other in the fecond ftory. The cathedral occupies the centre of
thofe public buildings.'
The feat o f the courts o f juftice, the houfe o f the prefident,
the cuftom-houie, the excife-office, the town-hall, that o f the
council, the repofitory o f the water-engines, and the houfe o f
the governor, are built o f ftone : all the reft are conftruited o f
wood.
Near Beckholmen, about three Englifh miles from Abo to the
fouth weft, is a fmall but fafe harbour, by its depth o f water
capable o f receiving the largeft Ihipping o f the town, with every
convenience for loading and unloading. The fmaller veffels, which
draw only about eight or ten feet w7ater, may proceed almoft to
the bridge.
The moft ancient privileges o f the city are lo ft ; fuch as ftill
remain are dated from the time o f John the third, 1 5 6 9 .
T o the royal tribunal refident here belong the governments o f
Abo, Tavaftehus, and Heinola ; it confifts o f three jurifdidlions,
twelve territorial judges, and ten other magiftrates.
The governor o f Abo, o f Bijomeborg, and o f Aland, as well as
the biihop o f Abo, generally live in this city.
Guftavus Adolphus, in the year 1626, eftablilhed a gymnafium
for the ufe o f the town. It was afterwards, in the year 1640,
converted by Queen Chriftina into an academy or univerfity, and
ihe appointed the biihop o f the dioeefe fub-chancellor. The academies
o f Sweden, as has been mentioned before, have chancellors,
fub-chancellors, and pretors. T he profcllbrs in chemiftry,
anatomy,
anatomy, natural hiftoryand oeconomics, have been more recently
appointed, for they did not belong to the original inftitution. The
one laft mentioned was fubftituted in the room o f a profeffor in
poetry, which it was thought proper to unite with the profeflion
o f eloquence. This exchange o f poetry, or poetical cnticifm, for
oeconomics, is no unpleafing. charaderiftic o f the prefent age, and
a proof o f the good fenfe o f the Swedes, and progrefs o f real knowledge
in that country. T h e number o f ftudents, upon an average,
amounts to about five hundred and fify, abfentees included.
T h e library owed its firft exiftence to the liberality o f Queen
Chriftina: it was afterwards greatly augmented by a donation
from the later General Stalhoudlke, and alfo by that o f fome ind
i v i d u a l s , among whom are particularly diftinguifbed Aichen-
holk, counfellor o f ftate, who bellowed upon it a very confider-
able colledion o f books, manufcripts, ancient coins, &c. T h e
fame kind o f liberality was Ihown by biihop (afterwards arch-
bilhop) Menander, who presented the univerfity with a large
quantity of rare books, manufcripts, and fome relics o f antiquity.
T h e number o f books in the library at prefent exceeds ten thoufand
volumes, and its annual fund for new purchafes is about one
hundred and fifty rix dollars or crowns. ^
The government o f the town is placed in the hands o f two burgo-
mafters (or* mayors), the one o f juftice, the other o f police, and
' fix fenators (or aldermen). Befides the court o f the palace, and
t h e i n f e r i o r municipal jurifdiaions, there are a ftamp-office,. an
excife-office, a poft-office, &c.
The