as a place o f concealment; and undoubtedly, in ancient times, this
as well as many other eaves were the habitations of" the aborigines
o f the ifland.
Several lakes are met with in thefe iflands, and but one rivulet,
which however is lufficient to work two mills, one o f which is a
faw-mill. The mountains are numerous; the higheit o f them is
called Ulfdubs Klint.
Haga is a royal farm ; Kermundo or Germ undo, and Soneroda,
are ftyled faterier, or free towns, being exempted from all im-
pofts.
Aland has a judge who conftantly refides there, and likewife
a phyfician, who befides aits as an apothecary when neceffity
requires. A public fchool was eftablifhed here fince J&39, but
it has been fhut up fince 1 7 9 1 . The revenues which the crown,
o f Sweden receives from Aland and the other iflands, amount annually
to nineteen thoufand nine hundred and eighty-fix rix dollars.
Tw o hundred and ninety-eight iailors are regiflered in thefe
iflands, which coil: the king o f Sweden about five thoufand rix
dollars yearly.
Aland contains about three thoufand feven hundred and fifty
acres o f land in cultivation, which produce rye, wheat, oats and
barley in the proportion o f feven for one. The annual growth o f
wheat is about twenty-two thoufand five hundred barrels. There
is one pariih which has no arable land, and in this refpeft re-
iembles Lapland. The inhabitants o f this pariih employ them-
felves in fiihing, and purchafe all the corn the)' have occafion for
o f
o f their neighbours. They catch vail: numbers o f pilchards, o f
which they make great profit, it being the chief traffic o f thefe
iflands.
It has been long in agitation to build a city in the lfle o f Aland,
but the projeit has not hitherto been carried into execution, owing,
it is faid, to the difficulty o f chufing a proper fpot for it.
T he ufual route from Sweden to Finland is from the poft office
o f Griflehamn in Upland, which is eleven and a half Swediih
miles, to Eckero in A lan d; and from that place acrofs the ifland
to Abo, which is five miles more. A Swediih mile makes between
fix and feven Engliffi miles.
In the year 179 2 the number o f inhabitants upon the ifland
o f A land amounted to eleven thoufand two hundred and fixty,
which is upwards o f a thoufand to every fquare Swediih m ile ; a
very great number when it is confidered how mountainous the
ifland is. T he inhabitants o f thefe iflands live to very great ages.
From the year IO92 to the prefent time, rime perfons are recorded
to have died at the great age o f one hundred years; and perhaps
the number had been found greater, had it been thought worth
while to notice this particular. In 1703 there died a woman
named Anna Berg, who was one hundred and nine years o ld :
and at Kumblinge, in the year 1 766, another perfon o f the fame fex
died at an age of upwards of one hundred and twenty years. One
fixth part o f the inhabitants are above fifty years old; a circum-
ftance which affords a convincing proof of the healthinefs o f the
place.
The