FINLAND, a division of Sweden, but recently annexed to Russia, is situated between 60° and 66° 23' North Lati tude, and between 21° 20' and 31° 20' East Longitude from Greenwich. It is bounded on the north by Swedish Lap land ; on the west by the Gulf of Bothnia ; on the south by the Gulf of Finland ; and on the east by the Russian terri tories. It is divided into seven provinces ; namely, the Aland Islands, Finland Proper, East Bothnia, Tawartland, Nyland, Sawolax, and Keymenegard. The Aland or Or land Islands, about 80 in number, and generally small, are situated at the mouth of the Bothnian Gulf, between Upland and Finland Proper, and in 1792 contained I 1,260'inhabi tants. The largest, named Aland, is about 14 leagues in length, and five in breadth ; and its principal town, Castle hol in, is remarkable only for its ancient fortress, where the unfortunate Eric XIV. was imprisoned in 1571. The in habitants of these islands, who appear to have been origi nally Laplanders and Fins, live to a very great age ; and about 298 of them are registered as sailors, whose pay from the government amounts to about 5000 rixdollars yearly. In most of these islands, though included in the government of Finland, the Swedish language is spoken by the people ; and the Finnish tongue begins to be heard only in Ilelsing.
Finland Proper, the south•west province, extends about 60 leagues from north to south, and between 25 and 33 from west to east. It is agreeably diversified with lakes, rivers, woods, arable fields, and pasture grounds; and, though inadequately cultivated, is tolerably fertile. Its towns, which are all situated on the coast, are, Abo, the capital of the province, a bishop's see, and the seat of a university, about 41 Swedish miles N. E. of Stockholm, and containing about 8750 inhabitants ; Nystadt, a small trading town with a good port, north of Abo, and surround ed by a pleasant tract of country ; Biorneborg, an ancient but insignificant sea-port ; and Nadenhal, a little town to the north of Abo.
East Bothnia, or Cajania, extends along the gulf of that name to the northern extremity of Finland, and is upwards of 100 leagues in length, and between 30 and 70 in breadth. The country on the coast is level and marshy, and a ridge of hills runs along the south and east boundaries of the province. The towns, as you proceed northwards, are,
Christinastadt, a small place near the south border, with a harbour of difficult entrance ; \Vasa, a sea-port town, ra pidly increasing in trade, provided with a tribunal of justice for the north of Finland, and containing, in 1790, about 4000 inhabitants ; Gamla Carleby, a small but regular town, about 34 leagues S. W. of Uleaborg, situated in a sandy and marshy country, and containing about 1400 inhabitants; Brakestadt, a small sea-port, which carries on some trade, contains about 800 people, and is about 20 leagues north of the last mentioned place ; and Uleaborg, the capital of the province, a trading town at the mouth of the rapid river Ulea, with a very bad harbour, containing about 4000 inha bitants, and celebrated for its exports of salmon and tar ; Tafwartland, or Tavastia, situated to the eastward of Fin land Proper, is about 80 leagues in length from south-west to north-east, and between 20 and 30 in breadth. It is the most fertile and beautiful district in Finland, but is very thinly inhabited, and poorly cultivated. It is mountainous towards the north ; and towards the south full of lakes, one of which, named Pajana, is 80 miles long, and 15 broad. Its principal and almost only town is Tamastthus, or Kro neborg, a small place, situated in a fertile spot on the banks of a lake, about 28 miles N. E. of Abo.
Nyland stretches along the north coast of the Gulf of Finland about 40 leagues, and is between 15 and 18 in breadth from north to south. It is level, fertile, and in some parts tolerably cultivated. Its towns are, Ekenas, a small sea-port, about 50 miles south-east of Abo ; Helsing fors, the capital of the province, provided with a good har bour, and defended by an immense fortress, called Sweia Borga, standing on a rocky island at the entrance of the port, capable of containing 7000 men, and designed as a bulwark against the of the Russians ; Bor go, a small but ancient town, about 10 leagues eastward of the last mentioned, pleasantly situated on a hill, and con taining a university, or rather academy, taught by seven professors ; Lovisa, or Degerby, formerly the frontier town between Russia and Finland, built in the midst of a re markably stony or rather rocky country, but provided with a very convenient harbour.