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Show !vLtilUe'Jotrncys -to-Paca l WILL ALAND ISLANDS BE-COME BE-COME A BALTIC FIUME? Caught In ttio swirl of tlio minor flurries that disturb Ruropo nre the remote Aland Islands, where Swedes Bin! Finns clashed In n manner suggestive sug-gestive of tho dlsputo between Jugo-Hlavs Jugo-Hlavs and tho Itnllnns along the Adrl-ntlc, Adrl-ntlc, according to newspaper dispatches. dis-patches. For more than 200 years the Aland Islnnils, which nre situated like a cork In the wldo mouth of tho Gulf of Bothnia, huvo been n sort of Alsncc-Lorrnlno Alsncc-Lorrnlno question between the Swedes and the Russians. After having pnssed bock nnd forth several time, they were finally ceded to Itussln In ISOft. During the reign of Nicholas I thoy wero strongly fortified, a inovo most distasteful to Sweden, because the Islands occupy n strong strategic position posi-tion with respect to Stockholm, the Swedish capital, which Is less than 100 miles to tho southwest from P.n-mnrsund, P.n-mnrsund, tho chief fortification of the Islands, Thcso fortifications wero shortlived. short-lived. In ISM, during tho Crlinoim war, n Frnnco-Ilrltlsh fleet, under sit Charles Napier nnd Hnraguny d'llll-Hers, d'llll-Hers, destroyed the works, and after that time tho Islands wero left unfortified, un-fortified, In accordance with nu International Inter-national agreement. Tho Aland group, which Is separated from tho Swedish nmlnlnnd by Aland bay (Aland Hnuf) nnd from tho Finnish Finn-ish mainland by Sklftet sound, Is composed of somo .100 Islnnds nnd rocky islets, tho total nren of which Is not mora thnn R50 squnro miles. Tho largest Island, Aland, n nntiio slg. nlfylng "land of streams," Is nlmost as largo ns nil tho others combined, hnv-Ing hnv-Ing nn orcn of 217 squnro miles, nbout twlco tho slzo of Mnrthn's Vineyard. Cattlo raising nnd fishing nro the chief occupations of tho 2.".000 peoplo who llvo on tho Islands Somo cereals (barley nnd onts) nro grown on the thin soil, and thcro nre u few forests of birch, spruco nnd fir. Finnish troops recently wero reported re-ported marching through tho streets of Mnrlehnmm. This attractive llttlo bathing resort Is tho chief town of tho Islands, having n population of 1,400. In times of penco n dnlly steamer service Is tr.alntnlncd between this port nnd Alio, tho oldest nnd historically tho most Interesting city In Finland. Tho voynpo from Abo to Mnrlehnmm tnkes nbout 10 hours. It was In tho wnter adjacent to tho Aland Islnnds thnt Peter tho Orent's nnvy won Its first Importnnt victory, defentlng tho Bwedos In 1717. Only nbout 00 of the .'100 Islands nre Inhnbltcd, nnd tho flsherfolk, In tho mnln, nro of Swedish descent. Sweden's deslro to hold tho Islnnds arises In part from tho fnct that they control tho entrnnco to tho Clulf of - Ilothnln, through which most of thnt I kingdom's Internal trado Is cnrrled on. |