The citizens are divided into three clafles or iocieties, viz. o f
merchants, common tradefmen, and Finland burgeiies. They
are formed into train-bands, or a kind o f m'llitia, confiding o f
three companies o f foot, each o f about fixty or feventy men, which
are placed under the command o f an officer called the town-
major. The city-guard is a final! body o f men (about thirty-five},
who perform the common duties o f watchmen, for the fecurity
and quiet o f the inhabitants. The town has three water-engines,
and, in addition to thefe, the cathedral and academy have fix.
Here alio is an hofpital, where upwards o f forty perfons can be
accommodated. The lazaretto is intended for the fick that belong
to the government o f Abo exclufively. The Magdalen hofpital
is a charitable inifitution upon a fmali icale; it has only an annual
fund o f three hundred rix dollars.
This city carries on a confiderable trade, both foreign and do-
meftic. In the year 1 7 6 1 , its export trade employed nineteen
(hips,* o f which fourteen belonged wholly to the inhabitants o f
Abo. Their deftination was to Peterfburg, Frederickfliamn,
Wiburg, Reval, Riga, and Pernau ; and their cargoes confifted o f
fait, tiles, iron and nails, copper, pitch, tar, pots, and deals, to the
amount o f three thoufand one hundred and twenty-two rix dollars
thirty-two ikillings. They likewife exported to Cadiz,
Genoa, Lifbon, St. Ube’s, Bourdeaux, and Amilerdam, iron, tar,
» Mr. Peuchet, in his Diftionary of Commerce under the word Abo, fays,
“ that the ihips with which this town carries on its trade are without decks a
very unnacountable miftake.
pitch,
pitch, deals, joifts, &c. to-the annual amount o f feven thoufand
one hundred and eighty-feven rix dollars feven (killings. T e
famé year there arrived at Abo fixteen ihips, nine o f which belonged
to the citizens o f the feme plaee, and the whole value o f
imports from abroad amounted to one hundred and four thoufend
nine hundred fixty-feven; rix dollars and fixteen (killings. The
articles imported wéré, two hundred and three thoufand one hundred
arid forty-three pounds o f tobacco, twenty-one thoufand five
h u n d r e d a n d tWehty-three pounds o f coffee, ninety-feven cafks
o f wine, one hundred and feventy-nirie thoufand and forty-fix
pounds b'f rawfugar, eighteen thoufend three hundred and fix
and a half barrels o f felt, fix thoufand four hundred fifty-feven
barrels o f rye and wheat, four thoufand eight hundred and twenty
hundred Weight o f hemp, a quantity o f fplceries, drugs, &c.
amounting in all to eighteen thoufend one hundred and twenty-
t\vo rix dôilàr’s.
Abo has various manufariories : two o f tobacco, one o f fugar,
three of filk-ribbands, two o f doth and fuftian, one o f fail-cloth,
fix tan-works, fix o f tile-kilns, two watch and clock manufactories,
one paper-mill. T he plantations o f tobacco are an objeft
o f very great confequenCe ; they produce not lefe than one hundred
and fifty-two‘thoufand hundred Weight annually.
In the year 1 7 6 1 , the revenue arifing to the crown from this
city amounted to four thoufend fix hundred and.feventy-five rix
dollars. T he number o f its inhabitants in the year 1791 was
eight thoufand five hundred and four.
The