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Till: 


TRAVELS 


IN 


VARIOUS   COUNTRIES 


OF 


EUROPE    ASIA    AND    AFRICA 


BY 


EDWARD    DANIEL    CLARKE,    LL.D. 


PART    THE    THIRD 


SCANDINAVIA 


SECTION    THE    SECOND 


PRINTED   FOR  T.  CADELL    STRAND    LONDON 

BY  R.  WATTS    CROWN  COURT    TEMPLE  BAR. 
MDCCC  XXIII. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


HELATING    TO 


THE     CONCLUDING     VOLUME 

or 

DR.  CLARKE'S  TRAVELS. 


It  has  not  been  permitted  by  Providence,  that  Dr.  Clarke 
should  close  with  his  own  hand  the  series  of  Volumes  con- 
taining the  Narrative  of  his  Travels.  This  estimable  and 
gifted  man  expired,  after  an  indisposition  of  some  conti- 
nuance, but  from  which  no  fatal  termination  was  at  first 
apprehended,  on  the  ninth  of  March  1822. 

The  sorrow  occasioned  by  this  melancholy  event,  to  those 
numerous  friends  to  whom  the  kindness  of  his  nature  and 
the  many  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart  had  long  endeared 
him,  has  been  equalled  by  the  regret  universally  expressed 
for  the  loss  of  one  who  had  established  so  many  and  strong- 
claims  on  public  esteem  and  admiration.  Rut  the  confined 
space,  which  could  be  here  allowed,  would  not  admit  of  a 
complete  delineation  of  the  several  features  of  his  distinguished 
character:    that  task  must  be  left  to  other  hands;  and,  it  is 

vol.  vi.  a  2  hoped, 


11 


ADVERTISEMEN' 


hoped,  will  be  shortly  accomplished,  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
the  subject,  and  satisfactory  to  the  Public* 


The  appearance  of  this  concluding  Volume  was  unavoid- 
ably delayed  during  the  life-time  of  Dr.  Clarke,  by  the 
necessity,  under  which  he  was  placed,  of  attending  to  the 
duties  of  his  public  situation  in  the  University  of  Cambridge ; 
and,  latterly,  by  the  increasing  severity  of  his  bodily  in- 
disposition. After  his  decease,  those  of  his  friends,  to 
whom  his  Journals  and  Papers  were  entrusted,  examined 
them,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  materials 
they  contained  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to  allow  them  to 
proceed  in  the  continuation  of  the  Work.  On  finding  them 
sufficiently  copious,  they  thought  themselves  justified  in  com- 
pleting the  Volume.  Twelve  Chapters  had  been  prepared  for 
the  press  by  the  Author  himself,  and  printed  under  his  direc- 
tion: the  rest  have  been  composed  from  the  observations  con- 
tained in  his  Manuscript  Journals,  which  have  been  strictly 
adhered  to,  with  a  few  exceptions  :  and  in  the  parts  where 
they  were  deficient,  some  assistance  has  been  derived  from 
the  remarks  found  also  among  his  papers,  which  had  been 
communicated  to  him  by  friends  who  had  visited  the  North 
of  Europe. 

It  appears,  from  the  documents  found  among  his  Manu- 
script Papers,  that  he  intended,  in  the  Preface  to  this 
concluding  Volume,  to   refer   to  the   numerous    testimonies 

of 

*  See  the  annexed  Proposals  for  publishing  the  Life  and  Remains  of  the  Author. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

of  Travellers  who  had  confirmed  the  account  of  Russiati 
manners  and  character  which  he  gave  in  his  First  Volume. 
It  appears,   too,   that  he  had   received  a  variety  of  private 
Letters    from    persons     who    had    visited    Russia,    amply 
confirming  the  general  truth   of  his  statements.      As    the 
Author  did  not  live  to  produce  these  testimonies  himself,  in 
the    manner  he    had   proposed,  it  has   been   thought   most 
consistent  with  propriety  to  abstain  here  from  all  discussion  of 
the  subject.    Already,  the  Public  have  full  means  before  them 
of  judging  of  the  correctness  of  his  representations:  and  no 
person  who  has  the  most  remote  knowledge  of  his  character, 
will  ever  suppose   that  he  was,   on  any  occasion,  or  in  the 
smallest  circumstance,  guilty  of  wilful  misrepresentation,  or 
that  he  wrote  from  any  other  feeling  than  a  sincere  convic- 
tion of  the  truth  of  what  he  affirmed.  I 


ill 


In  consequence  of  the  general  approbation  bestowed  on 
the  First  Volume,  Dr.  Clarke  was  encouraged  to  give  his 
utmost  attention  to  the  succeeding  Parts;  in  the  hope  of 
making  them  worthy  of  the  favour  with  which  his  Work 
had  been  received.  He  was  aware,  that,  in  conformity  with 
his  original  plan,  it  would  be  extended  to  some  length:  and 
therefore,  in  preparing  the  different  Volumes  for  the  Public, 
he  remitted  nothing  of  that  care  and  research  which  he  had 
employed  in  the  composition  of  the  First.  By  the  new 
and  interesting  information  which  he  had  collected,  he  was 
enabled  to  throw  great  light  on  the  Natural  History,  the 
state  of  Society,  the  habits  and  condition  of  the  People  of 
Countries  which  had  not  been  recently  visited :    and  in  his 

remarks 


IV 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

remarks   relating  to  other  parts  more  frequently  examined, 
he  spared  no  labour  to  illustrate  the  narratives  of  those  who 
had   preceded    him ;    to    supply   their    deficiencies ;    and   to 
suggest  subjects  of  useful  inquiry  to  the  Travellers  who  may 
follow  his  steps.      In  the  present  Volume,  there  is  the  same 
endeavour    to   interest    the    Reader  in   the    subject  before 
him — the  same  power  of  description — the  same  life  in  the 
delineations  of  character  and   manners,   which  particularly 
distinguish  the  former  Parts.     In  delivering  it  to  the  Public, 
the  friends  of  Dr.  Clarke  beg  leave  to  bespeak  an  indulgent 
consideration  of  those   Chapters  which  were  not  prepared 
for  publication  by  the  Author's  own  hand.     Respecting  the 
rest,  they  feel  no  apprehension :  they  anticipate,  with  confi- 
dence, that  it  will  be  found  to  make  an  important  addition 
to  a  Work  which  reflects  the  highest  credit   on  its  author ; 
whether  it  be  considered  with  reference  to  the  quantity  and 
value   of    the    materials    collected,-7-the    industry  and    care 
displayed  in  the  arrangement  of  them,~or  the  spirit   and 
animation  which  pervade  the  whole. 


FOR  PUBLISHING,  BY  SUBSCRIPTION, 

THE   LIFE  AND  REMAINS 

OF  THE 

REV.  EDWARD  DANIEL  CLARKE,   LL.D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  MINERALOGY  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAMBRIDGE. 
In  One  Volume  Quarto,  Price  d33.  3  s. 


The  MS.  Remains  of  this  eminent  and  lamented  Individual  consist  of 
Journals,  (wholly  unconnected  with  those  already  published,)  written  during 
liis  Travels  to  different  Countries ;  also  of  numerous  Letters  to  his  private 
Friends,  and  to  Travellers  and  Learned  Men ;  of  Discourses  prepared  for 
public  and  other  occasions,  and  detached  Papers  on  different  subjects. 

A  Selection  of  such  of  these  Remains  as  may  appear  fit  to  meet  the 
public  eye,  will  be  made  by  some  of  the  intimate  Friends  of  the  Deceased. 
They  will  be  incorporated  with  the  Life,  or  printed  in  an  Appendix  to  it,  as 
may  seem  most  expedient. 

The  Profits  of  the  Work  will  be  exclusively  applied  to   the  purpose  of 
educating  and  providing  for  his  Family. 

— »©«— 

The  following  Friends  of  the  Deceased  have  undertaken  to  form  a  Committee  for  the  purpose 

of  procuring  Subscriptions. 


Hon.  Berkeley  Paget,  15,  Portman  Street- 
Arery  Rev.  the  Deax  of  Peterborough. 
Rev.  Archdeacon  Blomfield,   Bishopsgate 

Rectory. 
Rev.  G.  A.  Browne,   Trinity  College,  Cam- 

bridge. 


J.  M.  Cripps,  Esq.  Brighton. 
Rev.  Dr.  D'Oyly,  Lambeth  Rectory. 
Rev.  Professor  Maltiius,  East-India   Col- 
lege, Hertford. 
Rev.  W. Otter,  Rector  of  Chetwynd,  Salop. 
Rev.  Robert  Wai.pole,  Scole,  Norfolk. 


Subscriptions  received  by  T.  Cadell,  Strand ;    and  Messrs.  Payne  6c  Foss, 

Pall  Mall. 


EXPLANATORY    LIST 

OF 


COPPER-PLATES,    MAPS,    CHARTS,     &c. 


ALSO  SERVING  AS  DIRECTIONS  FOR  THE  BINDER. 


No.  1.   View  of  the  Great  Copper-Mine,  at  Fahlun  in  Dalecarlia;    from  a 
Drawing  by  Martin  of  Stockholm. 

To  face  the  Title,  as  the  Frontispiece  of  the  Folume. 

2.  Christiania  ;    taken  with  a  Camera  Olscura,   by  an  Officer  of  the 

Danish  Army     --------       To  face  page  2 

3.  Map  of  the  Southern   Confines  of  Norway  and  Sweden  ;  shewing 

the  Environs  of  Christiania  ;  and  the  whole  of  the  Author's  Route,  from 
the  Silver  Mines  of  Kongsberg,  in  Norway,  to  the  Iron  Mines  near 
Philipstad  in  Sweden         ---------     47 

4.  Map  of  the  Author's  Route,  from  Magnor  on  the  Norwegian  Frontier, 

to  Carlstad;  and  thence  through  Philipstad,  to  Fahlun,  Sala,  Upsala, 
and  Stockholm ;    also  from   Stockholm  to    Grissehamn         -         -         -     91 

5.  View  of  the  Interior  of  an  Iron  Mine,  in  Sweden ;  with  the  Mode  of  Raising 

the  Ore  5  from  a  Drawing  by  Martin  of  Stockholm  -  103 

6.  Student  of  Upsala,  returning  from  Public  Lectures        -  200 

7.  Portrait  of  Charles  XII.  from  a  Cast  taken  four  hours  after  he  was  shot,     276 

o 

8.  General  Chart  of  the  whole   Group  of  the  Aland  Isles,  in  the 

Mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  BothniS, ;  shewing  the  nature  of  the  Passage  from 
Sweden  to  Finland;  also  the  Circuitous  Route  performed  by  the  Author 
upon  the  Ice  of  the  Frozen  Sea,  after  returning  from  the  Isle  of 
Kumlinge  to  the  Bomarsund    -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -310 

9.  Seal-Hunter  on  the  Frozen  Sea       - 345 

10.  Mode  of  forcing  a  Passage  through  the  Ice,  when  the  Sea  is  not  sufficiently 
frozen  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the  human  body;  as  practised  by  the 

o 

Author  among  the  Aland  Isles: — the  Thermometer  of  Fahrenheit  being 

at  that  time  4Q°  below  freezing       -         -        -         -         -         -        -350 

VOL.  VI.  b 


■P 


■MBB 


LIST  OF  PLATES,  MAPS,  CHARTS,  &c. 

No.  11.  Seal-Hunters,  warning  the  Author  and  his  Companions,  when  follow- 
ing the  Ostero- Bothnia  Mail,  drawn  upon  a  Sledge  upon  the.  Frozen 
Sea,  to  halt  and  retire,  in  consequence  of  the  dangerous  state  of  the 
Ice   - To  face  p.  362 

o 

12.  Russian  with  his  Sledge,  in  the  Streets  of  Ah       -         -         -         -         -  435 

13.  View  of  the  Ice-Hills  at  Petersburg,  during  the  Carnival    -  48/ 

14.  Ceremony  of  the  Benediction  of  the  Waters  of  the  Neva      -  503 

15.  View  of  the  Palace  and  Apartments  at  Robscha,  in  which  Peter  III. 

was  murdered       -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -531 


10'.  Plan  of  the  great  Copper-Mine  at  Fahlun,  in  Dalecarlia 


54d 


EXPLANATORY    LIST 

OF  THE 

VIGNETTES     AND      CUTS 


SHEWING  THEIR  SITUATION  IN  THE  VOLUME- 


Page 

1 


No.   1.   /\ged  Peasants  of  Norway        ------- 

2.  Specimen  of  Native  Silver  taken  from  the   Kongsberg  Mines ,•  the  Silver 

being  disseminated  in  Laminae  through  Masses  of  Limestone  Spar,  with 
dark  Veins  of  Schistus.  The  silver  is  here  seen  in  native  masses,  pro- 
truding beyond  the  surface  of  the  stone,  as  if  it  had  been  fused  and 
drawn  out  into  threads  and  capillary  fibres  -         -         -         -         -     '66 

3.  Geological  Nature  of  the  Mountains  of  Kongsberg,  shewing  the  situation 

in  which  the  Silver  is  found       --------55 

4.  Entrance  to  the  Persberg  Iron  Mine       -       '  -         -         -         -         -         -81 

5.  General  Manner  of  Enclosing  Cultivated  Land,   over  all  Sweden,  Lapland, 

Finla?td,  and  Norway,  by  sloping  splinters  of  deal,  fastened  by  withys 
against  upright  poles         ---------     97 

0\  Curious  Mechanical  Contrivance  for  Working  the  Mine  Pumps ;  consisting 
of  a  most  extensive  combination  of  levers,  working  parallel  to  each  other 
by  means  of  water,  being  separated  by  transverse  bars  resting  upon 
upright  posts  with  pivots  -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -110 

f.  Plan  of  the  Fahlun  Copper- Mine  -         - 128 

8.  Heaps  or  Mounds  in  a  Forest  near  Broddebo ;  said  to  be  the  Graves  of 
Robbers ;  upon  which  the  Natives,  as  they  pass,  deem  it  a  duty  to  cast 
either  a  stone,  a  bough,  or  a  little  earth      -         -         -         -         -         •  166 

g.  Tumuli  or  Mounds  at  Gamla  Upsala  ,•    said  to  be  the  Sepulchres  of  Odin, 

Frigga,  and  Thor ; — from  a  Drawing  by  Dr.  Fiott  Lee     -  172 

10.  Fac-Simile    of  the  Codex  Argenteus,   the  celebrated  MS.  of  the  Four  Go- 

spels in  the  Moeso-Gothic  Language  and  Character ;  now  preserved  in 
the  University  Library  at  Upsala       -         -         -         -         -         -         -183 

11.  Sketch  of  the  Clipped  Fir-Trees  which  form  an  Avenue  to  the  Green- 

house in  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Upsala       ------  igs 


WzM*&* 


LIST  OF  THE  VIGNETTES. 

Page 
No.12.  Curious  Wheel-Lock  Musket        -  ----211 

13.  Specimen   of  Igneous   Basalt,   from  the  bottom  of  a  Copper  Furnace  in 

Siberia -         -  -  258 

14.  Perilous  Situation  of  the  Author  and  his  Companions,  in  the  Passage-Boat 

o 

from  Grissehamn  to  Aland       -  -  2Q6 

15.  Ruins  of  Castleholm,  in  which  Eric  XIV.  was  confined    -  -         -  316 

16.  Manner  and  Difficulty  of  Conveying  the  Carriage,  &c.  on  the  Ice,  over  the 

Inlets  of  the  Sea    " 324 

17.  Mode  of  Crossing  the  Frozen  Sea  in  a  small  Sledge  drawn  by  one  Hcrse  -  339 

18.  Extraordinary  and  interesting  Congregation,  returning  from  Divine  Service, 

in  Sledges  drawn  by  Horses     -         -         - 36/ 

19.  Representation  of  a  Sledge,  the  common  Vehicle  for  Travelling  in  Northern 

Countries  of  Europe,  over  the  ice  or  snow :  it  is  usually  lined  with  furs, 
and  drawn  by  one  horse 33s 

o 

20.  Finlander  of  Savolax  in  the  streets  of  Abo,  with  his  Sledge       ...  434 

21.  Tomb  of  Count  Ernsverd,  the  Engineer  who  planned  the  Works  of  the 

Fortress  of  Sweaborg       -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -458 

22.  Representation  of  the  Stone  Theatre  at  St.  Petersburg,  as  it  appeared  in 

1801  ;  with  some  of  the  Public  Stoves 481 

23.  Plan  of  St.  Petersburg 507 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF    CONTENTS. 


PART  III.     SECT.  II. 


ADVERTISEMENT  relative  to  the  Concluding  Volume  of  Dr.  Clarke's 

Travels. 


CfeAP.   I. 


p.  i. 

CHRISTIANIA. 

Situation  of  Bergen  with  respect  to  the  reft  of  Norway — Bernard  and  Peter  Anker — 
Visit  to  the  Governor — A  Rout  —  Barbarisms  —  Army  Regulations  —  Laws 
respecting  Marriage  —  Climate  —  Nobility —  Character  of  Prince  Frederic  —  State 
of  the  Army  —  Danish  Policy  with  regard  to  Norway  —  Domestic  Economy 
at  Christiania — Hospitable  Entertainment  —  Anecdotes  of  Me  Emperor  Paul  of 
Russia  —  Antient  Teutonic  Customs — Lamentable  Conduct  of  Great  Britain 
towards  Norway  —  Ceremonies  of  retiring  from  Table  —  Magnificent  Villa  of 
Peter  Anker — His  Collection  of  Pictures — Vast  Establishment — Prejudices  of  the 
Norwegians  respecting  Food —  Courts  of  Judicature —  Commerce  of  Christiania  — 
Population — Manners  of  the  Christianians — Comparison  between  the  Inhabitants  of 
Tronyem  and  Christiania — EfJ'ect  of  Foreign  Intercourse — Institutions  for  the  Poor 
—  Character  and  Exemplary  Examples  of  the  two  Ankers. 

CHAP.  II. 

P.  sc. 
CHRISTIANIA:   INCLUDING  A  VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF   KONGSRERG. 

Want  of  Booksellers'  Shops  —  General  aspect  and  condition  of  the  Streets —  Cathedral 
— State  of  Literature — Public  Library — Dr.  MiillerV  Collection  of  Minerals- 
Journey  to  Kongsberg — Marble  Quarries  of  Gilljebeck — View  from  Paradise  Hill 
— Drammen — Hogsund  —  River  Louven  —  Kongsberg — Original  Discovery  of  the 
Silver  Ore — State  of  the  Works —  First  Settlers —  Remarkable  Specimens  of  the 
Native  Metal — Wages  of  the  Miners — Present  Establishment — Cause  of  the  loss 
sustained  by  Government — The  different  Excavations — Approach  to  the  Works — 
Geological,  nature  of  the  Mountains — Manner  in  which  the  Kongsberg  Silver  is 
deposited — Descent  into  the  Mine — Native  Mineral  Carbon — Crystallized  Native 
Silver — Erroneous  notions  entertained  with  regard  to  the  Crystallization  of  Minerals 

VOL.    VI.  C  —Metal- 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

, — Metallurgical  operations/or  the  treatment  of  the  Kongsberg  Ores — Public  Seminary 
for  Mineralogy  —  Professor  Esmark  —  Collection  of  Minerals  belonging  to  the 
Kongsherg  Academy — Customs  shewing  the  common  origin  of  the  Teutons  and  Greeks 
— Superiority  of  the  Norwegian  Women — Medical  Properties  of  the  Linnaea  Borealis 
— Condition  of  the  Peasants — Alum  Works — Synthesis  which  takes  place  in  the 
production  of  Alum  — Return  to  Christiania — Public  Balls — Rage  for  English 
Fashions — Further  account  of  Bernard  Anker — Timber  Trade — State  of  Religion  in 
Norway — Fortress  of  Christiania. 

CHAP.  III. 

P.  81. 
FROM  CHRISTIANIA  IN  NORWAY,  TO  FAHLUN  IN  SWEDEN. 

The  Author  again  sets  out  for  Sweden — Execrable  state  of  the  Roads  before  the  snow 
falls — Holen — Change  in  the  Roads  in  approaching  Sweden — Spires  of  Norwegian 
Churches — Kiolstad — Haeberg  — Cataract  of  Fon  Fossen — Ous — Sindby — Appear- 
ance made  by  a  Fair  at  Kongswinger — Money  of  the  Country  —  Edsbroen — Magnor 
— Boundary  between  Norway  and  Sweden  —  Singular  instance  of  honesty  in  a 
Peasant — Morast — Haga — Strand — Homeric  Torches — Extraordinary  Costume  of 
the  Natives  of  Wermeland — Aspect  of  the  Country — Consequences  of  a  recent 
Dearth  —  Hogsalla  —  Leerhol  —  Skamnas  —  Improved  appearance  of  the  land  — 

Carlstad- — Exports  and  Imports — Population  —  River  Clara  —  Brastegard 

Molkem — Change  in  the  dress  of  the  Peasants — Manner  of  keeping  the  Roads  in 
repair — Brattefors — Boulders — Trees — Animals — Philipstad — Uniform  appearance 
of  the  Swedish  Towns  —  Dress  of  the  Natives  —  Enclosures  —  Juniper-trees  — 
Onshytta — Two  species  of  Tetrao  or  Black-Cock — Persberg — Descent  into  the  Iron- 
Mines  —  Catastrophe  which  befel  a  Female  Miner  —  Bottom  of  the  Persberg  Mine 
— Striking  scene  in  the  Great  Cavern — Imbedded  state  of  the  Ore— LlngbanshyUa 
— Machinery  for  the  Mine  Pumps — Saxan — Westmania — Halleforss — Nytorp 
— Nyakopparberg — Minerals — Laxbro — Beauty  of  the  Lakes — diminution  of  their 
waters — Hcgforss — Hellsion — Ostanbo — Smedbacka — Blood  Cakes — Entrance  of 
Dalecarlia —  Varieties  and  Luxuriance  of  the  Fungi  and  Musci — Bommarsbo 
— Home  Manufacture  of  Candles — Russ-Garden — Naglarby — General  Features  of 
Dalecarlia — Character  of  the  Natives — Dialect — Antient  Dance — Original  use 
of  the  Runic  Staves — Retreat  of  Gustavus  Vasa — Approach  to  Fablun — External 
Aspect  of  its  famous  Copper- Mine. 


CHAP.  IV. 

P.   128. 
FAHLUN    TO    SALA. 

Antiquity   of  the  Fahlun  Mine — Assessor  Gahn  —  Copper-ore — Descent  into  the  mine — 
Conflagration  —  Method   of  excavating  the  ore  —  Manner  in    which  it    is    found 

deposited 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

deposited — Accident  winch  caused  the  present  Crater — Tradition  of  the  miners—- 
Appearance  of  the  descent — Names  of  the  different  openings — Increase  of  tem- 
perature in  the  lower  chambers — View  of  the  bed  of  fire — Council-chamber — 
Subterraneous  stables — Stalactites  of  green  vitriol — Pumps — Mode  of  dividing  the 
ore  —  Value  of  the  Shares  —  Bergsmen  —  Valuation  of  the  Lots  —  Produce  of  the 
TVorks  —  Present  state  of  the  Fahlun  Aline  —  Works  above  ground — Vitriol 
manufactory — Remarkable  form  of  precipitated  copper — Process  for  concentrating 
the  lye — Subsequent  crystallization  of  the  salt — Town  of  Fahlun — Wood  impreg- 
nated with  copper — Punishment  of"  Riding  the  great  horse" — Public  buildings — 
Geological  features  of  Dalecarlia — Sater — Mines  in  its  neighbourhood — Hedmora 

—  Curious  floating- bridge  —  Nuptial  festivities  —  Annual  return  of  Dalecarlian 
Peasants — Avestad — Character  of  the  Swedish  Peasants — Broddebo — Custom  in 
passing  a  Robbers  grave — Sala — Mine  of  Sal  berg — Nature  of  the  ore — Descent 
into  the  Salberg — Minerals — Town  o/"Sala. 

CHAP.  V. 

P.  172. 
FROM  SALA  TO  UPSALA. 

Journey  from  Sala  to  Upsala — Appearance  o/Upsala — Present  condition  of  the  Univer- 
sity— Afzelius — Thunberg — Botanic  Garden — Chemical  Schools — Mineralogicat 
Collection —  University  Library  —  Typographical  rarities —  Manuscripts — Codex 
Argenteus — Cabinet  of  Queen  Christina — Mysterious  gift  of  Gustavus  the  Third 
Executive  branch  of  the  University — Degrees — Theses — Cathedral — Burial-place  of 
Linnaeus — monument  erected  by  the  inhabitants — Image  of  Thor — Bloody  coat  of 
Eric  —  Shift  of  Margaret  —  New  Botanic  Garden — Lecture  Room — Conflicting 
opinions  respecting  Gustavus  the  Third  —  Habits  and  manners  of  the  Students  — 
Public  Cellars — Conduct  of  the  Students  towards  the  Professors — total  want  of 
discipline — neglected  state  of  science  —  want  of  emulation  —  habits  of  intoxication 
— Character  of  the  Swedes — Uniform  aspect  of  the  country  andits  inhabitants. 

CHAP.  VI. 

P.  211. 
UPSALA  TO  STOCKHOLM. 

Specimens  from  the  Herbarium  of  Linnaeus — Curious  Wheel-lock  Musket — Gamla  Upsala 

—  Skocloster —  State  of  Stockholm  upon  the  Author's  Return  —  Character  of  the 
young  King — Table-talk — Royal  Fete  at  the  Opera  House — Evenings  Adventure — 
Reflections  on  the  Death  of  the  former  Monarch— Opening  of  the  Sepulchre  of 
Charles  the  Twelfth — Interruption  of  the  amity  between  England  and  Sweden  — 
Club  called  The  Society — Resemblance  to  Italian  Customs — Booksellers — Public 
Dinners  —  Interior  of  the  Houses  —  Coffee  prohibited —  Anecdotes  of  the  King  — 

Probable 


■ 


WfH^ 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

Probable  Contents  of  the  Chests  at  Upsala  —  State  of  Literature  —  Deplorable 
condition  of  the  Country  —  Places  of  Public  Amusement  —  Academies —  Riots  at 
Upsala  —  Royal  Palace — Chapel  —  State  Apartments —  Picture  Gallery  —  Private 
Cabinets  of  Gustavus  the  Third. 

CHAP.  VII. 

P.  257. 
STOCKHOLM. 

Public  Women — Mildness  of  the  Season — Vauxhall — Watchmen — Balls  of  the  Society — 
Manners  of  the  Inhabitants — Public  Executions — Artists — Royal  Palaces —  Views 
of  Stockholm  —  Description  of  Drottningholm  —  Lake  Moelar  —  Sudden  Change 
induced  by  the  coming  of  Winter — Frozen  Game — Population — Stale  of  Trade — 
Boot  and  Shoe  Market —  Cabinet  of  Models — College  of  Mines — Igneous  Basalt 
— Apparel  ivorn  by  Charles  the  Twelfth  when  he  was  .assassinated — Cast  of  that 
King's  face  after  death —  Royal  Library  — Codex  Aureus  —  Codex  Giganteus  — 
Curious  Manuscript  Code  of  Medicine  —  Typographical  Rarities  —  Collection  of 
Original  Designs  —  Royal  Museum  —  Observations  on  the  Literature  of  Sweden  — 
Literary  Productions — Establishments — Gymnasia — Committee  for  Public  Education 
—  Chirurgical  and  Medical  Colleges  —  Remarks  on  the  Swedish  Poetry  —  List 
of  Poetical  Works  —  Operas  —  Dramas —  Comedies —  Works  in  the  higher  order  of 
Literature. 


CHAP.  VIII. 

P.  295. 
STOCKHOLM  TO  ALAND. 

Characteristical  Swedish  Exclamation — Departure  from  Stockholm — Commencement  of 
the  Winter  season — Grissehamn — Telegraph — Passage-boat — Geographical  No?nen- 
clature — Dangerous  situation   of  the  Author  and  his  Companions — Providential 

o 

escape — Aspect  of  affairs  in  landing  upon  Aland — Frebbenby — State  Messenger  of 
the  Court  of  Russia  —  Ruins  o/"Castelholm  —  History  of  that  Fortress  —  Skarpans 
— Change  in  the  Manners  of  the  People — Bomarsund — -Vargatta  Sound — Sledge- 
Travelling  —  Isle  ofVavdo —  The  Party  embark  across  the  Delenybr  Kumlinge — 
The  Author  induced  to  return  to  Skarpans — Festivities  of  Christmas  Eve — Attempt 
to  convey   the  carriage  upon  the  ice — Sudden  storm — Village  of  Vardo — Interior  of 

o 

an  Aland  Dwelling— Breakfast  of  the  Natives — Extra  Post  —  A  turbulent  sea 
frozen   in    one   night — Cause  of  the  rapid   change  —  The   Author    recrosses    the 

Bomarsund  —  Southern  Passage  to  Kumlinge  —  State  of  the  Delen —  Geological 
features  of  Aland — Manners  of  the  Alanders  in    Winter — Number  of  inhabitants — 

Means  of   subsistence — Clergy— Land-measurers — their   destructive  influence   and 

depredations. 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  IX. 

P.  539. 
CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA,  TO  KUMLINGE. 

The  Author  determines  to  undertake,  the  Southern  Circuitous  Route— ^Introduces  his 
Personal  Narrative  of  that  Expedition  —  Grundsunda  —  Bergo  —  Simplicity  of  the 
Natives  —  Increase  of  Wolves —  Seal-hunters  —  Safety-pikes — The  Author  deserted 
by  his  Guides — arrives  at  Mushaga — Ravages  of  the  Small-pox — Mode  of  forcing 
a  passage  through  the  Ice  —  Remarkable  effect  of  Snow  falling  in  Sea-?vater  — 
Natural  Cave  of  Ice — Sattunga — Description  of  the  Inhabitants — Swedes  of  Aland 
— Finlanders  —  Remains  of  antient  and  pure  Swedish  —  its  resemblance  to  English 

—  Seal-skin  Sandals —  Winter  occupations  of  the  Alanders —  Preparations  for  a 
journey  on  the  ice  to  Kumlinge  —  Description  of  the  Procession  on  leaving  Sattunga 
— Encounter  with  the  Seal-hunters — Change  of  route— Scene  exhibited  at  mid-day  — 
Arrival  at  Kumlinge — The  Author  terminates  his  Personal  Narrative. 

CHAP.  X. 

P.  367. 
KUMLINGE  TO  ABO. 

The  Parly  leave  Kumlinge  —  Brief  account  of  that  island —  Bjorko —  Brando  —  El  Ira- 
ordinary  Congregation  for  Divine  Service  —  Vattuskiftel  —  Bursting  of  the  Ice  — 
Varssala — Revolting  manners  of  the  Natives —  Valedictory  remarks  upon  the  Swedes 
Fahrenheit's  Thermometer  fifty-two  degrees  and  a  half  below  freezing — Turvesi 
Passage — Accidents  from  the  frost — Helsing — Himois — Vinkela — Action  of  at- 
mospheric air  upon   vapour — State  of  travelling  in    Finland — Laitis — Tursanpare 

e  a 

Niemenkyla — Nussis-Nummis — Arrival  at  Abo — Narrow  escape  from  suffocation. 

CHAP.  XI. 

P.  388. 
A  CO. 

o 

State  of  Abo — its  situation  with  regard  to  other  Seminaries  of  Learning — its  Commerce 

—  Visit  to  the  different  Professors — Frantzen — his  genius  for  poetry — Specimen 
of  one  of  his  Odes — Porthan — Account  of  the  University — Difficulties  encountered 
by  the  Professors — Disasters  to  which  Abo  has  been  liable — Cathedral — Ludicrous 
mistake' — Effect  of  an  Organ  upon  some.  Natives  of  Savolax — Interesting  Cippus 
in  the  Chorus  Tottianus — Statues  and  Pictures — Inscription  in  memory  q/Xatherine, 
Widow  of  Eric  XIV. — Historical  Documents  concerning  this  remarkable  woman 
— Swedish  Legend  upon  her  Daughter's  coffin — Manuscripts  preserved  in  a  brazen 
coffer — Histories  of  Eric's  Reign — Portraits  of  Luther  and  Melancthon — Image 
of  Henry  the  Martyr — Chapel  of  Olaus,  Bishop  of  Abo — Monument  of  a  Scotch 
Officer — University  Library — Manuscripts  —  Typographical  Rarities  —  Theatrum 
Anatomicum — Auditory  of  Disputations  —  Professor  Gadolin  —  Collection  of 
Minerals — Professor  Hellenius — Botanic   Garden — Hellenius's  private   Collections 

O 

— Comparative  Estimate  of  the  two  Universities,  Upsala  and  Abo — State  of  Society. 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XII. 

P.  434. 
ABO. 

Concourse  of  the  Natives  from  the  neighbouring  Districts — Manners  of  the  Finns — their 
motives  in  visiting  Abo  —  their  dress — marvellous  expedition  which  they  undertake 
—  anecdote  of  one  of  them  —  Streets  of  Abo —  Booksellers  —  Price  of  articles  — 

o 

Language  and  People  of  Finland — Finnish  Poetry — Merchants  of  Abo — Maritime 
Commerce  of  Sweden  and  Norway  — Singular  customs  —  Courts  of  Judicature  — 
Distant  Excursions  of  the  trading  Finlanders — Foundation  of  the  University — 
Number  of  its  Students  and  Professors — Importance  of  a  travelling-carriage — 
State  of  the  accommodations  for  Travellers — Cursory  reflections  previously  to  the 
departure  for  Russia. 

CHAP.  XIII. 

P.  458. 
FROM  ABO  IN  FINLAND,  TO  PETERSBURG  IN  RUSSIA. 

o 

Journey  from  Abo  to  Helsingfors — Description  of  Helsingfors — Fortress  of  Sweaborg 
— Tomb  of  Count  Ernsverd — Strength,  size,  and  importance  of  Sweaborg — Route 
from  Helsingfors  to  Borgo  and  Louisa — approach  to  the  Russian  frontier  — 
Boundaries  of  the  Swedish  and  Russian  Dominions — Contrast  between  the  Natives 
of  the  two  countries — Mode  of  recruiting  the  Russian  Army — Iniquitous  conduct  of 
a  Russian  Inspector  of  the  Customs  —  Difficulties  that  impede  the  Traveller  — 
Arrival  at  Frederickshamm  —  Appearance  of  that  place  —  Regulation  relating  to 
Posting  in  Russia — Description  of  the  Post-houses  in  Russian  Finland — Intense  cold 
of  the  weather  during  the  night — Arrival  at  Wibourg — Appearance  of  the  Soldiers 
of  the  Garrison  —  Mode  of  inflicting  punishment  on  Deserters  —  Inhabitants  of 
Wibourg — Arrival  at  Petersburg. 


CHAP.  XIV. 

P.  482. 
PETERSBURG. 

General  appearance  of  the  City — Novelty  of  the  Scene  exhibited  in  the  Dresses  and 
Figures    of  the   Inhabitants — Expense  in  the  mode  of  living  among   the  Higher 

Ranks — Collection  of  Art,  in  the  possession  of  Individuals — Amusements  of  the 
different  Classes  of  Society  —  Ice-Hills — Visit  to  some  of  the  Public  Institutions — 
Academy  of  Sciences — Library  attached  to  it  —  Museum  —  Valuable  Collections,  in 
different  branches  of  Natural  History,  preserved  there — Peter  the  First — 
Academy  of  Fine  Arts — nature  of  the  Institution — Fortress — Tombs  of  the  Impe- 
rial Family — Mint — Statue  of  Peter  the  First — defect  of  taste  in  the  Artist — expense 
of  the  Work — Hermitage — Pictures — Hall  of  St.  George — Palaces  of  Peterhof  and 

Oranienbaum — Stale  of  the  Peasantry  — Mode   of   managing   the  Estates  of  the 

Russian  Nobility — Checks  to  Population. 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XV. 

P.  507. 
PETERSBURG. 

Benediction  of  the  Waters  of  the  Neva— Monastery  of  St.  Alexander  Nevsky— 
Religious  Festival  in  honour  of  that  Saint— Tombs— Church  of  St.  Nicholas— 
Glass-house  established  by  Potemkin — nature  of  the  works  carried  on  there — 
Foundling  Hospital — description  of  it— stale  of  the  Children — mortality  which 
prevails  amongst  them— encouragement  given  to  licentiousness  by  the  Institution — 
Character,  temper,  and  disposition  of  Paul,  before  his  accession  to  the  throne — 
Disrespect  and  insult  shewn  by  him  to  the  memory  of  Catherine,  on  his  becoming 
Emperor  —  Anecdotes  illustrating  his  extraordinary  conduct  —  Remarks  on  the 
character  of  the  Empress  Catherine — Deposition  and  murder  of  Peter  the 
Third. 


Appendix,  No.  I. 

P.  535. 


o 

Sixty-three  Academic   Dissertations  of   Abo;  skewing  the  State  of   Science   in   that 
University  for  the  last  Twenty  Years. 

No.  IT. 

P.  540. 
Index    Prcelectionum,   quas,     bono  cum    Deo,  in   Regid   Academid   Aboensi,   omnium 
Facullatum  Professores  ceterique   docentes,  a  die  Octobris  An.  mdccxcix,  ad  idem 
tempus  anni  sequentis,  publice  et  privatim  habebunt. 

No.  III. 

P.  546. 

Plan  of  the  Situation  of  the  Mines  at  the  Great  Copper  Mountain  at  Fahlun 

in  Dalecarlia. 

No.  IV. 

P.  548. 

Temperature  of  the  Atmosphere,  according  to  Diurnal  Observation  ;  with  a  Corresponding 
Statement  of  Temperature  in  England  during  the  same  period. 

No.V. 

P.  553. 

Names  of  Places  visited  in  the  Author's  Route;   with  their  Distances  from  each  other  s 


-,ot>,~ar^ 


CHAP.   I. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

Situation  of  Bergen  with  respect  to  the  rest  of  Norway — Bernard  and 
Peter  Anker — Fish  to  the  Governor— A  Rout — Barbarisms — 
Army  Regulations — Laws  respecting  Marriage — Climate — Nobility 
— Character  of  Prince  Frederic — State  of  the  Army — Danish 
Policy  with  regard  to  Norivay — Domestic  Economy  at  Christiania 
— Hospitable  Entertainment — Anecdotes  of  the  Emperor  Paul 
of  Russia — Antient  Teutonic  Customs  —  Lamentable  Conduct 
of  Great  Britain  towards  Norway  —  Ceremonies  of  retiring  from 
Table — Magnificent  Fill  a  of  Peter  Anker — His  Collection  of 
VOL.  VI.  B  Pictures 


M 


2  CHRISTIANIA. 

Pictures  —  Fast  Establishment  —  Prejudices  of  the  Norwegians 
respecting  Food — Courts  of  Judicature — Commerce  of  Christiania— 
Population — Manners  of  the  Christianians — Comparison  between  the 
Inhabitants  of  Tronyem  and  Christiania — Effect  of  Foreign 
Intercourse — Institutions  for  the  Poor — Character  and  Exemplary 
Conduct  of  the  two  Ankers. 

w  CH^P-  L  j  We  had  now  traversed  nearly  the  whole  of  Norwat,  from 
the  North  to  the  South ;  but  had  seen  nothing  of  its  western 
province  of  Bergen,  nor  of  the  city  of  that  name.  Yet  this 
being  the  most  populous  town  of  the  whole  country,  we 
were  desirous  of  obtaining  from  the  inhabitants  some  infor- 
mation respecting  its  present  state ;  and  for  this  purpose 
we  introduced  the  subject  in  our  first  conversation  with 
Mr.  Anker ;  telling  him  that  the  people  of  Tronyem  seemed 
almost  as  ignorant  as  we  were,  of  every  thing  relating  to 
Bergen,  "  It  is  precisely  the  same  with  us  in  Christiania" 
said  he  :  "  Bergen  is  less  known  to  the  inhabitants  of  this 
place  than  London  or  Paris :  in  fact,  we  hardly  consider  it  as 
forming:  a  part  of  our  countrv :  or  as  inhabited  bv  Nonce- 
gians.  The  people  of  Bergen  are,  for  the  most  part, 
foreigners,  principally  from  Holland;  persons  who  have  settled 
there  for  trade  ;  buying  and  selling  the  fish  taken  by  the 
natives  of  the  northern  parts  of  Norway."     We  soon  forgot 

situation  of     Bergen,  and  turned  our  inquiries  towards  Christiania,  whose 

Bergen  with  ° 

respect  to  the  representative  we  thought  we  beheld  in  this  high-spirited 
and  intelligent  man.  He  had  travelled  much,  and  combined, 
in  his  manners,  all  the  best  characteristics  of  our  own  coun- 
trymen, with  a  good  deal  of  French  foppery,  and  that  native 
heartiness  of  a  Norwegian,  which  knows  no  bounds  to  its 
hospitality,  but,  as  in  Sweden,  will  carry  its  kind  attention  to 
strangers  even  to  excess.     It  seemed,  in  this  short  interview, 

as 


rest  of  Not 
way, 


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■ 


Wff 


CHRISTIANIA. 

as  if  his  whole  property  were  to  be  at  our  disposal. 
"  My  carriages  and  horses,  Gentlemen,  are  at  your  service 
so  long  as  you  choose  to  remain  with  us.  Our  good  friends 
here,  Mr.  Kent  and  Mr.  Jarret,  will  tell  you,  that  our  parties 
in  Christiania  are  pretty  well  attended :  there  is  nothing  stiff 
or  formal  in  them :  we  meet,  chat,  play  at  cards,  smoke, 
sing,  and  drink  Burgundy-bishop  :  every  one  comes  and  goes 
as  he  likes.  You  will  be  expected  this  evening  at  the 
Governor's  :  his  Lady  is  a  very  pleasing  woman.  If  you  go 
to  his  house,  I  shall  have  the  honour  of  introducing  you  to 
several  families,  and  of  taking  you  afterwards  with  me  to 
a  rout,  where  you  may  amuse  yourselves  after  your  fatigues. 
To-morrow,  Mr.  John  Collet  will  expect  you  to  dine  at  his 
house :  there  you  will  meet  many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
this  place ;  and,  among  others,  Dr.  Miiller,  a  man  of  letters, 
who  married  an  English  Lady."  Being  Chamberlain  to  the 
King  of  Denmark,  Bernard  Anker  wore  the  Danish  court 
badge, — a  large  key  and  riband,  fastened  to  the  button  of 
his  coat  behind.  In  his  person,  he  was  above  the  common 
size,  of  athletic  form,  and  well-looking.  His  hair,  decorated 
in  the  old  Parisian  taste,  was  highly  frizzled  and  powdered  : 
and,  during  the  whole  of  his  conversation,  he  stood  opposite 
a  large  mirror,  attentively  surveying  and  adjusting  the 
different  articles  of  his  dress  :  but  in  all  this  there  was  nothing 
of  mere  vanity,  or  of  affectation ;  it  was  evidently  what, 
among  the  French,  would  have  been  once  considered  the 
ease  and  gaiety  of  a  well-bred  fashionable  beau ;  although, 
to  English  eyes,  such  an  air  and  manner  might  have  been 
considered  as  bordering  upon  those  of  the  petit-maitre. 
However,  we  soon  found,  in  the  conduct  of  this  exemplary 

individual, 


CHAP.  I. 


■ 


CHAP.  i. 


Bernard  and 
Peter  Anker. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

individual,  a  lesson  against  judging  too  hastily  from  outward 
appearances.  His  heart  was  possessed  by  the  best  qualifica- 
tions of  human  nature  ;  and  his  mind,  well  stored  with 
intelligence,  and  full  of  resources,  poured  forth,  in  every 
conversation,  such  general  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of 
the  springs  of  human  actions,  whether  in  court  cabinets  or 
in  private  life,  as  made  all  who  became  acquainted  with  him 
eager  to  join  his  company1.  His  character  is  so  intimately 
connected  with  the  history  of  Christiania,  and  of  Norway, 
that  no  traveller,  who  has  published  an  account  of  the 
country,  during  his  life-time,  has  neglected  to  attend  to  it. 
The  noble  use  he  made  of  his  princely  income,  and  of  all  his 
vast  means  of  doing  good,  in  the  encouragement  he  gave  to 
every  measure  likely  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  nation  ; 
the  example  he  set  to  those  around  him,  of  domestic  economy, 
and  of  social  order  ;  the  public  donations  he  made, — in  all  of 
which  he  was  aided  by  a  corresponding  disposition  in  the 
benevolent  conduct  of  his  brother, — have  caused  the  names 
of  Bernard  and  of  Peter  Anker  to  live  in  the  recollection  of 
the  Norwegians,  associated  with  all  that  is  praise- worthy 
among  them2; — as  "  rich  men,  furnished  with  ability,  living 

peaceably 


(1)  "  His  talents  were  frequently  exercised,  and  his  great  wealth  employed,  in  acts  of 
beneficence  to  his  fellow-citizens.  He  presented  the  Military  Institution  at  Christiania 
with  a  spacious  house,  and  increased  their  funds  by  a  donation  of  five  thousand  dollars. 
The  needy  never  sIted  to  him  in  vain  5  and,  as  his  liberality  was  unbounded,  the- 
Inferior  classes  looked  up  to  him  with  confidence  for  protection  and  support.  *  •  *  # 
Like  the  illustrious  Lorenzo  de  Medicis,  he  was  a  great  merchant,  and  capable  of  being 
a  great  statesman :  he  entertained  an  ambassador  with  as  much  ease  as  he  would  a 
factor."     See  Wolff's  Northern  Tour,  pp.  99, 100.  Land.  1814. 

(2)  "  It  is  highly  gratifying  to  read,  that  when  the  Island  of  Zealand  was  invaded,  and 
taken  possession  of  by  a  British  army  in  180?,  and  a  country-seat  belonging  to  the 

Hon. 


CHRISTIANIA.  5 

peaceably  in  their  habitations  ;  honoured  in  their  generations  ;  chap.  i. 
the  glory  of  their  times."  When  we  find  it  written  in 
Sacred  Scripture,  that  "  a  merchant  shall  hardly  keep  him- 
self from  doing  wrong,"  be  it  always  remembered,  that  the 
Ankers  were  of  this  class  in  society.  *'  In  the  waves  of  the 
sea,  and  in  all  the  earth,  and  in  every  people  and  nation, 
they  had  gathered  to  themselves  a  possession;" — and  the 
secret  of  their  prosperity  was  divulged  in  the  cheerful 
countenances  of  their  tenants  and  dependants ;  in  the  com- 
fort and  the  gladness  which  they  so  largely  diffused ;  but 
especially  throughout  all  the  dwellings  of  the  poor. 

In  the  evening  we  visited  the  Governor,  and  found  an  visit  to  ti.c 

.  r  r  Governor. 

assembly,  consisting  of  some  of  the  principal  people  of 
the  city.  The  gentlemen  were  engaged  playing  whist,  with 
enormous  tobacco-pipes  of  Meerschaum  in  their  mouths,  Barbarisms 
smoking  in  the  presence  of  the  women,  and  spitting  upon 
the  floor.  In  this  respect  the  inhabitants  of  Tronyem  were 
more  polite ;  as  they  neither  smoke  nor  spit  when  ladies  are 
present.  The  Governor  told  us  he  usually  smoked  about 
twenty  pipes  a  day.  But  there  is  another  custom,  pre- 
valent throughout  Norway  and  Denmark,  and  some  other 
parts  of  the  continent,  which  in  our  country  would  be 
deemed  almost  too  low  for  an  alehouse  :  it  is  that  of  marking 
the  points  of  a  game  at  cards  with  chalk  upon  the  table. 
A  piece  of  chalk  was  laid  for  this  purpose  upon  every  card- 
table    at    the    Governor's,    and    used   both   by  ladies    and 

gentlemen  r 


Hon.  Carsten  Anker  was  entered  by  a  detachment  of  the  Guards,  such  was  the  respect 
shewn  by  our  troops  to  its  hospitable,  owner,  that  Jiis  mansion  remained  unmolested 
during  the  whole  time  they  remained  in  its  vicinity."     Ibid.  p.  1/5. 


H 


^H 


CHAP.  I. 


A  Rout. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

gentlemen  :  the  same  practice  is  said  to  exist  even  at  the 
Danish  Court.  These  are  trifling  barbarisms ;  but  they  are 
nevertheless  barbarous;  and  must  be  viewed,  in  any  country, 
as  among  the  marks  of  a  want  of  refinement :  they  tell  us, 
at  a  glance,  of  the  state  of  the  society  in  which  these 
indications  appear.  A  German  lady  spits  upon  the  floor  of  her 
apartment,  even  when  it  is  covered  by  an  expensive  carpet ; 
and  may  attempt  to  justify  such  a  breach  of  good  manners, 
by  urging  that  it  is  a  practice  tolerated  even  at  court. 
English  Peers,  and  English  dandies,  aping  foreign  customs, 
have  sometimes  imitated  such  examples ;  but  nothing  can 
reconcile  them  to  the  canons  of  civilization1. 

From  the  Governor's  we  went  to  a  rout  and  supper,  at 
which  was  convened  all  the  beau-monde  of  Christiania. 
The  rooms  were  crowded  with  a  variety  of  company ;  among 
which  we  observed  several  officers  of  the  army  and  navy, 
and  a  number  of  beautiful  women  in  elegant  and  fashionable 
dresses,  exhibiting  the  latest  modes  of  London,  These 
evening  parties,  being  held  in  routine  at  the  different  houses, 
had  become  so  expensive,  that  Mr.  Anker,  and  others,  pre- 
vailed upon  seventy  of  the  principal  inhabitants  to  consent 
to  an  agreement,  which  they  all  signed,  that  certain  rules 
of  economy  should  be  observed ; — that  no  person  should  be 

at 


(l)  The  habits  of  the  French  women  are  in  this  respect  abominable.  "  Some  of 
their  habits,"  says  Henry  Matthews,  in  his  most  interesting  Volume  of  Travels,  "  must 
be  condemned  as  shockingly  offensive. — What  shall  we  say  of  the  spitting  about  the 
floor,  which  is  the  common  practice  of  women  as  well  as  men,  at  all  times  and  seasons, 
not  only  in  domestic  life,  but  also  upon  the  stage,  in  the  characters  of  heroes  and 
heroines,  even  in  high  imperial  tragedy?" — See  the  Diary  of  an  Invalid,  &c.  by  Henry 
Matthews,  Esq.  A.M.  Fellow  of  King's  College,  Cambridge,  p.  425.  Lond.  1820. 
Second  Edition. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

at  liberty  to  exceed  the  stipulations  made  for  every  evening's 
entertainment ; — that  only  a  certain  number  of  lustres 
should  be  allowed  in  each  apartment,  and  that  the  number 
of  wax-candles  should  be  limited  for  each  lustre ; — that, 
instead  of  an  expensive  supper,  a  small  collation  should 
be  prepared,  to  which  the  guests  might  go,  without 
requiring  any  person  to  wait  upon  them.  These  new 
regulations  explained  to  us  the  meaning  of  a  sight  which 
would  otherwise  have  appeared  remarkable ;  namely,  a 
number  of  large  chandeliers  and  sconces,  which,  in  the 
different  apartments,  were  all  filled  with  wax-candles,  but 
not  lighted.  Our  reception  was,  as  usual,  of  the  most 
hospitable  nature :  but  in  Christiania  a  welcome  had  been 
prepared  for  us,  by  the  previous  intercession  of  our  two 
friends,  Malthus  and  Otter,  who  had  visited  this  place  before 
our  coming  :  and  it  was  heightened  by  the  kind  offices  of  the 
two  English  travellers  to  whom  we  had  been  introduced 
in  the  moment  of  our  arrival,  Messrs.  Kent  and  Jarret. 
With  these  gentlemen  we  soon  became  intimate  :  their 
amiable  qualities  had  already  rendered  them  popular  among 
the  inhabitants,  and  we  found  great  advantage  in  their  society. 
The  dancing  began  with  the  waltz,  soon  after  nine  o'clock ; 
but  the  company  had  been  coming  in  since  six,  and  formed 
really  a  brilliant  assemblage,  particularly  the  ladies :  there 
were  full  as  many  handsome  women,  in  proportion  to  the 
number,  as  would  be  seen  at  an  assembly  in  England. 
Indeed,  to  English  eyes,  there  was  nothing  foreign  in  the 
appearance  of  the  company  :  the  manners,  abating  only  the 
smoking  and  spitting,  were  those  of  our  own  country ;  and 
we  found  the  English  language  very  generally  understood. 

From 


CHAP.  I. 


&& 


CHAP.  I. 


Army  ltegu. 
lations. 


8  CHRISTIANIA 

From  the  Governor  and  Mr.  Anker  we  learned  that  a 
change  had  just  taken  place  in  the  laws  relating  to  the 
enrolment  of  the  peasants  for  the  army.  Every  man  in 
Denmark  and  Norway,  born  of  a  farmer  or  labourer,  is  a 
soldier.  Those  born  of  sailors,  are  sailors.  Formerly,  the 
officer  of  the  district  might  take  them  at  any  age  he  pleased  ; 
and  he  generally  preferred  a  man  from  twenty-five  to  thirty, 
Laws  respect,  before  those  that  were  younger.     After  being  thus  taken, 

ing  Marriage.  (  ,      . 

the  man  could  not  marry  without  producing  a  certificate, 
signed  by  the  minister  of  the  parish,  that  he  had  substance 
enough  to  support  a  wife  and  family ;  and  even  then  it  was 
at  the  will  of  the  officer  to  let  him  marry,  or  not.  This, 
and  the  uncertainty  in  respect  to  the  time  of  being  taken,  had 
hitherto  operated  as  a  strong  preventive  check  to  population 
in  Norway;  and  accounts  for  its  increasing  so  slowly, 
although  the  people  live  so  long.  No  man  could  consider 
himself  as  perfectly  free  to  marry,  unless  he  had  solid 
possessions,  till  he  had  served  his  time;  which,  from  being 
taken  sometimes  at  thirty,  might  not  happen  until  he 
was  forty  years  old.  We  took  some  pains  to  inquire, 
whether  the  certificate  of  having  enough  to  support  a  family 
were  a  civil  or  a  military  institution.  From  what  we  could 
learn,  it  appeared  to  be  entirely  military  ;  and  to  have  arisen 
from  the  fear,  that  the  children  of  soldiers  might  fall  upon 
the  public,  or  starve.  It  had  however,  without  doubt, 
a  very  strong  influence,  in  a  civil  point  of  view;  and  was,  in 
fact,  the  cause  why  the  lower  classes  of  people  in  Norway 
were  in  a  much  better  state  than  could  be  expected  from  the 
barrenness  of  the  country.  These  laws  were  now  at  an 
end.     The  liberty  of  marriage  was  allowed,  without  any 

certificate 


C  H  R  I  S  T I  A  N  I  A. 


9 


certificate  or  permission  of  the  officer.  All  the  young  men  chap.  i. 
of  twenty  were  taken  first ;  and  if  the  number  were  not 
sufficient,  all  of  twenty-two,  and  so  on,  were  added; — it 
being  no  longer  at  the  option  of  the  officer  to  select  the  men 
at  what  age  he  might  think  proper.  Formerly,  any  person 
under  thirty-six  might  be  taken ;  and  the  older  were  generally 
taken  first.  One  proof  that  the  certificate  was  entirely  a 
military  institution,  is  this  ;  that  a  peasant,  before  he  was 
taken,  might  marry  without  a  certificate :  but  then  he 
exposed  his  wife  and  family  to  the  danger  of  being  starved, 
if  he  were  taken,  unless  he  could  leave  behind  him  a 
sufficiency  for  their  support  ;  and  it  was  probable  that  parents 
would  not  allow  their  daughters  to  marry  without  some 
prospect  of  this  kind.  The  Governor  disapproved  of  the 
new  regulations  :  he  said  that  the  peasants  would  now  marry 
without  any  prospect  of  being  able  to  maintain  a  family ; 
and  the  consequence  would  be,  that  more  would  be  born 
than  the  country  could  support.  He  said  that  the  old  laws 
on  the  subject  had  lately  been  very  loosely  enforced :  the  effect 
of  which  was,  an  evident  deterioration  in  the  morals  of  the 
people.  Many  children  died  before  they  attained  the  fifth 
year  of  their  age.  He  thought  that  the  age  of  twenty, 
although  well  suited  to  such  a  country  as  France,  was  too 
young  for  a  Nonvegian  ;  because  the  northern  peasant  is 
much  later  in  attaining  maturity.  All  males  born  in  the 
districts  along  the  coasts  of  Norway,  and  all  in  the  inland 
towns  who  get  their  living  by  fishing,  are  enrolled  as 
sailors;  but  all  born  in  the  inland  districts  of  the  country, 
who  subsist  by  other  pursuits,  are  soldiers.  Those  born  of 
vol.  vi.  c  trades- 


■p 


CHAP.  I. 


Climate. 


10  CHRISTIANIA. 

tradespeople  in  the  towns  are  free  ;  except  with  regard  to  the 
services  they  are  obliged  to  perform  as  burghers. 

Speaking  of  the  climate,  the  Governor  said,  that  they  had 
"  huit  mois  d'hiver,  et  quatre  mois  dc  mauvais  temps"  We 
had  heard  the  same  observation  made  at  Copenhagen ;  but, 
judging  from  wThat  we  had  seen  ourselves,  we  certainly 
should  not  have  made  the  same  remark.  He  said,  that  during 
the  whole  summer  he  had  been  only  four  days  without  his 
great  coat.  A  reference  to  the  account  wTe  have  regularly 
kept  of  the  state  of  the  thermometer  will  best  shew  what 
the  temperature  of  the  climate  really  is. 
Nobility.  With  Mr.  B.  A7iher  we  had  a  long  conversation  on  the 

subject  of  the  nobility.  He  said,  that  some  time  ago  a  pro- 
clamation had  been  issued  by  the  Court  of  Copenhagen,  that 
all  persons  claiming  the  rank  of  nobility  should  prove  their 
just  title  to  that  rank  by  regular  descent.  Mr.  Anker  proved 
his  descent  from  a  noble  Swedish  family  ;  but  they  made 
some  difficulty  in  granting  to  him  the  arms  of  that  family, 
as  he  had  not  himself  a  title,  and  the  arms  interfered  with 
some  of  the  Danish  titles.  However,  he  gained  his  point 
at  last,  and  obtained  the  coat  of  arms.  About  three  years 
since,  without  making  any  application,  he  received  the  key 
of  Chamberlain,  which  gave  him  the  highest  rank  in 
Norway,  even  above  that  of  the  Governor.  His  brother, 
Mr.  Peter  Anlter,  had  the  rank  of  General,  wore  a  General's 
uniform,  and  was  Intendant  General  of  the  roads  in  Norway. 
There  are  but  two  titled  estates  in  all  Norway ;  but  there  are 
many  other  estates  that  have  privileges  of  nobility  attached 
to  them.     Any  person  nobly  born  may  purchase  any  of  these 

estates. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


11 


estates,  and  possess  all  the  privileges  belonging  to  them  ;  but 
a  person  not  nobly  born  cannot  purchase  them.  A  commis- 
sion from  the  King  confers  the  same  privilege  as  noble  birth. 
An  Ensign  might  purchase  a  nobleman's  estate,  and  possess 
all  the  rights  and  honours  attached  to  it.  All  civil  offices, 
as  in  Russia,  have  a  certain  military  rank.  The  title  of  Count 
gives  a  certain  rank  in  the  army  ;  but  a  simple  Ensign 
takes  the  precedence  of  a  nobleman  born,  with  the  largest 
possessions,  if  he  have  no  title,  and  hold  no  civil  office  from 
the  crown.  In  a  scale  of  the  different  gradations  of  rank 
shewn  to  us,  we  observed  that  it  consisted  of  six  or  seven 
different  classes.  The  rank  of  Chamberlain  was  in  the  same 
class  with  that  of  the  Major  Generals  of  the  army,  but  it 
was  at  the  head  of  this  class.  In  the  class  above  this,  were 
the  Generals,  Admirals,  and  Counts  possessing  estates 
annexed  to  their  titles  ;  those  without,  being  in  the  class 
below. 

During  this  conversation  with  Mr.  Anker,  the  character 
of  the  Prince1  was  started.  Mr.  Anker  observed,  that  his 
character  wTas  not  well  known,  and  seldom  justly  appreciated. 
He  believed  him  to  be  the  most  moraLman  that  could  well 
exist,  and  of  the  most  strict  and  impartial  justice.  He  was 
not  indeed  generous ;  but  this  could  hardly  be  attributed  to 
him  as  a  fault,  arising,  as  it  did,  from  the  very  small  sum 
which  he  required  for  his  own  expenses;  not  more  than  12,000 

dollars  ; 


chap.  1. 


Character  of 
Prince  Fre- 
deric. 


(l)  Now  Frederic  VI.  King  of  Denmark,  born  January  ¥] ,  1768 ;   married  in  1790 
to  Princess  Sophia  Frederica  of  Hesse  Cassel ;  by  whom  he  hath  issue  two  daughters. 


■■ 


IS 


CHRISTIANIA. 


chap.  i.  dollars ;  a  little  above  2000/.  a  year.  He  never  would  confer 
the  title  of  nobility,  and  was  always  extremely  cautious  in 
granting  any  office  or  favour  of  any  kind.  His  fear  of  being 
partial  sometimes  carried  him  too  far,  and  prevented  his 
granting  any  thing,  even  to  a  person  whom  he  might  consider 
as  worthy  of  his  acquiescence.  He  was  very  silent  in  com- 
pany, and  partly,  as  Mr.  Anker  believed,  from  the  fear  of 
having  some  proposition  made  to  him,  or  some  favour  asked. 
If  a  man  had  once  made  a  request  of  this  nature,  the 
Prince  seldom  spoke  to  him  afterwards,  although  he  might 
still  consider  him  as  an  object  of  regard.  At  Copenhagen 
he  is  unpopular ;  because  the  people  about  the  court  are 
all  poor,  and  all  beggars.  Mr.  Ariker  seemed  to  think  that 
he  had  good  natural  talents,  and  a  good  memory  ;  but  that 
his  education  had  been  much  neglected,  of  which  he  was 
fully  sensible,  and  sometimes  complained  of  it  himself. 
Unfortunately,  he  was  not  fond  of  reading,  which  prevented 
him  from  repairing  what  was  deficient.  He  has  had  no 
favourite  whatsoever.  Count  Bernstoff,  who  had  been 
erroneously  considered  as  a  favourite,  possessed  no  particular 
influence.  He  was  only  Secretary  of  State,  and  not  of  the 
Grand  Council;  andoughtbyno  means  to  have  been  considered 
as  the  Prime  Minister.  The  liberality  of  the  Prince  in  his 
administration  of  government,  and  his  contempt  for  libels, 
proceeded  from  a  right  principle,  and  from  a  consciousness  of 
the  rectitude  of  his  conduct;  added,  perhaps,  to  a  sage  foresight, 
which  has  always  convinced  him  that  the  wisest  and  safest 
plan,  in  all  such  cases,  is  to  let  these  things  alone.  A  libel  had 
been  prosecuted  by  one  of  the  courts  but  a  short  time  before  ; 

and 


CHRISTIANIA. 


13 


and  the  consequence  was,  that  the  book,  which  had   been     chap.  i. 
before  neglected,  rose  into  notice,  and  sold  in  the  most  rapid 
manner ;    three    or    four   editions  of   it  being  successively 
published. 

A  young  officer  entered  into   conversation  with  us,  who  state  of  the 

Army. 

spoke  English  remarkably  well.  He  seemed  not  much  to 
like  the  army ;  mentioned  the  brutality,  and  want  of 
education  in  the  greater  part  of  his  companions ;  and 
expatiated  with  much  feeling  upon  the  starving  condition 
of  the  inferior  officers,  and  their  forlorn  hope  of  promotion. 
All  officers,  except  for  some  particular  merit  during  actual 
service,  rise  by  seniority  ;  which  makes  promotion,  during 
peace,  extremely  slow.  An  education  during  four  years, 
at  least,  at  the  military  academy  either  of  Copenhagen  or  of 
Christianity,  is  requisite  to  the  obtaining  of  a  commission  ; 
and  afterwards,  those  who  are  not  noble  often  serve  for  some 
years  as  non-commissioned  officers,  before  they  can  hold  a 
commission.  He  said  there  was  hardly  a  captain  in  his 
regiment  that  was  under  sixty  years  old;  and  seemed  to 
think  that  the  Prince,  with  all  his  attention  to  the  army,  had 
not  done  much  to  increase  the  comforts  of  the  soldiers  and 
officers. 

The  next  day,  October  the  fifteenth,  we  called  upon  Mr. 
B.  Anker,  and  saw  his  magnificent  house.  We  found  him 
in  his  morning-gown,  sitting  in  his  study,  surrounded  by 
books  and  papers.  He  related  to  us  the  difficulties  he  had 
encountered,  during  his  applications  to  the  Court  of  Denmark, 
to  obtain  a  University  for  Norway ;  and  he  began  to  be  aware 
that  it  was  a  measure  to  which  the  Danish  Government 

would 


- ^  ^^^H  **&*» 


14 


CHRISTIANIA. 


chap.  i.     would  never  accede.     He  was  not  even  allowed  to  purchase 

libraries  for  the  public  use  of  the  Nonvegians  in  their  own 

country.     A  Danish  party  exists  in  Christiania,  which  is  also 

violent  against  the  establishment  of  a  University  in  Norivay. 

Danish  Policy  The  Danish  policy  is,    to  compel    all    the    young   students 

with  regard  to  *■  J  A  J  ° 

Norway.  j.Q  res0rt  to  Copenhagen,  and  there  to  spend  their  money ; 
whence  they  generally  return  injured  in  their  principles  and 
in  their  health1.  Mr.  Anker  had  visited  almost  all  the  more 
civilized  parts  of  Europe,  and  spoke  foreign  languages  with 
great  fluency.  He  was  well  read  in  the  fine  arts,  and  had 
formed  a  valuable  collection  of  books  and  pictures.  Among 
the  most  valuable  of  the  latter,  we  were  shewn  some  designs 
by  Le  Brnn,  and  some  remarkable  proofs  of  the  laborious 
exactness  and  minuteness  of  execution  characteristic  of  the 
Flemish  school,  in  a  series  of  pen-drawings  done  by  Orlacht 
of  Anvers  in  1761.  In  Mr.  Ankers  library,  public  lectures 
wTere  delivered  to  the  young  Norwegians  by  himself  and  others. 
The  following  words  were  inscribed  in  large  letters  over  the 
door  of  this  apartment:  docendo  discimus.  Here  we  saw 
a  complete  apparatus  for  philosophical  and  mechanical 
purposes,  the  work  of  Nairne  and  Blunt  of  London; 
astronomical  instruments,  globes,  and  a  museum  of  anti- 
quities, and  of  natural  history,  containing  minerals,  shells,  &c. 
"  I   must  send   to  England"  said  he,    "  for  almost  every 

thing : 


(1)  "  It  was  a  line  of  policy  which  did  not  extend  only  to  the  students  of  JSorway  : 
all  persons  who  had  money  to  spend  were  thus  allured  to  the  capital ;  and  although  no 
one  better  understood,  than  Bernard  Anker,  the  nature  and  ends  of  the  decoy,  yet  he 
himself  ended  with  falling  into  it."     See  Wolffs  Northern  Tour,  p.  100,  Lond.  1814. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


la 


thing  :  all  the  linen  of  my  family  is  sent  annually  to  London    chap.  i. 
to   be  washed."      And  when  we  observed  that  the  stock  of 
linen  must  be  very  large  to  admit  of  such  an  arrangement, 
he  added,  "  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  large  Domestic 

i  r  t   •  •       tit  ii  i  Economy  at 

stock  or  every  thing  in  Norway,  and  each  man  must  keep  it  cnrutiania. 
within  his  own  stores."  "  We  cannot,"  said  he,  "  go  to 
market,  or  to  shops,  as  you  do  in  English  towns  :  here,  those 
who  would  live  handsomely  must  collect  into  their  own 
warehouses,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  whatsoever  they 
may  have  occasion  for,  from  the  flour  of  which  they  make 
their  bread,  to  the  beef,  the  pork,  the  poultry,  and  all  the 
stores  necessary  for  a  whole  year's  consumption."  This 
makes  living  in  Norway  perhaps  more  expensive  than  in  any 
other  part  of  Europe.  Mr.  Anker  told  us,  that  he  had  thirty 
servants  upon  his  own  establishment,  and  that  his  brother 
kept  sixty.  The  fuel  consumed  upon  his  premises,  for  the 
number  of  different  stoves,  amounted  to  above  four  times  as 
much  as  a  nobleman's  family  would  consume  in  Copenhagen  : 
and  we  were  rather  surprised  to  hear  him  say  that  fire-wood  was 
an  expensive  article,  in  such  a  region  of  timber.  But  horses 
constitute  the  article  of  heaviest  expenditure  to  a  gentleman 
in  Norway,  owing  to  the  general  high  price  of  hay,  which 
had  been  particularly  scarce  during  the  last  spring.  The 
common  price  of  hay  averaged  about  five  pounds  a  ton  ; 
this  year  the  price  had  been  doubled  ;  and  indeed  it  could 
hardly  be  had  for  money.  Mr.  Anker  s  stud  amounted  to 
twenty  horses  for  pleasure,  besides  draught-horses ;  and  he 
had  eight  or  ten  carriages.  The  great  preparation  for  the 
year's  consumption  in  Christiania,  as  in  all  the  rest  of  Norway, 

is 


vr-~ 


16 


CHAP.  I. 


Hospitable 
Entertain- 
ment. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

is  made  in  the  autumn.  The  season  of  slaughter,  for  the 
supply  of  the  whole  winter,  takes  place  in  the  month  of 
October ;  and  the  number  of  cattle  killed  upon  this  occasion 
is  astonishing.  The  smallest  and  most  private  families  salt  a 
certain  quantity;  but  in  the  larger  houses  it  is  a  work  of 
peculiar  exertion,  especially  for  the  mistress.  To  become 
good  Norivegian  wife,  a  lady  must  absolutely  be  educated  in 
Norway.  The  mistress  of  each  family  presides  over  all  the 
autumnal  hoarding  of  provisions,  and  in  person  directs  every 
operation.  In  one  morning  that  we  called  upon  Mr.  Anker, 
eighteen  bullocks  had  been  slaughtered,  and  his  stock  was 
not  by  any  means  complete.  Some  of  the  meat  is  pickled ; 
the  rest  dried.  The  fat  is  melted  into  tallow,  and  nothing 
wasted.     Even  the  blood  is  saved. 

