will be best seen from the following table, which exhibits the population
of Sweden in 1 8 1 1 .
Provinces. a?
I
i
Inhabi ants.
Total.
On the farm.
I f f B !
«> ff Operative
' farmers.
Yearly increase of inhabitants
per 100.
Deaths one in
Norbotten . . . . . . 2 522*8 1846 31474 38320 6'0 170 44 '22824 1-8 44
Veste rbotten............. 1 6 9 4 5 1010 33851 3486 t 48 335 52 23S70 1-8 44
Vesternorrland.......... 2 1563 3313 56371 59684 36 170 274 36812 1*2 m Jämtland................... > 1 9 4 5 177 31058 31235 32 176 - 73 20281 1*2 51
Norrland............... 6 37253 6346 152754 159100 41 240 7 7 .103787 1-5 47-
l 0*6
Stockholm ............... 6 4056*2 4563 94814 99377 23 207 1483 58649 0*5 38
Upsala...................... .2 3548*7 .6071 78070 84141 22 12.9 1790 .48057 0-5 41
Vesteros................... 4 2852 7801 77007 84808 27 98 1368 49063 0*3 36
Nyköping 7 3276 6719 92042 98761 28 137 1703 59791 0*8 44
Örebro.................... . 4 2774*7 5483 9*945 100428 34 173 1357 61720 .0-7 39
Carlstad..................... 3 1708 4290 135810 140100 7 9 317 946 92592 0*8 45'
Stora Kopparberg . , . 3. 1792 ,3981 118825 124806 6 5 1.98 433 79313 ,0*7 47
Gefleborg................... 3 2089 8794 76590 85384 36 87 .496 50024 1*0 50
S.vealand................ 33 22096*6 122354 768103 890457 35 63 927 499809 0*6 40
Linköping................. 5 5458 15500 147359 162859 26 95 1645 94164 . 0*7 , 39
Kalmare................./ 3 3347 6853 129443 136296 38 1 8 .9 1391 83404 0*7 38
lönköping. ............... 3 . 39.05 4556 1128251 117381 28 248 1235 76115 0*8 40
Kronoberg . . . . . __ 1 2837-2 1188 88443 89631 31 744 1067 56OIO 0*9 43
Blekinge................... 3 1089 14647 52553 67200 49 36' 2546 31522 0*9 37
Skaraborg................. b 4804 4668 133742 138410 27 28 6 17 7 5 89910 0*4 40
Elfsborg ................... 5 4209 5694 150577 156271 35 264 1313 102715 0*4 3,9
Göteborg................... 5 2783 24858 94656 119514 34 38 2846 66409 0r5 35
Halmstad............. 5 2922 4515 69Ö79 73594 23 153 1635 47485 0*6 40
Christianstad .......... 3 .3002 4274 1I6273 120547 38 272 2274 79331 0*8 45
Malmohus ............... 7 4033 17253 132639 149892 32 77 3944 9 5 6 3 7 1*0 41
Gottland.................. 1 1098*5 3819 29169 32988 26 76 1221 : 17560 0*9 49
' Götaländ............... 47 39487*7 ¡W825 1256758jl364583 31 I I6 1697 840262 0*7 ’40
Sweden . . . . . . . . . 8 6 65309*61236535 2177615;2414150 33 & 624 1443858 0-8 43
From the preceding table it appears that the present population of
Sweden amounts to 2 ,4 1 4 ,1 5 0 . Norrland is the worst inhabited district,
as might be expected from its situation, and the kingdom of
Gothland is by far the best inhabited. The following little table exhibits
the number of inhabitants to the English square, mile in each of
the great divisions:
Norrland..................... 1-75 inhabitants per square mile.
Svealand..................... 20-89
Gbtaland..................... 3 8 -2 2
The population of England amounts at present to 196-3 per square
mile, so that England is nine times as populous, comparing the extent
o f the countries, as Sweden. The population of Holland, and o f some
parts of Italy, compared with the extent, is still greater than that of
England. It is not possible for Sweden, if We take into view the climate
o f her northern parts, ever to rival England, or the southern nations
of Europe, in extent o f population. But there can be no doubt
that she could maintain a much greater population than she does, and
that it would be the interest o f her government to promote the better
peopling of the country by every means in her power. One o f the
most obvious methods Would be to promote the settlement o f farmers
in Sweden, by holding out lands to them at a very easy rent. This
would at once increase the quantity o f food, which has a natural tendency
to promote marriage, and thus to encourage population.
From the table it appears that the proportion of inhabitants living in
towns is to that living in the country as' 1 to 9. This, is a very small
proportion indeed. I presiime I am within bounds when I say-that in
Great Britain almost one-half of the inhabitants live in towns, arid I
believe the proportion to be still greater iri Holland and France. Yet
it does not appear, notwithstanding this enormous difference in favour
o f Sweden, that it is so healthy a' country as England. For the average
number of deaths in Sweden is 1 in 43, while in England it is 1 in 49,
and in Wales 1 in 60. This is a striking proof that the state o f nature,
in which a great part o f Sweden is allowed to lie, is not so favourable
to health as the cultivated state o f England. Indeed this is what one
would expect. The marshes, the swamps,1 the damp forests of the
one, must be much more injurious to health than the dry corn-fields or
pasture grounds of the other. A country covered with wood, indeed,
is not so unhealthy in a cold as in a Warm climate ; yet even in the
coldest climate it must occasion stagnations of water, and induce a certain
degree of humidity in the atmosphere, which'cannot but be more
3 h 2