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Most Swedish ships have the Yarrow type of water-tube boilers. Of these ships the Fylgia marks a departure in Swedish naval construction, as, unlike all the other ships, she is a sea-going vessel. The other armoured ships are all of, or being converted into, one type, low on the water with big guns at bow and stern, lesser guns amidships. There are 5 torpedo gunboats, 2 destroyers of about 31 knots, 26 torpedo boats, and 1 submarine. There are also several gunboats and training ships, and 11 monitors for coast service, carrying one or two 4'7in. quick-firers each. A committee has reported upon the question of fixed defences, and a plan has been laid down to complete, within ten years, the defences of Karlskrona, Karlsborg, and the Island of Gottland, to erect new works at Waxholm and Oscar-Fredriksborg for the defence of Stockholm, and to fortify Boden and Gothenburg.

The personnel of the Royal Navy is divided into three classes, viz.: 1. The Active List; 2. The Reserve; 3. The Beväring. On the active list are 5 flag-officers, 7 commodores, 14 captains, 15 commanders, 75 lieutenantcommanders, 65 lieutenants, 31 sub-lieutenants, while about 160 commissioned officers belong to the Reserve.

Production and Industry.

I. AGRICULTURE.

The number of farms in cultivation in 1902 was 345,653; of these there were of 2 hectares and under, 81,871; 2 to 20 hectares, 223,321; 20 to 100 hectares, 33,176; above 100, 3,210. Of the total land area of Sweden 8.7 per cent. is under cultivation, 3.5 per cent. under natural meadows, and 50 9 per cent. under forests, the products of which form a staple export.

The following table shows, in thousands of hectares, (2.47 acres), the area under the chief crops in 1902, and, in thousands of hectolitres (2.75 bushels), the yield in 1903:

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The value of all cereal crops in 1902 was estimated at 243.8 million kronor. At the end of 1902 Sweden had 542,158 horses, 2,577,409 head of cattle, 1,195,689 sheep and lambs, 807,621 pigs.

II. MINES AND MINERALS.

Mining is one of the most important departments of Swedish industry, and the working of the iron mines in particular is making constant progress by the introduction of new machinery. There were raised in the year 1903, throughout the Kingdom, 3,677,520 tons of iron ore. The pig-iron produced amounted to 498,282 tons; the bar iron to 331,415 tons. Of iron ore in 1899 1,628,011 tons, in 1900 1,619,902 tons, in 1901 1,761,257 tons, and in 1902 1,729,303 tons were exported; of pig-iron, 93,895 tons in 1899, 84,477 tons in 1900, 84,821 tons in 1901, and 73,403 tons in 1902; of bar iron, 167,847 in 1899, 165,583 in 1900, 141,782 in 1901, and 175,387 in 1902. There were also raised in 1903 9,792 tons of silver and lead ore, 36,687 tons of copper ore, 62,927 tons of zinc ore, 2,244 tons of manganese ore, and 7,793 tons of sulphur pyrites. The gold produced amounted to 50 64 kilogrammes, the silver to 1,004 6, the lead to 670,699 (besides 7,225 tons of litharge), the copper to 776,038. There are not inconsiderable veins of coal in the southern parts of Sweden, giving 320,390 tons of coal in 1903. In 1903 there were 30,731 persons engaged in mining.

III. INDUSTRIES.

The timber and wood-work industries of Sweden are of great importance. The public forests (mostly on crown-lands), have an area of 6,611,745 hectares (not including settlement and Crown-farm forests amounting in 1900 to an area of over 1,100,000), and yielded, in 1902, 2,268,823 cubic metres of timber. In 1902 there were in Sweden 1,122 saw mills and planing mills with 40,581 work-people who turned out sawn or planed timber to the value of 140,525,179 kronor; 371 factories for joinery and furniture with 9,683 workpeople, the out-put for the year being valued at 20,321,515 kronor; 132 factories for wood-pulp with 7,587 work-people, out-put 37,657,793 kronor ; and 65 paper and paste-board mills with 6,677 work-people, out-put 27,155,784 kronor. The extent of some other Swedish industries in 1902 is shown in the following table :

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Commerce.

