TEN YEAES IN SWEDEN, 



CHAPTER I. 



Q-eneral Statistical Account of the Country Its Geographical Limits 

 Climate Population Vegetation Mines Forest Agriculture 

 Manufactures Commerce Government and Religion. 



THE entire area of the Scandinavian continent, including 

 Sweden, Norway, and Lapland, may be computed at about 

 13,798 geographical square miles, or 292,700 square English 

 miles, of which Sweden contains 170,000, and is conse- 

 quently nearly -three times as large as England and Wales 

 together. The whole continent is under one government, 

 ruled by the same king, although Sweden and Norway 

 have separate parliaments, that of the former being called 

 the " Diet/' of the latter the ' ' Storthing." Norway is 

 much more democratic in its principles than Sweden, and 

 I believe the laws are freer. The two countries hold 

 much the same relative positions towards each other as 

 England and Scotland, and about the same kind of feeling 

 exists between the inhabitants of either country. 



It has often struck me that there is a general resem- 

 blance between these four countries, and the manners of 

 the people. The features of the Norwegian landscape 

 are wilder and more barren than that of Sweden. The 

 Swedes more resemble the English in many points of 

 their character, the Norwegians the Scotch. Both nations 

 appear outwardly to be on very good terms with each 

 other, although they really, I believe, bear one another 



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