We  went,  by  invitation,  to  dine  with  another  merchant, 
Mr.  John  Collet,  at  his  country-seat ;  having  brought  to  him 
letters  of  recommendation :  and  in  writing  an  account  of 
Norway*  however  trivial  the  description  of  a  dinner  may  be 
in  general,  we  should  indeed  be  guilty  of  an  omission,  if  we 
neglected  to  describe  the  sort  of  reception  which  we 
experienced  beneath  his  hospitable  roof.  He  had  a  very 
extensive  farm  to  manage  ;  holding  nearly  400  acres  of  land 
in  his  own  hands.  He  treated  rye  in  the  same  manner  that 
we  do  wheat ;  preparing  the  land  for  it  by  two  or  three 
other  crops  successively,  so  as  to  get  a  good  crop  of  rye  on  the 
same  land  once  in  three  or  four  years.  His  cows  were  fed,  in 
winter,  on  turnips  and  carrots,  preserved  in  cellars.  Potatoes 
thrive  remarkably  well :  they  were  introduced  into  Norway 
about  thirty  years  ago,  and  were  daily  coming  more  into 

use. 


v*0*J+,. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


17 


use.  The  price  of  labour,  he  told  us,  was  one  shilling  in 
summer,  and  ten  shillings  in  winter,  without  victuals.  His 
wife,  a  very  agreeable  woman,  was  reckoned  a  pattern  for 
all  the  wives  in  Norway.  We  found  a  very  large  party 
already  assembled  at  Mr.  Collet's  house,  and,  among  them, 
Mr.  Anker,  and  our  friends  Messrs.  Kent  and  J  arret.  Here 
we  were  introduced  to  Dr.  Mutter,  a  very  intelligent 
physician,  and  a  great  mineralogist,  who  sate  by  us  during 
dinner,  and  was  very  communicative  upon  all  subjects 
relating  to  the  country :  he  had  married  the  sister  of  an 
English  physician,  and  spoke  the  English  language  with  great 
fluency.  Such  was  the  magnificence  of  the  feast  to  which 
we  had  been  invited,  that  it  would  hardly  be  possible  for  our 
own  Sovereign  to  afford  a  more  sumptuous  entertainment. 
We  had  every  delicacy  of  the  country,  and  all  the  wines 
of  Europe,  together  with  every  species  of  costly  liqueur 
and  confectionary ; — yet  every  article  had  been  brought 
forth  from  the  storehouses  of  the  family.  A  favourite 
beverage,  called  Bishop,  was  served  in  copious  bowls  of  rich 
porcelain  :  it  consisted  of  Burgundy  and  claret,  mixed  with 
sugar,  spices,  and  Seville  oranges.  But,  besides  this,  large 
goblets  were  continually  handed  about,  containing  Champagne, 
hock,  hermitage,  Cape,  tent,  sack,  cherry,  and  Madeira. 
Port-wine,  which  had  been  twenty-three  years  in  bottle, 
and  of  excellent  flavour,  was  circulated  in  decanters,  with 
Burgundy  and  claret.  According  to  the  custom  of  the 
country,  we  remained  many  hours  at  table  :  but  we  did  not 
wish  to  move  ;  for  the  most  cheerful  conviviality,  and  the 
liveliest  conversation,  was  maintained  the  whole  time,  without 
vol.  vi.  d  dispute 


CHAP.  I. 


W£? 


■I 


18 


CHAP.  1. 


Anecdotes  of 
the  Emperor 
Paul  of 
Russia. 


CHRISTIAN1A. 

dispute  or  intoxication.  The  only  anxiety  on  the  part  of  our 
host  and  hostess,  arose  from  a  fear  lest  their  guests  should 
not  be  as  well  fared,  and  as  merry,  as  it  was  possible  to  make 
them.  A  considerable  part  of  our  mirth  was  caused  by  the 
anecdotes  related  of  the  Emperor  Paul  of  Russia ;  at  this 
time  the  subject  of  general  conversation  in  most  parts  of 
Europe;  and  who  was,  without  exception,  the  veriest  state 
buffoon  that  barbaric  power  had  ever  elevated  to  a  station  in 
which,  unfortunately  for  those  around  him,  he  could  not  be 
considered  as  contemptible.  He  had  the  means  of  doing 
mischief,  and  he  largely  indulged  in  them.  However,  being 
here  remote  from  the  rod  of  his  vicious  tyranny,  the  antics 
and  the  fury  of  this  insensate  fool  were  considered  only  as 
subjects  of  laughter ;  affording  excellent  amusement  to  those 
who  merely  heard  of  them  :  and  we  joined  in  the  hearty 
merriment  excited  by  the  stories  told  of  the  Scythian  despot, 
and  of  the  creatures  his  favourites.  The  follies  and  absur- 
dities related  of  Paul  were  without  number.  We  may  give, 
as  specimens,  only  two  instances.  Almost  every  one  has 
heard  of  his  famous  ukase  against  different  articles  of 
wearing  apparel.  Nothing  was  more  strictly  prohibited  in 
Russia,  than  the  wearing  of  pantaloons,  trowsers,  and  shoe- 
strings. At  this  time,  a  vessel,  containing  the  Danish  cadets, 
arrived  at  Cronstadt.  The  Emperor  despatched  a  messenger 
with  orders  to  invite  the  commanding  officer  of  the  ship, 
and  all  the  young  men,  to  his  palace.  The  Danish  officer 
replied,  that,  by  the  laws  of  Denmark,  the  youths  under  his 
care  were  compelled  to  wear  trowsers,  and  shoe-strings 
instead  of  buckles  ;  consequently  they  could  not  presume  to 

make 


CHRISTIANIA. 


19 


make  their  appearance  at  the  Russian  court  in  a  dress  pro- 
hibited by  the  Emperor.  The  next  day  an  imperial  ukase 
was  issued,  commanding  all  officers  of  the  Russian  navy  to 
new-model  their  attire,  and  to  appear  dressed  "  like  the 
Danish  cadets  at  Cronstadt" — But  a  little  before,  a  servant 
belonging  to  the  Danish  ambassador  at  Petersburg  had  been 
knocked  down  by  a  Russian  sentinel,  in  one  of  the  public 
streets  of  the  city,  for  daring  to  appear  in  pantaloons  ;  and 
the  new  regulation  took  place  while  an  explanation  of  this 
affair  was  actually  pending  between  the  two  courts.  But, 

of  all  things  likely  to  irritate  Paid,  and  to  put  his  temper  to  the 
severest  trial,  there  was  nothing  more  effectual  than  a  pair  of 
black  breeches.  A  foreigner  being  presented  to  him  in  a 
full  suit  of  black  clothes,  the  Emperor  had  much  ado  to 
refrain  from  kicking  him  out  of  the  audience-chamber,  and, 
making  a  motion  with  his  foot  to  that  effect,  ordered  the 
sable  visitant  to  be  instantly  turned  out  of  court.  The 
Norwegians  were  among  the  objects  of  his  aversion  :  but  his 
dislike  to  them  did  not  arise  from  their  wearing  black 
breeches,  but  from  some  indistinct  rumours  he  had  heard  of 
their  jovial  clubs,  and  of  the  songs  of  freedom  in  which 
they  indulged  at  their  convivial  meetings.  The  very  word 
club  was  so  connected,  in  his  mind,  with  the  club  of  the 
Jacobins  at  Paris,  and  other  democratical  associations,  that  he 
considered  it  as  only  applicable  to  revolutionary  purposes  ; 
and,  therefore,  that  every  member  of  a  club,  of  whatsoever 
nature  it  might  be,  ought  to  be  considered  as  a  reprobate, 
and  interdicted  from  all  communion  with  the  inhabitants  of 
"  all  the  Russias." 

The 


CHA1\  I. 


Wu 


20 


CHRISTIANIA. 


Antient  Teu- 
tonic Customs 


chap.  i.  The  Norwegians  drink  toasts  with  the  solemnities  of  a  public 
ceremony,  mingling  with  them  songs,  as  did  all  the  ancestors 
and  collateral  branches  of  the  Teutonic  tribes'.  At  Mr. 
Collet's  table,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  some  of 
those  old  customs  which  one  grieves  to  see  laid  aside,  because 
they  characterize  historically  the  distinctions  of  nations. 
The  master  and  mistress  of  the  house,  rising  from  their  seats, 
perform  a  brief  recitative,  as  a  preliminary  song  to  the  toast 
which  they  are  about  to  propose.  In  these  solemn  airs 
the  whole  company  joined ;  and  they  had  a  very  fine  effect ; 
not  being  rendered  the  less  interesting  to  us  when  we  found 
they  were  the  preludes  to  sentiments  which  Englishmen  hail 
with  enthusiasm.      In  this  manner  we  drank  "  the  wooden 

WALLS    OF  OLD  ENGLAND" "BRITISH  COMMERCE  " "  RULE 

Britannia" — "  God  save  the  King" — and,  with  what  grief 
of  heart  is  it  called  to  mind,  as  it  stands  written  in  our 
journals,  and  was  so  often  reiterated  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other — "  a  perpetual  alliance  between 
England  and  Norway."  No  one,  at  this  period,  had  even 
to™r&frUain  dreamed  of  the  probability  of  an  event  which  was  to 
separate  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  nations,  perhaps  for 
ever.  The  links  by  which  they  were  united  were  "  the 
very  bonds  of  peace,  and  of  all  virtue."  Every  feeling 
which  animates  the  heart,  and  is  the  boast  of  an  Englishman ; 
which  induced  a  native  of  Great  Britain  to  sit  down  by  a 
Norwegian  as  by  his    friend;    were  those   which  are  most 

congenial 


Lamentable 
conduct  of 


Norway. 


(1)  Vid.  Homer.  Odyss:  A.  v.  152.     Athen.  Deipn.  lib.  I.  p.  14.  A.    Ludg.  1657. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


21 


congenial  to  the  inhabitants  of  Norway ; — holy  patriotism  ;  chap.  i. 
manly  courage  ;  unblemished  integrity  ;  a  sacred  regard  for 
all  the  duties  which  hold  men  together  in  society  ;  the  father 
to  his  child  ;  the  husband  to  his  wife ;  the  subject  to  his 
King ;  the  creature  to  his  Creator  :  and  that  Jesuitical  policy, 
which,  while  it  dissolves  these  ties,  teaches  that  "  it  is  lawful 
to  accomplish  a  great  good  by  doing  a  little  wrong,"  is 
therefore  disowned  and  scouted  by  every  worthy  inhabitant 
of  these  now  divided  countries. 


As  soon  as  the  company  rise  from  table,  it  is  customary  to  cerem 


onies  of 


shake  hands  with  the  master  and  mistress  of  the  house,  and  Table/ 
to  make  an  obeisance  ;  or,  being  upon  an  intimate  footing 
with  the  family,  to  salute  the  fair  hand  of  the  lady  who  has 
presided.  All  present  then  adjourn  to  another  room,  where 
coffee  is  served.  There  is  no  separation  of  the  two 
sexes,  as  in  England ;  where  a  custom,  more  barbarous 
than  any  thing  in  Norway,  enjoins  that  the  ladies  be  expelled 
soon  after  dinner,  and  sent  into  a  sort  of  solitary  exile  until 
midnight.  In  Norway,  as  in  more  polished  circles  of  society 
upon  the  continent,  both  men  and  women  retire  together. 
The  gentlemen  then  light  their  pipes.  A  clean  pipe  is 
seldom  offered;  and  this  want  of  cleanliness,  connected  with 
a  custom  in  itself  barbarous  and  uncleanly,  is  one  of  the 
few  disagreeable  things  of  which  a  stranger  has  to  complain. 
The  card-tables  are  never  covered  with  cloth;  and  they  are 
chalked  all  over,  as  at  an  ale-house.  In  playing  cards,  the 
game  to  which  the  better  sort  of  Norwegians  are  most 
partial,  is  a  species  of  whist,  called  Boston :  it  is  in  vogue 
all  over  Scandinavia,  and  is  less  simple  and  more  hazardous 

than 


^H 


A  niter. 


22  CHRISTIANIA. 

chap.  i.  than  our  common  game  of  ivhist,  at  which  they  also  playc 
Whatever  the  game  may  be,  the  stakes  are  always  low. 
Gambling  seems  to  be  almost  unknown  in  Norway  in  polite 
company. 

Upon  the  following  day,   October  the  sixteenth,  we  had  a 
Magnificent    still  more  sumptuous  entertainment  provided   for  us,  at  the 

V ilk  of  Peter 

stately  country-seat,  not  to  call  it  a  palace,  of  Mr.  Peter  Anker, 
distant  only  three  English  miles  from  Christiania.  We  went 
to  dine  with  him,  accompanied  by  his  brother.  He  received 
us  with  as  much  magnificence  as  any  foreign  Prince,  but 
with  all  the  hearty  welcome  and  hospitality  of  his  country, 
added  to  the  splendor  of  a  King.  The  suite  of  apartments 
was  quite  princely,  and  they  were  fitted  up  in  the  most 
elegant  style.  His  gardens  were  laid  out  in  the  English 
taste;  and  the  situation  of  his  mansion,  upon  the  borders  of  a 
lake  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky  mountain,  gave  to  the  whole  an 
appearance  of  great  grandeur.  In  the  gardens  we  were 
shewn  an  old  Norwegian  dwelling,  preserved  as  a  specimen 
of  what  the  Norwegian  houses  were  two  centuries  before ; 
with  all  its  furniture,  and  other  appurtenances,  as  it  then 
stood.  Upon  the  walls  of  this  building  we  observed  the 
names  of  many  travellers  who  had  visited  the  spot,  and, 
among  others,  that  of  the  late  Mrs.  Godwin,  thus  inscribed, 
with  a  pencil,  near  the  door — "  Mary  Wollstonecraft" 

In  the  manners  of  Mr.  Peter  Anker  there  was  something 
remarkably  distinguished  from  the  generality  of  his  coun- 
trymen. His  appearance,  in  the  midst  of  the  splendid  scene  over 
which  he  presided,  was  altogether  that  of  the  most  accomplished 
potentate.      Every  part  of  his  vast    establishment  was  in 

itself 


CHRISTIANIA. 


23 


itself  a  curiosity,    and  merited    particular   attention.      He    chap.  i. 
himself  conducted   us  over  it.     "  We  shall  pass  through  the 
kitchens,"  said  he,  "  that  English  gentlemen,  who  are  fond  of 
neatness,  may  be  convinced  that  what  we  have  to  set  before 
them  is  dressed  and  served  with  cleanliness :"    and  certainly 
we  never  beheld  any  thing  similar.     The  dinner   was  pre- 
paring in  large  airy  apartments,  where  every  thing  was  in  the 
utmost  order.     Not  a  cloth  was   to  be  seen  in  the  hands  of 
any  of  the  attendants,  but  what  was  perfectly   white  and 
clean,  and  of  the  finest  linen.     All  the  kettles  and  dishes  and 
tables  were  polished,  and  without  the  smallest  appearance  of 
being  soiled  by  use.     One  of  the  most  pleasing  sights  in  these 
lower  apartments  was  the  table  spread  for  the  poor :  upon 
which,  with  the  same  degree  of  neatness  as  for  his  own 
family,  all  the  pieces  of  broken  victuals  were  collected,  and 
set  forth  for  distribution,  into  portions,  according  to  the  size 
of  the  different  families  for  whose  use  they  were  appropriated. 
His  stables  and  greenhouses  were  next  exhibited,  and  every- 
where we  observed  the  same  display  of  decent  order  and 
superior   arrangement.      In    the    greenhouses  were    pines, 
apples,  melons,  and  peaches.     We  saw  also  the  cellars,  as 
storehouses,   for  preserving  meat  and  vegetables  through  the 
winter.     Every  housekeeper  lays  in  his  stock  of  provisions  in 
October.      Returning   to    the   grand   saloon,    we    began  to 
examine  his  collection  of  pictures,  made  by  himself,   at  a  His  collection 

of  Pictures. 

great  expense,  during  his  travels  in  Italy.  It  filled  several 
chambers,  which,  opening  into  each  other,  presented 
altogether  such  a  series  of  apartments  as  one  sees  in  the 
Italian  palaces,  and  especially  in  those  of  Genoa  and  Naples. 

One 


f^e***^*-*^*" 


24  CHRISTIANIA. 

chap.  i.  One  room  was  entirely  filled  with  original  drawings  of  the 
old  Masters  ;  and  these,  instead  of  projecting  from  the  walls, 
were  let  into  them,  and  so  glazed  ;  which  had  a  novel  and 
pleasing  effect.  Of  the  drawings,  and  of  the  paintings,  we 
shall  mention  only  the  principal,  in  a  Note  ;  it  never  having 
entered  into  our  Scandinavian  speculations  to  expect  a  depdt 
of  the  Fine  Arts  so  far  towards  the  north1. 

At 


(l)  Drawings. 

1.  A  Capucin  Friar,  with  Children. — Paolo  Veronese;  perhaps 
by  his  son,  Carletto  Cagliari. 

1.  St.  Cecilia.  A  most  exquisite  and  undoubted  work  of 
Raffaello  Sanzio.  In  this  curious  work  of  Raffael,  the  saint 
is  surrounded  with  figures,  grouped  with  matchless  skill  and 
effect.  She  is  singularly  represented  as  holding  in  her 
hands  the  pipes  of  an  organ. 

Paintings* 

1 .  Ulysses  and  Circe,  by  Pompeo  Battoni,  the  rival  of  Mengs. 
A  large  picture,  with  great  coldness  in  the  colouring. 

2.  Lot  and  his  Daughters;  (Michael  Angelo  da  Caravaggio;) 
shewing  the  high  degree  of  interest  which  this  painter 
could  give  to  the  most  vulgar  forms,  by  his  ideal  tints  of 
light  and  shade. 

3.  A  Crucifixion;  said  to  be  of  the  school  of  Guido;  certainly 
by  one  of  the  Bolognese  masters,  and  a  most  valuable 
picture,  of  small  size.  The  effect  of  the  chiaro  oscuro  is 
here  scientifically  set  off,  with  all  that  magical  power  of 
colouring  which  the  painters,  who  followed  the  Caracci,  so 
marvellously  displayed. 

4,  5,  6.  Se- 


CHRISTIANIA. 


25 


At  dinner,  Mr.  P.  Anker  told  us   that  he  kept  fifty  cows,     chap.  i. 
and  consumed   the  whole  of   their  produce  upon  his   own 
establishment.      When  he  was  in  England,   he  said,  he  had 
to  complain  of  the  great  scarcity  of  cream  which  prevailed 

every- 


4,  5,  6*.  Select  pieces  by  Le  Nain,  representing  scenes  of  still 
life  ;  vegetables,  green-stalls,  &c. 

7,  8.  Battle-pieces  by  Bourgononi. 

Q.  Annunciation  of  the  Nativity  to  the  Shepherds  of  Judaea. 
Jacopo  da  Ponte.  Painted  with  all  the  vigour  of  the  older 
Bassano,  but  with  that  monotony,  and  meanness  as  to  the 
objects,  into  which  this  fine  painter  degenerated  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life. 

10.  Some  pictures  attributed  to  Leonardo  da  Find; — a  name 
easily  bestowed  upon,  and  often  given  to,  paintings  which  have 
been  highly  finished  with  a  dry  and  stiff  outline,  without 
any  of  the  real  excellence  of  Leonardo. 

11.  Several  works  of  Gherardo  delta  Notte,  and  of  Sckalcken; 
representing,  as  usual,  night-scenes  by  candle  and  torch- 
light. 

12.  Portraits  by  Denner,  purchased  at  very  high  prices  :  these 

were   executed  with  all  the  laborious  exactness   and  fac- 
simile touches  which  distinguish  the  highly-finished  works  of 
this  master ;  in  whose  pictures,  as  in  those  of  his  wife  and 
himself,  even  the  pores  of  the  skin  are  said  to  be  visible. 
In  this  list,  only  the  most  striking  pictures  have  been  noticed : 
nor  would  any  such  attention  have  been  paid  even  to  these,  had 
they  been  found  among  the  more  frequented  haunts  of  the  Fine 
Arts.     In  the  billiard-room  we  saw  a  complete  set  of  Hogarth's 
engravings,  and  they  were  the  very  best  impressions  from  his 
plates. 

VOL.  vi  E 


VKHB  IH 


<16 


CHAP.  I. 


Prejudices  of 

the  Norwe- 
gians respect- 
ing food. 


Courts  of 
Judicature. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

every- where,  even  in  the  best  houses.  In  Norway,  a  great 
quantity  of  cream  is  consumed  by  the  inhabitants  ;  but 
especially  during  the  strawberry  season,  which  lasts  six  weeks. 
They  give  the  preference  to  the  white  alpine  strawberry,  and 
think  their  wild  strawberries  very  superior  in  flavour  to  our 
garden  strawberries  in  England.  The  horses  of  the  country, 
though  small,  are  remarkable  for  their  strength  and  speed. 
He  told  us  that  a  short  time  ago  he  possessed  a  horse  capable 
of  trotting  a  Norway  mile,  when  harnessed  to  a  sledge, 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The   peasants   and  poor  of 

Norway  will  not  eat  rabbits  :  they  fancy  them  too  much  like 
cats.  It  is,  moreover,  difficult  to  make  them  cultivate  the 
potatoe  where  that  vegetable  has  not  been  yet  introduced ; 
so  bigoted  are  they  to  old  habits  in  respect  to  food.  This, 
however,  is  pretty  much  the  case  in  all  countries.  Who  could 
prevail  upon  an  Englishman  of  ordinary  circumstances  to  eat 
a  rat',  or  a  hedgehog?  Yet  these  are  acknowledged  as 
affording  delicious  morsels  in  countries  where  the  inhabitants 
are  not  liable  to  the  same  prejudices. 

We  had  some  conversation  on  the  mode  by  which  justice  is 
administered  in  Norway.  There  are  four  principal  courts  of 
judicature ;  one  in  each  government,  in  which  the  Grand 
Bailif  or  Governor  presides.  From  these,  however,  an  appeal 
lies  to  the  Supreme  Court  at  Copenhagen.     In  the  trial  of  every 

cause, 


(1)  An  officer  of  the  navy  once  told  the  author,  that  rats,  caught  on  board  our  ships  of 
war  and  dressed  as  rabbits,  are  sometimes  considered  as  good  articles  of  food ;  and  he 
confessed  that  he  had  often  relished  a  roasted  rat. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


27 


cause,  a  jury  of  six  men  assists,  not  chosen  as  with  us,  but 
for  life.  There  is  also,  in  every  parish,  a  Commission  of  Con- 
ciliation, before  which  every  cause  must  be  stated,  previous 
to  its  going  into  a  court  of  justice :  and  it  is  the  office  of 
the  commissioners  to  mediate  between  the  parties,  and,  if 
possible,  to  compromise  matters.  The  party  refusing  to 
abide  by  the  opinion  of  the  commissioners  is  condemned  to 
all  the  costs,  if  it  do  not  afterwards  appear  upon  trial  that  he 
was  in  the  right. 

Mr.  Anker  spoke  of  the  connection  of  Noi^way  with 
Denmark  as  most  fatal  to  the  interests  of  the  former.  He 
mentioned,  at  the  same  time,  the  great  attachment  borne  by 
the  Norwegians  towards  the  English,  and  their  hatred  of  the 
Sivedes.  If  Norivay  were  connected  with  England,  and 
the  trade  left  perfectly  free,  it  is  thought  it  would  soon  rise 
to  a  flourishing  state.  This  project  was  once  held  by 
Mr.  Pitt;  and  among  the  Norwegians,,  with,  whom  Copenhagen 
is  considered  as  the  sink  of  all  the  wealth  of  their  country, 
it  would  not  fail  to  meet  with  encouragement.  Indeed, 
such  were  their  feelings  at  this  time  with  regard  to  our  own 
country,  that  we  had  every  reason  to  be  convinced,  if 
Denmark,  as  it  was  expected,  had  entered  into  an  offensive 
alliance  with  France,  the  people  of  Norivay  were  resolved  to 
invite  an  invasion  from  Great  Britain,  and  to  have  acted  in 
concert  with  us  against  the  Danes. 

Norivay  imports  annually  300,000  quarters  of  corn.  Her 
principal  exports  are  deals  and  iron.  Mr.  B.  Anker  possessed 
one  hundred  and  fifty  privileged  saw-mills,  situate  chiefly  in 
the  Glommen,  which  runs  to  Frederickstad.     Indeed,  the  port 

of 


CHAP.  1. 


01 


HUB 


c28 


CHRISTIANIA. 


niAV.  i. 


Commerce  of 
Christ  iania. 


of  Fredericks  fad  was,  for  the  most  part,  possessed  by  two 
merchants;  Mr.  B.  Anker,  and  Mr.  de  Roscncrantz:  the 
former  of  whom  considered  it  as  being  more  advantageous 
to  him  than  all  his  other  possessions,  on  account  of  the 
facility  with  which  all  the  timber  is  floated.  Those  who 
have  forests  up  the  country,  are  obliged  to  transport  the 
timber  on  sledges  in  the  winter,  which  makes  a  great 
difference  in  the  expense,  and,  moreover,  causes  the  delay  of 
a  year.  A  saw-mill  cannot  be  erected  without  a  privilege 
from  the  King. 

The  commerce  of  Christiania  consists  in  the  exportation 
of  timber,  iron,  copper,  alum,  glass,  tar,  and  shins.  The 
value  of  the  exports  amounts  annually  to  the  sum  of  1 50,000/. 
sterling.  The  iron  works  of  Mr.  Peter  Anker  alone  yielded 
annually  ten  thousand  schippunds'  of  iron.  The  best  iron 
which  Norway  produces  comes  from  those  works  :  they  are 
at  Bcerum,  The  deal  planks  from  Christiania  are  in  greater 
estimation  than  any  other.  This  arises  principally  from  the 
great  improvements  made  in  sawing  them,  and  in  cutting  the 
timber  for  the  sawing-mills.  The  Christiania  planks  have  all 
neat  marks  upon  them,  by  which  they  may  be  known. 
Patent  saws  are  used  in  cutting  them ;  and  no  person  is 
allowed  to  saw  timber  for  exportation,  unless  the  patent  saws 
are  used.  The  iron  and  copper  works  belonging  to  Bernard 
Anker  are  situate  at  the  following  places  : — 

Moss. 


{1)  Six  and  one-third  schippunds  of  Norway  are  equal  to  one  English  ton. 


C  H  R I  S  T I A  N I  A. 


2.9 


Moss. — Iron  works,  and  a  foundry  for  casting  cannon,  and  for     chap.  i. 

the  fabrication  of  bar  and  rod  iron,  nails,  &c.  '~>^~ 

Hakkedahls. — Iron  work.  Here  there  is  a  most  complete  fabric 

for  amalgamation,  and  the  richest  copper  ore  found  in  Norway. 
Haddelands. — Copper  work. 
Stukkenbrocks. — Mines,  and  copper-works,  where  there  are 

very  rich  cobalt  ores.     These  are  situate  eight  miles  from 

Kongsberg,  in  the  parish  of  Nummedahl. 

The  annual  imports  of  Christiania  are  valued  at  100,000/. 
sterling.  They  are  principally  from  England,  and  consist  of 
cloth,  stockings,  Norwich  camlets,  hard- ware,  lead,  coal,  &c. 
Add  to  these  100,000  barrels  of  corn  from  Denmark  and  the 
Baltic,  to  the  amount  of  50, 000/.  sterling  annually. 

The  population  of  Chrisliania,  including  that  of  the  old  town  Population. 
of  Opsloe,  where  the  Bishop  of  Agger huus  now  resides,  and  the 
small  suburbs  Scberwiger,  Gronland,  and  Fjerdingen,  amounts 
to  9000  inhabitants.  The  Ring  of  Denmark  receives  annually 
two  millions  from  Norway ;  and  of  this  sum  he  expends  only 
300,000,  of  which  250,000  are  lavished  upon  the  unprofitable 
silver  mines  of  Kongsberg.  The  population  of  all  Norway, 
according  to  an  estimate  brought  down  to  the  present  year, 
amounted  to  970,000  inhabitants,  in  an  extent  of  322  Norway, 
or  2100  English  miles,  from  the  point  of  Lindcrnces  to 
Wardoehuus.  The  corn  required  for  the  whole  country 
amounted  to  600,000  barrels,  at  2i  per  barrel,  or  1,500,000 
rix-dollars,  equal  to  300,000/.  sterling.  The  exportation  of 
all  Norway  was  estimated  at  nine  millions  of  rix-dollars,  or 
1,800,000/.  sterling,  in  addition  to  the  profits  she  derived 
from  the  freights  of  a  great  number  of  ships. 

When 


JHP 


30 


CHRISTIANIA. 


chap.  i.  When  a  stranger  sees  the  magnificent  dinners  to  which  he 
is  invited  in  this  country,  he  naturally  concludes  that  some 
rich  market  has  been  ransacked  to  procure  for  him  an  enter- 
tainment :  yet  not  a  single  article  has  been  purchased  for  the 
occasion.  There  is  no  part  of  Europe  where  more  sumptuous 
or  more  varied  banquets  are  exhibited,  than  in  Christiania ; 
and  yet  the  whole  of  every  entertainment,  as  was  before  stated, 
is  produced  from  the  store-rooms  belonging  to  each  house. 
Manners  of     The  mistress  of  the  family  superintends  and  presides  over 

the  Christi-  . 

anions.  the  whole  ;    and  when  all   is  prepared,  she  comes  forth,  and 

receives  her  company  with  as  much  cheerfulness,  and 
conducts  herself  with  as  much  propriety  and  elegance,  and  as 
much  seeming  indifference  respecting  the  economy  of  her 
table,  as  the  most  "  high-born  dames  in  rooms  of  state." 
It  has  been  said,  that  the  women  of  Norivay  are  domestic 
slaves,  and  their  husbands  domestic  tyrants.  Some  truth, 
we  are  ready  to  allow,  may  be  found  in  the  former  part  of 
this  sweeping  assertion ;  although  there  be  none  whatsoever 
in  the  latter.  But  the  slavery  of  a  Norivegian  wife  is 
voluntary ;  she  delights  in  her  labour,  because  it  is  "  the 
labour  of  love  ;"  and  if  this  be  "  domestic  slavery,"  it  is 
well  repaid  by  domestic  happiness ;  by  a  full  measure  of 
reciprocal  regard  and  affection  in  the  fidelity  and  increasing 
attachment  of  her  husband  :  for  "  as  the  sun  when  it  ariseth 
in  the  high  heaven,  so  is  the  beauty  of  a  good  wife  in  the 
ordering  of  her  house."  An  objection  has  also  been  made 
to  the  Norwegians,  that  they  continue  too  long  at  table  during 
their  meals ;  but  the  English  waste  more  of  their  time  in  the 
same  way  *     It   is  true  that  the  meal  is  longer  in  Norivay; 

because 


CH1USTIANIA. 


31 


because  a  greater  variety  of  dishes  and  wines  are  brought  chap.  i. 
round,  one  after  the  other :  but  no  person  is  pressed  to 
eat :  every  one  takes  or  rejects  what  is  presented  to  him,  as 
he  pleases  :  and  the  conversation  not  being  general,  he 
converses  with  his  neighbour,  or  listens  to  others  more 
disposed  than  himself  to  be  communicative.  At  the  same 
time,  in  describing  the  manners  of  the  people  of  Christiania, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  they  are  not  so  strictly  Norwegian 
as  those  of  Trbnyem.  From  the  more  frequent  intercourse 
which  here  takes  place  with  other  countries,  the  ill  effects  of 
what  is  called  refinement  become  daily  visible,  while  the 
Christianians  retain  a  number  of  barbarisms  which  might 
well  be  laid  aside.  The  good  old  virtues  of  this  country  are 
making  hourly  sacrifices  to  the  follies  and  caprices  of  other 
nations.     To  place  this  in  the  most  striking  point  of  view,  comparison 

r  o    *?  #    t,etween  tne 

nothing  more  is  necessary  than  to  compare   the  manners  of  inhabitants  of 

D  J  *  7  ronyem  and 

the    people  of  Trbnyem  with  those  of   the   inhabitants   of  ch™tianiu- 
Christiania.     In  the  former  of  these  two  cities,  the  Norwe- 
gians appear  as  their  best  friends  would  wish  to  see  them. 
The  inhabitant  of  Trbnyem  cannot  be  better  described  than 
in  the  language  of  one  of  our  English  Poets  : — 

"  An  honest  man,  close  button'd  to  the  chin; 
Broad  cloth  without,  and  a  warm  heart  within." 

The  man  of  Christiania  is  more  a  man  of  the  world,  and 
more  of  a  beau  :  the  respectable  old  custom  of  his  forefathers 
is  laid  aside,  and  with  it  many  of  the  qualifications  which 
render  a  man  amiable  and  praise- worthy.  His  language  is 
more  complimentary,  and  consequently  there  is  less  of  truth 

in 


32  CHRISTIANIA. 

chap.  i.  in  it.  The  native  of  Trdnyem  gives  you  an  invitation  to  Ins- 
table, and  you  find  it  well  supplied ;  but  the  supply  is  such, 
that  you  might  find  it  there  if  you  had  not  been  invited  : 
the  stranger  is  therefore  always  welcomed,  and  with  sincerity,, 
because  his  arrival  causes  neither  interruotion  nor  incon- 
venience.  On  the  other  hand,  the  native  of  C/iristiania. 
prepares  a  feast  so  magnificent,  that  his  guest  perhaps 
regrets  he  was  ever  invited  where  every  thing  tells  him  he  is 
to  be  considered  as  a  stranger ;  and  even  there  an  apology  is 
made  to  him  because  he  has  not  been  provided  with  a  more 
costly  entertainment.  The  inhabitants  of  both  the  one 
and  the  other  make  their  professions  freely,  and  both  are 
men  of  generous  feelings  ;  but  the  profession  on  one  side  is 
sincere,  and  the  proffered  service  marked  by  its  obvious 
utility : — on  the  other,  it  has  more  in  it  of  the  mere  fagon  de 
parler  of  a  polished  people  ;  and  the  generosity  shewn, 
however  proper,  is  sometimes  ostentatious.  In  venturing 
these  remarks,  from  a  due  regard  to  correctness  of  delineation, 
no  refi  ,o  are  aimed  at  any  individuals  whose  names  have 

been  y   mentioned.     The   observations   must  be  con- 

sidered as  directed  towards  a  whole  people,  and  in  the  full 
belief  that  the  same  people  would  subscribe  to  their  accuracy. 
Something  beyond  mere  temporary  impressions  attaches 
the  author  of  these  remarks  to  Norway,  and  to  its  inha- 
bitants. Gratitude  for  the  warmest  hospitality,  and  the 
most  generous  kindness,  might  seem  to  call  for  nothing  but 
expressions  of  acknowledgment  and  of  praise ;  but  it  is  a 
duty  owing  to  those  whom  we  esteem,  to  point  out  the 
channels  by  which  evil  is  communicated  to  them,  and  their 

social 


CHRISTIANIA. 


33 


social  welfare  endangered.     This  danger  arises  from  foreign     chap.  i. 
corruption,   foreign  luxury,  and  foreign  manners.     May  the  Effect  of 

*  Foreign  Tn- 

best  friends  of  Norivay  always  find  it  peopled  by  true  temmrse. 
Norwegians;  by  the  descendants  of  a  race  of  heroes  who 
were  never  enervated  by  vices  of  foreign  growth, — rank 
weeds,  engendered  in  less  healthful  territories,  and  fostered 
by  hotter  suns  !  To  what  other  cause,  than  to  the  intercourse 
with  foreigners,  can  be  attributed  the  change  which  a 
traveller  finds  in  Christiania,  as  to  the  honesty  of  the  lower 
orders  ?  It  has  been  already  mentioned,  as  a  remarkable 
fact,  that  we  never  saw  a  beggar  in  Sweden';  but  Norway 
has  many  beggars,  and  Christiania  is  full  of  them.  In  the 
northern  districts  they  are  less  numerous,  but  here  they 
actually  swarm.  The  very  passages  and  chambers  of  the 
inn  where  we  lodged  were  never  free  from  mendicants  * 
They  would  open  the  doors  of  our  apartments  without 
hesitation,  and  enter  even  into  the  bed-rooms.  If  they 
found  any  person  within,  they  were  clamorous  for  money  : 
if  not,  they  supplied  themselves  with  whatever  they  could 
lay  hold  of  as  most  portable*.  Some  of  them  had  the 
audacity  to  steal  stockings  belonging  to  our  servants,  from 
their  bed-rooms,  before  their  faces.  These,  again,  are  traits 
in  describing  national  manners,  which  will  not    be    quite 

acceptable 


(1)  "  In  passing  through  the  country"  (Sweden),  "which  has  the  character  of  being 
poor,  one  is  surprised  in  never  meeting  with  any  beggars  or  miserable  objects  who 
demand  or  excite  charity.  The  reason,  as  assigned  by  the  Swedes,  is,  that  there  are 
hospitals  for  all  such  persons  ;  and  the  poor,  who  might  be  expected  to  sue  for  charity, 
are  supported  by  their  own  parishes.  The  same  plan  is  in  existence  in  England;  why 
does  it  not  produce  the  same  effect  ?"     Dr.  Fiott  Lee's  MS.  Journal. 

VOL.  VI.  F 


■     ■ 


34 


CHAP.  I. 


Institutions 
for  the  Poor. 


C  H  R  I  S  T I  A  N I  A. 

acceptable  in  the  sight  of  the  Norwegians ;  but  they  arise 
from  that  mixture  with  the  inhabitants  of  other  countries,  to 
which,  as  a  place  of  foreign  commerce,  Christiania  is 
rendered  liable.  The  genuine  native  Norwegian  is  neither  a 
beggar  nor  a  thief.  The  consequence,  however,  of  so  much 
indigence,  mixed  with  so  much  wealth,  is  a  constant  call 
upon  the  rich  to  support  and  maintain  the  poor.  Nothing 
conduces  more  to  keep  the  latter  in  a  state  of  indigence  than 
the  institution  of  public  poor-houses,  however  benevolent 
the  views  of  their  founders.  Bernard  Anker,  the  pattern  in 
his  own  example  of  benevolence  towards  the  poor,  supported 
two  houses  of  this  description  at  his  own  expense ;  but  then 
he  wisely  contrived  that  they  should  become  houses  of 
industry  as  well  as  of  charity'.  He  eminently  possessed 
that  "  voluntary  and  active  charity  which  makes  itself 
acquainted  with  the  objects  which  it  relieves ;  which  seems 
to  feel,  and  to  be  proud  of,  the  bond  which  unites  the  rich 
with  the  poor;  which  enters  into  their  houses;  informs 
itself  not  only  of  their  wants,  but  of  their  habits  and  dis- 
positions; checks  the  hopes  of  clamorous  and  obtrusive 
poverty  with  no  other  recommendation  but  rags ;  and 
encourages  with  adequate  relief  the  silent  and  retiring 
sufferer,   labouring  under   unmerited  difficulties2."     If  ever 

there 


(1)  There  were  two  asylums  for  orphans  ;  one  public,  and  the  other  private.  Both 
were  supported  by  Bernard  Anker,  and  at  his  own  cost. 

(2)  See  the  valuable  chapter  upon  "  The  direction  of  our  Charity/'  by  Professor 
Malthus,  in  his  admirable  work  on  "  The  Principle  of  Population/'  Book  iv.  p.  562. 
London,  1803. 


C  H  R  I  S  T I  A  N  I  A. 


35 


there   were   a    man    in    whose    individual    character    every     chap.  i. 
qualification  had  been  combined,   fitted   to   form  the  patriot,  character  ami 

.  .  Exemplary 

the    statesman,    the    friend    and   guardian  of   society ;    the  conduct  of 

the  two 

deliverer  of  the  needy  ;  the  public  benefactor  ;  the  patron  of  inkers. 
genius,  of  literature,  and  the  arts ;  it  was  Bernard  Anker. 
Nor  let  the  tribute  pass  without  rendering  also  a  due  regard 
to  the  distinguished  virtues  of  his  brother;  who,  retiring 
from  the  noise  and  dissipation  of  cities,  upon  the  borders  of  his 
Norwegian  lake,  and  in  the  solitude  of  his  magnificent  villa, 
dedicated  all  his  hours  to  promote  the  good  of  his  country 
and  the  general  welfare  of  mankind.  And  let  it  be  repeated, 
that  these  men  were  Merchants  of  Christiania.  Excellent 
examples  !  Europe  has  not  had  their  parallel.  Nor  can  the 
history  of  the  world  afford  more  striking  instances  of  the 
national  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  exertions  of 
private  individuals  so  circumstanced  ; — who  directed  the 
streams  of  their  benevolence  into  channels  where  they  might 
flow  to  the  utmost  possible  public  advantage ;  who,  while 
they  "  fed  the  hungry,  and  clothed  the  naked,  and  visited 
the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction, "  were  all  the 
while  engaged  in  active  scenes  of  commerce  ;  and  who 
encouraged  industry,  and  rewarded  merit, — taking  the  most 
especial  care  that  the  means  for  these  great  ends  should 
neither  be  wasted  by  want  of  foresight,  nor  exhausted  by 
indiscriminate  profusion. 


H 


CHAP.  II. 


CHRISTIANIA :    INCLUDING  A  VISIT  TO   THE  SILVER   MINES    OF 

KONGSBERG. 

Want  of  Booksellers  Shops  —  General  aspect  and  condition  of  the 
Streets  —  Cathedral — State  of  Literature — Public  lAbrary — Dr. 
Muller\y  Collection  of  Minerals — Journey  to  Kongsberg — Marble 
Quarries  of  Gilljebek — View  from  Paradise  Hill — Drammen — 
Hogsund — River  Louven — Kongsberg — Original  Discovery  of  the 
Silver  Ore — State  of  the  Works — First  Settlers — Remarkable  Spe- 
cimens of  the  Native  Metal — Wages  of  the  Miners — Present 
Establishment — Cause  of  the  loss  sustained  by  Government — The 
different  Excavations — approach  to  the  IVorks — Geological  nature 
of  the  Mountains — -Manner  in  which  the  Kongsberg  Silver  is 
deposited — Descent  into  the  Mine — Native  Mineral  Carbon — 
Crystallized  Native  Silver — Erroneous  notions  entertained  with  regard 
■to  the  Crystallization  of  Minerals — Metallurgical  operations  for  the 
treatment  of  the  Kongsberg  Ores — Public  Seminary  for  Mineralogy — 
Professor  Esmark — Collection  of  Minerals  belonging  to  the 
Kongsberg  Academy — Customs  shewing  the  common  origin  of  the 

Teutons 


CHRISTIANIA.  37 

Teutons  and  Greeks — Superiority  of  the  Norwegian  Women — Medical 
Properties  of  the  Linnaea  Borealis — Condition  of  the  Peasants — 
Alum  Works — Synthesis  which  takes  place  in  the  production  of 
j4lum — Return  to  Christiania — Public  Balls — Rage  for  English 
Fashions — Further  account  of  Bernard  Anker — Timber  Trade — 
State  of  Religion  in  Norway — Fortress  of  Christiania. 

Xhere  is  not  in  all  Norway  one    bookseller's  shop.      In    chap.  ii. 
Christiania  and  in  Trbnijem  there  are,  it  is  true,  bookbinders  w"»tof 

u  Booksellers' 

and  stationers,  who  sell  a  few  Bibles,  Prayer-books,  and  8I,0i)S- 
Almanacks  ;  but  it  is  in  vain  to  look  for  other  publications. 
The  chief  articles  in  the  shops  are,  grocery,  Manchester- 
cottons,  Birmingham  and  Sheffield  wares  of  the  cheapest 
and  worst  kind,  woollen  drapery,  buckles  and  buttons,  iron 
ware,  hinges  and  locks,  and  such  other  common  articles 
as  may  be  observed  in  the  shops  of  the  poorest  villages  in 
England.     The  widest  streets  of  Christiania  are  not  so  broad  General 

aspect  and 

as  Bond  Street ;  and  in  these  the  shops,  though  numerous,  condition  of 
make  no  figure.  The  pavement,  as  in  some  of  our  old  towns 
where  improvement  has  not  been  attended  to,  slopes  towards 
a  filthy  sewer  in  the  mid-way.  Into  this  middle  channel,  of 
course,  is  cast  all  the  dirt  and  drainage  of  the  houses,  where 
it  is  left  to  stagnate.  Towns  in  which  such  nuisances  are 
tolerated  cannot  be  wholesome  ;  yet  of  this  nature  were 
many  of  the  cities  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans1.     The  streets 

intersect 


the  Streets. 


(l)  That  the  present  state  of  Constantinople  exhibits  what  the  city  was  under  the 
Roman  Emperors,  has  been  already  shewn  in  that  part  of  these  Travels  which  relates  to 
Turkey.  In  the  plates  of  the  magnificent  edition  of  Banduri's  Imperium  Orientate, 
(Paris,  17H,)  there  is  a  series  of  engravings  made  from  the  bas-reliefs  of  the 
Historical  Pillar,  which  exhibit  the  streets  of  Constantinople  as  they  existed  in  the 

time 


$w^^:-*fe>*-$  ^ 


38 


CHRISTIANIA. 


chap,  it.  intersect  at  right  angles,  and  in  all  other  respects  Ckristmnia 
has  been  built  after  a  regular  and  uniform  plan  :  at  the 
intersections  of  the  streets  there  are  conduits  for  supplying 
the  town  with  fresh  water.  The  outsides  of  the  houses  are 
not  so  neat  as  those  of  Tronyem;  neither  has  the  town  by 
any  means  so  cleanly  an  aspect ;  nor  can  it  boast  of  so 
much  picturesque  beauty,  although  its  situation  among 
inlets  of  the  sea  give  it  a  pleasing  appearance.  The 
approach  to  all  the  houses  is  by  a  flight  of  steps.  The  lower 
story  seems  to  be  half  buried,  like  the  offices  for  menials  of 
the  houses  in  London;  and  the  windows  of  these  subterraneous 
apartments  are  protected  from  the  snow  by  a  shed  built  of 
wood,  which  is  made  to  cover  and  close  over  them.  The 
cathedral  is  a  plain  building,  remarkable  only  for  the 
resemblance  which  is  exhibited  in  its  interior  decoration  to 
some  of  our  old  churches  in  England,  where  the  pews  of 
the  principal  families,  like  so  many  separate  oratories,  are 
surrounded  by  high  clumsy  partition  sides,  containing  case- 
ment windows,  glazed2.     Such  pews  are  suspended  over  the 

aisles 


Cathedral. 


time  of  Arcadius:  and  in  these  engravings  the  Roman  infantry  is  represented  upon  a 
high  causeway,  serving,  as  it  does  now,  for  the  foot  passengers ;  while  the  cavalry  occupy 
the  deep  midway  channel,  which,  at  present,  is  always  filled  with  all  the  ordure  and 
refuse  cast  from  the  houses.  Here  also  the  wretched  captives,  dragged  in  triumph  after 
the  chariots  of  the  Roman  army,  were  made  to  walk. 

(2)  Many  years,  in  all  probability,  will  not  elapse  before  every  trace  of  these  old 
Gothic  pews  will  have  disappeared  from  our  churches.  They  were  constructed  in 
times  of  feudal  splendour,  when  the  persons  of  high-born  dames  were  deemed  too 
sacred  to  become  the  gaze  of  the  profane  vulgar.  Even  during  the  solemnities  of 
public  devotion,  a  certain  degree  of  seclusion  from  the  rest  of  the  congregation  was 
resorted  to  as  a  mark  of  their  distinction  j  and  their  appearance  in  the  church  was  like 

that 


CHRXSTIANIA.  3.9 

aisles  in  the  church  at  Christiama.  We  visited  this  building  chap.  ii. 
during  divine  service,  upon  a  Sunday,  in  the  morning.  It 
was  a  very  fine  day,  yet  there  were  not  twenty  persons 
assembled  :  and,  judging  from  our  casual  visit  upon  this 
occasion,  we  concluded  that  the  duties  of  the  Sabbath  are 
less  regarded  here  than  in  any  other  town  of  equal  size  in 
Europe.  Over  the  altar  we  observed  a  representation  of  the 
Last  Supper,  in  very  barbarous  wooden  sculpture.  The  figures 
were  as  large  as  life;  and,  among  these,  an  image  of 
St.  John  had  been  squeezed  in  between  the  table  and  the 
effigy  of  our  Saviour,  in  a  most  ludicrous  manner,  as  if  about 
to  be  strangled.  Being  at  a  loss  to  reconcile  this  situation 
of  the  Evangelist  with  any  thing  related  of  him  in  the 
Gospels,  we  applied  for  information  to  others  who  were 
better  informed  ;  who  told  us  that  it  was  necessary  he 
should  be  so  placed,  that  he  might  appear  as  in  the  bosom  of 
Jesus. 

The  literature  of  Christiania.  although  an  Episcopal  See,  is  State  °f 

b  r  r  '         Literature. 

at  a  low  ebb.  It  cannot  be  otherwise,  separated  as  this 
place  is  from  the  mother  country,  without  a  University,  and 
without  the  common  convenience  even   of  a  Bank  for  its 

commerce : 


that  of  Turkish  ladies  in  a  mosque,  being  shut  up  in  cages  fronted  with  trellis-work. 
Some  of  these  cages  yet  exist  in  old  English  churches.  There  is  one  in  the  Church  of 
Hothfield  in  Kent,  belonging  to  the  noble  family  of  the  Tuftons,  Earls  of  Thanet.  The 
remains  of  others  may  be  seen  in  various  parts  of  our  island.  Another  mark  of  the 
striking  similarity  of  manners  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  countries,  is  the 
practice  which  exists  in  England  and  in  Norway  of  dividing  the  lower  orders  of  the 
congregations  according  to  their  sexes  j  making  the  men  sit  apart  from  the  women, 
during  divine  service. 


* 


40  CHRISTIANIA. 

chap.ii.  commerce:  consequently,  it  has  produced  no  eminent  literary 
characters.  But  Norway,  in  general,  has  produced  many  : 
as,  for  example,  the  celebrated  Baron  Ludivig  Holberg,  who 
founded  the  Academy  of  Soroe,  and  was  the  author  of  works 
in  history  and  poetry ;  Bishop  Pontoppidan,  who  wrote  the 
History  of  Norway,  a  very  jejune  performance,  and  unfor- 
tunately the  only  one  that  has  been  translated  into  English; 
Professor  Schonning,  who  wrote  the  best  history,  and  several 
dissertations  upon  the  Antiquities  of  Norway;  Bishop 
Gunnerus,  who  founded  the  Royal  Society  of  Sciences  at 
Tronyem,  and  wrote  upon  the  Natural  History  of  Norivay ; 
Professor  Vahl,  one  of  the  best  botanists  in  Europe:  add  to 
these,  the  old  historians  Tormadus  Torfceus  and  Snorro 
Sturleson.  But  although  Christiania  may  have  been  deficient  in 
the  higher  walks  of  literature,  it  has  not  been  without  poets, 
as  in  the  instance  of  Tullin;  nor  without  men  of  eloquence, 
as  in  the  examples  of  the  Bishops  Hersleb  and  Deichmann.  In 
the  rest  of  Norivay,  poets  have  been  numerous  ;  as  in  the 
examples  afforded  by  Nordahl  Brnnn,  Hans  Bull,  Pram, 
Stockfletts,  Vibe,  Zellitz,  Fasting,  Rein,  Schmidt,  Vessel, 
Steenersen,  Storm,  &c.  ; — names  familiar  among  "  old 
Duovre's  Echoes,"  although  hitherto  unheard  in  Britain;  and 
as  little  known  in  any  other  part  of  Europe,  as  the  Songs  ot: 
the  Scalds,  who  accompanied  the  armies  of  their  ancestors, 
and  were  as  necessary  to  the  prowess  of  a  Norwegian,  as 
either  Druid,  or  Bard,  among  the  Celts.  Poetry  has  been 
long  cultivated  in  Norway,  and  it  was  held  in  esteem  among 
the  inhabitants  from  the  earliest  periods  of  their  history. 
"  The  Muse  had  broke    the  twilight  gloom,"  long  before 

they 


CHRISTIANIA. 


41 


they  had  any  literary  communication  with  more  civilized 
nations.  Their  poetry,  therefore,  such  as  it  is,  must  be 
regarded  as  their  own :  it  may  be  compared  indeed  to  the 
streams  from  their  native  mountains,  rolling  impetuously 
along  their  valleys,  but  unmixed  with  a  single  drop  from  any 
of  the  waters  of  Helicon. 

As  connected  with  this  subject,  the  literature  of 
Christiania,  we  shall  now  mention  its  Public  Library.  It 
was  the  legacy  of  Mr.  Deichmann,  a  native  of  Norway.  The 
anti-room  contains  a  curious  painting  by  John  de  Mabeuse, 
well  worth  the  notice  of  those  who  are  interested  in  viewing 
the  early  productions  of  the  art  ;  also  a  complete  set  of 
antient  and  valuable  engravings  from  the  Cartoons  of 
Raphael.  Within  the  library  there  are  no  classic  authors : 
it  consists  chiefly  of  modern  historians  ;  but  there  are  some 
copies  of  more  antient  writers  upon  Denmark  and  Norway. 
We  saw  a  very  fine  edition  of  the  Latin  translation  of 
Snorro,  which  was  printed,  in  folio,  at  Copenhagen,  in  the 
year  1/77:  also  a  copy  of  the  French  folio  Encyclopedic; 
and  the  superb  Danish  botanical  work,  entitled  Flora  Danica. 
Among  the  rest,  amounting  to  some  thousand  volumes,  there 
were  few  worth  notice.  They  had  no  Icelandic  manuscripts  ; 
but  we  saw  here  a  curious  collection  of  medals,  and  many 
valuable  minerals.  In  the  mint  ralogical  series  there  were 
three  hundred  different  specimens  of  silver  from  the  works 
at  Kongsberg  and  other  Norwegian  mines.  But  every  thing 
of  this  kind,  in  Norivay,  is  eclipsed  by  the  cabinet  of 
minerals  belonging  to  Dr.  Mailer  \  to  which,  as  we  had  free 
access,  during  our  stay  here,  we  often  resorted.  We  shall, 
vol.  vi.  g  therefore, 


CHAP.  II. 


Public  Li- 
brary. 


Dr.  Muller'a 
Collection  of 
Minerals. 


■ 


42 


C  H  R I S  T I A  N  I  A. 


chap.  ii.    therefore,   now   add    a    few    observations    concerning   this 
valuable  collection,  and  its  very  worthy  owner. 

Dr.  Miiller  is  a  native  of  Denmark.      He  was  once  well 
known  in  London,   where  he   distinguished  himself  by  his 
talents,  as  a  physician,  a  chemist,  and  a  mineralogist.      In  our 
country  he  was  the  friend  and  follower  of  Hunter ;  and  was 
the  first  person  who  publickly  delivered  lectures  in  Mineralogy 
in  our  metropolis.      Dr.  Babington,  who  has  since  composed 
a   System  of  Mineralogy,  was  one  of  his  pupils.     Upon  the 
continent    he  was  successively    the    disciple    of   Lavoisier, 
Klaproth,  and  others  :  in  Germany  he  studied  under  Werner  ; 
and  in  Holland  obtained  the  prize-medals  for  his  compositions 
in  Latin  poetry.      His  collection  of  minerals  at  Christiania, 
which  he  has  annually  augmented,  and  kept  with  uncommon 
neatness  and  care,   is  the  most  beautiful,  and,  if  we  except 
that    of    Assessor  EsmarJc,    at  Kongsberg,    also    the    most 
geognostic    of     any    in    all    the     north     of  Europe.       It 
amounted,  at  this  time,     to   upwards    of  4000  specimens. 
But  what  rendered  it  particularly  valuable  in  our  estimation, 
was,    that   it    contained    many   specimens    illustrating    the 
mineralogy  of  our   island,  which  cannot  be  seen  in  our  own 
country,  because  they  are  not  now  found  in  Britain.     The 
interesting  varieties  of  tin  oxide,  in  the  form  of  stalactites, 
whether    as    wood-tin,    or  under  any  other    trivial    name, 
together  with  a  copious  series  of  crystals  from  the  mines  of 
Cornwall,  were  the  finest  specimens  we  had  ever  seen.     To 
these  were  added  a  beautiful  series  of  bituminous  bodies, 
selected  under  circumstances  of  association,   all  of  which 
were  calculated  to  illustrate  some  fact  in  the  natural  history 

of 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


43 


of  the  mineral,  or  to  confute  some  prevailing  error.  Among  chap.  ii. 
the  English  minerals  we  also  saw  varieties  of  actynolite,  and 
of  asbestus,  from  the  western  coast  of  Scotland;  extraneous 
fossils  from  our  limestone  quarries ;  and  varieties  of  granite, 
and  other  compound  minerals,  from  the  quarries  of  Aberdeen. 
Among  the  foreign  minerals  were  specimens  of  the  utmost 
rarity ;  such  as  rubies  and  diamonds  in  their  matrices ; 
together  with  an  important  series  from  the  Sivedish  and 
Nonuegian  mines,  identifying  many  substances  which  have 
been  separated  in  all  the  most  celebrated  systems  of 
mineralogy1.  Add  to  these  the  most  magnificent  specimens 
of  native  gold,  silver,  antimony,  iron,  and  copper,  which  any 
collection  in  Europe  can  boast ;  and  some  idea  may  be  formed 
of  the  importance  and  riches  of  this  remarkable  cabinet. 
Dr.  Mutter  has  also  an  extensive  knowledge  of  botany,  and 
possesses  a  valuable  Herbarium. 

It  was  in  company  with  this  gentleman,  and  our  English  Journey 

Kongsberg 

friends,  Messrs.  Kent  and  J  arret,  together  with  a  little  boy, 
the  son  of  Dr.  Mutter,  that  we  set  out  for  the  Kongsberg 
mines.  We  left  Christiania  upon  the  twentieth  of  October, 
in  a  coach  and  four,  followed  by  our  phaeton  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  horses.  The  roads  were  very  bad,  and  at  this  season 
of  the  year  rendered  almost  impassable  by  the  depth  of  the 

mud 


(l)  For  the  mineralogical  reader  it  will  be  proper  to  mention  a  few  instances  of  this 
nature  ;  tending  to  simplify  the  science  of  mineralogy,  and  to  curtail  it  of  many  super- 
fluous names.  Dr.  Muller  has  succeeded  in  identifying  amphibole  with  tremolite  or 
grammatite ;  also  pyroxene  with  all  the  substances  called  kokkolite,  sahlite,  mussite, 
alalite,  and  diopside ;   and  again,  Gabronite  with  Scapolile  and  Wernerile. 


W^Sri*        jo-s 


44 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


Marble  Quar 
ries  of  Gi//- 
tebek, 


chap.  ii.  mud  which  covered  them.  Our  route  lay  along  the  coast 
upon  the  western  side  of  the  bay,  affording  beautiful  views 
of  the  distant  islands.  We  changed  horses  at  Ravensborg 
and  Gilljebek1.  After  passing  Gilljebek,  at  the  distance  of 
about  an  English  mile,  we  came  to  the  marble  quarries  upon 
Paradise  Hill.  Here  we  halted ;  and  collected  from  the 
quarries  a  few  very  interesting  minerals,  for  which  this  vein 
of  transition  marble2  is  remarkable  ;  namely,  ashestiform 
tremolite,  containing  imbedded  crystals  of  dodecahedral 
green  garnets,  and  also  dodecahedral  crystals  of  green 
carbonated  lime,  which  seem  to  have  owed  their  form  to 
cavities  left  by  the  garnets :  they  were  not,  however,  hollow, 
as  pseudomorphose  crystals  generally  are ;  and  might  easily 
be  confounded  with  the  garnets,  from  their  resemblance  in 
size,  colour,  and  form.  The  geological  features  exhibited  by 
the   rocks  at  Gilljebek  are  indeed  remarkable :    the  marble 

lies 


(1)  These  places  are  named  as  they  appear  in  P  on  (oppidan*  s  large  map.  They  are 
pronounced  Ravensburg  and  Giellebeck. 

(2)  All  the  rocks  here  have  been  described  by  Von  Buck  as  belonging  to  the  transition 
formation  ;  otherwise  this  marble  is,  to  all  appearance,  of  the  kind  called  primitive 
marble.  It  has  the  same  crystalline  structure,  and  the  same  whiteness.  Speaking  of  the 
rocks  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Christiania,  Von  Buck  says,  "  I  found  here  stones 
which  were  never  supposed  to  be  in  the  transition  mountains,  but  which  were  here  seen 
with  such  a  distinctness  of  stratification,  that  not  a  doubt  could  remain  as  to  their  relations 
in  'this  respect :  #  *  *  #  Porphyry  in  immense  mountains  reposing  on  limestone 
full  of  petrifactions  ;  a  syenite  over  this  porphyry,  consisting  almost  entirely  of  coarse- 
granular  feldspar ;  and  in  the  same  manner,  a  granite  not  different  throughout  in  its 
composition  from  the  granite  of  the  oldest  mountains.  Granite  above  transition 
limestone  !  Granite  as  a  member  of  the  transition  formation  !"  Von  Buch's  Travels 
through  Norway,  &c,p.  45.   Lond.  1813. 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


45 


lies  upon  a  stratum  of  granite,  and  beneath  the  granite  occurs  chap.  ii. 
a  schistose  porphyry.  This  porphyry  in  several  places  rises 
to  the  surface  ;  the  basaltic  hills  near  Drammen,  mentioned 
by  Linnceus  as  a  species  of  trap,  being  composed  of  it. 
Many  varieties  of  porphyry  are  found  upon  Paradise  Hill ; 
also  red  and  grey  granite ;  green  jasper,  and  ribbon-jasper ; 
and  red  and  yellow  feldspar.  In  the  pavement  of  the  streets 
of  Christiania,  there  had  been  found,  by  Dr.  M'dller,  blocks 
of  ribbon-jasper ;  but  in  our  own  observations  upon  the 
jasper  found  here,  and  also  near  Christiania,  we  should,  in 
some  instances,  almost  hesitate  to  consider  it  as  jasper;  that 
is  to  say,  as  a  pure  hydrate  of  silica.  It  seemed  rather  a  kind 
of  rock  flint,  approaching  in  its  degree  of  hardness  to  that 
of  jasper,  but  having  a  more  earthy  fracture,  and  not  being 
susceptible  of  so  high  a  polish.  The  proportion  of  alumina 
in  the  stone  seemed  to  be  very  considerable  ;  and  so  it  is 
indeed  in  some  of  the  varieties  of  jasper  said  to  have  been 
analyzed  by  Kirwan3  and  Rose4;  but  the  fact  is,  we  have  no 
good  analysis  of  the  substance  commonly  called  jasper; 
and  hence  the  ambiguity  attached  to  all  the  descriptions  of 
this  mineral.  The  name  is  sometimes  applied  to  veined 
agate,  a  compound  mineral  consisting  of  chalcedony  and 
quartz;  sometimes  to  striped  chalcedony;  and  even  in  some 
instances  to  greenstone  trap,  where  the  paste  is  fine,  and  the 
particles  of  this  aggregate  too  minute  to  be  discerned  by  the 

naked 


(3)  See  Allan's  Synoptic  Tables,  Tab.  xxii.    Edin.  1S14. 

(4)  Ibid. 


■ 


»V^*-'V 


46 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


View  from 
Paradise  Hill 


Drammen. 


chap.  ii.  naked  eye.  Still  more  frequently  has  the  name  been  applied 
to  hornstone;  especially  when  the  layers  of  hornstone  are  of 
different  colours,  so  as  to  occasion  the  striped  appearance 
which  gives  rise  to  the  appellation  of  ribbon-jasper. 

From  Paradise  Hill  we  had  a  delightful  view  of  the 
whole  of  Leer  Valley,  with  the  towns  of  Tangen,  Stromsoe, 
and  Bragernces;  which  go  under  one  common  name  of 
Drammen,  owing  to  the  river  Drammen,  whereon  these 
towns  are  situate.  The  descent  upon  Drammen,  as  it  is 
thus  called,  may  be  reckoned  among  the  finest  things  in 
Norway.  To  the  right  of  the  spectator  rise  mountains  of 
basaltic  porphyry ;  towards  the  left  and  in  front  extends  a 
magnificent  valley,  combining  almost  every  thing  that  nature 
and  art  can  contribute  to  render  such  a  prospect  pleasing  to 
the  eye ;  upland  and  dale,  and  rocks  and  woods  and  water, 
decorating  the  smiling  scenes  of  human  industry,  and 
appearing  with  an  aspect  of  greater  cheerfulness,  because 
garnished  with  many  picturesque  buildings,  denoting  a 
numerous  and  thriving  population l.  The  people  of  Drammen 
are  said  to  be  richer  than  those  of  Christiania;  but  they  lead 
a  more  private  and  retired  life.  The  principal  resident 
foreigners  are  from  Holland;  and  these  Dutch  families  may 
be  considered  as  holding  a  station  at  Drammen  similar  to 
that  of  the  English  in  Christiania.      There  are  also  some 

Italians 


(l)  "So  thickly  peopled,"  says  Mr.  Coxe,  "  that  every"  fifty  yards  we  observed  a 
cottage,  and  for  several  miles  together  seemed  to  pass  through  a  continued  village." 
Travels  into  Norway,  vol.  V.  p.  232.    Lond.  1791. 


-J : : : : : i 


TO1WAT  and  SWEUEJ, 

.'■ '  Wlflg 

fibc.  ENVIM0W&  of  CWMZSTIANIA 
and  dbe,  wa  - 

ROUTE 

.     FMOWJMJll^Jt: 
.MIMPSTAID^  SWEDEI 


30 


i 


//  Million-,  sculp 


Ill 


VISIT  TO  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


47 


Italians  settled  here,  who  are  in  a  flourishing  way.     The    chap.  ii. 
timber  of  Drammen  does  not  find  a  market  in  England;  the 
deal  planks  being  short  and  bad  :  but  it  goes  to  Holland,  and 
is  there  sold. 

We  changed  horses  at  Bragernces,  and  came  to  Hogsund;  Hogsund. 
having  pursued  our  course  through  a  populous  and 
delightful  valley,  along  the  banks  of  the  Drammen.  The 
situation  of  Hogsund,  on  the  river  and  near  to  a  cataract 
which  turns  some  saw-mills,  gives  it  considerable  beauty. 
The  clouds  were  now  low,  and  hung  in  various  fantastic 
shapes  upon  the  mountains.  Hence  the  distance  to  Kongsberg 
is  two  Norwegian  miles,  over  a  very  hilly  road.  Leaving 
Hogsund,  we  were  ferried  over  the  river,  and  continued  our  River  Louve 
route  to  Kongsberg,  upon  the  Louven*.  We  passed  a  small  but 
pleasing  lake  upon  our  left.  Towards  Kongsberg  the  moun- 
tains became  higher,  and  more  denuded  towards  their 
summits.  We  descended  a  long  and  steep  hill  into  the  town 
of  Kongsberg ,  entering  it  by  a  wooden  bridge  over  a  roaring 
cataract  of  the  river  Louven,  which  made  a  most  tremendous 
appearance  at  this  season ;  perhaps  owing  to  the  late  rains, 
which  might  have  given  a  character  of  more  terrific  gran- 
deur to  this  fall  of  water  than  it  usually  possesses. 

A  man  must  be  indifferent  indeed  to  natural  history,  who  Kmgsierg. 
does  not  feel  some  degree  of  curiosity  respecting  Kongsberg, 
in  whose  mines  a  mass   of  native  silver  was  found,    in  one 

entire 


(2)  See  the  Map. 


H 


48 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


Original  dis- 
eovery  of  the 

silver  ore. 


chap.  ii.  entire  piece,  weighing  nearly  six  hundred  pounds'.  But, 
independently  of  its  mineral  celebrity,  Kongshcrg,  as  a  hand- 
some town,  is  a  place  of  considerable  distinction  in  Norway. 
The  streets  are  wide,  and  many  of  the  houses  are  neat  and 
well-buiit.  Its  very  existence,  however,  is  owing  to  the  exca- 
vations carried  on  here  in  search  of  precious  ore ;  for  when 
this  was  first  discovered,  there  was  hardly  a  cottage  near  the 
spot.  This  event  took  place  in  the  year  l623,2  by  means  of 
a  boy,  whose  foot,  in  pursuing  some  cattle,  was  arrested  and 
caught  by  a  hook  or  thread  of  native  silver  projecting  above 
the  surface  of  the  rock.  Very  different  accounts  are  given 
respecting  the  profits  which  the  Danish  Government  has 
derived  from  the  Kongsberg  mines :  the  general  opinion, 
however,  seems  to  be,  that  the  undertaking  is  attem  d  with 
loss.  It  was  stated  to  us  upon  authority  which  we  were 
inclined  to  credit,  because  coming  from  those  who  had  the 
principal  management  of  the  works,  that  the  annual  loss  to 

Government 


(1)  "  Quid  Norvegiae  in  fodinis  Kongsbergensibus,  ubi  jam  per  seculum  vix  nisi 
argentum  nativum  et  semel  iterumque  etiam  aurum,  tanquam  aurae  melioris  progenies, 
in  lucem  et  diem  gelidissimum  plenissimo  saepe  cornu  prodierat,  cujus  annuum  pro- 
ventum  ab  anno  1711,  ad  1724,  sistere  volupe  est,  ut  inde  miranda  naturae  phaenomena 
in  regno  subterraneo  existentia  luculentius  contemplari  liceat."  Svedenborg  in  prccfat. 
"  Regni  Subterranii." 

(2)  Pontoppidan  is  agreed  as  to  the  date  of  the  discovery,  but  differs  as  to  the 
manner  of  its  being  made.  He  relates  a  somewhat  improbable  story  of  the  herdsmen 
pelting  each  other  with  the  ore.  (See  Nat.  Hist,  of  Norway,  vol.  I.  p.  183.  Lond. 
1/55.)  And  the  story  of  the  boy,  whose  foot  was  caught  by  a  thread  of  native  silver, 
is  too  much  of  a  piece  with  the  circumstance  related  as  to  the  origin  of  the  famous 
Peruvian  mine,  not  to  suppose  that  the  two  narratives  had,  at  the  least,  a  common 
origin. — The  discovery  of  the  rich  mine  of  Potosi  is  said  to  have  happened  on  the  24th 
of  April,  1545. 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG.  4,9 

Government  amounted  to  240,000  rix-dollars  :  and  when  we  ghap.il 
inquired,  why,  under  such  circumstances,  the  excavations 
were  continued,  we  were  told  that  the  employment  given  to 
a  great  number  of  inhabitants,  who  would  otherwise  be 
without  the  means  of  subsistence,  induced  the  Danish 
Government  to  persevere.  But  that  an  endeavour  is  making 
to  contract  the  works,  is  plain  from  this  circumstance,  that 
every  miner  is  encouraged  to  leave  Kongsberg  by  a  premium 
offered  to  him  of  a  year's  pay  after  his  departure.  The 
very  nature  of  the  mine  must  have  given  rise  to  extraordinary 
vicissitudes  of  hope  and  disappointment ;  because,  as  the 
search  is  carried  on  in  pursuit  of  imbedded  masses  of  native 
metal,  dispersed  for  the  most  part  in  capillary  forms  and 
unconnected  lamina?,  rather  than  in  any  regular  veins,  it 
must  happen  that  the  labour  will  frequently  prove  abortive 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  and,  at  intervals,  be 
perhaps  attended  with  sudden  and  unexpected  success. 
Pontoppidan,  whose  account  of  the  works  here  was  written 
in  1751,  calls  it3  "  the  present  flourishing  mine  at  Kongsberg." 
He  says,  that,  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge,  it  is  "  the  most  state  of  the 
considerable  and  of  the  greatest  profit  of  any  mine  in 
Europe;  and  in  respect  of  pure  massy  silver  veins,  quite 
inexhaustible."  The  first  inhabitants   of   the  new-built  First  Settlers, 

town  of  Kongsberg,  when  the  works  commenced  under  the 
auspices  of  Christian  the  Fourth,  were  miners  from  Germany ; 
and  they  were  the   ancestors  of  the   many  thousands   now 

living 


(3)    Nat.  Hist,  of  Norway,  Vol.  I.  p.  183^    Lond.  1/55. 
VOL.  VI.  H 


£$q&         sjgR 


50 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG, 


chap.  ii.    living  there.     In  process  of  time,  the  German  settlers  mixed 

with  the  other  inhabitants;  and  now  all  of  them  are  under  the 

Remarkable     direction  and  government  of  the  College  of  Miners.  The  silver, 

Specimens  of  ° 

Metal"11  ve  as  ^  was  Def°re  stated,  occurs  in  lumps  of  native  metal :  but  so 
unusual  is  this  circumstance,  that  when  the  mine  was  first  dis- 
covered, many  refused  to  give  credit  to  the  fact  of  such  masses 
being  actually  brought  to  light.  We  shall  mention  some  of  the 
most  considerable.  The  first,  is  that  preserved  in  the  Royal 
Museum  at  Copenhagen1 ;  its  weight  being  five  hundred  and 
sixty  Danish  pounds,  and  its  value  five  thousand  rix-dollars2. 
It  is  a  mass  of  native  silver  nearly  six  feet  in  length,  and  in 
one  part  above  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  Similar  masses 
were  discovered  in  the  year  1630,  and  in  171Q>  and  in  1/27, 
which  severally  weighed  from  two  hundred  and  fifty,  to  two 
hundred  and  eighty,  and  three  hundred  pounds,  each.  In 
the  shaft  called  St.  Andrew,  a  piece  of  pure  silver  was  found, 
in  1727,  weighing  two  hundred  and  seventy-nine  pounds; 
and,  in  the  same  year,  another,   weighing  three  hundred  and 

four 


(1)  See  the  account  of  Copenhagen,  Part  III.  Sect.  I.  of  these  Travels,  p.  78.  Land. 
I8I9. 

