65 



BOTHNIA. 



BOTHWELL. 



is good. About 60 miles from the shore agriculture begins to be 

 the principal occupation of the inhabitants, and villages are more 

 numerous; but even here woods cover the greatest part of the 

 country. 



The Pitea-Elf rises in the extensive lake of Peskejaure, which is 

 inclosed by high mountain rocks, and running through the moun- 

 tainous country in a south-eastern direction, traverses inany smaller 

 hikes. Here it forms numerous rapids and some considerable cata- 

 racts. About 60 miles from the coast it turns due east and falls into 

 the sea a little below the town of Pitea, after a course of about 180 

 miles. It is only navigable a few miles from its mouth. The town 

 of Pitea occupies an agreeable site on the coast : the population is 

 about 1200. The trade of the place is chiefly in timber. 



The Skelleftea-Elf rises in the north-eastern declivity of the Nasa- 

 fiall, in which there are some mines of silver which for nearly half 

 a century past have not been worked. In the mountainous country 

 this river traverses some lakes, and receives the waters of others by 

 narrow channels. In the plain it takes an east-south-eastern direc- 



i its mouth below the church of Skelleftea. The rapids in this 

 river are more numerous than in the others, but it has fewer cata- 

 racts, so that the salmon ascend nearly to its sourceu. The river is 

 only navigable for a few miles above its mouth. Its course is about 

 ISO miles. On the banks of this river the great plain of Bothnia 

 ceases, the country south of it being entirely hilly or mountainous, 

 with few level tracts. The hills inland rise into mountains, with 

 declivities covered with forests consisting chiefly of pine, birch, and 

 fir. The level tracts along the rivers afford pasture, and are some- 

 times cultivated. Agriculture is more attended to in the eastern and 

 hilly parts of the country. 



In the southern portion of Bothnia the mountains in the western 



ts form ranges rather than groups. Some miles north of 65 

 N. lat. a range branches off from the Kiolen chain, which running 

 nearly east traverses almost the whole of the Scandinavian peninsula, 

 terminating about 30 miles west of the mouth of the Umea-Elf. This 

 range, called the Stiitting-liiill, approaches the snow-line ; and though 

 its summits are formed of barren rocks the sides are clothed with fir, 

 birch, and aspen, and afford good pasture. To the north of this 

 chain runs the Oran-Elf, a considerable river, rising at some distance 

 from the Kiolen, and running nearly east and parallel to the Stbtting- 

 li.ill. It turns to the south-east where this mountain range termi- 

 nates, and soon after enters Angermanland, where after a farther 

 course of about 45 miles it falls into the sea between the villages of 

 Angersjo and Lefvar. Its whole course may be upwards of 150 miles. 

 To the north of the Oran-Elf runs the Umea-Elf, which rises in the 

 Kiolen range about 66 N. lat. It first runs south, traversing some 

 lakes ; and then turns to th south-east, traverses the large lake of 

 Stora Umea, is joined by the Wiudel-Elf, and falls into the gulf after 

 a course in all of about 180 miles. The town of Umea, situated at 

 the mouth of the river mi its left bank, is the capital of Wester- 

 bothnia : its population is about 1500. It is the residence of the 

 governor. In the neighbourhood are some mineral springs. The 

 Windel-Elf, which rises in the Kiolen range about 66 30' on the 

 south declivity of the Naga-fiiill and descends in a south-eastern 

 direction with numerous bendings, is more free from cataracts than 

 the other rivers of Bothnia, and a considerable part of it has been 



ied so far navigable that timber and wood may be floated 

 down. 



1 1 nia, extending on both sides of the polar circle, has of course 

 a very cold climate, though it is much milder than other parts of the 

 globe in the same latitude. Winter lasts in general eight months, 



the beginning of October to the end of May, and the cold is 

 very severe. It is followed almost immediately by summer, a few 

 moderate days only intervening between the frost and a great degree 

 of heat. In the beginning of June all traces of winter have disap- 

 peared, and the grain is sown. The great heat produced by the long 

 d;iys of eighteen or twenty hours, united to the moisture which has 



mlated during the long winter, gives rise to a very rapid vegeta- 

 tion. (,'orn is sown and reaped in some places in the course of seven 

 or eight weeks, and nowhere remains in the ground more than ten 

 weeks. Nevertheless it is sometimes destroyed by night-frost, which 

 generally appears about the 20th of August for three or four nights 

 in succession. These nights are called ' iron nights,' and are followed 

 by about six weeks of moderate wurnith. The quantity of snow 

 whieli falls during the winter is very great ; but in summer rain is 

 scarce. The rivers of Bothnia overflow the low tracto along their 

 tiank.i twice a year ; the first time in the beginning of June, after the 



Mg of the snow in the lower parts of the country ; the second 



U the middle of July, when a succession of long days has pro- 



i the same effect on the mountains. The latter inundation is 



favourable to the growth of grass than the former, and enables 

 the inhabitants to maintain a large stock of cattle during the eight 

 winter months. The soil is of an indifferent quality, sandy and stony, 

 except along the Toniea-EIf and Muonio-Elf, where it is rather good, 



illy towards the shores of the gulf. Along the shores of the 



in: liiml H Iwtter. 



Whi-iit H only cultivated at one place, in the most southern corner of 



the province, and here hardly a few bushels are annually obtained. 



grown nearly up to 86 N. lat., and oats and barley even to 68. 



GEOO. DIV. VOL. 11. 



Potatoes generally succeed very well ; turnips and cabbages do not 

 thrive. 



