SWEDEN. 



786 



to the corpse, the best part of which is to ask pardon for having injured or offended the de- 

 ceased during hfe. 



19. Government. Norway is united to the Swedish crown, and governed by a viceroy. It 

 is, however, so far independent, that the finances, legislation, and administration, are distinct. 

 The Storthing is the representative assembly, and has much higher powers and privileges than 

 the Swedish diet. It assembles frequently, and without awaiting the royal summons, and the 

 king has only a qualified veto on its proceedings. A highly republican spjjjit prevails in Nor- 

 way, and the influence of the nobles is almost annihilated. The press is entirely free. 



20. History. The early inhabitants of Norway were probably a tribe of the Finns, the an- 

 cestors of the modern Laplanders, who were conquered and driven out by the Goths. In the 

 9th century the country was divided into 10 or 12 small States, which were formed into one 

 nation by Harold Hafager. It was repeatedly conquered by the Swedes and Danes, in the 

 10th, 11th, and 13th centuries. In 1380 it became, by marriage of the king, an appendage to 

 the crown of Denmark, in which state it remained up to the present century. It was arbitrarily 

 wrested from Denmark by the allied powers and transferred to Sweden, in 1814, much against 

 the will of the Norwegians, as a reward to that power for joining the confederacy against France. 



CHAPTER CXXI. SWEDEN. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. Sweden is bounded northwest by Norway, east by Russia, the 

 Gulf of Bothnia, and the Baltic, south by the Baltic, and west by Norway and the Cattegat. It 

 lies between 55^ 20' and 69"^ N. latitude, and 1 1° and 24° E. longitude. Its greatest length is 

 1,200 miles ; and its greatest breadth 350. It contains 150,000 square miles. 



2. Mountains. The principal mountains are found in the cham which separates Sweden 

 from Norway. Mount Swucku is the highest of this chain. KinekuUe., on the banks of lake 

 Wener, consists of a number of terraces, rising one above another. Raetrik, another moun- 

 tain, is estimated to be 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. One of the highest glaciers in 

 Sweden occurs in the southern part of Lulea Lapmark, and has been long regarded by the 

 superstitious natives with awe, being denominated, in the Lapponean language, Sulitelma, or 

 the Hill of God. It forms three peaks, of the respective altitudes of 5,760, 5,870, and 

 6,178 feet. 



3. Rivers. The principal river is the Dahl., which rises in the mountains between Sweden 

 and Norway, and, after a course of 260 miles, falls into the Gulf of Bothnia. The rivers Go- 

 tha and Motala are the outlets of the lakes Wener and Wetter. The other rivers are the 

 Toimea, the Kalix., the Lula, Pitea^ Umea., and Angermanna. 



4. Lakes. The largest lake is the Wener., which is 100 miles long, and 60 broad. It con- 

 tains several islands, and receives 24 rivers. The Wetter is about the same length, but nowhere 

 exceeds 25 miles in breadth. It receives about 40 small streams. By the Gotha canal, be- 

 tween the Wetter and Wener, the German Ocean and the Baltic are united, and the dangerous 

 navigation through the Sound is avoided. The Alalar is 60 miles in length, by 18 in breadth, 

 and contains a great number of small islands. The Hielmar is about 40 miles in length, and 

 20 in breadth. 



5. Islands and Seas. Gothland, on the southeast coast of Sweden, forms, with some small 

 islands surrounding it, a province containing 766 square miles. The island of Jlland, in the 

 Baltic, is 70 miles in length, and 6 in breadth. It is almost barren, but has some large forests, 

 which abound in deer, hares, and wild boars. Sweden is washed by two seas, the Cattegat 

 and the Baltic. The Baltic forms, in the northwest, the Gulf of Bothnia. 



6. Climate. The cold of the winter in Sweden is intense ; the spring is a rapid and con- 

 stant alternation of rain, snow, and frost ; the summer is short, but dry and pleasant, though from 

 the great length of the days, and the reflection of the sunbeams from the rocks and mountains, 

 the heat is sometimes excessive. Autumn is the finest season. 



7. Soil. The soil is in general very poor, though there are some fertile spots ; the greater 

 part of Swedish Lapland is sterile, and covered with rocks, peats, or moss, and gravelly plains ; 

 there are a few tracts of soil tolerably good in the southern parts. 



8. Geology. Most of the mountains are composed of granite, calcareous stone, and slate ; 

 the basis of the majority is granite, which is frequently found in large separate masses, rising to 

 a considerable height. 



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