large number of cattle and even some children were devoured,
but a _battue_ organized by the peasantry cleared the brutes out
of the country. You may now shoot hares here, and any number of
wild fowl, but that is about all.

The remainder of Finland consists of Finland proper and Nyland
on the south and south-western coasts, and as these comprise not
only the capital, but also the large towns of Abo and Viborg, they
may be regarded as the most important, politically, commercially,
and socially, in the country. Here lakes are still numerous, but
insignificant in size compared with those of the interior. On the
other hand, the vegetation is richer, for the oak, lime, and hazel
do well, and the flora, both wild and cultivated, is much more
extensive than in the central and northern districts. Several kinds
of fruit are grown, and Nyland apples are famous for their flavour,
while very fair pears, plums, and cherries can be bought cheaply
in the markets. Currants and gooseberries are, however, sour and
tasteless. In these southern districts the culture of cereals has
reached a perfection unknown further north, for the farms are usually
very extensive, the farmers up to date, and steam implements in
general use. Dairy-farming is also carried on with excellent results
and yearly increasing prosperity. Amongst the towns, Bjorneborg,
Nystad, Hangoe, and Kotka will in a few years rival the capital
in size and commercial importance.

The last on the list is the Aland archipelago, which consists of
one island of considerable size surrounded by innumerable smaller
ones, and situated about fifty miles off the south-western coast
of Finland. Here, oddly enough, Nature has been kinder than almost
anywhere on the mainland, for although the greater part of the island
is wild and forest-clad, the eternal pines and silver birch-trees
are blended with the oak, ash and maple, and bright blossoms such
as may and hawthorn relieve to a great extent the monotonous green
foliage of Northern Europe.

That the Alander has much of the Swede in his composition is shown
by the neatness of his dwellings and cleanly mode of life. He is an
amphibious creature, half mariner, half yeoman, a sober, thrifty
individual, who spends half of his time at the plough-tail and the
other half at the helm. Fishing for a kind of small herring called
"stroemming" is perhaps the most important industry, and a lucrative
one, for this fish (salted) is sent all over the