(2)  Pontoppidan  says  it  is  the  same  of  which  the  measure  in  Danish  feet,  &c.  is 
thus  given  by  Olig.  Jacobeus,  in  his  Museum  Regium,  p.  3 1 .  "  Minera  ingens  argenti 
ex  fudinis  Norvegice,  pedum  quinque  et  pollicum  sex  longitudinem  cequat,  crassitiem 
verb  in  circumferentia  pedum  qautuor."  And  the  dimensions,  as  here  stated,  seem  to 
coincide  with  our  own  measurement  of  the  specimen  now  preserved  in  the  Royal 
Cabinet.  "  Anno  1666,  d.  24.  Augusti  ex  fodina  Now.  Regiomontana,  quae  Novce  Spei 
appellator  vulgb,  extracta  est  560  librarum  pondere,  et  a  prcefecto  fodince  mtmoratce, 
pretio  5000  Imperialium  estimata.  Huic  non  dissimilis  massa,  anno  1630,  regnante  in 
Dania  divo  Christiano  Quarto,  ex  fodina  Norvegica  quce  Benedictio  Divina  vulgb,  eruta 
est,  quce  3272  Imperialium  pretio  estimata." 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


51 


four    pounds,  was    found    in   God 's- Blessing  shaft.      These    chap.il 
occasional  masses,   occurring  casually  in  the  rock,  and  being 
soon  interrupted  in   their  passage  through  it,  or  dwindling 
gradually    to   nothing,    the    miner    must    continue   to  dig 
through  the  barren  stone  until  he  has  the  good  fortune  to 
meet  with  more  of  the  same  nature,  which  in  one  day  may 
reward  the  fruitless  labour  of  months,  and  perhaps  of  years. 
Pontoppidan  says,  that  after  the  discouragements  of  a  long 
and  fruitless  toil  through  the  barren   interstices  of  the  mine, 
"  it    suddenly  exhibits  several  thousand  pounds  weight   of 
silver,  and  thus  discharges  all  arrears  and  embarrassments, 
and  animates  to  further  prosecution."       Such  was  the  state- 
ment made  by  a  writer  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury.    According  to  the  account  given  to  us  by  the  present 
Governor,  130,000  dollars  are  coined  annually  from  the  pro- 
duce of  three  mines.     In  general,  2300  men  are  employed, 
who  earn  each  about  a  shilling  a  day  of  our  money.     This  Wages  of  the 

Mines. 

seems  very  little  ;  but,  in  addition,  the  King  always  supplies 
the  miners  with  corn  at  a  fixed  price,  much  below  the 
average  value.  At  this  time,  the  price  of  rye,  per  ton,  was 
six  dollars  and  a  half,  and  the  miners  were  allowed  rye  at  two 
dollars.  The  miners  work  from  five  to  one  o'clock,  summer 
and  winter.  When  they  work  in  the  afternoon,  they  are 
paid  an  extra  allowance.  There  is  generally  employment 
for  the  children  of  the  miners  at  twelve  years  of  age.  The 
principal  bed  of  this  mineral  treasure  is  a  mountain 
between  two  small  rivers,  the  Kongsberg  and  the  Jordal, 
which   fall   from   the   westward   Blee-Field  Alps    into    the 

Louvefi. 


Oc2  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 

chap.  ii.  Louven1.  But  the  silver  is  not  limited  to  this  mountain  ;  it 
extends  its  deposits  for  some  miles  throughout  all  the 
adjacent  districts :  this  is  proved  by  the  new  mines  which 
from  time  to  time  have  been  undertaken  in  several  places.  The 
mine,  or  shaft,  called  Old  God's  Blessing,  one  of  the  most 
antient  and  most  rich,  has  sometimes  within  a  week  yielded 
some  hundreds  of  pounds  of  pure  native  metal.  It  is  nearly 
two  hundred  fathoms  in  depth,  and  the  circumference  at  the 
bottom  forms  a  clear  space  of  several  hundred  fathoms2. 
When  Pontoppidan  drew  up  his  account  of  the  Kongsberg 
mines,  the  annual  produce  amounted  in  value  to  "  a  tun  of 
gold    and  a   half,    and   sometimes  three  quarters."  The 

Present  Esta-  number  of  the  officers  of  all  ranks,  the  daily  miners, 
labourers,  and  pensioners,  exclusive  of  their  children  and 
families,  who  had  their  daily  support  here,  according  to  the 
establishment,  amounted  to  near  five  thousand  persons3; 
and    the    number    of    all    the    inhabitants    of    Kon&sbers. 

cause  of  the    to  between  ten  and  eleven  thousand  souls.     To  the  great 

loss  sustained 

number  of  officers,  under  the  names  of  Intendants  and 
Assessors,  possessing  salaries  from  Government,  is  owing  the 
vast  expense  of  these  works  to  the  nation.  These  officers, 
in  fact,  engross  a  considerable  part  of  the  profits ;  and  if,  as 
it  is  very  possible,  their   number  were  to  be  reduced,    the 

profits 


Loss 

by  Govern 

merit. 


(1)  See  the  Map. 

(2)  Ponloppidan's  Nat.  Hist,  of  Norway,  vol,  I.  chap.  8.  sect.  iv.  Lond.  1/55. 

(3)  Ibid. 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


53 


profits  from  the  mines  would  be  more  sensibly  felt.  By  dis- 
missing a  number  of  such  persons,  half  of  whom  can  only  be 
considered  as  drones,  and  augmenting  the  number  of  miners,  the 
working  bees, — that  is  to  say,  of  those  actually  employed  in 
useful  labour, —  the  finances  of  the  Kongsberg  establishment 
would  soon  begin  to  wear  a  more  promising  appearance. 
From  the  lavish  expenditure  of  the  public  money,  the  want 
of  economy  visible  in  every  part  of  the  establishment,  and 
the  want  also  of  that  vigilance  which  is  necessary  to  prevent 
embezzlement  where  precious  metal  is  brought  to  light  in  a 
state  actually  ready  for  the  mint,  it  was  easy  to  perceive, 
during  our  own  examination  of  what  was  going  on  here, 
that  the  works  were  not  the  property  of  individuals ;  but 
that,  as  they  belonged  to  the  crown,  so  they  were  open  to 
all  manner  of  peculation,  no  one  feeling  a  sufficient  degree 
of  interest  in  their  prosperity  to  prevent  waste,  or  even 
robbery. 

The  mountain  on  which  the  mines  nearest  to  the  town  are 
situate  is  about  1295  French  feet  (l 498  Danish  feet)  above 
Ko7igsberg,  which  itself  lies  926  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Many  of  the  neighbouring  mountains  are  much 
higher.  The  base  of  those,  in  general,  in  which  the  silver 
is  found,  is  chiefly  hornblende  and  mica,  but  the  veins  of  ore 
are  contained  in  red  transition  granite.  The  deepest  of  the 
Kongsberg  mines  measures  375  fathoms  perpendicular  from 
the  surface.  The  richest  of  them  all  now  affords  very  little 
ore :  its  appellation  is  nevertheless  curious — "  God's  help,  in 
time  of  need;'*  and  it  will  become  "  a  time  of  need"  in  reality 
to  these  pjor  people,  if   the  mines  should  altogether  fail. 

No 


CHAP.  II. 


The  differenl 

excavations. 


&*jh  a*,  a 


54 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


Approach  to 
the  Works. 


chap.  ii.  No  less  than  H,ooo  families  are  either  immediately  dependent 
upon  them  for  their  support,  or  collaterally  derive  from  the 
mines  their  means  of  subsistence.  Of  this  number,  2300  are 
miners  :  but  there  are  7000  families  in  Kongsberg  maintained 
entirely  by  the  works  ;  and  also  an  equal  or  greater  number 
in  the  country,  who,  either  by  procuring  fuel  for  the  smelting- 
houses,  or  in  some  other  way  contributing  by  their  industry 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  mining  establishment,  are  entirely 
indebted  to  it  for  a  livelihood. 

We  visited  one  of  the  mines  which  they  were  now 
working.  Like  the  others,  its  situation  is  between  the  rivers 
we  have  mentioned  in  that  Alpine  barrier  of  mountains 
which  separate  the  provinces  of  Christiansand  and  Agger huus. 
The  approach  to  the  works  is  by  a  continued  ascent  the 
whole  way :  and  were  it  only  for  the  striking  view  afforded, 
in  this  ascent,  of  the  town  of  Kongsberg,  the  mountains,  and 
the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Louven,  it  would  be  worth  the 

^olo|icahlna- journey  required.  All  the  mountains,  among  which  the 
Kongsberg  mines  are  situate,  are  stratified :  the  strata 
occur  in  regular  beds  extending  from  north  to  south,  but 
having  always  a  dipping  inclination  towards  the  east.  These 
strata  are  moreover  intersected  by  the  veins  of  slate  and 
calcareous  spar,  which  serve  as  the  matrices  of  the  silver  ore, 
in  fissures  bearing  across  the  strata  from  east  to  west,  and 
dipping  towards  the  south.  From  all  this,  it  would  be  evident 
that  the  whole  formation  belongs  to  the  class  of  transition 
rocks  which  Von  Buck  has  described  as  being  so  remarkable 
in  this  part  of  Norway ;  namely,  transition  granite  reposing 
on  transition  limestone,  and  being  itself  intersected  by  veins 

of 


G 

ture 
Mountains. 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 

of  slate  and  limestone.      But  Von  Buck  speaks  of  "  the  pri-    chap.  ir. 

mitive  mountains  which   surround  Kongsberg1:"  and  if  we 

were  to  judge  from  detached  specimens  of  the  red  granite,  in 

which   the  veins  of  silver  are  found,  we  should  be  disposed 

to  consider  this  kind  of  granite  as  belonging  to   the  oldest 

class  of  primary  rocks.         We  will  endeavour  to  shew,  by  a  Manner  in 

rude  cut,  the  manner  in  which  the  Kongsberg  silver  is  found.  Kongsberg 

silver  is  depo- 
sited. 


The  more  antient  or  primitive  fissures  intersecting  the 
strata  are  perpendicular ;  but  those  which  are  now  worked 
have  an  inclination  towards  the  south.  By  the  cut  here 
afforded,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  silver,  as  it  generally  lies,  is 
found  in  a  vein  of  calcareous  spar,  and  that  this  again  occurs 
in  a  vein  of  schifver  of  slate.  But  there  is  a  remarkable 
leader  to  the  ore,  without  the  presence  of  which  the  miners 
have  little  hope ;  namely,  iron  pyrites  and  iron  oxide :  when- 
ever the  intersecting  fissures   contain  these  minerals,   then 

silver 


(1)  "  The  primitive  mountains  which  surround  Kongsberg  stretch  much  less  south- 
ward than  we  might  well  believe.  Scarcely  two  English  miles  down,  beyond  the 
Dal-Elv,  under  the  Church  of  Hedingstad,  and  before  we  come  to  Hellestad,  the 
gneiss  disappears  under  the  dark  bluish-grey  fine  granular  limestone."  Travels  through 
Norway,  &c.  p.  41Q.  Lond.  1813. 


■ 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


chap.  ii.  silver  is  found  ;  but  if  the  pyrites  and  the  iron  disappear,  the 
silver  also  fails  ;  which  is  a  very  remarkable  fact,  as  connected 
with  the  history  of  mining.  Every  thing  indeed  belonging 
to  the  nature  of  these  mines  is  worth  the  most  scrupulous 
attention;  because  mines  of  native  silver,  although  not 
unfrequent  in  America,  are  the  most  rare  in  Europe :  and 
among  the  very  few  instances  in  which  such  a  deposit 
has  been  observed,  this  of  Kongsberg  is  the  most  conspicuous. 
When  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  shaft,  a  basket  filled 
with  the  ore  had  just  then  been  raised,  which  we  eagerly 
examined.  It  consisted  of  native  silver,  disseminated  in 
lamince  throughout  masses  of  limestone  spar,  with  dark  veins 
of  schistus ;  containing,  in  some  instances,  sulphuretted  silver, 
and  sulphate  of  harytes:  the  specimens  were  poor  in  precious 
metal,  but  served  to  give  some  idea  of  the  produce  of  the 
mine;  which  is  now  an  ore  almost  too  poor  for  the  operation 
of  stamping;  and  now  so  rich,  that  the  silver,  as  if  it  had 
been  fused  and  drawn  out  into  threads  and  capillary  fibres, 
is  seen  in  native  masses,  protruding  beyond  the  surface  of  the 
stone1.  Sometimes  the  most  beautiful  arborisations,  as  they 

are  called,  of  the  native  metal,  are  exhibited  by  contiguous 
crystals  of  native  silver,  in  octahedral  and  in  cubic  forms. 
We  descended  into  the  mine  by  means  of  ladders,  as  into 
the  Cornish  mines  ;  being  everywhere  struck  by  the  proofs  of 
the  same  inconsiderate  expenditure  of  the  public  money,  and 

the 


Descent  into 
the  Mine. 


(1)   See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter ;  made  from  a  specimen  now  in   the  author's 
collection,  which  he  brought  from  the  Kongsberg  mines. 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


57 


the  same  waste  among  the  works.     There  can  be  little  doubt   chap.  ii. 
but  that  these  mines  would  become  very  profitable,  if  they  ^      * 
were  in  private  hands :    and    perhaps    the    best  thing  the 
Government  can  do,  is  to  farm  them  out  to  individuals. 

Besides  native  silvery  these  mines  produce  that  very  rare 
substance,  the  native  electrum,    or  auriferous  native  silver. 
We  found  it  a  very  difficult  thing  to  procure  any  tolerable 
specimens  of  this  curious  native  alloy  of  gold  and  silver. 
When  it  occurs,   the  metal  has  a  brassy  aspect.     We  had  a 
specimen  of  it,  which  we  analyzed,  containing,  besides  silver, 
nearly  thirty  per  cent,  of  gold.     Like  the  native  silver,  it  is 
found  in  laminary  and  capillary  forms ;   and  sometimes,  but 
very  rarely  indeed,   it  is  crystallized  in  cubes.         The  other 
minerals    found    here    are    noticed   below,     in     the  note8 : 
with  the  exception  of  the  ores   of  copper,  the  specimens  of 
which  are  exceedingly  rich  ;    but  they  are  not   sufficiently 
abundant  to  make  this  metal  an  object  of  research,  otherwise 
than  for  the  silver  with  which  it  is  combined3. 

We 


(2)     1.  Sulphuretof  silver,  massive  and  crystallized. 

2.  Red  antimonial  sulphuret  of  silver,  ditto. 

3.  Argentiferous  sulphuret  of  lead. 

4.  Sulphurets  of  copper  and  iron. 

5.  Sulphurets  of  zinc,  brown  and  yellow. 

6.  Fluate  of  lime,  of  various  colours. 
y.  Lime  spar,  in  great  variety  of  forms. 

8.  Quartz,  ditto. 

9.  Sulphate  of  barytes. 

10.  Comolite,  or  pot-stone. 

11.  Asbestus,  in  the  forms  of  mountain-leather  and  mountain-cork. 

12.  Anthracite. 

13.  Iron  ores — magnetic  iron — loadstones,  &c. 

(3)  It  is  nevertheless  collected,  after  being  separated,  and  in  considerable  quantities, 
from  the  basons  in  the  smelting- works :  the  pure  copper  being  made  into  cakes  of  the 
same  size  and  form  as  are  those  of  the  silver. 

VOL.  VI.  I 


■;ij^ 


%\^^X/rn 


58 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


CHAP.  II. 


We  descended  into  the  mine  by  ladders  nearly  perpen- 
dicular; meeting  with  occasional  landing-places,  in  our  way 
down.  At  the  depth  of  a  few  hundred  feet,  the  veins  of 
silver  were  occasionally  pointed  out  to  us ;  but  those  which 
we  saw  were  so  poor  that  they  could  scarcely  be  discerned 
by  any  but  a  miner's  eye.  The  richest  veins  are  those 
which  dip  towards  the  south:  and  they  are  especially  rich 
when  they  occur  associated  with  the  sulphuret  of  iron,  or 
pyrites;  called,  by  our  Cornish  miners,  Mundic.  The  ore, 
and  all  the  rubble  of  the  mine,  were  drawn  up  by  a  water- 
wheel,  at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  hundred  yards  from 
the  mouth  of  the  shaft ;  the  communication  being  carried 
on  the  whole  way  by  cumbrous  machinery.  From  the  spot 
where  this  shaft  has  been  opened,  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
Kongsberg  and  of  the  surrounding  country. 

After  a  most  laborious  investigation  of  the  different  parts  of 
the  mine, — which  only  served  to  convince  us,  as  it  often  hap- 
pens to  travellers,  that  as  much  knowledge  of  the  real  nature  of 
these  subterraneous  deposits  may  be  obtained  by  studying  the 
ores  above  ground, — we  were  again  conducted  to  the  surface. 
It  was  here  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  mineral,  then  rare 
in  cabinets  of  mineralogy,  but  which  has  since  become  very 
Native  Mine-  common  •   namely,  anthracite,  or  native  mineral  carbon,  which 

ral  Carbon.  J  " 

frequently  occurs  in  the  Kongsberg  mines,  associated  with  the 
silver  ore.  That  a  substance  so  nearly  related  to  diamond, 
containing  the  same  elementary  body,  almost  in  a  state  of 
equal  purity,  should  externally  resemble  a  piece  of  common 
pit-coal,  will  not  appear  so  surprising  as  it  might  otherwise 
do,  when  we  know  that  the  diamond  itself  has  been  found  to 

exhibit 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


59 


exhibit  a  similar  appearance1:  but  it  may  serve,  among  many  ^chaimi. 
other  phenomena,  to  manifest  the  absurdity  of  ascribing  the 
presence  of  carbon  and  its  compounds,  when  in  a  mineral 
state,  and  in  primary  and  transition  rocks,  to  the  decom- 
position of  vegetable  matter.  It  would  be  a  much  wiser 
way  of  reasoning  upon  the  operations  of  nature,  if  we  were 
rather  to  consider  the  vegetable  produce  of  the  earth  as 
deriving  its  existence  from  the  minerals  which  supply  it 
with  the  alimentary  principles  of  life.  The  only  difference 
between  anthracite  and  bituminous  coal  is,  that,  in  the  first, 
carbon  is  almost  in  an  uncombined  state2;  whereas,  in  the 
second,  it  has  entered  into  combination  with  one  of  the 
constituents  of  water;  in  which  state  it  may  very  possibly 
mineralize  ivood,  or  any  other  organic  body,  just  as  they  be- 
come mineralized  by  other  native  compounds  ; — for  example, 
by  the  hydrates  of  silica.  But  to  infer  from  such  accidental 
circumstances  that  the  native  compound  has  owed  its  origin 
to  a  change  sustained  by  the  vegetable  body,  is  taking  too 
narrow  a  view  of  the  subject,  and  building  a  theory  upon 

fortuitous 


(1)  Opake  jet-black  diamonds,  although  rare,  are  known  to  diamond-merchants  ; 
and  the  black  flaws  or  specks,  which  are  sometimes  seen  in  diamonds,  are  nearly  allied 
in  their  nature  to  anthracite. 

(2)  The  following  analysis  of  conchotdal  anthracite  will  be  found  very  nearly  to  agree 
with  that  of  the  native  mineral  carbon  of  Kongsberg  : 

Carbon      •      -     -    -    Q6  .  66 
Alumina  -     -     -       2.0 

Silica  and  iron     -      -       I  .  33 


99  •  99 


^H  fe**T--.^^»i 


60 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


chap.  ii.  fortuitous  and  partial  phenomena1.  We  were  surprised  at 
the  difficulty  we  experienced  in  procuring  fine  specimens  of 
the  native  silver;  but  it  seems  they  are  sent,  as  soon  as  found, 
by  the  Assessors,  who  have  the  first  selection,  to  the  dealers 
and  principal  collectors  in  Copenhagen  ;  insomuch  that  the 
resident  mineralogists  at  Christiania,  and  even  at  Ko?igsberg, 
are  under  the  necessity  of  procuring  their  own  specimens, 
at  very  advanced  prices,  from  that  capital.  Our  good  friend 
Dr.  Miiller,  by  his  acquaintance  with  a  widow  of  one  of  the 
Assessors,  obtained  for  us  permission  to  purchase  a  few 
varieties ;  in  some  of  which,  the  crystals  of  native  silver 
were  very  perfect,  and  in  the  octahedral  form.  There  are 
few  things  less  obvious  in  the  natural  history  of  minerals, 
than  the  manner  in  which  Nature  conducts  her  operations 
for  the  developement  of  the  native  metals  ;  although  there 
be  evidences  which  tend,  at  least,  to  prove,  that  these 
phenomena  result  from  the  decomposition  of  ores  by 
chemical  affinities.  Capillar!/  native  silver  is  often  a  result 
of  the  decomposition  of  the  sulphuret  of  silver ;  and  in  the 
Hungarian  mines  it  is  found  upon  decomposing  sulphurets. 

Native 


Crystallized 
Native  Silver 


(l)  Among  the  absurdities  urged  in  support  of  the  vegetable  origin  of  coal,  is  that 
of  wood  thus  mineralized  by  the  bituminous  body.  The  author  was  once  directed 
to  a  specimen  of  fossil  timber,  part  of  which  was  of  coal  and  the  rest  of  wood, 
as  to  a  proof  that  the  origin  of  pit-coal  was  thereby  plainly  demonstrated,  and  that  it 
was  owing  to  decayed  vegetables.  With  just  as  much  reason  did  the  French  Savans 
insist  upon  deriving  all  the  aluminous  rocks  of  the  globe  from  decomposed  plants, 
because  the  impressions  of  the  leaves  of  ferns  are  seen  in  slate  ;  and  all  the  limestone 
from  the  decomposition  of  animal  bodies,  because  it  contains  the  impressions  of  shells 
and  other  organic  remains. 


SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


a  i 


Native  silver  is  also  developed  in  the  Peruvian  mines,  by  the  chap.  ii. 
action  of  iron  and  other  metals  upon  the  muriates  of  silver. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  developement  of  native  gold, 
which  results  from  the  decomposition  of  the  sulphur ets ;  as 
may  be  proved  by  the  action  of  heat  upon  the  auriferous 
ores  of  tellurium,  and  by  the  spontaneous  decomposition  of 
the  auriferous  sulphur  ets  of  iron  found  in  the  mine  of 
Berezow,  in  Siberia.  But  then  the  crystallization  of  these 
metals  ! — the  perfect  crystalline  forms  assumed  by  both  of 
them  !  by  the  native  silver  at  Kongsberg !  and  by  the  native 
gold  of  Hungary  and  of  the  Brazils! — how  are  these  pheno- 
mena to  be  explained  ;  without  supposing  that  the  two 
metals  have  been  previously  held  in  a  state  of  solution,  and 
that  the  crystals  have  been  deposited  from  a  liquid  state  ; 
being  held  in  solution,  either  by  the  fluid  matter  of  heat,  or 
by  some  other  fluid  ?  "  The  particles  of  bodies,"  it  will  be 
urged,  "  in  order  to  crystallize,  must  be  at  liberty  to  move  " — 
all  of  which  is  very  easily  said,  and  is,  perhaps,  after  all,  mere 
sophistry;  it  having  been  already  proved,  and  beyond  dispute,  r*gaS]f)  2 
in  another  part  of  these  Travels9,  that  the  particles  ofpreci-  of  Miner*ls 
pitated  bodies,  or  sediments,  do  combine  according  to  the  laws 
of  cohesion  ;  that  is  to  say,  do  assume  the  utmost  regularity 
of  crystalline  form  and  structure;  the  most  perfect  symme- 
trical arrangement ;  and  even  change  from  a  state  of  opacity, 
to  a  certain  degree  of  transparency  (as  in  the  example  of  the 
crystallized  alabaster  of  Antiparos),  after  the  original  deposit 

from 


Erroneous 
notions  enter- 
tained with 
the 

ion 


(2)   See  Part  If.  Sect.  II.  chap.  x.  p.  410.  Lond.  1814. 


m 


CHAP.  II. 


Metallurgical 
>perations  lor 


VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 

from  the  fluid  state  has  taken  place,  and  in  cases  where  the 
molecules  were  precluded  from  the  possibility  of  motion. 
These  are  surprising  facts :  and  they  deserve  the  more 
attention,  because,  as  they  seem  to  militate  against  the 
theory  which  has  been  long  established  respecting  a  regu- 
larity of  structure  in  minerals,  so  they  may  perhaps  serve 
to  explain,  whenever  they  are  satisfactorily  accounted  for, 
the  hidden  laws  by  which  crystallization  is  effected. 

Upon  our  return  to  Kongsberg,  we  visited  the  smelting- 
^th^SZTt  nouses>  and  inspected  the  metallurgical  operations  for  the 
reduction  of  these  remarkable  ores.  The  process  is  very 
simple  :  it  is  that  which  the  French  writers  call  imbibition, 
by  means  of  lead1.  They  melt  together,  in  nearly  equal 
parts,  lead  and  native  silver,  divested  as  much  as  possible  of 
its  matrix ;  and  thereby  obtain  an  alloy,  consisting  of  lead, 
combined  with  from  thirty  to  thirty- live  per  cent,  of  silver. 
The  lead  is  afterwards  separated,  by  the  usual  process  of 
cupellation.  We  were  amazed  at  the  facility  with  which  all 
manner  of  persons  obtain  admission  to  these  works,  when 
the  rich  ore  brought  from  the  mines  is  lying  about  in  heaps, 
covering  the  floor.  Persons  disposed  to  pilfer,  would  find  no 
difficulty  in  removing  large  portions  of  it.  The  ore  is  of 
four  kinds  ;  which  severally  bear  the  following  appellations  : 

1.  Gedieget  Sblv. 

2.  Meddel  Ertz. 

3.  Skeide  Ertz. 

4.  Slig. 

The 


(1)  See  "  Traite  de  Min.  par  Alexandre  Brongniart"  tome  II.  (Article  Metallurgie), 
p.  337.    Paris,  I8O7. 


VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


<?3 


The  first  of  these  consists  of  pure  native  silver. 

The  second  of  native  silver ,  with  a  portion  of  stony  matrix  ; 
i.  e.  lying  in  laminae,  which  cannot  be  altogether  separated 
from  the  mother-rock. 

The  third  of  a  poorer  ore,  in  which  only  detached  specks 
and  minute  grains  of  native  silver  are  visible. 

The  fourth,  of  the  sand  and  rubble  of  the  mines. 

The  two  first,  that  is  to  say,  the  richer  ores,  are  smelted 
with  the  greatest  facility,  being  only  mixed  with  a  propor- 
tionate quantity  of  lead ;  but  the  two  last,  whose  mani- 
pulation constitutes  the  principal  work  of  the  furnaces, 
requires  a  longer  process,  which  we  shall  now  describe. 
The  slig  is  mixed  with  pyrites,  and  smelted  ;  when  the 
latter  enters  into  combination  with  the  silver,  forming  a 
sulphuret :  but  the  superfluous  portion,  during  this  process, 
becomes  slag,  and  is  separated.  This  mixture  of  silver  with 
pyrites  is  called  raasten.  It  is  then  calcined,  by  which 
process  the  volatile  part  is  sublimed.  After  calcination,  the 
raasten  is  mixed  with  skeide  ertz,  with  a  portion  of  the 
richest  slig,  and  also  with  a  small  quantity  of  slag ;  and  these 
four  ingredients  are  then  smelted  together.  When  in  a  state  of 
fusion,  the  whole  is  suffered  to  run  into  a  bason,  where  it  is 
further  mixed  with  lead,  which  combines  with  the  silver. 
Afterwards,  the  alloy  is  removed  to  another  furnace;  in  which, 
as  the  lead  rises  to  the  surface,  it  there  floats,  and  is  gradually 
drawn  off.  Then  the  silver  undergoes  the  last  process ;  in 
which,  by  the  degree  of  heat  communicated  to  the  mass, 
it  becomes  divested  of  any  small  portions,  either  of  lead  or 
of  copper,  which  may  remain. 

The 


chap.  ir. 


^M 


;  »:■  ••  va 


6'4 


CHAP.  II. 


l'ublic  Semi- 
nary for  Mi- 
neralogy. 

Professor  £s~ 
mark. 


VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 

The  business  of  mining  is  confined  to  the  same  families  : 
no  strangers  are  allowed  to  work.  There  is  generally  employ- 
ment for  the  children  of  the  miners,  at  an  early  age.  They 
are  now,  however,  increasing  rather  faster  than  the  employ- 
ment for  them.  We  saw  many  children  in  the  streets, 
and  much  apparent  distress  and  poverty  ;  many  beggars,  both 
of  children  and  grown  persons  :  but  the  houses  were  tolerably 
neat. 

There  is  a  Public  Seminary  at  Kongsberg,  in  which  Lectures 
on  Mineralogy  are  delivered  by  Professor  Esmark,  who  is 
also  one  of  the  Assessors,  and  the  most  scientific  mineralogist, 
perhaps,  in  all  Europe.  This  gentleman  is  well  known  in 
all  Foreign  Academies,  for  the  works  which  he  has  published. 
He  has  done  more  towards  the  overthrow  of  the  wild 
systems  of  the  Plutonists  than  even  Werner  himself ;  and  this 
simply  by  his  own  personal  observations  in  his  travels  ;  by 
opposing  the  results  of  actual  experience,  and  matters  of 
fact,  to  mere  visionary  and  speculative  opinions.  It  was  he 
who  discovered  pumice  and  obsidian  regularly  stratified  in 
porphyritic  rocks  ;  thereby  refuting  the  notions  that  were 
entertained  of  the  origin  of  such  phenomena  by  means  of 
volcanic  fire;  and  as  satisfactorily  accounting  for  their 
formation  by  the  humid  process,  as  did  the  discovery  of  a 
cave  in  Iceland  with  dripping  stalactites  of  obsidian  pendent 
from  the  roof.  Dr.  Muller  introduced  us  to  this  gentleman. 
His  collection  of  minerals  is  one  of  the  most  geognostic  we 

ever 


(1)  See  Blackwood's  Edinb.  Mag.  No.  X.  p.  379. 


VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBEKG. 


6,5 


ever  saw;  and  it  is  filled  with  specimens  tending  to  illustrate  chap.il 
the  real  origin  of  the  substances  which  have  been  improperly 
termed  volcanic.  He  exhibited  to  us  masses  of  porphyry  con- 
taining imbedded  layers  of  obsidian;  and  this,  again,  contain- 
ing pumice;  together  with  a  regular  series  of  transitions, 
shewing  by  what  changes  obsidian  passes  into  the  state  of 
pumice.  Considering  trap  as  a  generic  name  applied  to  a 
great  variety  of  rocks,  especially  those  of  porphyry,  the 
Professor  comprehended  under  this  genus,  schist  us,  and  all 
the  rocks  called  schifver  by  the  Germans,  and  many  of  the 
substances  which,  owing  to  their  porous  aspect,  are  often 
considered  as  lavas ;  for  example,  mandelstein,  or  almond- 
stone,  of  which  there  are  so  many  varieties  in  the  islands  of 
Rum  and  Skye,  in  the  Hebrides,  containing  zeolotic  nuclei;  and 
all  the  basaltic  porphyries  of  Drammen,  with  which  mandelstein 
is  found,  as  it  is  also  in  Hungary  and  Transylvania.  Upon 
examining  the  basaltic  porphyry  of  Drammen  with  a  lens,  we 
perceived  that  it  was  full  of  small  spheroidal  concretions,  like 
those  which  appear  in  the  basaltic  rocks  of  Canna  in  the 
Hebrides,  and  which  have  been  by  some  travellers  ascribed  to 
an  igneous  operation.     Professor  Esmark  conducted  us  to  the  Collection  of 

Minerals  be- 

grand  chamber  of  the  Kongsberg  Academy,  where  we  saw  a  longing  to  the 

Kongsberg 

collection  of  minerals,  in  beautiful  order,  and  most  scien-  Academy. 
tifically  arranged.  The  very  sight  of  such  a  collection  affords 
of  itself  an  edifying  lesson  for  mineralogists  ;  but  we  were 
willing  to  forego  some  of  the  advantage  which  might  be 
derived  from  its  inspection,  that  we  might  enjoy  the  valuable 
conversation  of  the  Professor.  From  him  we  learned,  that 
the  School  of  this  Academy  is  a  Royal  Institution  for  the 
vol.  vi.  k  instruction 


ftft  VISIT  TO  THE  SILVER  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 

chap.  ii.  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  miners,  in  mineralogy, 
chemistry,  physic,  mathematics,  and  other  branches  of  science. 
There  are  three  Professors,  among  whom  Professor  Esmarh 
holds  the  mineralogical  and  geological  department.  Any  of 
the  miners,  or  children  of  the  miners,  may  attend  this  institu- 
tion. Two  days  in  every  week,  and  two  hours  in  each  day, 
are  dedicated  to  the  instruction  of  the  miners,  and  all  other 
persons  who  choose  to  attend.  For  these  lectures,  no 
payment  whatsoever  is  required.  Of  the  advantages  of 
such  an  institution,  where  there  are  profitable  mines,  it  would 
be  vain  to  attempt  to  speak.  We  felt,  at  the  moment,  an 
inward  sense  of  shame  for  our  own  country,  in  which  such 
studies  have  hitherto  met  with  so  little  encouragement.  We 
could  but  turn  our  thoughts  homeward,  and  ask,  what  the 
Government  of  Great  Britain  had  ever  done  towards  the 
advancement  of  mineralogical  knowledge.  At  this  moment 
there  was  not  a  single  Professor  of  Mineralogy  in  any  of  our 
Universities  :  and  it  will  be  long  indeed  before  the  eyes  of 
pedants,  who  bear  so  much  sway  in  our  places  of  public 
education,  will  be  open  to  the  importance  of  establishing 
Schools  of  Mineralogy.  The  very  science  itself,  and  all  that 
belongs  to  it,  is  to  them  as  a  sense  which  they  never  enjoyed: 
whence  it  follows,  that  to  reason  with  such  persons  of  its 
advantages,  is  like  talking  of  the  blessing  of  light  to  one 
who  has  the  misfortune  to  be  born  blind1. 

The 


(l)  These  reflections  are  given  as  they  occur  in  the  author's  Journal.  They  will, he 
hopes,  be  read  with  a  reference  to  the  time  in  which  they  were  written.  A  very 
considerable  alteration  is  now  beginning  to  take  place  with  regard  to  the  study  of 

mineralogy 


RETURN  FROM  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


67 


The  appearances  of  squalid  poverty  which  disgrace  the  chap.  h. 
streets  of  Kongsberg  were  before  alluded  to :  this  place, 
like  Christiania,  swarms  with  beggars  ;  who  beset  the  door 
of  the  inn  at  which  travellers  arrive,  forming  together  a 
mob  of  most  disgusting  objects  ;  each  endeavouring  to  extort 
money,  as  in  France  and  Italy,  and  as  it  used  to  be  in  Ireland, 
especially  in  the  streets  of  Dublin2,  by  exposing  to  view 
distorted  limbs,  and  deformity,  and  open  sores;  thrusting 
these  revolting  sights  in  the  very  faces  of  every  stranger 
they  meet.  We  were  glad  to  get  away  from  them  ;  and  set 
out  again  for  Christiania ;  returning  by  the  same  road  that 
we  came,  and  sleeping  the  first  night  at  Drammen. 

In  the  church-yard  at  Drammen  we  observed  that  almost 
every  grave  was  covered  with  a  bed  of  flowers.  Dr. 
Miiller  told  us,  that,  in  the  summer  season,  these  flower- 
beds Upon  the  tombs  have  a  very  pleasing  appearance ; 
and  that  it  is  also  customary,  during  the  summer  months, 
to  scatter  flowers  upon  the  tombs.     There  is  every  reason  customs, 

x  J  shewing  the 

to  believe  that  the  same  customs  prevailed  among  all  the  JJ^JJJjfj," 
ancient  families  of  the  Goths  and  Getce,  and  their  descendants;  and  Greeks' 
because  they  are  so  strictly  Grecian.     Offerings  of  flowers 
were  among  the  honours  paid  to  the  dead  in  Greece;  and  we 
have  before  noticed  a  similarity  of   customs  between  the 
antient  Greeks  and  the  present  Norwegians,  in  describing  the 

marriage- 


mineralogy  in  Great  Britain :  but  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  prodigious  source 
of  wealth  which  its  due  encouragement  might  open  to  our  nation  has  not  yet  been 
adequately  weighed  by  our  Rulers.  There  is  not  one  school  established  for  the  instruction 
of  miners,  in  any  of  our  mining  districts. 

(2)  This  nuisance  in  Dublin  has  been  lately  put  a  stop  to. 


68 


RETURN  TO  CHRISTIANIA, 


chap.  ii.  marriage-ceremonies  of  the  latter1.  So,  with  regard  to  this 
practice  of  strewing  the  places  of  sepulture,  we  find  that 
it  was  customary  to  strew  the  Grecian  tombs  with  herbs  and 
flowers;  with  amaranths4;  with  roses3;  with  myrtle4;  and 
most  profusely  with  parsley5.  Future  travellers,  pursuing 
this  subject  of  the  common  origin  of  the  Teutons  and  Greeks, 
will,  in  all  probability,  have  to  notice  other  more  remarkable 
points  of  coincidence. 

There  are  many  good  houses  in  Drammen.  The  whole 
valley  from  Hogsund  to  this  place  is  beautiful,  and  the 
soil   seems   very   good.      The   mountains  are   covered  with 

Superiority  of  firs#     \ye  met  a  great  number  of  fine-looking   country  girls 

iheA'orwegian  °  °  J      D 

upon  the  road  ;  most  of  them  above  the  ordinary  stature,  and 
very  handsome.  In  Sweden,  we  had  remarked  that  the  men 
were  much  superior  to  the  women  ;  but  here  we  should  make 
the  contrary  observation,  and  particularly  among  the  higher 
classes.  At  Christiania  we  had  met  with  many  elegant- 
looking  women  ;  but  scarcely  any  among  the  men,  ex- 
cepting the  Ankers,  who,  being  natives,  had  the  air  of 
gentlemen.  The  custom  of  smoking,  so  universally  pre- 
valent, greatly  contributes  to  their  slovenly  and  dirty 
appearance.  As  we  proceeded  in  our  journey,  we  observed 
that  most  of   the  houses    have    little    porches,  which  are 

generally 


Women. 


(1)  See  Part  III.    Sect.  I.   ch.  xvii.  p.  643.    Land.  ISlp. 

(2)  Philostrat.  Heroic,  cap.  19.    p.  /4l. 

(3)  Anacreon.     Od.  liii.  25.     Aristaenet.  I.  Ep.  36.   p.  162. 

(4)  Euripides,  Electr.  v.  323. 

(5)  Polyan.  Stratag.  v.  12.  sect.  1.     Suidas,  in  voc.  IfXiVoi/  orl<$>avo<;. 


FEOM  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


69 


generally  ornamented  with  boughs  of  birch  or  of  fir.  chap.il 
The  country  women,  when  engaged  in  their  labours, — and 
they  work  harder  than  the  generality  of  the  men  in  our 
country, — wear  nothing  upwards  but  their  shifts,  which 
however  are  made  higher  than  in  England.  Sometimes  a 
coloured  handkerchief  is  thrown  loosely  over  their  shoulders  ; 
but  they  have  no  stays,  nor  any  other  covering  for  the  waist. 
The  women,  in  many  parts  of  Sweden,  work  in  the  same  attire, 
and  look  exactly  like  men  toiling  in  their  shirts. 
Near  Drammen,  that  elegant  plant,  the  Linncea  Borealis.  mav  Medical  Pro- 

°  x  J     perties  of  the 

be  found  in  great  plenty  at  an  earlier  season  of  the  year.  Its  Linn<Ea^°- 
flowers,  at  this  time,  were  all  gone,  but  we  found  the  remains 
of  its  seed-vessels  in  sufficient  abundance  to  testify  its  situation 
here.  It  flowers  in  Norivay  in  the  months  of  June  and  July. 
Its  medical  properties  are  mentioned  by  Linnceus ;  but 
according  to  Gunner,  whose  Flora  Norvegica  was  printed  at 
Tronyem  in  1 766,  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  make  use  of  an 
infusion  of  the  Linncea  Borealis  as  an  antidote  in  fevers. 
The  same  author  also  speaks  of  it  as  affording  a  remedy 
in  other  disorders6.  The  Norwegians  call  it  Norisle; 
Nor e tie;  and  Narisle- grass. 

The  food  of  the  labourers  who  work  for  gentlemen,   or 

large 


(6)  "  Nidrosienses  infuso  contra  febrem  scarlatinam,  vernacula  Narisle  (Norisle, 
Noretle,  vel  NarildJ  non  sine  salutari  effectu  utuntur.  In  Norvegia  Australiori  decoctum 
in  usu  est  contra  scabiem.  Externe  etiam  vel  fotu  vel/umo  febrem  scarlatinam  tollunt. 
Svecis  foliorum  infusum  cum  lacte  specificum  est  in  doloribus  ischiadicis  et  rheumaticis, 
et  fotu  dolores  pedum  in  ovibus  tollunt."  Flora  Norvegica  Gunneri,  lxvii.  p.  37. 
Nidrosice,  1/66. 


■     ■  to 


70 


CHAP.  II. 


Condition  of 
the  Peasants. 


RETURN  TO  CHRISTIANIA, 

large  farmers,  in  this  country,  consists  of  black  rye-bread 
and  salted  butter  or  cheese,  for  breakfast ;  and  boiled 
barley  and  a  herring,  or  some  other  fish,  with  beer,  for 
dinner.  Once  in  a  week,  and  sometimes  twice,  they  have 
fresh  meat.  The  common  people  in  general  live  nearly  in 
the  same  way,  only  not  quite  so  well.  Instead  of  beer,  they 
have  sour  milk.  Some,  who  have  large  families,  are  often  in 
great  distress.  The  men  who  work  for  gentlemen,  or 
farmers,  have  generally  a  house  found  for  them,  rent  free ;  for 
which  they  are  always  obliged  to  work  for  the  master  from 
whom  they  receive  it,  in  preference  to  any  other.  These 
receive  ten-pence  a  day  in  summer,  and  eight-pence  in  winter ; 
and,  in  harvest,  a  shilling,  or  fourteen-pence.  Those  who 
have  no  houses,  are  paid  a  shilling  in  summer,  and  ten- 
pence  in  winter.  The  state  of  the  labouring  poor  is 
improving  in  Norway :  they  are  not  so  dirty  as  they  used  to 
be  ;  and,  consequently,  there  are  not  so  many  children  who 
die  young. 

There  is  not  a  pound  of  fresh  butter  to  be  bought  in 
Christiania.  All  persons  use  what  they  make  themselves,  or 
they  salt  it  for  keeping.  The  farmers  who  live  higher  up 
the  country,  go  for  two  months,  from  June  to  August,  up 
the  mountains,  to  pasture  their  cattle.  They  then  live  in 
little  temporary  wooden  sheds ;  and  it  is  during  these  two 
months  that  they  make  the  greatest  part  of  their  butter, 
which  is  salted,  and  brought  to  the  fair  at  Christiania,  in  the 
winter,  upon  sledges.  This  butter  is  bought  by  the  families 
in  the  neighbourhood,  for  the  use  of  their  servants ;  but  the 
better  sort  of  people  eat  the  butter  imported  from  Holstein. 

So 


FROM  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


71 


So  little  has  the  custom  of  selling  fresh  butter  prevailed,  chap,  il 
that  if  a  person  wished  to  dispose  of  any,  he  would  hardly 
find  purchasers.  The  cattle,  during  winter,  besides  hay 
and  straw,  where  these  may  be  had,  are  chiefly  foddered 
with  the  leaves  and  small  branches  of  a  species  of  poplar, 
gathered  at  the  end  of  the  summer,  and  stored  for  winter 
provision.  We  were  assured  by  persons  who  had  most 
attended  to  the  keeping  of  cattle,  that  these  leaves,  stripped 
from  the  branches,  are  excellent  food  for  horses,  and  that 
this  kind  of  fodder  gives  them  a  very  fine  coat.  By  all  that 
we  could  hear  or  see,  the  lower  orders  appeared  to  live  as 
well  as  those  in  England;  with  this  difference,  that  they  eat 
rye-bread  instead  of  wheaten-bread :  but  they  are  so  accus- 
tomed to  rye-bread,  that  they  prefer  it  to  that  which  is  made 
of  wheat,  and  reckon  it  a  heartier  food.  Wheat  is  sometimes 
cheaper  than  rye.  A  flat  cake,  much  in  use,  which  is  made 
of  rye,  and  sometimes  of  oatmeal,  is  called  flad  brie.  In 
the  neighbourhood  of  Christiania  the  house-men  have  seldom 
land  to  keep  a  cow.  Among  the  higher  orders,  the  business 
of  housekeeping,  from  its  peculiar  nature,  and  the  largeness 
of  the  establishments,  takes  up  so  much  time,  that  the 
mistresses  of  families,  after  their  marriage,  have  no  leisure 
to  attend  to  any  thing  else.  The  number  of  servants  in  these 
families  is  always  great;  and  those  servants  are,  for  the  most 
part,  an  idle  set,  never  liking  to  do  any  thing  out  of  their 
peculiar  department ;  which  is,  in  fact,  the  principal  reason 
why  so  many  more  servants  are  required  than  would  be 
wanted  in  England  for  the  same  work. 

In  our  return  to  Christiania,  we  visited  the  Alum  Works,  Alum  Works. 

which 


72 


RETURN  TO  CHRISTIANS, 


Synthesis 
which  takes 
place  in  the 
production  of 
Alum. 


chap.  ii.  which  are  near  the  town ;  and  their  inspection  only  served 
to  convince  us  of  what  we  had  often  suspected,  from  the 
sight  of  alum-works  in  our  own  country  ;  namely,  that 
alum  is  the  result  of  a  synthesis  which  takes  place  during 
the  decomposition  of  the  substance  considered  as  its  ore  : 
that  is  to  say,  that  alum  does  not  exist  ready  formed  in  the 
schistus  and  other  mineral  aggregates  from  which  it  is 
supposed  to  be  obtained  ;  but  that  these  rocks  being  exposed 
to  decomposition  by  the  action  of  extraneous  bodies,  a  new 
chemical  combination  takes  place,  which  is  exhibited  in  the 
salt  called  alum.  As  the  subject  is  really  curious,  its  illustra- 
tion, as  applied  to  a  description  of  these  alum-works,  will  not 
be  irrelevant.  They  belong  to  Mr.  John  Collet,  whose  hospi- 
tality we  had  lately  occasion  to  notice.  The  sort  of  slate 
called  the  ore  is  a  dark  schistus,  distinguished  from  clay-slate l 
by  its  streak  always  remaining  unaltered  in  its  colours.  In 
its  exfoliations,  it  separates  with  polished  surfaces,  having  a 
higher  degree  of  natural  lustre.  Its  dark  colour  is  entirely 
owing  to  the  bitumen  which  it  contains ;  but  it  also  contains 
embedded  nuclei  of  iron-pyrites.  The  workmen  affirm, 
that  the  ore  is  richest  when  these  nuclei  are  most  abundant ; 
and  the  reason  why  this  pyritous  slate  is  fitter  for  making 
alum,  we  shall  presently  shew.  If  a  piece  of  this  slate  be 
submitted  to  analysis,  when  taken  from  its  native  bed,  it 
will  not  be  found  to  contain  alum :  hence  it  is  evident,  that 
the  alum  is,  as  to  its  formation,  the  result  of  a  subsequent 

process, 


(I)  See  Jameson's  Mineralogy,  Vol.  I.  p.  433.  Edln.  181 6. 


FROM  THE  MINES  OF  KONGSBERG. 


73 


process,  which  takes  place  in  the  following  manner ;  some-  chap.  ii. 
thing  of  a  similar  nature  being  applicable  to  all  other  works 
carried  on  for  the  same  purpose  of  extracting  alum.  The  ore 
containing  the  elementary  constituents  of  alum,  when  it 
has  been  taken  from  the  alum-rocks  where  it  occurs  in 
veins,  is  disposed  in  heaps :  here,  being  acted  upon  by  air 
and  moisture,  a  spontaneous  decomposition  begins,  which 
is  from  time  to  time  aided  and  accelerated  by  water,  and 
also  by  urine  cast  upon  the  heaps.  The  iron- sulphur et, 
thus  acted  upon  by  moisture,  also  undergoes  decomposition. 
As  this  decomposition  commences,  the  pyrites  becomes  heated: 
the  sulphur  which  it  contains  becomes  sulphuric  acid; 
and  this  acid  entering  into  chemical  union  with  the  alumina 
of  the  decomposing  slate,  and  the  alkali  of  the  urine, 
an  alkaline  sulphate  of  alumina  is  the  result,  which  is,  in 
fact,  the  alum.  This  salt  then  begins  to  appear,  in 
white  delicate  fibres,  between  the  exfoliating  laminae 
of  the  slate.  For  its  separation,  and  also  to  further 
the  progress  of  decomposition  requisite  in  effecting  this 
synthesis,  other  operations  are  necessary :  and  wherever 
alum-works  have  been  established,  the  process  is  nearly  the 
same  ; — that  is  to  say,  the  ore  is  calcined  ;  and  the  particles 
of  alumina,  being  reduced  to  a  state  of  greater  division,  are 
the  more  readily  acted  upon  by  the  acid.  It  is  then  lixiviated, 
or  soaked,  for  a  certain  time :  after  this,  the  liquor,  being 
separated,  is  boiled  in  leaden  caldrons,  and  suffered  to 
evaporate :  the  concentrated  solution  containing  the  salt 
being  then  collected  into  pans,  deposits  the  alum,  as  it  cools, 
in  large  and  beautiful  octahedral  crystals,  or  two  tetrahedral 
vol.  vi.  l  crystals 


" 


I  -     fV* 


74 


CHAP.  II. 


Return  to 
Christiania. 


RETURN  TO  CHRISTIANIA. 

crystals  applied  base  to  base.  Commonly,  however,  only 
one  tetrahedral  pyramid  appears  as  the  crystalline  form  ; 
the  pyramids  being  constantly  turned  downwards  towards 
the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  especially  those  which  fix  them- 
selves to  the  rods  which  are  put  into  the  liquor  to  multiply 
the  surfaces.  Sometimes  the  angles  of  the  crystals  are 
truncated ;  and  these  truncations  take  place  most  fre- 
quently when  the  lixivium  is  slightly  acid.  We  had  never 
seen  such  fine  crystals  of  alum  as  those  which  we  brought 
from  this  manufactory.  To  obtain  a  good  crystallization, 
some  precaution  is  necessary  in  attending  to  the  degree  of 
heat  applied  for  the  concentration  of  the  lixivium.  If  the 
liquor  be  urged  by  a  violent  degree  of  heat,  it  loses  part  of  its 
acid,  becomes  tasteless,  and  the  residue  is  then  no  longer  sus- 
ceptible of  crystallization;  but  the  alum  is  precipitated,  in  the 
form  of  a  very  fine  adhesive  powder,  in  proportion  as  the  water 
is  dispersed  by  evaporation.  To  ascertain  this  temperature, 
methods  of  greater  or  less  accuracy  have  been  adopted  ; 
such  as  the  immersion  of  an  egg  into  the  liquid  ;  the  affusion 
of  some  drops  of  the  lixivium  upon  a  plate  ;  and  some  other1. 
We  brought  away  many  specimens,  both  of  the  ore  and  of  the 
alum.  The  balls  of  iron-pyrites  contained  in  the  slate  have 
a  spheroidal  form  ;  and,  in  some  instances,  these  balls  are  as 
big  as  a  man's  head. 

After  our  return  to  Christiania,  the  same  round  of  hospitable 
entertainments   again    took   place   which    we    have    before 

noticed. 


(1)  See  Chaptal's  Chemistry,  Vol.  II.  p.  64.    Lond.  1775. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


75 


noticed.  We  were  not  a  single  day  in  the  place  without  chap.  ii. 
receiving  invitations,  either  to  some  magnificent  dinner  or 
supper.  There  are  public  balls  on  a  Sunday  evening,  once  Public  Balk. 
in  every  fortnight.  These  are  held  in  a  large  room  belonging 
to  the  principal  inn ;  and  the  ball  is  followed  by  a  supper. 
Tickets  are  given  to  the  different  persons  as  they  enter,  to 
regulate  their  places  in  the  dance  ;  a  different  set  of  tickets 
being  distributed  for  a  similar  purpose  at  supper.  The 
dances  are,  the  waltz,  which  has  always  the  preference,  and 
the  common  English  country-dance :  but  even  in  the 
country-dance  the  waltz  is  introduced :  indeed  it  is  so 
great  a  favourite,  that  our  English  dance  would  probably 
not  be  tolerated,  but  in  compliment  to  the  English  who 
may  happen  to  be  present.  Some  of  our  popular  dances 
were  performed  by  the  band,  but  in  so  slow  and  solemn  a 
manner  that  the  effect  became  truly  ludicrous.  The 
dresses  of  the  women  are  entirely  English,  and  of  the  latest  R»ge  for 

English 

ton.  At  this  time,  the  Governor's  lady,  and  one  or  two  fashions. 
more,  made  their  appearance  in  curled  crop  perukes, 
imported  from  London;  and  by  the  buzz,  which  the  display 
of  the  new  fashion  excited,  the  admiration  and  the  envy  it 
called  forth,  it  was  evident  that  a  fresh  importation  would 
soon  be  the  means  of  making  these  wigs  a  very  general  costume 
among  the  higher  class  of  females.  Any  alteration  that  takes 
place  in  London,  with  regard  to  dress,  is  instantly  trans- 
mitted to  Christiania:  and  these  changes  are  watched  and 
adopted  in  Norway  with  a  degree  of  avidity  which  is  quite 
amusing  to  foreigners.     Nothing  would  be  easier  than   to 

practise 


H        ^^  Mm**     iiMi^i^^^'.^vy;' 


76 


CHAP.  II. 


Further  Ac- 
count of  Ber- 
nard /Inker. 


CHRISTIANIA. 

practise  the  most  extravagant  hoax,  by  making  it  to  be 
believed  that  some  strange  grotesque  mode  of  attire  had 
been  introduced  among  the  fashionable  belles  of  London. 
If  a  lady  arrive  from  England,  she  has  hardly  set  foot  in 
Christiania  before  her  toilette  is  beset  by  all  the  principal 
women,  anxious  to  inspect  and  to  imitate  every  article  of 
her  apparel. 

Literary  female  characters  are  unknown :  even  the  men 
rarely  pretend  to  follow  any  scientific  pursuit.  The  most 
learned  of  the  inhabitants  are  foreigners.  Bernard  Anker 
was  almost  the  only  man  who,  as  a  native,  engaged  in  and 
patronized  literature.  He  was  familiarly  acquainted  with 
the  best  English  authors  in  almost  every  department  of 
science,  and  not  ill  versed  in  the  writings  of  other  nations. 
He  had,  at  the  same  time,  some  degree  of  knowledge  of  the 
antient  classic  authors.  He  was,  indeed,  in  all  respects,  a 
very  extraordinary  man.  Some  travellers  have  spoken 
of  his  vanitv  :  to  us,  this  foible,  if  it  deserved  so  harsh  a 
name,  served  only  to  render  his  company  the  more  amusing : 
not  that  we  were  amused  at  his  expense,  but  because  we 
discerned,  through  all  his  supposed  egotism,  a  playfulness  of 
disposition,  which  seemed  to  say,  "  I  will  be  any  thing,  from 
the  loftiest  statesman  to  the  merriest  member  of  a  party  at 
blind-man's  buff,  sooner  than  my  guests  shall  suffer  ennui 
for  want  of  conversation  or  amusement!" — and  we  felt 
convinced,  that  the  loss  of  such  a  man,  in  such  a  place  as 
Christiania,  could  never  be  supplied. — Alas!  before  our 
tribute  can  be  paid  to  his  distinguished  worth,    and  these 

acknow- 


CHRISTIANIA. 


77 


CHAP.  II. 


acknowledgments  of  the  kindness  we  received  from  him  pub- 
lickly  rendered,  this  loss  has  been  sustained ! — Of  the  extent 
of  his  commercial  speculations  it  is  hardly  possible  to  convey 
an  idea,  without  making  a  complete  statistical  survey  of  the 
commerce  of  Norway.      His    ships  went  to  sea   in   whole 
fleets  ;  and  of  the  wealth  of  their  freightage  some  notion  may 
be  entertained,  by  an  account  of  his  dealing  in  a  single  export ; 
namely,  timber.     He  took  us  to  see  his  deal-yards,  which  TimberTrade. 
were  indeed   prodigious.     The  present   stock  in  them  was 
worth  5  0,000/.      From   Christiania  and   Moss  he    exported 
deals  to  the  amount,  annually,  of  180,ooo7. ;  and  of  this  sum, 
above  100,000/.  must  be  placed  to  the  amount  of  the  deals 
from  Christiania.      The  deals  that  are  sold  in  one  year  are 
cut  three  years  before ;  and,  as  every  thing  is  paid  for  in 
ready  money,  an  immense  capital  is  required  to   carry  on 
this  trade  in  deals  alone  ;  which  is,  in  fact,  the  reason  that  it 
is  so  profitable,  and  in  such  few  hands.     At  Frederickstadt \ 
from  the  facility  of  floating   the    timber  to  the  saw-mills, 
and  from  the  saw-mills  immediately  to  the  port,  a  whole 
year  is  saved,   and  the  clear  profit  is  thereby  made  much 
greater.     The  timber  that  comes  to  Christiania  is  brought  by 
sledges,  in  winter.     The  carrying  timber  on  sledges  forms 
one  of  the  principal  winter  employments  of  the  farmers  and 
house-men.     By  this   it  will  be  seen  what  the  out-goings 
must  have  been  of  a  merchant,  engaged  as  Mr.  Anker  was,  in 
commerce.    But,  besides  this,  he  had  extensive  iron-foundries, 
and  three  copper-mines.  The  number  of  his  stewards,  or  clerks, 
amounted  to  forty  ;  each  of  whom,  upon  an  average,  enjoyed 

a  yearly 


• 


r"V~ir»% 


78 


CHRISTIANIA. 


State  of 
Religion  in 
Norway. 


chap.  n.  a  yearly  salary  of  a  thousand  dollars.  Yet,  in  the  midst  of 
his  vast  undertakings,  he  was  so  much  of  a  philosopher, 
that  if  he  could  have  found  any  other  individual  capable  of 
superintending  the  whole,  he  would  have  consented  to  a  loss 
of  50  per  cent.,  that  he  might  have  been  able  to  retire. 

Of  the  state  of  religion  in  Norivay  we  had  not  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making   many   observations.      The  morals  of  the 
people,  especially  of  the  lower  orders,  are  good  ;  and  thus 
judging  of  the  tree  by  its  fruits,  we  saw  no  reason  for  com- 
plaint.     Formerly  there  were  many  different   sects  in   the 
country  ;   and  among  these,   some  like  our  Methodists  :  but 
at  present,  all  are  united.     There  is  nothing,  therefore,  of  that 
sourness  which  is  caused  by  dissent;  and  which,  as  it  tends  to 
separate  the  members  of  society  from  each  other,  tends  also 
to  sap  the  very  foundations  of  Christianity  ; — thereby  proving 
the  truth  of  an  observation  of  Montesquieu1,  that  "  the  most 
true  and  holy  doctrines  may  be  attended  with  the  very  worst 
consequences,  where  they  are  not  connected  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  society."      One  of   the  most  essential  objects  of 
religion,  when  a  State  has  many  causes  for  hatred,  is  to  pro- 
duce many   ways  of  reconciliation.      Perhaps  we  ought  to 
assign    as  a  reason   for  the  religious  unanimity  of  Norway, 
that  the  same  degree  of  ardour  in  religious  matters  which  is 
found  in  our  own  country,  and  which  in  Great  Britain  has  of 
itself  given  birth  to  the  schisms  that  divide  the  members  of 

its 


(1)  Esprit  des  Lois,  liv.  xxiv.  ch.  19.  p.  l6l. 


CHRISTIANIA. 


79 


its  Christian  community,  has  not  yet    been    excited   here.    chap.  n. 
A  great  deal  of  what  may  be  called  in  differ entism  prevails  on 
religious  subjects  among  the  Norwegians. 

Upon  the  28th  of  October,  after  taking  leave  of  many  of 
the  inhabitants,  Mr.  jB.  Anker  accompanied  us  in  a  boat  round 
the  Bay.      We  visited  the  fortress,  and  saw  the  slaves  at  Fortress  of 

Christiania. 

work.  This  fortress  is  almost  impregnable  by  land.  We 
were  much  delighted  with  the  view  of  the  river  and  the 
country  from  the  ramparts.  The  water  is  so  land-locked, 
that  its  appearance  is  that  of  a  fine  extensive  lake,  ornamented 
with  islands,  and  surrounded  by  blue  mountains  in  very 
pleasing  shapes :  but  as  far  as  we  could  judge  of  their 
elevation  by  the  view  of  them,  they  have  not  the  height  of 
the  mountains  which  surround  the  lakes  of  Westmoreland 
and  Cumberland.  The  fortress  seems  to  be  strong  ;  and 
there  are  some  fine  brass  cannon  upon  the  ramparts.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  twelve  hundred  men,  including  some 
chasseurs;  and  there  were,  besides,  four  companies  of  artillery. 
Afterwards,  having  dined  privately  with  Mr.  Anker,  we 
retired  with  him  to  another  apartment,  where  an  elegant 
dessert  had  been  set  forth  in  the  English  way,  with  decanters 
of  wine  and  glasses.  We  conversed  with  our  intelligent  host 
respecting  the  mines  we  had  so  lately  visited ;  and  he  presented 
to  us  a  specimen  of  native  gold,  found  at  a  mine  belonging  to 
himself  at  Nummedalen,  near  Kongsberg.  In  the  evening,  to 
gratify  our  curiosity,  he  put  on  his  magnificent  winter-dress, 
consisting  of  a  pelisse,  collar,  and  boots,  of  the  choicest  black 
furs.  The  pelisse  was  made  entirely  of  the  skins  of  sables, 
and  the  collar  and  boots  of  bear's  skin.      We  had  examined 

the 


■ 


80  CHRISTIANIA. 

chap.  ir.  the  fur- shops,  in  the  hope  of  finding  the  skins  of  the  Cat- 
Gaab,  or  Norivegian  Lynx ;  but  the  animal,  although  some- 
times taken,  is  certainly  very  rare  in  the  country ;  and  it  is 
fortunate  for  the  inhabitants  that  its  visits  are  not  more 
frequent.  We  spent  the  last  evening  of  our  stay  in  Christiania 
with  this  benevolent  man ;  and  having  supped  with  him  in 
the  presence  of  his  family,  bade  them  farewell. 


CHAP.  III. 


FROM  CIIRISTIANIA  IN  NORWAY,  TO  FAHLUN  IN  SWEDEN. 

The  author  again  sets  out  for  Sweden — Execrable  slate  of  the  Roads 
before  the  snow  falls — Holen — Change  in  the  Roads  in  approaching 
Sweden  —  Spires  of  Norwegian  Churches. — Kiolstad — Haeberg — 
Cataract  of  Fon  Fossen — Ous — Sindby — appearance  made  by  a 
Fair  at  Kongswinger — Money  of  the  Country  —  Edsbroen — 
Magnor — Boundary  between  Norway  and  Sweden — Singular 
•  instance  of  honesty  in  a  Peasant  —  Morast — Haga — Strand — 
Homeric  Torches  —  Extraordinary  Costume  of  the  Natives  of 
We rm  eland — Aspect  of  the  Country — Consequences  of  a  recent 
Dearth — Hogsalla — Leerhol — Skamnas — Improved  appearance  of 
the  land — Carlstad — Exports  and  Imports—  Population — River 
Clara — Brastegard — Molkem  —  Change  in  the  dress  of  the  Peasants 
— Manner  of  keeping  the  Roads  in  repair — Brattefors — Boulders — 
Trees — Animals — Philipstad — Uniform  appearance  of  the  Swedish 
Towns — Dress  of  the  Natives — Enclosures — Juniper- trees — Onsbytta 
— Two  species  of  Tetrao  or  Black-cock — Persberg — Descent  into  the 


i.- ,, 


82 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 

Iron-Mines — Catastrophe  which  befell  a  Female  Miner — Bottom  of  the 
Persberg  Mine — Striking  scene  in  the  Great  Cavern — Imbedded 
state  of  the  Ore — Langbanshy  tta — Machinery  for  the  Mine  Pumps — 
Saxan — Westmania —  Halleforss— Nytorp  —  Nyakopparberg 
— Minerals — Laxbro — Beauty  of  the  Lakes — diminution  of  their 
waters  —  Hogforss  —  Hellsion  —  Ostanbo  —  Smedbacka — Blood 
Cakes — Entrance  of  Dalecarlia  — Varieties  and  Luxuriance  of 
the  Fungi  and  Musci — Bommarsbo — Home  Manufacture  of  Candles 
— Russ-Garden — Naglarby — General  Features  of  Dalecarlia — 
Character  of  the  Natives — Dialect — Antient  Dance — Original  use 
of  the  Runic  Staves — Retreat  of  Gustavus  Vasa — Approach  to 
Fahlun — External  Aspect  of  its  famous  Copper-Mine. 


cHAP.iiL    Jn  ^  mornjng  0f  tne  2Qth  of  October,  we  left  Christiania 

J^setTout  in  our  phaeton,  and  once  more  began  our  journey  towards 

Sweden.     For  this  purpose,  it  was  necessary  that  we  should 

retrace  our  former  steps  as  far  as  Moe,  before  we  took  a 

Execrable       different  route  ;  but  the  roads  were  so  execrable,  that  we  were 

state  of  the 

Roads  before    actually  employed  the  whole  day  in  getting   to   this  place, 

the  snow  falls. 

although  distant  only  three  Danish  miles  and  a  half  from 
Christiania.  We  passed  through  a  beautiful  valley  between 
Romsaas  and  Schesmoe,  as  before.  The  inns  were  bad  ;  and 
this  being  added  to  the  wretched  state  of  the  roads,  and  the 
little  progress  we  were  able  to  effect,  made  us  think  that  we 
had  acted  perhaps  unwisely  in  not  waiting  for  the  winter 
season,  which  is  the  best  time  for  travelling  in  Scandinavia, 
especially  when  the  country  is  not  likely  to  offer  any  thing 
in  its  scenery  remarkable  either  for  its  grandeur  or  picturesque 
beauty.  When  the  snow  has  once  fallen,  and  the  sledge- 
way  is  open,  a  traveller,  wrapped  up  in  his  furs,  may  pro- 
secute his  journey  in  the  open  air,  not  only  with  the  utmost 

expedition, 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN.  83 

expedition,  but  with  comfort.  But  we  intended  to  visit  chap.  in. 
mines  ;  and,  in  our  search  for  minerals  and  plants,  wished  to 
see  as  much  as  possible  of  the  uncovered  earth  before  the 
woodlands  of  Norway  and  Sweden,  their  hills  and  their  valleys, 
rocks,  mountains,  lakes,  and  rivers,  were  all  shrouded  in  one 
vast  sheet  of  ice  and  snow. 

The  next  morning,  Oct.  30,  after  a  stormy  night,  dawned 
most  merrily  ;  the  sun  burst  forth  in  splendour ; — even  the 
feathered  songsters,  in  this  autumnal  day,  were  still  heard 
upon  the  dripping  branches  : — 

"  And  forth  they  passe,  with  pleasure  forward  led, 
Joying  to  heare  the  birds'  sweet  harmony, 
Which,  whilom  shrouded  from  the  tempests  dred, 
Seem'd  in  their  song  to  scorne  the  cruell  sky. 
Much  can  they  praise  the  trees  so  straight  and  hie, 
The  sayling  pine,  the  cedar  proud  and  tall, 
The  vine-prop  elme,  the  poplar  never  dry, 
The  builder  oake,  sole  king  of  forrests  all, 
The  aspine  good  for  staues,  the  cypresse  funeralL 

"  The  laurell,  meed  of  mightie  Conquerors 
And  Poets  sage,  the  firre  that  weepeth  still, 
The  willow,  worne  of  forlorne  paramours, 
The  eugh,  obedient  to  the  benders  will, 
The  birch  for  shaftes,  the  sallow  for  the  mill, 
The  myrrhe  sweet,  bleeding  in  the  bitter  wound, 
The  warlike  beech,  the  ash  for  nothing  ill, 
The  fruitful  olive,  and  the  platane  round, 
The  carver  holme,  the  maple  sildom  inward  sound." 

In  our  first  stage,  this  day,  to  a  place  called  Holen,  we  turned  Hoien. 
out  of  the  Troriyem  road,  about  half  a  mile  from  Moe,  into 
another,   upon   our   right,  leading  towards    the  frontier  of 

Sweden: 


*>v,«e*      ^^^H    fhi?'\j*i  ittert^fMej&fl       ^^^H  *A*A  ■ 


84 


CHAP.  III. 


Change  in  the 
Roads  in  ap- 
proaching 
Sweden. 


Spires  of 

Norwegian 

Churches. 


Kiolstad. 


Hctberg. 

Cataract  of 
Fon  Fossen. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 

Sweden:  and  we  could  but  remark,  at  the  time, — as  if  any- 
thing which  had  a  reference  to  that  country  should  in  some 
degree  manifest  a  Swedish  aspect, — that,  from  the  moment 
this  deviation  occurred  in  our  route,  the  roads  began  to 
improve;  becoming  better  and  better  afterwards,  as  we  drew 
nearer  to  the  Swedish  barrier.  The  country  here  is  pretty 
well  cultivated  :  although  undulant,  when  compared  with 
the  rest  of  Norway  it  is  of  a  level  nature.  The  road  lay 
partly  through  forests.  In  viewing  the  churches  of  this 
country,  if  we  might  judge  from  mere  similarity  of  form 
and  structure,  it  would  seem  that  all  our  spires,  commonly 
called  Gothic,  with  the  fashion  and  shape  of  their  wooden 
shingles,  were  borrowed  from  Norway.  In  every  part  of  this 
country  through  which  we  have  passed,  they  reminded  us  of 
England. 

