ammerfors, 25,000, and Viborg, 20,000 inhabitants.
I should add that there is probably no country in creation where
the population has so steadily increased, notwithstanding adverse
conditions, as Finland. After the Russian campaign of 1721 the
country contained barely 250,000 souls, and yet, although continually
harassed by war and its attendant evils, these had increased thirty
years later to 555,000. Fifty years ago the Finns numbered 1,500,000,
and the latest census shows nearly double these figures, although
in 1868 pestilence and famine swept off over 100,000 victims.

The languages spoken in the Grand Duchy are Finnish and Swedish,
the former being used by at least eighty-five per cent. of the
population. Russian-speaking inhabitants number about 5,000, while
the Lapps amount to 1,000 only, other nationalities to under 3,000.
Although Swedish is largely spoken in the towns, Finnish only is
heard, as a rule, in the rural districts. There is scarcely any
nobility in the country, if we except titled Swedish settlers. Most
Finns belong to the middle class of life, with the exception of a
few families ennobled in 1809 by the Tsar of Russia on his accession
as Grand Duke of Finland. The lower orders are generally quiet and
reserved in their demeanour, even on festive public occasions, and
make peaceable, law-abiding citizens. "'Arry" is an unknown quantity
here, and "'Arriet" does not exist. A stranger will everywhere
meet with studied politeness in town and country. Drive along a
country road, and every peasant will raise his hat to you, not
deferentially, but with the quiet dignity of an equal. The high
standard of education, almost legally exacted from the lowest classes
in Finland, is unusually high, for the most illiterate plough boy
may not marry the girl of his choice until he can read the Bible
from end to end to the satisfaction of his pastor, and the same
rule applies to the fair sex.

The climate of Finland is by no means so severe as is generally
imagined. As a matter of fact, no country of a similar latitude,
with the exception of Sweden, enjoys the same immunity from intense
cold. This is owing to the Gulf Stream, which also imparts its genial
influence to Scandinavia. In summer the heat is never excessive, the
rainfall is insignificant, and thunderstorms are rare. July is the
warmest, and January the coldest month, but the mean temperature of
Helsingfors in mid-winter has never fallen below that of Ast