SWEDEN.
Sweden has sunk in her relative importance in consequence of the rise of Russia, but she still holds a higher place in the scale of power than any other European state with an equal population. Now that Norway is united to her dominions, she has the best military and.commercial position of all the northern continental powers. But the soil is poor and rocky, so that, though her territories form one-tenth of the surface of Europe, her population amounts to less than one-fiftieth. Her principal wealth consists in her rich mines of iron and copper, and in the pro duce of her forests, and her fisheries.
The agricultural produce of Sweden, which does not suffice for her own consumption, consists chiefly of rye, oats, barley, and potatoes; the soil and cli mate not admitting of wheat, except in the southern parts. Gothland, the most fertile province, contains one-half of the population upon less than. one-fifth of the surface of the kingdom, The soil actually in cultivation in Sweden in 1810 amounted only to 1,091,000 tonnes, or 1,363,838 acres; but the soil capable of cultivation was estimated at 1,818,450 acres, or one sixty-second part of the surface of the country. This is the average of the whole : but in the province of Norland only 1 acre in 915 is arable. The lakes cover one eighteenth The pasture ground and gardens occupy about ut twice the quantity of land under corn. The ave rage size of a farm is only about 27 acres. The whole annual produce of grain is estimated at 5,702,835 spans, equal to about 1,482,500 quar ters, besides 350,000 quarters of potatoes. The ge neral produce of the crops is about 5 for 1. In Norway, the land in cultivation amounts to less than 1 acre in 100, and one-fourth of the grain used is imported. Potatoes are extensively cultivated. In times of scarcity bread is made of the bark of trees, and of the Iceland moss, on which the Reindeer feed. There were in Sweden, in 1810, about 403,700 horses, 1,475,700 black cattle of all kinds, and 1,212,700 sheep. The quantity of bar-iron ma. nufactured in Sweden, in 1809, was 1,298,400 hundred weight, or tons. This article forms seven-eighths of the whole Swedish exports. The annual produce of copper is 7546 skippund, or about 1000 tons; of lead, 14 tons; silver, 2730 marks; of gold, 10 marks. The mines employ about 50,000 persons. Of 24 counties, the 13 which abound most in forests contain 103,000 square English miles of woodland, while the annual consumption for all purposes in Sweden is computed to require only 2600 square miles. Sweden exports wood to the value of 900,000 dollars, and Norway to the value of 5,000,000 dollars yearly. (Crome, 98, 102, 119. Thomson's Travels, 392-431.) The manufactures of Sweden are of little import ance. Sixty or seventy ships are built annually and sold to foreigners. The distillation of brandy con sumes 700,000 spans of corn a-year. The manu factures of paper and glass and works in metal sup ply the internal consumption; those of cotton, wool, and silk, are of small extent. The whole produce of manufactures in Sweden (exclusive of Norway), in 1814, was valued, in an official statement, at 5,622,129 dollars banco, or about L.800,000. (Crime, 123.) The exports of Sweden, in 1816, were estimated at seven millions of dollars (exclusive of Norway), and the imports at no less than twenty millions. The
supposed national loss arising from this dispropor. tion, led to a'prohibition of the importation of wine, rum, cotton, stuffs, and other articles considered as luxuries. In 1816, Sweden had 1107 merchant ships, amounting to more than 64,000 lasts, or 120,000 tons of tonnage. (Crome, 122, 125.) The population of Sweden was estimated at 2,615,800 in 1818; that of Norway, in 1803, was 910,000, and from the probable rate of increase there, may now amount to nearly one million. In Sweden about one-ninth, and in Norway about one. twelfth of the people live in towns. This increase in numbers has been attended with an improvement in the condition of the inhabitants. The annual mortality in Sweden, which Malthus, in 1796, esti mated at 1 in 37, was, in 1811, according to Akrell, 1 in 40 for the southern parts, 1 in 47 for the north. em, and 1 in 43 for the whole kingdom. In Nor way the mortality has always been smaller than in any other European country. In 1815 the nobles amounted to 1641 families, or 9523 persons, the clergy, including their families, to 15,202, the bur ghers to 64,755, and the peasants to 1,763,397. Be sides these classes, who are represented in the diet, there are about 500,000 persons not represented, consisting of civil and military officers, miners, me chanics, servants, &c. 153,797, or about one-fourth of the peasants who are householders, farm their own lands. The established religion is Lutheran, and the number of parochial clergyman in Sweden is 1094, besides 170 prebends, 11 bishops, and 1 arch. bishop; and the tithes amount to 283,232 spans, or about 72,500 quarters of corn. Norway has 467 clergymen, including 5 bishops. (Crome, 96, 116. Thomson's Travels, 418.) Subsequent to the revolution in 1809, some im provements have been made in the constitution, by enlarging the powers of the diet. The four estates of nobles, clergy, burghers, and peasants, who sit in separate houses, meet necessarily at the end of five years, or oftener if convoked by the king. The con sent of three of these houses, with that of the king, gives a proposition the force of law. No taxes can be raised without the authority of the diet, and the persons of the members are inviolable during the ses sion. The conscription, which was introduced in 1809, subjects all males between 20 and 25 to mili tary service; and the nobles have been deprived of the exemption they formerly enjoyed from this ser vice and from taxes. The press is declared by the constitution to be free, but is in fact under the control of the police. The revenue of Sweden and Norway is about L.1,500,000. The debt of Sweden, in 1816, was 10,209,611 dollars banco, or about L.1,480,000, and Norway also owes a considerable sum. The army fdr both countries, in 1817, consisted of 53,560 men : the navy about 20 ships of the line, and 16 frigates. (Crome, p. 131-137. James's Travels, 1. 281.) The acquisitions and losses of Sweden, since 1789, may be stated thus: Inhabitants. ides. 1809, Lost Finland and Lap mark, conquered by Russia, 120,000 895,000 Pomerania, 1,480 120,000 -- - 121,480 1,015,000 1813, Acquired Norway by ces sion from Denmark, 148,000 950,000 -- - Absolute gain of territory and loss of population, 26,520 65,000