From  Holen  to  Kiolstad,  one  Danish  mile  and  a  half,  we 
journeyed  over  plains  with  good  roads.  The  oats  and  pease 
were  still  standing.  We  observed  near  Holen  several  heaps, 
which  we  thought  were  antient  tumuli;  but  could  obtain  no 
information,  either  from  the  tradition  of  the  inhabitants,  or 
from  the  history  of  the  country,  to  confirm  us  in  this  belief. 
Before  we  reached  Kiolstad,  the  prospect  of  an  extensive 
rich  level,  highly  cultivated,  reminded  us  of  parts  of  Surrey. 
From  Kiolstad,  where  there  is  a  good  inn,  we  proceeded  to 
Hceherg,  through  a  level  country,  having  crossed  a  ferry. 
Near  Hceherg  there  is  a  Cataract,  which  we  had  every  reason 
to  believe  would  be  well  worth  seeing:  but  the  storm  came 
on  again  ;  the  rain  fell  in  torrents  ;  and  the  mud  was  so  deep, 
that  we  did  not  attempt  to  gratify  our  curiosity.     The  people 

at 


FROM  CHWSTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


85 


at  Hceberg  told  us  that  it   was  about  an  English  mile  distant,    chap.  hi. 
and  yet  we  heard  distinctly  the  noise  of  its  falling  waters. 
This  cataract  is  called  Fon  Fossen.     They  said  that  passengers 
seldom   went   to  see    it ;    which  is  probable   enough   in  a 
country  where  the  grandest  cataracts  are  things  of  common 
occurrence :    but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  future  traveller, 
under  more  favourable  circumstances,   will  not   leave    this 
water- fall  unheeded.       In  going  from  Hceberg  to  Ous,  we  oUs. 
found  the  soil  sandy.     The  inn  at  Ous  was  excellent,  and  the 
accommodations  not  inferior  to  those  of  Christiania;  which 
is  saying  a  great  deal.     We  seemed  to  have  escaped  from  the 
mud  the   moment  we  quitted  Hceberg;  for  the  road  after- 
wards was  very  good.     Here  we  observed  some  hardy  urchins, 
with  naked  legs,  amusing   themselves   by  playing  in  a   bog, 
totally  regardless  of  being  wet  or  cold.     The  distance  from 
Ous  to  Sindby  is  only  one  Danish  mile  :    we   ran  it   in  forty 
minutes.      Near  Sindby  is  a  mountain  containing   iron   ore,  sindby. 
and  also  a  foundry.      The  road  was  crowded  with  peasants, 
going   to   the  fair    at  Kongsivinger.      There  was  a  fortress 
situate  upon  an  eminence  above  Kongsivinger,  which   com- 
manded the  village,  the  road,  and  the  river.     We  were  much  Appearance 

made  by  a 

entertained  at  this  place  by  the  sight  of  the  fair.  A  public  Fair  at 
fair,  by  collecting  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood, 
and  exhibiting  them  in  the  height  of  their  gaiety  and  costume, 
cannot  fail  of  being  interesting  to  the  curious  traveller :  it 
also  serves  to  display  the  produce  and  commodities  of  the 
country.  We  bought  here  ptarmigans  and  moor-game, 
besides  white  bread  and  gingerbread.  The  dress  of  the  men 
was  singular,  from  its  uniformity  :  they  wore  coats  of  white 

cloth, 


ongswinger. 


fc*v&     ^m  *<*&%  .1W9* 


86 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


Money  of  the 
Country. 


chap.  in.  cloth,  faced  with  red,  and  red  cuffs ;  and  red  caps  upon  their 
heads.  Many  of  the  men  were  already  more  than  "  half 
seas  over,"  though  it  was  an  early  hour  of  the  morning. 
There  were  many  horses  for  sale,  rode  by  rough-riders.  For 
the  rest,  the  appearance  was  pretty  much  that  of  an  English 
fair ; — soldiers  enlisting  for  recruits,  and  alluring  the  boors 
by  a  display  of  their  martial  accoutrements  ;  drunken  loobies ; 
pretty  village  lasses;  clamorous  hawkers;  and  vagrant 
Italians,  with  cheap  looking-glasses,  and  coloured  prints. 

Payments  are  made  in  dollars,  schillings,  and  stivers;  but 
in  Sweden  and  Norway  the  value  of  schillings  and  stivers  is 
very  different.  In  Norway,  a  schilling  is  the  lowest  coin,  and 
answers  to  our  halfpenny ;  and  stivers  are  a  penny  each.  In 
Sweden,  schillings  answer  to  our  pence,  and  stivers  to  our 
farthings.  All  small  sums  are  reckoned  in  stivers;  and  instead 
of  saying,  for  example,  '  four  schillings,'  they  would  say 
'  sixteen  stivers.'  A  dollar,  silver  mint,  equals  eight-pence  ; 
and  there  are  six  in  a  rix-dollar  note.  The  general  price  of 
barley  and  rye,  in  this  country,  is  from  four  and  a  half  to  five 
dollars  the  ton.  Barley  was  now  selling  so  high  as  nine  dollars, 
and  rye  at  ten  dollars,  per  ton  ;  owing  to  the  dearth  which 
had  happened,  and  the  effects  of  which  were  still  felt.  The 
price  of  labour  was  twelve  schillings  a  day,  without  victuals. 

After  we  left  Kongswinger,  the  aspect  of  the  country  was 
more  like  the  grand  and  striking  scenes  of  the  north  of 
Norway;  presenting  a  landscape  perfectly  picturesque,  when 
viewed  as  a  whole ;  yet  consisting  of  an  amazing  variety 
of  parts,  all  of  which,  when  examined  in  detail,  were 
magnificent.      There  never  was  but  one  painter  of  sufficient 

capability, 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


87 


capability,  as  the  historian  of  Nature,  for  the  representation  of  chap.  hi. 
things  so  varied  and  vast  in  their  combination ; — and  this 
painter  was  Claude.  But  for  the  country  here  we  would 
rather  have  called  in  the  aid  of  Gaspar  Poussin  than  of 
Claude  Lorrain.  It  had  more  of  the  majesty  and  sudden 
transitions  which  mark  the  favourite  subjects  of  Gaspares 
pencil,  than  of  the  long-drawn  valleys,  the  never-ending 
richness  and  sweetness,  of  Claude. 

At  Edsbroen,  a  single  house,  almost  as  wretched  as  the  shed  Edsbroen. 
at  Malmagen  where  we  passed  the  night  upon  coming  from 
Sweden  into  Norway :  we  were  however  induced  to  halt  for 
dinner,  upon  finding  in  the  Post-book,  in  the  hand-writing 
of  our  friend  Professor  Malthus,  the  words  "  good  treatment." 
He  had  passed  this  way  with  Mr.  Otter.  The  good  woman 
of  the  house  was  moreover  tidy  in  her  appearance,  and 
brought  forth  some  excellent  butter.  To  this  we  added  our 
bread  and  cheese,  and  so  made  a  hearty  meal.  From  hence 
we  had  good  roads  to  Magnor,  a  strange-looking  place,  con-  Magnor. 
sisting  of  a  parcel  of  wooden-houses,  huddled  together  under 
a  mountain.  We  found  nobody  at  home:  all  the  inhabitants 
were  gone  to  Kongsiuinger  fair.  We  therefore  proceeded 
farther;  and  came  to  an  inhabited  dwelling,  where  we  found 
an  old  woman  in  bed,  who  from  the  age  of  nine  to  sixty- 
nine  had  been  always  bed-ridden.  Our  host  was  her 
nephew,  and  had  himself  seven  children  ;  but  for  many  years, 
with  a  degree  of  tenderness  amounting  to  a  filial  affection, 
he  had  attended  upon  and  solaced  the  infirmities  of  this  poor 
afflicted  invalid.         In   the  next  stage,  between  Magnor  and  Boundary  t*- 

°  °  tween  Nor- 

Morast,  we  passed  from  Norway  into  Sweden,  at  the  distance  »«y  "«i 

of 


'i***: 


i<i"fc45ft4i  ^v        ■ 


88 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.   of  half  a  Danish  mile  from  Magnor.     An  avenue  cut  through 
the  forest  marks  the  boundary  between  the  two  countries. 
singular         jU3{-  before  passing  this  boundary,  hearing  somebody  calling 
Jpnesty ina     behind  us,  we  baited.     It  was  the  identical  peasant  at  whose 
dwelling  we  had  stopped,  and  whose  charitable  conduct  we 
have  noticed.     He  had  galloped  after  us  with  a  pocket-book, 
containing  a  considerable  sum  of  money,    which  we  had  left 
upon  his   table  ;  having  taken   it   out  to  bestow  something 
upon  his  poor  family.     A  very  little  more  speed  on  our  part, 
or  less  of  diligence  on  his,   and  we  should  have  been  out  of 
his  reach  :  and  if  this  had  been  the  case,   few  readers  would 
regret  that  such  singular  honesty,   in    the    midst   of    such 
poverty  and  goodness,  had  met  with  a  larger   reward   than 
we   could  then    afford   to  bestow.       It    was    not    the    first 
symptom  which  we  have  had  to  notice  of  our  approximation 
to  that  land  of  honesty,  Sweden:  and  whether  the  individual 
we  have  alluded  to  were  a  Norwegian   or  a  Swede,  we  are 
well  assured,  that,  beyond  the  limits  of  these  two  countries, 
similar  instances   of   regard   for    the    distinctions    between 
*  mine1   and  'thine1    will    not    be    always  so    scrupulously 
regarded.     At  the  place  where  the   avenue  has  been   cut,  a 
stone  is  erected,  which  exhibits  on  one  side  of  it  the  arms  of 
Denmark';  and  on  the  other,  those  of  Sweden :  and  about  a 
quarter   of  a  Swedish  mile  farther  on,   before  reaching  the 
end   of  this   stage,   there  is  the  Gate  and  Custom-house  on 
entering  the  Sivedish  territory. 

Finding  po  accommodation  at  Morast,  the  next  relay,  we 
proceeded,  chiefly  amidst  woods  of  red  fir,  with  a  few 
openings  of  cultivation,  through  Hcga,  to  Strand ;   where  we 

arrived 


Morast. 


Hnga. 
Si  rand. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


89 


arrived  at  midnight ;  being  guided  in  the  woods  by  peasants  chap.  in. 
on  foot  carrying  flambeaus  made  of  deal  splinters.  The  Homeric 
inn  at  Strand  was  bad  indeed  ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  between 
Magnor  and  Carlstad  there  is  no  place  of  rest  for  travellers 
which  can  be  called  by  the  name  of  an  inn  :  they  are  wretched 
hovels,  tenanted  by  the  poorest  peasants.  At  Strand,  a 
whole  crop  of  cabbages  was  hanging  from  the  roof,  to  dry. 

Upon  the  first  of  November,  we  left  Strand,  and  set  out  for 
Prestbol.      The  dress    of  the  natives  exhibited    a    curious  Extraordinary 

'  Costume  of 

change  as  we  entered  the  province  of  Wermeland.      The  the  Natives  of 


Wermelund. 


peasants  were  all  in  black,  as  if  for  a  general  mourning ; 
and  this  costume,  added  to  their  poverty  and  the  sterile  aspect 
of  their  country,  had  a  melancholy  appearance.  We  hardly 
entered  a  house  without  seeing  some  lamentable  object, 
either  sick  or  deformed.  The  soil  itself  is  of  a  nature  to  bid 
defiance  to  cultivation  :  it  consists  of  loose  masses  of  stone, 
which  can  neither  be  removed,  nor  rendered  in  any  way  pro- 
ductive. It  seemed  to  be  the  very  region  of  poverty  and 
despair,  denuded  and  smitten  by  the  hand  of  Heaven. 
In  perusing  the  manuscript  journal  of  a  friend  who  had 
travelled  the  same  route  only  three  months  before,  we  found 
similar  observations  made  as  to  the  melancholy  aspect  of  all  Aspect  of  the 

J         r  Country. 

this  district,  and  to  the  impressions  made  upon  his  mind 
upon  seeing  all  the  inhabitants  dressed  in  black  clothes. 
When  we  entered  Sweden  from  Denmark,  we  were  struck 
with  the  superior  liveliness  of  the  Swedes;  but  in  entering  it 
now  from  Norway,  we  received  a  very  different  impression. 
To  add  to  the  general  wretchedness  of  the  country,  a  greater  ^f°" 


VOL.  VI. 


N 


dearth 


Consequences 

recent 
Dearth. 


90 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  dearth  had  prevailed,  during  the  former  winter,  than  the 
oldest  person  ever  remembered.  Oats  were  six  dollars  a  ton, 
which  commonly  sell  for  two  or  three.  Barley  and  rye  were 
scarcely  to  be  had  at  any  price.  The  people  had  saved  them- 
selves from  starving,  by  eating  the  bark  bread,  and  a  bread 
which  they  said  they  made  of  a  kind  of  grass  :  this  grass  we 
afterwards  found  to  be  sorrel1.  The  fir-bread  had  given  to 
many  of  the  inhabitants  an  unhealthy  appearance :  they 
found  the  sorrel-bread,  upon  the  whole,  more  salutary.  The 
general  effect  of  eating  fir-bread  is,  to  produce  a  yellow,  pale, 
and  unhealthy  countenance.  In  every  thing,  the  appearance 
of  the  people  was  strangely  contrasted  with  that  of  the 
Norwegians.  The  latter  wear  red  caps.  The  Swedes,  in 
their  broad-brimmed  hats,  without  any  buttons  upon  their 
black  coats,  looked  like  so  many  Quakers  in  mourning. 

Presently  after  leaving  Strand,  we  had  a  fine  view  of  a  lake 
which  discharges  its  waters  into  the  Wener.  We  passed 
Hogvalla,  Leerhol,  and  Skamnas.  In  the  forests  were  juniper- 
trees,  growing  to  a  very  great  size.  We  were  ferried  over 
to  Skamnas;  the  passage  being  nearly  half  a  mile  wide.  The 
view  of  the  lake  from  the  post-house  here  was  very  fine.     The 

improved  ap-  country  was  more  open  and  cultivated  in  going  to  Hogboda 

pearance  of 

the  land.  and  Prestbol ;  interspersed  with  smalt  lakes,  the  shores  of 
which  were  ornamented  with  fir,  birch,  and  alder.  Two 
sorts  of  alder  are  very  common    in  Sweden,  as  well  as  in 

Norway  ; 


Hogvalla 
I  jeer  hoi. 


Skamnas. 


(I)  Rumex  acetosa. 


''-„^*-:^- 


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60 


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AMa.f    \  ■  ■■  from 

MAGNOR  NORWEGIAN  FRONTIER , 

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CARLSTAD. 


.91 


Norway;  growing  often  in  very  dry  ground.     It  was  dark   chap.  nr. 
before    we   arrived  at   PrestboL      We   found   here   another 
miserable  inn. 

The  next  morning,  November  the  second,  we  descended 
into  plains  which  reminded  us  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk.  The 
appearance  of  the  country  was  greatly  improved.  We 
changed  horses  at  Ilberg;  and  reached  Carlstad,  the  capital  carutad. 
of  Wermeland,  upon  the  Wener  Sea1,  by  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon.  The  view  in  the  approach  to  this  city  is  very 
pleasing.  We  entered  it  by  a  bridge2.  The  houses  are 
covered  with  turf,  as  in  all  the  towns  leading  from  Weners- 
borg  to  Stockholm,  on  the  southern  side  of  the  lake.  The  inn 
here  was  very  dirty  ;  yet  Carlstad  is  a  much  finer  town  than 
Wenersborg :  the  streets  are  broad  and  long,  and  contain  many 
good  houses,  and  a  general  appearance  of  activity  and  business 
seems   to  denote  a  thriving  place.     The  Episcopal  Palace 

is 


(1)  See  the  Map,  p.  12(5  of  the  last  Volume.  Lond.  I8I9.  "  Equitum  lustra- 
tionibus  nundinisque  festo  D.  Pauli  et  Luciae  Celebris,  quae  etiamnum  a  Gothenburgen- 
sibus  aliisque  vicinis  magno  cum  emolumento  frequentantur."  Descriptio  Suecice,  torn.  I. 
p.  442.  Lugd.  Bat.  1706. 

(2)  It  is,  in  fact,  built  upon  an  island.  (See  the  Map.)  "  The  river  Clara,"  says 
Thomson,  in  his  account  of  this  place,  "  runs  through  this  province,  and  falls  into  the 
lake  Verier.  It  is  a  large  river,  but,  like  the  Dal,  runs  so  slowly,  that  it  has  more  the 
appearance  of  a  lake  than  a  river.  Some  miles  before  it  falls  into  the  Verier,  it  divides  into 
two  branches,  enclosing  the  Island  of  Tingwalla.  At  the  northern  extremity,  of  this 
island  stands  the  town  of  Carlstad;  so  called  because  it  was  built  by  Charles  IX.  This 
town  is  a  Bishop's  See.  Like  the  other  Swedish  towns,  it  is  built  of  wood.  The  streets 
are  broad  and  straight,  and  the  number  of  inhabitants  about  1500.  It  carries  on  a 
commerce  of  wood  and  iron  across  the  lake  Vener."  Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  ch.  xx. 
p.  373.  Lond.  1813. 


M 


92 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  is  built  of  wood,  as  are  all  the  other  houses.  The  Governor 
of  the  province  also  resides  here.  Both  Carlstad  and  Philip- 
stad  were  built  by Charles  the  Ninth;  the  first  being  called  after 
his  own  name,  and  the  last  after  the  name  of  his  son  Philip. 
The  principal  productions  of  the  mines  and  forests  of  Werme- 

Exportsand     land  are   here  shipped  for  Gothenburg;  and  the  exportation 

Imports.  .  .  1  'lii  i 

of  bar-iron  and  timber  may  be  considered  as  the  staple  com- 
merce of  Carlstad.  The  importations  consist  of  provisions  and 
other  necessaries.  Dirty  inns  are  often  the  dearest :  and  this 
we  found  to  be  the  case  here.  Every  thing  was  charged  at 
most  exorbitant  prices  :  but  this  is  not  a  cheap  place  for  any 
thing  beyond  common  necessaries.  Loaf-sugar  sold  in  the 
shops  as  high  as  a  rix-dollar  the  pound,  being  all  of  it  im- 
ported from  England '.     The  accounts  given  to  us   of  the 

Population,  population  of  Carlstad  were  so  discordant,  that  we  could  place 
no  reliance  upon  them ;  some  estimating  it  at  3000,  and 
others  at  1400  :  we  were  disposed  to  credit  the  last,  rather 
than  the  first ;  and  this  number  nearly  coincides  with  the 
statement  already  cited  in  a  note.  There  is  a  square  here,  as 
at  JVeriersborg,  surrounded  by  wooden  houses,  with  a  very 
neat  appearance. 

We  left  Carlstad,  on  Sunday,  November  the  third,  passing 

Hirer  ciara.    the  north-eastern  branch  of  the  Clara,  by  some  called  the  Carls 


(1)  See  p.  18(5  of  the  last  Volume,  Quarto  Edition,  for  an  account  of  a  manufactory 
for  refining  sugar  at  Gejle,  belonging  to  Mr.  Hennis;  being  the  first  of  the  kind 
established  in  Sweden. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


93 


Elf2,  by  a  large  stone  bridge  with  iron  rails,  erected  in  a  light  chap.  hi. 
and  elegant  style  of  architecture.  It  was  a  very  foggy 
morning,  which  prevented  our  having  some  fine  views  of  the 
Lake  Wener.  The  Governor  had  sent  for  us,  demanding  a 
sight  of  our  passport :  we  therefore  called  at  his  house,  as 
we  were  leaving  this  wooden  city.  The  road  leading  to 
Brastegard  lies,  for  the  most  part,  by  the  side  of  lakes, 
\yhich  discharge  their  waters  into  the  Wener,  by  means  of  a 
small  river.  From  Brastegard  we  came  to  Molkcm;  near  ^r0fklf"rd 
which  place  there  is  a  large  lake,  the  village  being  prettily 
situate  at  the  end  of  it.  The  church  service  had  j  ust  ended ;  and 
a  vast  throng  of  the  peasants  filled  the  post-house,  impatient 
to  get  their  drams,  according  to  custom,  as  a  morning-whet 
after  prayers.  We  saw  no  symptoms  of  intoxication :  but 
this  is  the  Swedish  custom.  Many  of  them  came  from  a  great 
distance  ;  and  a  little  brandy,  as  one  of  them  jocularly  told 
us,  helped  to  digest  the  sermon,  and  to  sharpen  their 
appetites  for  dinner.  The  road  was  crowded  with  little 
carts,  each  drawn  by  one  horse,  conveying  the  different 
families  to  their  several  homes  ;  and  with  the  youth  of  both 
sexes,  who  were  pacing  on  foot,  by  the  side  of  their  parents. 
Here  a  change  was  again  visible  in  the  costume.  In  the  north  ^^^f6 
of  Wermeland,  as  we  have  described  it,  the  dress  of  the  Peasants- 
peasants  was  uniformly  black.     It  was   also   very  uniform 

here : 


(2)  "  Urbs  hie  unica  Carolostadium,  a  Rege  Carolo  IX.  denominata,  occupat  insulam, 
ab  ingenti  flumine  Carls  Elff,  ubi  lacui  Wener  miscetur,  factam,  in  quo  ipso  Wermiae 
meditullio  sitam."     Amcenit.  Regn.  Suec.  torn.  I.  p.  442.     L.Bat.  1706. 


p*t$t 


94 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  here :  but  the  colours  were  grey  or  blue ;  all  blue,  or  all  grey, 
as  the  parties  were  from  different  districts.  From  Molkem  to 
Brattefors,  the  distance  is  fourteen  English,  or  two  Sivedish 
miles  ;  the  roads  being  of  that  incomparable  nature  which  we 
have  so  often  described  in  Sweden;  but  to  which  frequent 
allusion  may  be  made,  that  the  Reader  may  bear  in  his  mind 
the  actual  state  of  the  country,  and  the  industry  of  its  inha- 
bitants. Incessant  rain  had  fallen  for  some  time  before, 
without  effecting  the  smallest  change  in  the  excellent  condi- 
tion of  these  roads.  The  material  for  making  them  is  always 
the  same;  a  fine  gravel,  covering  the  broad  and  flat  way. 
We  did  not  consider  the  perfect  state  of  the  Swedish  high- 
ways as  owing  so  much  to  the  material  used,  as  to  the 
manner  adopted  in  making  them.  There  is  nothing  of 
promiscuous  work  carried  on,  by  way  of  keeping  them  in 
order ;  nor  any  thing  like  a  proposal  set  on  foot  for  mending 
them  by  contract ;  enabling  adventurers  to  enrich  themselves, 
by  jobbing,  at  the  public  expense.  Each  peasant  has  a  por- 
tion of  the  road  assigned,  by  measure,  to  his  peculiar  care : 
and  these  portions  are  marked  out  by  little  boards,  bearing 
the  names  of  the  peasants  to  whose  management  they  have 
been  entrusted  :  by  which  means  emulation  is  excited  among 
them ;  every  peasant  being  stimulated,  by  a  degree  of  pride,  to 
surpass,  if  possible,  in  his  allotment,  the  work  of  his  neigh- 
bour. We  have  known  them,  when  they  have  attended  us  with 
their  horses,  point  with  exultation  to  the  condition  of  that  part 
of  the  road  which  has  been  under  their  care.  At  Molkem 
we  dined  in  a  neat  new-built  house,  upon  the  game  we  had 
brought  with  us,  and,  as  usual,  upon  our  bread  and  cheese. 

Near 


Manner  of 
keeping  the 
Roads  in 
repair. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


95 


Near  Brattefors,  our  fore-axle  broke :  we  therefore  left  the  chap.  hi. 
servants  behind,  to  take  care  of  the  phaeton,  and  to  have  it 
mended  ;  and  went  forward,  in  a  peasant's  cart,  to  the  inn  ; 
where  we  hired  two  more  carts  to  convey  us   to  Philip- 
stad.     Brattefors  is  black  with  iron  forges ;  and  the  houses,  Br/ute/ors. 
some  of  which  are   good,  are   painted   red.     The   road  to 
Philipstad  from  Brattefors1  passes  many  iron-foundries,  and 
leads  the  traveller  through  finer  scenery  than  the  south  of 
Sweden  usually  exhibits.     The  soil,  if  it  may  bear  the  name 
of  soil,  is  altogether  incorrigible :  it  consists  of  enormous 
loose  fragments   of  bare   granite,    piled   together  till  they 
become  mountains,  and  form  steep  precipices.     Upon  these 
boulders  there  appears  hardly  a  trace  of  any  vegetable  earth,  Boulders. 
or  even  of  any  kind  of  covering ;  yet  they  are  thickly  planted 
with  forests  of  tall  pines,  birch,  and  juniper  trees,  which,  in  Trees. 
a  marvellous  manner,  have  found  nourishment  for  their  roots 
in  the  interstices  between  the  boulders.      Wolves  are  very  Animals. 
numerous   here:  bears  not  so  frequent.      But   of  all   qua- 
drupeds, the  most  abundant  is  the  beautiful  grey  squirrel, 
which  is  seen  skipping  in  the  trees,  and  continually  crossing 
the   road.      Sometimes,    regardless   of   the   traveller,    these 

playful 


(l)  For  the  curious  minerals  produced  in  the  whole  of  this  mining  district,  but  which 
did  not  occur  in  this  route,  the  reader  is  particularly  referred  to  Engestrom's  Guide  du 
Voyageur  aux  Carrier es  et  Mines  de  Svede;  Stockholm,  17QQ.  Also  to  Thomson's  Travels 
in  Sweden,  c.  20.  p.  374.  Lond.  1813.  According  to  Engestrom,  Journee  III.  p.  48. 
there  was  found  in  Brattefors  mine,  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a 
small  vein  of ferruginous  clay,  crossing  the  vein  of  iron,  very  rich  in  native  silver,  partly 
massive  globular  and  ramified,  and  partly  mixed  in  fine  grains  in  the  clay ;  which,  more- 
over, contained  a  good  deal  of  kupfer'nickel,  and  a  little  ore  of  cobalt. 


■  '.-//t-.f/    !«*«*      ■        ■ 


96 

CHAP.  III. 

Philipstad. 


Uniform  ap- 
pearance of 
the   Swedish 
towns. 


Dress  of  the 

Natives. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 

playful  little  animals,  being  perched  upon  a  bough  near  the 
road,  will  tumble  into  all  sorts  of  attitudes,  as  if  purposely 
to  invite  his  notice,  and  to  entertain  him  with  their  gambols. 
It  was  nearly  dark  before  we  arrived  at  Philipstad.     We 
could  perceive  some  country-seats  most  delightfully  situate 
upon  the  shores  of  the  little  lake,  at  the   northern  extremity 
of  which  the  town  is  placed.     Although  not  so  large  as 
Carlstad,  it  seemed  neater  in  its  appearance.     The  view  of  it 
across  a  part  of  the  lake,  in  the  approach    to   the    town, 
affords  a  most  pleasing  prospect;  and  except  in  such  cir- 
cumstances of  situation,  there  is  little  variety  in  the  aspect 
of  any  of  the  Swedish  towns.     Having  once  figured  to  the 
imagination  a  number  of  low  red  houses,  of  a  single  story, 
each  covered  with  turf  and  weeds,  a  picture  is  presented  to 
the  mind  which  will  serve  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  all  the 
oppidan   scenery  of  Sweden.     There  is  no  other  country  in 
the  world,  excepting  perhaps  Russia,  that  exhibits,  over  an 
equal  extent  of  territory,  such  unvaried  uniformity;  and  this, 
not  only  in  the  appearance  of  its  buildings,  but  also  of  its  inha- 
bitants and  landscapes.     The  dress  of  the  women,  from  one 
extremity  of  the  kingdom  to  the  other,  is  nearly  the  same; — 
a  "scull-cap,  sitting  close  to  the  crown,  edged  with  a  little 
stiff  lace,  the  hair  being  drawn  as  tight  and  straight  as  pos- 
sible beneath  the  cap,  from  all  parts  of  the  head,  as    if  to 
start  from  the  roots:  add  to  this,   a  handkerchief,  thrown 
over  the  cap  only  when  they  go  out;    a  jacket ;  short  petti- 
coats; stockings   of  coloured  or  white  woollen;  and  high- 
heeled  shoes ; — this  is  the  general  costume  of  the  Swedish 
women.      Then,  for  the  landscape — one  unbroken  boundless 

forest ; 


PHILIPSTAD. 


97 


forest ;  varied  only  in   the   uniformity  of  its  aspect  by  little   chap.  hi. 
patches  of  cultivated  land,  enclosed  by  fences  formed  every-  Enclosures# 
where    in    the    same   manner,   by  sloping  splinters  of   deal 
fastened  by  withys  against  upright  poles.     In  fact,   there  is 
no  other  kind  of  fence   used   for  enclosures  over  all  Sweden, 
Lapland,  Finland,  and  Norway. 


Philipstad  is  supported  entirely  by  the  mines  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood :  its  commerce  is  consequently  the  same  as  that 
of  Carlstad.  It  has  been  often  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
Church  is  a  handsome  white  building,  and  looks  well  in  the 
approach  to  the  town.  The  environs  are  well  wooded  with 
fir,  birch,  and  alder.  There  are  here  some  good  houses,  but 
they  are  all  painted  of  a  red  colour.  The  streets  are  paved. 
Most  of  the  houses  are  covered  with  masses  of  iron  slag, 
laid  on  to  keep  down  the  birch-bark  upon  the  roofs. 

The  next  day,  Monday,  Nov.  4,  our  servants  arrived  at 
twelve  o'clock  with  the  carriage,  which  had  been  well 
repaired,  and,  as  they  said,  rendered  fit  for  any  journey  :  but 
they  had  lost  our  bundle  of  fine  juniper -sticks,  which  we  JuniperTrees. 
had  cut  in  the  woods  as  we  passed,  and  prized  very  much,  as 
curious  memorials  of  our  journey,  on  account  of  their 
straight  tapering  shape,    and  the  beauty  of  the  bark  which 

vol.  vi.  o  covered 


■  ^M     ^M        :^Mi     *Mr*       JJ&  j*s*w-^ 


98  FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO   FAHLUN. 

chap.  in.  covered  them.  Although  this  loss,  it  might  seem,  would  be 
easily  repaired  amidst  the  Scandinavian  forests,  we  never 
afterwards  saw  the  juniper  flourishing  in  such  perfection  as 
upon  the  frontiers  dividing  the  south  of  Sweden  from  Norway  ; 
where  it  rises,  in  a  sandy  soil,  to  the  height  of  twelve,  sixteen, 
and  even  eighteen  feet.  Its  branches  are  more  erect  than  those 
of  the  common  juniper,  the  leaves  narrower  and  in  more 
acute  points,  and  are  placed  farther  asunder  on  the  branches : 
the  berries  also  are  larger.  This  Swedish  or  Tree-juniper  was 
considered  by  Miller  as  a  distinct  species  from  the  Juniperus 
communis;  but  they  are  only  varieties  of  the  same  species'. 
We  left  Philipstad    about  four  o'clock  p.m.;     and   pro- 

omhytia.  ceeded  one  stage,  to  Onshytta.  Near  this  place  are  the 
celebrated  irorc-mines  of  Persberg,  which  it  was  our  object 
to  visit.  For  this  purpose  we  waited  on  an  officer  of  the 
mines,  called  the  Bruhs  Patron,  or  Intendant ;  and  also  upon 
the  Director  of  the  works  ;  begging  also  to  see  any  collection 
of  the  Persberg  minerals  which  might  be  in  the  place.  We 
were  not  surprised  at  being  told  that  no  one  interested  him- 
self in  making  collections  ;  but  that  we  might  collect  them 
ourselves,  if  we  thought  proper,  at  the  mines.  Having 
obtained  also  permission  to  descend  into  the  principal  mine, 
and  to  inspect  the  works,  we  fixed  upon  nine  o'clock  of  the 
following  day  for  making  this  visit ;  when  the  Intendant 
volunteered  his  services,  and  offered  to  accompany  us.  We 
then  returned  to  the  inn,  where  we  found  a  very  comfortable 
room  ;  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  in  writing  our 
journals    from    the    notes  we   had   made,   and  in   making 

preparation 


(l)  Martyns  Edit,  of  Millers  Diet.  Vol.1.  Part  2.  Lond.   IS07. 


IRON-MINES  OF  PERSBERG.  90 

preparation  for  our  subterraneous  expedition.      Here  we  saw   chap.  hi. 

that  remarkable  bird,  which,  in  Norway,  is  called,  by  those 

who  speak  the  English   language,  the  Wild  Turkey :  being, 

however,  not  much  like  a  turkey ;  but  properly   ranking  at 

the  head  of  the  whole  genus  Tetrao,  which  is  seen  in  such 

perfection  among  all  the  forests  of  Sweden  and  Norway.     It 

is  the  largest  of  the  two  kinds  of  Tetrao.   commonly  known  Twospedesof 

°  J  Tetrao  or 

by  the  name  of  Black-cock,  and  is  called  Tjader  by  the  Biack^oeh. 
Sivedes.  The  male  is  called  simply  Tjader;  but  the  female, 
Tjader  hdna,  or  the  Tjader  Hen.  This  magnificent  bird,  of 
which  we  saw  the  cock  in  full  feather,  is  the  Tetrao  Urogallus 
of  Briinnichius*.  The  Norwegians  call  it  Tiur,  Tecr,  and 
Tedder.  We  saw  also  with  it  the  other  kind  of  Black-cock 
found  in  Norway,  which  enabled  us  to  compare  the  two 
together.  This  last  is  the  common  Black-cock.  The  male  is 
called  by  the  Norwegians,  Orre,  and  Orr-fugl;  and  the  female 
Orre  hena.  It  is  the  Tetrao  Tetrix  of  ornithologists3.  Both 
one  and  the  other  are  found  in  tolerable  abundance  in  the 
woods.  Of  this  beautiful  genus  Tetrao,  so  valuable  as  an 
article  of  food,  and  so  much  esteemed  by  epicures,  no  less 
than  eight  species  are  common  upon  the  Scandinavian 
mountains. 

On  Tuesday,  Nov.  5,  we  visited  Persberg,  distant  a  quarter  Persherg. 
of  a  Swedish  mile  from  Onshytta.    There  are  here  not  less  than 
thirteen  different  mines,  all  worked  for  iron,  which  have  no 

commu- 


(2)  Orniihologia  Borealis,  Brunnichii,  p.  5g.    Hafnice,    l"jQA. 

(3)  Ibid.     The  author  has  seen   the  Tetrao  Tetrix  served  at  a  London  dinner- table 
it  had  been  sent  as  a  present  from  Norway. 


100  FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO   FAHLUN. 

chap.  in.    communication  with  each  other.     To  inspect  the  whole  of 
them   would  require  at  least   three  days  of  active  exertion. 
The  hill,   or  mountain,  in  which  these  mines  are  situate,  is 
itself  entirely  composed  of  veins  and  beds  of  iron-ore.     A 
careful  examination  of  one   of   them   may,  therefore,  serve 
to  afford  a  tolerably  accurate  knowledge  of  the  whole.      The 
Intendant  who  had  so  politely  offered  his  services  upon  this 
occasion,  as  politely  withdrew  from  the  appointment ;    not 
being  desirous  to  follow  us  into  the  depths  of  the  mine  which 
he  saw  we  were  resolved  to  explore.      However,  he  left  us 
some  stout   miners  to  be  of   the  party ;    men  much  better 
suited  for   the  undertaking,  and  likely  to    be   much   more 
serviceable.      For   some    time   after  our   arrival,   we  were 
employed  in  collecting  minerals  from  the  vast  heaps  of  exca- 
vated matter,  and  from  the  labourers  in  the  works.     The  list 
of  these  will  be  found  in  a  Note1;  being  calculated  only  to 
interest  the  chemical  or  mineralogical  reader.     Afterwards, 
we  set  out  to  examine  the  oldest  and  the  largest  of  these 
mines.     They  are  all  of  them  private  property,   divided  into 

a  great 


(l)     Octahedral  crystals  of  iron-oxide  in  chlorite. 
Foliated  sulphuret  of  bismuth. 

Snlphuret  of  iron,  crystallized  in  the  octahedral  and  cubic  form. 
Asbestus  and  amianthus,  imbedded  in  green  serpentine. 
Steatite  and  pot-stone. 
Crystallized  carbonate  of  lime. 
Globular  fibrous  carbonate  of  lime. 
Dark-green  foliated  mica. 

Leelite — sometimes  called  flesh-coloured  horn-stone. 
Hornblende. 
Crystallized  quartz. 
Epidote. 


IRON-MINES  OF  PERSBERG. 


101 


a   great    many    shares.       The     miners    work   by    measure ;    chap.  in. 
earning  daily  a  sum  equal  to  about  two  shillings   English; 
that  is  to  say,  half  a  rix-dollar.     They  are  paid  weekly. 

The  author's  visit  to  these  mines  was  made  after  he  had 
personally  inspected  many  of  the  principal  works  of  the 
same  nature  in  other  countries,  and  especially  in  his  own. 
For  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  he  had  been  much  in  the 
habit  of  seeing  similar  works :  it  is  not  therefore  owing  to 
any  surprise  at  the  novelty  of  the  scene  before  him,  that  he 
has  now  to  mention  the  astonishment  he  felt  when  he  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  great  Persberg  mines;  but 
he  is  fully  prepared  to  say  of  it,  and  with  truth,  there 
is  nothing  like  it  in  all  that  he  has  beheld  elsewhere. 
For  grandeur  of  effect,  filling  the  mind  of  the  spectator 
with  a  degree  of  wonder  which  amounts  to  awe,  there 
is  no  place  where  human  labour  is  exhibited  under  cir- 
cumstances more  tremendously  striking.  As  we  drew 
near  to  the  wide  and  open  abyss,  a  vast  and  sudden 
prospect  of  yawning  caverns  and  of  prodigious  machinery 
prepared  us  for  the  descent.  We  approached  the  edge 
of  the  dreadful  gulph  whence  the  ore  is  raised  ;  and  ventured 
to  look  down ;  standing  upon  the  verge  of  a  sort  of 
platform,  constructed  over  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
command  a  view  into  the  great  opening  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  penetrate  amidst  its  gloomy  depths  :  for,  to  the  sight, 
it  is  bottomless2.     Immense  buckets,  suspended  by  rattling 

chains, 


(2)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 


i..i#  *c  »#**.'3»:'„  **J.*, 


102  FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO   FAHLUN. 

chap.  in.  chains,  were  passing  up  and  down  :  and  wTe  could  perceive 
ladders  scaling  all  the  inward  precipices;  upon  which  the 
work-people,  reduced  by  their  distance  to  pigmies  in  size,  were 
ascending  and  descending.  Far  below  the  utmost  of  these 
figures,  a  deep  and  gaping  gulph,  the  mouth  of  the  lowermost 
pits,  was,  by  its  darkness,  rendered  impervious  to  the  view. 
From  the  spot  where  we  stood,  down  to  the  place  where 
the  buckets  are  filled,  the  distance  might  be  about 
seventy- five  fathoms  ;  and  as  soon  as  any  of  these  buckets 
emerged  from  the  gloomy  cavity  we  have  mentioned,  or 
until  they  entered  into  it  in  their  descent,  they  were  visible ; 
but  below  this  point  they  were  hid  in  darkness.  The 
clanking  of  the  chains,  the  groaning  of  the  pumps,  the 
hallooing  of  the  miners,  the  creaking  of  the  blocks  and 
wheels,  the  trampling  of  horses,  the  beating  of  the  hammers, 
and  the  loud  and  frequent  subterraneous  thunder  from  the 
blasting  of  the  rocks  by  gunpowder,  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
scene  of  excavation  and  uproar,  produced  an  effect  which  no 
stranger  can  behold  unmoved.  We  descended  with  two  of 
the  miners,  and  our  interpreter,  into  this  abyss.  The  ladders, 
instead  of  being  placed  like  those  in  our  Cornish  mines,  upon 
a  series  of  platforms  as  so  many  landing-places,  are  lashed 
together  in  one  unbroken  line,  extending  many  fathoms  ;  and 
being  warped  to  suit  the  inclination  or  curvature  of  the  sides  of 
the  precipices,  they  are  not  always  perpendicular,  but  hang  over 
in  such  a  manner,  that  even  if  a  person  held  fast  by  his  hands, 
and  if  his  feet  should  happen  to  slip,  they  would  fly  off  from  the 
rock,  and  leave  him  suspended  over  the  gulph.  Yet  such  ladders 
are  the  only  means  of  access  to  the  works  below :  and  as  the 

labourers 


Descent  into 
the  Iron 
Mines. 


IRON-MINES  OF  PERSBERG. 


103 


labourers  are  not  accustomed  to  receive  strangers,  they  chap.  hi. 
neither  use  the  precautions,  nor  offer  the  assistance,  usually 
afforded  in  more  frequented  mines.  In  the  principal  tin- 
mints  of  Cornwall,  the  staves  of  the  ladders  are  alternate 
bars  of  wood  and  iron :  here  they  were  of  wood  only, 
and  in  some  parts  rotten  and  broken,  making  us  often 
wish,  during  our  descent,  that  we  had  never  undertaken  an 
exploit  so  hazardous.  In  addition  to  the  danger  to  be  appre- 
hended from  the  damaged  state  of  the  ladders,  the  staves 
were  covered  with  ice  or  mud ;  and  thus  rendered  so  cold 
and  slippery,  that  we  could  have  no  dependence  upon  our 
benumbed  fingers,  if  our  feet  failed  us.  Then,  to  complete 
our  apprehensions,  as  we  mentioned  this  to  the  miners,  they 
said, — "  Have  a  care  !  It  was  just  so,  talking  about  the  staves,  Catastrophe 

which  belli!  a 

that  one  of  our  women1  fell,  about  four  years  ago,   as  she  iv 

Miner. 

was  descending  to  her  work."  il  Fell !"  said  our  Swedish 
interpreter,  rather  simply  ;  "  and  pray  what  became  of  her  ?" 
"  Became  of  her!"  continued  the  foremost  of  our  guides, 
disengaging  one  of  his  hands  from  the  ladder,  and  slapping 
it  forcibly  against  his  thigh,  as  if  to  illustrate  the  manner  of 
the  catastrophe, — "  she  became  (patlfeafea)  a  pancaked 

As  we  descended  farther  from  the  surface,  large  masses 
of  ice  appeared,  covering  the  sides  of  the  precipices.  Ice 
is  raised  in  the  buckets  with  the  ore  and  rubble  of  the 
mine  :  it  has  also  accumulated  in  such  quantity  in  some  of  the 

lower 


(l)  Females,  as  well  as  males,  work  in  the  Swedish  mines. 


104 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO   FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  lower  chambers,  that  there  are  places  where  it  is  fifteen 
fathoms  thick,  and  no  change  of  temperature  above  prevents 
its  increase.  This  seems  to  militate  against  a  notion  now 
becoming  prevalent,  that  the  temperature  of  the  air  in  mines 
increases  directly  as  the  depth  from  the  surface,  owing  to 
the  increasing  temperature  of  the  earth  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances and  in  the  same  ratio ;  but  it  is  explained  by  the 
width  of  this  aperture  at  the  mouth  of  the  mine,  which 
admits  a  free  passage  of  atmospheric  air.  In  our  Cornish 
mines,  ice  would  not  be  preserved  in  a  solid  state  at  any 
considerable  depth  from  the  surface. 

Bottom  of  the       After  much  fatigue,  and  no  small  share  of  apprehension, 

Persberg 

Mine.  we   at   length    reached    the   bottom    of    the   mine.      Here 

we  had  no  sooner  arrived,  than  our  conductors,  taking 
each  of  us  by  an  arm,  hurried  us  along,  through  regions  of 
"  thick-ribbed  ice"  and  darkness,  into  a  vaulted  level,  through 
which  we  were  to  pass  into  the  principal  chamber  of  the 
mine.  The  noise  of  countless  hammers,  all  in  vehement  action, 
increased  as  we  crept  along  this  level ;  until  at  length, 
subduing  every  other  sound,  we  could  no  longer  hear  each 
other   speak,  notwithstanding  our  utmost  efforts.     At   this 

striking  scene  moment  we  were  ushered  into  a  prodigious  cavern,  whence 

in  the  Great  x  ° 

the  sounds  proceeded;  and  here,  amidst  falling  waters, 
tumbling  rocks,  steam,  ice,  and  gunpowder,  about  fifty 
miners  were  in  the  very  height  of  their  employment.  The 
magnitude  of  the  cavern,  over  all  parts  of  which  their 
labours  were  going  on,  was  alone  sufficient  to  prove  that  the 
iron-ore  is  not  deposited  in  veins,  but  in  beds.  Above, 
below,  on  every  side,  and  in  every  nook  of   this    fearful 

dungeon, 


Cavern. 


IRON-MINES  OF  PERSBERG. 


105 


dungeon,  glimmering  tapers  disclosed  the  grim  and  anxious   chap.  hi. 

countenances  of  the  miners.     They  were  now  driving  bolts 

of  iron  into  the  rocks,  to  bore  cavities  for  the  gunpowder,  for 

blasting.     Scarcely  had   we  recovered  from  the  stupefaction 

occasioned  by  our  first  introduction  into  this  Pandcemonium, 

when  we  beheld,  close  to  us,  hags  more  horrible  than  perhaps 

it  is  possible  for  any  other  female  figures  to  exhibit,   holding 

their  dim  quivering  tapers  to  our  faces,  and  bellowing  in  our 

ears.      One   of    the    same  sisterhood,   snatching   a  lighted 

splinter  of  deal,  darted  to  the  spot   where  we  stood,  with 

eyes  inflamed  and  distilling  rheum,  her  hair   clotted  with 

mud,  dugs  naked  and  pendulous  ;   and  such  a  face,  and  such 

hideous  yells,  as  it  is  impossible  to  describe  : — 

Black  it  stood,  as  Night — fierce  as  ten  Furies — 
Terrible  as  Hell 

If  we  could  have  heard  what  she  said,  we  should  not  have 
comprehended  a  syllable :  but  as  several  other  Parcce, 
equally  Gorgonian  in  their  aspect,  passed  swiftly  by  us, 
hastening  tumultuously  towards  the  entrance,  we  began  to 
perceive,  that  if  we  remained  longer  in  our  present  situation, 
Atropos  might  indeed  cut  short  the  threads  of  our  existence ; 
for  the  noise  of  the  hammers  had  now  ceased,  and  a 
tremendous  blast  was  near  the  point  of  its  explosion.  We 
had  scarcely  retraced  with  all  speed  our  steps  along  the 
level,  and  were  beginning  to  ascend  the  ladders,  when  the 
full  volume  of  the  thunder  reached  us,  as  if  roaring  with 
greater  vehemence  because  pent  amongst  the  crashing  rocks, 
whence,  being  reverberated  over  all  the  mine,  it  seemed 
to  shake  the  earth  itself  with  its  terrible  vibrations. 

vol.  vi.  p  We 


asrt        ^B 


106 


CHAP.  III. 


Imbedded 
state  of  the 
Ore. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAKLUN. 

We  were  afterwards  conducted  into  other  cavities  of  the 
Persberg  works.  The  whole  hill  of  Persberg  may  be  con- 
sidered as  a  vast  deposit  of  iron-ore;  the  ore  lying  in  separate 
beds.  The  miners  work  in  spacious  caverns,  like  those  of 
our  salt-mines,  at  Sandbach,  in  Cheshire;  excepting  that  the 
interior  of  our  salt-mines,  containing  neither  glaciers  nor 
cataracts,  nor  dreadful  precipices  to  be  scaled  by  means  of 
rotten  ladders1,  nor  filthy  wretched  females  doomed  to  do 
the  work  of  men,  are  rather  pleasing  than  intimidating  in 
their  appearance.  The  ore  of  the  Persberg  mines  consists 
of  magnetic  iron-oxide,  either  in  fine  or  in  coarse  grains. 
Those  mines  which  we  saw,  and  in  which,  working  with 
our  own  hands,  we  obtained  specimens  of  the  ore,  exhibited 
this  oxide  in  a  state  of  very  remarkable  association  with 
garnet;  insomuch  that  garnet  may  be  considered  here,  not 
only  as  a  leader  to  the  ore,  but  as  the  ore  itself;  many  of 
the  specimens  wrought  for  the  iron  they  contain  being  masses 
of  garnet.  The  whole  district  is  of  primitive  formation ; 
the  rocks  being  of  gneiss  or  of  granite,  containing  more  or 
less  of  hornblende,  and,  in  some  places,  beds  of  primitive 
limestone*. 

As 


(1)  The  descent  into  the  Cheshire  salt-mines  is  by  means  of  buckets,  in  which  ladies 
may  be  conveyed  into  the  mine,  and  back  again,  with  the  utmost  safety  and 
cleanliness. 

(2)  Montana  est "  (observes  the  author  of  the  Amoenitates  Regnorum  Suecice,  with 
reference  to  this  province,)  "  et  sylvestris.  Metalli  fodinas,  et  nuper  admodum  ditis- 
simam  cupri  venam  inventam  habet."  (Delicice,  siveAmoen.  Regn.  Suec.  torn.  I.  p.  442. 
L.  Bat.  1706.) 

"The 


IRON-MINES  OF  LANGBANSHYTTA. 


107 


As  soon  as  we  had  concluded  our  examination  of  the  Persberg   chap.  hi. 
mines,  we  went  to  the  Inspector's  house,  where  we  packed 
up    our    minerals.      Afterwards,    returning   to    the  inn   at 
Onshytta,  we  set  off  for  Saxan.     The  whole  of  this  part  of 
Wermeland  is  throughout  perforated  by  mines. 

About  nine  English  miles  from  Onshytta,   at  a  place  called  Lhngban- 

shytta- 

hangbanshytta,  there  is  an  exceeding  rich  mine  of  iron  ore,  of 
which  the  principal  part  is  the per-oxide  called  hcematite:  it  lies 
to  the  north  of  the  road  leading  towards  Saxan ;  but  we  could 
not  bestow  time  enough  for  visiting  this  mine.  The  mineralo- 
gical  traveller  will  however  be  wise,  if  he  do  not  follow  our 
example  in  this  respect.  He  will  find  few  mines  richer  in 
interesting  minerals3.     He  should  also  be  aware,  that  at  the 

distance 


'*  The  whole  of  Fermeland,"  says  Thomson,  "  with  the  exception  of  a  small  track 
on  the  borders  of  the  Vener,  is  primitive,  and  may  be  said  to  consist  entirely  of  gneiss 
rocks,  similar  to  those  which  constitute  the  neighbourhood  of  Gotteburg.  Here  and 
there  occur  beds  of  mica-slate,  limestone,  primitive  griinstone,  &c. ;  but  none  of  them, 
as  far  as  I  could  learn,  are  of  any  great  extent.  It  is  to  the  mines  which  abound  in 
this  province  that  it  owes  its  chief  value."  Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  374.  Lond. 
1813. 

(3)  It  has  been  wrought  upwards  of  three  hundred  years.  It  is  near  a  lake  called 
Langban.  According  to  Dr.  Thomson,  (Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  378,)  it  lies  in  a  limestone 
rock.     The  minerals  found  in  this  mine  are : 

1.  Sub-varieties  of  haematite. 

2.  Magnetic  iron-oxide,  granular,  fibrous,  and  crystallized.     Also  micaceous  iron 

and  specular  iron  ore,  similar  to  that  from  Elba,  yet  attracted  by  the  magnet. 

3.  Sulphuret  of  iron. 

4.  White  manganese  spar,  globular  and  radiated. 

5.  Iron  spar. 

6.  Ferruginous  scintillating  sulphate  of  lime. 

7.  Sparry  carbonate  of  lime. 

8.  Red  and  brown  jasper,  according  to  Engestrbm.   'According  to  Thomson,  this 

is  iron  flint. 

.  Garnets, 


108 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAKLUN, 


chap,  in.  distance  of  ten  English  miles  and  a  half  from  Philipstad, 
there  are  the  iro/z-mines  of  Normark,  in  which  the  minerals 
are  neither  so  curious  nor  so  varied  and  abundant  as  at 
Langba?ishytta ;  but  the  mines  themselves  are  very  antient, 
and  well  worthy  of  his  attention1.  A  little  more  than  an 
English  mile  from  Normark  are  also  the  iron-mines  of  Taberg ; 

and 


9.  Garnets,  red  and  yellow  j  containing  from  15  to  21  per  cent,  of  iron.  (Thomson.) — 
Dr.  Thomson  mentions  a  garnet  found  here,  containing,  besides  2(5  per  cent  of 
oxide  of  iron,  above  8  per  cent,  of  oxide  of  manganese,  lime,  carbonic  acid, 
and  soda  :   the  silica  amounting  to  35.20. 

10.  Pycnite. 

1  i.  Tourmaline. 

12.  Green  and  yellow  serpentine. 

13.  Mountain-leather,  mountain-cork,  and  other  varieties  of  asbestus  and  amianthus. 

14.  White  clay. 

15.  Black  massive  hornblende. 

16.  Epidote. 

17.  Sahlite. 

18.  Petroleum,  and  glance-coal. 

19.  Red  silicate  of  manganese. 

(l)  It  lies  in  mica-slate.  Limestone,  containing  manganese  and  hornblende,  occurs 
in  this  mine.  (Thomson.) — Its  other  minerals  are: 

1.  Magnetic  iron-oxide. 

2.  Sulphuret  of  lead,  crystallized. 

3.  Varieties  of  crystallized  carbonate  of  lime. 

4.  Varieties  of  asbestus.     Mountain-leather,  mountain-cork. 

5.  Dark  foliated  mica. 

6.  Dark-green  fibrous  hornblende. 

7.  Crystallized  sahlite. 

8.  Red  garnet. 

Dr.  Thomson,  (Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  375,)  mentions  a  peculiar  mineral  found  in  this 
mine,  which  has  not  yet  been  named.  It  was  examined,  he  says,  by  Gahn,  who  found 
it  to  contain  muriatic  acid.  It  occurs  crystallized  in  regular  six-sided  prisms  :  its  colour 
is  yellowish  brown,  passing  into  greenish :  by  transmitted  light,  it  appears  greenish 
yellow.     Its  specific  gravity  equals  3.081. 


MINES  OF  NORMARK,  TABERG,  &c. 


10,9 


and  they  are  rendered  remarkable  for  the  singular  varieties  of  chap.  hi. 
asbestus,  particularly  the  beautiful  amianthus  found  there2. 
In  returning  to  Philipstad,  after  visiting  these  mines,  he  will 
also  find  the  iron-mine  of  Agegrufvan,  which  lies  close  to  the 
road3.     Leaving  Onshytta,  we  were  struck  by  the  appearance 

of 


(2)  This  iron  mine  lies  also  in  mica-slate.    The  ore  is  magnetic  iron-oxide.     Its 
principal  minerals,  according  to  Engestrom  and  Thomson,  are : 

1 .  Black  granular  magnetic  iron. 

2.  Sulphuret  of  zinc. 

3.  Cubic  sulphuret  of  iron. 

4.  Lime-spar. 

5.  Micaceous  steatite,  and  serpentine. 

6.  Dark-green  foliated  mica. 

7.  Varieties  of  amianthus  and  asbestus. 
S.  Native  bismuth. 

9.  Sulphuret  of  copper. 

10.  Magnesian  carbonate  of  lime.  (Bitter-spar.)     Also  light-blue  litter-spar  mixed 

with  asbestus. 

11.  Dark-green  chlorite. 

12.  Light-green  asbestiform  actinote. 

13.  Light-green  glassy  tremolite. 

14.  Silicate  of  magnesia,  called  greenish-grey  steatite,  consisting  of 

Magnesia  -  -  -  31 
Silica  -  ---  43 
Iron  -----  5 
Volatile  matter  -    -     16 

100  Geijer. 
(3)  The  mines  of  Age,  called  Agegrujvan,  are  situate  about  seven  miles  from  Philipstad. 
(Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  377-)        Like  the  preceding,  they  consist  of  iron  ore, 
which  occurs  in  a  rock  of  mica-slate.     The  minerals  found  here,  are  : 

1.  Massive  and  granular  magnetic  iron-oxide.     6.  Epidote,  crystallized  in  quartz. 

2.  Many  varieties  of  lime-spar. 

3.  Garnet,  in  regular  dodecahedral  crystals. 

4.  Dark  foliated  mica. 

5.  Black  foliated  hornblende. 


7.  Massive  epidote. 

8.  Various  forms  of  asbestus. 

9.  Hydrates  of  silica,  of  various  colours. 
10.  Crystallized  quartz. 

For 


110 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUK 


chap,  in.   of  a  most  curious  mechanical  contrivance,  which  presented 

Machinery  for  itself  in  our  road,  for  working  the  mine  pumps.    It  consisted  of 

Pumps.  a  most  extensive  combination  of  levers,  all  in  motion,  working 

parallel  to  each  other  by  means  of  water,  being  separated 

by  transverse  bars  resting  upon  upright  posts  with  pivots. 


These  bars  were  about  eight  or  ten  feet  in  length  ; 
but  the  side  levers  extended  to  mines  out  of  our  sight. 
The  stream  and  wheel  for  giving  motion  to  these  levers 
was  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road ;  under  which,  in 
one  place,  the  levers  passed,  and,  appearing  again  on  our 
right,  extended  over  the  surface  of  the  ground  as  far  as  we 
could  see.  Their  appearance  all  in  motion,  without  any 
person  being  visible  near  them,  was  very  extraordinary  ;  for 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  so  much  machinery,  consisting 
of  such  numerous  parts,  can  be  preserved  in  free  action  and 
without  injury,  remote  from  all  observation.  We  afterwards 
passed  several  of  these  water-works,  affording  astonishing 
proofs  of  the  extensive  mining  operations  here  carried  on. 
They  all  move  alike,  by  a  successive  series  of  impulses. 

Our 

For  an  account  of  other  mines  and  minerals  in  the  Province  of  Wermeland,  the 
Reader  is  referred  to  Enges  tram's  Guide  aux  Mines  de  Swede;  Stockholm,  1 796 :  but 
for  much  better,  and  more  scientific  information,  to  Thomson's  Travels  in  Sweden, 
Lond.   1813. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


Ill 


Our  journey  from  Onshytta  to  Saxan  was  over  a  wild  and  chap.  hi. 
mountainous  district ;  but  the  roads  were  excellent.  Sax^ 
Quantities  of  slag  and  scoriae,  in  our  approach  to  Saxan, 
denoted  the  presence  of  iron-foundries,  to  which  it  owes  its 
support.  Part  of  the  iron  ore  from  Persberg  is  brought  here 
to  be  smelted  and  forged  :  it  is  then  conveyed,  in  the  form 
of  bar-iron,  to  Christinehamn,  and  thence,  by  the  Lake  Wener, 
to  Trolhcetta  and  Gothenburg.  This  trade  supports  the  village 
of  Saxan,  which  consists  of  a  rich  and  good  inn,  and  a  few 
respectable  farm-houses. 

On  Wednesday,  Nov.  6,  we  left  Saxan  about  seven  a.m. 
The  morning  was  very  wet  and  cold.     We   had  proceeded 
about  half  a  Swedish  mile  in  our  day's  journey  to  Laxbro,  when 
we  passed    the  boundary   of    the    province   of  Wermeland, 
and  entered  into  Westmanland,  or,  as  it  is   sometimes  called, 
Wesimania;  the  natives  of  which  province  speak  the  Swedish  Westmania. 
language  in  greater  purity,  and  with  a  better  accent,  than 
any    other.     Our  road  lay  through  forests.      In  going   to 
Nytorp,  our  first  relay,  the  appearance  of  beautiful  lakes, 
like  those  in  the  north  of  Sweden,  engaged  our  admiration. 
We  often  wished  to  halt,  and  make  drawings  of  them.     The 
timber  in  these  forests  runs  to  a  prodigious  height,   but  the 
trees  are  slender,  and  by  no  means  equal  in  bulk  to  those  we 
had  seen  in  other  provinces.     We  passed  iron-foundries  and 
sawing- mills.     From  Saxan,  the  whole  way  to  the   frontier 
of  Dalarne,  or  Dalecarlia,  in  journeying  through  Westmanland ', 
the  traveller  constantly  meets  with  mines  or  iron-foundries  : 
and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  whenever  these  appearances 

take 


)&£«ew^     $r**&£#x  H^f^^js*  ir&& 


112 


FROM  CKRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.   take  place,  there  are  also  evident  marks  of  the  blessings  of 

industry,  in  the  neatness  and  comfort  of  the  dwellings  near 

them,  and  sometimes  in  the  signs  of  wealth  and  of  elegance 

which  may  be  observed.     These  subterraneous  treasures,  and 

their  consequences,  in  employing  so  many  foundries,  and  in 

requiring  so  much  aid  of  machinery  for  working  the  mines, 

are  among  the  most  profitable  possessions  of  Sweden.     Their 

evident  importance  in  the  prosperity  to  which  they  give  rise, 

throughout  districts  that  would  otherwise  be  deserted,  ought 

to  serve  as  a  lesson  to  the  inhabitants  of  other  countries  to 

seek  diligently  for  such  sources  of  industry  and  opulence 

where    the   features   of    the    country    are   unfavourable   to 

agriculture ;  since  it  is  the  same  Providence  which   renders 

productive  to  human  labour  the  most  bleak  and  barren  rock, 

and  the  most  fertile  vegetable  soil.      We  had  left  Wermeland 

with   feelings   very   different    from   those  with   which  we 

entered  it  from  Norway;  where  the  barren  aspect  of   the 

country   seemed  calculated   to    excite   the    murmur   of    its 

inhabitants.      For    even    amidst    these    rocks    we    beheld 

"  a  land  which  the  Lord  had  blessed;" — a  land,  it  is  true, 

where  sluggards  might  starve, — as  they  may  anywhere ;  but 

where  a  sturdy  and  active  race  of  men  have  already  found 

all  that  is  necessary  for  the  comforts  and  even  for  the  luxuries 

of  life  ; "  A  LAND  WHEREIN  THOU  SHALT  EAT  BREAD  WITHOUT 

SCARCENESS,  NOR  LACK  ANY  THING  IN  IT  ;  A  LAND  WHOSE 
STONES  ARE  IRON,  AND  OUT  OF  WHOSE  HILLS  THOU  MAYEST  DIG 
BRASS." 

Hiiiuforss.  About  nine  English  miles  from  Saxan  is  Hdlleforss,  a  place 

long 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


11-3 


long  rendered  remarkable  for  its  silver-mines,  but  which  are   chap.  hi. 
now    nearly    exhausted1.      Three  English  miles  and  a  half 
beyond  Halleforss  we  arrived  at  Nytorp.    Rain  fell  incessantly,  Nytorp. 
and  in  torrents  ;   but  the  roads,  as  before,  were  so  excellent, 
that  it   seemed   to   make  no  alteration  in   them.      Leaving 
Nytorp,  and  going  towards  Hjulsio,   we  observed   beautiful 
lakes  on  each  side  of  the  route.      We  had  forest-scenery  in 
our  way  from  Hjulsio  to  the  mines  of  Nya  Kopparberg ;    a  NyaKoppar- 
name  signifying  the  New  Copper  Hill ',  or  Copper  Mountain ; 
in    opposition    to  Gamla  Kopparberg,    or   the    Old    Copper 
Mountain,  the  name  usually  given   to  the  works  at  Falilun. 
The  copper-mines  of  Nya  Kopparberg  were  exceedingly  rich 
when   they   were  first  discovered,    but  at  present  they  are 
poor.      The   whole  district  is  of  primitive  formation,   and 
consists  of  schistose  or  foliated  granite.     Various  specimens  Minerals. 
of  granite  may  be  had  from  these  mines;  and  several  varieties 
of  fluor-spar,   which  is  not  a   common  mineral  in  Siveden. 
We  found  here  that  interesting  variety  of  fluor-spar,  which, 
from   its   phosphorescing   with    a    green    light,     is    called 

Chloro- 


(l)  The  minerals  found  at  Halleforss  are  : 

1.  Argentiferous  sulphuret  of  lead. 

2.  Sulphuret  of  lead,  crystallized  in  cubes. 

3.  Micaceous  sulphuret  of  lead. 

4.  Yellow  sulphuret  of  copper,  in  acicular  crystals. 

5.  Sulphuret  of  iron,  in  various  forms. 

6.  Sulphuret  of  zinc. 
7«  Lime-spar. 

8.  Crystallized  quartz. 

9.  Hydrates. of  silica,  of  various  hues. 
10.  Siliceous  breccia. 

VOL.   VI.  Q 


114 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  Chlorophane :  and  it  may  be  remarked,  that  fluor  never 
exhibits  phosphorescence  in  such  a  high  degree  of  perfection, 
or  with  such  beautiful  hues,  as  when  it  is  found  in  a  state  of 
association  with  the  ores  of  copper1.  The  ore  of  Nya 
Kopparberg  is  the  yellow  sulphuret,  called  copper  pyrites :  it 
is  found  accompanied  by  the  sulphurets  of  zinc  and  iron. 
Among  the  rarer  minerals  of  this  mine  may  be  mentioned 
the  remarkable  substance  to  which  D'  Andrada  gave  the  name 
of  Petalite;  since  rendered  so  interesting  to  the  mineralogist 
and  the  chemist  by  containing Lithina,  the  new  alkali,  disco- 
vered in  this  mineral  by  Arfacdson,  the  pupil  of  Berzelius*. 
The   village   near  which  the  Nya- Kopparberg  mines  are 

situate, 


(1)  The  minerals  of  Nya  Kopparberg  are  : 

1.  Grey  sulphuret  of  copper. 

2.  Yellow  sulphuret  of  copper — peacock-ore  of  copper. ' 

3.  Sulphuret  of  zinc. 

4.  Sulphuret  of  lead. 

5.  White,  green,  and  violet  fluor-spar. 

6.  Fibrous  hornblende. 

7.  Actynolite. 

8.  Pot-stone, 

9.  Dark-red  feldspar. 

10.  Mica. 

11.  Sulphuret  of  iron. 

12.  Quartz. 

13.  Petalite.     (See  Thomsons  Travels  in  Sweden,  for  this  locality  of  petalite.)     The 

mines  from  which  the  specimens  have  been  derived  that  have  been  usually 
sold  in  England,  are  those  of  Uto. 

(2)  This  discovery  took  place  nearly  at  the  same  time  that  the  analysis  of  petalite,  by 
the  author  of  these  Travels,  was  published  in  Dr.  Thomson's  Annals  of  Philosophy. 
The  author  had  transmitted  to  the  celebrated  Berzelius,  through  Mr.  Swedenstierna  of 
Stockholm,  his  doubts  as  to  the  presence  of  a  new  body  in  petalite,  calculated  to  supply 
the  loss  sustained  in  his  own  examination  of  that  mineral.  In  Mr.  Swedenstierna' s 
answer,  the  discovery  of  lithina,  by  Arfvedson,  was  announced.  Mr.  Swedenstierna' $ 
letter  is  dated  February  17th,  1818.     It  is  now  in  the  author's  posssession. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


115 


situate,  is  called  Laxbro.     The  inn  here  was  quite  full,  owing  chap.  hi. 
to  a  Sessions  held  by  the  principal  Magistrate  of  the  district:      Laxbrt. 
but  the  master  of  the  inn,  with  great  kindness,  had  provided 
for  us  most  excellent   accommodations   in  a  very  splendid 
house,  hard  by,  belonging  to  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
mines.     We  found  here  a  few  books  which  convinced  us  that 
topographical  works  were  beginning  to  make  their  appearance 
in  Siveden.      Among    others,   we  saw  a  description  of   the 
town  of  Orebro,  with  plates  tolerably  well  executed  :  it  had 
been  printed  in  Stockholm.     The  business  of  the  Sessions  had 
assembled  some  of  the   lawyers.      We  passed  the  evening 
with  one  of  them,  a  very  intelligent  man,   well  read  in  the 
antiquities   of  his   country,  and  well  acquainted    with  the 
Finnish  language.     He  told  us,  that  this  language  is  more 
difficult  for  a  Swede  to  become  acquainted  with,   than  with 
English;  which  must  be  evident  to  an  Englishman,  from  the 
resemblance  his  own  language  bears  to  the  Swedish;  and  its 
total   discrepancy,    when  compared   with   the   language   of 
Finland,  which  seems   to  bear  no  resemblance  to  any  other 
language,  if  we  except  that  of  Lapland,  to  which,  however, 
it  is  not  nearly  allied.         A  curious  circumstance  happened  in 
former  times,    during  a  war  between  Sweden    and  Russia. 
A  colony  of  Finns,  disturbed  in  their  settlements  by  the  pre- 
datory incursions  of  the  Russians,  deserted  their  country, 
crossed  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia  at  the  Quarchen,  and  established 
themselves    in    the    forests    of   Herjeadalen,    where    their 
descendants,  at  this  hour,  speak  the  Finnish  language  in  its 
original  purity. 

If 


116 


FROM  CHR1ST1ANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


lieauty  of  the 
]  ,akes. 


chat\  in.  If  wc  were  to  describe  all  the  beautiful  lakes  which  we 
saw  in  our  next  day's  journey,  Nov.  7,  in  going  from  Laxbro 
to  Bommarsbo,  the  Reader  might  fancy  himself  transported, 
by  the  Fairy-led  Muse  of  Spenser,  amidst  the  scenes  of  some 
terrestrial  paradise.  So  much  is  due  to  the  picturesque 
beauty  of  the  landscapes.  A  traveller,  who  is  a  draughts- 
man, might  be  tempted  to  halt  almost  at  every  instant,  and 
endeavour  to  delineate  some  of  these  delightful  views. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  house  of  the  wealthyproprietor  who 
had  so  politely  and  hospitably  received  and  entertained  us, 
we  passed  close  to  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  principal  mines, 
which,  with  its  yawning  gulph  and  complicate  machinery, 
occurred  by  the  side  of  the  road.  There  was  not  a  living 
creature  to  be  seen  near  it ;  but  we  were  told  that  a  numerous 
body  of  miners  were  at  their  work  below.  No  precaution  is 
used  in  Sweden,  either  to  close  up,  or  to  fence,  the  dangerous 
pits  which  have  been  made  in  working  the  mines  ;  neither  is 
there  anv  sign  bv  which  their  situation  mav  be  known. 
The  consequences  must  be  obvious,  in  the  accidents  which 
happen  :  for  the  benighted  stranger  who  is  travelling  in  this 
country,  and  the  herds  of  cattle  foddered  in  the  forests, 
must  be  constantly  liable  to  fall  into  them.  We  passed 
some  of  the  lakes  before  mentioned.  Near  Hogforss  we  saw 
a  smelting-house,  once  used  for  silver  ore  found  near  this 
place,  in  Christian  s  Mine,  which  is  now  exhausted.  A  con- 
tinued series  of  lakes  was  exhibited  to  us,  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  beautiful  undulating  forest  scenery,  during  the  journey 
from  Hogforss,  through  Hellsion,  to  Ostanbo,  which  is  situate 

upon 


FJtOM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


117 


upon  one  of  those  lakes.     How  numerous  are  these  aqueous   chap.  hi. 

scenes  in  Sweden!  May  they  not  be  considered  as  the  reliques  of 

that  vast  world  of  retiring  waters,  out  of  which  rose  the  rocks 

and  the  forests  of  Scandinavia ;  and  of  which  the  Wener  and 

the  Wetter  Lakes,  nay,  even  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  and  all  the 

Baltic  Sea,  are  themselves  only  the  vestiges  ?     "  These  lakes," 

says  Thomson1 ,  in  his  valuable  account  of  Sweden,  "  consist 

of  the  purest  and  most  transparent  water  ;  and  serve  not  only 

to  beautify  the  country,  but  are  a  considerable  resource  to 

the  inhabitants,  on  account  of  the  numerous  fish  which  they 

all  contain."     In  very  many  instances,   their  banks  are  so 

covered  with  wood,    that   the  trees   grow   luxuriantly  quite 

down     to    the    water's   edge ;    which    remark   particularly 

applies  to  the  Wener,  covered  all  round   its  shores   with  the 

most  magnificent  proves.     Yet  that  these  lakes  are  but  the  Diminution 

to  °  of  their 

remains  of  an  overwhelming  deluge,  once  as  hostile  to  the  Waters. 
prosperity  of  the  human  race  as  they  now  are  beneficial,  is 
evident  from  this  circumstance,  that  their  waters  are 
gradually  retiring.  Judging  therefore  of  the  distant  and  the 
future  by  the  present,  we  may  fairly  conclude,  that,  as  a 
general  flood  once  involved  the  whole  of  this  watery  region, 
out  of  which — realizing  the  antient  fable  of  a  Venus 
Anadyomene — has  risen  the  whole  of  Scandinavia,  so  it  is 
reasonable  to  infer  that  some  portion  of  mankind,  yet 
unborn,  will  hereafter  people  the  mountains  and  the  hills 

and 


(1)  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  392.  Lond.  1813. 


