178 GEOGRAPHY. 



paratively ignorant : and the lower classes, for the most part, live in 

 a comparatively degraded state. Travelling, during the long winters, 

 is performed on sledges, drawn by the reindeer ; and this useful animal 

 also supplies the inhabitants partially with food and clothing. 



Norway and Sweden, together constituted the ancient Scandina- 

 via ; and Norway was also called Nerigonia. Norway is separated 

 from Denmark by the Skager Rack strait ; Sweden from Denmark 

 by the Cattegat ; and they are separated from each other by the 

 Dofrafield or Dovrefeld mountains. On the north-west coast are the 

 Loffoden islands ; south of which is the Maelstrom, a vast whirlpool, 

 the roaring of which is sometimes heard at a distance of several miles ; 

 and a near approach to which would be dangerous to vessels. Sweden 

 contains the lakes Wener, Wetter, and Malar ; but its rivers are small, 

 and of little note. The chief cities of Sweden, are Stockholm, the 

 capital ; and in the south, Gottenburg and Carlscrona : those of Nor- 

 way, are Christiania, and Bergen, in the south ; and Drontheim, 

 farther north. Norway is subject to Sweden : but governed by a 

 viceroy and local legislature. 



Russia comprehends the greater part of the ancient Sarmatia ; 

 including Finland, between the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia; Lap- 

 land, in the extreme north, with the islands of Spitzbergen and Nova 

 Zembla ; and in the south-west or west, the greater part of Poland, 

 which forms a nominal kingdom, but is subject to the emperor of 

 Russia as its king. The little Republic of Cracow, having Cracow 

 for its capital, is the only part of Poland which remains nominally 

 independent. Russia has the large lakes Ladoga and Onega ; and the 

 river Dwina with the White Sea, in the north ; and the rivers Volga, 

 Don, Dnieper and Dniester, in the south. The Volga, or Wolga, 

 flows into the Caspian ; and the Don into the Sea of Azoph ; but the 

 two last named rivers flow directly into the Black Sea. The Canal of 

 Vishnei Volotchoc establishes a navigable communication between the 

 Baltic and Caspian Seas. The chief cities of Russia, are St. Peters- 

 burg, the capital, Cronstadt being its outport ; Moscow, the former 

 capital ; Warsaw, in Poland ; PFilna, in Lithuania; Riga, in Livonia; 

 Odessa and Kiev, in the south ; Kazan, in the east ; Archangel, in 

 the north ; and Mo, in Finland. The Russians generally are still infe- 

 rior to central and western Europe in all the elements of civilization. 



CHAPTER III. 



AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY. 



AFRICA, united to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, is the least en- 

 lightened and the least known of all the grand divisions of the earth. 

 Egypt was inhabited and cultivated at a very early period : Ethiopia, 

 south of it, was well known to the ancients ; and Carthage was 

 settled by Phoenician colonists as early as 869 B. C. : but of central 

 and southern Africa nothing was known until modern times. Hero- 

 dotus indeed states that Pharaoh Necho sent a Phoenician fleet, which 

 sailed around Africa, 604 B. C.; but the statement has been justly 



