SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



477 



propriates 4,000,000 Swedish bank dollars annually 

 to purchase corn ; but no such provision is made in 

 Norway, whence the scarcity of corn is more sensi- 

 bly felt, and, at the same time, the high duties 

 sender the importation of grain very difficult. In 

 1818, Sweden had about 1100 trading vessels, with 

 9200 sailors, and Norway about 800, with 6500 

 sailors. Half of them can be fitted out in war as 

 privateers. The chief commercial towns in Sweden 

 are Stockholm, Gottenburg, Nordkoping, Gefle, 

 Carlscrona, Malmoe, Landscrona, Ystadt, and Uda- 

 walla; in Norway, Bergen, Christiania, Drontheim, 

 Christiansand, Stavanger, Drammen, and Fredrick- 

 shald. In 1818, four new roads were constructed 

 through Darlecarlia and Helsingland, for the promo- 

 tion of trade. Two of them lead to Norway. 

 There are likewise several canals ; for example, the 

 Trollhatta canal, round the falls of the Gotha-Elf, 

 whose perpendicular descent is estimated at 130 

 feet ; and the Gotha canal, joining the Baltic with 

 the German ocean, which was completed in 1827. 

 (See Canals.) The whole distance from Gotten- 

 burg to Soderkoping, on the Baltic, is 240 miles ; of 

 which 186 are occupied by the Gotha-Elf, the 

 Trollhatta canal, and some lakes. A third canal 

 is that of Sodertelje, thirteen miles from Stockholm, 

 by which a new junction of lake Millar with the 

 Baltic was made in 1819; thus bringing twenty 

 towns in the interior into connexion with the sea, 

 and facilitating the commerce of the capital. Un- 

 der the reigns of Gustavus Adolphus, Christina, 

 and Charles XI., manufactures of iron, brass, steel, 

 eather, soap, woollen, and silk, first became pros- 

 perous ; but the wars of Charles XII. involved the 

 whole in a general ruin. The manufactures of the 

 Swedes, however, recovered themselves; and they 

 produce all wares (of which the raw materials are 

 not too high in other countries) , as far as the want 

 of hands, occasioned by numerous wars, permits. 

 Nevertheless, when we compare the productions 

 nnd revenue of Sweden with its extent, in which it 

 yields only to Russia, we must pronounce it the 

 poorest country in Europe. Excellent institutions 

 have been established, especially in Sweden, for the 

 instruction of the people. The university founded 

 in 1476, at Upsal, with twenty-four professors, has an 

 extensive library, a botanical garden, a cabinet of 

 coins, and of natural history, an observatory, &c. 

 The university erected at Lund, in 1666, with 

 twenty-three professors, has also a library, amuseum, 

 a botanical garden, and an observatory. The two 

 universities, in 1829, contained 2156 students: they 

 are under the direction of eleven bishops and 

 the archbishop, the heads of the clergy; the same 

 protection is shared by eighteen gymnasia. There 

 are common schools in every town of the kingdom. 

 At Carlsberg there is a military academy; at Skara, 

 a veterinary school; at Stockholm, a military aca- 

 demy. In 1739, an academy of sciences was insti- 

 tuted at Stockholm, and, in 1753, the academy of 

 fine arts, which was divided into the Swedish aca- 

 demy and the academy of fine arts, and afterwards 

 reorganized. In Norway, a few years since, the 

 university of Christiania was established, and in 

 1827 it contained 549 students. It has a library, a 

 botanical garden, and collections of natural history. 

 At the same place there is a military academy and 

 a commercial institute. At Kongisherg, or Conis- 

 berg, there is a mining school, and at Drontheim a 

 seminary for young Laplanders. Norway has also 

 five gymnasia, and two seminaries for school- 

 teachers. The village schools are few See 



Brooke's Travels through Sweden, Norway and Fin- 

 mark (London, 1823, 4to.); Schubert's Travels 

 through Sweden, Norway, Lapland, Finland and In- 

 germanland, or Ingria (in German, 1823, 3 vols.) ; 

 Everest's Journey through Norway, &c. (1829). 



Swedish Language and Literature. On account 

 of the distance of Sweden from the parts of Eu- 

 rope which were early civilized, Christianity did 

 not gain a firm footing throughout the country un- 

 til the middle of the twelfth century; and even 

 then civilization followed but slowly, because of 

 the incessant feuds of factions and families, which 

 continued for centuries. It derived little aid from 

 the clergy, who were numerous, but rude, and 

 mainly bent on securing their own power and influ- 

 ence, or from the kings; and the favourable cir- 

 cumstances which, in some other countries, enabled 

 it to develope itself unaided, did not exist in 

 Sweden. If this dark period was enlightened by 

 native sagas, their light is lost to us. The writ- 

 ings of the foreigners Saxo (q. v.) and Snorro (see 

 Sturlason') are the only known sources of informa- 

 tion respecting the ancient times of Sweden ; and 

 their records are but meagre. The Swedish 

 Chronicle of Erik Olafsen, belonging to the end of 

 the fifteenth century, and written in Latin, follows 

 too closely the rhymed chronicle and fables of John 

 Magnus (1488 1544) to be considered of impor- 

 tance, in regard to the history of this early period. 

 But the historical investigator may learn much from 

 1 the ancient provincial and country laws, and from 

 the Kununga oh' Hofdinga Stirilse (The Govern- 

 ment of Kings and Chiefs) a picture of the prin- 

 ces of the end of the fourteenth century. The 

 Gothic Union, founded by Geijer in 1811, has 

 awakened an interest for domestic antiquities. The 

 Aurora Union, established by Atterbom in 1808, 

 had prepared the way for it. Jacob Adlerbeth (son 

 of the poet mentioned below) is at present the most 

 active member of the Gothic Union ; he is the 

 editor of the Iduna. Afzelius, editor of the Eddas 

 in the original, and of the old popular ballads, is also 

 indefatigable. 



From the time of the reformation more monu- 

 ments exist for the history of the Swedish language. 

 The reformation ; the translation of the Bible (the 

 Old testament by Lor. Andreae, Stockholm, 1526, 

 folio, and the Old and New Testament by Ol. and 

 Lorenz Petri, Upsal, 1541, fol.); the various com- 

 mercial and political relations of Sweden with Ger- 

 many; its monarchs of German origin; and even the 

 wars with that country, caused a leaning to- 

 wards the German in the Swedish language, which 

 derived some support from the translation of the 

 Bible after Luther's version, and from the other 

 translations of German works which soon followed. 

 In the middle of the seventeenth century, and at 

 later periods, the Swedish literati (for instance, 

 Ihre and Rudbeck) turned their attention to- 

 wards the remains of ancient northern times; 

 but they wrote in Latin; and the short reign of 

 Christina led to the study and imitation of 

 foreign models, particularly French, which main- 

 tained itself in the unquiet period that followed, 

 whilst the language of society was neglected. 

 Louisa Eleonora, sister of Frederic the Great, 

 awakened an interest for polished conversation. 

 She founded an academy of sciences in 1753, which 

 published its transactions in the language of the 

 country, and thus attracted the regard of the 

 scholars of Europe to the Swedish idiom. In this 

 period Olaus Dalin attempted to give to Swedish 