■   '«**"■'.     I  I      ■  I    I 


118 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  in.  and  the  valleys  now  covered  by  the  waves.  "  There  is 
great  reason  to  believe,"  observes  the  author  before  cited1, 
"  that  the  lakes  in  Siveden  are  diminishing  in  their  size,  and 
that  many  of  them  will  at  last  dry  up.  I  saw  several  striking 
instances  of  this  diminution.  Ii  is  attended  with  a  corre- 
sponding diminution  in  the  size  of  the  Swedish  rivers  ;  most, 
if  not  all,  of  which  originate  from  lakes.  This  diminution 
has  become  so  striking  at  Upsala,  that  apprehensions  are 
entertained  that  the  river  running  through  the  city  will  soon 
be  incapable  of  driving  a  corn-mill,  upon  which  the 
University  depends  for  a  considerable  part  of  its  revenue. 
A  diminution  in  the  size  of  the  Baltic  has  ever  been  remarked 
by  the  Stvedish  writers  ;  and  demonstrated  by  evidence  that, 
to  me,  at  least,  appears  incontestable." 

smedbacka.  From  Ostanbo  to  SmedbacJca,  the  distance  is  only  half  a 

Stvedish  mile.  Here  we  found  an  iron-foundry,  and  several 
new  buildings  pleasantly  situate  upon  a  lake.  We  considered 
a    dirty    inn    at   SmedbacJca   as   by    no   means    a    common 

Blood  cakes,  occurrence  in  Sweden.  In  this  country,  cakes  are  made  by 
mixing  the  blood  of  animals  with  rye-flour,  which  are  after- 
wards fried  in  grease,  and  esteemed  luxurious  articles  of  food. 
Should  any  fastidious  reader  consider  such  a  diet  as  the 
remains  of  barbarous  Teutonic  customs,  let  him  be  reminded, 
that  where  refinement  is  supposed  to  be  exhibited  in  its  most 
boasted  state  of  advancement,  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  a 
mixture  of  blood  and  fat  stuffed  into  a  swine's  entrails,  and 

served 


(l)  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  394.  Lond.  1813. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 


119 


served  up  at  the  tables  of  the  great,   under  the  name  of   chap.  ii. 
black-puddings  ;  at  which,  perhaps,  his  own  mouth  has  often 
watered. — Peace,  therefore,  to  the  poor  Sivcde,  who  seasons 
his  rye-cake  with  blood  ! 

Between  Smedbacka  and  Bommarsbo,  we  entered  the  pro-  Entrance  of 

r  t\     7  t~\7  ..  .  .  Dalecarlia. 

vince  of  Dalarne,  or  Dalecarlia.  Here  a  botanist  might  amuse 
himself,  amidst  the  supreme  court  of  the  Cryptogamia,  by 
selecting,  in  their  best  dresses,  the  most  luxuriant  specimens 
of  Fungi    and    Musci    which     perhaps    he   will   find   in   all  Varieties  and 

.  Luxuriance  of 

Europe.      Every  species  of   morel*,  in    the  most  grotesque  the  Fungi -and 

Musci. 

forms,  like  a  very  buffoon  of  plants,  and  of  uncommon  size, 
grows  here  :  also  various  kinds  of  Lycopodium,  especially 
the  complanatum  and  the  annotinum : — the  former,  called 
jcimna  by  the  Swedes,  and  pronounced  yemna,  is  the  common 
tenant  of  all  the  sterile  forests  in  Sweden :  it  is  often  used, 
by  the  natives,  for  giving  a  yellow  dye  to  their  wool.  Of  the 
morels,  we  observed,  that  in  proportion  as  their  growth  was 
the  more  luxuriant,  so  much  the  more  remarkable  was  the 
plant  for  its  strange  and  misshapen  appearance  :  it  was 
hardly  possibly  to  view  some  of  them  without  laughing  ; 
so  uncouth  and  ridiculous  was  their  appearance  :  we  might 
almost  fancy  that  there  existed  a  spirit  of  fun  and  caricature 
in  the  lowest  order  of  vegetable  beings.  At  Bommarsbo  Bommarsbo. 
we  found  only  a  single  house.  The  owners  were  poor ;  but 
the  accommodations  were  clean  and  good,  and  much  superior 
to  those  of  Smedbacha.     In  Sweden,  as  in  Norway,  every 

housekeeper 


(2)    Phallus  esculentus,  Phallus  impudicus,  and  Phallus  caninus. 


120 


CHAP.  Ill- 


Home  Manu- 
fkcture  of 
Candles. 


Russ-gurden. 


Naglarby. 

General  Fea- 
tures of  Da- 
kcarlia. 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN. 

housekeeper  manufactures  his  own  candles;  and  some  of 
these  home-made  candles  were  brought  to  us,  as  clear  and 
white  as  if  they  had  been  composed  of  pure  spermaceti. 
But  what  is  more  curious,  they  are  often  not  made  until 
after  the  traveller  arrives.  At  Bommarsbo,  they  were  made 
and  sent  in  almost  as  quickly  as  they  could  have  been 
procured  at  the  great  inns  of  Salt  Hill  or  Marlborough,  by 
an  order  given  to  a  waiter. 

Upon  the  8th  of  November  we  left  Bommarsbo,  at  eight  a.m. 
with  a  view  of  a  lake  towards  our  right,  which  continued 
for  some  distance:  and  when  we  left  it,  a  more  distant  view 
of  lakes  and  islands  extended  towards  the  south-east.  We 
changed  horses  at  Russ-garden,  and  proceeded  to  Naglarby ; 
passing,  in  our  way,  an  extinct  iron-mine,  and  also  a  place 
where  there  had  been  a  foundry.  As  we  drew  near  to 
Naglarby,  the  country  was  more  open,  well  cultivated,  and 
fully  peopled.  The  general  aspect  of  Dalecarlia  is  that  of  a 
level  fertile  plain,  enclosed  for  agriculture,  and  surrounded 
by  mountains.  The  village  of  Naglarby  is  situate  in  this 
plain,  and  surrounded  by  lakes  and  rivers.  After  we  left  it, 
we  continued  along  this  delightful  plain  for  about  two 
English  miles,  when  we  came  to  a  ferry  over  the  river  Dal ; 
and,  in  our  way  to  this  ferry,  saw  several  tributary  streams, 
in  which  a  sort  of  stake-fences  were  set  in  all  directions, 
as  enclosures  to  catch  the  numerous  fishes  wherewith 
these  waters  abound.  Our  road  from  Naglarby  to  Fahlun 
was  long  and  dreary,  chiefly  by  the  side  of  the  Dal.  Upon 
the  left  of  our  route  we  were  shewn  the  residence  of  the 
woman  who  was  nurse  to  the  young  king,  Gustavus  the  Fourth. 

The 


DALECARLIA. 


121 


The   Court   of  Sweden   chose   for   this   purpose  a  Balarne  chap.  in. 

peasant;  the  females  of  this  country  being  esteemed  not  only 

as  the  best  nurses  of  Siveden,  but  as  valuable  servants  in  any  character  of 

the  Natives. 

menial  capacity  in  which  they  engage.     Everything  that  a 

Dalarne  man  does,  is  thought  better  done  than  if  executed 

by  other  hands  :    and,  in  their  own  opinion,   the  natives  of 

this  province  believe  that  no  people  can  compare  with  them. 

The  number  of  births  in  Dalecarlia  is  surprisingly  great : 

but  as  its  produce  is  not  equal  to  the  support  of  one  half  of 

its  population,  the  youth  of  both  sexes  are  sent  out  to  earn  a 

livelihood   in  different  parts    of   Siveden:    afterwards   they 

return  home,  as  they  do  not  choose  to  marry  out  of  their 

own   province.     A  Dalarne  man  always    considers  himself 

equal,  in  strength,  prowess,  and  ability,  to  any  two  of  the 

natives  of  the  rest  of  Sweden.     The  antient  language  of  the 

people,  and  their  antient  mode  of  dress,  is  still  kept  up  among 

them.     We  were  told  that  in    the   northern  district  of  this  Dialect. 

province  a  dialect  is  spoken  closely  resembling  English;  but 

the  same  may  be  said  of  other  parts  of  Sweden:  and  more 

than  once  we  had  an  opportunity  of  remarking,  that  when  the 

Swedes  offered  examples  of  Swedish  dialect  which  to  them 

were  almost  unintelligible,  either  owing  to  their  antiquity  or 

to  their  provincial  character,  they  were,  on  this  account,  the 

more   intelligible    to  us ;     and   so    like  to  our   old  English 

language,    that    they    differed    from   it  only  as  the   sort  of 

English  used  by  Robert  of  Gloucester,  exhibiting  the  transition 

from    the    Saxon  to    the  English  language1,  or  that  which 

Bellenden 

(1)  See  Dr.  Johnson's  History  of  the  English  Language,  in  the  Preface  to  his  Dictionary. 
VOL.  VI.  R 


M 


122 


FROM  CHItlSTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN 


Antient 

i 


chap.  in.  Bellenden  adopted  in  his  translation  of  Boethius1,  differs 
from  the  English  now  in  use5.  The  aspect  of  the  country 
is  not  like  that  of  Sweden  in  general,  being  more  level  and 
open  :  we  thought  it  resembled  Cambridgeshire.  The  old 
dance  of  the  Dalecarlians  is  simple,  and  very  pleasing:  it  is 

performed 

(1)  Hector  Boece,  or  Boethius,  Canon  of  Aberdeen,  wrote  a  History  of  Scotland  in 
1546:  its  translation,  or  paraphrase,  was  written  by  Bellenden,  Archdean  of  Murray ; 
and  appeared  in  Edinburgh,  in  black  letter,  in  1541. 

"They use,"  says  Dr.  Thomson,  "  a  dialect  of  their  own,  similar  to  that  dialect  of 
English  which  is  spoken  in  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland.  It  is  reported,  that  a  Dalecarlian 
who  spoke  this  language,  being  landed  wax  Abrrdeen,  was  understood  by  the  inhabitants." 
Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  202. 

(2)  Holenius,oi  Fahhin,  in  the  Dissert ationes  Academica>  of  Upsal,  published  a  brief 
Vocabulary  of  the  Dalarne  dialect,  shewing  its  relationship  to  the  Gothic,  Icelandic, 
Danish,  Saxon,  Teutonic,  Vandalic, German,  English,  Greek, Spanish,  Italian,  Anglo- Saxon , 
Franco-Theotisc,  and  Mceso- Gothic.  See  the  Section  entitled  "  De  Lingua  Dalehar- 
lorum  hodiernal  in  tlie  Second  Part  of  his  Thesis  "  De  Dalekarlia,"  printed  at  Upsal ; 
p.  139. — Many  other  instances  mtght  be  addnced,  more  striking  to  an  English  ear  than 
those  which  he  has  mentioned  -   but  among  them  are  the  following: — 

DALARNE.  ICELANDIC.  ENGLISH. 


^t-aoua 
Dret   . 


#ron  . 

£>raje£ 

frma  . 

31s  .  . 

Is  .  . 

2au    .  .  .  Ericre 

Ivnaif  . 

t?t    . 

Spiofe 
ftkti  . 

an   . 


.  jentaculum  apponere  .    TBratlD  ....  "S&tlXb. 
i  E xcroTfi €v. tuTP     .  .  .    5Drit .....  Oitt. 

.    F;  igere to  .ftp. 

.  Sr;ges #rion    ....  <&rain. 

.    Grameii .  <£5r&xs. 

.  CapUu  legmen  .  .  .  tyattut  ....  i^at. 

.  Ego     ©g 31. 

.  Glacies let. 

to  QEtt. 

Cxtliei     ........  fomjfTut    .  .  .  Knife. 

Hefjar     %yz     .....  Jliuer. 

Midtum Sptog     ....  Spurt). 

Lac Spioolfc  ....  Spilk. 

Sal @alt ©alt. 

Juris <£?ra €ax. 


DALECARLIA. 


123 


performed  by  three  persons, — a  man  with  two  women,  one  on 
each  side  of  him,  who  alternately  engage  his  attention,  until 
the  dance  concludes  by  an  allemande,  in  which,  as  by  one 
accord,  they  all  join.  We  have  found  occasion,  in  former 
parts  of  our  journey  in  Sca?idinavia,  to  allude  to  the  curious 
remains  of  customs  which  belonged  equally  to  the  Hyper- 
boreans and  the  Greeks.  Whoever  attends  to  the  rites  and 
ceremonies  of  a  Dalecarlian  wedding,  will  be  struck  with 
their  resemblance  to  the  manners  of  the  antient  Greeks.  Of 
this  the  Sivedish  writers  have,  in  some  instances,  been  them- 
selves aware2;  although  sometimes  it  may  have  led  them 
erroneously  to  suppose  that  one  nation  owed  its  origin  to  the 
other,  rather  than  that  both  were  the  descendants  of  one 
common  stock.  That  we  may  avoid  repetition,  we  shall 
not  again  otherwise  notice  the  curious  Runic  Staves,  of  which 
we  met  with  more  than  one  instance  in  the  villages  of 
Dalecarlia.  That  they  are  the  same  as  the  written  rods  men- 
tioned in  the  earliest  part  of  Sacred  Scripture,  has  been 
already  shewn,  in  a  former  part  of  this  work3.  But  the 
original  use  of  them  we  found  here  sufficiently  explained  : 
for,  like  the  staff  of  an  Ataman  among  the  Cossacks,  they  are 

still 


CHAP.  III. 


Original  use 
of  the  Runic 
Staves. 


(2)  "Quod  si  comparatio  accuratior  instituenda  foret  Graecorum  Romanorumque 
rituum  circa  nuptias,  in  muhisDalekarlorurnac  veterum  Hyperboreorum  responderent." 
Ibid.  p.  137-  Conf.  Heims  Kringla  Peringsk.  torn.  I.  pp.  140,  557 }  655.  torn,  II.  p.  425. 
Verelii  Not.  in  Hist.  Herv.  c.  4.  LL.  Dal.  Tit.  de  Matrim.  sect.  1,^2.  Sagan  af 
Hcesna  Thorir.  c.  17, 18,  19.  Alb.c.Q.  Thorde  Hredo,  c.\7,  37.  Liosvet.  S.p.17. 
Gunlaug.  Ormst.  S.  p.  18.  JVilhelm  Siodx,  c.  68,  &c.  01.  Tryggw.  c.  29,  42.  Herraudz 
oc  Bosc.  S.  c.  11,  &c.  Swarf dala,  c.  17.  Eigla,  c.  11,  &  56.  Rod.  hin  Spaka,  c.  1. 
Isjird,  c.  34.  Codd.  MS.  in  Arch.  Antiquit.  Holmensi;  Jac.  Gronovii  Thes.Antiq.  Gr. 
torn.  VII,  &  VIII.    /.  G.  Greevii  Thes.  Antiq.  Rom.  torn.  VIII,  &  XII. 

(3)  See  Scandinavia,  Part  I.  Chap  XV.  p.  554. 


m&  :™ 


1^4 


FROM  CHRISTIANIA  TO  FAHLUN1. 


chap.  in.  still  regarded  as  ensigns  of  office,  and  are  borne  in  the  hand, 
upon  particular  occasions,  by  the  Elders  of  each  village  where 
they  are  found.  The  earliest  Grecian  annals  seem  also  to 
allude  to  similar  insignia,  as   the  staves  of   the  accredited 

agents  of  power1. 

One 


(1)  A  passage  in  Dr.  Fiott  Lee's  MS.  Journal  remarkably  illustrates  the  use  of  these 
Runic  Staves;  which  may  have  been  alluded  to  by  Homer,  and  are  evidently  the  same 
as  the  sticks  of  the  Tribes  of  Israel  mentioned  in  Scripture  :— 

"  When  Jupiter  had  occasion  to  despatch  his  courier,  we  are  told  by  Homer  that 
Mercury  t'lXero  to  tttyoc  rj>  ftdydpuy  ofifxara  Qi\yu,  ry  <c.  r.  X.  raprdpuv  k.  t.  \. :  and 
probably  without  this  ensign  of  office  which  he  took  with  him,  he  had  no  powers  at 
all.  His  efficacy  thence  originated.  He  had  no  influence  in  his  proper  person.  And, 
lo  !  this  wand  was  but  a  piece  of  ivory  ! 

"  When  I  was  on  the  borders  of  Lapmark,  in  a  peasant's  house  called  Niemesele, 
on  a  lake  side,  I  observed,  hanging  up,  a  square-sided  stick  about  a  foot  long,  with  tine 
gilt-work  and  carving  about  it  3  and  on  one  side  were  cut  the  following  ten  characters : 


I  was  much  amused  with  it,  and  asked  them  to  part  with  it ;  intending  to  make  them  a 
small  present,  which,  in  my  opinion,  would  be  an  equivalent,;  when  it  turned  out  that 
I  might  as  well  have  asked  the  Lord  Mayor  for  the  city-mace  :  and  judge  of  my  surprise, 
upon  hearing  that  it  was  the  ensign  of  office  in  the  village  ;  that  he  who  had  it  in 
possession,  pro  tempore,  was  the  Chief,  the  Civil  Governor  of  the  village,  which  con- 
sisted of  ten  families,  each  of  which  had  its  own  distinguishing  mark  3 — that  upon  any 
very  public  and  important  emergency,  which  demanded  the  collected  wisdom  and 
experience  of  the  heads  of  the  families  to  decide  upon,  this  stick  was  sent  round  to 
each  family ;  and  every  head  of  a  house,  upon  seeing  his  family-mark,  immediately 
repaired  to  the  house  of  him  in  whose  custody  the  stick  had  been  consigned,  and  there 
they  all  held  their  deliberations.  In  case  they  do  not  attend  the  summons,  they  are 
severally  fined.  No  money  therefore  could  have  purchased  it :  and  that  which  I  at 
first  regarded  as  an  object  of  amusement,  I  found  to  be  held  an  object  of  veneration." 

Dr.  Lee's  MS.  Journal. 


DALECARLIA. 


125 


One  mile  and  a  quarter  before  we  reached  Fahlun,  we  chap.  hi. 
turned  a  little  out  of  the  road,  to  visit  the  house  in  which  Retreat  of 
Gustavus  Vasa  remained  concealed,  and  whence  he  afterwards 
effected  his   escape,  by  means  of  a  privy.     It  is  at  a.  place 
called  Stora  Ornas.     This  house  is  now  the  property  of  a 
Colonel  in  the  Swedish  service,  who  has  been  at  great  pains 
and  expense  to  preserve,  as  much  as  possible  in  its  pristine 
state,  this  asylum  of  the  great  father  of  the  Swedish  Kings. 
They  shewed  to  us  the  chamber  and  bed  in  which  he  slept ; 
his  clothes,  weapons,  coat  of  mail,  and   many  other  things, 
even   to  his  watch  and  his  Bible.      His  watch  and  coat  of 
mail  appeared  to  us  to  be  the  most  curious  reliques.     The 
watch  was  of  an  oval  shape,  but  the  figures  upon  it  were 
like  those  now  in  use.     The  coat  of  mail  was  like  the  armour 
used  by  the  Circassians;  and  was  perhaps   manufactured  in 
Mount  Caucasus,  where  the  natives  still  sell  such  articles  of 
their  manufacture  to  the  Russians.     It  is  a  shirt  of  twisted 
mail,  fitting  close  to  the  body,    through  which  no  common 
weapon  could  penetrate.      We  found  the  weight  of  it  by  no 
means  insupportable  for  men  of  much  less  prowess  than  was 
the  hero  to  whom  it  belonged.      Upon  a  table  in  the  room 
were  laid  several  books  illustrating  the  history  of  Gustavus 
Vasa  and  of  the  province  of  Dalecarlia.     This  chamber  was 
ornamented  with  portraits,  very  indifferently  executed,  of  the 
Kings  and  Queens  of  Sweden  since  the  time  of  Gustavus  Vasa. 
There  was  also  an  immense  genealogical-tree,  exhibiting  their 
pedigree.     In  the  same  room  were  figures,  as  large  as  life, 
representing  the  Dalecarlians  according  to  their  antient  mode 
of  dress,  with  high-crowned  hats,  white  woollen  clothes,  and 

trowsers 


.'tj^.r.^fc^'i-vX-t.^j  ^H  ^v-^fi^c  S*.3i  Jft^ 


126 


APPROACH  TO  FAHLUN. 


chap.  hi.  trovvsers  tied  above  the  knee ;  bearing  in  their  hands  cross- 
bows, and  having  each  a  knife  and  a  grease-pot  suspended 
from  a  belt.  These  they  said  were  the  images  of  the  very 
peasants  who  assisted  Gustavus  Vasa  in  making  his  escape. 
They  were  represented  with  long  beards,  and  reminded  us 
of  some  of  the  natives  of  the  Swedish  Alps  which  we  had 
seen  in  the  province  of  Herjeadalen.  Here  there  is  also  an 
effigy  of  Gustavus  Vasa  himself,  placed  beneath  a  canopy ; 
and  also  of  his  page  or  esquire,  in  complete  armour.  The 
bed  and  the  canopy  terminate  upwards  in  a  point,  upon 
which  is  placed  a  coronet.  The  complete  preservation  of 
this  building  will  shew  to  what  a  length  of  time  the  wooden 
houses  of  Siveden  may  be  made  to  last,  if  they  be  kept  dry 
and  in  good  repair. 

From  Stora  Ornas  to  Fahlun,  the  roads,  at  this  season  of  the 
year  (November J ,  are  not  good  ;  owing,  as  we  supposed,  to 
the  very  considerable  traffic  which  is  carried  on,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  mines,  and  the  heavy  burdens  made  to  pass 
and  repass.  Upon  our  right  appeared  beautiful  views  of  the 
Lake  Runn.  Just  before  we  arrived  at  Fahlun,  we  had  a 
prospect  of  the  town,  with  all  the  buildings,  machinery,  and 
other  works  belonging  to  its  antient  mine  ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  such  columns  of  smoke,  and  fumes  of  sulphur, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  the  great  bed  of  the  Solfaterra,  near 
Naples,  had  taken  night  and  settled  in  Sweden.  As  we 
descended  towards  the  town,  the  houses  appeared  like  so 
many  tarred  boxes,  in  the  midst  of  a  bleak  and  barren  soil. 
We  passed  under  the  enormous  moving  levers  which  are 
employed  in  working  the  pumps.     The  wheels  giving  motion 

to 


Approach  to 
Fahlun. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


\c27 


to  these  levers  are  kept  in  covered  buildings :  they  are 
moved  by  over-shot  falls  of  water,  brought  from  the  Lake 
Rutin.  The  road  leading  into  the  town  passes  close  to  the 
edge  of  the  stupendous  crater  which  is  now  the  mouth  of  its 
famous  copper-mine.  We  shall  say  much  more  of  it  in  the 
next  chapter.  Considered  only  as  to  its  external  aspect,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  surprising  artificial  excavations  which  exist 
in  the  world.  Knowing  of  no  other  work  of  a  similar 
nature  with  which  to  compare  it,  we  shall  call  in  the  aid  of 
the  pencil  to  supply  the  deficiencies  of  verbal  description  : 
but  the  ingen:ous  artist  who  has  afforded  to  us  the  means  of 
doing  this,  is  himself  unequal  to  the  task  of  representing  a 
scene  of  so  much  fearful  grandeur.  All  the  magnitude  of 
this  amazing  result  of  human  labour  loses  much  of  its  effect 
by  that  minuteness  of  detail  which  is  necessary  to  a  faithful 
representation  of  the  machinery  belonging  to  the  mine. 
While  we  are  forced  to  acknowledge  this  striking  defect  in 
the  best  drawing  we  could  procure  of  the  Fahlun  mine,  we 
are  consoled  with  the  reflection,  that  even  this  will  be 
deemed  by  our  Readers  much  better  than  if  no  representation 
whatever  were  given  of  a  work  so  renowned,  and  a  scene 
so  remarkable. 


chap.  in. 


External 
aspect  of  its 
Copper-Mine. 


cec; 


A.  Tbt  o'reut  Cmtw 
■  /  n/iiii// 
C.  King AtM '-j  ivdfiics Sbafl 
D    Lowest  point  of  tbt  Mint 


!k 


CHAP.  IV. 


FAHLUN  TO  SALA. 

Antiquity  of  the  Fahlun  Mme — Assessor  Gahn — Copper-ore — Descent 
into  the  mine — Conflagration — Method  of  excavating  the  ore  — 
Manner  in  which  it  is  found  deposited — Accident  which  caused  the 
present  Crater — Tradition  of  the  miners — Appearance  of  the  descent 
— Names  of  the  different  openings — Increase  of  temperature  in 
the  lower  chambers — Vieiv  of  the  bed  of  fire — Council-chamber — 
Subterraneous  stables — Stalactites  of  green  vitriol — Pumps — Mode 
of  dividing  the  ore — Value  of  the  Shares — Bergsmen — Valuation 
of  the  Lots — Produce  of  the  Works — Present  state  of  the  Fahlun 
Mine — Works  above  ground — Vitriol  manufactory — Remarkable 
form  of  precipitated  copper — Process  for  concentrating  the  lye — 
Subsequent  crystallization  of  the  salt — Town  of  Fahlun  —  Wood 
impregnated  with  copper — Punishment  of  "  Riding  the  great  horse'''' 
— Public  buildings — Geological  features  of  Dalecarlia — Sater — 
Mines  in  its  neighbourhood — Hedmora — Curious  floating-bridge 
— Nuptial  festivities — Annual  return  of  Dalecarlian  Peasants — 
Avestad — Character  of  the  Swedish  Peasants — Broddebo — Custom 
in  passing  a  Robbers  grave — Sala — Mine  of  Salberg — Nature  of 
the  ore — Descent  into  the  Salberg — Minerals — Town  of  Sala. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


129 


The  Mine  of  Fahlun"  we  are  universally  told,  "  was  chap.  iv. 
worked  before  the  Christian  asra  :"  but  who  can  pretend  to  Antiquity  of 
determine  any  thing  of  Siuedish  history  before  the  time  of  m^Mun 
our  Saviour  ?  Much  of  the  confusion  which  bewilders  every 
research  into  the  earliest  Scandinavian  annals  has  been  caused 
by  those  writers  who  have  laboured  to  establish  a  notion 
that  this  country  was  the  original  habitation  of  the  Goths; 
whereas  there  is  great  reason  to  believe,  that,  in  the  beginning 
of  our  sera,  the  colony  of  the  Goths,  from  whom  the  Swedes 
are  descended,  had  not  yet  penetrated  so  far  towards  the 
north  of  Europe.  Of  all  the  ridiculous  fables  ever  imposed 
upon  a  credulous  world,  that  which  would  make  of 
Scandinavia  "  the  storehouse  of  nations"  is  the  most  absurd : 
it  is  fitted  only  for  the  pages  and  the  readers  of  such  an 
author  as  Sebastian  Munster1.  The  first  sight  which  a 
traveller  has  of  the  country  is  sufficient  to  remove  every 
doubt  upon  this  subject.  Its  unbroken  forests,  and  a  slowly 
advancing  population,  making  the  first  essays  of  agriculture 
upon  a  land  where  there  is  not  a  vestige  of  any  former 
inhabitants — excepting  perhaps  in  the  southern  parts  of  this 
wild  region,  where  a  solitary  Celtic  mound,  here  and  there2, 

marks 


(1)  "  J^otDt  populous  foaja;  tbtf  Country  ano  other*  tying  about*  it,  mange  great  ano  foi#e 
men  doo  foptne*,  a*  Spetfjooiu*,  Spartir,  Sloroanw,  tfotbu*,  ano  Pauutf  Diaconujs,  the  fo&ieb 
Stoetbor*  do  torgte  that  tbi*  people  Dgu  jefoarme  tyke  T&ttjt*  3nn  the?  call  tfte^e  jflortbe  Begion* 
the  3>torefoou*C  or  tfamar  of  j!3acion&"— North's  Description  of  Swedland,  Gotland,  and 
Finland,  gathered  out  sundry  laten  Authors,  hut  chiefiye  out  of  Sebastian  Mounster. 
Imprinted  at  London,  Anno  1561,  by  John  Awdely. 

(2)  And  of  these,  no  traces  exist  farther  towards  the  north. 
VOL.  VI.  S 


m       ^m ; 


130 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


^hap.  iv.  marks  the  sepulchres  of  a  race  of  men  who  were  never 
settled  in  the  country,  and  with  whom  the  Goths  had  no 
connexion, — afford  manifest  proofs  of  the  erroneous  opinions 
which  have  been  propagated,  and  which  still  prevail, 
respecting  its  antient  history.  There  are  no  writers,  says 
VertoV,  that  are  either  so  credulous  or  partial  as  those  who 
have  published  an  entire  body  of  the  Swedish  history  :  if  we 
may  give  credit  to  their  relations,  that  kingdom  is  the  most 
antient  monarchy  in  the  world.  And  he  afterwards  adds, 
— without  undertaking  to  decide  the  celebrated  question, 
whether  Siveden  be  the  original  habitation  or  only  a  colony 
of  the  antient  Goths, — it  is  certain  there  is  no  fixed  aera,  in 
their  annals,  until  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century. 
This  period  commences  with  the  accession  of  Eric  the  Ninth: 
all  the  preceding  annals  are  embellished  with  fictitious 
wonders,  extracted  from  old  legends  or  antient  songs.  The 
heroes  and  princes  of  those  remote  ages  are  always  repre- 
sented as  giants  and  magicians.  Force  was  the  supreme  law ; 
the  power  and  violence  of  an  oppressor  entitled  him  to  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  people ;  and  it  was  deemed  incon- 
sistent with  the  honour  of  a  prince  to  marry  a  princess 
before  he  had  commited  violence  upon  her  person9.  A  for- 
tunate murderer  was  not  only  admired  as  a  hero  during  his 
life,  but  adored  as  a  deity  after  death.     In  such  a  state  of 

society, 


(1)  Histoire  des  Revolutions  de  Suede,  torn.  II.  p.  252.    Paris,  1696. 

(2)  "  Un  Prince  auroit  este  dcshonore  qui  auroit  epouse  une  Princesse  qu'il  n'auroit 
pas  ravie."     Ibid.  p.  255. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


131 


society,  it  is  not  very  probable  that  the  inhabitants  of  chap,  i v. 
Dalecarlia  were  engaged  in  mining  speculations ;  or  that 
any  work  was  going  on  which  required  the  aid  of  foreign 
commerce  for  its  support.  According  to  the  authors  of  a  late 
popular  account  of  Sweden3,  the  oldest  charter  of  the  mine 
of  Fahlun  is  that  of  Magnus  Smeek*,  in  1347  J  from  which 
it  appears,  that  anterior  documents  existed  among  the 
archives  of  the  crown.  But  these  writers  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  aware,  that,  above  a  century  before  the  time  of  Magnus 
Smeek,  there  was  another  King  of  Sweden,  of  the  name  of 
Magnus,  namely  Magnus  Ladislas,  renowned  in  the  Swedish 
annals  for  wiser  counsels  and  for  better  sway  ;  the  same  who 
caused  the  sovereignty  of  all  the  mines  in  the  kingdom  to  be 
vested  in  the  crown,  and  also  accorded  privileges  to  those 
mines,  which  seem  to  be  the  same  they  have  alluded  to. 
A  record  of  the  fact  is  mentioned  by  Loccenius,  in  his  Anti- 
quities of  Sweden5:  and  Messenius,  in  his  learned  and  exact 

work, 


(3)  Voyage  de  Deux  Frangais  dans  le  Nord  de  l'Europe,  torn.  II.  p.  241.  Paris,  1796. 

(4)  Called,  by  the  authors  of  the  work  above  cited,  Magnus  Smek.  He  was  the  most 
unsteady,  weak,  voluptuous,  and  arbitrary  monarch  that  ever  wielded  the  Swedish 
sceptre;  elected  King  of  Sweden,  A.D.  13 19,  at  three  years  of  age  5  and  died  in 
Norway,  A.D.  1371.  According  to  Loccenius,  (Hist.  Svecana,  p.  106.  Franco/.  1676,) 
Magnus  obtained  the  surname  of  Smeek,  from  his  being  duped  by  the  specious  promises 
of  Waldemar  king  of  Denmark.  "  Huic  occasioni  imminens  Waldemarus,  in  Scaniam 
Magnum  amicissimis  Uteris  illexit,  et  blandis  verbis  promissisque  lactatum,  unde  Magno 
postea  cognomen  Smeek  adhcerebat"  &c. 

(5)  "  Vetustas  tamen  cceptae  effossionis  quodammodo  colligi  potest  ex  Rescripto  MS. 
Magni  LadilSs,  regis  Sveciae,  Montanis  Anno  mcclxiv.  Dicti  Rescripti  pars  Latine' 
versa  sic  habet.     Eb  quod  vestra  privilegia  et  antiqua  diplomata,  quae  habebatis  a  nostris 

majoribus, 


WilC  S£7$ES!  £W'*v£;-- H 


132 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


chap.  iv.  work *,  which  enumerates,  in  chronological  order,  all  the  prin- 
cipal events  of  Swedish  history  to  the  beginning  of  the  17th 
century,  notices  the  manner  in  which  the  sovereignty  of  the 
mines  had  been  obtained.  How  long  before  that  event  this 
mine  had  been  worked,  or  in  what  manner  and  in  what  age 
it  was  originally  discovered,  cannot  now  be  ascertained*. 
If  any  credit  might  be  given  to  the  traditions  extant  con- 
cerning it,  all  the  copper  employed  by  Solomon,  in  building 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  was  derived  from  the  Fahlun  mine. 
The  situation  of  the  mine  is  close  to  the  town:  there  are  few 
sights  of  the  kind  which  better  repay  the  traveller :  he  will 

seldom 


majoribus,  nuper  quum  apud  vos  essemus,  in  curia  illorum  virorum,  qui  ea  adservare 
deluissent,  perierant,  graviter  errastis  in  eo  jure,  quo  fodince  metallicee  erigendce  ac 
staliliendce  erant.  Deinde  novo  privilegio  illud  firmat." — Johannis  Loccenii  Antiquit. 
Sveo-Goth.  p.  82.  lib.  2.  cap.lj.  De  regni  Sveo-Gothici  fodinis  metallicis.  Franco/. 
&  Lips.    1676. 

(1)  Johannis  Messenii  Scondia  Illustrata,  torn.  II.  p.  60.  Stockholmice ;  Anno  Christi, 
1700. 

(2)  The  following  extract  from  the  Antiquities  of  Loccenius  ought  not,  however,  to 
be  omitted  : — 

"  Certe  illud  vere  affirmari  potest,  una  cum  religione  omnium  aliarum  rerum  copiam, 
atque  adeo  ipsam  felicitatem  ad  Gothos  Sveonesque  pervenisse.  Satis  constat,  turn 
primum  auri,  argenti,  ferri,  cupri,  caeterorumque  metallorum  fodinas  repertas :  ut  harnm 
rerum  copia  nulli  caeterarum  regionum  cederent,  cum  antea  nullam  haberent. 
(Vastovius,  in  prce/atione  Vilis  Aquilonaris,  apud  Loccenium,  Antiq.  Sveo-Goth.  p.  BZ.) 
Ex  hac  verb  ejus  sententia  ante  dccc.  circiter  annos  (quo  tempore  Christiana  religio 
hue  primum  introducta  est)  inventas  primb  fuisse  metallorum  fodinas,  statuendum 
foret.  Sed  eas  antiquiores  esse,  constat  ex  K.  Suerris  Saga,  ubi  haec  exstant  verba : 
*  Jarnber  alander  under  Suia  Kong,  oc  var  tha  en  heidit.'  h.  e.  Tractus  aut 
terri  ferri  fodinarum  Sveonice  Regi  subest,  nee  turn  adhuc  ad  sacra  Christiana  conversa 
erat.  Unde  patet  jam  in  pagana  religione  ante  Christianam  in  usu  certe  notitia  fuisse ; 
licet  sub  Christiana  religione  magis  magisque  efflorescere  potuerint."  J.  Loccenii 
Antiquit.  Sveo- Gothic,  lib.  2.  cap.  17.  p.  82.    Franco/,  et  Lips.  1676. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


133 


seldom  find  a  mine  of  equal  celebrity  which,  under  all  the  cir-   chap.  iv. 
cumstances  of  depth  and  magnitude,  is  so  easy  of  investigation : 
and  perhaps  in  no  part  of  the  world  will  he  meet  with  superin- 
tendants  so  well  informed  as  those  who  preside  over  the  works 
here ;  at  the  head  of  whom  is  the  celebrated  Gahn,  whose  acquire-  Assessor 

Gahn. 

ments,  and  the  kindness  he  has  always  shewn  to  strangers, 
have  entitled  him  to  respect  and  consideration  in  all  the 
Academical  Institutions  of  Europe.  We  had  letters  of  intro- 
duction to  this  gentleman,  and  therefore  made  it  our  first 
business  to  inquire  for  his  place  of  residence,  and  to  wait 
upon  him.  The  reception  which  he  gave  us  was  of  such  a 
nature,  that  to  pass  it  by  without  a  grateful  acknowledgment 
would  be  highly  reprehensible.  Hospitality  in  a  Swede  is 
what  we  may  always  expect ;  but  the  attention  paid  to 
strangers  by  Mr.  Gahn,  especially  if  their  visits  had  any  view 
to  science,  was  of  a  more  exalted  nature.  He  not  only 
shewed  a  zeal,  as  if  actuated  by  a  religious  duty,  to  satisfy 
scientific  inquiries  ;  but  he  did  more — he  directed  them  ; 
and  himself  endeavoured  to  stimulate  the  ardour  of  those 
with  whom  he  conversed,  when  he  found  them  engaged  in 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  by  exciting  and  then  gratifying 
their  curiosity ;  neither  regarding  the  interruptions  to  which 
it  rendered  him  liable,  nor  the  fatigue  he  often  encountered 
in  being  their  guide,  and  himself  descending  with  them 
during  their  examination  of  the  mines.  In  the  Fahlun  Works, 
Mr.  Gahn  exercised  the  office  of  Assessor;  under  which  title 
his  name  frequently  occurs,  in  books  of  travels.  The  most 
interesting  account  of  his  character  and  abilities  has  been 
given  by  the  celebrated  chemist  whose  work  we  have  before 

cited ; 


:?>£* 


134  FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 

chap.  iv.  cited ;  and  whose  visit  to  Fahlun  was  made  subsequent  to 
our  own1.  Speaking  of  him,  he  says:  "  Perhaps  it  would 
not  be  bestowing  too  high  a  compliment  upon  Mr.  Gahn,  if 
I  were  to  say,  that  he  possesses  the  greatest  quantity  of 
general  information  of  any  man  in  Sweden.  Nor  are  the 
frankness  and  affability  of  his  manners  inferior  to  his  know- 
ledge. I  have  seldom  met  with  any  person  with  whom  I 
was  more  delighted."  He  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Scheele 
and  of  Bergman;  but  his  own  discoveries  have  been  very 
remarkable2:  among  which,  the  two  principal  were,  l.  The 
discovery  of  the  constituents  of  the  earth  of  bones,  which 
he  ascertained  to  consist  chiefly  of  the  phosphate  of  lime; 
and,  2.  The  reduction  of  the  ore  of  manganese  to  the  metallic 
state. 

Having  obtained,  from  the  Master  of  the  Works,  permission 
for  our  descent  into  the  mine,  Mr.  Gahn  appointed  his  own 
son  to  be  our  guide  and  companion  upon  this  occasion. 
Accordingly,  we  were  conducted  to  an  office  for  the  sorting 
of  minerals  ;  before  the  door  of  which  building  we  saw  two 

copper-Ore.  large  masses  of  pyritous  copper  placed,  as  specimens  of  the 
best  ore  of  the  mine.  The  moment  we  saw  them,  we 
recognised  the  sort  of  ore  dug  at  Paris  Mountain  in  the 
Isle  of  Anglesea :  but  all  the  European  ores  of  copper  are 
in  this  respect  nearly  allied.     The  ore  is  almost  always  in  the 

state 


(1)  See  Travels  in  Sweden,  during  the  Autumn  of  1812,  by  Thomas  Thomson,  M.D.&c. 
p.  222.  Lond.  1813. 

(2)  Ibid.  p.  223. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


135 


state  of  a.  sulphuret ;  whether  it  be  found  in  vertical  veins  chap.  iv. 
amidst  primary  mountains,  or  stratified  among  secondary 
rocks,  and  accompanied  by  animal  exuviae.  The  tertiary 
deposit,  in  which  copper  lies  with  the  remains  of  vegetable 
bodies,  is  perhaps  not  known  in  Europe;  although  it  con- 
stitute the  principal,  if  not  the  only  mode  of  formation 
which  characterizes  the  mines  of  Asia.  At  the  sorting- 
house,  we  were  each  accommodated  with  a  suit  of  miner's  Descent  into 

the  Mine. 

clothes,  made  of  black  cloth ;  and  immediately  proceeded 
towards  the  place  of  descent,  which  is  very  carefully  guarded. 
It  consists  of  a  small  lodge  ;  where  two  aged  miners, 
Invalids,  are  stationed  as  sentinels,  to  see  that  no  improper 
persons  gain  access,  to  pilfer,  as  they  formerly  did,  from  the 
chests  and  cabins  of  the  miners  below : — a  precaution  now 
rendered  doubly  necessary,  since  the  mine  was  set  on  fire. 
This  event  occurred  but  a  few  months  previous  to  our  conflagration. 
arrival.  Some  men  attempting  to  steal  a  quantity  of 
the  sulphate  of  iron,  with  which  the  mine  abounds,  on 
being  disturbed,  fled,  leaving  their  torches  burning ;  by 
which  means  combustion  took  place  amongst  the  timber  of 
the  works,  which  communicated  to  the  pyrites;  and  has  con- 
tinued ever  since,  in  spite  of  all  the  endeavours  made  for  its 
extinction.  At  this  time  it  was  thought  that  the  progress  of 
the  fire  had  been  checked ;  but  the  mine  sent  forth  sul- 
phureous fumes,  like  a  volcano ;  and  it  was  greatly  to  be 
feared  that  the  conflagration  might  extend  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  works,  when  the  mine  would  inevitably  be 
destroyed.  Mr.  Gahn  however  surprised  us,  by  stating, 
that,  notwithstanding  all  the  disadvantages  consequent  upon 

this 


B$» 


^m  ^g^ 


136 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


chap,  iv.  this  fire,  if  they  can  succeed  in  arresting  its  progress,  and 
keeping  it,  as  it  were,  under  some  kind  of  dominion,  very 
considerable  profit  would  arise  from  it,  in  the  quantity  of 
the  sulphate  of  iron  (green  vitriol),  which  may  be  collected 
from  the  roasted  pyrites.  The  mode  which  they  have 
adopted  for  checking  the  fire,  is  by  stopping  up  all  the 
passages  where  it  is  found  spreading,  by  means  of  a  double 
wall ;  leaving  only  as  much  air  as  may  be  necessary  to  sup- 
port combustion,  in  those  chambers  where  its  continuance 
may  prove  advantageous.  In  this  lodge  a  small  fire  is  kept 
for  the  use  of  the  miners,  who  are  here  allowed  to  light  their 
pipes,  and  to  dry  their  clothes. 

We  began  our  descent  upon  a  Saturday,  as  early  as  eight 
o'clock  a.  m.  Upon  this  day  it  is  necessary  to  make  the 
descent  at  an  early  hour ;  because  fires  are  kindled  in 
different  parts  of  the  mine  every  Saturday,  about  noon ; 
which  continue  burning  the  whole  of  Saturday  night,  and 
all  Sunday,  with  a  view  to  soften  the  rocks,  and  facilitate 
their  being  wrought  for  the  ore.  Gunpowder  was  formerly 
used  for  blasting ;  but  this  is  now  applied  sparingly :  it 
being  the  opinion  of  the  most  experienced  men  in  Fahlun, 
that  a  judicious  application  of  the  two  methods  succeeds 
better  than  either  of  them  alone  :  for,  as  the  blasting  by 
gunpowder  always  leaves  a  certain  number  of  irregular  pro- 
jections in  the  rocks,  the  subsequent  process  of  applying  fire 
to  these  inequalities  tends  to  soften  them,  and  to  expedite 
the  fall  of  the  ore.  The  fires  which  are  thus  kindled 
every  Saturday,  are  under  the  strictest  regulations  :  the  exact 
quantity  of  wood  that  shall  be  consumed  is  duly  specified, 

and, 


Method  of 
excavating 
the  Ore. 


FAHLUN   COPPER-MINE. 


137 


and,  moreover,  the  precise  portion  of  the  rocks  to  which  the  chap.  iv. 
several  fires  are  to  be  applied.  We  were  four  hours  diligently 
employed  in  the  examination  of  the  principal  excavations.  To 
go  over  the  whole  of  the  Faldun  mine,  would,  as  Mr.  Gahn 
assured  us,  require  a  fortnight.  Before  we  endeavour  to 
make  the  Reader  further  acquainted  with  what  we  saw,  it 
will  be  therefore  proper  to  give  a  general  description  of  this 
vast  bed  of  copper-ore,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  it  has 
hitherto  been  excavated. 

The  mine  of  Fahlun  is  an  enormous  crater,  shaped  like  a 
sugar-loaf,  with    its  point   downwards  ;     the    same   shape 
having  been  that  of  the  natural  deposit  of  the  pyritous  copper  Manner  in 
here  found.     The  base  of  this  enormous  conical  mass  of  ore,  isfoundde- 

n  posited 

lying  upwards  towards  the  surface,  was  the  first  part  worked. 
As  the  galleries  for  its  excavation  were  necessarily  extensive, 
and  the  props  for  supporting  the  roofs  of  the  different 
chambers,  consisting  often  of  valuable  ore,  were  of  course 
left  as  sparingly  as  possible,  it  happened,  from  the  avidity 
and  carelessness  of  the  workmen,  that  there  was  not  enough 
left  to  sustain  the  pressure  of  the  superincumbent  matter 
towards  the  surface;  and  consequently,  in  the  year  1666,  the  Accident 

which  caused 

whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  mine,   that  is  to  say,  of  the  the  present 
base  of  the  inverted  cone,  fell  in,  and  gave  rise  to  the  open 
crater  we  are  now  describing1.     The  sides  of  this   crater 
being  variously  coloured  by  the  exhalations  from  the  mine 
and  the  action  of  the  air  upon  its  sides,  added  to  the  volumes 

of 


VOL.  VI. 


(])  See  A.  of  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 
T 


8$?  sate        :'*-:,.*-    *a 


H  ..■,-■'  ,•>'. 


138 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


char  iv,  of  smoke  and  vapour  rising  from  the  bottom,  give  it  the 
resemblance  of  the  Neapolitan  solfaterra :  but  the  depth 
of  the  Fahlun  crater  is  much  more  considerable  ;  there  is 
more  of  vastness  in  all  that  belongs  to  it;  and  the  singular 
appearance  caused  by  regular  staircases,  traversing  its 
whole  extent,  from  the  lip  of  this  immense  bason  to  its 
lowermost  point  at  the  bottom,  renders  it  altogether  a 
sight  in  which  we  may  vainly  seek  for  points  of  similitude, 
in  order  to  compare  it  with  other  works.  At  the  bottom  of 
this  crater,  at  the  depth  of  forty  fathoms  from  the  surface, 
various  openings  lead  to  the  different  levels  and  places  of 
further  descent  into  the  mine  ;  which,  according  to  the  notion 
prevalent  among  the  miners,  were  originally  opened  in  imme- 
morial ages'.     It  would  be  very  curious,  certainly,  if  it  were 

possible, 


(l)  Ogerius,  who  was  also  conducted,  during  his  visit  to  this  mine,  by  the  Gahn  of 
his  day,  has  left  us,  in  his  Ephemerides,  a  lively  picture  of  the  impressions  made  upon  his 
mind  by  the  extraordinary  nature  of  the  spectacle.  His  work,  according  10  Du  Fresnoy, 
is  rare  ;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  insert  the  whole  even  of  the  racy  description  he  gives 
of  his  descent  into  the  Fahlirn  mine:  the  following  extract  will  however  serve  to  shew 
the  manner  in  which  he  introduces  it ;  proving,  beyond  all  doubt,  that  it  was  written  by 
an  AvrdTrrrjs. 

"  Ipse  provinciae  Praefectus  et  prascipui  municipes  ad  fodinam  nos  duxerunt.  Obstu- 
puimus  profectb,  statim  atque  ad  os  praecipitii  appulimus.  O  qualis  facies,  et  quali 
digna  tabella  !  Patet  ingens  terras  hiatus  latissimus,  profundissimus,  quern  in  circuitum 
repagula  lignea  ambiunt,  ne  temere  quisquam  ad  marginem  fossae  accedat,  aspectuque 
profundicatis  tantae  terreatur,  ac  corruat.  Licet  tamen  his  rep3gulis  innitaris,  si  oculos 
in  imum  demittas,  continuo  caligent,  turbanturque :  si  illos  tandem  intendeiis,  videbis 
homines  euntes  redeuntesque  ima  in  fossa  ;  at  illi  avium,  aut  potius  formicarum  speciem, 
referunt,  adeo  pusilli  apparent.  Quocunque  convertas  oculos,  contemplaris  res  tarn 
miras  ex  sese,  quam  inter  se  comparatas,  ignes,  glacies,  splendorem,  tenebras,  permixta 
omnia  :  vetus  illud  esse  Chaos  diceres,  adeo  moles  ilia  indigesta  est,  ac  indiscreta : 
si  curiosius  advertas,  deprehendes  illic  omnis  generis  colores  aeris,  ferri,  chalcanthi,  sive 

vitrioli, 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE. 


139 


possible,  to  ascertain  in  what  period  the  works  were  begun  ;    chap.  iv. 

and  with  what  nation  the   Sivedes  traded  with  their  copper, 

after  the  mine  became  productive.     Its  original  discovery  is 

lost  in   obscurity  and    fable.       The  present    inhabitants   of  Tradition  of 

the  Miners. 

Fahlun  relate  the  old  story  common  to  many  famous  mines, 
about  a  buck  caught  in  hunting,  whose  horns  were  covered 
with  an  ochreous  incrustation  ;  and,  in  support  of  this,  they 
allege  the  most  prevalent  names  of  parts  of  the  Fahlun  mine, 
all  having  reference  to  this  animal ;  as  BucTts-Jnll;  the 
Buck' s-shaft ;  the  Buck*  s-horns ;  the  Buck s-hoof ' ;  &c.  But 
a  similar  story  is  told  at  Rordas  in  Norivay ;  and  also  in 
other  places  where  there  are  mines. 

From  the  small  lodge,  serving  as  a  sentry,  upon  the  brink  of 
the  crater  now  mentioned,  and  stationed  upon  the  top  of  the 
uppermost  flight  of  stairs,  we  began  our  descent  into  the 
mine.  These  stairs  are  formed  by  nailing  bars  of  wood 
across  inclined  planes,  which  slope  downwards;  and  are  thus 
so  contrived,  as  to  prevent  the  feet  of  horses  from  slipping,  in 

their 


vitrioli,  sulphuris ;  pallet  hoc,  viret  illud,  rubescit  aliud,  flavet  alterum  : 
et  utalia  Deorum  arma,  aut  insignia  in  jEolia  insula  conflata  et  procusa  sint,  hic  certe 
fabricatus  est,  AssERVATURauE  Iridis  arcus.  Satiabantur  avide  hoc  spectaculo 
animi,  oculique  nostri ;  cum  ecce  tibi  de  repente  quidam  ex  his  operariis  demittit  se  per 
funem,  quo  lapides,  metallici  trochleis,  rolisque  ab  ima  fossa  in  altum  trahuntur :  labi 
ilium  tarn  intiepide,  non  sine  horrore  conspeximus  :  cumque  illi  inter  labendum  pileus 
excuteretur  e  capite,  cubito  ilium  retinuit,  adeo  id  secure  agunt.'' 

"  Ergo  descendimus  in  fossam  per  excisos,  abruptosque  in  rupe  gradus,  &c.  &c.  .  .  . 
Postquam  ad  ducentos  profunditatis  passus  descendimus,  putavimusque  in  imo  esse, 
justulimus  in  altum  oculos,  eosque  qui  superius  in  margine  fossae  erant,  quia  hominibus 
esse  sciebamus,  homines  credidimus ;  caeterum  corvorum,  aut  cornicum  species,  nobis 
videbantur."  Caroli  Ogerii  Ephemerid.es,  pp.  196,  197,  108.   Lutet.  Par.  1656. 


140 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE. 


chap.  iv.    their  passage  up  and   down.     The  view  in  descending  the 
Appearance  of  platforms  is  very  striking ;    the  whole   being  open  to  day- 

the  descent.  t 

light,  and  the  sides  of  the  great  crater  being  diversified,  like 
those  of  Vesuvius  after  some  of  its  eruptions,  with  a  rich 
contrast  of  beautiful  colours1.  Above  the  brink  of  the  sur- 
rounding precipices  are  seen  immense  superstructures  of 
scaffolding,  and  other  timber,  impending  over  the  abyss,  for 
the  purpose  of  working  the  buckets  employed  in  raising  the 
ore  ;  and,  dispersed  in  different  parts  of  the  crater,  and  along 
the  sides  of  the  platforms,  appear  the  little  huts  and  chests  of 
the  miners ;  serving  as  repositories  for  their  clothes  and 
working  implements.  When  we  had  reached  the  bottom, 
we  were  met  by  two  of  the  overseers  of  the  mine,  who  came 
with  lighted  torches  to  conduct  us  into  the  principal  level. 
Having  entered  into  this  opening,  we  found,  after  proceeding 
to  a  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  it,  some  labourers  who 
were  employed  in  widening  the  passage.  This  was  effected 
by  means  of  gunpowder;  and  the  force  of  the  explosions,  for 
blasting  the  rocks,  shook  every  thing  that  was  near  to  us. 
We  afterwards  visited  many  other  parts  of  the  mine.  Every 
passage  has  its  peculiar  name  ;  the  level  through  which  we 
entered  being  called  he  bonnet  rouge;  another,  The  Jacobin; 
and  a  third,  The  Club  of  Hercules.  The  last,  and  deepest  point 
of  the  work,  towards  the  vertex  of  the  inverted  cone,  or  bed  of 
the  ore,  they  have  denominated  "  Where  noivf"     The  rest  of 

the 


Names  of  the 

different 

openings. 


(1)  Sqe  the  powerful  description  of  this  particular  appearance,  as  given  by  Ogerius, 
in  the  passage  already  cited  from  his  Ephemerides. 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE. 


141 


the  appellations  of  the  different  divisions  they  have  named 
after  the  Directors  and  principal  officers,  the  members  of  the 
Royal  Family  of  Sweden,  or  after  any  illustrious  character 
or  remarkable  event  which  has  occurred  in  the  political 
world*.  And  when  the  different  parcels  of  ore  are  raised, 
they  preserve  the  respective  denominations  of  the  parts 
of  the  mine  whence  they  were  severally  taken.  Passing 
into  the  deeper  chambers,  we  at  last  arrived  at  the  depth 
of  170  fathoms  from  the  surface:  but  there  are  much 
deeper  excavations  ;  some  of  which  have  been  carried 
on  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  fathoms.  Here  we  found 
the  heat  very  oppressive :  the  miners,  with  the  exception  of 
their  drawers  and  shoes,  were  naked  at  their  work.  This  high 
temperature,  increasing  always  in, the  direct  proportion  of  the 
descent  from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  which  may  be 
observed  in  all  mines,  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained. 
In  the  great  mine  of  Poldice,  near  Truro  in  Cornwall,  which 
has  been  worked,  in  granite,  to  the  depth  of  300  fathoms, 
the  miners,  as  at  Fahlun,  carry  on  their  labours  naked ;  and 
the  heat  is  so  great  at  the  bottom  of  the  mine,  notwithstanding 

the 


CHAP.  IV. 


Increase  of 
temperature 
in  the  lower 
chambers. 


(2)  It  may  amuse  the  Reader  to  be  informed  what  some  of  these  names  are ;  because 
they  afford  a  sort  of  insight  into  the  popular  topics  of  interest  among  the  miners  or 
Fahlun  at  different  periods.  As  specimens,  we  shall  insert  the  following  names  ot 
different  parts  of  the  mine,  in  addition  to  those  already  given  : 

Gustavus  Adolphus.  The  Mountain  Lily. 

The  Frigate.  The  Beaver. 

Mars.  Count  Jacob. 

The  Victory.  The  Wife. 

The  Matron.  The  Guitar. 

The  Repose.  The  Bishop. 

Terra  Nova  The  Brazen  Serpent ;   &c.  Sec. 


*aqws  ■mwv$ms3*&&s&y* 


142 


FAHLUN   COPPER-MINE. 


chap.  iv.  the  accumulating  water,  that  it  may  be  sensibly  felt  by  any 
person  placing  his  hand  against  the  sides  of  the  rock, 
as  the  author  himself  experienced.  The  heat  of  the  Fahlun 
mine  is  so  great,  that  it  becomes  intolerable  to  a  stranger 
who  has  not  undergone  the  proper  degree  of  seasoning 
which  enables  a  miner  to  sustain  it.  But  then  there  are 
causes  which  tend  greatly  to  increase  the  natural  tem- 
perature :  prodigious  fires  are  frequently  kindled,  and  at  a 
very  considerable  depth  in  the  mine,  for  the  purpose  of 
softening  the  rocks  previously  to  the  application  of  gun- 
powder :  add  to  this,  the  terrible  combustion  which  has 
taken  place  in  the  mine,  threatening  its  destruction.  We  saw 
the  walls  which  they  had  constructed  for  opposing  its  progress ; 
and  the  overseers,  by  opening  some  double  doors  placed  in 
these  walls,  gave  us  a  transient  view  of  the  fire  itself,  that  was 
at  this  time  menacing  with  its  ravages  the  whole  of  these 
antient  and  valuable  works.  The  sight  we  had  of  it  was  short ; 
because  the  fumes  of  sulphur  were  so  powerful;  that  we  found 
it  impossible  to  remain  many  seconds  within  the  apertures1. 

By 


View  of  the 
bed  of  tire. 


(1)  The  mode  which  the  author  adopted,  and  which  enabled  him  to  remain  long 
enough  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  combustion  as  it  was  then  going  on,  was  the  same  which 
he  had  been  formerly  taught  by  the  guides  of  Mount  Vesuvius,  as  a  means  by  which  a 
person  may  brave  the  gaseous  exhalations  of  the  crater  of  that  volcano,  and  perhaps  of 
any  mephitic  vapour ;  namely,  that  of  covering  the  mouth  and  nostrils  with  a  piece  of 
cloth,  such  as  the  flap  of  a  coat  may  afford,  and  inhaling  the  air,  necessary  for  breathing, 
through  its  texture.  In  this  manner,  respiration  may  be  carried  on,  for  a  short  time, 
where  any  one  would  be  otherwise  liable  to  suffocation,  and  even  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  sulphureous  exhalations :  and  as  an  attention  to  this  simple  precaution  may  be  the 
means  of  saving  the  lives  of  those  who  are  accidentally  exposed  to  such  situations  of 
danger  from  suffocating  or  deleterious  fumes,  its  introduction  will  not  be  deemed 
superfluous. 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE. 


143 


By  rushing  in  for  an  instant,  we  saw  enough  to  convince   chap.  iv. 
us  what  the  fate  of  the  mine  would   be,    if  the   devouring 
element  were  not  thus  pent,  and  held  in   subjection  by  the 
smothering  nature  of  its  own  exhalations.      The  moment 
any  air  was  admitted  from  the  doors,  and  the  vapours  were 
thereby   partially  dispersed,  whole  beds  of  pyritous  matter 
appeared  in  a  state  of  ignition  ;    the  fire  itself  becoming 
visible:    but  our  torches  were  extinguished  almost  instan- 
taneously, and  it  was  only  by  holding  a  piece  of  cloth  before 
the  mouth   and   nostrils   that   we   could  venture  beyond  the 
second    door.      If    this    conflagration    should   extend    to    a 
greater  depth,  the  mine   would   be   destroyed  by  the  fumes 
alone  ;  as   it   would   become  impossible  to  proceed  with  the 
works  in   the   midst  of  its  exhalations.     A  miner,  lately,  in 
advancing    unguardedly   and    with    too    much   precipitation 
towards  the  ignited  matter,  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  it,  fell 
dead ;  being  suffocated,   as   was   the  Elder  Pliny,  and  in  a 
similar  way.      It  is   this   part  of   the  mine,  in   which    we 
approached  nearest  to  the  bed  of  burning  pyrites,   that  bears 
the  name  of  "  the  Club  of  Hercules."     At  the  depth  of  1  70 
fathoms   we  were   conducted  into  a  large  open  chamber,   or 
cave,   in  which  fifteen  naked  miners  were  actively  engaged, 
carrying  on  their  labours.     The  heat  and  suffocating  nature 
of  the  fumes  in  this  place  were  so  powerful,   that  although 
the  mine  extends  thirty  fathoms  lower,  we  found  it  necessary 
to  begin  our  re-ascent,  being  very  much  exhausted. 

In  the  deepest  recesses  of  the   mine   there  are  stables  for  Subterraneous 

Stables. 

horses,  in  wThich  these  animals  are  kept  in  total  darkness, 
and  for  months  together,  without  ever  seeing  the  sun's  light. 

Near 


144 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE, 


Council- 
chamber. 


chap.  iv.  Near  the  stables  are  also  repositories  for  their  fodder.  At 
the  lowest  point  of  our  descent,  or  near  to  it,  we  were 
shewn  the  Council-chamber,  as  it  is  called,  where  the  officers 
belonging  to  the  mine,  the  engineers,  and  others  engaged  in 
the  works,  hold  their  assemblies,  and  take  their  refreshments, 
when  they  descend  to  inspect  the  operations.  This  chamber 
is  a  circular  cave,  wainscotted,  and  furnished  with  a  table 
and  benches.  An  iron  chandelier  hangs  from  the  roof,  over 
the  table.  Gloomy  as  this  cavern  appears,  many  of  the 
Swedish  monarchs  have  sate  within  it.  An  old  custom  has 
ordained,  that  every  Swedish  king  should  once,  at  least, 
during  his  reign,  pay  a  visit  to  Fahlun,  and  descend 
into  this  mine:  consequently  their  names  appear  inscribed 
upon  the  sides  of  the  chamber.  We  noticed  also  the  names 
of  other  distinguished  individuals,  either  carved  or  written, 
both  of  natives  and  foreigners1,  who  had  honoured  this 
apartment  with  their  presence,  and  left  a  memorial  of  their 
coming.  After  we  quitted  the  Council- chamber,  we  visited 
the  stables,  in  which  several  horses  were  then  stationed, 
and  quietly  enjoying  their  fodder,  at  the  depth  of  160 
fathoms  from  their  natural  pastures.  They  seemed  to  be 
in  as  good  condition,  and  as  cheerful,  although  literally 
buried  alive,  as  any  of  those  which  are  kept  above  ground. 
Their  loud  neighing,  echoing  along  the  arched  caverns,  as 
we  ascended  from  the  lower  parts  of  the  mine,   proved   that 

habit 


(l)  Among  others,  we  read  the  name  of  Joseph  Acerli,  from  Castelgoffredo  in  Italy ; 
and  his  companion,  Signor  Bernardo  Bellotti,  of  Brescia. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


145 


habit    had    quite    reconciled  them  to  their  gloomy  abode,    chap.  iv. 
Some  of  them  were  fat  and  sleek :  and  certainly  the  tempe- 
rature of  the  place  where  they  are  kept  is  as  high  as  the 
most  fastidious  groom  would  require  for  giving  to  his  steeds 
a  shining  coat. 

Among  the  other  curiosities  of  the  Fahlun  mine,  not  the  stalactites  of 

.  Green  Vitriol. 

least  curious  are  the  stalactites  of  green  vitriol,  the  sulphate 
of  iron,  which,  in  all  parts  of  the  works,  may  be  observed  in 
greater  or  less  abundance,  hanging  either  from  the  arched 
roofs  of  the  levels,  which  are  constructed  in  many  places 
with  brick-work,  or  upon  the  wooden  ducts  for  carrying  off 
the  water.  This  is  the  substance  which  the  workmen 
sometimes  seek  to  convey  away  by  stealth :  in  attempting 
which,  as  before  mentioned,  the  mine  was  carelessly  set  on 
fire.  It  appears  either  crystallized,  or  as  an  incrustation,  or 
in  other  stalactite  forms,  sometimes  as  big  as  a  man's  arm*. 

The  whole  of  this  vitriol,  and  all  the  vitriolic  ivater  of  the 
mine,  are  the  property  of  Assessor  Gahn;  and,  of  course, 
the  removal  of  these  stalactites,  without  his  orders,  is  pro- 
hibited. The  manner  in  which  they  are  produced  may 
be  briefly  stated :  although  it  be  now  well  known  to  all 
chemical  readers  ;  a  similar  process  for  the  precipitation  of 
copper  constituting  a  very  profitable  part  of  the  works  in 
our  own  mines,  especially  at  Paris  Mountain  in  the  Isle  of 
Anglcsea.  As  in  that  mine,  the  water  of  the  mine  at  Fahlun 
is  impregnated  with  sulphuric  acid,  holding  copper  in  solution: 

but 


(2)  Specimens  of  it  were  brought  away,  which  are  still  in  the  author's  possession. 
VOL.  VI.  U 


•lVc*;-  -,-*j  >VT 


146 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


Pumps. 


hap.  iv.  but  in  its  passage  through  the  works,  whenever  it  comes  into 
contact  with  iron,  for  which  the  sulphuric  acid  has  a  greater 
affinity,  a  portion  of  the  iron  is  dissolved,  and  copper  conse- 
quently is  precipitated.  The  liquid  sulphate  of  iron  being 
then  exposed  to  evaporation,  is  gradually  concentrated  ;  and 
either  crystallizes,  or  appears  in  beautiful  transparent  stalac- 
tites in  different  parts  of  the  mine.  But  the  product  of  this 
deposit  is  trifling,  compared  with  the  quantity  of  the  same 
salt  which  is  procured  from  the  vitriol  works  on  the  outside 
of  the  mine ;  to  which  the  water  of  the  mine  is  conveyed 
by  pumps,  as  we  shall  afterwards  describe.  The  working 
of  pumps,  in  the  profoundest  cavities,  at  such  remote 
distances  from  the  power  which  maintains  their  action, 
is,  in  all  mines,  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  wonder  to 
a  stranger  who  descends  merely  to  gratify  his  curiosity,  and 
is  unaccustomed  to  the  view  of  mechanical  contrivances,  by 
which  a  moving  force,  so  extraordinary  in  its  nature,  may 
be  communicated.  But  in  this  part  of  the  works,  the  Swedes 
are  far  behind  the  English :  the  vast  powers  of  the  steam- 
engine  was  as  yet  unknown  to  them  ;  nothing  of  the  kind 
having  been  introduced  into  their  mining  establishments. 

Fahlun  mine  is  divided  into  twelve  hundred  different 
shares,  or,  as  they  are  here  called,  "  Actions."  The  instant 
any  ore  is  raised,  a  division  takes  place  :  but  to  give  a  full 
account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  division  is  made,  the 
mode  also  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  mine,  together 
with  all  its  bye-laws  and  regulations,  would  extend  the 
description  far  beyond  the  limits  prescribed  by  a  volume  of 
travels.     Every  thing  is  conducted  upon  the  best  and  most 

effectual 


Mode  of  di- 
viding the 
( >re. " 


FAHLUN    COPPER-MINE. 


147 


effectual  plans.      A  number  of  shares  may   belong  to  the   chap.  rv. 

same   individual ;   but  their  value  varies  so  extremely,  that  it 

is  not  possible  to  form  an  average  of  the  yearly  value  of  any 

one  of  them.     For  example;  the  net  profit  of  a  single  share  Value  of  the 

•    •  •  r  11  Shares. 

at  the  time  of  our  visit,  estimated  for  the  whole  year, 
was  not  more  than  sixty  rix-dollars ;  but  there  have  been 
times  when  the  annual  value  of  a  share  has  doubled  that 
sum.  It  is  not  every  possessor  of  shares  or  "actions" 
that  is  allowed  to  collect  his  own  portion  of  the  ore,  or  to 
estimate  its  value.  There  are  a  certain  number  of  persons 
who  are  privileged :  and  these  are  called  Bergsmdn;  literally  Bergmm. 
signifying  "Mountaineers,"  but  perhaps  more  properly  trans- 
lated Miner alistSy  or  Miners1.  Here,  however,  it  has  a  higher 
import.  The  Bergsman  must  become  qualified  for  his  office, 
and  for  the  privileges  he  enjoys  :  first,  by  having  passed  the 
ordeal  of  a  regular  examination ;  secondly,  by  the  possession  of 
a  certain  portion  of  landed  property.  He  must,  moreover,  have 
other  qualifications,  before  he  can  be  entitled  to  the  rank  of 
Bergsman.  Those  proprietors  who  are  not  Bergsmdn  are 
obliged  to  let  their  shares  to  persons  who  are  of  this  class,  for  a 
certain  sum  annually.  Of  the  twelvehundred  sharers,  sixty  only 
are  Bergsman ;  and  the  whole  aggregate  of  twelve  hundred 
shares  is  subdivided  into  seventy-five  lots,  for  the  convenience 
of  dividing  the  ore ;  each  lot  of  the  seventy-five  containing 

sixteen 


(1)  In  the  Dictionarium  Anglo- Svethico  Latinum  of  Serenius,  printed  at 
Hamburgh  in  1734,  a  mine  is  called  gpufto;  a  mineral,  malm;  and  a  mineralist, 
fcsrpman.     In  the  same  work,  a  mountain  is  expressed  by  btcg. 


i??? 


