154 



SCANDINAVIA. 



between Christiania and Stavanj^er, and two-tliirds of all the navigation are con- 

 ducted under the Norwegian flag, now familiar to every foreign seaport. Most 

 of the poorer classes in the towns, instead of placing their spare cash in the 

 savings banks, invest it in a " share " of some vessel, so that all are ship- 

 owners, directly or indirectly. Hence the astonishing expansion of navigation in 

 recent years. The tonnage of the Norwegian shipping exceeds by one-half that of 

 the whole of France. 



The development of the Swedish seaboard, the relatively dense population of 

 the southern provinces, and the trade in bidky wares, such as timber and iron, 

 also attract large numbers of vessels to the Swedish seaports. But not more 

 than one-third sail under the national flag, nearly all the rest belonging either 

 to Norway or Denmark. The difference of about 1,000,000 tons between the 

 yearly arrivals and departures is due to the greater weight and bulk of the 

 Swedish exports, so that thousands cf ships enter the Swedish ports without 



Fiff. 77. — Table of Relative Tovnage ix 1877. 



return cargoes. Altogether the Swedish commercial navy is scarcely one-third 

 that of Norway, though still relatively four times superior to that of France. 

 The inland navigation of the lakes and fiords employs over half the shipping, so 

 far as the number of vessels is concerned, but one-fifth only of the total tonnage. 

 The mercantile navy is manned altogether by about 29,000 hands.* 



Canals. — Railways. — Postal Service. 



The hilly character of the surface in Norway has restricted canalisation to a 

 few ramifications from mountain torrents ; but the more open nature of the 

 country has enabled Sweden to open up water highways to the interior of its 

 plains. According to Sidenbladh essays at canalisation were here made so early 

 as the beginning of the fifteenth century ; but two centuries passed before the 

 first canal with locks was opened between Lake Malar and the outlet of Lake 

 Hjelmar at Eskilstuna. Since then the whole of South Sweden has been con- 



* Commercial marine: — Norway, 8,064 vessels (including 273 steamers) of 1,493, SOO tons burden; 

 Sweden, 4,472 vessels (including 706 steamers) of 544,266 tons burden. 



