Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-07

reduced by half with the rising height of
the mountains,
Here at about 81 degrees north latitude
the spread of the nomadic Lapps to the
south Is checked for the present. We
come from the tundra offshoot to the
northern boundary of the great subarctic
As1o- European zone of coniferouS forest.
Here, too, however, a sixty miles broad
long-deserted region follows the bound
airy. There were only very few scattered
c1earings in the forest along the main
rivers up to about 1900, when an immi-
grafton from Finland began and the
Firms gradually brought their clearings
northward until they met the Lapps from
the north. Their descendants constitute
a very important part-perhaps $4,000 to
100000 the still very thin population
along the frontier in the forest zone, the
Finn woods of Herjedalen, Dalecarlia and
Vermland in Sweden Trysail, Solar in
Norway, south to Sitskogen on the
heights of kristiania. Not until at a dis
lance of thirty miles or so from the coast
does this broad frontier band, chiefly
peopled with foreign races, Lapp or Finn,
dWindle down, and the denser and con-
secutively populated tracts meet.
Thus, on the whole, Norway's land
boundaries toward the east, toward Swe-
den as well Russia and Finland, are
defined by, broad band, desolate, track
less, uninhabited. only occupied by
nomadic Laps and forest Finns-a band
that forms very complete isolation for
the home of the Norwegian people. An
al III VI tut sea VI the same WlQIn, or a
high chain of mountains, could not form
a more effective natural boundary.
1t Is only at the depression at Trondh-
5em that the connection across the bound
airy is easier, to Jemtland. This district
indeed, received its first settlers from
Norway and has for long time belonged
to that country, but its uncertain posi-
ton may be concluded from It's having
belonged from the first to the Upsala do
cese. Farthest south, where continuous
settlements draw together the boundary
must of necessity to a certain extent be
indefinite and arbitrary; and here, too,
as In Jemtland it was displaced in the
seventeenth century, on the defeat of the
Danish party in the union.
1t is only at these two places, the Trond-
hjem depression and far south (here by
two lines) that modern times have
brought about a complete land connec-
ton by means of railways (Trond-
hjem-OsterSund, eleven hours; Kristiania-
Stockholm, thirteen hours; Kristiania-Go-
teborg, eleven hours) Besides these only
about a dozen highroads cross Norway's
far-extended land boundary, with several
days, often arduous, travelling between
the larger centers of population. One clear
indication of the effectiveness of the from
tier zone in separating Norway from her
neighbors by land may be seen in the fact
that of all the commercial transa ctions with
foreign countries during 1893 only u per
cent crossed the frontier in any other way
than by the three railway lines, not more
than per cent of Norways goods ex-
change with foreign countries-transit in
cluded-crossed the land frontier, although,
as already mentioned, it amounts to AZ per
cent of the periphery of the country, while
95 per cent went by sea-in itself con-
elusive indication of the difficulties of over
land communication for Norway.
With this powerful natural barrier be-
tween the two countries on the Scandina
Wan peninsula, 1t is easy to understand
how Norway's historical connection with
Sweden has not been nearly so intimate as
that with the other Scandinavian country,
Denmark. 1t has mainly turned rather on
peripheral contact, even in the case of the
many wars during the last couple of CEN
turtles, In which Norway was indirectly i'm
plicated by her union with Denmark and
whereby the only changes of frontier came
about. Not until 1914 was Norway re-
leased, by the general European political
situation. from the close union with Den
mark, when she entered into the less intl-
mate with Sweden.