148 


CHAP.  IV. 


Valuation  of 
the  Lots. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 

sixteen  shares1.  When,  therefore,  any  of  the  ore  is  raised, 
it  is  divided  into  twelve  portions  :  and  as  it  is  necessary  that 
four  of  these  twelve  portions  should  go  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  mine,  the  remaining  eight  portions  allow 
for  the  sixteen  shares,  one  half  of  each  portion  for  every 
share.  The  next  business  is,  to  estimate  the  value  of  the 
ore ;  which  is  done  in  the  following  manner.  The  y2ths  which 
have  been  set  aside  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  mine 
are  separately  put  up  to  auction.  At  these  auctions,  nobody 
but  Bergsmiin  is  allowed  to  bid  ;  and  whatever  the  first  lot 
sells  for,  is  the  value  of  the  rest  of  the  -|ths.  But  should  it  so 
happen,  that  an  inexperienced  bidder  appreciates  too  highly 
the  first  portion  of  the  -^ths,  every  sharer  possessing  -^th  may 
compel  that  person  to  buy  his  share  likewise  at  the  same 
price.  In  the  public  office  belonging  to  the  mine,  a  regular 
account  is  kept  of  every  Bergsmans  profits,  and  of  the  deduc- 
tions to  which  they  have  been  liable  ;  and  this  fair  statement 
is  daily  open  to  public  inspection.  Of  the  twelve  hundred 
shares,  into  which  the  whole  produce  of  the  Fahlun  mine  is 
divided,  three-fourths  are  distributed  in  the  town  of  Fahlun 
and  in  the  province  of  Dalecarlia.  The  remaining  one- 
fourth  belongs  to  proprietors  who  are  dispersed  in  the 
kingdom  at  large,  and  in  other  countries ;  insomuch,  that 
there  are  persons  residing  in  America  who  possess  shares  in 
this  mine.  The  Company  pay  one-eighth  of  the  whole  pro- 
duce to  the  king.        In  the  period  of  its  greatest  prosperity, 

which 


(i)  75x16+75=1200. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


149 


which  was  about  the  year  1651,  the  produce  amounted  to    chap.  iv. 
20,000   schippunds*  in  a  single  year ;  but  since  that  time  it  Produce  of 

the  Works, 

has  constantly  diminished,  and  now  yields  only  from  three  to 
four  thousand  schippunds  annually.  As  the  produce  of  the 
mine  has  been  diminished,  so  also  has  the  number  of 
workmen  been  lessened :  the  number  of  the  miners  now 
does  not  exceed  four  hundred  persons  ;  and  if  we  include 
all  those  who  are  employed  in  the  foundries  and  other  works, 
the  number  will  not  exceed  one  thousand. 

From  the  description  already  given  of  the  form  of  this  Present  state 

ii  •  •  i  l  /»     i         °f  the  t'alihoi 

bed  or  ore  ,  as  well  as  in  surveying  the  products  or  the  Mine. 
works  during  the  last  century,  it  must  be  evident  that  the 
Falilun  mine  approaches  to  its  termination.  They  have 
already  reached  the  lowest  point  of  the  inverted  cone ;  and 
have  penetrated  deeper  than  the  ore,  under  a  rather  ludicrous 
notion,  founded  upon  some  visionary  speculation,  that  if 
they  persevere  perpendicularly  from  the  vertex,  they  will  at 
last  reach  the  top  of  another  conical  mass  of  ore,  situate  in 
an  opposite  direction  ;  and  which  gradually  swelling  out 
towards  its  base,  instead  of  diminishing  from  it,  as  in  the 
present  instance,  will  amply  repay  them  for  all  their  trouble. 
These  hopes  appear  to  be  altogether  illusory.      However, 

much 


(2)  The  schippund  of  Slralsund  equals  twenty  lispund,  or  280  pounds.  According 
to  Dr.  Thomson,  (Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  221,)  in  the  year  1600,  the  Mine  of  Fahlun  yielded 
eight  millions  of  pounds  of  copper.  The  same  author  also  informs  us  (p.  222),  that  as 
much  copper  is  obtained  from  the  mines  of  Great  Britain  alone,  as  from  all  the  rest>  of 
Europe. 

(3)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 


150  FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE 

chap.  iv.  much  remains  to  be  done,  before  the  mine,  even  in  its  present 
state,  can  be  exhausted.  In  working  a  mass  of  such  mag- 
nitude, quantities  of  ore  have  been  left  in  the  sides  and  along 
the  cavities  of  the  mine :  much,  therefore,  yet  remains  to 
be  removed.  The  only  difficulty  will  be,  how  to  accomplish 
its  removal,  without  causing  a  repetition  of  the  catastrophe 
which  gave  birth  to  the  present  crater1.  During  the  year 
before  our  arrival,  a  considerable  portion  of  one  of  the  sides 
gave  way,  and  fell  down,  with  a  prodigious  noise.  This 
accident  occurred  upon  a  Sunday,  when  the  workmen  were 
absent  from  the  mine ;  and,  providentially,  no  lives  were 
lost. 

After  a  subterraneous  expedition  of  four  hours,  we 
returned  again  to  the  upper  regions  and  to  the  light  of  the 
day  ;  and  were  conducted,  as  before,  to  the  office,  where  we 
changed  our  clothes.  Afterwards,  we  went  to  the  house  of 
an  officer  who  is  called  the  Mine  Mechanician,  to  see  some 

Works  above  drawings  and  plans  of  the  works9.    We  then  visited  the  Pump- 
ground  . 

room,  and  saw  the  machinery  for  draining  the  mine  :  it  is  all 
worked  by  water-wheels  ;  yet  there  is  no  place  better  suited  for 
the  use  of  steam-engines.  Mr.  Gahn  told  us  they  had  recently 
discovered  a  bed  of  pit-coal,  but  that  they  made  no  use  of  it. 
Formerly,  when  the  mine  was  richer,  they  made  no  use  of 
the  iron  pyrites,  which  is  dug  in  considerable  quantity ;  but 

now 


(1)  See  A,  of  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 

(2)  Here  we  procured  those  Designs  which  have  been   engraved  for  this  Volume  ; 
with  the  exception  of  the  View  by  Martin,  which  was  procured  in  Stockholm. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


151 


now  a  work  is  established  for  roasting  this  mineral,  and  chap.  i\> 
manufacturing  red-ochre  as  a  pigment.  In  this  process,  how- 
ever, they  are  not  so  economical  as  they  might  be  :  the  sulphur, 
which  might  be  collected,  is  allowed  to  escape5.  The 
process  for  the  peroxidation  of  the  iron  is  extremely  simple  : 
it  is  obtained  from  heaps  of  decomposed  sulphurcts,  or,  as  they 
are  commonly  called,  pyrites,  which  have  been  long  exposed 
to  the  action  of  the  atmosphere.  Of  these  a  lixivium  is 
made ;  in  which  a  yellow  mud  subsiding,  affords  the  ochre, 
which  is  submitted  to  the  action  of  heat  in  a  long  furnace ; 
so  contrived,  as  that  the  flame,  drawn  out  to  considerable 
length,  may  act  upon  the  iron  oxide,  and  thus  convert  it  into 
red  ochre. 

At  some  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  mine,  an  immense 
apparatus,  visible  over  all  the  environs  of  Fahlun,  for  the 
manufacture  of  copperas  or  green  vitriol  (sulphate  of  iron), 
is  seen  making  a  conspicuous  figure  among  the  other  pro- 
digious works  of  the  place.  This  machine  was  constructed 
by  Assessor  Gahn,  to  whom  all  the  vitriolic  water  of  the 
mine,  after  the  precipitation  of  the  copper,  exclusively  belongs. 
The  method  is  said  to  have  been  originally  devised  in  Germany, 
for  the  concentration  of  weak  salt-brines4.  The  principle  of 
it  is  very  simple,  and  shall  be  fully  explained  ;  although 
similar  works,  and  perhaps  upon  a  larger  scale,  may  be  found 


Vitriol  Ma< 
nufactory. 


in 


(3)  Assessor  Gahn  has  since  devised  a  very  simple  apparatus  for  obtaining  the  sulphur. 
See  Thomson's  Travels  in  Sweden,  p.  21 9. 

(4)  Ibid. 


:;''£;,«£? 


152 


FAHLUN   COPPER-MINE. 


chap.  iv.  in  our  own  country.  The  vast  profit  derived  from  the  che- 
mical changes  which  the  water  of  the  mine  is  made  to 
undergo,  after  it  has  been  drained  by  means  of  pumps  from 
the   works,  has  been  owing  entirely   to    the    advancement 

Remarkable     which  chemistry  has  made  of   late  years.     First,  copper  is 

form  of  Pre- 
cipitated        abundantly  precipitated  from   it  by  means  of  iron:  and  this 

wash-copper,  as  it  is  called,  of   the  Fahlun   mine,    has    an 

appearance  so  extraordinary,  that  when  it  was  shewn  to  the 

late  Professor  Tennant,  he  would  not  credit  the  fact  of  its 

being  merely  a  precipitate  of  the  native  metal  by  means  of 

iron.     It  consists  of  spheroidal  particles  of  native  copper,  of 

such  perfect  forms,  that  they  seem  like   so  many  minute 

beads  of  metal  which  have  undergone  fusion.         After  the 

copper  has  been  thus  precipitated,  the  water,  holding  sulphate 

of  iron  in  solution,  is   conveyed   to   the    reservoir    for    the 

manufacture  of  vitriol.     The  base  of  the  immense  apparatus 

used   for    this    operation    is  a  wooden    stage  or  platform, 

shaped  like  the    roof   of   a  house,   sloping,  on  either  side, 

towards  wooden  troughs,  like  those  used  to  catch  rain-water 

from  the  houses  in  England.     Above  this  platform  a  double 

wooden  rack,  resembling  those  used  for  drying  the  harvest  in 

Norivay  and  Sweden1,  is  made  to  extend  the  whole  length  of  the 

sloping  platform ;  which  is  covered  with  birch-boughs,  thickly 

interwoven,   and  hanging  over  one  another  from  the  top  to 

the  bottom,  so  that  a  person  walking  between  the  two  racks 

has  a  lofty  wall  of  wicker-work  on  either  side.     The  water 

is 


Process  for 
concentrating 
the  Lye. 


(1)  See  Part  III.  of  these  Travels,  Scandinavia,  Sect.  I.  p.  16S. 


FAHLUN  COPPER-MINE. 


153 


is  pumped  into  a  trough    upon   the  top   of    these    racks,   chap.  iv. 
extending  the  whole  length  of  them ;  and  out  of  which  it 
afterwards  falls  into  a  number  of   lesser  channels,  whose 
sides  are  notched,  so  as  to  let  the  water  drop  gently,  in  a 
continual   shower,    upon    the   wicker   boughs.     As    it  thus  Subsequent 

r  .  .  .     ,.    .  n  crystallization 

falls,  presenting  such  a  multiplicity  of  surfaces  to  the  action  of  the  salt. 
of  the  atmosphere,  it  becomes  of  course  liable  to  considerable 
evaporation  ;  and  the  salt  which  it  contains  becomes,  to  a 
certain  degree,  concentrated  before  it  reaches  the  bottom. 
An  incrustation  of  sulphate  of  lime  also  forms  upon  the 
boughs,  w  hich  thus  become  covered  with  gypsum,  after  the 
manner  in  which  osteocolla  is  formed  by  the  carbonate  of 
lime  near  Tivoli  and  Terni  in  Italy.  The  concentrated  fluid, 
containing  sulphate  of  iron,  at  length  reaches  the  bottom  of 
the  wicker-work,  where  it  falls  upon  the  sloping  platform, 
which  carries  it  off  on  either  side  into  troughs,  whence  it  is 
conveyed  into  a  cistern  :  it  is  then  raised  by  pumps  again  to 
the  top  of  the  machine ;  the  same  operation  being  repeated 
seven  times, — the  quantity  of  fluid  always  diminishing  during 
every  descent  over  the  boughs  ;  until  at  length  it  is  in  a  fit 
state  for  the  process  of  crystallization,  which  takes  place  in 
cisterns  prepared  for  the  purpose  ;  but  it  is  further  accelerated 
by  the  last  process,  which  consists  in  boiling  the  fluid,  when 
it  becomes  so  highly  concentrated,  that  by  placing  rods 
about  two  feet  in  length  into  the  liquor,  they  become 
studded  with  large  and  transparent  green  crystals  of  the 
sulphate  f  iron,  which  are  then  collected  into  barrels  for 
exportation,  and  chiefly  sent  into  Russia;  as  almost  all  the 
other  markets  in  Europe  are  supplied  with  this  commodity 
vol.  vi.  x  from 


154 


CHAP. 


FAHLUN. 


Town  of 
Fahlun. 


iv.  from  England,  at  a  lower  rate,  and  of  a  better  quality. 
During  the  last  process  of  boiling  the  liquor,  a  small  portion 
of  copper  is  again  precipitated,  notwithstanding  the  precipi- 
tation of  the  metal  which  had  been  previously  effected  by 
means  of  iron,  which  is  the  perquisite  of  the  Assessor ;  who 
always,  as  proprietor  of  the  vitriol-works,  obtains  annually  a 
small  quantity  of  ivash-copper  from  this  manufacture,  how- 
ever carefully  the  process  for  the  Company's  precipitation  of 
wash-copper  may  have  been  conducted. 

Fahlun  is  a  dirty  town  ;  and,  except  in  the  art  of  mining,  is 
at  least  two  centuries  behind  the  rest  of  Europe  in  refinement. 
The  inns  are  beyond  description  filthy  ;  and  the  Table  d Hole 
abominable.  We  dined  there  but  once  :  the  soup  was  full 
of  hairs  ;  and  the  smell  of  the  meat  was  so  offensive,  that  the 
guests  were  driven  from  table.  The  houses  of  the  Assessors, 
and  other  officers  of  the  mine,  are,  however,  neat,  and  their 
owners  polite  and  hospitable.  We  experienced  the  truth  of 
this,  in  the  highest  degree,  in  the  attentions  and  kindness 
shewn  to  us  by  Assessor  Gahn  and  his  son.  The  atmosphere 
of  the  town  is  almost  intolerable  to  a  stranger  ;  yet  we  were 
assured  by  the  inhabitants  that  it  is  wholesome,  and  that 
the  people  of  the  place  live  to  a  very  advanced  age; — a  state- 
ment that  we  could  not  easily  credit,  as  there  appeared  to  us 
hardly  a  single  individual  who  could  refrain  from  coughing 
and  spitting ;  and  the  effect  of  the  air  of  this  place  was  felt 
by  us  very  sensibly  for  some  days  after  we  left  it.  In  fact,  it 
is  not  only  sulphureous  fumes  that  are  inhaled  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Fahlun  mine;  the  exhalations  are  almost  as 
various  as  the  products  of  the  mine  :  and  were  it  not  for  the 


convincing 


FAHLUN. 


155 


convincing  proofs  afforded  by  Assessor  Gahn,  who  obtained   chap.  iv. 
copper,  by  analysis,  from  the  beams  of  the  houses  in  Fahlun,  w00dim. 
a  traveller  might  be  suspected   of  exaggeration  who  should  3™opL?r. 
affirm  that  the  timbers  of  the  buildings  here,  in  the  course 
of  thirty  years,  are  worth  working  for  the  quantity  of  this 
metal  which  they  contain.     One  might  almost  fancy  that  the 
inhabitants,  owing  to  their  copper-coloured  countenances,  had 
become,  in  a  certain  degree,   themselves  cupreous;  for  they 
may  be  considered  as  actually  eating,  drinking,  and  breathing 
copper.     They   have   copper  above,  below,  and  on  every  side 
of    them  ;    and  smoking  heaps   of   iron  pyrites  impregnate 
every  gale  with  their  suffocating  vapours  ;  as  if  the  curses 
denounced  against  the  disobedient  Israelites  had  here  been 
made  the  means  of  industry,  and  the  instruments  of  wealth 
and  happiness  : — "  Thy  heaven  that  is  over  thy  head  shall 
be  brass,    and  the  earth  that  is  under  thee  shall  be 
iron.       The    Lord  shall  make    the    rain   of   thy  land 
powder  and  dust  i    from  heaven  shall   it    come    dowtf 
upon  thee." 

Close    to    the  great    crater   of    the    mine   there    is    an  Punishment 

of  "  Riding 

enormous    wooden   image   of   a  horse,   elevated   twelve   or  the  Great 

Horse," 

fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  Upon  this  image  the  miners 
who  have  been  guilty  of  misconduct  are  placed,  by  way  of 
punishment :  and  hence,  perhaps,  originated  the  old  adage 
among  our  ancestors,  which  contains  a  caution  against 
"  riding  the  great  horse."  Besides  copper  and  vitriol,  the 
mine  of  Fahlun  produces,  in  small  quantities,  both  silver 
and  gold.  Its  other  minerals  are  many  of  them  peculiar 
to     the     spot.        We    collected    several ;     and    a    list    is 

subjoined, 


156 


FAHLUN. 


chap.  iv.   subjoined,  for  the  advantage  of  other  travellers,  of  all  the 
substances  for  which  this  mine  and  its  neighbourhood  are 
Public  Build,  remarkable1. 

ings. 

Fahlun  contains  six  thousand  inhabitants.     It  has  several 
public  buildings ;  and  among  these  the  following  may   be 
mentioned  as  the  principal : — 
i.  The  Town  Hall. 

ii.  Two  Churches. — One  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
and  the  other  for  the  parish  at  large.  The  town  church  is 
covered  with  copper:  but  a  more  improper  material  can  hardly 
be  used ;  for  the  sulphuric  acid  gas,  with  which  the  air  is 
powerfully  impregnated,  is  rapidly  dissolving  this  copper 
covering.  The  same  thing  happened  at  the  parish  church, 
where  copper  had  also  been  employed  for  the  roof:  it  was 

so 


(1)       1.  t)odecahedral  crystals  of  garnet.     Engestrom  says,  "  Plus  gros  que  le  poing :" 
but  we  obtained  specimens  that  are  double  the  size  he  mentions. 

2.  Octahedral  crystals  of  magnetic  iron-oxide. 

3.  Massive  loadstone. 

4.  Native  sulphate  of  iron  ;  blue,  green,  and  white. 

5.  Sulphuret  of  copper  in  primary  crystals. 

6.  Precipitated  native  copper  in  spherical  particles. 

7.  Argentiferous  and  auriferous  sulphuret  of  lead,  crystallized. 

8.  Pot-stone. 

9.  Mineral  pitch. 

10.  Amianthus. 

11.  Laminary  sulphuret  of  zinc. 

12.  Automalite,  in  octahedral  crystals. 

13.  Fahlunite,  crystallized  in  hexahedral  prisms. 

14.  Pyrophysalite,  a  curious  variety  of  topaz. 

15.  Gadolinite. 

16.  Leelite. 

In  this  list  it  has  not  been  deemed  necessary  to  specify  all  the  varieties  of  the 
common  sulphurets  of  copper  and  iron.     They  are  of  course  abundant. 


FAHLUN.  157 

so  speedily  corroded,  that  its  removal  became  necessary,  and   chap,  iv. 
the  copper  was  sold. 

Hi.  The  Free  School. — This  is  open  to  all  the  children  of 
the  inhabitants.  It  contained,  at  this  time,  one  hundred  and 
thirty  boys.  These  children  are  instructed  in  the  Hebrew, 
Greek,  and  Latin  languages :  they  are  also  taught  history, 
geography,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  The  mathematics  are 
not  taught ;  because  from  this  school  the  children  generally 
proceed  to  the  Gymnasium  at  Westerns;  whence  they  are 
afterwards  removed  to  Upsal,  to  finish  their  education. 

iv.  The  Lazaretto,  or  Hospital  for  wounded  and  invalid 
miners.  This  building,  with  several  other  public  edifices,  is 
situate  near  the  mouth  of  the  mine. 

v.  The  Public  Granary. 

About  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Fahlun  is  Gryhsbo  Paper- 
manufactory.  This  work  was  begun  in  1 740 :  it  affords 
employment  to  one  master,  six  labourers,  and  four  boys. 
There  is  also  a  cloth  manufactory,  under  the  direction  of  the 
same  proprietor. 

The  geological  structure  of  Dalecarlia  has  been  described  £^J 
byHisinger;  whose  imperfect  and  unsatisfactory  account  of  ^aucarua. 
it  was  compared  by  Professor  Thomson  with  his  own  accurate 
and  personal  observations  upon  the  spot*.     The  inference 
which  the  latter  was  thereby  enabled  to  deduce,  was  this  ; — 
that  the  basis  of  Dalecarlia  consists  of  primitive  rocks ;  but 

that 


(2)  Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  215.  Lond.  1813. 


158 


FAHLUN. 


chap.  iv.  that  the  greater  part  of  the  surface  consists  of  Jloetz  rocks, 
especially  sandstone  and  limestone,  containing  the  usual 
orgainic  remains  which  distinguish  Jloetz  limestone.  The  por- 
phyry, which  sometimes  alternates  with  these  rocks,  belongs 
also  to  the  Jloetz  formation1.  The  whole  surface  of  the 
plain  on  which  the  mine  is  situate,  is  thick  strewed  with 
immense  boulders  of  granite,  quartz,  feldspar,  hornblende, 
and  chlorite- slat  e ;  but  not  a  single  rock  is  to  be  seen  in  situ 
in  the  whole  plain,  except  two  immense  pyramids  of  quartz 
lying  in  the  excavation  at  the  great  opening  of  the  mine. 
The  rock,  however,  which,  after  a  good  deal  of  laborious 
research,  Professor  Thomson  found  to  environ  Falilun,  is  a 
particular  kind  of  feldspar,  without  quartz  or  mica,  traversed 
by  veins  of  hornblende,  six  feet  in  breadth2.  He  also  observed 
that  the  rocks  on  the  east  side  of  the  mine,  at  the  distance  of 
some  miles,  are  gneiss;  and,  from  the  minerals  which  accom- 
pany the  copper-ore,  such  as  actinolitc,  trcmolite,  chlorite,  and 
from  other  circumstances,  he  concluded  that  the  mine  follows 
a  series  of  veins  in  mica-slate,  the  vein-stones  appearing  to  him 
to  consist  chiefly  of  quartz3.  In  deference  to  his  authority, 
it  has  been  thought  right  to  insert  his  observations.  To  us 
the  appearance,  as  far  as  relates  to  the  position  of  the  ore, 
was  somewhat  different :  it  seemed  to  be  deposited  in 
detached  beds,  rather  than  in  veins;  as  at  Paris  Mountain  in 

Anglcsca : 


(1)  Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p. 215.    Lond.  1813. 

(2)  Ibid.  p.  220. 

(3)  Ibid. 


FAHLUN  TO  SALA.  159 

Anglesea:  and  hence  the  spacious  cavities  of  the  chambers   chap.  iv. 
in  which  the  ore  is  worked,  resembling  rather  the  caverns  of 
a  salt-mine,  than  the  narrow  galleries  and  passages  worked 
in  mines  where  copper-ore  occurs  in  veins. 

We  left  Fahlun  on  Sunday,  November  10,  for  Sdla;  and  in 
the  evening  reached  the  small  town  of  Safer,  remarkable  sat*. 
only  for  the  cataracts  near  which  it  is  situate.  At  a  poor 
and  small  inn  in  this  place  they  demanded  the  extravagant 
price  of  seven  rix-dollars  and  a  half  for  our  night's  lodging. 
The  master  of  the  house  brought  us  a  few  minerals  from  the 
neighbouring  mines,  which  we  bought  of  him.     The  valuable  Mines  in  ita 

Neighbour- 

iron-mine  of  Bispberg  is  at  a  small  distance  from  Safer:  it  hood. 

produces  a  rich  granular  and  very  friable  magnetic  iron-oxide. 

In   the   same  mine  is  also  found  molybdena.     There  are  also 

other  mines  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Safer4 ;  as  one  of  silver 

and  copper  in   the  parish  of  Skedvi,  which  produces  a  small 

quantity  of  native  silver;  distant   about  six   English  miles: 

also  the  iron-mines  of  Garpenbergh  and  Grdngesberg6,  which 

are  more  remote. 

Leaving 


(4)  A  deserted  mine,  called  Sillerberg,  near  Siiter,  now  inundated  with  water,  was 
worked  with  great  success,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Margaret,  for  the  silver  found  there. 
The  ore  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  mine  contained  from  28  to  30  grains  of  gold  for 
every  pound  of  silver.  If  the  pits  could  be  drained,  this  mine  might  again  prove  very 
profitable. 

(5)  At  Garpenberg,  the  minerals  consist  of  varieties  of  sulphuretted  copper ;  sulphuret 
of  lead ;  sulphuret  of  zinc;  Jluate  of  lime ;  pot-stone,  containing  garnets;  actinote ; 
quartz,  mica,  &c. 

(6)  At  Grdngesberg  may  be  had  the  following  minerals  : 
1.  Black  massive  magnetic  iron-oxide. 

1.  Granular  ditto. 

3.  Micaceous 


'•CfeV 


160 


CHAP.  IV. 


Hedmora. 


Curious 

Floating. 

Bridge. 


FROM  FAHLUN  TO  SALA. 

Leaving  Sater  the  next  day,  we  set  out  for  Avestad,  where 
the  copper  of  the  Fahlun  mine  is  smelted.  The  axle  of  our 
carriage  had  been  broken ;  and  being  obliged  to  leave  it 
behind,  under  custody  of  our  Swedish  interpreter,  we  pro- 
ceeded from  Sater  in  hired  carts.  After  we  had  left  this  dull 
and  dirty  town,  we  saw  in  the  forest  the  bodies  of  some 
criminals  exposed  upon  wheels  near  the  road,  after  the 
manner  of  the  country,  as  represented  in  a  former  volume9. 
Our  first  stage  was  to  Grado,  by  Hedmora.  Corn,  at  this 
time  (Nov.  11),  was  yet  standing  in  the  fields:  the  coun- 
try appeared  to  be  much  cultivated,  and  very  populous. 
Hedmora  is  a  dirty  village,  but  beautiful  in  its  situation, 
upon  the  side  of  the  Dal,  which  here  spreads  out  its  waters 
so  as  to  resemble  a  fine  lake.  Several  houses  are  stationed 
upon  little  sand-banks  in  the  midst  of  the  water.  We  crossed 
the  river  near  Grado,  by  a  floating-bridge  two  hundred  and 
eighty  yards  in  length;  not  supported,  like  the  floating- 
bridges  in  Germany,  upon  boats,  but  solely  by  the  trunks 
of  trees  lashed  together.     Here,  while  we  were  changing 

horses, 


3.  Micaceous  iron-oxide,  of  various  beautiful  hues  ;  blue,  green,  and  yellow. 

4.  Octahedral  crystals  of  iron-oxide,  imbedded  in  massive  magnetic  iron-ore. 

5.  Mineral  pitch. 

6.  Comolite,  or  pot-stone. 

7.  Hexagonal  crystals  of  lime-spar,  associated  with  quartz  crystals. 

8.  Feldspar  in  magnetic  iron-oxide. 

9.  Amianthus. 

10.  Decomposed  pyroxene,  commonly  called  "  green  earth." 

1 1 .  Quartz,  mica,  calcareous  spar,  &c.  &c. 

(7)  See  Part  III.  Sect.  I.  p.  510. 


FUOM  FAHLUN  TO  SALA. 


161 


tivities. 


horses,  we  heard  the  sound  of  musical  instruments,  as  if  a  char  iv. 
band  were  approaching  ;  and  presently  two  carts,  bearing  the  Nuptial  Fes- 
performers,  and  filled  with  other  men  and  women,  decorated 
with  ribbands  and  a  variety  of  gaudy  trinkets,  entered  the 
yard  of  the  inn.  The  appearance  of  these  merry-makers 
was  most  grotesque.  Each  cart  was  conducted  by  a  single 
horse,  upon  which  sate  the  driver,  more  than  "  half-seas  over," 
playing  upon  a  fiddle,  the  most  common  musical  instrument 
of  Norway  and  Siveden.  The  carts  were  crammed  with 
boors  of  both  sexes,  having  their  hats  and  clothes  bedizened 
with  nuptial  favours,  who,  with  the  most  ludicrous  grimaces, 
some  fiddling,  others  singing,  were  endeavouring  to  express 
their  rude  mirth  by  all  sorts  of  gestures  and  noises.  They 
had  been  to  a  wedding,  celebrated  at  a  great  distance  from 
Grad'6,  the  day  before,  Sunday.  We  asked  them  to  dance  ; 
and  they  consented,  upon  the  condition  of  our  treating  each 
of  them  with  a  dram  of  their  favourite  beverage,  Swedish 
brandy  flavoured  with  aniseed.  The  whole  party  then 
prepared  to  exhibit  their  agility ;  and  we  expected  to  be 
gratified  with  a  sight  of  the  curious  old  provincial  dance  of 
the  Dalecarlians.  But  they  began  with  Waltzes ;  and  after 
swinging  each  other  in  whirls,  with  a  degree  of  violence 
that  made  an  approach  rather  dangerous,  ended  in  the 
graver  measures  and  attitudes  of  the  Minuet,  which  we 
found  much  better  suited  to  the  sort  of  doubtful  equilibrium 
maintained  by  most  of  them :  with  the  Minuets  the  dance 
ended.  Of  such  a  nature  were  the  scenes  that  afforded  to 
some  of  the  best  masters  of  the  Flemish  school  subjects  for 
their  pictures  ;  nor  were  the  objects  very  dissimilar  which 
vol.  vi.  y  called 


^^m    h    h 


CHAP.  IV. 


Annual 
Return  of 
Dalecarlian 
Peasants. 


|(}2  FROM  FAHLUN  TO  SALA. 

called  from  the  pen   of  our  matchless  Goldsmith  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  expressions  of  his  humanity  and  benevolence1. 

Soon  after  leaving  Grado,  the  country  was  again  covered 
by  forests,  and  our  views  bounded  by  the  trees.  In  these 
woods  we  met  several  female  Dalecarlian  peasants,  returning 
from  their  annual  summer  excursions,  into  the  south  of 
Sivcden,  for  employment ;  but  in  their  winter  clothing,  made 
of  sheep's  fleeces,  with  swathings  of  white  linen  round  the 
head.  We  passed  another  floating-bridge  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  Avestad,  which  was  literally  covered  by  Dalarne 
peasants,  returning,  as  before  mentioned,  to  pass  the  winter- 
season  in  their  own  country.  The  dress  of  the  men  is  the 
same  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Gustavus  Vasa; — a  suit  of 
what  our  English  wags  would  call  dittos,  like  the  dress  worn 
by  Quakers  ;  made  wholly  of  white  woollen  ; — in  which  they 
appear  clad  from  head  to  foot ;  a  leathern  belt  around  their 
waists,  and,  upon  their  heads,  low  broad-brimmed  hats. 

Besides  the  smelting-works  for  the  Fahlun  copper-ore,  at 
jvatad.  Avestad,  here  there  is  also  a  mint  for  the  copper  coinage  of 
Sweden,  some  iron-foundries,  and  other  works.  The  town  is 
situate  close  to  some  striking  cataracts  of  the  River  Dal, 
which  at  this  season  of  the  year  were  truly  tremendous  ;  not 
from  the  height  of  the  fall  of  water ;  for  this  is  compara- 
tively nothing  ;   but  owing  to  the  prodigious  force  and  fury 

with 


(])  "  The  poorer  the  guest,  the  better  pleased  he  ever  is  with  being  treated  :  and  as 
some  men  gaze  with  admiration  at  the  colours  of  a  tulip,  or  the  wing  of  a  butterfly, 
so  I  was  by  nature  an  admirer  of  happy  human  faces."     Vicar  of  Wakefield,  Ch.  I. 


AVESTAD. 


163 


with  which  the  torrent  was  impelled  ;  menacing  with  devas-  chap.  iv. 
tation  and  ruin  every  thing  in  its  way.  The  works  belonging 
to  this  place  exhibit  nothing  which  merits  a  very  particular 
description  ;  nor  are  they  worth  a  traveller's  notice,  unless 
he  be  curious  to  see  the  condition  of  the  arts  in  a  rude  and 
unimproved  state.  The  iron  forges  are  such  as  were  used  in 
England  some  centuries  ago  ;  when  a  single  hammer,  moved 
by  an  overshot-wheel,  constituted  the  only  machinery  used 
in  our  iron-works.  The  copper,  of  course,  requires  a  more 
elaborate  process  ;  and  here  undergoes  the  several  operations 
so  well  known  in  our  country,  by  which  the  metal  is 
extracted  from  its  ore,  and  rendered  fit  for  the  purposes  of 
the  mint.  But  in  all  this  the  Swedes  are  far  behind  Great 
Britain*.  The  die,  for  example,  is  effected  entirely  by 
manual  labour,  without  any  aid  of  machinery  :  it  is  impressed 
by   a   blow   given    with    a    sledge-hammer  ;    a   boy   being 

stationed 


(2)  This  opinion  is  perhaps  at  variance  with  the  accounts  given  of  the  method  of 
smelting  copper  in  Sweden  by  other  writers :  it  is  here  stated  as  the  author  entered  it 
into  his  Journal,  at  the  time,  and  upon  the  spot.  In  Great  Britain  alone,  as  much  copper 
is  obtained  from  its  mines  as  from  all  the  rest  of  Europe  put  together  ;  and  more  iron  is 
raised,  in  one  year,  in  the  single  principality  of  Wales,  than  in  the  whole  kingdom  of 
Sweden.  But  the  copper-mine  of  Fahlun  is  the  property  of  many  individuals ;  and  there 
are  various  methods  used  in  the  operation  of  smelting  the  ore,  as  best  suited  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  different  smelting-houses.  Dr.  Thomson  considered  the  Swedish 
process  as  "  very  simple  and  economical,  and  as  having  the  advantage  over  the 
methods  employed  to  reduce  the  same  kind  of  copper-ore  in  Anglesey."  (See  Trav.  in 
Sweden,  p.  222.)  The  ore  is  first  roasted,  for  the  evaporation  of  the  sulphur;  then 
mixed  with  charcoal,  and  melted  in  a  blast  furnace.  The  produce  of  this  furnace  is 
afterwards  roasted  four  or  five  times  successively ;  then  again  melted,  and  the  scoriae 
separated.     Afterwards,  it  once  more  undergoes  fusion,  and  is  cast  into  bars.  (Ibid.) 


164 


A  V  E  S  T  A  D, 


chap.  iv.   stationed  at  the  work,   to  shift  the  coin,    and   supply  the 
unstamped  pieces  of  copper. 

We  were  comfortably  lodged  at  Avestad;  the  cleanly 
accommodations  of  the  house,  and  the  obliging  behaviour  of 
its  owners,  being  alike  praise- worthy  :  and  when,  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  we  called  for  our  bill,  they  said  they  had  no 
demand    to   make ;     we    might   give    them    whatever   little 

character  of    remuneration  we  thought  proper.     As  the  same  circumstance 

the  Swedish  .  ,  ,.  i      •       O  7  1_ 

Peasants.  often  happened  to  us  during  our  travels  in  Sweden,  we  have 
thought  it  right  to  mention  it.  Instances  of  exorbitant 
charges  may  sometimes  occur ;  we  had  recently  experienced 
an  example  of  this  nature  in  the  behaviour  of  the  persons 
who  kept  the  small  inn  at  Safer;  but  such  cases  are  not 
common  in  Sweden,  especially  in  those  parts  of  the  country 
north  of  Stockholm;  neither  is  it  the  characteristic  of  a  Swede 
to  conduct  himself  with  dishonesty  in  his  dealings  with 
strangers.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  not  intended  to  be  main- 
tained that  rogues  and  thieves  are  never  met  with  in  this 
country,  as  in  all  others.  Highway  robberies  have  some- 
times been  committed  ;  and  we  shall  soon  have  occasion  to 
notice  proofs  of  this,  which  occurred  in  our  journey  to  Sola: 
but  such  events  are  exceedingly  rare,  and  may  have  been 
committed  by  foreigners  employed  among  the  multiplicity  of 
persons  engaged  for  labour  in  a  mining  district.  Upon 
the  whole,  it  is  very  different  from  what  happens  in  Russia, 
where  a  stranger  is  obliged  to  be  upon  his  guard  against  every 
one  he  meets,  of  whatsoever  rank  or  condition ;  and  where 
"theft"  may  be  considered  as  a  sort  of  standing  order  of 

the  day. 

Upon 


FROM  AVESTAD  TO  SALA. 


165 


Upon    the   12th    of   November,  leaving  Avestad1,  in  our   chap,  iv. 
first    stage  to  Broddebo  we  passed  the    boundary    between  Broddebo. 
Dalecarlia  and   Wcstmania  or  Westmanland.       Here,  in  the  custom  in 

passing  a 

forest,  by  the  road  side,  we  observed  several  heaps  made  ^^rs 
with  sticks  and  stones;  upon  which  the  natives,  as  they  pass, 
cast  either  a  stone,  or  a  little  earth,  or  the  bough  of  a  tree ; 
deeming  it  an  uncharitable  act  to  omit  this  tribute,  in  their 
journeys  to  and  fro.  As  this  custom  appeared  closely  allied 
to  the  pious  practice  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  of  casting 
a  stone  upon  the  cairn  of  a  deceased  person,  we,  of  course, 
concluded  that  these  heaps  were  places  of  sepulture ;  which 
was  so  far  correct,  but  they  were  not  described  to  us  as 
graves  of  very  antient  date.  The  peasants  who  accompanied 
us  believed  them  to  contain  the  bodies  of  banditti,  who, 
according  to  their  account,  formerly  plundered  the  merchants 
in  this  forest,  when  the  copper-ore  used  to  be  carried,  upon 
the  backs  of  horses,  from  Fahlun  to  Westerns.  As  the  whole 
band  of  robbers  was  gradually  destroyed,  so  the  individuals 
composing  it  were  severally  buried,  where  they  fell,  by  the 
side  of  the  public  way.  This  is  the  tradition  which  the 
present  inhabitants  have  concerning  these  heaps ;  not  to  call 
them  barrows,  because  they  have  neither  the  magnitude  nor 
the  appearance  of  an  antient  Celtic  mound.  If  they  may  be 
compared  to  any  tumuli  of  antiquity,  they  rather  resemble 
those  heaps  which  the  Romans  raised  by  the  side  of  their 

highways, 


(l)  At  a  quarter  of  a  Swedish  mile  from  Avestad  are  the  brass-works  of  Bjurforss, 
which  we  did  not  stop  to  examine. 


H 


166 


ARRIVAL  AT    SAL  A. 


chap.  iv.  highways,  as  marks  of  distance.  A  little  sketch  which  we 
made  upon  the  spot  will  serve  to  give  an  idea  of  their 
appearance,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  occur  in  the 
route. 


Sola. 


Mine  of 
Salbertf. 


We  had  a  new  proof  of  the   surprising  superiority  of  the 
public  roads  in  Sweden,  soon  after  we  left  Broddcbo;  a  beau- 
tiful highway,  as  fine  as  the  best  kept  gravel- walks  in  any 
nobleman's    grounds,     having     been    actually    constructed 
through  the   waters   of  a  lake.     It  was  about  four  o'clock, 
p.m.  when  we  arrived  at  Sala,      The  inn  was   full,   but  we 
hired  lodgings  in  an  adjoining  house,   and  immediately  set 
out  for  the  famous  silver  mines,  which  are   distant  about  an 
English  mile  ivest  of  the  town.     At  this  late  hour,  a  descent 
into  them   was  described  to  us  as  rather  hazardous  ;  but  our 
curiosity  got  the  better  of  our  fears,  and  we  reasonably  con- 
cluded that    the  want   of   day-light    could    be    no     serious 
obstacle  in  a  subterraneous  excursion.      These  mines  have 
been  so  long  worked,  that  there  is  no  record  of  the  time  in 

which 


MINE  OF  SALBERG. 


167 


which  they  were  first  opened.  Every  thing  relating  to  the  chap.  iv. 
geological  position  of  the  great  bed  of  ore  has  been  most  Nature  of  the 
accurately  and  scientifically  described  by  Professor  Thomson': 
it  lies  in  a  vein  of  primitive  limestone,  about  half  a  mile  in 
breadth,  which  occurs  between  granite  and  gneiss.  In  this 
vein  lies  the  whole  of  the  Sala  excavations.  The  limestone 
itself  is  granular,  with  a  shade  of  green,  and  possesses  a  good 
deal  of  beauty2.  It  is  the  common  stone  employed  at  Sala 
for  building  the  walls  of  enclosures.  The  veins  containing 
the  silver  ore  are  of  galena,  or  sulphur et  of  lead,  containing 
other  metallic  sulphur  els,  as  those  of  zinc,  iron,  and  copper : 
they  traverse  the  limestone  from  north-west  to  south-east9. 
The  name  of  a  silver-mine  has  therefore  been  bestowed  upon 
a  lead-mine  at  Sala,  as  it  often  happens  where  the  veins  of 
argentiferous  galena  are  worth  working  for  the  silver,  they 
contain.  The  appearance  of  the  richest  of  the  Sala  silver 
ore  is  not  unlike  the  galena  of  Alston  Moor  in  Cumberland : 
it  has  the  same  grey  aspect,  but  is  more  granular  ;  that  of 
Alston  Moor  having  a  fibrous  structure,  when  it  is  amorphous 
and  rich  in  silver.  Few  mines  are  so  rich  in  beautiful  and 
rare  minerals.  We  arrived  before  it  was  too  late  to  examine 
the  heaps  around  it ;  and  were  soon  convinced  that  an 
interesting  collection  might  be  formed  from  the  discarded 

materials 


(1)  See  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  233.    Lond.  1813. 

(2)  Ibid. 

(3)  Professor  Thomson  also  notices  a  vein  of  lasalt,  as  a  very  remarkable  and 
uncommon  object  in  a  primitive  country,  quite  flat,  with  no  remains  of  Jloetz  trap  in  the 
neighbourhood.     Ibid.  p.  235. 


&15"-      ^M 


168 


CHAR  IV, 


Descent  into 
the  Salberg. 


MINE  OF  SALBERG. 

materials  which  lie  near  to  its  mouth.  Formerly,  the  quan- 
tity of  silver  found  here  was  much  more  considerable  than  it 
is  now1.  We  descended  into  the  mine,  which  is  called 
Salberg,  by  means  of  ladders ;  but  they  were  in  such 
excellent  order,  and  so  strong,  that  we  entertained  no  appre- 
hension of  falling.  The  descent  is  easy ;  but  it  is  very 
curious,  and  unlike  any  other  mine  we  ever  visited.  It 
exhibited  to  us  a  succession  of  circular  caverns,  the  floor  of 
one  constituting  also  the  roof  of  the  other ;  through  which 
we  passed  downwards  by  a  series  of  cylindrical  apertures, 
each  of  which,  like  the  chimney  of  the  inferior  chamber, 
conducted  us  into  some  new  grotto  of  wonder  and  curiosity. 
At  the  depth  only  of  forty  fathoms,  we  arrived  at  one  of  the 
working-places.  The  ore  seemed  to  be  in  small  quantities  ; 
a  thin  vein,  entirely  of  galena.  Sometimes,  but  \ery  rarely, 
the  miners  have  met  with  native  silver,  and  then  only  in  very 
small  portions,  which  have  been  immediately  bought  up 
for  more  than  it  was  worth,  owing  to  its  extreme  raritv. 
as  a  curiosity.  Much  greater  rarities  have  also  been 
occasionally  discovered  in  the  Sala  mine;  namely,  antimonial 
silver,  of  which  the  Assessor  shewed  us  some  fine  speci- 
mens;  also  native  antimony;  and  the  native  amalgam  of 
silver  and  mercury.  The  native  amalgam  has  not  been 
observed  there   since   the   termination   of    the   seventeenth 

century. 


(1)  "  In  the  year  1506,  the  annual  produce  was  32,266  marks :  at  present,  I  am  told, 
the  quantity  extracted  does  not  exceed  2000."     Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  235. 


MINE  OF  SALBERG. 


169 


century2.  At  this  time  they  were  working  the  ore  from  chap.iv. 
cavities  of  the  mine  that  had  been  once  abandoned  ;  which 
explains  the  reason  why  the  veins  appeared  comparatively 
insignificant.  The  original  excavations  extend  much 
lower, — to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms; 
but  owing  to  an  accident  which  happened  here,  as  at  Fahlun, 
of  the  falling-in  of  a  considerable  part  of  the  works,  the 
lower  chambers  have  been  rendered  inaccessible.  The 
torches  used  in  all  the  Sivedish  mines  consist  of  deal  splinters, 
formed  into   fagots  about  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm.     Our 

guides 


(2)  The  minerals  found  in  the  Salberg  mine,  near  Sala,  are  enumerated  by  Engestrom, 
in  his  Guide  aux  Mines,  p.  1?.  Stockholm,  1796>  But  substances  have  since  his  time 
been  discovered  there  which  have  rendered  this  mine  remarkable ;  and  among  these,  in 
particular,  the  mineral  called,  from  the  place  where  it  was  first  found,  Salite.  We  shall 
insert  a  list  of  all  of  them. 

1.  Native  silver. 

2.  Antimonial  silver. 

3.  Native  amalgam. 

4.  Native  antimony,  and  sulphur et  of  antimony. 

5.  Many  varieties  of  sulphuret  of  lead,  crystallized  and  amorphous. 

6.  Sulphuret  of  zinc. 

7.  Arsenical  and  common  sulphurets  of  iron. 
8-   Black  granular  iron-oxide. 

9.  Salite. 

10.  Chlorite,  containing  garnet $  and  garnet  in  galena. 

11.  Asbestus  in  all  its  varieties. 

12.  Pot-stone. 

13.  Ophites,  and  green  serpentine. 

14.  Mica. 

15.  Many  varieties  of  crystallized  carbonate  of  lime. 

16.  Trap,  and  basalt,. 

17.  Quartz,  and  red  hornstone. 

18.  Hornblende;   &c. 

VOL.  VI.  Z 


3r3* 


170 


MINE  OF  SALBERG. 


chap.  iv.  guides  took  care  to  be  provided  with  plenty  of  these,  making 
a  blazing  illumination  in  the  different  chambers ;  and  having 
supplied  us  with  their  mining  implements,  we  fell  to  work, 
and  were  engaged  in  digging  the  ore  from  its  native  bed, — 
to  the  great  mirth  of  the  workmen,  who  were  much  amused 
with  the  waste  of  labour  shewn  in  our  awkward  manage- 
ment  of  their  tools.  The  great  heat  of  the  mine  is 
always  most  oppressive  to  persons  unaccustomed  to  such 
places ;  and  of  this  the  miners  are  themselves  by  no 
means  insensible  :    but  it  was   nothing  to  what   we   expe- 

Minerais.  rienced  in  the  Mine  of  Falilun.  We  soon  afterwards 
ascended,  and  procured  a  very  interesting  series  of  specimens 
upon  the  spot.  Others  were  also  afterwards  brought  to  our 
lodgings.  We  have  already  inserted  a  list  of  them  in  a  note. 
The  Assessor  of  the  mine  shewed  to  us  his  own  magnificent 
collection ;  containing  not  only  all  the  minerals  common  or 
peculiar  to  Sola,  but  also  many  valuable  specimens  from 
foreign  countries.  He  wished  to  dispose  of  the  whole, 
for  three  hundred  rix-dollars  ; — a  trifling  sum,  compared 
with  the  real  value. 

Town  of  Saia.  The  town  of  Sala  has  been  described  as  not  inferior  to 
Falilun  in  size  and  elegance.  Like  all  the  Swedish  towns,  it  has 
an  open  square,  from  which  the  streets  run,  with  the  utmost 
regularity,  in  different  directions1.  To  us  it  appeared  both 
small  and  dirty  ;  which  only  shews  how  different  the  same 
place   may  appear  to  different  travellers  at  different  seasons. 

We 


( 1 )   Thomson's  Travels,  p.  233. 


SALA. 


171 


We  partook  of  a  meal  at  the  table  d'hote  of  the  inn,  where  chap.  iv. 
every  thing  was  uncleanly  and  of  bad  quality  :  yet  we  had 
hunger  for  sauce,  and  therefore  were  not  disposed  to 
quarrel  with  our  food.  An  apothecary,  with  well-meaning 
but  overwhelming  civility  and  volubility,  sounded  quite  an 
alarum  in  our  ears  :  he  introduced  to  us  an  artist  who  carried 
about  carved-work  in  ivory,  executed  with  infinite  minuteness 
of  detail,  and  in  the  worst  taste;  from  which  engravings 
were  made  for  sale,  with  portraits  of  the  King  and  Queen. 
The  arts  are  at  a  low  ebb  indeed,  when  works  of  this  kind 
are  in  request  :  for  their  encouragement,  they  require  the 
patronage  of  a  Turkish  Pasha,  or  a  Chinese  Mandarin. 


Q-pt.'SfiXi 


CHAP.  V. 


FROM  SAL  A  TO  UPS  ALA. 

Journey  from  Sala  to  Upsala — appearance  of  Upsala — Present  condi- 
tion of  the  University — Afzelius — Thunberg — Botanic  Garden- — 
Chemical  Schools  —  Miner  alogical  Collection  —  University  Library  — 
Typographical  rarities — Manuscripts — Codex  Argenteus — Cabinet 
of  Queen  Christina — Mysterious  gift  of  Gustavus  the  Third — Execu- 
tive branch  of  the  University — Degrees — Theses — Cathedral — Burial- 
place  of  Linnoeus — monument  erected  by  the  inhabitants — Image  of 
Thor — Bloody  coat  of  Eric  —  Shift  of  Margaret  —  New  Botanic 
Garden — Lecture  Room — Conflicting  opinions  respecting  Gustavus  the 
Third — Habits  and  manners  of  the  Students — Public  Cellars — Conduct 
of  the  Students  toivards  the  Professors — total  want  of  discipline — 
neglected  state  of  science — want  of  emulation — Habits  of  intoxica- 
tion— Character  of  the  Swedes — Uniform  aspect  of  the  country  and 
its  inhabitants. 

chap.v.    In  our  journey  from  Sala  to   Upsala,  upon  the  thirteenth  of 

Journey  from  November,  we  passed  through  a  cultivated  country  so  much 

resembling  Cambridgeshire,  in  its  level  corn  land  and    the 

appearance  of  its  villages,  that  we  were  often   reminded    of 

the 


FROM  SALA  TO  UPSALA. 


173 


the  approach  to  our  own  University,  as  we  drew  nigh  to  the  chap,  v. 
most  celebrated  of  the  Swedish  Seminaries.  We  met,  as 
before,  in  our  first  stage  to  Tarnaby,  numerous  bands  of  Dale- 
carlians,  returning,  from  their  summer  excursions  for  employ- 
ment, towards  their  own  country.  From  Tarnahy  we  next 
came  to  Gastre,  distant  twenty-one  English  miles  from  Sala; 
and  here  passed  the  boundary  between  the  provinces  of 
Wastmanland  and  Upland.  Afterwards  we  journeyed 
through  Langtora  and  Sqfva ;  the  country  being  open,  bleak, 
and  level,  with  the  very  best  roads.  The  land  on  all  sides 
appeared  to  be  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  having  lost 
in  picturesque  beauty  what  it  has  gained  by  man's  industry; 
for  of  those  forests  which  almost  universally  cover  the 
Swedish  territories,  not  a  vestige,  nor  even  a  solitary  tree,  was 
to  be  seen.  After  another  stage  of  twelve  English  miles  and 
a  quarter,  at  the  distance  of  fifty-two  miles  and  a  half  from 
Sala,  we  arrived,  just  as  it  was  growing  dark,  at  Upsala. 
We  had,  however,  a  fine  view  of  the  Royal  Chateau,  upon  an  Appearance  of 

Upsala. 

eminence,  as  we  entered  the  town :  the  Cathedral,  also, 
presents  a  superb  figure,  and  is  visible,  upon  this  road,  a  consi- 
derable   distance   from    Upsala1.     In  a  former  Volume,  the 

appearance 


(l)  The  resemblance  between  Upland  and  Cambridgeshire  was  noticed  in  the  pre- 
ceding Chapter:  but  another  traveller,  also  of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  affords,  in 
his  Manuscript  Journal,  a  curious  coincidence  with  the  foregoing  observations,  by  saying 
that  there  is  a  resemblance  also  in  the  external  appearance  of  the  two  Universities. 

"  The  first  appearance  of  Upsal  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  situation  and  view  of 
Cambridge  from  the  Huntingdon  road.  The  Palace  of  Upsal  stands  upon  high  ground, 
as  does  the  county  gaol  at  Cambridge.    The  town  being  below,  you  look  over  the  latter, 


and 


■'%<:  VNv-.f- 


±<&mt^        *'-X&&  gsjt^y*^ 


■ 


Present  con- 
dition of  the 
University. 


174  UPSALA. 

chap.  v.  appearance  of  Upsala,  in  the  approach  to  it  from  Stockholm, 
has  been  described1.  When  we  first  arrived  in  this  celebrated 
seat  of  northern  literature,  having  our  heads  filled  with 
extravagant  notions  of  the  splendour  of  a  University  which 
had  produced  so  many  illustrious  men,  we  reserved  for  our 
second  visit  a  diligent  inquiry  into  its  history  and  present 
state2.  The  high  expectations  we  had  formed,  with  regard 
to  its  flourishing  condition,  were  not  however  realized. 
Every  thing  seemed  to  dwindle  into  insignificance,  when 
the  reality  was  opposed  to  our  ideal  picture.  The 
morning  after  our  arrival  {November  14)  we  waited  upon 
A/zeiim.  Dr.  Afzelius,  in  his  apartments  in  the  Palace.  He  had 
been  during  ten  years  engaged  in  foreign  travel  ;  and 
was  at  this  time  unpacking  his  collection,  which  consisted 
of  natural  curiosities  from  Africa,  and  other  distant  regions 
which  he  had  visited.  We  presented  to  him  some  specimens 
of  rare  plants  entrusted  to  our  care  and  conveyance  by  Dr. 
Mutter  of  Christiana.  As  Dr.  Afzelius  had  been  in  England, 
and   was   in  Cambridge    but   a    short   time  before    we    set 

out 


and  see  an  extent  of  flat  country  around.  By  the  original  plan  of  the  Palace,  it  was  in- 
tended to  occupy  three  sides  of  a  square  parallelogram  j  but  one  side  was  never  finished. 
At  one  corner  there  is  a  tower:  the  other  side  is  not  completed  in  the  same  way.  The 
Governor  of  the  Province  resides  here,  and  a  few  other  persons.  It  is  intended  for  the 
residence  of  the  Sovereign ,  when  he  visits  Upsal.  This  establishment  is  quite  inde- 
pendent of  the  University."       Dr.  Fiott  Lee's  MS.  Journal. 

(1)  Part  III.  Sect.  I.  p.  171.     Lond.  I8I9. 

(2)  This  has  been  in  some  measure  anticipated,  by  the  very  ample  account  published 
by  Dr.  Thomson,  in  his  Travels  in  Sweden.     Lond.  1813. 


UPSALA. 


175 


out  upon  this  expedition,  he  seemed  to  be  well  aware  of  the 
striking  contrast  which  a  comparison  of  the  two  Universities 
must  necessarily  afford  ;    and  said   to  us,    "  You  must  not 
expect  to  find  every  thing  here  upon  the  same  footing  as  in 
England :  we  have  neither  the  same  funds,  nor  the  means  of 
exciting  an  equal  degree  of  emulation  among  our  students." 
Having  expressed  an  earnest  wish  to  be  present  at  some  of 
the  public  lectures,  he  told  us  that  Professor  Tfumbcrg,  the 
successor  of  Linnceus  in   the  Botanical  chair,  was    at   this 
moment  delivering  a  lecture.      We  hastened  to   the  spot; 
and  found  this  venerable  man,  so  well  known  for  the  account 
he  has  published  of  his  Travels  in  Japan,  in  the  old  Botanic 
Garden,    opposite    the    identical  house,   or   cottage,    where 
Linnceus  once  resided  ;  and  in  which  Professor  Thunberg  now 
lived.     The  lecture  was  given  in  the  Old  Green-house,  as  it 
used  to  be  by  Linnceus,   in  the  Sivedish  language  ;   and  with 
such   animation   of  manner,    that    we    much    regretted   our 
incapacity  to  keep  pace  with   the  Professor  in  his  harangue. 
Some    of   it  we    understood  :    it   was   upon  the  interesting 
subject  of  the  "  superba  Palmarum  famil'ia."  of  Linnceus;  and 
immediately  brought  to  our  recollection  the  observations  with 
which  he  terminates  the  Prolegomena  of  his  valuable  Flora 
Lapponica3.      But  what  was  our  surprise,  to  find  the  Professor 

with 


chap.  v. 


Thunberg. 


Eotanic 
Garden. 


(3)  "  Calidissimos  orbis  partes  regit  superba  Palmarum  familia;  terras  calidas  incolunt 
Frutescentes  plantarum  gentes ;  australes  Europce  ptagas  numerosa  ornat  Herbarum 
corona;  Belgium,  Daniamqae,  Graminum  occupant  copiae ;  Sueciam,  Muscorum 
agmina;  ultimam  vero  frigidissimamque  Lapponiam  pallidae  Alg^e,  praesertim  albi 
Lichenes.     En  ultimum  vegetationis  gradum  in  terra  ultima  !" 

Flor.  Lapp,  in  Jin.  Proleg.  p.  26.    Amst.  1/37- 


176  UPSALA. 

ghap.V.  with  only  half-a-dozen  slovenly  boys,  standing  around  him, 
as  his  audience, — the  eldest  of  whom  could  not  be  more 
than  fourteen  years  of  age, — whose  whole  interest  in  the 
lecture  seemed  to  consist  in  watching  for  the  moment  when 
a  palm-branch  was  cast  among  them  by  the  Professor,  for 
which  they  scrambled;  being  eager  to  cut  these  branches 
with  their  knives,  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  serve  as 
walking-staves.  After  the  lecture  was  over,  the  boys 
scampered  off  with  their  palm-sticks,  and  the  Professor 
kindly  admitted  us  to  see  his  cabinet  of  rarities. 

The  account  of  his  voyage  to  Japan  was  published  in 
1791,  and  translated  into  German.  An  English  edition  of 
the  same  work  has  since  appeared  in  our  own  country. 

His  cabinet  consisted  of  a  large  collection  of  objects 
of  natural  history,  shells,  birds,  quadrupeds,  insects,  plants, 
and  minerals.  The  last  were  not  numerous ;  and  they 
were,  in  some  instances,  described  under  false  names :  for 
having  presented  to  us  a  small  quantity  of  what  he  considered 
as  the  granular  tin  of  Japan,  we  found  it,  upon  examination, 
to  be  an  oxide  of  Titanium.  Among  the  insects  we  noticed  a 
magnificent  butterfly,  the  Atlas  of  Ceylon,  measuring  nine 
inches  across  its  extended  wings :  also  a  most  beautiful 
little  stag,  from  the  island  of  Java,  not  more  than  twelve 
inches  in  height.  His  collection  of  plants  contained  twenty 
thousand  specimens.  We  saw  also  specimens  of  the  came'o 
work  of  the  Chinese,  which  seem  to  prove  that  this  curious 
branch  of  sculpture  has  been  long  known  in  that  country  ; 
whence,  perhaps,  the  art  of  cutting  cameos  was  originally 
derived  by  the  antient  and  modern  nations  of  the  Western 

world. 


UPS  ALA. 


177 


world.     The  Chinese  cameos  are  executed  in  alabaster  and  in    chap.  v. 

trap,  and  sometimes  exhibit  layers  of  three  distinct  colours. 

One    in   the  possession   of  Professor  Thunberg,    representing 

fruit,  and  flowers,  executed  in  trap,   was   of  three  colours — 

red,  green,  and  white ;    and   it   measured   twenty  inches  by 

sixteen.  At  this  time,  Professor  Thunberg  was  preparing 

for  the  press  a  new  edition  of  his  Flora  Japonica. 

Some  of  the  students  who  had  remained  in  the  Green-house 
afterwards  accompanied  us  in  our  examination  of  the  Botanic  Hotanir 

1  Garden. 

Garden.  We  found  a  head-gardener  employed,  with  two 
assistants  acting  under  his  direction.  The  principal  gardener 
obligingly  presented  to  us  a  specimen  of  Lopezia  racemosa,  a 
very  rare  plant  from  Peru,  with  a  delicate  and  beautiful  red 
flower,  belonging  to  the  class  Monandria  Monogynia,  of  which 
so  few  are  known.  It  is  not  noticed  by  Martyn,  in  his  edition 
of  Miller  s  Dictionary,  although  mentioned  in  the  Catalogue 
of  Green-house  and  Stove  Plants  prefixed  to  that  work.  We 
have  since  seen  it  in  the  Garden  at  Cambridge.  Among  the 
forced  plants  wre  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  the 
common  English  yew-tree  {Taxus  baccata),  growing  in 
pots.  It  is  native  in  one  place  only  in  all  Sweden,  where  it 
appears  dwindled  to  a  small  shrub.  The  green-houses 
were  small,  but  neat,  and  kept  in  good  order.  It  was 
said  that  the  old  garden  would  soon  be  destroyed  :  yet,  as 
a  spot  sacred  to  the  memory  of  Linnceus,  this  ought,  surely, 
to  be  preserved.  In  the  adjoining  buildings  there  was  a 
small  menagerie,  where  a  few  live  animals  were  preserved  ; 
as  an  ape,  a  parroquet,  &c;  but  there  was  nothing  worth 
more  particular  notice. 

vol.  vi.  a  a  Afterwards 


/s.f-j'j. 


178  UPS  AIL  A. 

chap.  v.         Afterwards   we  saw   the  Chemical  Schools  in   the   house 
chemical      of  Professor  John    Jfzelius,   brother    of  Adam  Afzelins  the 
botanist,  whom  we  had  before  visited.     He  was  delivering  a 
lecture,  at  the  time  of  our  arrival,  to  about  twenty  or  thirty 
students;  but  in  a  voice  so  low  and  inaudible,  as  to  be  scarcely 
intelligible,  even  to  those   who   were  his   constant  hearers. 
We  observed  a  few  among  them  making  notes  ;   but  the  chief 
part  of  the  audience  seemed  to  be  very  inattentive,  and  to  be 
sitting  rather  as  a  matter  of  form  than  for  any  purpose  of 
instruction.      Their  slovenly  dress,  and  manner,  were  more- 
over so  unlike  that  of  the  students  in  our  English  Universities, 
that  it  was  impossible  to  consider  them  as  gentlemen :  they  had 
rather  the  air  and  appearance  of  so  many  labouring  artificers, 
and  might  have  been  mistaken  for  a  company  of  workmen 
in  a  manufactory.      Around  this  chemical  lecture-room  was 
Mineraiogicai  arranged  the  Professor's  collection  of  minerals, — perhaps  more 
worthy    of  notice   than   any  thing   else  in   Upsala;  for  the 
Chemical    Laboratory   scarcely    merits    attention.       It    was 
classed  according  to  the  methodical  distribution  of  Cronstedt, 
and  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  University  ever  since 
the  middle    of   the   eighteenth    century.      The    celebrated 
Bergmann  added  considerably  to  this  collection,  which  may 
be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  complete  in  Europe ;  espe- 
cially in  specimens  from    the  Swedish  mines,  which   have 
long  produced  the  most  remarkable  minerals  in  the  world. 
One  cabinet  alone  contained  three  thousand  specimens  ;  and 
the  whole  series  occupied  no  less  a  number  than  forty.     It 
is  true,   that,  in  this  immense  collection,  there  were  many 
things  denoting  an  earlier  period  in  the  history  of  mineralogy, 

and 


U  P  S  A  L  A. 


171) 


and  which  now  belong  rather  to  the  study  of  geology  chap.  v. 
than  of  mineralogy.  One  small  cabinet  contained  models  of 
mining  apparatus  ;  pumps,  furnaces,  &c.  There  is  no 
country  that  has  afforded  better  proofs  of  the  importance  of 
mineralogical  studies  to  the  welfare  of  a  nation,  than 
Sweden;  but  the  Swedes  have  not  maintained  the  pre- 
eminence in  mineralogy  which  they  so  honourably  acquired1. 
The  mineralogy  of  Cronstedt  laid  the  true  foundation  of  the 
science,  by  making  the  chemical  composition  of  minerals  the 
foundation  of  the  species  into  which  they  are  divided2:  and 
whenever  an  undue  regard  for  the  mere  external  characters  of 
these  bodies  causes  an  attention  to  their  chemical  consti- 
tuents to  be  disregarded,  it  may  be  regretted,  as  an  effectual 
bar  to  the  progress  of  mineralogical  knowledge. 

We  next  visited  the  University  Library. — In  ascending 
to  it,  we  saw  the  Auditory,  as  it  is  called,  where  the  Acade- 
mical disputations  are  held,  and  public  lectures  read;  having 
very  much  the  appearance  of  one  of  our  English  Town- 
Halls.  This  place  is  immediately  under  the  Public 
Library.  The  President  sits  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
apartment,  immediately  behind  the  Respondent.  Upon 
a  bench  below  the  Respondent  are  placed  the  two 
Opponents,  and  behind  them  are  several  rows  of  seats  for 
the  spectators.  Voluntary  opponents  frequently  rise  among 
the  spectators,  who  discuss  arguments  with  the  Respondents. 

The 


(1)  Thomson's  T7av.  in  Sweden,  p.  1/3.    Lund.  1S13. 

(2)  Ibid. 


ISO 


CHkV.  V 


University 
Library. 


UPSAL  A. 

The  degrees,  or,  as  they  are  here  called,  promotions,  are  con- 
ferred once  in  three  years.  Neither  the  Professors  nor  the 
Students  have  any  distinction  of  dress ;  except  upon  these 
occasions,  when  the  Professors  wear  a  cloak,  and  coloured 
stockings:  yet,  surely,  if  ever  in  any  country  the  dignity 
of  its  Academical  institutions  require  a  peculiarity  of  habit, 
to  distinguish  its  members  from  the  lower  orders  of  the 
inhabitants,  it  is  more  particularly  necessary  in  Upsala.  In 
Cambridge  and  Oxford,  if  the  students  appear  in  the  streets 
without  their  Academical  dress,  it  is  generally  those  only  of 
the  petit-maitres  among  the  undergraduates  who  are  tempted 
to  commit  this  breach  of  University  discipline,  by  a  desire  to 
imitate  the  habits  of  the  young  men  of  fashion  in  the  metro- 
polis ;  but  their  appearance  is  never  such  as  to  cause  them  to 
be  confounded  with  the  poorer  class  of  artificers:  whereas  in 
Upsala,  a  student  in  the  streets  is  not  a  whit  better  clad  than 
any  working  coachmaker  or  carpenter  in  England. 

We  ascended  to  the  University  Library.  It  contains  fifty 
thousand  volumes  ;  which  are  kept  in  very  excellent  order, 
and  in  a  handsome  room1.  The  Librarian,  Peter  Fabius 
Aurivillius,  Professor   of  Humanity,   to  whom  we  delivered 

our 


(1)  Dr.  Fiott  Lee,  in  his  MS.  Journal,  states  the  number  of  volumes  at  65,000.  The 
Persons  who  accompany  strangers  in  their  visits  to  public  libraries  are  not  likely  to 
be  very  accurate  in  the  accounts  which  they  give  in  round  numbers.  The  number 
of  the  volumes  in  the  University  Library  of  Cambridge  has  never  been  ascertained  ; 
but  Dr.  Farmer,  Master  of  Emmanuel  College,  when  Librarian,  counted  the  number  of 
authors,  and  they  amounted  to  100,000.  This  number  has  since  been  greatly  aug- 
mented ;  and  there  are,  besides,  sixteen  other  Libraries  in  Cambridge  belonging  to  the 
different  Colleges.  This  comparative  statement  will  serve  to  mark  the  striking  dif- 
ference between  the  two  establishments. 


UPSALA. 


181 


our  letters  of  introduction,  told  us  that  he  had  published  a  chap.  v. 
complete  catalogue  of  the  whole  collection,  arranged  alpha- 
betically, according  to  the  names  of  the  different  authors. 
The  alphabetical  form  is  perhaps  the  most  convenient  which 
any  catalogue  can  have,  for  the  use  of  persons  frequenting 
a  public  library ;  provided  only  that  it  be  made  sufficiently 
comprehensive,  and  be  extended  not  only  to  the  names  of 
the  authors,  but  also  to  the  subjects  and  titles  of  their  several 
works.  In  viewing  this  collection,  we  endeavoured  to 
ascertain  to  what  particular  branch  of  knowledge  it  was  most 
indebted.  The  Professor,  to  whom  we  applied  for  infor- 
mation, told  us  that  it  was  impossible  to  determine  this 
point;  affirming  that  the  library  was  well  provided  in  all 
branches  of  learning.  We  found  here  Mr.  Turner  employed 
as  the  amanuensis2,  who  formerly  had  the  care  of  Sir 
Joseph  Banks's  Herbarium.  The  library  is  divided  into 
three  distinct  parts :  the  first  contains  volumes  of  polite 
literature,  history,  and  natural  history  ;  the  second,  a  collec- 
tion of  various  authors  presented  by  Gustavus  the  Third, 
when  he  was  Prince  Royal:  the  third  consists  entirely  of 
volumes  of  law,  physic,  and  divinity.  This  library  owes  its 
origin  to  Gustavus  Adolphus,  or,  as  he  is  always  called  fami- 
liarly by  the  Swedes,  Gustaf- Adolph.  Like  Buonaparte,  it 
wras  customary  with  that  monarch  to  reserve,  for  his  share 
of  the  plunder,  all  the  books  which  were  found  in  places 

captured 


(2)  The  same  gentleman  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Thomson,  in  his  account  of  Upsala,  as 
being  the  Librarian  at  the  time  of  his  visit;  the  name  being  written  Tomer,  after  the 
Swedish  manner. — See  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  174.  Lond.  1813. 


at» 


:&W~  aSS*^  *>♦-'< 


^.!T^„-^i 


182 


UPSALA. 


Typographical 
Uarities. 


chap.  v.  captured  by  his  troops  :  and  be  afterwards  presented  them 
to  this  University.  Several  of  bis  successors  have,  by  similar 
donations,  imitated  his  munificent  example. 

Here  is  preserved  the  first  book  printed  in  Sweden ; 
namely,  Dialogus  Creaturarum  moralisatus.  It  bears  the 
date  'Stockholm,  mcccclxxxiii.'  We  saw  also  the  only 
copy  known  of  the  Manuale  Ecclesice  Linkopensis,  printed  at 
Soeuderkceuping,  in  1525.  The  first  work  printed  at  Upsala 
was  a  Latin  Commentary  upon  the  Psalms,  of  which  there  is 
a  copy,  dated  1515.  The  other  rare  typographical  curiosities 
are,  a  work  of  Thomas  Aquinas,  printed  in  folio,  at  Mayence, 
in  1467  ;  two  editions  of  the  Catholicon  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, without  date;  and  a  Latin  Bible,  in  folio,  printed  at 
Nurembergm  l  <75.  Also,  the  folio  Roman  editions  of  Pliny 
and  Suetonius;  the  first,  of  1473;  the  second,  of  1470. 

