ALAND THE BALTIC IX 1854. 175 



home, and confined their seamanship to the naviga- 

 tion of their own bays and fiords, or occasional pilot- 

 age of the gulf. There was no frequent communica- 

 tion with the opposite shores, but there was kindness 

 and neighbourliness on both sides. Thus year after 

 year passed on, bringing its chronicle of births, deaths, 

 and marriages, but little other change in the condi- 

 tion of the Aland group. 



Their time was coming. The war, which was con- 

 vulsing great principalities and powers, obtruded its 

 movements even on their obscurity. In 1808, Rus- 

 sia seized the opportunity of aggression, and stretched 

 forth her hand towards Finland and Aland. Her 

 armies soon overran them. Sweden for a time drove 

 back the invasion, but in the following year both 

 were ceded to Russia, and the Alanders found them- 

 selves finally separated from the nation under Avhose 

 rule they had lived so long and so peacefully. 



To Russian policy Aland was more a military out- 

 post than a colony : it was to be a stepping-stone a 

 starting-point to more extensive conquest. It was 

 therefore held only by a sufficient garrison ; and 

 though the inhabitants stared, perhaps, to see grim 

 fortresses and military buildings starting up on the 

 shores where they had dried their nets or beached 

 their boats, and groaned at first under the petty in- 

 flictions of martial occupation, yet the strangers were 

 too few to effect any innovation in their social usages ; 

 and another revolution of destiny found them little 



