country and even
to Russia proper. Farming is a comparatively recent innovation,
for the Alanders are born men of the sea, and were once reckoned the
finest sailors in Finland. Less than a century ago Aland harboured
a fine fleet of sailing-ships owned by syndicates formed amongst
the peasantry, and engaged in a profitable trade with Great Britain
and Denmark. But steamers have knocked all this upon the head,
and the commercial future of the islands would now seem to depend
chiefly upon the fishing and agricultural industries.

The population of these Islands is under 25,000, of which the small
town of Mariehamm, the so-called capital, contains about 700 souls.
Steamers touch here, so that there is no difficulty in reaching the
place, which is certainly worth a visit not only for its antiquity
(the Alands were inhabited long before the mainland), but on account
of the interesting ruins it contains--amongst them the Castle of
Castelholm, built by Birger Jarl in the Fourteenth Century, and the
time-worn walls of which could tell an interesting history. A part
of the famous fortress of Bomarsund, destroyed by an Anglo-French
fleet in 1854, may also be seen not far from Mariehamm. Plain but
decent fare may be obtained here, but the fastidious will do well
to avoid the smaller villages, where the Alander's diet generally
consists solely of seal-meat, salt fish, bread and milk. A delicacy
eaten with gusto by these people is composed of seal-oil and the
entrails of sea-birds, and is almost identical with one I saw amongst
the Tchuktchis on Bering Straits. And yet the Alanders are cleanly
enough in their habits and the smallest village has its bath-house.

At one time Aland was famous for sport, and in olden days Swedish
sovereigns visited the island to hunt the elk, which were then
numerous. But these and most other wild animals are now extinct and
even wild fowl are scarce. Only one animal appears to thrive,--the
hedgehog; but the natives do not appear to have discovered its
edible qualities. An English tramp could enlighten them on this
point.

[Illustration: HELSINGFORS, FINLAND]

The entire population of Finland amounts to rather over 2,500,000,
including a considerable number of Swedes, who are found chiefly
in the Aland Islands, Nyland, and Finland proper. Helsingfors,
the capital, contains over 80,000 souls, and Kemi, the smallest
town, near the northern frontier, under 400. Of the other cities,
Abo has 30,000, T