Among  the  Manuscripts,  which  are  very  numerous,  and 
kept  in  a  room  below  the  Library,  there  are  several  of  great 
value;  such  as,  the  Diarium  Wadstenense,  upon  vellum,  in 
small  quarto,  written  by  various  hands,  from  the  year  1344 
to  1544; — an  Icelandic  copy  of  the  Edda  and  Sccdda,  upon 
vellum  ; — and  the  Icelandic  Laivs,  written  upon  vellum  ;  a 
manuscript  of  great  antiquity.  But  all  these  are  eclipsed, 
in  splendour  and  value,  by  the  well-known  and  beautiful 
Codex  Argenteus  of  the  Four  Gospels  ;  considered,  and  with 
reason,  by  all  comers,  as  the  most  worthy  notice  of  any  thing 
in  the  whole  collection.  We  had  the  satisfaction  of  carefully 
inspecting  this  precious  manuscript,  if  manuscript  it  may  be 
called.  The  characters  seem  rather  painted  than  written  ; 
every  letter  being  executed  in  silver,  with  the  exception  of 

some 


Manuscripts. 


Codex  Argen 
tens. 


UPSALA. 


183 


some  of  the  initial  letters,  which  are  of  gold  :  so  that  every  chap.  v. 
page  of  the  manuscript  exhibits  one  continued  illumination. 
A  brief  extract  from  this  manuscript  will  serve  to  gratify 
mere  curiosity,  by  affording  a  fac-simile  of  the  characters. 
It  corresponds  with  our  version  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of 
St.  Luke's  Gospel,  at  the  seventeenth  verse  :   "  verily  i   say 

UNTO  YOU,  WHOSOEVER  SHALL  NOT  RECEIVE  THE  KINGDOM  OF 
GOD  AS  A  LITTLE  CHILD,   SHALL  IN    NO    WISE    ENTER    THEREIN." 

In  the  Codex  Argenteus,  the  well-known  old  Saxon  or  Gothic 
word  barn  is  used  to  signify  the  original  roLiliov.  The 
passage  occurs  thus  : 

>.  SA68    Nl 


AH6N  OD<Mp!A  Tte 
ANAMIN^  lpnnAANTAKA<pA 
rjl^S  SV6  KARN,  Ml  OMilp 
IN  IZAV. 

The  history  of  this  manuscript  has  been  given  by  so  many 
authors,  and  set  forth  with  so  much  perspicuity  by  Mr.  Care1, 
that  we  shall  no  further  enter  upon  it,  than  by  briefly  stating, 
according  to  the  information  we  received  from  the  Librarian, 
that  it  was  completed  about  the  end  of  the  fourth  century,  by 
a  Bishop  of  Thrace,  in  the  Gothic  language  used  at  that  time 

in 


(l)  See  Travels  into  Poland,  Russia,  Sweden,  and  Denmark,  vol.  IV.  p.  151,  &c. 
Mr.  Coxe  refers  to  the  following  works  (ibid.  p.  15J,  Note)  for  the  history  of  this 
manuscript.  "The  several  editions  of  the  Codex  Argenteus,  by  Junius,  Stiernheim,  and 
Lye.  Hickes  Gramm.  Mceso-Gothica,  in  his  Thesaurus  Ling.  Sept.  La  Croze  Diss. 
Philol.  at  the  end  of  Chamberlayne's  Orat.  Dom.  p.  136.  IVetsteins  Proleg.  in  Nov. 
Test.  sect.  68  to  71.  Bib.  Up.  Hist.  p.  116  to  123.  Le  Long.  Bib.  Sac.  vol.  II. 
p.  140,  &  538." 


^^I5^A'•S5'      H 


M  =;.)..,  M 


184  UPS  A  LA. 

chap.  v.  in  Mcesia.  In  the  year  l648,  when  the  city  of  Vrague  was 
stormed  by  the  Swedes,  it  was  found  among  the  literary 
spoils,  by  a  Swedish  Count1,  who  sent  it  as  a  present  to  his 
Queen,  Christina.  Three  editions  are  extant  of  this  valuable 
Code,  of  which  the  best  is  from  the  Clarendon  Press  of 
Oxford^  by  Edward  Lye,  printed  in  1750.  It  contains  a 
Latin  Version,  and  a  Commentary  upon  the  Text,  by  the 
learned  Benzelius;  together  with  Lye's  own  observations,  and 
a  Gothic  Grammar. 

The  leaves  of  the  Codex  Argentcus  are  of  vellum,  but 
prepared  in  a  very  particular  manner,  and  of  a  violet  hue : 
the  cover  and  back  of  the  volume  are  of  silver,  embossed. 
It  is  related,  that  the  celebrated  Isaac  Vbssius  stole  this 
manuscript,  during  the  confusion  which  preceded  Queen 
Christinas  abdication  of  the  throne  of  Sweden;  and  that 
after  his  death  it  was  purchased  for  25 0/.  by  Count  Magnus 
Gabriel  de  la  Gardie,  who  presented  it  to  the  University  of. 
Upsala. 

There  are  in  this  collection  but  few  manuscripts  of  the 
Classics ;  and  even  these  were  evidently  written  after  the 
invention  of  printing ;  they  are,  however,  estimable,  owing 
to  the  uncommon  beauty  of  the  calligraphy,  which,  in 
some  instances,  can  with  difficulty  be  distinguished  from 
printing.  We  saw  a  good  manuscript  copy  of  Horace; 
and  one  of  Ovid's  Metamorphoses,  less  perfect  and  less 
legible.  All  the  volumes  are  inclosed  in  cases  faced  with 
wire.  Instead  of  written  certificates,  as  vouchers  for  the 
books  borrowed  by  the  members  of  the  University,  they 
make  use  of  printed  tickets. 

The 


UP  SAL  A. 


1 80 


The  principal  curiosity  in  this  library  has  been  mentioned    chap,  v 
by  other  authors,  and  sometimes  inaccurately  described.     It  is  cabinet  of 

J  Queen 

a  cabinet  of  the  most  curious  and  costly  workmanship,  adorned  Christina. 
with  paintings,  mosaic,  and  gems,  which  was  presented  by 
the  merchants  of  Hamburgh  to  Queen  Christina.  One  of 
the  doors  is  composed  entirely  of  a  single  stone,  said  to  be 
an  agate;  but,  in  fact,  a  slab  of  that  species  of  stalactite 
carbonate  of  lime,  which  is  vulgarly  called  "  flowered 
alabaster."  The  natural  veins,  or  zones,  of  this  mineral, 
beautifully  polished,  have  been  ingeniously  appropriated  by 
a  painter,  so  as  to  constitute  parts  of  the  picture  which  he 
has  represented  upon  the  stone.  Upon  one  side  is  seen 
the  destruction  of  Pharaoh  and  his  Host  in  the  Red 
Sea;  and  few  persons  would  imagine  that  in  a  work  of 
this  kind,  which  must  necessarily  have  so  much  of  trick 
in  it,  the  artist  could  have  displayed  the  sublimity  he 
has  really  afforded.  The  figure  of  Moses,  and  the  ex- 
pression delineated  in  his  countenance,  are  worthy  of  as  great 
a  master  as  Raphael.  An  Equestrian  Soldier  is  also  figured 
with  great  spirit  and  energy.  In  this  curious  piece,  the 
perspective,  as  it  might  be  expected,  is  altogether  violated. 
Upon  the  other  side  of  the  slab  is  a  representation  of  the 
Day  of  Judgment;  but  this  has  been  evidently  borrowed 
from  the  famous  picture  by  Michael  Jngelo,  in  the  Sestina 
Chapel  at  Rome.  It  contains  some  of  the  same  figures ; 
and  has,  moreover,  the  same  characteristic  portraits ;  such, 
for  example,  as  those  of  the  Cardinal,  and  the  Mistress  of 
the  painter.  The  artist,  whose  name  we  did  not  learn,  has 
represented  his  own  portrait  among  those  of  the  blessed  in 
vol.  vi.  b  b  heaven, 


l££U        :<C^o!\V* 


1 86  UPSALA. 

chap.  v.  heaven,  and  has  decorated  his  head  with  the  Pope's  tiara. 
Other  parts  of  this  cabinet  are  adorned  with  antique  gems, 
paintings  on  precious  stones,  Florence  mosaic-work,  executed 
by  inlaid  pieces  of  antique  marbles,  and  very  curious  painting 
by  means  of  inlaid  pieces  of  wood  in  mosaic,  perhaps 
the  workmanship  of  Albert  Durer,  and  certainly  of  his  time. 
Mysterious     But  the  most  singular  deposit  in  this  room  is  a  donation  of 

gift  of  Gusta-  °  x 

vustheThird.  Gustavus  the  Third:  it  consists  of  two  chests  of  manu- 
scripts, double-locked,  chained,  and  sealed,  which  are  not  to 
be  opened  until  fifty  years  shall  have  elapsed  from  the  time 
of  his  death.  These  chests  are  supposed  to  contain  his 
foreign  correspondence,  many  papers  relating  to  the  prin- 
cipal transactions  in  which  he  was  engaged  and  the  state  of 
Europe  at  the  time  of  his  reign.  An  English  traveller  will 
hardly  participate  the  feelings  of  curiosity  which  are 
betrayed  by  the  Sivedes  respecting  these  mysterious  boxes. 
"  What  a  misfortune  for  us,"  said  one  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Upsala,  "  that  this  precious  deposit  will  not  be  opened  in 
our  time."  Great  expectation  is  on  foot  with  regard  to  the 
things  that  will  come  to  light  when  these  papers  are 
examined  ;  but,  for  our  own  part,  we  could  not  help  thinking 
that  the  moral  of  the  old  fable  "  Parturiunt  montes"  &c. 
will  be  found  very  applicable  to  the  event  of  the  opening  of 
these  chests,  when  the  time  arrives  for  their  inspection. 

The  number  of  the  students  in  this  University  has 
sometimes  exceeded  one  thousand  :  at  the  present  time  there 
were   not  above   three   hundred1.      The  whole   population, 

including 

(l)  When  Dr.  Fiott  Lee  afterwards  visited  this  University,  the  number  was  greatly 
increased.  According  to  a  note  in  his  MS.  Journal,  there  were  about  800  students  at 
that  time. 


UPS  ALA. 


187 


including  the  students  and  other  inhabitants  of  Upsala  and  chap.  v. 
its  neighbourhood,  did  not  amount  to  four  thousand  persons. 
The  University  consists  of  a  Chancellor,  a  Sub-Chancellor,  SS^tfthe 
who  is  always  the  Archbishop  of  Upsala,  and  a  President, 
who  is  called  Rector  Magnijicus,  answering  to  the  office  of 
Vice-Chancellor  in  our  English  Universities.  There  are  also 
Professors  of  Divinity,  Law,  Physic,  and  Philosophy,  besides 
extraordinary  adjuncts,  as  assistants,  to  each  of  these  Pro- 
fessorships, Magistri  Docentes  in  the  several  faculties,  and 
Teachers  of  Modern  Languages  and  the  Polite  Arts.  The 
principal  studies  of  the  place  are  divided  into  the  four  classes 
above  mentioned.  The  lectures  are  both  public  and  private, 
the  former  being  delivered  gratis.  The  annual  salaries  of  the 
Professors  do  not  exceed  loo/.  When  a  Professor  has 
continued  in  office  for  thirty  years,  he  is  allowed  to  retire  with 
the  title  of  Emeritus,  and  enjoys  his  salary  for  life1.  Students 
are  sent  toUpsala  about  the  age  of  sixteen,  or  even  earlier:  they 
lodge  in  private  houses  in  the  town,  there  being  no  Colleges ; 
and  they  are  divided  into  classes,  according  to  the  Provinces 
to  which  they  belong.  Lectures  begin,  as  with  us,  in 
October;  and  continue  for  about  eight  months.  The  degrees  Degrees, 
conferred,  are  those  of  Philosophies  Candidatus,  or  Bachelor 
of  Arts ;  Philosophies  Magister,  or  Master  of  Arts  ;  and  in 
Divinity,  Law,  and  Physic,  the  different  gradations  are  styled 
Candidatus,    Licenciatus,    Doctor''.       Before    receiving    any 

degree, 


(1)  This  fact  is  stated  by  Mr.  Coxe,  from  whom  it  is  here  borrowed.     See  Travels, 
vol.  IV.  p.  145.     Lond.1787. 

(2)  See  Coxes  Travels,  ib. 


^H     &MKJ-;- 


■  -.IV 


188  UPS  ALA. 

chap.  v.  degree,  a  student  must  undergo  several  examinations  from 
Thesel""  various  Professors,  and  must  compose  a  Latin  Thesis,  which 
he  is  bound  to  defend  in  the  Schools.  Similar  exercises  are 
also  necessary  previous  to  taking  the  second  degree  ;  and 
as  the  different  Theses  are  printed,  we  were  at  considerable 
pains  to  collect  all  that  could  be  obtained,  thinking  they  would 
serve  to  give  a  good  idea  of  the  state  of  science  in  this 
seminary.      We  pursued,  afterwards,    the  same  plan  with 

o 

regard  to  the  University  of  Abo;  and  a  list  of  the  subjects 
upon  which  the  principal  dissertations  were  written,  will  be 
found  in  the  Appendix1.  Considering  the  manner  in  which 
the  lectures  are  given,  the  sort  of  people  which  attend  as 
students,  and  the  total  want  of  all  Academical  discipline  and 
all  incitement  to  emulation  in  Upsala,  it  is  quite  wonderful 
that  it  has  produced  such  a  number  of  persons  eminent  in 
every  branch  of  science. 
Cathedral.  Soon  after  seeing  the  Library,  we  visited  the  Cathedral, 
which  is  hard  by;  the  finest  ecclesiastical  structure  in  all 
Sweden*.  The  spire  of  the  Cathedral  of  Waster  as  is  said  to 
be  loftier,  but  in  other  respects  there  can  be  no  comparison 

between 


(1)  The  Amccnitates  Acadcmicce  published  in  1749,  in  8vo.  under  the  auspices  of 
Linneaus,  contained  a  collection  of  these  Theses,  but  not  in  their  original  state:  they 
were  selected  and  revised  by  that  great  man,  and  have  therefore  been  regarded  as  of 
equal  authority  with  his  own  writings.  The  collection  alluded  to  in  the  Appendix,  was 
formed  with  a  view  to  shew  simply  what  the  subjects  were  of  the  Theses  at  Upsala  and 
Abo,  as  they  were  severally  printed  in  their  original  form  in  those  Universities  during 
nearly  half  a  century.  This  collection,  presented  by  the  author  of  these  Travels,  is 
now  in  the  University  Library  at  Cambridge,  in  four  volumes  quarto. 

(2)  "  Cathedrale  ornat  templum,  inter  omnia  Suecorum  pulcherrimum."  Delicti? 
Regn.  Suecicc,  torn.  I.  p.  380.    L,Bat.  1706. 


U  P  S  A  L  A. 


181) 


between  the  two  edifices.  This  of  Upsala  is  a  brick  building,  chap,  v 
in  excellent  order ;  having  been  lately  repaired,  at  a 
great  expense.  The  architecture  of  the  interior  is  purely 
Gothic  ;  but  the  outside  of  the  building  exhibits  a  strange 
mixture,  with  pillars  of  the  Boric  order,  in  consequence  of 
work  done  in  a  later  age,  when  additions  were  made  to  the 
original  structure ;  the  cathedral  having  often  suffered  from 
fire,  and  as  often  been  repaired.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
begun  in  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  under  the 
direction  of  Stephen  Bonneville,  a  French  architect,  who  fol- 
lowed in  its  construction  the  model  of  the  Church  of  Notre 
Dame,  at  Paris5 ;  but  this  date  does  not  agree  with  the  chro- 
nology of  the  accurate  Messenius,  who,  in  his  "Epitome 
Scondice  illustrates  "  assigns  the  year  1164  for  the  commence- 
ment of  the  cathedral4,  which  was  not  completed  for  above 
two  hundred  years  afterwards,  when  its  dedication  took 
place  with  extraordinary  pomp  and  solemnity5.  As  we 
entered  this  building,  we  were  much  struck  by  its  elegance 
and  neatness.  The  altar  alone  exhibited  a  barbarous  style  of 
ornament,  being  laden  with  heavy  colossal  figures,  executed 
in  the  worst  taste,  and  already  hastening  fast  to  destruction. 

At 


(3)  See  Coxes  Travels,  vol.  IV.  p.  131.    Lond.  1786. 

(4)  "  Carol  us  rex  ibi  prima  basilicse  jacit  fundamenta  ex  marmore,  et  post  annos 
cc.  fuit  opus  consummatum."  Messen.  Scond.  Illust.  torn.  XV.  p.  T] .  Stockholm, 
1705. 

(5)  This  happened  in  the  year  1435,  (ibid.  p.  74.)  and  the  event  is  recorded  in  the 
third  volume  of  the  same  work.  "  Archimysta  etiam  Sueoniae  Olaus,  consummatam 
tandem  Upsalensium  basilicam,  Thoma,  Stregnensi  episcopo,  collega  adhibito,  insigni 
admodum  festivitate,  Deo  Optimo,  Maximo,  Divisque,  Lausentio,  Olao,  ac  Erico, 
inauguraverat,  dedicaveratque."     Chronol.  Scond.  torn.  III.  p.5Q.    Stockholm,  1700. 


; "-  v  I 


190 


UPS  ALA. 


chap,  v.  At  the  western  extremity  is  a  magnificent  organ,  the  largest 
in  Sweden.  Near  the  altar,  inclosed  in  iron  net-work,  is  the 
silver  coffin  containing  the  reliques  of  Saint  Eric;  not  of 
Eric  the  Fourteenth,  the  eldest  son  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  as  has 
been  erroneously  supposed,  but  of  Eric  the  Seventh,  son  of 
Jedvardus,  who  being  captured  in  battle  by  the  Danes,  was 
beheaded,  and  afterwards  canonized  for  his  virtues.  His 
remains  were  originally  interred  in  Old  Upsala,  but  after- 
wards transferred  to  this  cathedral1.  Eric  the  Seventh  cuts  a 
brilliant  figure  in  the  early  annals  of  Sweden:  it  wTas  this 
monarch  who  conquered  Finland,  and  first  established 
Christianity  among  the  inhabitants  of  that  country.  He 
formed  a  regular  Code  of  the  Swedish  Laws,  which  bore  his 
name ;  and  he  excluded  from  the  benefit  of  those  laws  all 
persons  who  adhered  to  their  antient  heathen  superstitions. 

In 


(l)  He  was  taken  in  battle  in  the  field  of  Upsala,  after  contending  with  the  greatest 
bravery  against  his  rebellious  subjects,  who  were  aided  by  the  Danes.  (Scondice  Illus- 
trates, torn.  II.  p.  5.  Stockholm,  1/00.)  The  Swedes  celebrate  the  Eighteenth  of  May 
as  the  day  of  his  martyrdom.  (Ibid.)  His  reliques  were  removed  to  New  Upsala  in  the 
year  12/3.  {Ibid.  torn.  XII.  p.  126.)  This  monarch  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  high 
eulogy  in  the  Swedish  annals.  "  Commodis  patriae  sedulus  invigilat ;  non  paucas  Jundat 
ecclesias ;  ipsas  proventibus  ornat ;  Rempublicam  quoque  insigniter  ordinal;  cequissimas 
condit  leges :  impias  abrogat ;  perversas  Sueonum  consueludinis  radicitus  evellit ;  inde 
Jlagitiosos,  sine  respectu  personarum,  animadvertit."  (Ibid.  torn.  II.  p.  5.)  His  virtues 
and  severe  discipline  were  not  however  suited  to  the  views  and  temper  of  the  Nobles 
under  him,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  live  by  plunder  and  piracy ;  consequently  they 
conspired  against  his  life,  and  were  joined,  in  a  revolt,  by  the  Danes.  There  is  nothing 
worth  seeing  at  Old  Upsala,  or  Gamla  Upsala,  now  a  village,  distant  above  five  English 
miles  from  the  modern  city,  if  we  except  the  three  tumuli,  said  to  be  the  Sepulchres  of 
Odin,  Frigga,  and  Thor,  which  are  near  the  village  church.  Dr.  Fiott  Lee  visited 
Gamla  Upsala  in  1 807,  and  made  a  drawing  of  those  tumuli,  whence  the  Vignette  to 
this  Chapter  is  taken.  Dr.  Lee  compares  them,  in  size  and  appearance,  to  the  Mounds 
near  Bartlow  in  Essex. 


UPS  ALA. 


191 


In  a  small  chapel  behind  the  altar  is  an  oblong  monument,  the  chap.  v. 
tomb  of  the  famous  Gustavus  Vasa.  His  effigy  is  represented 
in  marble,  between  those  of  his  two  first  wives,  whose 
remains  are  interred  in  the  same  sepulchre.  This  interesting 
monument  has  sustained  considerable  injury,  owing  to  a 
fire,  which  also  did  great  damage  to  the  cathedral. 

There  are  many  other  tombs  which  deserve  notice,  from  their 
relationship  to  the  Sivedish  history2:  but  all  our  attention 
was  taken  up,  and  wholly  engrossed,  by  one ;  namely,  the 
tomb,  or  rather  grave,  of  Linnceus.     A  simple  entablature  of  Buriai-piace 

.  Linnceus. 

stone,  let  into  the  pavement  at  the  western  extremity  of  the 
cathedral,  near  the  door,  and  under  the  organ  gallery,  now 
covers  the  mouldering  reliques  of  this  illustrious  man.  With 
what  emotions  of  sacred  enthusiasm  will  future  generations 
approach  the  hallowed  spot  which  has  afforded  a  sepulchre 
to  his  remains ! — He,  who  was  every  thing  that  could  be 
required,  to  give  to  the  studies  of  Natural  History,  in  the  great 
scale  of  Science,  their  dignity  and  value3 !  How  powerful,  in 
its  effect  upon  the  heart,  will  ever  be  the  simple  inscription 
which  marks  the  place  where  he  lies  ! 


OSSA 
CAROLI  •  A  •  LINNE' 


Who 


(2)  For  an  account  of  which  the  Reader  may  be  referred  to  the  valuable  information 
contained  in  the  Travels  of  Mr.  Core ;  an  author  who  has  made  History,  as  it  were,  his 
home ;  and  who  is  never  so  much  at  home  as  when  he  is  among  the  tombs  of  illustrious 
persons. — See  Travels  into  Poland,  Russia,  and  Sweden,  vol. IV.  p.  132,  &c.  Lond.  17&7' 

(3)  "  He  was  early  led  to  regret  that  natural  history  had  not,  by  public  institution, 
been  more  cultivated  in  Universities ;  in  many  of  which,  logical  disputations  and  meta- 
physical theorizing  had  too  long  prevailed,  to  the  exclusion  of  more  useful  science." — See 
Pulteney's  Linnceus,  ly  Maton,  p.  AQ6.    Lond.  1S05. 


UPS  ALA. 

Who  will  read  these  words  unmoved;  or  wish  to  read  more  : 
for  of  the  title  that  has  been  added,  every  letter  is  superfluous1. 
"  His  name,"  as  said  his  biographer2,  "  can  never  die.  It 
will  be  cherished  in  the  memory  of  every  lover  of 
Nature,  and  remain  on  the  fair  records  of  Science,  to 
the  end  of  time."  Indeed  time  alone  is  wanted,  to  shew 
the  extent  of  his  researches,  and  the  depth  of  his  knowledge. 
He  seems  to  have  anticipated  whole  ages  of  investigation3: 
and  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  and  the  tendency  of  all  his 
writings  and  discourses  to  give  glory  to  the  great  Author  of 
the  works  of  Nature,  there  was  something  not  only  to 
Monument      admire,  but  to  venerate4.     In  a  small  chapel  near  the  place 

erected  by  the 

inhabitants,     of    his    interment,   the    students   and    other   inhabitants    of 
Upsala  have  erected  a  plain  but  beautiful  monument  to  his 

memory. 


(l)  This  is  the  whole  of  the  Inscription  : 

OSSA 

CAROLI  -  A  •  LINNS' 

EQV  •  AVR. 


MARITO      OPTIMO 

FILIO  •  VNICO 

CAROLO  •  A   •  LINNE' 

PATRIS • SVCCESSORI 

ET 

SIBI 

SARA-  ELISABETA  •  MORjEA 

(2)  See  Pulteney's  Linnceus,  ly  Matcn,  p.  506.    Lond.  1S05. 

(3)  Witness  the  extraordinary  remark  in  his  Diary,  "  that  he  had  never  seen  rudera 
diluvii  universalis,  but  successiva  temporis."  The  most  experienced  geologist  of  the 
present  day  will  know  how  to  appreciate  the  value  of  this  observation. 

(4)  "  The  habit  of  scrutinizing  and  contemplating  the  wonderful  energies  and 
economy  of  Nature,  had  the  effect  of  inspiring  Linnceus  with  an  unsophisticated  sort  of 
pious  feeling,  which  breaks  forth,  in  various  parts  of  his  writings,  with  a  peculiar  and 
most  engaging  eloquence." — See  Pulteneys  Linnceus,  by  Maton,  p.  4g7^ 


U  P  S  A  L  A. 


19:3 


memory.  It  is  executed  in  the  fine  porphyry  of  Elfsdal;  chap.  v. 
the  letters  of  the  inscription  being  of  bronze,  gilded,  and 
placed  in  full  relief  upon  the  stone.  As  far  as  the  workman- 
ship is  concerned,  nothing  can  surpass  the  effect.  An 
objection  may  be  made  against  the  inscription  itself,  which 
has  very  generally  been  censured,  on  account  of  the  words 
Botanicorum  Principi:  but  it  should  be  observed,  that  this 
title,  and  the  very  words  of  it,  were  those  which  Linnceas  had 
chosen  to  appropriate  to  himself5:  and  although  the  inscrip- 
tion would  have  been  much  better  without  any  such  addition, 
yet  this  fact  may  always  be  urged  in  its  justification.  In  its 
present  state,  this  inscription  appears  as  follows  : 

CAROLO  .  A  •  LINNE' 
BOTANICORUM 
PRINCIPI 


AMICI  •  ET  .  DISCIPVLI 
MDCCLXXXXVIII. 

The  expense  of  this  monument,  plain  and  simple  as  it  seems, 
amounted  to  two  thousand  rix-dollars;  of  which  sum,  four 
hundred  were  expended  in  supplying  the  bronze  characters  of 
the  inscription.  On  the  south  side  of  the  same  aisle  there  is 
a  Monument  to  the  memory  of  Menander  archbishop  of 
Upsaldy  erected  by  his  son.  This  monument  was  executed 
in  Italy;  and  it  is  adorned  with  sculptured  figures  in  marble. 
A  piece  of  sculptured  alabaster  also  represents  the  prelate, 

leaning 


(5)  "  He  was  styled,  by  all  Botanists,   Princeps  Botanicorum."     See  Linnteus't 
Diary,  p.  566.     Pulteney's  Linn,  by  Maton.    Lond.  1805. 
VOL.  VI.  C  C 


,-,  ■"„£».»    "-.•>'*."". 


.■.Lr'^rX^-y^-    S2^         "Si^yi. 


H  *  « 


194 


CHAP.  V. 


1  mag?  of 

Tl.oi . 


UPSALA. 

leaning  upon  his  Biblia  Fennica,  receiving  the  homage  of  a 
Groupe  of  Figures,  whom  we  supposed  to  represent  the 
Muses,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  being  preceded  by  a 
winged  Apollo. 

Among  the  reliques  preserved  here,  there  are  some  so 
exceedingly  curious,  that  we  cannot  omit  the  mention  of 
them,  although  they  have  been  noticed  by  many  other  tra- 
vellers. Foremost  in  the  list  of  these,  is  the  wooden  image 
of  the  God  Thor)  who  may  justly  be  styled  "  the  logger- 
head idol  of  the  Northern  nations."  It  is  much  such  a 
representation  of  the  human  head  in  a  log  of  wood,  as 
Scheffer,  in  his  work  "  De  Diis  Lapponum  Paganicis,"  has 
figured,  with  a  worshipper  before  it  in  the  act  of  adoration1. 
According  to  Scheffer,  the  image  of  Thor  was  always  of 
wood,  and  of  this  rude  workmanship  :  it  was  an  idol  made 
out  of  a  birch-tree,  the  head  out  of  the  root,  and  the  body 
out  of  the  trunk2.  This  is  connected  with  the  old  worship 
of  fire ;  and,  as  a  proof  of  it,  the  votaries  of  Thor  used  to 
drive  an  iron  nail,  with  a  small  piece  of  flint,  into  the  idol's 
head'.  The  image  was  perhaps  borrowed  from  the  upright 
center  log,  around  which,  as  at  the  present  day  in  the 
Northern  forests,  fuel  was  heaped,  whenever  a  fire  was  kindled 
by  the  natives.  All  these  antient  superstitions,  as  they 
refer  to  the  customs  of  mankind  in  its  rudest  state,  so  they 

may 


(1)  Joannis  Schefferi  Lapponia,  p.  105.     Franco/.  1673. 

(2)  "  Haec  idola  faciunt  ex  betula,  et  ex  radice  quidem  caput,  ex  trunco  seu  caudice 
partem  reliquam."    Ibid. 

(3)  "  In  capite  infigunt  clavum  ferreum,  cum  silicis  particula,  ut  si  videatur,  ignem 
Thor  excutiat."    Ibid. 


U  P  S  A  L  A. 


19,5 


may  be  still  found,  in  their  prototypes,  among  the  simple  chap,  v 
observances,  habits,  and  manners,  of  a  savage  people.  The 
Yule  Clog  still  retains  a  degree  of  reverence  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Ejigland;  the  origin  of  which  may  have  been  of  the 
same  nature  with  that  in  which  the  Siucdish  idol  was  held  by 
its  worshippers.  The  log  itself,  as  a  symbol  of  the  lire  for 
which  it  was  used,  became  an  object  of  worship4.  What- 
ever opinion  may  prevail  upon  this  subject,  we  shall  find 
that  a  similar  superstition  respecting  the  same  sort  of  idol 
has  prevailed  almost  all  over  the  world.  Among  the  antient 
idols  of  Greece,  the  Palladium  was  of  this  description  ;  for  it 
was  nothing  more  than  a  piece  of  wood  of  an  extraordinary 
form*.  We  considered,  therefore,  this  image  of  Tlwr  as  one  of 
the  most  curious  antiquities  that  any  country  has  preserved ; 
as  connected  not  only  with  the  early  history  of  Sweden,  but 
with  the  most  antient  mythology  in  the  world6;  and  as  being 
worthy  of  a  much  more  careful  keeping  than  it  seems  to  have 
here  met  with,  where,  from  the  disregard  shewn  to  its 
preservation,  it  is  not  likely  to  remain  for  any  considerable 
length  of  time.  Another  curiosity  shewn  here  is  more  in 
unison  with  the  taste  of  a  people  who  preserve  among  their 
reliques  many  a  sanguinary  testimony  of  the  deeds  of  murder 

committed 


(4)     See  Brand's   Popular  Antiquities,  pp.155,  157-    Newcastle  uponTyne,    1777- 
Also  Brady's  Clavis  Calendaria,  vol.  I.  p.  124.    Land.  1812. 

(5)  See  the  observations  of  Heyne,   in  his  Excursus,  upon  the  Palladium  and  the 
Penates. 

(6)  According  to  Mr.  Coze,  a  correct  delineation  of  this  image  occurs  in  the  Monu- 
menta  Ullarekarensia  of  Perinskiold. 


1<,."V"2.''--- 


■**3    ^^^^^H   5ric,^-:<.c^c4a^..~:^vr 


196 


UPS  ALA. 


chap.  v.  committed  in  this  country  ;  namely,  the  coat  worn  by  Eric 
Bloody  Coat  the  son  of  Steno  Sture,  his  shirt>  silk  breeches,  and  purse, 
when  he  was  stabbed  by  Eric  the  Fourteenth;  the  place  where 
the  wound  was  inflicted  being  visible,  owing  to  the  marks  of 
blood  which  flowed  from  the, unfortunate  victim'.  Here  is 
also  shewn  a  more  singular  standard  than  perhaps  was  ever 
used  in  any  country  to  excite  the  valour  of  its  troops :  nor 
do  the  Swedes,  in  battle,  stand  in  need  of  any  artificial  trophies 
to  call  their  bravery  into  action  ;  being,  by  nature,  warlike. 
It  is  nothing  more  than  a  dirty  rag,  fixed  to  a  stafF,  like  a 
banner ;  and  called  Margaret' 's  Shift,  or  Shirt.  The  history 
of  it  does  not  seem  to  be  very  well  known :  all  that  we 
could  gather  respecting  it,  has  been  stated  by  our  own 
countryman,  Mr.  Coxe ;  who  says  of  it,  that  it  was  found 
by  the  Swedes  at  Nuremberg,  when  they  captured  the  place; 
and  afterwards  by  them  deposited  here,  in  honour  of  the 
Semiramis  of  the  North5.  Lastly,  we  were  shewn  the 
magnificent  robes  worn  by  the  Archbishop  and  other  Clergy 
upon  great  festivals:  they  are  principally  of  velvet,  embroi- 
dered with  gold.      This  collection  is  kept  in  a  sacristy,  up  a 

small 


Shift  of 
Margaret. 


(1)  See  Coxes  Travels,  vol.  IV.  p.  137.  Lond.  1/86.  for  the  description  of  the  monu- 
ment of  the  illustrious  family  of  the  Stures,  and  for  the  interesting  inscription  upon 
their  tomb,  which  is  in  a  small  chapel  of  this  Cathedral. 

(2)  Ibid.  p.  141. — "  How  this  shift,"  observes  the  same  author,  "  was  first  procured 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Nuremberg,  why  it  was  there  considered  as  a  relic,  and  the  exact 
period  when  it  was  imported  into  Sweden,  I  must  leave  to  be  ascertained  by  those  who 
are  disposed  to  trace  its  history  and  adventures.  I  did  not  learn,  however,  that  it  has 
ever  had  the  honour  of  giving  a  name  to  any  particular  colour,  like  the  shift  of  Isabella, 
Queen  of  Castile." 


UPSALA. 


197 


small  flight  of  stone  steps,  near  the  Gothic  window  of  the    chap.  v. 
cathedral :  the  reliques  are  preserved  in  a  chamber  closed  by 
double  doors  of  massive  iron,  with  ponderous  rusty  locks. 

After  seeing  the  Cathedral,  we  went  to  the  New  Botanic  New  Botanic 

Garden. 

Garden  and  Green-houses  ;    in  which  latter  are   apartments 
for  Professor  Afzelhis,  the  Demonstrator  of  Botany,  as   he  is 
here  called,  and  also  for  Professor  Thunberg.     To  this  place 
all  the  collection  formed  by  Professor  Thunberg,  in  his  exten- 
sive   travels,   was   at  this    time   about   to   be  removed ;    the 
Professor  having  presented   it   to  the  University,   for  public 
use.     The  plan  was,  to  place  the  whole  in  one  oblong  room 
of  very  considerable  grandeur,   but  certainly  not  sufficiently 
capacious  to  exhibit  it  to  advantage.     The  Museum  ought  to 
have  been  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  Green-house,  which 
runs  parallel  to  it,  and  will  perhaps  be  the  first  Conservatory  of 
the  kind  in  Europe.   They  were  already  beginning  to  move  the 
plants  into  this  Green-house,  from  the  Old  Botanic  Garden. 
In  the  front  of  the  building  is  the  new  Lecture  Room,  with 
a  magnificent  dome  and  a  sky-light.     Immediately  under  this 
dome  is  placed  the  Professor's  Chair;  and  behind  the  Cathedral 
is  a  bust  of  Linnams,    to  whose  memory  both  this  building 
and  also  the   New   Botanic  Garden   may  be   considered   as 
sacred.       As  to    the   garden    itself,   when  considered   with 
reference   to  a  University  that  has   done  so   much    for   the 
science  of  Botany,  it  can  hardly  be  deemed  worthy  of  Upsala. 
It  consists  of  six  Swedish  acres  of  ground,  lying  beneath  the 
windows   of  the  Palace,  and  on    its    western   side.      But  it 
contains  nothing  remarkable  ;   and  the  wretched  taste  which 
has  been  shewn  in  laying  it  out  may  be  conceived,  when  it  is 

mentioned, 


.■***•  4*r§>  I  : 


.tVW#i- 


'  I  ".     "k.^4\      'AyifiS 


^*»Wl  -^ 


198 


UPSAL  A. 


mentioned,  that  an  avenue  of  clipped  fir-trees,  barbarously 
cut  into  more  artificial  and  formal  shapes  than  ever  charac- 
terized a  Dutchman's  garden,  lead  from  the  entrance  to  the 
Green-house. 


Setting  aside  the  ugly  formality  of  this  appearance1,  there  is 
another  reason  for  desiring  the  removal  of  such  an  avenue,  in 
the  injury  done  to  the  garden.  The  roots  of  so  many  fir-trees, 
occupying  a  considerable  portion  of  the  ground,  must  have  a 
pernicious  tendency  in  obstructing  the  growth  of  plants:  and 
surely  in  Sweden,  which  is  one  vast  region  of  firs,  from  Scania 
to  Lapmark,  an  addition  of  this  kind  was  not  required  for 
the  Botanic  garden  of  its  principal  University.  The  whole  of 
this  new  establishment,  including  the  Green-house,  Museum, 
Lecture- Room,  Garden,  &c.  may  be  considered  as  one  of  the 
splendid  monuments  of  the  reign  of  Gustavas  the  Third,  to 
whom  it  is  entirely  due  ;  and  of  whom,  in  the  present  con- 
flicting state  of  party  and  opinion  in  Sweden,  it  is  almost  impos- 
conflicting      sible  to  speak  with  truth  and  accuracy.     According  to  one  set 

opinions  re- 

*pecting  Gw-  of  men,   his  memory  should  be  held  as  deservedly  glorious. 

lavus  the 

Third.  When   his   conduct   in  public  affairs  is  censured,  as   having 

proved  ruinous  to  the  Sivedish  finances,    "  let  the  works  he 

left 


lecture-room. 


(1)   Which  is  nevertheless  a  relique  of  Roman  taste,  as   appears  from  a  passage  of 
Pliny's  Letters  before  cited.     See  Part  HI.  Sect.  I.  p.  47.  Note  (2.)     Lond.  IS  19. 


UPS  ALA. 


199 


left  behind  him,"  say  they,  "  at  least  be  properly  estimated, 
to  prove  that  his  lavish  expenditure  of  the  public  money  was 
always  intended  for  the  public  good,  and  never  idly  nor  vainly 
squandered."  The  same  set  of  men  affirm  that  Gustavus 
the  Third  was  not  calculated  for  the  Swedes ;  that  his  polished 
manners  and  enlightened  mind  were  too  refined  for  them; 
that  not  a  single  work  exists  in  Siueden  calculated  to  promote 
public  honours,  to  give  encouragement  to  the  arts  and 
sciences,  to  improve  the  manufactures,  or  to  afford  patronage 
to  learning,  but  it  may  be  referred  to  his  reign.  Equally 
endowed,  they  add,  by  every  qualification  that  is  requisite  to 
form  the  character  of  a  profound  statesman  and  a  great  king, 
posterity  will  recall  with  gratitude  the  memory  of  this  distin- 
guished monarch,  will  drop  a  tear  in  viewing  the  splendid 
monuments  of  his  taste  and  patriotism,  and  will  shudder  in 
the  recollection  of  his  fate  :  and  when  the  prejudices  of  party, 
the  interests  of  selfish  politicians,  and  the  suggestions  of 
private  resentment,  shall  be  done  away,  future  generations  will 
read  his  history,  and  place  him  with  Augustus  and  Hadrian. 
Having  heard  this  eulogium,  as  it  is  frequently  pronounced  in 
Sweden,  the  whole  of  it  will  be  contradicted  by  an  opposite 
statement,  made  by  persons  who  spare  no  pains  to  execrate 
the  very  name  of  Gustavus  the  Third;  and  who,  vilifying  his 
character  by  the  most  odious  of  calumnies,  speak  of  him 
only  as  an  object  of  detestation.  The  time  is  not  yet  arrived 
when  History  will  place  him  in  his  true  light.  In  the  mean 
time,  to  counteract  in  some  degree  the  injurious  designs  of 
his  adversaries,  it  may  be  added,  from  the  representation  made 
by  those  who  resided  with  him  while  he  was  in  France,  and 

were 


chap.  v. 


ieae6£  ^H 


200 


CHAP.  V. 


Habits  and 
manners  of 
the  Students. 


UPSALA. 

were  intimately  acquainted  with  the  man,  that  nothing  can 
be  more  unjust  than  the  aspersions  cast  upon  his  private  cha- 
racter1. 

Having  thus  described  whatever  is  worthy  the  notice  of  a 
traveller  visiting  the  public  buildings  of  this  University,  a 
few  words  may  now  be  added  upon  the  manners  of  the 
inhabitants.  When  an  Englishman  speaks  of  the  Universities 
of  Sweden,  or  when  he  is  reading  the  different  accounts  that 
have  been  published  of  Upsala,  it  is  not  often  that  any  right 
notions  are  entertained,  either  of  the  Seminary  that  bears  this 
name,  or  of  the  habits  and  tact  of  the  Students  and  Professors. 
If,  for  example,  he  forms  his  notion  of  a  Swedish  University 
from  any  thing  he  has  seen  of  similar  establishments  in  his 
own  country,  associating  ideas  of  Cambridge  and  Oxford 
with  his  imaginary  conceptions  of  Upsala,  Lund,  and  Abo, 
he  will  be  egregiously  in  error.  It  is  not  easy  to  conceive 
any  thing  more  foreign  to  all  our  notions  of  the  dignity  and 
splendour  of  a  national  seminary  for  education,  than  in  the 
real  state  of  things  in  Upsala.  Perhaps  there  may  be  some- 
thing to  compare  with  it  in  the  Universities  of  Scotland ;  but 
even  in  the  last  there  is  nothing  so  low  as  in  Siuedcn.  Let 
the  Reader  figure  to  himself  a  few  dirty-looking  lackeys  out 
of  place,  lounging  about  in  slouched  white  hats8,  with  a  loose 
surtout  thrown  over  their  shoulders,  one  arm  of  which  hangs 
empty  and   dangling  by  their  side,  and  long  military  boots 

rising 


(1)  In  this  number  was  the  late  Professor  Pallas,  and  other  distinguished  men  or 
letters,  with  whom  Gustavus  associated. 

(2)  See  the  Plate  annexed. 


n  ZWT  o  r    I  A  i     i     !  ao  h    PD  B  L  I  C     L  ECT  I'.K  E§ 


■H    HI    HI  H 


UPSALA. 


201 


rising  above  the  knees ;  their  hair  uncut,  uncombed,  and  chap.  v. 
undressed,  hanging  as  long  in  front  as  in  the  rear,  but 
parted  over  the  middle  of  the  forehead,  so  as  to  fall  in  long 
unsightly  tresses  about  the  eyes,  cheeks,  and  ears ;  giving  to 
the  whole  figure  an  appearance  not  unlike  the  effigies  which 
the  rabble  in  England  dress  up  to  represent  Guy  Fawkes 
upon  a  Fifth  of  November.  This  description  of  their  costume 
is  no  exaggeration  ;  it  is  peculiar  to  all  of  them,  of  whatever 
rank  or  situation  in  the  University,  boys  or  men  ;  but  by 
much  the  greater  part  are  boys.  Then  for  their  lodgings  ; — 
for,  as  it  was  before  stated,  there  is  no  such  building  as  a 
College  for  the  accommodation  of  any  of  them :  they  all 
dwell  in  hired  lodgings,  in  the  private  houses  of  the  trades- 
men and  other  inhabitants :  — entering  one  of  these  lodgings, 
and  comparing  them  with  the  justly  reprehensible  luxury  and 
extravagance  visible  in  the  room  of  a  student  in  our  English 
Universities,  the  contrast  is  great  indeed !  —a  single  gloomy 
chamber,  with  a  bench  or  couch,  by  way  of  bed,  in  one 
corner ;  a  stove,  and  perhaps  two  chairs ;  the  naked  walls 
hung  with  wretched  prints  or  dingy- looking  maps;  and 
tobacco-pipes,  and  other  lumber,  littering  about  the  chamber. 
We  found  here  one  of  the  identical  party  by  whom  we  were 
formerly  assailed  in  our  journey  from  Umea  to  Malmagen,  in 
the  Norwegian  Alps  ;  and  whom  we  have  mentioned  in  a 
former  Volume1,  as  a  student  of  Upsala,  who  presented  to  us 
some  Runic  Calendars.     It   is  his  portrait  whom  we   have 

represented 


VOL.  VI. 


(1)    See  Part  III.  Sect.  I.   p.  552.     Lond.  I8I9. 
D  D 


202 


UP  SAL  A, 


Public  Cel- 
lars. 


chap.  v.    represented  as  coming  from  the  Lecture-room,  with  his  book 
in  his  hand1.     By  his  means  we  obtained  an  introduction  to 
many  of  his  fellow-students,  and  became  acquainted  with 
the  internal  policy  of  the  place.     Every  one  studies  what, 
and  when,  he  pleases  :  of  course,  very  little  real  application  to 
learning  takes  place  among  them.     Soon  after  mid-day,  they 
resort  in  numbers,  "  a  la  cave,"  as  it  is  termed;  that  is  to  say, 
to  a  public  cellar  for  drinking,  of  which  there  are  two  or 
three  in  Upsala,  precisely   answering  to  the  tap-rooms  in 
English   alehouses.     Here  they  smoke   tobacco,   and  drink 
beer,  or  brandy,  or  wine.    The  beer  is  a  composition  manufac- 
tured  at  Stockholm,   and   very  bad:    although  perhaps   less 
unwholesome  than  the  deleterious  mixture  now  sold  under 
the  name  of  beer  in  England;  which,  by  its  baneful  effects, 
has  actually  altered  the  character  of  the  lower  orders,  and 
substituted  a  morbid  and  gloomy  irascibility  for  jovial  hila- 
rity; so  that  a  merry  drunkard  is  hardly  ever  seen.     The 
wine,  though  called  French  wine,  is  also  from  the  breweries 
of  Stockholm;    and   the   brandy    is   of  the   worst    quality. 
Sivedish  brandy,  in  whatever  part  of  the  country  it  is  found, 
is  everywhere  alike ;  a  weak  spirit,  flavoured  with  aniseed, 
and,  when  diluted  with  water,  causing  a  precipitation,  as  if 
milk  had  been  added  to  the  mixture.     In  these  cellars  they 
remain,  not  only  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  day,  but  until 
long  after  midnight,  and  sometimes  all  night.     Their  revels 
too,  or  rather  brawls,   are   not   unfrequently   attended   by 

blows ; 


(1)  See  the  Plate  annexed,  facing  p.  201. 


UP  SAL  A. 


203 


blows  ;  their  disputes,  especially  when  they  are  of  a  political    chap.  v. 
nature,  ending  often  in  pugilistic  combats. 

We  visited  one  of  these  cellars;  and  found  about  twenty  of 
the  students  enveloped  by  thick  fumes  of  tobacco-smoke; 
some  of  whom  were  sleeping  upon  chairs,  and  others  lolling 
upon  a  bench.  Our  friend,  who  introduced  us,  announced 
that  we  were  from  the  University  of  Cambridge:  upon  which 
the  greater  part  did  us  the  honour  to  rise ;  forming  a  circle 
round  us,  and  asking  several  questions  relative  to  our 
journey,  and  motives  for  visiting  Sweden.  These  we  were 
preparing  to  answer ;  when  a  votary  of  Bacchus,  giving  us  a 
hearty  slap  between  our  shoulders,  reminded  us,  that,  as 
strangers,  we  ought  to  drink  upon  our  coming  among  them. 
Some  glasses  being  presented,  filled  with  bad  Malaga  wine, 
we  immediately  drank  "  To  the  prosperity  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Upsala  y  A  young  American  student,  who  was  one 
of  the  company  present,  did  not  seem  to  relish  the  sort  of 
welcome  they  were  disposed  to  give  us:  and  at  the  same 
time  being  eager  to  make  known  the  principles  he  had 
imbibed,  he  said  we  might  have  swallowed  the  Malaga 
without  a  ceremonious  toast: — and  then  he  added, 
"  The  students  of  Upsala,  brought  up  in  the  school  of 
Liberty,  are  not  constrained,  as  in  England,  to  interrupt 
their  libations  with  the  palaver  of  a  toast."  To  this  we 
made  answer,  that  we  were  thankful  for  the  information  ;  as 
it  would  enable  us  to  avail  ourselves  of  that  freedom  from 
restraint,  which  he  boasted,  to  resign  to  our  glasses ;  having  no 
other  use  for  them  than  to  testify  our  wishes  for  the  success  of 
aUniversity  so  celebrated  as  that  of  Upsala.    However,  having 

set 


204 


CHAP.  V. 


Conduct  of 
the  Students 
towards  the 
1'iofessors. 


UPS  ALA. 

set  the  example,  the  hearty  Swedes  were  not  deficient  in 
courtesy  towards  the  strangers ;  but  all  filling  bumpers, 
drank,  with  loud  cheers,  "  Prosperity  to  the  University  of 
Cambridge!" — while  the  surly  Yankee  remained  silent,  and 
sat  apart,  puffing  fumes  from  his  pipe. 

The  heat  of  one  of  these  cellars  is  almost  equal  to  that  of 
a  vapour-bath.  Sometimes  they  all  sally  forth;  and  woe 
betide  the  unpopular  Professor  who  may  happen  to  be  in 
their  way,  when  the  convives  quit  their  sudatories !  They 
have  two  different  watch-words ;  one  of  which  controls  or 
animates  their  fury  upon  these  occasions.  If  the  Professor  be 
a  favourite,  the  cry  of  '  v'watV  is  heard,  and  he  is  suffered  to 
proceed  without  molestation;  but  if  otherwise,  a  shout  of 
' pereatT  is  the  signal  for  attack;  when  the  Professor  either 
makes  his  escape  as  rapidly  as  he  can,  or  is  very  roughly 
Total  want  of  handled.     There  is  no  account  taken,  as  in  our  Universities, 

discipline  .  .  -„ 

among  the       0f  the  hours   when  they  return  to  their  lodgings,     i^very 

Students.  .       . 

one  acts  as  he  thinks  proper  in  this  respect.  Discipline, 
if  ever  any  such  regulation  existed  in  Upsala,  has  long 
ceased;  and  in  the  total  laxity  of  all  wholesome  restraint 
among  a  set  of  untamed  youths  let  loose  from  their  parents, 
it  may  be  imagined  what  disorders  must  ensue.  Indeed  it 
was  much  to  be  feared  at  this  time,  and  the  event  has  in 
some  degree  justified  the  apprehension,  that  this  famous 
University,  called,  by  Stillingfleet ,  "  that  great  and  hitherto 
unrivalled  School  of  Natural  History,"  together  with  the 
Empire  it  no  longer  adorned,  were  hastening  to  their  disso- 
lution. The  number  of  students  has  been  said  to  vary 
annually  from  six  hundred  to  a  thousand,  which  is  a  gross 

exaggeration 


UPSALA. 


205 


exaggeration  of  the  truth :  their  number  at  this  time,  as  was 
before  stated,  did  not  exceed  three  hundred ;  and  no  instance 
occurs  of  more  than  thirty  being  present  at  the  same  time  at 
any  public  lecture.  It  may  be  urged,  and  with  truth,  that 
public  drinking-cellars  are  not  the  places  in  which  to  look 
for  the  reading  class  of  the  students  :  men  seriously  dis- 
posed towards  studious  employment  are  seldom  those,  in 
any  University,  who  are  seen  in  the  streets  or  in  taverns : 
but  there  was  no  such  individual  to  be  found  in  the  place  as 
a  student  distinguished  by  his  talents  and  by  his  attention  to 
University  studies ;  and  for  this  plain  reason,  that  there  were 
none  of  those  public  examinations,  and  those  trials  of  ability, 
with  distribution  of  honours  and  rewards,  which  powerfully 
call  emulation  into  action  ;  stimulating  that  love  of  fame 
inherent  in  every  human  breast,  especially  in  youth ;  and 
feeding  the  fire  of  genius,  by  agitating  every  latent  spark, 
until  it  bursts  into  flame.  It  cannot  be  expected,  that  in  a 
society  like  that  of  Upsala,  destitute  alike  of  discipline  and 
of  all  the  springs  of  mental  energy,  its  students  will  ever 
become  much  distinguished.  Among  a  number  of  young 
men  so  circumstanced,  it  is  not  at  all  marvellous  to  observe 
an  indifference  with  regard  to  morals,  and  a  striking  disre- 
gard of  all  precept  and  admonition.  The  fault  is  not  with 
them:  under  a  better  system,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  their 
becoming  bright  ornaments  of  their  country;  because  a  love 
of  truth,  strict  honesty,  goodness  of  heart,  generosity,  assi- 
duity, serenity  of  mind,  firmness,  constancy,  courage, — all 
these,  and  many  other  qualifications,  that  become  a  man, 
and  fit  him  to  shine  as  a  distinguished  member  of  society, 

are 


CHAr.  v. 


Neglected 
state  of  Sci- 


"Want  of 
emulation. 


206 


CHAP-  V. 


Habits  of  in- 
toxication. 


UPSALA. 

are  the  natural  characteristics  of  the  generality  of  the  Sivedes. 
There  is  one  virtue,  however,  which  we  have  been  compelled 
to  omit  in  the  list :  we  may  not  add  sobriety,  when  we  are 
speaking  of  the  students  of  Upsala;  because  their  chief  vice 
consists  in  habits  of  intoxication  :  and  it  is  a  vice  not  easily  to 
be  exterminated  in  a  country  where  examples  of  sobriety  are 
so  much  wanted.  If  parents  consider  it  no  degradation  to  be 
be  seen  by  their  children  in  a  state  of  drunkenness,  it  is  not  to 
be  expected  that  the  rising  generation  should  acquire  more 
polished  and  rational  habits.  The  consequence  however,  in 
Sweden,  is  deeply  to  be  deplored.  Young  men,  grown  old 
before  the  period  of  their  youth  has  expired,  make  their 
appearance  before  a  traveller  with  sallow  countenances, 
fallen  cheeks,  dim  eyes,  bending  bodies,  nostrils  clotted  with 
snuff,  an  enormous  tobacco-pipe  dangling  from  their  lips, 
their  teeth  black  and  carious ;  sitting  in  gloomy  apartments 
filled  with  smoke  and  fetid  air,  the  floors  of  which  are 
covered  with  the  filth  of  expectoration ;  and  at  the  age  of 
five-and-twenty  having  anticipated,  by  their  excesses,  the 
decrepitude  and  infirmities  of  fourscore.  Perhaps  it  will  be 
said,  that  this  picture  is  too  highly  coloured;  and  that  a 
feeling  of  disgust,  excited  by  the  view  of  some  rare  instances 
where  this  description  is  applicable,  may  have  led  to  too 
general  a  remark.  Of  this  others  may  determine:  the 
remark  is  made  as  it  was  written  in  the  country  to  which  it 
refers ;  and  if  it  be  found  afterwards  less  extensive  in  its 
application  than  was  believed  at  the  time,  the  author,  who 
has  not  seen  Sweden  "  with  a  jaundiced  eye,"  may  be 
acquitted  of  any  intentional  deviation  from  the  truth.     The 

passing 


UPSALA.  207 

passing  traveller  must  see  many  things  in  haste,  and  perhaps    chap.  v. 

form  many  of  his   conclusions  too  rapidly.     He  may  also, 

from  the  very  circumstance  of  his  transitory  intercourse  with 

the  inhabitants,  view  some  things  in  a  more  advantageous 

light  that  would  be  admitted  by  those  who  reside  for  a  long 

time  in  the  country.     Sometimes,  in  conversing  with  those  Character  of 

the  Swedes. 

of  his  own  countrymen  who  have  remained  long  in  Sweden, 
where  the  author  has  extolled  the  hospitable  and  obliging 
disposition  of  the  natives,  he  has  been  told  that  the  novelty 
of  seeing  strangers  makes  them  load  the  new-comer  with 
all  manner  of  caresses  and  favours;  but  that  when  this 
wears  off,  the  disposition  to  confer  acts  of  kindness  ceases 
also.  And  surely,  where  a  tendency  to  spunge  upon  the 
noble  hospitality  of  a  Swede  has  caused  a  stranger  to 
exhaust  the  benevolent  feeling  extended  in  his  behalf,  he  is 
rightly  served  if  he  experience  the  full  effect  of  its  dimi- 
nution. Some  of  the  French  emigrants,  as  it  is  well  known, 
did  make  remarks  of  this  nature ;  and  their  natural  peevish- 
ness of  temper  led  them  to  vilify  their  benefactors.  Siveden 
is  not  the  only  country  where  they  evinced  a  similar  dispo- 
sition,— cursing,  rather  than  blessing  the  hand  that  fed  them. 
De  Latochnaye  was  an  emigrant,  and  a  writer  of  this  de- 
scription; little  disposed  to  acknowledge  the  extent  of  his 
obligation  to  those  by  whom  he  was  so  hospitably  entertained, 
both  in  Sweden  and  Norway:  and  surely,  if  any  one  ever  put 
the  Swedish  hospitality  to  its  full  trial,  it  was  De  Latochnaye; 
who,  having  met  with  a  serious  accident  in  the  north  of 
Sweden,  took  up  his  abode  with  a  family  of  the  name  of 
Nordenfalk,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his  recovery  was 

complete; 


-208 


UPS  ALA. 


chap.  v.    complete ;  receiving  the  whole  time  a  degree   of  attention 
and  kindness  which  could  not  have  been  exceeded  if  he  had 
been  himself  a  member  of  that  family :  and  for  once  he  has 
permitted  himself  to  acknowledge  the  hospitality  he  expe- 
rienced, during  his  long  residence  in  the  house  of  Nordenfalliy 
in  terms  of  gratitude1.     What  becomes  then  of  the  obser- 
vation, that   the  Swedes  only   shew  their  hospitality  to  a 
stranger  so  long  as  he  may  be  considered  as  a  stranger  ?     At 
the  same  time,  in  describing  the  manners  as  well  as  the 
good  qualities  of  the  Swedes,  there  are  some  barbarous  habits 
which  cannot  be   overlooked.      The  elegancies,    and  even 
the  comforts  of  polished  life,  are  almost  unknown  in  many 
parts  of  the   country :    hence  it   is   that  the  middle  class 
of  females  are  not  ashamed  to  use  their  fingers,  instead  of 
a  pocket-handkerchief,  in  wiping  their  noses.     De  Latoch- 
naye,  of  course,  did  not  allow  this  practice  to  escape  his 
observation  :    accordingly,  we  read  the  following  facetious 
remark  upon  the  use    to  which  a  pocket-handkerchief  is 
applied  by  the  female  peasants  of  Dalecarlia;  and  it  is  also 
applied  to  other  female  peasants  throughout  the  country:- — • 
"  Lemouchoir,  en  Suede,  est  diversement  employ 6  par  les  gens  de 
differ  ens  rangs:   en  se  rendant  a  Vdglise,  les  paysannes,  qui 
sont  communement  propremenl  vctues,   ont  un    livre  et   un 
mouchoir  blanc  a  la  main,  ce  qui  ne  les  empeche  pas  cependant 
de  se  moucher  avec  les  doigts*"      Add  to  this  the  abominable 

practice 


(1)  "  Je  quittai  enfin  la  maison  hospitaliere  de  Holm,  le  coeur  penetre  des  attentions 
qu'on  y  avait  eus  pour  moi."  Promenade  d'un  Fran$ais  en  Suede,  &c.  torn.  II.  p.  47. 
a  Brunswick,  1801. 

(2)  Ibid.  torn.  I.  p.  241. 


U  P  S  A  L  A. 


20J> 


practice,  as  in  Germany,  which  is  confined  neither  to  rank  chap.  v. 
nor  sex,  of  spitting  upon  the  floors  of  all  the  apartments. 
The  sooner  such  habits  are  banished,  the  better;  even  the 
subject  being,  to  an  English  ear,  very  revolting.  We  may 
therefore  pass  to  the  mention  of  other  characteristics,  more 
pleasing  to  enumerate  ;  and  bring  this  Chapter  to  a  close. 
Nothing  is  more  strikingly  conspicuous  in  the  disposition  of 
a  Swede,  than  simplicity  of  mind  and  sincerity  of  heart ;  but 
these  qualities  will  be  found  to  degenerate  sometimes  into 
great  credulity,  and  a  too  easy  confidence  in  the  honesty  of 
strangers.  The  Siuedes  are  always  open  to  imposition,  and 
ready  to  follow  the  dictates  of  any  leader,  however  sinister 
his  designs  may  be.  In  the  remotest  provinces,  upon  the 
coming  of  a  traveller  who  may  want  assistance,  they  advance 
their  money  without  security;  and  rely  implicitly  upon 
the  honour  of  perfect  strangers  to  repay  what  necessity 
has  demanded  and  hospitality  has  allowed  without  the 
smallest  hesitation.  These  reflections  occupied  the  author's 
mind,  as  he  was  preparing  to  leave  Upsala,  and  to  repair  once 
more  to  Stockholm;  while  he  ruminated  upon  the  long  tract 
of  Sivedish  territory  over  which  he  had  journeyed,  and  called 
to  mind  the  people  he  had  seen.  From  the  Arctic  Circle  to  the  uniform 
entrance  into  the  Baltic  Sea,  the  Siuedes  are,  with  little  varia-  Sunny  and 
tion,  the  same.  A  remarkable  uniformity  may  be  considered  tants. 
as  distinguishing  not  only  the  aspect  of  the  country,  but  also 
the  minds  and  persons  of  the  inhabitants.  A  traveller 
who  has  been  accustomed  to  remark  the  sudden  change,  in 
Italy,  in  passing  the  most  insignificant  natural  or  artificial 
boundary;  who  sees  the  people  on  one  side  of  a  bridge  quite 
vol.  vi.  e  e  a  different 


HBBBBH 


■H| 


H^B 


210 


UPSALA. 


chap.  v.  a  different  race  from  those  on  the  other ;  is  surprised,  in  such 
a  country  as  Sweden,  when  he  finds  the  natives  of  the  most 
distant  provinces  appearing  as  though  they  were  all  members 
of  the  same  family. 


CHAP.  VI. 


UPSALA  TO  STOCKHOLM. 

Specimens  from  the  Herbarium  o/' Linnaeus — Curious  Wheel-loch  Musket 
— Gamla  Upsala  —  Skoclostcr  —  State  of  Stockholm  upon  the 
Authors  Return — Character  of  the  young  King — Table-talk — Royal 
Fhe  at  the  Opera  House — Evenings  Adventure — Reflections  on  the 
Death  of  the  former  Monarch  • —  Opening  of  the  Sepulchre  of 
Charles  the  Twelfth — Interruption  of  the  amity  between  England 
and  Sweden — Club  called  The  Society — Resemblance  to  Italian 
Customs  —  Booksellers  —  Public  Dinners — Interior  of  the  Houses — 
Coffee  prohibited — Anecdotes  of  the  King — Probable  Contents  of  the 
Chests  at  Upsala — State  of  Literature — Deplorable  condition  of  the 
Country — Places  of  Public  Amusement — Academies — Riots  at  Upsala 
— Royal  Palace  —  Chapel — State  Apartments  —  Picture  Gallery — 
Private  Cabinets  c/Gustavus  the  Third. 

The  young  Student,  who,  by  his  attentions  here,   had  so    chap.  vi. 
amply  made  amends  for  his  former  rudeness  to  us  in  Helsing- 
land1,    possessed,    notwithstanding  his  Gothic   manner  and 

appearance, 

(1)  See  Part  III.  Sect.  I.  p.  550.     Lond.  I8I9. 


>i»j  ;fi%pf 


:*.%  >V--i^.^-i*Vv^>n' 


-,-4.\S-        ,-  -***h*''.  H 


212 


U  F  S  A  L  A. 


chap.  vi.  appearance,  a  heart  open  and  liberal,  and  somewhat  of  a 
taste  for  science,  especially  in  forming  collections  of  natural 
history  and  the  antiquities  of  his  country.  We  before 
noticed  this  circumstance1,  when  mention  was  made  of  his 
Herbarium  and  Runic  Calendars.  In  the  single  chamber 
which  he  occupied  at  Upsala,  and  which  constituted  his 
whole  set  of  lodgings  for  bed  and  board,  the  room  was 
strewed  with  the  harvest  of  his  summer  excursions, — boxes 
of  insects,  dried  plants,  and  whatever  curious  old  relique  of 
antient  customs  in  Siveden  he  could  pick  up.  Among  his 
plants,  he  had  a  few  specimens  that  belonged  to  Linnceus, 
which  that  illustrious  man  had  himself  pasted  upon  papers, 
and,  at  the  back  of  each  specimen,  had  marked  by  his 
own  autograph  names  :  he  presented  no  less  than  five  of 
these  to  us3.  With  the  exception  only  of  the  first,  they 
are  all  described  in  the  Flora  Lapponica  and  Flora  Svecica3. 

But 


Specimens 
from  the 
Herbarium 
of  I/mncPus 


(1)  Ibid.    p.  552. 

(2)  They  have  been  since  presented  to  the  Fitzwilliam  Museum,  in  Cambridge, 
where  they  are  now  preserved. 

(3)  The  first,  as  the  autograph  states  at  the  back  of  it,  grew  in  the  Botanic  Garden  at 
Upsala. 

1.  Biscutella  Apuxa — a  native  of  Italy,  vulgarly  called  l<  Spear-leaved  Buckler  - 
mustard" — The  plant  is  too  well  known  to  need  further  description. 

2.  Arabis  Alpina.     (Flor.  Lapp.  25J.  p.  213.  Amst.  1737-)   commonly  called 

Alpine  Wall-Cress.  It  is  a  native  of  the  Alps,  and  other  mountains  of  Europe ; 
being  found  on  rocks,  in  caverns,  and  in  woods.  We  found  it  often  in  the 
higher  parts  of  Lapland.  It  was  cultivated  at  Oxford  in  1(558;  and  is  now 
become  very  common  in  gardens*. 

3.  Gnaphalium  sylvaticum.  (Flor.  Svec.  6j5.  p.  243.     Stockh.   1745.)     The 

"  Wood  Everlasting,  or  English  upright  Cudweed." — It  grows  in  several  parts  of 
England. 

4.  Lichen 
"  See  Miller's  Diet,  by  Martyn,  VoL  I.  (Arabis.) 


UPSALA. 


213 


But  the  most  singular  rarity  of  his  apartment  was  an  old   chap.  vi. 
wheel-lock  musket  which  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  Curious 

Wheel-lock 

and  which  he  told  us  one  of  his  ancestors  had  formerly  Musket, 
brought  into  Sweden  from  Pomerania.  It  was  probably  a 
part  of  the  spoils  of  war :  and  as  it  seemed  to  us  to  be  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  works  of  art  existing,  and  he  wished 
to  part  with  it,  we  bought  it  of  him  for  the  price  at  which 
he  valued  it.  Once  it  must  have  cost  an  enormous  sum; 
being  in  all  respects  fitted  not  merely  to  adorn,  but  to  cut  a 
splendid  figure  among  the  weapons  of  a  regal  armoury.  To 
give  a  complete  account  of  this  curious  relique,  would  re- 
quire an  entire  volume,  illustrated  with  an  hundred  plates. 
The  whole  of  the  stock,  from  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
butt  to  the  muzzle  of  the  barrel,  is  of  ivory  inlaid  with 
ebony;  representing,  in  a  series  of  masterly  designs,  the 
Bible  History,  from  the  Creation  to  the  time  of  David. 
The  style  of  these  designs  is  like  that  which  may  be  often 
observed  in  old  illuminated  manuscripts,  and  in  the  wood-cuts 
copied  from  such  illuminations ;  which  seem  as  if  they  had 
been  all  borrowed  from  the  works  of  the  same  master4.     In 

the 


4.  Lichen  physodes.  (Flor.Svec.Q5l.  p.  34(5.   Stockh.  1745.)    The  well-known 

Moss  of  the  Birch-tree. 

5.  Lichen  velleus.     This  was  found  by  Linnceus  upon  the  Lapland  rocks. 

(Flor.  Lapp.  454.  p.  345.      Amst.   1737.)      In  his  Flora  Svecica  (vid.  968. 
p.  353.  Stockh.  1745.)  he  says  it  is  common  near  Upsala. 

(4)  Beginnning  from  the  muzzle  of  the  musket,  and  proceeding  from  left  to  right 
towards  the  butt,  and  back  again,  the  whole  length  of  the  opposite  side  of  the  stock, 
there  are  nearly  one  hundred  pictures  exhibited  by  means  of  exquisitely  inlaid  ivory. 
The  first  delineation  represents  the  Animal  Creation ;  then  follows  the  Creation  and  Fall 
of  Man  j  the  Expulsion  of  the  Human  Race  from  Paradise ;  their  Agricultural  Labours  j 

the 


■=*.>."**.:  %:*^rm,*^\to.x~k. 


I    .Vi»V  *~>L    -*'  3f4**J*    •.«.,■*  .•      /'  -.   -" 


214 


UPS  ALA. 


Gamla 
Upsala 


chap.  vi.  the  representation,  for  example,  of  the  creation  of  mankind, 
the  Deity  is  pourtrayed  in  the  dress  of  the  Pope,  handing  Eve 
out  of  Adam's  side1 :  yet  there  are  parts  of  the  workmanship 
equal  to  the  performances  of  Albert  Dure?-,  and  which  exhibit 
characteristic  marks  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived2. 

Before  we  left  Upsala,  we  should  have  visited  the  village  of 
Gamla  Upsala,  distant  about  five  English  miles  north  of  the 
modern  city,  if  there  had  been  any  remains  of  antiquity 
there  worth  the  trouble  of  making  an  excursion  on  purpose 
to  view  them.  In  our  former  journey  from  Upsala  to  Gefle, 
we  had  before  passed  in  sight  of  the  village  church ;  near  to 
which  are  the  three  remarkable  tumuli  represented  in  the 
Vignette  to  the  preceding  Chapter,  and  which  tradition  has 
assigned  to  the  bodies  of  Odin,  Frigga,  and  Thor.  Nothing 
can  be  more  obscure  than  the  history  of  the  first  kings,  or 
divinities  as  they  are  often  called,  of  antient  Scandinavia  ;  in 
which,  the  more  we  seek  for  information,  the  farther  we  seem 
to  recede  from  all  hope  of  coming  at  the  truth.  A  great 
source  of  error  has  been  caused  bv  confounding  the  Teutonic 
with  the  Celtic  nations,  which  were,  ah  origine,  two  distinct 
people'.     Conical  heaps  raised  over  the  dead  are  generally 

Celtic 


the  Death  of  Abel ;  the  History  of  Noah;  the  Deluge;  &c.  &c. — the  whole  being 
considered,  in  all  probability,  as  a  connected  series  of  powerful  amulets,  calculated  to 
protect  the  bearer  of  this  musket  from  all  dangers  "  ghostly  and  bodily." 

(1)  See  the  account  of  a  splendid  MS.  in  the  Mostyn  Library  in  Flintshire,  as  com- 
municated by  the  Author  to  the  celebrated  Pennant,  for  his  "  History  of  the  Parishes  of 
Whiteford  and  Holywell"  p.  74.  Lond.  1 79G. 

