Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/529

 SWEDEN 505 gage in commercial or industrial pursuits. Al- though their political power as a distinct class was annulled by the reform of the constitu- tion in 1866, they still hold the chief offices in the state, and in one of the guard regi- ments only noblemen are commissioned offi- cers. There has of late been a large emi- gration from Sweden, chiefly to the United States, which in 1869 amounted to 39,069; but it decreased in 1870 to 29,003, in 1871 to 17,450, in 1872 to 15,915, and in 1873 to 13,580. Sweden has made great progress in manufacturing industry within the past few years. While the number of distilleries, of which in 1835 there were 85,172 small and 670 large ones, had diminished in 1866 to 565, other branches of industry have greatly in- creased. The value of the goods produced in the registered manufactories of the country in 1830 was $3,500,000 ; in 1840, $5,700,000 ; in 1850, $10,900,000; in 1860, $18,500,000; in 1865, $20,300,000; and in 1870, $24,700,- 000. These sums are exclusive of the pro- ducts of hand trades, which are estimated to be equal in value to the manufactures prop- er. The number of manufactories in 1830 was 1,857, in 1865 2,315, and in 1870 2,183. In 1870 the manufactories produced cloth valued at $2,300,000; other textile fabrics, $1,500,000; silk, $290,000; cotton spinning, $2,300,000 ; leather, $1,300,000 ; tobacco, $1,600,000; sugar, $3,500,000; metals, $2,- 100,000 ; and paper, $760,000. The following table shows the value of the imports and ex- ports for the five years ending with 1873 : YEARS. Imports. Exports. 1869 . . . $36,610,000 $33,720,000 1870 37 970 000 40 870 000 18T1 45 340 000 42,150,000 1872 58 090 000 53,550,000 1873 72,746,000 59,470,000 Partial returns for 1874 show a further relative increase in imports and a decrease in exports. The imports from the United States in 1873, direct and indirect, amounted to $7,476,878 ; the exports to the United States, $3,073,074. The chief imports of Sweden are textile fabrics, groceries, mineral ores and manufactured met- als, ships, carriages, and machinery, bones and hides, yarn, thread, and spinning materials, wines and alcohol, colors and dyes, and coin. The chief exports are timber, metals, grain, cattle, provisions (animal), tallow and oil, and paper and paper goods. The direct imports from the United States are petroleum, resin, tallow, and agricultural machines and imple- ments ; indirect, cotton, pork, tobacco, sewing machines, and gold and silver bullion. The merchant marine of Sweden in 1872 numbered 3,878 vessels (including 498 steamers), of 426,- 000 aggregate tonnage. Sweden has remark- able facilities for internal navigation through a series of lakes, rivers, and bays, connected by more than 300 m. of canals. These furnish direct water communication between the Bal- tic and the North sea, which is of great im- portance, as in case of war the Danes would command the channels through the Belts and the Sound. The importance of this connection was well understood in the 12th and 13th cen- turies, but Gustavus Vasa was the first to un- dertake it. Various sovereigns continued the work, and in 1823 the line was opened from Soderkoping on the Baltic through Lakes Wetter and Wener. The canal from Lake Wener around Trollhiitta falls, originally built in 1800, was next enlarged and rebuilt, and in 1855 the entire route was thrown open for steamers. It is in all 235 m. long, of which about 60 m. are across the lakes. Its most elevated point is Lake Wiken, between Wetter and Wener, where it is 299 ft. above the level of the sea ; the descent is made by vessels on each side through 37 locks. Other canals con- nect the Mselar lake with Lakes Hjelmar and Barken, and with the Baltic. There are ex- cellent roads all over the country, and in win- ter, when the canals and lakes are frozen and the ground is covered with snow for four or five months, communication is easily kept up with the interior by means of sledges. A net- work of railways is now in course of con- struction, to connect all the important dis- tricts of the kingdom, chiefly at the expense of the government. The state lines include the main or trunk lines, the principal of which are the western, from Stockholm to Gothenburg, and its branches; the southern, from Falkoping on the western line to Malmo ; the northwestern, from Laxa on the western line to the frontier of Norway; the eastern, from Kathrineholm on the western line to Norrkoping ; and the northern, connecting Stockholm with the principal cities of the north. In August, 1874, 1,639 m. were in operation, of which 878 m. belonged to the state and 761 m. to private companies ; 1,744 m. were in construction, 437 m. by the state and 1,307 m. by private companies. At tie beginning of 1875, 451 m. had been finished, making the total length of all the railways at that time 2,090 m. Of the telegraph lines, all of which, excepting those belonging to private railway companies, are the property of the state, 4,654 m. were in operation in 1872, with 10,081 m. of wires; of these, 177 m. were sub- marine cables. The number of post offices in the kingdom in 1872 was 546, and the number of letters passing through the mails was 14,- 465,572. Previous to 1858 the unit of money in Sweden was the riksdaler (government dol- lar). The wars prior to 1815 depreciated the Swedish paper money greatly, and the govern- ment notes were of less value than those issued by the bank, which was an independent insti- tution, though under the management of direc- tors appointed by the legislature. The specie dollar was 106 cts., the rilcsgalds (royal debts) dollar 26 cts., or four to the specie dollar; while the rilcsdaler banco, or bank dollar, was