. After a rapid course of more than 70 miles, it enters Sweden 

 a little north of 61 N. lat., and takes the name of Klar. At this point 

 it is probably not more than 600 feet above the sea-level. Its course 

 in Sweden is generally south-east, and it runs more than 120 miles-. 

 In the upper part of its course in Sweden its current is comparatively 

 gentle ; but in the vicinity of 60" N. lat. it descends from a higher 

 country to a lower, and falls more than 130 feet within a few miles, 

 and is broken by rapids and cataracts. Below this place the river 

 runs with less rapidity, but it cannot easily be navigated except in the 

 last 20 miles of its course. Wood however is floated down from the 

 upper country. Near its mouth it divides into two arms, which 

 inclose a small island called Tiugwalla, on which the town of Carlstad 

 ia built. 



The waters of Lake Wener are carried to the Cattegat by the Gota, 

 which runs uiorj than 50 miles to the west of south. It has a great 

 volume of water, and about 14 miles from its mouth divides into two . 

 arms, which inclose the large island of Uisinycn. In its natur.il state 

 the river was rendered unfit for navigation by several cataracts one 

 at KUnum, 12 feet high, two miles from the lake ; another at Trol- 

 hattan, where the river descends by rapids 108 feet in 5 miles ; and a 

 third at Lilla EJ.-t, where there is a cataract 10 feet high about 18 miles 

 from the lake. But all these obstacles are now overcome by means of 

 canals and locks. Small steamers and vessels of not more than 6 feet 

 draught ply regularly from Goteborg (Gothenburg) to Lake Wener; 

 thence the West Gota Canal, which traverses Lake Vicken, conveys 

 them to the Wetter Lake ; and by the East Gota Canal, which runs 

 parallel to the Mottala, traverses Lake Uoxen, nnd thence runs east- 

 ward to the Bay of Slate Eaken, below Soderkoping, on the east coast 

 of Sweden, the steam navigation is completed between the Kattegat 

 and the Baltic. This important line of internal navigation (260 miles 

 in length, including the lakes), was complete 1 by the Euglisii engineer 

 Telford. It shortens considerably the route from Gotebor;,' to Stock- 

 holm, and frees the commerce of Sweden from tbe Sound dues. The 

 navigation is closed from Christmas to May by ice. 



A line of railway U now (August, 1855) in progress of construction 

 from Stockholm to Goteborg, sweeping round the north shore of Lake 

 Malar, through Koping, Orebro, and down the ixthmus between the 

 Wener and Wotter lakes. Another railway has been spoken uf from 

 the head of the Keldcr Wik, up the valley of the Kouiic, and through 

 Chrutianstad to the port of Alms on the Baltic. 



Lake Wetter, which occupies the centre of Southern Sweden, extends 

 from south to north about 80 miles, and its width is about 10 miles. 

 The surface is 288 feet above the sea, while at the distance of a few 

 miles east and west the level country is several feet lower. It is sur- 

 rounded by rocks and hills except on the north-east, where for nearly 

 20 miles it is contiguous to the plain of Linkoping, and the shores rise 

 only a few feet above its level. All the streams that flow into it are 

 only torrents. The lake in one place Li more than 70 fathoms deep. 

 It is subject to heavy gales. 



The river Jtotala issues from this lake on the north-cast, and after 

 having traversed the plain of Liukoping and the lakes of Boren, Roxen, 

 and Glan, carries its waters to the Bay of Briiviken, au inlet of tbo 

 Baltic which runs up to the town of Norrkopiug, 24 miles inland. 

 The whole course of the river, exclusive of the lakes, is only about 

 25 miles ; and it descends 288 feet, or 1 1 4 feet per mile. The channels 

 by which the lakes are connected with one another are too rapid for 

 navigation. 



About 25 miles N.E. of Wetter Lake is Lake Uiclmar, which is 

 about 40 miles long and 2 miles wide at both extremities ; but it 

 enlarges in the middle to 1 2 miles. The surface is 78 feet above the 

 sea-level. It communicates by a canal (and locks) with the river 

 Arboga, which ruus into Lake Miilar. 



The Malar Lake differs greatly from all the other lakes of Sweden. 

 It consists of many small lakes, united by short channels, which inclose 

 islands. Tbe number of these small islands is in some places very great. 

 Hardly a clear sheet of water of a mile square can be found. From 

 what may be called the main body of the lake several narrow arms 

 branch off to the south and north, and penetrate to a great distance 

 inland. One of them, which extends northward, is more than 25 

 milts long. All these numerous arms and branches are navigable for 

 boats. If we consider the town of Stockholm to be built at tbe eastern 

 extremity of the lake, tbe length of the Miilar Lake exceeds 70 miles. 

 It is nearly on a level with tbe Baltic. 



The advantages of the navigation on Lake Miilar have been increased 

 by tbe Sodertelge and Stromsholms canals. The SoJertelge Canal is 

 a cut about 2 miles long, which unites a southern arm of Lake Miilar 

 with a deep inlet of the Baltic called the Jtirne FiorJ. By means of 

 this cut the steamers and other vessels that reach the Baltic by tho 

 Gota Canal ply to and from Stockholm without passing through the 

 long channels that lead to that city. This canal is about 18 miles 

 west-south-west of Stockholm. The Stromsholms Canal joins the lake 

 not far from its western extremity, and comes from tbe north. It 

 leads to tho interior of the Region of tbe Mines, and terminates in the 

 Lake of Barken, which is 327 feet above tbe sea-level. Its length, 

 including the lakes Barken and Amuniu;en, which together occupy 

 more than 20 miles, exceeds 50 miles. It can only be navigated by 

 vessels drawing 4 feet of water, aud has 25 lock*. 



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