744 



SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



total receipts 82,354,500 crowns (1 crown = 

 26'8 cents), and the expenditures the same. 

 Of the receipts 20,546,000 crowns are derived 

 from what are called the ordinary sources, 

 viz., the land-tax, navigation dues, domains, 

 the poll-tax, the railroads and telegraphs, for- 

 ests, etc. ; 53,395,000 crowns are derived from 

 extraordinary sources, comprising the customs 

 duties, the post-office receipts, stamps, the 

 spirit duty, the income-tax, the duty on beet- 

 sugar, etc. ; 6,989,000 crowns are surplus re- 

 ceipts of former years ; 224,500 crowns come 

 from a reserve fund for the postal administra- 

 tion ; and 1,200,000 are the profits of the Bank 

 of Sweden. A large part of the military and 

 of the ecclesiastical expenditures are not in- 

 cluded in the budget, but are provided for 

 from the profits of public domains reserved 

 for the purpose. 



The public debt outstanding on Jan. 1, 1885, 

 amounted to 230,205,794 crowns, of which 

 33,404,200 represent two internal loans, and 

 196,801,594 foreign loans, paying 4 and 4 per 

 cent, interest. 



Legislation. Protective duties on breadstuffs 

 and provisions met with no favor in the Swed- 

 ish Diet. In March, bills to tax imports of 

 wheat, flour, maize, and pork were rejected 

 by large majorities. A bill extending the pe- 

 riod of military service was rejected by the 

 lower house. The Government offered as an 

 inducement for its acceptance to lower the 

 land-tax 30 per cent. The Popular Chamber 

 demanded the reduction of taxes without an 

 increase of the military burden. A compro- 

 mise was reached, fixing the universal drilling 

 period at twelve days, and establishing the 

 period of six years for the first and second 

 levies, and also for the Landsturm. 



NORWAY. Constitution. The Grundlov of 

 Nov. 4, 1814, vests the legislative power in 

 the Storthing. The executive authority is ex- 

 ercised in the name of the King by a State 

 Council, composed of two Ministers of State 

 and at least seven councilors. Two councilors, 

 who are changed annually, and one of the min- 

 isters, form a deputation residing near the per- 

 son of the King, at Stockholm. 



The Ministry. The Council of State, consti- 

 tuted June 26, 1884, is made up of the follow- 

 ing members: Johan Sverdrup, Minister of 

 State and Chief of the Department of National 

 Defense ; H. G. I. Stang, Chief of the Interior 

 Department ; J. L. R. Sverdrup, Chief of the 

 Department of Worship and Public Instruc- 

 tion ; A. A. Sorenssen, Chief of the Depart- 

 ment of Justice and Police ; B. M. Haugland, 

 Chief of the Department of Finance and Cus- 

 toms ; B. Kildal, Chief of the Department of 

 Revision of Accounts, appointed July 16, 1884; 

 H. R. Astrup, Chief of the Department of Pub- 

 lic Works, appointed Aug. 3, 1885 ; O. Richter, 

 Minister of State, residing at Stockholm ; and 

 Dr. E. Blix and S. A. B. Arctander, Councilors 

 of State at Stockholm. 



Area and Population. The area of Norway is 



122,869 square miles. The population in 1875 

 was 1,806,900. The number of emigrants in 

 1871 was 12,276 ; in 1872, 13,865 ; in 1873, 10,- 

 352; in 1874,4,601; in 1875, 4,048; in 1876, 

 4,355 ; in 1877, 3,206 ; in 1878. 4,863 ; in 1879, 

 7,608; in 1880, 20,212; in 1881, 25,976; in 

 1882, 28,804; in 1883, 22,167. The popula- 

 tion of Christiania, the capital, in 1884, was 

 124,155. 



Commerce. The total value of the imports in 

 1884 was 158,796,000 crowns, against 161,315,- 

 000 in 1883; the value of the exports, 112,- 

 199,000, against 116,139,000 crowns. Of the 

 imports about 28 per cent, come from Germany 

 on the average, 27 per cent, from Great Brit- 

 ain, and 9 or 10 per cent, each from Den- 

 mark, Sweden, and Russia. Of the exports, 

 Great Britain takes 33 per cent. ; Germany, 14 

 per cent. ; Sweden, 12 per cent. ; and Spain, 

 10 per cent., chiefly fish. Fish and timber 

 constitute each about one third of the total 

 exports. The tonnage entered at Norwegian 

 ports in 1883 was 2,296,527 tons, of which 

 1,533,475 were Norwegian; the tonnage cleared 

 was 2,301,965 tons. The merchant marine in 

 1884 numbered 7,899 vessels, of 1,547,194 tons, 

 with 60,523 sailors. There were 407 steamers, 

 of 82,519 tons. There are about 120,000 per- 

 sons and 25,000 boats employed in the fisheries, 

 three fourths of them in the codfisheries. 



Communications. The length of railroads open 

 to traffic in 1885 was 1,562 kilometres. The 

 length of the state lines of telegraph at the end 

 of 1884 was 7,345, of wires, 13,548 kilometres. 

 The number of dispatches was 890,749, of 

 which 496,119 were internal. The receipts 

 were 964,767, the expenses 1,006,102 crowns. 

 The railroad telegraph lines had a length of 

 1,614 kilometres, with 2,488 kilometres of 

 wires. 



The number of letters that passed through 

 the post-office in 1884 was 18.923,574, of which 

 13,571,350 were internal. The receipts were 

 2,124,832 crowns, the expenses 2,178,992 

 crowns. 



Army and Na?y. The troops of the line num- 

 ber 750 officers and 18,000 men, which figures 

 must not be exceeded without the consent of 

 the Storthing. The landvaern, or militia, and 

 the landstorm, or final levy, can be called out 

 only for the defense of the country. The fleet 

 of war in July, 1885, numbered 42 steamers, of 

 which 4 were iron-clad monitors, 2 frigates, 2 

 corvettes, 4 torpedo-boats, and the rest gun- 

 boats. The navy was manned by 112 officers 

 and 317 sailors on permanent engagement. 

 The naval militia in 1884 numbered 27,300 

 men. 



Finances. The total receipts of the treasury 

 during the year ending June 30, 1884, were 

 40,840,500 crowns, of which 18,638,300 were 

 derived from customs, 5,941,800 from railroads, 

 2,960,400 from the spirit-tax, 2,082,800 from 

 the malt-tax, 2,071,100 from the post-office, 

 and the remainder from domains and other 

 sources. The total expenditures were 42,116,- 



