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■2-20
III. CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION.
ranges; annual subsidy to the rifle clubs of 2 kronor for every rifleman, below
or of military age, who in the preceding year has shot at least 50 ball cartridges.
The Government draws up an annual shooting programme. The riflemen are
divided into 4 classes according to their skill in shooting. The exercises comprise
preparatory exercises, school shooting, judging of distance, and field shooting.
The State lends rifles to the clubs, or supplies rifles and ammunition at cheap
rates.
In 1913 the volunteer rifle corps numbered about 175 000 active members,
out of which 160 000 took part in the exercises. During that year about
16 000 000 ball cartidges and about 400 000 blank cartridges were fired. By
way of prizes were distributed about 100 State medals, 2 600 date badges, and
1 000 shooting badges of gold, 3 000 of silver, and 5 000 of bronze.
Navy.
The Swedes have from time immemorial been a seafaring nation. In
the Viking period the Scandinavian peoples were the greatest sea power
in the world. But this terrible power was soon shattered, and, as far
as Sweden was concerned, she possessed at the end of the Middle Ages
no navy whatever. In more modern times the fortunes of the Swedish
navy have undergone many vicissitudes. In our days a keen interest has
been awakened in the strengthening of the naval defences, an interest
which at the close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the
twentieth was productive of fair results.
Gustavus Vasa is rightly called the founder of the modern Swedish navy.
He presided over the development of the navy personally, and with a powerful
hand. Under Erie XIV who continued his work, the Swedish navy was the
leading navy in the whole of Northern Europe. After his time, however, it
fell into considerable neglect.
The inadequate strength of the navy, and the geographical disadvantage of its
being stationed at Stockholm, proved disastrous to Sweden during the war with
Denmark from 1675 to 1679. The establishment of Karlskrona as a naval arsenal
in 1680, and the rapid development of the navy in the latter years of the reign
of Charles XI were the immediate consequences. At the ingress of the 18th
century »Sweden, accordingly, possessed a fleet of not less than 45 ships of the
line, besides smaller vessels. However, the continually increasing dearth of money
during the latter part of the reign of Charles XII rendered it impossible to
maintain so great a force.
When peace had been reestablished after the death of Charles XII, Government
and Riksdag devoted themselves ardently to the naval defences. Gradually there
arose alongside of the regular warships an enormous fleet of rowing boats,
comprising certain types of vessels peculiar to Sweden (the "Skärgård frigates");
their chief station and base of operations was Sveaborg. During the reign of
Gustavus III, in particular, both fleets were developed to such an extent that
in the war with Russia in 1788 to 1790 Sweden was able to bring up against
the enemy 26 ships of the line, 12 large frigates, and over 350 smaller vessels,
manned with about 44 000 men, and mounted with over 5 000 cannons.
However, the losses during the war were very serious, and since that time the
Swedish navy has never attained the same strength.
Nevertheless, right down to the middle of the 19th century, Sweden
maintained two fleets of pretty respectable size and quality. Then came the great
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