Black cattle form one of the principal sources of wealth in the pro- 

 vinces, but the stock is limited by the scarcity of meadows ; the pas- 

 ture-walks however are extensive. Butter and hides, which are the 

 principal articles of export, are sent to Stockholm. Horses are rather 

 numerous, and of a middling size. Sheep are only found in the south 

 districts, and their wool is coarse. The Laplanders have considerable 

 herds of rein-deer, and live upon their flesh and other prqduee. 



The inhabitants of the more inland districts gain their living chiefly 

 by fishing in the lakes, which abound in many kinds of fish, as 

 pike, tench, trout, but especially the Salmo lavaretus. The salmon 

 ascends those rivers which have not high cataracts, and the number of 

 fish taken is considerable. 



The high plain between the Calix-Elf and Lulea-Elf, the upper 

 parts of the mountains, and the higher valleys, are in general covered 

 with rein-deer moss ; the remainder of the district forms nearly an 

 interminable forest, especially in the inland country. Tbe most 

 common trees are birch, pine, fir, alder, and aspen. The inhabitants 

 have hitherto derived very little advantage from this vast treasure, 

 owing to the rivers not being navigable. In some parts along the 

 coast tar and pitch are made for exportation. 



Three nations inhabit Bothnia, the Finlanders, the Laplanders, and 

 the Swedes. The Finlanders have settled chiefly along the banks of 

 the Muonio-Elf and Tornea-Elf. They apply themselves especially to 

 the rearing of cattle, and are distinguished by their skill in the 

 management of the dairy. The Laplanders inhabit the inland district, 

 and conduct their herds of rein-deer in the summer to the upper 

 valleys in the mountains, and even to Norway, but in winter they 

 descend to the lower plains on the shores. Some of them have 

 become agriculturists, and partly adopted the manners and customs 

 of the Swedes. The Swedes occupy the country along the shores, 

 and the valleys on the sides of the larger rivers. They occupy them- 

 selves nearly exclusively with agriculture, except a few families in the 

 inland districts, who gain their sustenance by fishing in the lakes. 



Bothnia with Lapland is politically divided into two liins, or dis- 

 tricts, of which the south is called Westerbotten, or Umea Lan, and 

 the north Norrbotten, or Pitea Lan. 



(Buch, Travel*; Schubert, Travdi in Sweden; Maps of Baron 

 Hermelin.) 



BOTHNIA (the Gulf of), the most northern part of the Baltic Sea, 

 extends from 60 to nearly 66 N. lat Between 60 and 64 it lies 

 due S. and N., but the remainder declines to the N.E. Its wholu 

 length is rather more than 400 miles. 



Its entrance is formed by a strait called Alands Haf, which divides 

 the Scandinavian peninsula from the Aland Islands that bel<Ag to 

 the Russian government of Abo, a part of the ancient province of 

 Finland. This strait is from 36 miles to 50 miles wide. North of it 

 the gulf widens suddenly, the coast of Sweden trending to the north- 

 west, .so that before it reaches 61 it has attained a width of upwards 

 of 240 miles, which breadth it preserves nearly to 62. Farther 

 north it narrows gradually, till near 64 it forms another strait, called 

 the Quarken. That portion of the gulf extending from Alands Haf 

 to the Quarken is called Bottniska Haffet (the Sea of Bothnia). At 

 the Quarken the coast of Sweden is about oO miles from that ->i* 

 Russia, but the straits are still farther narrowed by the Swedish 

 island Holmoe and the Russian islands Walloe, so that the free passage 

 is only about 25 miles wide. To the north of the Quarken the gulf 

 preserves a width of from 50 to 60 miles for some distance, but it 

 afterwards widens to about 100 miles, which breadth continues to its 

 northern termination. The portion of it north of the Quarken is 

 properly called Bottniska Wicken (the Gulf of Bothnia). The coasts 

 south of che Quarken are rocky though not high on both sides of the 

 gulf, but in general higher on the western side, where at a few places 

 they rise to 60 feet and upwards. To the north of the Quarken the 

 coasts are low and sandy, with the exception of a tract near the straits 

 on the Russian side, where they are rocky but likewise low. The 

 largest part of the coasts of this northern portion is formed by an 

 alluvial deposit brought down by numerous rivers. There is no want 

 of good harbours in the gulf; but the navigation is interrupted by 

 the ice for five months in the year to the south of the Quarken, and 

 for six months in the year to the north of it. The southern part of 

 the gulf is however annually navigated by some English vessels, which 

 export timber and naval stores. Swedish and Norwegian vessels also 

 bring these articles to England. A kind of small herrings, called by 

 the Swedes ' strommings,' appears in summer in great numbers on 

 the west coast of the gulf, especially south of the Quarken, when 

 most of the inhabitants of the coast south and north of Hernosand 

 are occupied in catching them. The greater part are dried, but H 

 considerable portion undergo a fermentation in a closed cask, after 

 having previously been a little suited, and exposed to the ah- for a 

 short time. The fish thus acquires a sour taste, and is called ' sur- 

 strbmming.' Both the dried and sour strommings are exported to 

 the neighbouring countries, and are used by the lower classes in a 

 great part of Sweden. [BALTIC SEA.] 



BOTHWELL, Lanarkshire, Scotland, a village in the parish of 

 Both well, situated on the right bank of the river Clyde, in 55 48' N. 

 lat., 4" 5' W. long. ; 8 mile < K.S.E. from Glasgow, and 38 miles W.S.W. 



