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1840); 7,077 proverbs (Suomen kansan sanalskuja, 1842); and about 2,200 charades (Suomen kansan orwoituksia, 2d ed., 1851); while Rudbäk has edited a collection of legends and tales (Suomen kansan satuja, Helsingfors, 1854), and Salmelainen has edited Suomen kansan satuja ja tarinoita, a collection of prose tales and proverbs (4 vols., Helsingfors, 1854-'62). There are many poets in Finland of Swedish descent, and Swedish works are often translated into Finnish. The most popular modern Finnish poet is a peasant named Paavo Korhonen. An edition of his songs was published at Helsingfors in 1848, under the auspices of Lönnrot. Next in rank is probably the poet Oksaselta, who published in 1860 Säkeniä, kokous runoutta. The prose literature of Finland was formerly devoted almost exclusively to religious and moral subjects. A Finnish translation of the New Testament by Michael Agricola appeared in 1548, and a portion of the Old Testament in 1552; but the whole Bible was not translated into Finnish until 1642. The literature of Finland has, however, passed through a remarkable development during the last few decades. There are now publications in the national tongue on almost every branch of scientific research. Works on linguistics have been published by Geitlin, Stjerncreutz and Rothman, Ahlman, and others; a translation of Tacitus's Germania by Blomstedt (1865), of the Poema del Cid by Estlander (1863), and of the Hindoo epos Ramayana, part Sitaharanam, by Donner (1865). Prominent historical works are: Yrjö Koskinen's Nuija-sota, &c. (1857 et seq.), Blomstedt's Kapina Kauhajoella (1862), and Pütz's Yleisen historian oppikirja (1865 et seq.). Krohn's Suomenkielinen runollisuus ruotsinvallan aikana (1862) is a valuable contribution toward a history of Finnish literature. Periodical literature is well represented by Maiden ya meren takaa (since 1864) and the Kirjallinen kuukaus lehti (since 1866).
FINLAND, Gulf of, the eastern arm of the Baltic sea, extending from the S. W. extremity of Finland and Dagö island eastwardly to the bay of Cronstadt and St. Petersburg, between lon. 22° and 30° 18′ E., and intersected by the 60th parallel of north latitude. It is 250 m. long, with a mean breadth of 60 or 70 m. Its coasts are entirely Russian possessions; namely, Finland on the north, and the governments of Esthonia and St. Petersburg on the south. Its E. extremity is the bay of Cronstadt, which is almost encircled by the shores of the last named government. The waters of the great lakes Onega and Ladoga, N. E. of St. Petersburg, flow into the gulf of Finland, the first by the river Svir into Lake Ladoga, and the latter by the Neva into the bay of Cronstadt. The bed of the gulf is of calcareous rock, in some parts compact and naked, in others covered and filled with shells. Occasional points of granite are intermingled with this general character. The depth of water is nowhere great, and is least along the southern coast, of which the submerged descent is gradual. The northern shore is much hemmed in with islands and granite rocks. In its eastern parts, particularly between Cronstadt and St. Petersburg, are numerous sand banks and shallows. In addition to these the huge masses of ice which in spring and autumn block up the mouths of the rivers present a serious impediment to navigation. The water is very slightly salt, and is readily drunk by cattle. The harbors of the gulf of Finland are closed by ice every year from early in December to the middle or end of April. It has several times happened that the waters of the gulf, driven by westerly gales, have submerged whole streets in St. Petersburg, even up to the first floor of houses; an event against which no provision for the future has appeared possible.
FINLAY, George, a British historian, born at Glasgow, Scotland, about 1800. He enlisted at an early age in the cause of Greek independence, and has since resided in Athens, acting for many years as the special correspondent of the London “Times.” He is noted for his thorough knowledge of Greek topography, art, and antiquity, and is the author of a series of works on Greek history, comprising “History of Greece under the Romans” (1843; 2d ed., 1857); “History of Mediaeval Greece and Trebizond” (1851); “History of the Byzantine and Greek Empires from 716 to 1057” (2 vols., 1853-'4); “History of Greece under Othman and Venetian Dominion” (1854); and “History of the Greek Revolution” (2 vols., 1861).
FINLAY, John, a Scottish poet and biographer, born in Glasgow in 1782, died at Moffat, Dec. 8, 1810. His principal poem, “Wallace, or the Vale of Ellerslie,” was published when he was only 18 years old. The more important of his other works are: “Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads, chiefly Ancient, with Explanatory Notes,” &c. (2 vols., Edinburgh, 1808), and a “Life of Cervantes.” He also edited Blair's “Grave” and Smith's “Wealth of Nations.”
FINLAYSON, George, a British surgeon and traveller, born in Thurso about 1790, died on the passage from Bengal to Scotland in August, 1823. He was a surgeon in the British army, was present at the battle of Waterloo, and served in Ceylon and India. In 1821 he accompanied Crawfurd in his mission to the sovereigns of Siam and Hué (Cochin China), and wrote an interesting journal of it, which was edited and published after his death by Sir T. S. Raffles (London, 1825).
FINLEY, James Bradley, an American clergyman, born in North Carolina, July 1, 1781, died in Cincinnati, O., Sept. 6, 1856. He joined the Ohio conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1809. From 1816 to 1821 he was presiding elder of the Steubenville, Ohio, and Lebanon districts. In 1821 he was sent as missionary to the Wyandot Indians, where he remained six years. Retaining the superintendency of this mission for two years, he subse-
