SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



473 



quantities. Silver is more abundant. The silver 

 mines of Sala have yielded, during the three last 

 centuries, 1,640,000 marks of pure silver. The 

 copper mines at Fahlun (a mining town, with 4200 

 inhabitants) produce, at present, 1,200,000 to 

 1,800,000 pounds, and all the Swedish copper mines, 

 a total of 1500 tons annually. Excellent iron is 

 obtained in large quantities: 120,000,000 pounds 

 are smelted every year, constituting seven eighths of 

 all the mining products. The richest iron mines 

 are those of Danemora, in Upland. Lead, cobalt, 

 vitriol, sulphur, alum, some salt, marble, porphyry, 

 granite, grind-stones, mill-stones, and sandstone, 

 asbestos, slate, talc, lime, &c. occur. There are 

 many mineral springs in Sweden ; in Norway, only 

 one. 



The Swedes and Norwegians are of a middle 

 stature, and compactly built. The purity and cold- 

 ness of the air, and the necessity of extorting every 

 thing from the earth, gives them a hardness akin to 

 their native iron, and a bold independent spirit. In 

 the sciences, the Swede shows a sound and pene- 

 trating mind. Poetry and the fine arts have also put 

 forth some fair blossoms in this rude climate. The 

 language is of Teutonic origin. The Swedish and 

 Norwegian dialects differ but little. The language 

 of Lapland is a Finnish dialect. The two king- 

 doms, Norway and Sweden, had, in 1825, according 

 <o official documents, a population of 3,819,714 

 "jbout thirteen to a square mile. But in the south- 

 ern provinces of Sweden, there are 142 inhabitants 

 to a square mile. The population, in 1828, was 

 ,'$,878,700. Sweden alone contains 168,363 square 

 miles, and 2,800,000 inhabitants. In all the cities, 

 there are about 322,000 inhabitants. Stockholm, 

 the capital of the kingdom, has a population of 

 79,526 ; Gottenburg (Gotaborg), the principal com- 

 mercial city in Sweden, 24,000; Christiania, the 

 capital of Norway, 20,600 ; and Bergen, the chief 

 commercial city of Norway, 20,800. But few 

 towns, however, number more than 4000 inhabit- 

 ants, and many have scarcely 500. Out of Europe, 

 Sweden possesses, since 1784, St Bartholomew, one 

 of the West India islands, containing fifty-three 

 square miles and 18,000 inhabitants A. Sweden 

 (Svea) comprehends four regions : 1. Sweden Pro- 

 per, or Svealand, comprising eight provinces, among 

 which are Upland, Siidermannland, or Sudermania, 

 Dalarne, or Dalecarlia (a poor, hilly country, in 

 which there were 40,000 men, in 1819, destitute of 

 the means of support), and Wermeland, now form- 

 ing eight governments (liine) ; 2. Gothland, or 

 Gothia, comprising thirteen governments (Schonen, 

 or Scania, one of its provinces, contains Helsing- 

 borg, on the sound, the place of embarkation for 

 Denmark, and Ystadt, the place of embarkation for 

 Stralsund) ; 3. Norrland, containing five provinces 

 (Herjedalen, Jamtland, Westerbottn, &c.) ; 4. 

 Swedish Lapland, containing from 34,000 to 38,000 

 square miles. The whole number of Swedish Lap- 

 landers was estimated, in 1818, at only 3000 per- 

 sons, of whom 669 were owners of reindeer. To 

 these must be added about 2000 colonists. Several 

 of the colonies in Lapland were founded by baron 

 Hermelin, at his own expense. This region yields 

 but a trifling revenue to the crown. B. Norway. 

 The southern part (Sodenfield) comprehends Chris- 

 tiniaand Christiansand; the northern (Nordenfield), 

 the dioceses of Bergen, Drantheim and Nordland ; 

 to the latter belongs Finnmark, or Norwegian Lap- 

 land. See Norway. 



