The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

POPULATION—EMIGRATION. 143to the treaty Torneft ought to have remained Swedish, being situated on anisland nearer to the Swedish than to the Russian banks of the river, but Russiais strong enough to interpret conventions to suit herself. Although not itselfwithin the arctic circle, Haparanda is the place whence travellers start forMount Avasara, which in midsummer is constantly bathed in the light of thesun. Farther north-east the village of Pello, in Russian territory, marks thenorthern extremity of the arc measured by Maupertuis to determine the figureof the earth.Wisby, capital of Gotland, is the only important town in the Swedish Balticislands. It is an old place, apparently founded by the Pomeranian Wendson a rocky ledge close to some springs of fresh water. Allied with theother Hanseatic towns, Wisby soon became a flourishing place, with 12,000citizens within its walls, besides thousands of artisans and seafarers outside theenclosures. The Germans, here very numerous, named half the MunicipalCouncil, and had several churches, the finest of which, founded in 1190, is stillthe chief monument of the town. The environs and the whole island are the" paradise " of archaeologists, whose " finds " are constantly enriching the Stockholmand other collections. Wisby long maintained its independence, but in1861 Waldemar III. of Denmark destroyed its castle, ruined its churches, andcarried off its treasures. Broken walls, pillars, and arches, all choice fragmentsof Roman or Gothic architecture, still recall a disaster from which the placenever entirely recovered. Still its port, accessible to vessels drawing 16 feetof water, does a considerable trade, its fisheries are productive, and it is muchfrequented as a watering-place in summer. A railway crosses the island fromWisby to a village on the south-east coast.Population.— Emigration.The population of Scandinavia, the census of which has been regularly takenfrom 1751, is rapidly increasing, since the beginning of the century having morethan doubled in Norway and nearly doubled in Sweden. The increase is mainlydue to the excess of births over deaths, but also partly to the higher average termof existence. Thus the rate of mortality, which in Sweden was 27 or 28 in the1,000 during the latter half of last century, fell to 18-3 between 1871 and 1875 ;while in Norway, excluding the still-bom, it is only 17*1, the lowest in Europe,and about one-half that of Russia. Infant mortality also stands lowest in theEuropean scale, and there can be no doubt that a racial improvement has heretaken place, in happy contrast with the deterioration of countries where universalmilitary service is obligatory. From the measurements of the recruits for theSwedish militia it appears that their stature has increased by three-quarters of aninch during the last thirty-five years.Peace having prevailed since 1815, the only disturbing influences have been thebad harvests and the general commercial and industrial crises. In 1868 and 1869the population even suffered a slight decrease, due, however, to a sudden increase of