The total customs duties levied in 1898 amounted to 52,211,885 kronor, in 1899 60,366,953 kronor, in 1900 57,731,764 kronor, in 1901 49,684,861 kronor, in 1902 55,859,717 kroner, and in 1903 57,036,606 kronor. The value of the imports subject to duty in 1901 was 236,256, 154 kronor; and of duty-free imports, 230,064,153 kronor.

The imports on which duties are levied comprise yarns and woven goods, paper, manufactured metals of all sorts, provisions and other foodstuffs, soap, candles, tallow, alcoholic liquors, tobacco. Exempt from duty are wool, fish (not preserved sardines, &c.), ships and boats, books, chemicals (not alum or copperas), most colours, rags and pulp, iron and other metals unmanufactured except into bars, plates, nails, &c. The import duties are in general specific, but in some cases ad valorem; on steam engines the duty is 10 per cent. ad valorem.

The treaty of peace and commerce between England and Sweden of 1654 provides for "the most favoured nation" treatment between the two countrles, and that of 1826 provides for similar treatment between the United Kingdom on the one hand, and Sweden and Norway on the other.

The imports and exports of Sweden have been as follows (18 kronor = £1):

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Imports

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Kronor Kronor Kronor Kronor Kronor Kronor 408,332,270 455,249,346 504,788,683 534,935,110 466,320,307 505,196,504 Exports 358,195,467 344,909,154 358,184,767 391,334,962 353,505,400 392,372,601

The following were the values of the leading imports and exports for two years :

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The values of imports and exports are calculated according to average prices in Swedish port, exclusive of Customs duties. For most of these average prices merchants are consulted by the Board of Trade (Kommers-Kollegium), and the values thus obtained are published in the Board's annual report on commerce. The quantities in the Custom

returns are most exactly given for imports. For the quantities of exports the statements of exporters are relied on. Imports are recorded as from the country of the last port of shipment, and exports as to the country which is their immediate destination. The figures record the special trade.

The following shows the value of the trade with the principal countries with which Sweden deals :

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1 The apparent increase in the value of the exports to Norway in 1902 is owing to more complete statements.

The following table shows the trade between Sweden and the United Kingdom according to the Board of Trade Returns:

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The following table shows the chief articles of import into the United Kingdom from Sweden :

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British exports to Sweden in 1903 were iron work, 457,9371.; coals, 1,763,6457.; cotton manufactures and yarn, 364,7517.; woollen manufactures and yarn, 263,7331.; wool, 202,3927.; machinery, 180,2217.

Shipping and Navigation.

The Swedish mercantile marine engaged both in the home and foreign trade on January 1, 1903, was as follows:

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The port of Göteborg had the largest shipping in 1902-namely, 258 vessels of 128,310 tons; and next to it came Stockholm, possessing 214 vessels of a total burthen of 82,814 tons.

Vessels entered and cleared with cargoes and in ballast in 1902, as follows:

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In 1902 94,933 ships and boats passed through the canals of Sweden. At the end of 1903 the total length of railways in Sweden was 7,631 miles, of which 2,559 miles belonged to the State. The State railways and most of the private railways have a gauge of 4 ft. 8 in. The receipts in 1902 were 92,341,380 kronor, and expenses 63,123,934 kronor. The total cost of construction for the State railways to the end of 1902 was 383,111,551 kronor, and for private railways 395,525,623 kronor. The total number of passengers on the State railways in 1902 was 11,673,996; weight of goods carried on State railways, 6,817,760 tons; private railways 15,517,890 tons of goods, and 21, 470,968 passengers.

The length of all the telegraph lines at the end of 1902 was 10,589 miles, and of wires 32,373 miles. Of the lines, 5,940 miles, and of the wire, 18,081 miles belonged to the State telegraph, and the remainder to the railways,

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