The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

220 RUSSIA. IN EUROPE.town, doin" - a large export trade, especially in timber, cereals, flour, and receivingin exchange manufactured goods, colonial produce, and raw cotton for thespinning-mills of the interior. Abo was the seat of the National University from1640 to 1827, and here Argelander composed his valuable catalogue of the starsbut the scholastic buildings and a library of 40,000 volumes having beendestroyed by fire, the University was removed to Hclningfors.This citv, birthplace of Nordenskjold, is at once the largest and finest town inFinland. It has some handsome edifices, churches, promenades, a park, and aFifr. 10G. IIelsingfors.botanic garden, at present the northernmost on the globe, being a few milesnearer to the pole than those of Christiania, Upsala, and St. Petersburg. TheUniversity is rich in documents relating to Finland, and has become the centre ofconsiderable scientific activity. But it is not so important as might be supposedfrom the official returns, for hundreds inscribed on its registers reside outside thetown, and even abroad. Seawards the place is defended by the formidable works