Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1938, Blaðsíða 149

CHRONIQUE TRIMESTRIELLE
141
the Swedish delegation in the Com-
mittee.«
The point of issue was whether
any useful purpose could be served
by upholding a formal obligation
of sanctions when actual facts had
proved the present impossibility of
their universal and compulsory ap-
plication. According to the Swe-
dish view there was no doubt that
it was better and safer to recognize
the situation as it was, thereby pre-
venting a fallacious belief in the
capacity of the League to act as a
coercive body at present.
On May 27th representatives of
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Nor-
way and Sweden signed at the For-
eign Office, Stockholm, a declara-
tion regarding neutrality rules to
replace the rules which were agreed
upon in 1912. A revision of these
rules, of essentially a technical
character, had become necessary on
account of the introduction of new
methods and means of waging war.
The development of air warfare,
and the use of radio for military
purposes, for instance, the authors
of the 1912 rules had not been able
to foresee.
In 1638 two Swedish ships sailed
from Gothenburg, taking with them
a number of Swedes and Finns
(Sweden and Finland were then
united), who with government as-
sistance planned to take part in the
then beginning colonisation of
North American land. They in-
tended to settle on the Delaware
river and were for that purpose
guided by Dutch leaders who from
the Dutch undertakings of that
kind had personal experience. After
many difficulties the ships finally
arrived in the Delaware river and
the settlers landed at the place
which is now the town of 'Wilming-
ton. Eventually the newcomers, who
were joined by more later on,
established a settlement of con-
siderable importance, in spite of the
difficulties of getting supplies and
more settlers from the distant home
land. In the end they were, how-
ever, overpowered by the neigh-
bouring Dutch colonists, and finally
both the Dutch and the Swedes
were absorbed by the English un-
der William Penn. The compara-
tively short colonisation period not-
withstanding, such was the in-
fluence of the Swedes and their in-
stitutions (schools, churches, law
courts) that they left their mark on
after-generations and that their
colonisation work is still held in
high esteem, particularly in the
three States, Pennsylvania, Dela-
ware and New Jersey, which have
divided land once belonging to the
Swedish colony known as New
Sweden.
Together with Sweden and Fin-
land and with other American
States they are this year celebrating