Finns
Finns [1]
"geographically the name of the inhabits of Finland, bit in ethnology that of a considerable branch, of the Ugrian race, dwelling for the most part in Finland, though with: some representatives in Sweden and Norway as wall. The Ugrians have bees classed among the nations said to have a Mongolian origin. Dr. Lathasn places them among the 'Tauranian Altaic Mongolidaw,' and divides them into Ugrians of the East and Ugrians of, the West. The Western Ugrians consist of Lapps, Finns, Permians, and other nations or tribes in the north and north-west of Russia, and of the Magyars in Hungary. The Magyars are the most numerous, and next after these come the Finns comprising about - 2,000,000 of individuals. All the other tribes of Western Ugrians do not together comprise so many. The Finns, in. common with the other Ugrians, are of the Mongolian type. The Finns, from having been originally a nomadic race, have for many centuries. been stationary and civilized. Long before thee arrival of thee German and Slavic. nations in the north of Europe, the Ugrians,. or, Ogres (for the name, so common in fiction, is really of historic origin), possessed it, and were gradually pushed further north and east by the new invaders. Both Finns and Lapps,' there is good reason to believe, originally extended much further south than they do at present occupying, perhaps, the whole of Sweden and Norway. 'The Finns," says Priebard, were in the time of Tacitus as savage as the Lapps; but the former during the succeeding ages, became so far civilized as, to exchange a nomadic life for one of agricultural pursuits, while the Lapps have ever continued to be barbarous nomades, - as well as the Siberian tribes of the same race-namely, the Woguls and Ostiaks. The Finns, as well as their brethren the Beormahs, or Finns of thee White Sea, bad probably undergone this. change long before the time when they were visited by Otther, the guest of Alfred. When the Finns were conquered by the Swedes, they had long: been a settled people, but one of curious, and singular, and isolated character."" (See Finland).
