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Sweden and Norway

King-Oscar II., b. Jan. 21, 1829; succeeded, Sept. 18, 1872; married, June 6, 1857, Sophia, daughter of the late Duke William of Nassau, b. July 9, 1836. Heir Apparent-Oscar Gustav Adolph, Duke of Wermland, Crown Prince, b. June 16. 1858; married, Sept. 20, 1881, Victoria, daughter of the Grand Duke of Baden, b, Aug. 7, 1862.

SWEDEN. This kingdom, together with Norway, forms what is known as the Scandinavian peninsula, and it lies between lat. 55° 20' and 69° N., and long. 11º IO' and 24° IO' E. On the N. and W. is Norway, S.-W. the Skager Rack, the Cattegat, and the Sound, which separate it from Denmark; on the S. the Baltic Sea, E. the Baltic and the Gulf of Bothnia, while on the N,-E. is Finland. The main chain of the Scandinavian mountain system forms the natural dividing line between Sweden and Norway. Sweden has a length of 970 m., and a general breadth of 200 m. There are fully 1,400 m. of coast line, which is deeply indented by bays and gulfs, or, as they are termed, fiords, but not so generally as is the case with the Norwegian coast. While the W. shore, or that along the Skager Rack and the Cattegat, is rocky, with an elevation of not more than 30 or 40 feet, the S. shore, to Solvitsborg, in Blekinge, is sandy and low, while N. to the Kalmar Sound it is lined with precipitous cliffs, averaging about 50 ft. in height. N. of Kalmar the coast is rocky and difficult of access. Off Kalmar, and separated from it by Kalmar Sound, is the island of Oeland; N.-E. of this is Gothland, the largest island belonging to the kingdom. The Aland group, off Stockholm, belongs to Russia. Sweden is divided into 3 grand divisions, Gothland, Svealand, and Norrland, which are in turn divided into 24 läns, or districts, the entire area of which is 173,974 sq. m., and the population-Dec. 1887-was 4,734,901. Gothland lies in the S. portion of the kingdom; Svealand, the original country of the Svenskar, or Swedes, is in the center; while Norrland takes up the entire N. portion of the Norwegian frontier of Finland. By far the greater area of the mountain system of the Scandinavian peninsula lies in Norway. The Langfield chain, which is its S. portion, is wholly in Norway, while the Dovre Field and Kiölen chains form the boundary between the two countries. A plateau is formed by them in Sweden, about 4,000 ft. in height; here and there are peaks rising to a much greater height. S. of lat. 59º the country is very level, and the great plain of Scania, which is by far the most fertile tract of the peninsula, occupies nearly the whole of the S. portion. The country in the N. is barren, cold, and sterile, snow-clad hills prevailing, the vegetation consisting of birch, pine, and fir, while in the higher lands are dreary lakes and swamps. There are an abundance of beautiful lakes and rivers in Sweden. In fact, more than 14,000 sq. m. of the surface of the country consists of these accumulations of water. One of the most important is Lake Wener, which, with two exceptions- Ladoga and Onega in Russia-is the largest lake in Europe. It covers an area of 2,000 sq. m. The leading minerals produced in Sweden are gold, silver, iron, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Alum and copperas are also found, being extracted from the pyritiferous slates. These also supply large quantities of sulphur. The principal iron mines are located at Danemora and Osterby, in the district of Upsala; Presburg, in Wermland; Taberg, in Jönköping, and in the districts of Orebro, Gefleborg, Kopparberg, and Westmanland. Swedish iron is unexcelled by any other in the world, and is largely employed in the manufacture of steel. There are over 500 mines opened and in operation, while the yearly output is uwards of 9,085,000 tons of rock ore, and 58,900 tons of bog iron ore. Small quantities of silver are found at Sala, in Westmanland, and in Orebro, and zinc near Askersund, in Orebro, and at other places. Coal, marble, and porphyry are mined and quarried in various localities.

PRODUCTS.-There is a general lack of fertility to the soil, and the productive area is about 53 p. c. of the entire surface. Of this about 13 p. c. is arable, 5 p. c. meadow lands and pasturage, and 82 p. c. forests. Tobacco is raised near Stockholm, and root crops are cultivated in many sections. Wheat, rye, barley, oats, and potatoes yield good returns, that of wheat averaging annually over 6,000,000 bushels; rye, 25,000,000 bushels; barley, 15,000,000 bushels; oats, 32,000,000 bushels; and potatoes, 55,000,000 bushels. There has been great progress made in the manufacturing industry in this kingdom within a few years past.

ARMY AND NAVY. - There are 5 classes of troops-the enrolled troops, military colonists, conscripts, militia of Gothland, and volunteers. The first two comprise the active army, and consist of 41,141 men. The conscripted troops number about 50,000 men. There is no right to purchase substitutes. The Gothland militia number 8000 men, and the volunteers 20,000. Taking all the classes of troops, the effective force is upwards of 150,000 men. The navy was reorganized in 1873, and is now called the royal fleet. There are two stations--Stockholm and Karlskrona. The fleet consists of about 68 vessels, carrying 211 guns. and manned by 5927 men.

RELIGION AND EDUCATION. - The Lutheran Church is established by the State, but all creeds are tolerated. Civil marriages and marriages by dissenting ministers are now recognized as legal. The head of the Church is the Archbishop of Upsala, who has under him 11 bishops. These Church dignitaries are nominated by the king, from a list recommended by the dioceses. Public instruction is compulsory and gratuitous. Very few people are met with in Sweden who can neither read nor write. Every parish, with the exception of those in the far northern districts, has its parish schools. There are about 9000 public schools in the kingdom, with over 600,000 pupils. In 1873, high schools for girls were established. There are universities at Upsala and Lund, where theology, law, medicine, and philosophy are taught. At Carlstad there is a military school, a military academy for officers of engineers and of artillery at Mariestad, and a school for naval cadets at Stockholm. Libraries and collections of art, natural history, etc., abound.

GOVERNMENT. - The Government of Sweden is a limited monarchy, hereditary only in the male line. The king is the sole executive. He must belong to the Lutheran Church. His person is inviolable, and his action exempt from censure; but he is required to consult with a council of state on government matters. When the king is absent, Sweden is governed by a regent. The law-making power consists of a legislature called the diet, divided into an upper and a lower chamber. In the upper chamber there is I member for every 30,000 of population. They are elected for 9 years and receive no salary. The lower chamber has 1 representative for each 10,000 inhabitants of towns, 1 deputy for every rural district with a population of less than 40,000, and 2 deputies for those of more than 40,000. They are elected for 3 years. The diet assembles every year. The right of absolute veto of any measure passed rests with the king. The judiciary consists of a supreme court, composed of 16 judges in two divisions, 3 royal courts of justice, a royal court of military justice, and a supreme court of admiralty. There are many petty courts throughout the kingdom, of which ministers are often magistrates.