The original inhabitants of Sweden were of Fin- 



nish descent Finns and Laplanders, who were 

 driven to the extreme north by Germanic tribes. 

 Among the latter, the Goths and Swedes soon 

 gained the ascendency, subjecting the other tribes. 

 Their chief magistrates were judges of the fabulous 

 family of the Ynglings, which claimed a descent 

 from a son of Odin. In the fifth century, they as- 

 sumed the title of kings of Upsala, and reigned in 

 Sweden till 1068. A regular government was first 

 established by Olof, or Olaf I., in 994, who was 

 converted to Christianity, The Goths and Swedes 

 still remained distinct, and their disputes distracted 

 the kingdom for centuries. In 1250, when the 

 powerful family of the Folkungs ascended the 

 throne, the two hostile tribes became united into 

 one nation ; and, at the same time, the succession 

 was settled. Sweden then extended only to Hels- 

 ingland. In 1248, Eric XI. conquered the interior 

 of Finnland ; and, in 1293, Torkel Knutsen, the 

 guardian of Birger, conquered Carelia, the extreme 

 province of that country ; so that Sweden now be- 

 came the immediate neighbour of Russia. In 1332, 

 Magnus Smek obtained possession, through Mats 

 Kettilmundsen, of the provinces of Schonen, Bleck- 

 ingen and Halland; but they were lost again in 

 1360. Tired of his oppression, the Swedes re- 

 belled in 1363, and gave the crown to his sister's 

 son, Albert of Mecklenburg. The Swedes soon be- 

 came dissatisfied with their new king, who fell, in 

 1388, in the battle at Falkoping, fighting against 

 the Danes, whom his subjects had called in to their 

 assistance. In 1389, Margaret queen of Denmark 

 and Norway, added Sweden to her other posses- 

 sions ; and the diet of Calmar (q. v.) ratified this 

 union, 1397, each state retaining its own constitu- 

 tion. Troubles, rebellions, and finally, complete 

 anarchy, followed this measure ; and, in 1448, the 

 Swedes and Norwegians elected a separate king, 

 Karl Knutsen (i. e. Charles, the son of Canute), 

 and formally renounced the union. After the death 

 of Charles, several of the family of Sture reigned 

 in succession, with the title of presidents, though 

 with regal authority, until, in 1520, Christian II. 

 of Denmark was acknowledged king of Sweden. 

 But his tyranny disgusted the people. Even dur- 

 ing the ceremony of the coronation, notwithstand- 

 ing his promises of amnesty, he ordered ninety-four 

 Swedish noblemen to be beheaded in the market- 

 place of Stockholm, and perpetrated similar acts of 

 cruelty in the provinces. In 1521, Gustavus Wasa, 

 or Vasa, who had escaped from the Danish prisons, 

 put himself at the head of the mal-contents, and, in 

 1523, after the expulsion of Christian, was elected 

 to the crown. He introduced the reformation 

 among his subjects, added the estates of the clergy 

 and the monasteries to his own domains, promoted 

 the trade and commerce of Sweden by treaties with 

 England and Holland, and, in 1544, secured to his 

 family the succession to the throne. His son and 

 successor, Eric XIV. (reigned 1560 68), added 

 Esthonia to Sweden, and, at his coronation, in 1561, 

 introduced the titles of count and baron, before un- 

 known in Sweden, which he bestowed upon several 

 families. His suspicious disposition and tyrannical 

 acts made him an object of popular hatred. He 

 was deposed, and, after nine years' imprisonment, 

 poisoned in a dungeon. He was succeeded (1568 

 to 1592) by his brother, John II., who, by the peace 

 of Stettin, 1570, ceded to Denmark Schonen, Hal- 

 land, Bleckingen, Herjedalen and Gothland ; and, 

 in 1580, embraced the Catholic religion, in which 

 he caused his son, Sigismund, to be educated. 



