Setrface.—In that part of Sweden which lies north of 62° N. lat., the country rises continually from the Oulf of Bothnia to the boundary of Norway. South of that parallel the slopes extend in a different direction. Between 62' and 59' N. lat. the country slopes to the south, and attains its lowest level at the place where the three great takes of Wener, Mohnen and Mater nearly intersect the country: south of these lakes the country rises again, and from 53° to 57° 10' N. lat it constitutes au elevated table-land bounded by slopes. This table-laud is connected with the monntaiu region north of 62° N. lat. by a low narrow ridge, which runs nearly due north of it between 14' and 15' E. long. as far north as 00' N. lat., sod afterwards declines to the north-west. This ridge constitutes the watershed between 58' and 02' N. lat.
The most elevated part of Sweden lies along the boundary-line of Norway, and is called the laden Mountains, which range extends as far south as 64° N. lat. The mountainous country continues farther south to 61' N. lat., but this southern portion is a part of what is called Norska Ficllen. Both these ranges are noticed under Noma nELLF.N.
1. The Northern part of the mountain region of Sweden, or that which extends from the banks of the rivers Muonlo and Tomes to 04° N. lat., has a great uniformity of surface. The western districts, being occupied by the most elevated portion of the Kibler, range, contains very high mountains, and a considerable tract surrounding Mount Sulitelma is always covered with snow. The lowest parts of the highest portion of the range are probably 4000 feet above the sea-level. From these parts the country slopes towards the Gulf of Bothnia ; but the descent is not regular, being more rapid near the mango, and more gentle towards the sea. The whole distance between the crest of the range and the gulf is rather more than 200 miles. About 40 miles from the crest the whole region has descended to about 2000 feet. In this highest regional! the mountaina rise above the level on which trees grow ; in the valleys some diminutive firs and pines are found, but the greater part of these valleys are filled with lakes or swamps. Below this mountain region extends the elevated region, in which the country descends from the general level of 2000 feet to that of 800 feet above the sea-leveL The width of this tract is about 60 miles. Numerous branches of the Kibler' Mountains traverse this tract, and their summits are generally above the line of vegetation, being 3000 feet high ; between them the valleys are several miles wide in many places, but nearly all of them are occupied by alpine lakes. These lakes are frequently of great extent, 30 or 40 miles long, and from 3 to 5 miles wide. One of them, the Dorn Afven, from which the Skelleftea Elf issues, occupies the whole width of this tract, and is more than GO miles long, and in some places 10 miles wide. The inhabitants of this region live chiefly on the produce of their cattle, and on the fish caught in the lakes, among which are several kinds of salmon. The forests are useless, except for the local supply of firewood. The rivers do not admit either of navigation or the floating of wood. Nearer the sea is the lower region, the general level of which sinks from 800 to 300 feet. It is wider than the elevated region, measuring from east to west about 70 miles. The ridges which traverse the whole breadth of the elevated region extend to this region, and may even be said to cross it; but they sink into hills, being, with few exceptions, hardly more than 500 feet above the general level. They are generally wooded to their summits. These
hills are not usually steep, and there are small level tracts between them which are dry ; but only a small surface ie cultivated, owing to the severity of the climate and the poverty of the soil. Potatoes nod cabbages, with a little barley and rye, are grown. The inhabitants live mainly on the produce of their cattle. The lakes in this tract are few, and most of them hardly larger than ponds. The fir and pine cover the greater part of the country, and pitch and tar ars made from them. The regions just described constitute the Lauri of l'itea and Umea, which contain an area of above 62,000 square miles. Of this the lakes and swamps occupy about one-tenth ; the cultivated tracts do not exceed 06 square miles ; the meadows occupy about 390 square miles, and all tho remainder is either covered with forests or a useless waste.
2. The Central portion of the mountain region, or that which lice between 64° and 62° N. lat., though in some respects it resembles the northern portion, is distinguished by some peculiar features. The average width of Sweden iu this part does not exceed 170 miles. The highest part of this region, situated within the Kibler' Mountains, varies from 20 to 30 miles in breadth. Only n few summits are always covered with snow, among which the most elevated is the Sylfiellen, which is 5860 feet above the sea-level. The rivers which originate in this region run only in ravines, and the whole tract is entirely uninhabited, and only visited in summer by a few Laplanders, who find pasture for their reindeer on the mountains. The country adjacent to this mountaiuous tract forms a kind of table-land, extending about SO miles in every direction. In the lowest part of this table-land there is the Groat Lake, or Storsion, whose surface is 978 feet above the sea-level ; it is 90 miles long from north to south, and in some parts 12 miles wide. The river which issues from the north-east side of the lake is the principal feeder of the Iudals Elf. This table-land forms a basin, being inclosed by higher land. From the Millen range, west of the basin, a branch advances into the basin for a few miles, and then terminates abruptly with the high summit of Mount Areskutan (4716 feet). The surface of the table-land, which may be called the table-land of Jemtland, is about 1000 feet above the sea. It is very much broken, and interspersed with steep rocks and swamps. Besides the Great Lake there are ten or twelve others, each of them from 10 to 15 miles long, and more than a mile wide. Agriculture is carried on to some extent; barley, rye, and eats are grown. Several kinds of vegetables, especially potatoes and peas, grow very well The soil however is stony, and far from being fertile; and towards the end of August the crops are sometimes destroyed by frost. The pastures being extensive, cattle, sheep, and goats are rather numerous : there is also a due proportion of horses and hogs. South of the table-land of Jemtland are the upper valleys of the river Ljungan and Ljusnan : that of the latter is called the valley of Herjedaleo. These two valleys are of considerable width, and though interspersed with hills, they contain level tracts which are cultivated. These valleys are higher, that of Herjedalen being from 1200 to 1800 feet above the sea.