A New Description of the World, Section 1 · Account of region 8
Sweedland Described, in its Countryes and Provinces, &c.
SWEEDEN, or Sweedland, is a Famous Northern Country, renowned for its many great Enterprizes, and Undertakings; and is bounded on the West with the Dosrin Hills, dividing it from Norway; and on the North with the Frozen Ocean; on the South with Denmark, Leifland, and the Baltick Sea, taking, as many hold, its Name from Sueci, Suetheans, or Suethedie; and is in length from Stockholm to the Borders of Lapland 1000 Itali…n Miles, and about 600 in breadth, reaching in a manner, from the first Parallel of the Twelfth Clime where the Pole is elevated 38 Degrees, and 26 Mi…nutes, as far as to the 71 degrees of Latitude, … which account, the longest day in the Souther… point, exceeds not 18 Hours, though in the ex…treamest Northern parts, they have scarcely … Night for Two Months; and this Kingdom, tho…g… posited in an extream cold Region, is notwithstand…ing kept so warm by the Mists that arise from the I…slands, that much of the Rigor other Countries … the same Latitude suffer is abated, and is a Monarchy, one of the Antientest in the Northern Parts … the World (if their report be true who boa… th… immediate Succession, from above 100 Kings; an… that the first amongst them was the Son of Japhet, one of the Sons of Noah.)
As for the Kings of Sweedland, they stile themselves Kings of Sweeds, Vandals, Goths; great Princes of Finland, Dukes of Estonia and Carolia; Lords of Ingria, and bear three Royal Crowns for their Arms; and the present King of this Country is Charles the 11. of the Family of the Palatine of Deuxponts; as for the Soil (by the industry of the people) it is render'd exceeding fertile, and the Air very healthful; unless in places where the Moorish damps arise from Fenns, by the neglect of not opening the Water course; so that the Inhabitants generally live to an extream old Age: And as for the Country it abounds with Corn, Cattle, Fruits and Minerals as Silver, Copper, Lead: There are found considerable quantities of Furs, and other Commodities, and is divided into, or distinguished by the Provinces of Lapland, Gothland, Finland, and Sweeden.
LAPLAND or LAPPIA is the most Northern Part of Scandia, and is divided into the Eastern and Western parts: The first containing Biarmia and …orolia, which properly appertains to Russia, or the Jurisdiction of the Czars of Muscovy, and the latter comprehending Lappia and Scrisinia, under the Government of the King of Sweeden; and the people in many parts, especially the most extream are Heathen Idolaters, or such as pay Adoration to Creatures; especially such as they first see in the Morning, and are held to deal in Magick and Witchcraft, and to sell Winds to Saylors that Navigate those Seas; however they are miserably poor, as living in the most barren part of the Country, and pay their acknowledgement or Tribute only in Furs of Foxes, Martins &c. which tolerably abound in those parts; and they dwell for the most part in Cotts, where they are by reason of their Temperance very Healthful; some of them living to 140 years.
Next to the before mentioned Division is Finland, between the Finland Bay and the Baltick Ocean of considerable Extent, and is full of pleasant Pastures, yielding very much Corn and Fruits, and is properly a Dutchy which some of the Sweedish Kings were wont to assign, for the security of their Brothers Portions; and has for its chief Cities Albo, a Bishops See, Viburg or Viborch, a Fortress of considerable Strength; Narve, Rangia and Castle-Helm, and near a place called Razeburg; in this Country is a Province in which the Needle-touch by a Load-stone keeps continually turning.
GOTHLAND held to be the Birth-place of the antient Goths, is accounted one of the most fertil Provinces appertaining to this Monarchy, participating both of Island and Continent; as being divided into both the Islands, lying in the Baltick Sea, being the biggest in these parts, containing five or six commodious Ports; and on some of the Rocks appear yet divers Inscriptions (by way of Monuments) in the Antient Gothish Characters, one Isle being 18 miles in length, and 5 in breadth; and as for what is of this Province, on the main Land, it is posited in the hithermost part of Scandia bordering on Denmark, where is Seated the noted City of Norkoping, commodiously on the Sea, the place from when abundance of Copper is brought: Loduvisa a place much traded to, Colmar, fortified with a very strong Castle, Waldburg and others, and is in all parts very fruitful; so that it is called by many of the Sweeds Goodland, instead of Gothland.
SWEDLAND properly so called, though contributing its name in general to the rest of the Provinces is fertil in many parts; but it holds not throughout by reason of the many Rocks and barren Hills, and the chief City is Stockholm, or Holmia, defended with a Castle Royal on a Sea Port, at the Mouth of the Lake Meler, which some of the Sweedish Kings designed to cut into the Wenner, or Lake, thereby to have joyned the Baltick and the Ocean, frustrating thereby the Passage of the Sound, but it proved a Work of so much Difficulty, that it was laid aside; and this Lake is held to receive Twenty Four Rivers, and disburthens it self with such noise and fury, that it is by some called Devils Mouth: But as for the Kings Ships, and Vessels of great Burthen, they generally lye at Elsenore, defended by a strong Castle, and so shelter'd from the Wind, that they may lye without Anchors. Vpsal contains the Metropolitan Church, where the Kings are usually Crowned, and formerly held their Court; and is a University of this Kingdom, and the most remarkable Mart; Carlstat upon the Wenner, abounds with Brass and Copper: Strongues is a Bishops See.
There are yet two other Provinces, or Divisions of this Kingdom; viz. Livonia, by the Germans called Liefland and Ingria, vulgarly Ingermanland; the first deliver'd by the Poles upon treaty, and the last taken from the Muscovites, and are both of them indifferently fruitful, and have in them many considerable Villages and some Towns of note.
The Commodities of these Countries, in general are Copper, Brass, Lead, Ox-hides, Tallow, Furs, Goat-skins, Elks-skins, the Skins of Deer; Honey, Allom, Corn; and in many places there are Silver Mines, but of no consider able advantage. The men are Active, Naturally strong, indifferent good Seamen, and resolute Soldiers; Industrious, Ingenious, and very courteous to strangers; and had the Christian Faith first planted amongst them, by Ausgarius Arch-Bishop of Bremen; and in matters of Judicature, or deciding Controversies, each respective Territory has its Viscount, every Province its Lans-men, or Consul, and every Town it's Lay-man or Consul; and there lyeth an Appeal from the Consul to the Laymen, and from the Lay men to the Viscount, and from him to the King, in whose only power it is absolutely to determine the matter. As for the Women they are generally well featured, proper in person, very modest and courteous, loving to their Husbands, and affable to strangers.