(2)  A  Vignette  prefixed  to  this  Chapter  will  serve  to  shew  the  form  of  this  curious 
weapon,  and  also  one  of  the  numerous  representations  upon  the  stock. 

(3)  See  Mallet's  Northern  Antiquities,  Pref.  to  Vol.  I.  Edinl.  I8O9. 


FROM  UPSALA  TO  STOCKHOLM. 


215 


Celtic  sepulchres;  but  in  the  rarity  of  Celtic  monuments  in  chap.  vi. 
Sweden  and  Norway,  added  to  other  circumstances  conspi- 
cuous in  the  appearance  of  the  ground  about  the  supposed 
sepulchres  of  Gamla  Upsala,  which  have  never  yet  been 
opened,  or  in  any  way  duly  examined,  there  is  reason  to 
suspect  that  these  will  hereafter  be  found  to  be  natural 
elevations,  and  not  artificial  heaps.  A  little  time  spent  upon 
the  spot  may  hereafter  enable  some  curious  traveller  to 
ascertain  the  real  nature  of  those  tumuli.  If  they  should  be 
proved  to  be  places  of  burial,  there  is  little  probability  of 
their  having  been  constructed  by  the  ancestors  of  the  present 
race  of  Swedes,  who  in  the  period  when  such  mounds  were 
raised  over  the  dead  in  the  north  of  Europe  were  not  inha- 
bitants of  Sweden.  At  a  much  later  period  in  history,  when 
Mithradates  sought  for  refuge  in  those  deserts  of  Russia 
now  inhabited  by  the  Don  Cossacks,  the  followers  of  Odin, 
being  obliged  to  withdraw  themselves  from  the  vengeance 
of  the  Romans,  began  to  seek,  at  this  distance  from  the 
field  of  Pompeys  triumphs,  that  safety  which  they  could  not 
find  in  their  own  country4. 

We  now  took  our  last  leave  of  Upsala,  and  set  out  again 
for  Stockholm,  through  an  open,  flat,  and  fertile  country. 
We  passed  Shocloster,    as   in   our  former  journey,  on  the  skocioster. 

right, 


B 


(4)  Mallet  makes  their  principal  city,  at  that  time,  Asgard,  between  the  Black  Sea 
and  the  Caspian ;  considering  them  as  the  Ases,  a  race  of  Scythians;  and  thinks  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  Azof,  or,  as  he  writes  it,  As-of,  derived  its  name  from  this  nation. 
But  who  will  venture  into  an  inquiry  where,  as  he  judiciously  observes,  "  the  most  pro- 
found researches,  the  most  ingenious  conjectures,  discover  nothing  to  us  but  our  own 
ignorance." 


210 


FROM  UPSALA  TO  STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  right,  the  seats  of  the  Counts  of  Brake,  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  Sweden,  In  the  house  there  is  a  curious  collection 
of  antiquities  and  other  rarities,  which  are  esteemed  worth 
seeing.  It  lies  out  of  the  main  route.  In  this  part  of  our  jour- 
ney we  observed,  upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  road,  a  few 
reliques  of  the  primeval  inhabitants  of  the  country;  such  as, 
rude  upright  masses  of  stone  and  tumuli,  which  seemed  to  be 
sepulchral  mounds. 

The  political  events  of  the  day,  upon  our  return  to  the 
Capital,  will  have  lost  all  interest,  from  the  length  of  time 
that  has  elapsed  before  the  publication  of  this  part  of 
our  Travels ;  but  as  they  are  intimately  connected  with 
the  Sivedish  history,  we  shall  not  entirely  omit  the  men- 
tion of  them.  A  number  of  express  couriers,  passing  us 
upon  the  road,  had  already  apprized  us  of  the  birth  of 
the  young  Prince,  which  had  just  taken  place ;  messages 
being  despatched  with  the  intelligence  to  all  parts  of  the 
kingdom.  He  was  born  on  Friday,  November  8th ;  and 
afterwards  christened  by  Troil  archbishop  of  Upsala.  We 
arrived  upon  the  l6th.  Some  slight  disturbances  had  taken 
place,  which  were  very  generally  the  subject  of  conversation. 
Upon  the  day  appointed  for  the  celebration  of  the  birth 
of  his  Majesty  Gustavus  the  Fourth,  the  shopkeepers  of 
Stockholm  had  given  a  dinner  to  the  French  Consul.  Among 
other  ceremonies  at  this  fete,  two  busts  had  been  prepared, 
and  publickly  exhibited ;  the  one  of  Buonaparte,  and  the 
other  of  Field-Marshal  General  Suwarof.  The  company 
drank  bumpers  of  wine  to  the  health  of  Buonaparte,  but 
filled  their  glasses  with  water  when  Suwarof 's  health  was 

proposed, 


State  of 
Stockholm  on 
the  Author's 
return. 


STOCKHOLM. 


217 


proposed,  and  discharged  their  contents  in  the  face  of  his  bust.    chap,  vl 

At  this  the  King  had  been  so  much  displeased,  as  already  to 

shew  the   most  marked   resentment    towards   some  of  the 

offenders.     Dupuis,  leader  of  the  opera  band  of  musicians, 

was  banished  the  kingdom.     One  of  the  comedians  was  also 

ordered  to  quit  the  country  ;  together  with  Robi?ihof\  master 

of  the  tavern  where  the  dinner  was  held.     It  is  necessary  to 

state  these  particulars,  in  order  to  explain  what  happened  at 

the  Theatre  as  soon  as  we  returned.     The  King  was  present; 

when  the  comedian  here  alluded  to,  in  the  part  he  acted,  held 

a  dialogue  with  an  actress  as  a  chambermaid,  who  addressed 

him  in  the  following  manner : — 

"  Begone!  what  are  you  doing  here?    You  must  be  sent  away." 

To  which  he  answered: 

"  It  may  be  so :  but  I  shall  not  stir.    I  am  very  well  where  I  am,  and  intend 
to  remain  here." 


At  the  delivery  of  these  words,  a  sudden  and  very  vehement 
applause  burst  from  the  audience.  The  King,  evidently 
ruffled,  rose  from  his  seat,  waving  his  hand,  and  calling 
silence  :  but  the  applause  became  louder  than  ever,  and  his 
Majesty  sate  down  disconcerted.  The  actor,  it  seems,  had 
been  ordered  into  exile ;  but  had  not  been  banished,  because 
the  King  owed  him  above  a  thousand  dollars.  After  the 
piece  concluded,  the  debt  was  paid,  and  the  player  was 
ordered  to  leave  Stockholm  within  twenty-four  hours.  We 
had  frequent  opportunities  of  hearing  the  King's  character  character  of 

,.  i  tt  -i  i  ....  the  young 

discussed,     rle  was  said  not  to  have  any  private  intimacies,  King. 
nor  to  have  been  influenced  by  any  of  those  creatures  called 
vol.  vi.  f  f  favourites, 


B^H 


218 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  favourites,  because  he  never  had  one.  He  superintended 
and  directed  every  thing  himself;  consequently  every  thing 
was  mismanaged.  The  state  of  the  public  finances  was 
becoming  daily  more  and  more  deplorable  :  and  this  was  to 
be  expected,  where  so  young  a  monarch  presided  over  and 
governed  all  things,  endeavouring,  upon  all  occasions,  only 
to  shew  how  completely  absolute  he  wTas.  His  Ministers, 
moreover,  were  men  utterly  incapable  of  rendering  him  any 
effectual  counsel,  if  they  had  been  consulted, — which  was 
not  the  case.  One  day,  the  merchants  of  Stockholm  waited 
upon  him,  to  represent  the  ruin  that  would  inevitably 
befal  them,  if  the  public  credit  were  not  retrieved  :  to  which 
the  young  monarch  replied,  that  "  it  was  not  for  a  set  of 
commercial  men  to  trouble  their  heads  with  such  matters  ; — 
that  he  had  already  considered  their  situation,  and  had 
taken  proper  measures  to  prevent  the  evil  from  taking 
place." 

When  the  Queen's  accouchement  drew  nigh,  according  to 
the  usual  ceremony  of  etiquette  observed  more  or  less  in 
many  Courts,  but  rigidly  adhered  to  in  Siveden,  the  King,  the 
Duchess  of  Sudermania,  and  other  exalted  personages, 
amounting  in  all  to  twenty  persons  (among  whom  were 
some  unmarried  men),  were  stationed  about  her  person,  to 
become  the  spectators  of  her  pains  and  delivery.  It  was 
said,  that,  with  a  view  to  avoid  the  indecency  of  such  an 
exposure,  the  late  Queen  kept  the  moment,  when  her  throes 
were  coming  on,  a  secret;  by  which  means  she  escaped  a 
public  accouchement.  At  this  time,  no  persons  in  Stockholm, 
who  affected  to  be  versed  in  State  secrets,  or  who,  from  their 

situation, 


STOCKHOLM. 


219 


situation,  might  be  supposed  to  possess  accurate  knowledge  chap.  vi. 
with  regard  to  such  matters,  regarded  the  reigning  sovereign 
as  the  son  of  his  predecessor.  The  Courts  of  despotic  Princes 
are  generally  the  very  hot-beds  of  every  species  of  revolting 
slander ;  and,  in  the  list  of  these,  the  Court  of  Sweden  l  was 
peculiarly  conspicuous  for  the  foulness  of  the  calumnies 
which  were  set  on  foot  against  every  individual  about  the 
throne.  We  shall  neither  sully  these  pages,  nor  offend  the 
Reader,  by  detailing  the  opprobrious  anecdotes  which  were 
everywhere  in  circulation  respecting  these  august  personages: 
but  as  the  similitude  which  the  reigning  monarch  was  sup- 
posed to  bear  to  General  Monk,  a  friend  of  the  late  King, 
who  was  banished  from  the  Swedish  Court  during  the 
Regency,  was  often  urged,  in  table-talk,  as  a  proof  of  the  Table-talk, 
relationship  in  which  he  stood  to  this  officer,  it  would  not 
be  consistent  with  that  freedom  of  communication  which 
has  been  shewn  in  conducting  the  whole  of  this  narrative,  if 
no  allusion  were  made  to  the  fact.  We  could  neither  confirm 
nor  contradict  the  truth  of  the  supposed  resemblance,  having 

never 


(1)  It  may  be  said  that  the  government  of  Sweden  was  not  wholly  despotic.  Mr. 
Coxe  considered  the  King  of  Sweden  as  a  limited,  but  not  a  despotic  sovereign.  (See 
Travels,  &c.  vol.  II.  p.  372.  Lond,  1784.)  But  the  same  author  acknowledges  (p.  36g) 
that  "  the  whole  of  the  executive  power  is  virtually  vested  in  the  King:  for  though  it 
is  said  to  be  entrusted  to  him  conjointly  with  the  Senate,  yet,  as  his  Majesty  appoints 
and  removes  all  the  members  of  that  council,  and,  in  the  administration  of  affairs,  asks 
only  their  advice,  without  being  bound  to  follow  it,  he  is  absolute  master  of  the  Senate." 
Sheridan  (Hist,  of  the  late  Revolut.  in  Sweden,  &c.  p.  301)  considered  the  King  of 
Sweden,  after  the  Revolution  in  1772,  as  "  no  less  absolute  at  Stockholm,  than  the 
Grand  Signior  at  Constantinople." 


«MM 


^^ 


TtttWfftHtWtW 


ifta? 


220 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  never  seen  the  officer  to  whom  allusion  is  made.  The 
generality  of  the  Siuedes  considered  the  features  of  Gustavus 
the  Fourth  as  a  striking  resemblance  of  the  portraits  of 
Charles  the  Twelfth :  and,  after  examining  the  cast1  made  of 
the  face  of  Charles,  we  were  struck  by  an  evident  famijy 
likeness ;  which,  at  least,  goes  to  prove,  that  if  such  indica- 
tions of  descent  be  worth  attending  to,  there  is  as  much  to 
urge  for,  as  against,  his  legitimacy.  For  the  rest,  in  his  figure, 
Gustavus  the  Fourth  was  thin,  and  apparently  feeble,  with  a 
pale  countenance.  He  looked  most  advantageously  when 
dressed  in  regimentals  ;  and  worst  of  all  when  he  appeared  in 
the  efFeminate  gala  suit  which  the  late  King  had  introduced 
into  the  Swedish  Court; — a  style  of  dress  better  suited  to 
mountebanks  or  stage-players,  than  for  the  representatives  of 
the  warlike  Goths  ! 

ltoyai  Fete  at      Upon  the  2lst  of  November,  the  entertainments  of  the 

the  Opera  .  ,        ,~  TT  .  .      ,         ,        Tr . 

House.  evening  at  the  Opera  Mouse  were  given  gratis  by  the  King  to 

the  public.  To  gain  admission,  it  was  only  necessary  to  go 
in  full  dress  ;  and  we  were  present  upon  that  occasion.  The 
coup  d'oeil,  upon  entering  the  theatre,  was  very  brilliant. 
The  boxes  consisted  of  five  tiers  of  seats ;  the  ladies  being 
ranged  in  the  front  rows.     The  stage  was  lighted  by  two 

large 


(1)  This  will  be  further  described  in  the  sequel. 

(2)  Dr.  Thomson,  who  has  written  a  very  interesting  chapter  on  the  Character  and 
Conduct  of  Gustavus  the  Fourth,  says  that  the  likeness  to  Charles  the  Twelfth  was  not 
confined  to  his  person,  but  that  he  possessed  certain  qualities  which  gave  him  a  moral 
resemblance  to  that  prince.  (See  Thomson's  Travels  in  Sweden,  p.  115.  Lond.  1813.J 
See  also  the  Portrait  of  Gustavus  the  Fourth,  engraved  for  Dr.  Thomson's  work,  which 
is  a  striking  likeness  of  him. 


STOCKHOLM. 


221 


large  cut-glass  chandeliers,  which  were  drawn  up  when  the  chap.  vi. 
curtain  rose.  In  the  centre  of  the  pit,  upon  a  platform 
covered  with  green  cloth,  were  placed  two  gilded  chairs, 
for  the  reception  of  the  King  and  Queen.  Her  Majesty 
being  at  this  time  in  child-bed,  the  King  alone  made  his 
appearance.  Many  of  the  State  officers  were  stationed 
waiting  for  his  arrival,  when  we  entered  the  theatre.  At 
each  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  pit  were  placed  the  King's 
Guards,  in  pompous  theatrical  suits  of  blue  cloth,  with 
polished  coats  of  mail,  and  enormous  helmets  surmounted 
by  tall  plumes;  producing  altogether  the  most  grotesque 
effect,  by  combining  somewhat  of  the  manly  chivalrous 
aspect  of  the  warriors  of  antient  days  with  the  wretched 
effeminacy  and  scenic  taste  of  the  modern  Court.  It  was 
enough  to  rouse  the  ghost  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  to  view  the 
heroes  of  Sweden  in  this  deplorable  disguise ;  wanting  only 
their  cheeks  painted,  to  fit  them  for  a  booth  at  Bartho- 
lomew Fair.  While  we  were  thus  intent  upon  the  motley  Evening's 
figures  of  the  soldiers,  a  bustle  in  the  orchestra,  and  a 
general  movement  among  the  Guards,  announced  his  Majesty's 
approach ;  who  entered,  followed  by  the  Duchess  of  Sader- 
mania,  and  several  of  his  retinue,  dressed  in  the  absurd  and 
fantastic  manner  which  we  have  before  alluded  to,  but 
strictly  according  to  the  regular  costume  of  his  Court ;  wearing, 
beneath  a  cloak,  a  jacket  of  yellow  silk,  and  large  yellow 
roses  in  his  shoes:  and,  as  if  to  afford  the  most  striking 
contrast  possible  to  his  own  appearance,  and  to  render  it  still 
more  ludicrous  in  the  eyes  of  the  spectators,  he  was  followed 
by  a  gigantic  attendant  in  complete  armour,  the  enormous 

plumes 


SB 


CHAP.  VI. 


STOCKHOLM. 

plumes  of  whose  helmet,  towering  aloft,  threatened  to  bur} 
the  diminutive  and  meagre  figure  of  the  King.  The  audience 
immediately  rose,  but  the  utmost  silence  was  observed.  His 
Majesty,  advancing  towards  the  regal  chair,  was  for  some 
minutes  engaged  in  bowing  to  all  present ;  to  the  audience 
in  general,  and  to  all  the  foreign  Ministers  in  particular. 
Then  making,  with  his  chapcau  bras,  a  signal  to  the  musicians 
in  the  orchestra,  the  band  began  to  play;  and  he  sate  down. 
Between  the  acts  of  the  opera,  he  was  occupied  chiefly  in 
conversation  with  the  Duchess  his  aunt,  and  the  Russian 
Minister  ;  and  his  marked  attention  to  the  latter  was  noticed 
by  the  generality  of  those  present,  who  were  interested  in 
the  politics  of  the  day.  Having  been  accustomed  to  see  him 
before  only  in  his  regimentals,  we  hardly  recognised  him  in 
his  Court  dress.  When  he  sate  down,  he  wrapped  his  silk 
cloak  about  him,  thus  giving  to  this  part  of  his  attire  the 
appearance  of  a  petticoat,  beneath  which  peeped  his  coloured 
shoes  set  off  with  large  yellow  rosettes  ;  so  that  his  whole 
figure,  truly  feminine,  might  have  been  mistaken  for  a  female. 
During  this  evening's  entertainment,  an  adventure  occurred 
which  will  afford  a  specimen  of  the  national  manners. 
Two  Italian  gentlemen,  with  whom  we  were  intimately 
acquainted,  Signor  Acerbi,  author  of  Travels  in  Sweden,  Lap- 
land, and  Finland,  and  his  young  companion,  Signor  Bellotti, 
were  seated  in  the  box  of  the  Prussian  Minister.  These 
gentlemen,  after  the  close  of  the  first  act  of  the  opera, 
finding  that  no  ladies  had  arrived  to  occupy  the  front  seat, 
ventured,  having  first  asked  permission  of  the  Minister  to 
whom  the  box  belonged,  to  place  themselves  in  the  front  row, 

and 


STOCKHOLM. 


-223 


and  thereby  obtain  a  better  view  of  the  King  and  of  the  chap.  vi. 
stage.  They  were  habited  in  plain  black  suits,  which,  as  it 
is  well  known,  are  often  used  abroad,  by  way  of  substitute 
for  the  full  Court  dress.  It  may  be  imagined  what  their 
uneasiness  was,  in  finding  that  they  had  no  sooner  seated 
themselves  in  their  new  places,  than  they  were  become 
an  object  of  uneasiness  to  the  royal  party  stationed  in 
the  pit.  The  Duchess  of  Sudermania  was  observed  to 
regard  them  for  some  time  with  apparent  agitation ;  and 
at  length,  speaking  to  the  King,  his  Majesty  was  pleased  to 
order  that  a  corporal  of  the  guard  should  be  sent  to  remove 
them  from  their  station.  But  the  Director  of  the  theatre,  to 
whom  this  order  was  given,  being  well  acquainted  with 
them,  went  up,  and  represented  to  them  his  Majesty's 
disapprobation  of  their  appearance  in  the  front  rank,  with- 
out having  on  the  full  Court  dress;  desiring  them,  at  the 
same  time,  not  to  retire  from  the  theatre,  but  to  sit  back- 
ward, so  as  to  escape  further  observation  from  below. 
Some  of  the  audience,  witnessing  this  transaction,  thought 
proper  to  insinuate  that  his  Majesty  mistook  the  two 
Italian  gentlemen  for  Englishmen ; — there  being  at  this  time 
a  slight  misunderstanding  between  our  Court  and  that  of 
Sweden,  in  consequence  of  the  neglect  which  it  was  said 
his  Britannic  Majesty  had  shewn  to  a  Letter  written 
by  the  Swedish  Sovereign  respecting  the  capture  of  a 
Swedish  convoy.  This  circumstance  had  rendered  it  difficult 
for  our  countrymen  to  obtain  a  presentation  at  the  Siuedish 
Court ;  as  our  Minister  had  ceased  to  make  his  appearance 
there,  and  had  been  omitted  in  the  invitations  recently  sent 

to 


**  •  *  ^  r^o*  z*??z 


2M 


CHAP.  VI. 


Reflections  on 
the  death  of 
the  late  mo. 
narch. 


STOCKHOL  M. 

to  the  different  foreign  Ministers.  Whether  there  were  any 
truth  in  the  supposed  intention  of  the  young  King  and  of 
his  aunt,  to  offer  this  indignity  with  any  feeling  of  hostility 
towards  our  countrymen,  we  did  not  give  ourselves  the 
trouble  to  inquire.  The  affair  served  to  afford  a  momentary 
topic  of  conversation  in  the  different  circles  :  meanwhile,  we 
experienced  everywhere  the  same  kindness  and  hospitality 
which  we  had  invariably  met  with  since  our  first  arrival  in 
the  country. 

Little  needs  be  said  of  the  style  of  the  performance  at  a 
Swedish  opera.     The  singers  and  dancers  are  equally  below 
mediocrity.     The  band  is  generally  good,  and  the  music  well 
given.     The  management  also  of  the  scenery,  owing  to  the 
great  pains  bestowed  upon  the  most  trifling  theatrical  con- 
cerns during  the  reign  of  the  late  King,  still  reflects  credit 
upon  the  mechanist  who  is  employed.    For  our  parts,  during 
the  whole  of  this  evening's  representation,  neither  the  splen- 
dours of  the  Court  gala,  nor  the  presence  of  the  Sovereign, 
nor  the  stage  decoration,  could  abstract  our  thoughts  from 
dwelling  upon  the  horrible  tragedy  which  was  acted  here. 
The  assassination  of  the  late  king,  with  all  its  cruel  atroci- 
ties, dwelt  full  upon  our  minds ; — and  who  could  say  how- 
soon,  or  how  late,  the  same  sanguinary  scene  might  not  be 
renewed  ?    The  young  Gusfavus,  seated,  in  his   silken  vest, 
upon   the  very  floor   stained  with   his   father's    blood,   and 
surrounded  by    the   same    courtiers,    seemed,    from   all  the 
circumstances   of  his  situation    and    character,    marked    to 
become  another  victim  of  the  plots  and  conspiracies  that 
were  going  on  :  and  wonderful  to  us  appeared  the  calm  and 

placid 


STOCKHOLM. 


225 


placid  indifference  with  which  the  young  monarch  sate  occu-    chap.  ti. 
pied  in  attention  to  the  turn  of  an  Italian  Rondo,  or  busied  in 
enforcing  some  trivial   rule   of  Court   etiquette,    upon   the 
identical  spot  yet  almost  reeking  with   the  murder  of  his 
father. — But  we  had  not  yet  visited  Russia  ! ! ! 

Desmaisons,  the  celebrated  author  of  an  Essay  on  the 
Revolutions  of  Sweden,  in  developing  from  national  cha- 
racter and  foreign  political  interests  the  true  sources  of 
those  changes  which  have  successively  agitated  the  Sivedish 
dominions,  has  also  unconsciously  pointed  out  the  steps 
which  ultimately  led  to  the  death  of  the  very  Sovereign  who 
accomplished  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  revolutions  the 
country  has  sustained l .  Can  it  be  supposed  that  an  event 
of  such  immense  political  importance,  reflecting  such  a 
distinguished  lustre  on  the  character  of  Gustavus  the  Third*, 
and  such  dismay  upon  his  adversaries,  would  be  speedily  for- 
gotten; or  that  the  hatred  towards  him,  increased  by  the  anni- 
hilation of  the  self-interested  projects  of  a  party,  ever  slept,  so 
long  as  any  of  that  party  continued  to  exist  in  Sweden,  and 
to  hold  communication  upon  the  subject  of  the  loss  they 
had  sustained  ?  It  only  taught  them  to  be  more  circumspect 
in  carrying  on  their  designs  against  the  King's  life  than  they 
had  hitherto  been  in  executing  their  former  projects.  In  our 
long  journey   through   Sweden,    we    often    endeavoured   to 

procure 


(1)  See  "  Histoire  de  la  dernier e  Revolution  de  Suede,"  par  Jacques  Le  Scene  Des- 
maisons. Amst.  1782. 

(2)  Gustavus  the  Third  was  twenty-five  years  old  when  he  was  proclaimed  King,  the 
year  before  the  Revolution  of  1772. 

VOL.  VI.  G  G 


^TB 


EEEEEB 


226 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.   procure   accurate   information   relative    to    the  real  authors 
and  abettors  of  the  conspiracy  which  ended  in  his  assassina- 
tion  by   the   hand  of  Ankarstrom\   but    the   circumstances 
respecting  it  were  either  told  with  the  most  evident   exag- 
geration,   or   with  an   air   of  studied   and   stupid  mystery, 
which,    bordering   upon    affectation,  prevented    further  in- 
quiry.    From  all,  however,  that  we  could  collect,  notwith- 
standing the   difficulty   of  coming  at   the    truth,  it  seemed 
plain  that   the  conspiracy   had  been  going  on  for    a   long 
time   before   its  object  was   accomplished   in   the    death   of 
the   King,    and    that  the   inhabitants    of  the    most    distant 
provinces  in  the  realm  were  engaged  in  its  operation.     The 
only  wonder  is,   that  where  the  number  of  the  disaffected 
.was  so  numerous,  a  secret  of  such  moment  could  so  long 
remain  concealed.     Some  of  the  Swedish  gentry    maintain 
that  the  number  of  the  conspirators  exceeded   a  thousand. 
Judging  only  from  the  facts  which  have  transpired ;  from  the 
conduct  of  the  enemies  of  the  King,  and  of  suspected  persons 
before  and  after  his  death;  there  is  good  reason  to  believe 
that  individuals  the  most  distinguished  by  their   rank,  by 
their  relationship  to  Gustavus,  and  also  others  who  pretended 
to  class  among  the  number  of  his   most  intimate  friends, 
were  implicated  in  his  murder.    We  could  not  help  thinking, 
that  in  the  crowded  assembly  we  now  beheld,  and  perhaps 
among  those  who  were  in  immediate  attendance  upon  his 
son,  there  were  persons  well  qualified  to  dispel  all  doubts 
upon  this  subject. 
?hPeeslnfukhre      ^  ^ew  °*ays  after  this  fete  at  the  Opera  House,  we  went  to 
rJeim!' sthe  Ridderholm  Church,  to  see  the  sepulchre  of  Charles  the 

Twelfth, 


STOCKHOLM. 


227 


Twelfth,  which  had  been  opened  by  order  of  the  young 
King.  In  the  uncertainty  which  has  always  prevailed 
respecting  the  death  of  this  hero,  his  remains  have  more  than 
once  before  been  submitted  to  examination,  with  a  view  of 
ascertaining,  from  the  appearance  of  the  scull,  whether  the 
wound  which  caused  his  death  were  inflicted,  or  not,  by  the 
hand  of  an  assassin.  Perhaps  it  was  this  curiosity  on  the 
part  of  the  Sovereign  which  caused  the  tomb  to  be  again 
violated.  We  arrived  in  time  to  see  the  coffin,  which  had  been 
also  opened,  but  was  now  closed.  In  removing  the  principal 
slab  of  black  marble  placed  over  this  coffin,  the  workmen 
had  broken  it  near  the  corner,  and  masons  were  repairing  it 
when  we  came  to  the  spot.  The  coffin,  meanwhile,  was 
exposed  to  view :  it  was  covered  with  crimson  velvet,  and 
adorned  with  gold  fringe.  We  observed  that  it  was  still  in 
as  perfect  preservation  as  when  the  burial  took  place;  the 
fringe  being  so  strong,  that  we  had  difficulty  in  pulling  off  a 
few  threads  to  bear  away  as  a  memorial.  Some  of  the  party 
present  complained  of  an  unpleasant  odour  coming  from  this 
coffin  ;  but  we  considered  it  as  imaginary,  the  sepulchre 
having  been  some  time  open,  and  the  coffin  carefully  closed 
immediately  after  the  King's  visit.  Ridderholm  Church  is  the 
regal  coemetery  of  the  Kings  of  Sweden.  All  the  Knights  of 
the  order  of  Seraphim  are  also  buried  here ;  and  many  of  the 
principal  families  of  Stockholm  have  their  vaults  in  this 
church. 

We  waited  upon  our  Minister  soon  after  our  return  to  the 
Capital,  and  received  from  him  the  intelligence  of  the  un- 
pleasant state  of  affairs  between  our  country  and  Siveden, 

which 


CHAP.  VI. 


■ 


Interruption 
of  the  Amity 
subsisting  be- 
tween Eng- 
land and  Swt- 
den. 


■HI 


i  *  ■  I 


228 


STOCKHOLM. 


of  course, 


Ciub  called 
The  Society. 


chap.  vi.   which   seemed   likely  to  end  in  a  war.     This, 

prevented  our  appearance  at  Court ;  but,  in  lieu  of  a  presen- 
tation to  his  Majesty,  he  proposed  taking  us  to  the  Society, 
and  introducing  us  there  to  the  different  ambassadors,  nobles, 
and   officers   of  distinction,   which  constitute  its    members. 
This  Club  is  the  greatest  resource  a  stranger  in  this  country 
can  possibly  enjoy  :  it  is  regulated  upon  the  best  principles, 
and  kept  in  the  most  perfect  order.     Its  meetings  are  held  in 
one  of  the  grandest  edifices  in  Stockholm,  fronting  the  water, 
and  commanding  a  noble  prospect  of  the  principal  buildings 
of  the  city.     Being  conducted  thither,  we  entered  a  suite  of 
magnificent    apartments,    elegantly    furnished,    and   in   all 
respects  remarkable  for  the   neatness  and  propriety  every- 
where displayed.     One  room  is  appropriated  to  reading  :  and 
here  all  the  principal  Gazettes  published  in  Europe,  together 
with  all  sorts  of  periodical  works,  French,  German,  Danish, 
and  Dutch  Papers,  are  found  lying  upon  the  tables,  for  general 
use.     There  is,  moreover,  a  secretaire,  fitted  up  with  all  sorts 
of  conveniences  for  writing.     Every  evening,  all  these  apart- 
ments are  lighted  up  with  wax  candles.   In  the  reading  room, 
the  most  perfect  silence  prevails  ;  and  in  a  chamber  adjoining, 
there  are  couches  for  repose.    Beyond  this  is  the  ball-room; 
and  farther  on  are  separate  rooms  for  billiards,  cards,  and  for 
eating.     In  the  ball-room  are  suspended  the  printed  rules  of 
the  Society,  in  the  French  and  Swedish  languages.     Strangers 
are  permitted  to  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  the  club  during 
two  months  ;  but  if  they  remain  longer  in  Stockholm,  they  must 
be  presented  a  second  time   and  become  members,  or  be 
excluded.      Every   member    subscribes    twelve     rix-dollars 

annuallv 


STOCKHOLM. 


229 


annually  to  the  fund.     The  dinners  and    suppers  here   are   chap.  vi. 
excellent,  every  thing  being  cheap  and  good,  and  the  expense 
small.     A  dinner,  without   wine,  costs    only  sixteen-pence 
English;  and  until  lately  the  price  was  lower.     The  servants 
of  the  Society  speak  French,  German,  and  Swedish ;   and  are 
all  clad  in  the  livery  of  the  club.    There  is,  moreover,  always 
in  waiting  a  Directeur,  or  Maitrc  d'hotel,  who  superintends  all 
minor  affairs,  attends  at  and  directs  the  order  and  serving  of 
the  dinners,  and  collects  the  payment  due  from  the  several 
guests.     The  apartments  remain  open  during  the  whole  day. 
We  have  seldom  enjoyed  a  more  pleasing  relaxation,  or  met 
with  more  agreeable  company  than  we  found  here.     Having 
several  friends  with  whom  we  used  to  associate  at  the  Society*, 
we  came  daily  to  this  place  ;  and,  in  fact,  there  is  no  place  in 
Europe  where  foreigners  engaged  in  travel  will  meet  with 
better  company,  more  polished  manners,   or  less  restraint. 
Add   to   this   the   luxury    of  being,    for   once     at   least  in 
Scandinavia,  in  an  assembly  where  smoking  and  spitting  are 
not  allowed.     The    most  perfect    order  prevails  in  all  the 
apartments ;    every  one  being  at  liberty  to  enter,  or  retire 
without  form,  as  he  pleases2.    Some  persons  belonging  to  the 
Court,  who  were  proposed  as  members,  had  been  rejected  in 

the 


(l)  In  this  number  were,  the  celebrated  Brougham ;  Acerli,  the  Lapland  traveller  ;  Mr. 
now  Sir  Charles  Stewart;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kent,  and  Mr.  Jarrett,  whom  we  had  before 
seen  in  Norway ;  and  Mr.  Bellotti. 

(2)  An  establishment  of  this  nature,  under  the  name  of  "  The  United  Service  Club," 
has  been  lately  founded  in  London,  which  seems  to  be  conducted  upon  a  similar 
plan. 


ivBB^ 


230 


C  HAP.  VI. 


Resemblance 
to  Italian 
Customs. 


STOCKHOLM. 

the  ballot  ;  at  which  the  King  was  much  displeased,  and 
endeavoured,  as  it  was  said,  to  withdraw  the  courtiers  from 
their  attendance.  If  this  were  true,  it  had  not  produced  the 
desired  effect ;  for  the  numbers,  instead  of  being  diminished, 
had  lately  been  considerably  increased ;  the  first  families  in 
Stockholm  being  the  most  regular  visitants. 

As  in  all  large  cities,  the  traveller  must  expect  to  meet 
with  less  of  the  characteristic  hospitality  of  the  Swedes  in 
Stockholm,  than  in  other  parts  of  the  kingdom1;  and  it  is 
here,  in  particular,  that  his  reception  will  a  good  deal 
depend  upon  the  relative  state  of  politics  with  regard  to  his 
own  country.  We  found  our  situation  somewhat  altered, 
since  our  last  visit,  by  the  degree  of  coolness  which  had 
sprung  up  between  the  Court  and  our  Minister.  Neither  is 
there  much  in  the  place  itself  to  afford  instruction  or  amuse- 
ment. Excepting  the  great  square  of  Nordermalm,  the 
streets,  though  of  very  considerable  length,  are  neither  broad 
nor  handsome.  There  is  no  foot  pavement ;  and  the  shops 
are  everywhere  wretched.  The  houses  are  lofty,  and  they 
are  all  white- washed.  The  different  families,  as  in  Italy, 
reside  upon  separate  floors,  or  stories,  one  above  another;  the 
ground-floor  being  appropriated  to  shops,  and  the  upper 
stories  to  private  families.  There  is,  moreover,  a  resem- 
blance between  the  customs  of  the  two  countfies.  If  a 
stranger  have  any  business  to  execute  among  the  tradesmen, 
and  be  not  careful  to  set  about  it  before  noon,  the  whole  day 

is 

(l)  "  Plus  on  s'approche  de  la  capitale,  moins  on  apercoit  cettc  respectable  bonhomie, 
qui  caracterise  generalement  le  paysan  Suedois  des  provinces."  Promenade  en  Suede, 
par  De  Latochnaye,  torn.  I.  p.  62.   Brunswick,  1801. 


STOCKHOLM. 


231 


is  lost.  At  mid-da}^,  every  body  is  at  dinner :  the  merchants  chap.  vi. 
have  then  left  their  counters,  and  the  shops  are  shut.  After- 
wards they  are  all  fast  asleep  ;  which  at  this  season  of  the 
year  is  the  more  inconvenient,  because  as  soon  as  they  awake 
it  is  dark.  Two  hours  may  be  deemed  the  whole  of  the 
time  allowed  for  daily  affairs  abroad, — from  ten  in  the 
morning  until  twelve.  Before  ten  it  is  not  usual  for  families 
to  make  their  appearance ;  and  if  after  this  time  a  traveller 
remain  in  his  lodgings,  engaged  as  he  is  very  likely  to  be  with 
his  own  private  affairs,  it  is  in  vain  that  he  endeavours  after- 
wards to  get  any  thing  done  in  the  town. 

One  of  the  first  things  it  is  natural  to  seek  for,  in  arriv- 
ing at  any  place  upon  the  Continent,  is  a  bookseller's  Booksellers. 
shop  :  but  the  booksellers  here  have  no  catalogues ;  or  if 
any  thing  of  this  kind  be  produced,  it  is  written  wholly 
in  the  Sivedish  language.  And  with  regard  to  the  dealers 
themselves,  never  were  persons  of  their  profession  so  little 
likely  to  recommend  their  wares,  as  the  booksellers  of 
Stockholm.  If  a  customer  enter,  they  rise  not  from  their 
seats  to  assist  him  in  looking  over  the  dusty  lumber  of 
their  warehouses  :  and  if  they  were  disposed  to  shew  him 
this  civility,  the  search  would  be  vain ;  because  the  books, 
not  being  bound,  but  lying  in  quires,  and  confusedly  mixed 
together,  can  only  be  regarded  as  so  many  reams  of  paper 
in  a  stationer's  shop. 

When  Englishmen  are  invited  to  dine  with  the  inhabitants,  Public 

Dinners. 

it  is  a  constant  practice  to  prepare  a  quantity  of  what  is 
called  roast  beef  for  their  reception  at  table  :  and  the  opinion 

which 


W— P 


.'"Y"'" .  "  -.■./.'.-.  * 


W2 


STOCKHOLM. 


:hap.  vi.  which  all  foreigners  have,  that  we  cannot  dine  without  a 
copious  allowance  of  animal  food,  especially  of  beef,  is  very 
diverting.  The  host  gathers  consequence  to  himself  in 
having  provided  this  kind  of  diet,  and,  smiling  at  his  guests, 
calls  out,  in  an  emphatical  tone, '  Rosbif!'  (for  so  it  is  generally 
written  and  pronounced)  as  the  mangled  heap  of  flesh  which 
bears  this  name  is  handed  round ;  not  having  the  smallest 
resemblance  to  any  thing  so  called  in  England,  but  con- 
sisting of  lumps  of  meat  piled  upon  a  dish,  tough,  stringy, 
and  covered  with  grease.  Of  this  if  you  do  not  eat  heartily, 
offence  is  sure  to  be  given.  In  fact,  if  an  Englishman  wish 
to  render  himself  agreeable  to  the  Swedish  gentry,  he  ought 
to  prepare  himself  by  fasting  for  at  least  two  entire  days 
before  he  visits  them.  If  he  do  not  devour  every  thing  that 
they  set  before  him,  and  with  a  degree  of  voraciousness 
proportioned  to  their  good  wishes  for  his  making  a  hearty 
meal,  he  will  never  give  satisfaction.  We  have  before 
alluded  to  these  remarkable  traits  of  the  national  cha- 
racter: they  carry  us  back,  in  imagination,  to  those  Gothic 
festivals,  when  animals  were  roasted  whole,  and  the  guests 
were  served  with  heaps  of  flesh  by  attendants  in  complete 
armour,  who  carved  with  their  swords:  and  they  serve  also 
to  remind  us  of  those  fables  of  the  Edda,  or  antient' Icelandic 
Mythology,  in  which  to  eat  voraciously  is  described  as  a 
qualification,  worthy  not  only  of  a  warrior,  but  of  a  God1. — 

We 


(l)  "  Loke  then  said  that  his  art  consisted  in  eating  more  than  any  other  man  in  the 
world,  and  that  he  would  challenge  any  one  at  that  kind  of  combat. — *  It  must  indeed  be 

owned. 


STOCKHOLM. 


233 


We  met  with  an  instance  of  the  dissatisfaction  given  by  the  chap.  vi. 
want  of  this  qualification,  where  we  least  expected  it; 
namely,  in  the  Directeur  of  the  Society.  We  might  have 
supposed  that  the  less  the  company  devoured  at  his  table,  the 
greater  would  have  been  his  profit,  and  of  course  the  higher 
his  gratification.  But  even  here,  seeing  the  Author  refuse  to 
partake  of  a  dish  which  one  of  the  servants  brought  to  him 
after  he  had  completely  dined,  the  Directeur  exclaimed,  as  he 
retired,  in  a  tone  loud  enough  to  be  overheard,  with  true 
Swedish  feeling  and  with  a  broad  oath,  "  What,  you  are  deter- 
mined not  to  touch  a  morsel !  Has  it  been  usual  with  us  to  set 
before  you  despicable  food  ?" — The  instances  of  offence  given 
in  this  way  were  alluded  to  in  a  former  volume8;  and  the 
subject  would  be  deemed  too  trivial  for  repetition,  were  it  not 
essential  to  the  due  representation  of  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  inhabitants.  The  style  of  a  Scandinavian 
dinner  we  have  before  described,  in  our  account  of  Nonvay; 
for  in  this  respect  there  is  not  much  difference  between  the 
two  countries.     No  person,  on  any  account,  is  permitted  to 

touch, 


owned,'  replied  the  King,  '  that  you  are  not  wanting  in  dexterity,  if  you  are  able  to  per- 
form what  you  promise.'  At  the  same  time  he  ordered  one  of  his  courtiers  who  was 
sitting  on  a  side-bench,  and  whose  name  was  Loge  (i.e.  Flame),  to  come  forward,  and 
try  his  skill  with  Loke,  in  the  art  they  were  speaking  of.  Then  he  caused  a  great  tub 
or  trough  full  of  provisions  to  be  placed  on  the  bar,  and  the  two  champions  at  each  end 
of  it ;  who  immediately  fell  to  devour  the  victuals  with  so  much  eagerness,  that  they 
presently  met  in  the  middle  of  the  trough,  and  were  obliged  to  desist.  But  Loke  had 
only  eat  the  flesh  of  his  portion ;  whereas  the  other  had  devoured  both  flesh  and  bones. 
All  the  company  therefore  adjudged  that  Loke  was  vanquished." — Edda,  or  Antient 
Icelandic  Mythology.     See  Mallet's  Northern  Antiquities,  vol.  II.  p.  90.    Edin.  I8O9. 

(2)  See  Part  III.  Sect.  I.  Chap.  XV.  p.  341.     Lond.  I8I9. 

VOL.  VI.  H  H 


234 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  touch,  or  offer  to  his  neighbour  at  table,  the  contents  of  the 
dishes  that  are  placed  before  him.  They  are  all  removed,  and 
brought  round  to  the  guests  one  after  another  in  a  regular 
order;  consequently  the  business  of  dinner  lasts  two  or  three 
hours; — the  longer,  the  more  consistent  with  a  splendid 
entertainment.  Before  sitting  down,  when  the  company  are 
all  stationed  in  their  places  at  the  board,  a  pause  of  total 
silence  ensues;  and  this,  after  continuing  for  the  space  of  a 
minute,  is  interrupted  by  a  bow  from  the  host,  which  is  the 
signal  for  every  one  to  become  seated.  The  mistress  of  the 
house  is  conducted  from  the  drawing-room  by  the  person  of 
the  greatest  rank  present;  the  rest  of  the  gentlemen  each 
taking  a  lady,  as  with  us.  The  ceremony  of  the  whet  before 
dinner,  which  is  universally  practised  over  all  the  North  of 
Europe,  takes  place  in  an  adjoining  room,  a  few  minutes  before 
dinner  is  announced :  there  the  company  eat  caviare,  turnip- 
radish,  raw  turnip  or  carrot,  or  a  bit  of  some  salted  fish,  and 
take  a  dram  of  brandy,  by  way  of  provoking  an  appetite;  and 
this  they  do  as  heartily  as  if  they  were  making  a  meal; — like 
the  inhabitants  of  some  part  of  Scotland,  who  swallow  a  hot 
sea-gull,  or  kiddy-wake,  full  of  fish-oil,  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  master  and  mistress  of  a  family  have  no  parti- 
cular place  assigned  them  at  their  own  table,  but  mix  with 
their  guests,  and  generally  sit  at  one  of  the  sides.  This 
custom,  perhaps,  is  an  imitation  of  French  manners.  When 
the  company  rise  after  dinner,  the  same  pause  and  silence 
ensues  as  before;  after  which,  the  bow  being  again  made,  the 
gentlemen  salute  the  hand  or  cheek  of  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  and  shake  hands  with  the  master.     These  customs  and 

ceremonies 


STOCKHOLM. 


235 


ceremonies  are  the  same  everywhere,  whether  in  the  mansions 
of  the  nobles,  or  the  dwellings  of  more  private  individuals. 

The  principal  article  of  furniture  in  every  apartment  is  a 
stove,  which  is  generally  large,  and  covered  with  Dutch  tiles. 
In  the  houses  of  the  great,  these  stoves  are  sometimes  formed 
so  as  to  represent  the  pedestal  of  a  column,  and  then  they 
often  support  a  statue;  or  if  not  so  ornamented,  they  reach 
to  the  cieling  of  the  room.  Where  the  stove  and  flues  are 
solely  formed  of  iron,  and  not  properly  encased  with  stone, 
tiles,  or  stucco,  a  close  disagreeable  smell  is  caused  in  all  the 
rooms:  to  obviate  this,  the  inhabitants  frequently  burn  per- 
fumes, or  place  a  scented  pot  pourri  upon  the  stoves.  The  most 
insignificant  article  of  their  furniture  cuts  a  more  imposing 
figure  in  English  houses, — where,  however,  it  is  never  publickly 
exhibited, — namely,  the  bed  ;  this  is  generally  small,  uncom- 
fortable, and  more  like  a  mere  couch  for  a  drawing-room  than 
for  a  place  of  repose  at  night.  In  the  lodgings  of  single  men, 
it  is  always  seen  as  a  dirty  and  unpleasant  spectacle ;  not  made 
up  during  the  first  half  of  the  day,  and  offensive  to  more  than 
one  of  the  senses  during  the  other.  The  windows  of  the 
rooms,  in  the  best  houses,  are  doubly  glazed;  and  hung  with 
long  shreds  of  coarse  gauze,  by  way  of  representing  what 
they  are  not ;  that  is  to  say,  curtains ;  being  about  a  quarter 
of  a  yard  wide,  and  of  course  merely  ornamental.  The  walls 
are  hung  with  painted  canvas,  sometimes  in  imitation  of 
India  paper  ;  at  others,  in  panels,  after  the  French  taste.  The 
floors  are  also  painted. 

The  prohibition   respecting  the  use  of  coffee  was  at  this 
time  so  strictly  observed  in  Stockholm,  that  in  genteel  families 

it 


CHAP.  VI. 


Interior  of 
the  Houses. 


M 


■ 

1 

■ 


I 


Coffee 
prohibits 


236 


STOCKHOLM. 


Anecdotes  of 
the  King. 


ciiai\  vi.  it  was  never  presented :  in  some  of  the  inns  they  offered  it 
to  strangers  in  a  contraband  way.  We  have  seen  even 
the  most  gay  and  dissipated  of  the  young  Swedes  refuse 
to  drink  it,  when  invited  by  a  company  of  foreigners  who 
have  had  it  before  them.  The  use  of  tea  had  been  substi- 
tuted in  its  place.  This  beverage  the  Swedes  call  Te-Watn, 
or  Tea  Water;  a  very  appropriate  name  for  the  infusion, 
as  they  prepare  it;  for,  in  general,  that  which  they  offer 
under  this  name  is  nothing  more  than  warm  water  served 
in  small  tea-cups. 

Soon   after  the   prohibition    respecting   coffee  had    been 

issued,  his  Majesty's  own  valet  de  chambre,  a  man  of  tried 

fidelity    and  very   amiable  character,  either   through   some 

inadvertence  on  the  part  of  his  servants,   or  a  momentary 

thoughtlessness  in  himself,  having  invited  a  party  to  visit 

him   at   Drdtt?iingholm,   was   known  to   have    violated    the 

prohibition;   coffee  having  been  served  upon  that  occasion. 

The    next   morning,   one   of  the    attendants,   from   a  desire 

to  supersede  the  valet  in  his  place,    and  actuated   by  envy 

at    the    confidence    reposed   in   him    by  his    royal    master, 

informed  his  Majesty  of  the  transaction.     The  King  took  no 

notice  of  it  at  the  time  ;   but  when  his  valet  came  to  undress 

him,  he  said,  "  Is  it  true  that  you  gave  coffee  to  a  party  which 

visited  you  from  Stockholm,  yesterday  evening."     "  It  is  but 

too  true,  sire,"  said  the  valet,  "and  I  saw  the  extent  of  my 

transgression  in  the  moment  it  was  committed."      "Well," 

said  his  Majesty,  "  go  now  to  the  Intendant  of  the  Police,  and 

tell  him  what  you  have  done,  and  pay  the  penalty1;  and  then 

come 

(l)  One  rix-clollar  for  every  cup  of  coffee  used. 


STOCKHOLM. 


237 


come  back  to  me." — When  the  valet  returned,  and  the  King  chap.  vi. 
found  that  his  orders  had  been  obeyed,  he  sent  for  the 
informer,  and  thus  addressed  him.  "  My  valet  confesses 
he  has  been  guilty  of  violating  the  prohibition  with 
regard  to  coffee,  as  you  told  me  he  had  done;  and  he  has 
paid  the  penalty  for  so  doing.  It  is  therefore  only  necessary 
for  me  to  add,  that  in  future  I  shall  have  no  further  occasion 
for  your  services." 

Another  circumstance  also  occurred,  which  placed  the 
character  of  Gustavus  the  Fourth  in  a  very  amiable  light; — 
and  we  can  vouch  for  the  truth  of  both  of  them. 

A  Swedish  Colonel,  by  an  accidental  fire  which  consumed 
his  house,  lost  the  whole  of  his  property.  Some  time  after,  a 
lottery  was  set  on  foot  by  his  friends,  to  reimburse  him.  In 
the  opening  of  this  business,  a  letter  arrived  from  Pomerania, 
inclosing  one  hundred  and  fifty  rix-dollars,  without  the  name 
of  any  donor,  but  with  a  short  note,  requesting  that  the 
Colonel  would  remember  the  "  broken  punch-bowl"  It  was 
a  long  time  before  he  could  unravel  this  mystery;  but  at  last 
he  recollected  that  many  years  before,  being  in  a  tavern 
where  there  was  a  great  concourse  of  people  and  much 
rejoicing,  a  female  servant  dropped  from  her  hands  a  large 
China  punch-bowl  full  of  punch.  Her  mistress,  in  violent 
anger,  threatened  her  with  instant  dismissal,  and  that  she 
should  be  sent  to  prison  if  she  did  not  make  good  the  loss; 
upon  which  the  Colonel  interceded  in  behalf  of  the  poor 
girl,  and  himself  paid  for  the  damage  which  had  been 
sustained.  This  curious  anecdote  becoming  the  subject  of 
conversation  in  Stockholm,  at  length  reached  the  ears  of  the 

King. 


1 1  I 


238 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  King.  Gust  amis  was  much  pleased  with  it,  and  sent  a 
present  of  one  thousand  rix-dollars,  with  this  message:  "  I  am 
aware  that  the  Colonel's  friends  have  instituted  a  lottery 
upon  his  account.  It  is  prohibited,  by  the  laws,  to  under- 
take any  lottery,  without  previous  permission  from  the 
Master  of  the  Police.  Tell  the  Colonel  I  know  that  officer; 
that  he  is  an  humane  and  polite  man,  not  likely  to  refuse  a 
reasonable  request:  it  is  my  wish  that  the  Colonel  should  ask 
his  permission  for  the  lottery,  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  bear 
a  part  in  it." 

We  have  the  more  readily  inserted  these  traits  in  the  cha- 
racter of  the  reigning  monarch,  because  the  anecdotes  related 
of  him,  in  general,  were  neither  numerous  nor  interesting. 
Having  no  favourite,  and  relying  altogether  upon  his  own 
judgment,  which  however  was  very  incapable  of  guiding 
him,  it  was  not  easy  to  penetrate  the  reserve  that  shrouded 
his  private  life  from  observation.  The  few  things  that  had 
transpired  afforded  a  favourable  view  of  his  disposition. 
From  his  earliest  boyhood  he  was  little  disposed  to  fami- 
liarity with  any  one.  When  only  eight  years  of  age,  he 
attended  Gustavus  the  Third  to  a  grand  Council.  Upon 
this  occasion,  stepping  before  his  father  as  he  advanced 
to  the  regal  chair,  and  placing  himself  upon  it,  he  repeated, 
with  affected  gravity,  a  passage  from  one  of  the  Swedish 
tragedies: — "Let  us  sit  on  the  throne  of  our  ancestors." 
The  King,  instead  of  being  pleased  with  his  son's  humour, 
seemed  rather  piqued;  and  abruptly  handing  him  down, 
said,  "  Come,  come,  young  usurper!  there  will  be  a  more 
proper  season  for  these  sentiments,  when  I  am  gone!" 

With 


STOCKHOLM. 


239 


With  regard  to  other  stories  circulated  in  Stockholm,  respect-  chap.  vi. 
ing  either  the  young  Sovereign  or  his  fair  consort,  as  it  was 
impossible  to  give  credit  to  them,  so  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
relate  them.  The  general  tenor  of  all  of  them  was  to  represent 
the  King  as  a  haughty,  imperious,  but  benevolent  man,  desti- 
tute of  sound  judgment  and  literary  talents;  without  any  love 
of  the  Fine  Arts,  but  desirous  of  enforcing  strict  obedience  to 
the  laws,  both  by  precept  and  example :  and  the  Queen  as  a 
giddy  cheerful  romp,  more  disposed  towards  laughter  than 
serious  reflection,  who  would  prefer  a  game  at  blindman's 
buff  to  any  State  ceremony,  however  splendid  the  situation  she 
might  be  called  upon  to  fill. 

We  met  with  a  bookseller  in  Stockholm  who  assured  us  liable  ex- 
tents of  the 

— and  we  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  what  he  said —  Chests  at  uP- 

sala. 

that  he  had  often  been  employed  by  the  late  King,  Gustavus 
the  Third,  as  his  amanuensis.  He  declared  that  he  assisted 
that  monarch  in  arranging  and  in  copying  many  of  the 
manuscripts  now  deposited  at  Upsala  under  such  strict 
injunctions  of  their  being  kept  secret  until  the  time  arrives 
for  opening  the  chests  containing  them1.  He  seemed  well 
acquainted  with  the  nature  of  these  manuscripts  ;  and,  as  his 
character  is  highly  respectable,  and  the  information  he  afforded 
was  given  without  the  least  solicitation  on  our  part,  it  may 
perhaps  be  worth  attending  to.  The  most  important  part  of 
these  papers,  he  said,  as  written  by  Gustavus  the  Third, 
contains  the  History  of  his  own  Times ;  composed  with  a 
depth  of  political  knowledge,  and  most  profound  reflection, 

such 


1 )  See  the  former  Chapter. 


■  ■  ■ 


State  of  Lite 
rature. 


24Q  STOCKHOLM. 

chap.  vi.  such  as  might  be  expected  from  his  uncommon  talents  and 
observation.  This  History,  together  with  the  State  Papers 
necessary  for  its  illustration,  probably  make  up  the  principal 
part  of  this  mysterious  deposit,  which  has  excited  so  much 
curiosity. 

The  state  of  literature  in  Sweden  has  been  less  promising 
since  the  death  of  Linnceus  than  that  of  any  other  country  in 
Europe.  In  the  sciences,  however,  Chemistry,  in  spite  of 
every  obstacle  to  which  it  has  been  opposed,  in  a  country 
wanting  many  of  the  conveniences  necessary  for  its  progress, 
and  all  the  patronage  essential  to  its  encouragement,  has 
made  rapid  advances1.  The  chemical  discoveries  of  the 
Swedes,  in  all  their  Universities2,  redound  greatly  to  their 
honour.  Yet  the  science  of  Mineralogy,  connected  as  it  is 
with  Chemistry,  is  hardly  anywhere  at  a  lower  ebb  than  in 
Sweden:  and  Geology  may  be  considered  as  not  having  yet 
been  introduced  into  that  country ;  since  we  cannot  bestow 
the  name  of  Geology  upon  those  testimonies  of  its  presence 
which  the  Swedes  sometimes  exhibit  under  the  names  of 
Geological  Cabinets.  Botany,  moreover,  seemed  to  us  to  be 
fast  declining ;  as  if  all  its  blossoms  had  drooped  and  died 
with  its  great  master.  Other  branches  of  knowledge  appeared 
to  be  involved  in  the  same  fate.     History,  Metaphysics,  Laws, 

Languages, 


(1)  Witness  the  surprising  talents  of  Berxelius ;  himself  a  host,  filling  all  Europe 
with  admiration  of  his  great  abilities,  and  gratitude  for  the  importance  and  profundity  of 
his  researches.  Witness  also  the  discoveries  made  by  his  pupil,  Arfvedson.  Not  to  omit 
a  tribute  due  to  the  names  of  Ekeberg  of  Upsala,  Gahn  of  Fahlun,  Hisinger,  Hielm  of 
Stockholm,  and  many  others. 

(2)  The  name  of  the  University  of  Abo  would  hardly  have  been  known  in  the  rest  of 
Europe,  but  for  the  chemical  discoveries  of  Gadolin. 


STOCKHOLM.  241 

Languages,  Music,  the  Belles  Lettres,  were  only  known  as  so   chap.  vi. 

many  appellations  to  which  there  was  nothing   applicable. 

The  Fine  Arts,  once  nourishing  in  this  metropolis,  languished  Deplorable 

"  condition  of 

for  want  of  encouragement.     Add  to  all  this,  a  gloomy  pro-  the  Country- 
spect  in  the  State,  seeming  to  foretell  the  bursting  of  a  storm, 
which  was  gathering  fast  around  the  throne;  public  finances 
annihilated  ;    national  credit  extinct ;    taxes   accumulating  ; 
agriculture   neglected ;    manufactures   ruined  ;   insurrections 
ripe  in  every  quarter;   the  poor  oppressed  and  murmuring; 
the  liberty  of  the  press  banished ;   projects,  the  most  absurd, 
bursting,  like  bubbles,  as  fast  as  they  were  formed ; — such  was, 
at  this  moment,  the  abject  and  deplorable  state  of  this  land 
of  heroism,  honesty,  and  benevolence.     It  seemed  to  every 
reflecting  mind  as  if  Sweden  awaited  one  of  those  tremendous 
moral  revolutions  which,  by  tearing  to  atoms  the  constitution 
of  the  country,  offers,  amidst  its  ruins,  the  materials  of  a 
more  solid  structure.     The  necessity  of  convoking  the  Diet 
was  becoming  every  day  more  and  more  apparent;  yet  the 
courtiers,  twelve  or  thirteen  of  whom  surrounded  the  throne, 
being  averse  from  such  a  measure,  as  justly  alarmed  at  the 
consequences  of  an  inquiry  into  the  state  of  public  affairs, 
were  using  all  their  influence  to  prevent  it,  by  persuading 
the    King  to  disregard  the  agitation   which    was  evidently 
gathering  force  in  every  quarter  of  his  kingdom.     Such  was 
the   abject   state  of  the  paper   currency,   that   Bank-notes 
were  in   circulation  of  the  nominal  value   of  eight-pence, 
English;    but    which    were    considered   as   literally    worth 
nothing ;  no  one  being  willing  to  take  them.     The   com- 
merce of  the  country,  of  course,  experienced  a  lamentable 

vol.  vi.  n  check; 


242 


CHAP,  VI= 


STOCKHOLM. 

check ;  and   corn,  of  which  the  importation  annually  cost 
three  millions  of  dollars,  became  woefully  scarce.     In  this 
deplorable  condition  of  things,  the  State  candle  was  burning 
at  both  ends.     The  regulations  made  to  prevent  the  consump- 
tion of  coffee  and  of  spirits  were  wholly  ineffectual,  and  con- 
stantly evaded.     There  seemed  to  be  no  police  whatever; 
nor  any  assize  of  bread  ;   the  difference  of  one  half  prevailing 
in  the  price  of  the  same  article  in  different  parts  of  the  same 
town.    One  hundred  rix-dollars  had  been  paid  in  the  course  of 
the  last  year  for  a  single  load  of  hay  ;  peasants  being  actually 
compelled  to  kill  their  cattle,    or  to  sell  them  for  almost 
nothing,  or  to  feed  them  with  the  straw  from  the  tops  of 
their  houses. 

We  often  met  the  young  King  in  his  walks  through  the 
streets  :  it  was  a  practice  in  which  he  frequently  indulged  ; 
going  about  in  the  most  private  manner,  wrapped  in  a  drab 
great  coat,  and  attended  only  by  a  single  officer,  his  Master 
of  the  Horse.  It  was  understood  to  be  his  wish  that  he 
should  pass  without  notice,  as  it  would  be  troublesome  to 
him  to  be  continually  bowing  to  all  who  might  make  their 
obeisance.  But  as  Englishmen,  who  had  experienced  in 
every  part  of  his  kingdom  the  most  unbounded  hospitality, 
and  were  instigated  only  by  a  desire  to  testify  the  regard  we 
felt  for  a  country  of  which  he  was  the  Sovereign,  we  could 
not  forego  the  satisfaction  of  taking  off  our  hats,  whenever 
he  approached  ;  and,  notwithstanding  what  was  before  urged 
with  regard  to  his  conduct  towards  our  countrymen,  it  was 
pleasing  to  observe  that  upon  these  occasions  he  always 
returned  our  salute  in  the  most  gracious  manner. 

The 


STOCKHOLM. 


243 


The   places   of  Public    Amusement  in   this    city   are  not   chap.  vi. 

numerous:    the   principal   are,    the   Opera    House,  already  Places  of  Pub- 
lic Amuse- 

noticed ;  the  Theatre,  or,  as  it  is  here  called,  Dramatisha ;  ment. 
and  the  Vauxhall,  or  Gardens  of  Promenade.  The  building 
of  the  Opera  House  took  place  between  the  years  1776  and 
1782.  This  edifice  is  two  hundred  and  ten  Siuedish  feet  in 
length,  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth  ;  and  it  is  fifty- 
seven  feet  in  height.  The  front  is  decorated  with  columns 
and  pilasters  of  the  Corinthian  order.  It  constitutes  the 
chief  ornament  of  the  Nordermalm  Square,  being  oppo- 
site to  the  Palace  of  the  Princess  Royal.  The  Theatre  is 
situate  in  the  Old  Arsenal:  it  was  built  in  1792,  upon  the 
demolition  of  the  Theatre  Francaise,  which  was  taken 
down  in  the  alterations  made  to  lay  open  the  front  of  the 
Royal  Palace1.  In  this  theatre  are  represented  the  Sivedish 
tragedies,  comedies,  and  farces ;  the  best  of  which  are  quite 
below  mediocrity.  In  comedy,  however,  the  Sivedes  have 
some  excellent  actors.  We  saw  one,  whose  name  we  do 
not  recollect,  but  he  reminded  us  forcibly  of  our  own 
matchless  comedian,  John  Bannister,  whose  talents  will 
never  be  forgotten,  if  unaffected  simplicity  of  nature,  joined 
with  pathos  and  energy,  be  preferable  to  stage  tricks, 
affectation,  and  caricatura.  This  actor  was  deservedly  a 
great  favourite  with  the  Sivedes,  whose  stiff  and  serious 
features,  habitually  disposed  to  gravity,  relaxed  into  continual 

laughter 


(l)  The  old  French  theatre  is  now  changed  into  a  set  of  ante-rooms  belonging  to  this 
building. 


2U 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  laughter  the  whole  time  he  remained  upon  the  stage.  Siveden 
is  not  destitute  of  eminent  theatrical  writers  ;  but  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  dramatic  works  brought  forward  in  this 
country  are  translations  from  the  English  and  French  lan- 
guages :  this  is  always  the  case  with  their  farces,  if  they 
possess  the  smallest  degree  of  merit.  The  utmost  order 
prevails  in  their  theatres  during  the  representations  :  no 
person  moves  from  his  seat,  or  enters  into  conversation  with 
those  about  him  :  if  the  least  sound  of  a  voice  be  heard, 
except  from  the  stage,  a  general  hissing  immediately  puts 
the  intruder  to  silence. 
Academies.  Of  the  Societies  instituted  in  Stockholm  for  the  encourage- 

ment of  Literature,  there  are  five  which  bear  the  name  of 
Academies,  without  including  the  Patriotic  Society;  viz. 
The  Academy  of  Sciences ;  that  of  the  Belles  Lettres,  History, 
and  Antiquities;  the  Sivedish  Academy;  the  Academy  of 
Painting  and  Sculpture ;  and  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music. 
Among  these,  the  Academy  of  Sciences  holds  the  highest 
rank.  It  was  founded  in  1739,  by  several  learned  patriots, 
among  whom  it  is  sufficient  to  mention  the  senator  Count 
Hoepken,  Linnceus,  and  Alstroemer.  It  has  continually 
increased  and  prospered  since  its  first  establishment;  having 
published  more  than  one  hundred  volumes  of  Memoirs, 
Discourses,  Eulogies,  and  Dissertations,  all  in  the  Swedish 
language.  It  was  not  until  it  had  attained  the  summit  of 
its  reputation  that  it  was  received  under  the  protection  of 
Government;  which  has  since  allowed  to  it  great  advantages; 
among  others,  the  exclusive  right  of  publishing  and  dis- 
tributing almanacks  throughout  the  kingdom,  a  privilege 
>  from 


STOCKHOLM. 


245 


from  which  it  derives  a  revenue  annually  of  two  thousand  chap.  vi. 
rix-dollars.  The  sciences  which  chiefly  occupy  this  Academy 
are,  Natural  History,  Physic,  Anatomy,  Chemistry,  Astronomy, 
&c.  It  has  a  Library,  aCabinet  of  Natural  History,  anObserva- 
tory,  and  a  Botanic  Garden  bequeathed  to  it  by  Mr.  Berguis, 
the  direction  of  which  is  entrusted  to  Mr.  Swartz.  The 
Cabinet  of  Natural  History  is  under  the  inspection  of  Mr. 
Sparrman,  celebrated  for  his  voyages  in  the  South  Seas  with 
Captain  Cook,  and  for  his  African  Travels.  This  Academy 
has  a  President  and  two  Secretaries.  The  President  is 
renewed  every  three  months  :  the  two  Secretaries  are  perpe- 
tual. The  first,  Mr.  Melanderhielm,  directs  the  Academy,  and 
has  the  Library  under  his  care:  he  also  conducts  the  foreign 
correspondence,  and  publishes  the  Memoirs.  He  lives  in  the 
Hotel  of  the  Academy,  a  large  and  beautiful  building  in  the 
centre  of  the  town.  In  the  principal  chamber  is  the  bust 
of  its  founder,  Count  HoepJten.  The  other  secretary  is  Astro- 
nomer to  the  Academy :  he  lives  in  the  Observatory,  situate 
north  of  the  town.  He  is  employed  in  the  publication  of 
almanacks.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  Academy  of 

Sciences,  it  has  experienced  some  severe  losses  in  the  deaths 
of  Messrs.  Vilas,  De  Geer,  Wargentin,  Baech,  Berguis,  Scheele, 
&c. :  but  it  still  possesses  Mr.  Acrel,  chief  physician  ;  its 
President,  llosenadler,  who  has  bequeathed  to  it  all  his  Swedish 
books;  Admiral  Chapman;  Baron  A Istroemer;  Mr.  Engestroem; 
Baron  Hermelin;  Messrs.  Geyer  and  Hjelm,  excellent  mine- 
ralogists and  chemists,  the  latter  of  whom  first  obtained  M?- 
lybdenum  in  the  metallic  state ;  De  Carlson,  Payhdl,  Oedmann, 
&c.       Among  the  members  of  this  Academy,  it  boasts  of 

many 


■ 


HWWWWH 


246 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap. vi.  many  celebrated  foreigners: — in  France,  Lalande,  Expilly, 
Monnet,  Keralio,  he  Sage,  De  Morveau,  Boirffters,  &c. — in 
Spain,  Mutis; — in  Italy ,  Spallanzani,  Verri,  Morozzo,  Fontana, 
&c. — in  Germany,  Kdstner,  Kolpin,  Richter,  Forster,  Mbller, 
Achard,  Jacquin,  Schreber,  Weigel,  &c. — in  Russia,  JEpinas, 
Euler,  Rumoivski ,  Pallas,  Kourahin,  Razumowski,  Gallitzin, 
&c. — in  England,  Banhs,  Pennant,  Kirivan,  and  Smith  ; — 
in  Denmark,  Niebuhr,  Suhm,  and  Vahl ; — in  America, 
Priestley.  The  Memoirs  of  the  Academy  are  translated  at 
Venice  into  Latin,  with  the  title  Analecta  Transalpina;  and  at 
Gottingen  in  Germany,  into  French,  by  Mr.  Keralio.  The 
principal  part  of  the  Library  of  this  Academy  was  the 
gift  of  the  President  Rosenadler.  Among  the  books  are  some 
typographical  rarities;  a  Swedish  Bible,  with  wood-cuts, 
printed  at  Upsala  in  1541  ;  the  New  Testament,  in  quarto, 
with  wood-cuts,  printed  at  Stockholm  in  I54g  ;  the  first  New 
Testament  printed  in  Siveden,  dated  Stockholm  1521.  Also 
a  rare  work  (because  prohibited),  called  "  The  Battles  of 
Duke  Charles,"  or  Charles  IX.  That  the  proceedings  of 
this  Academy  should  be  published  only  in  the  Sivedish 
language  may  be  regretted  as  a  real  literary  loss  ;  for,  as  it  is 
observed  by  a  late  author  who  visited  this  country,  "  Si 
Linnde  avoit  ecrit  dans  sa  langue,  il  auroit  en,  sans  doute, 
autant  de  merite ;  mais,  a  coup  sur,  pas  aidant  de  ce'Ubritc1 ." 
Sparmann  added  greatly  to  the  Cabinet  of  this  Academy.  He 
classed  it  according  to  the  system  of  Linncens ;  giving  to  the 
Academy,  at  their  sittings,  his  own  descriptions  of  every  thing 

that 

(l)  Voyage  de  Deux  Francais,  torn.  II.  p.  74  (Note).     Paris,  17Q6. 


STOCKHOLM. 


247 


that  was  new.     Notwithstanding  these  additions,  there  is  not   chap.  vi. 
much  in  this  cabinet  which  can  be  considered  either  as  worth 
seeing  or  describing.      We  visited  it ;  and  were  quite  struck 
with  its  insignificance,  and  the  bad  taste  shewn  in  the  selec- 
tion and  manner  of  displaying  the  specimens.     Generally,  in 
the  first  view  one  has  of  a  Museum  of  this  kind,  merely  by 
casting  a  glance  over  it,  a  tolerable  correct  notion  may  be 
formed  of  the  style  and  character  of  the  exhibition.     Under 
this  impression,  we  did  not  expect  to  be  very  highly  gratified, 
when    we   observed,   upon    entering   the    apartment,    some 
miserable  specimens  of  common  Coral,  placed  in  a  row  upon 
pedestals  of  wretched  shell-work  that  would  have  degraded 
the  China  closet  of  an   ignorant  old  woman.     The   eye  is 
afterwards   caught  by  a   number  of  glass-cases,   containing 
organic  bodies  preserved  in  alcohol,  which  are,  for  the  most 
part,  reptiles;  serpents,  lizards,  toads,  and  frogs.    Here,  among 
the  more  remarkable  rarities,  we  were  shewn  the  generative 
organs    of  the    Ostrich   and   Rhinoceros;    the    Draco-volans, 
not  so  large  as  a  common  Bat;   the  foetus  of  a  Hottentot ; 
specimens  of  the  Rana  typhonia,  and  Rana  paradoxa,  from 
the   embryo    to   the   perfect   state   of  the   animal;    Lacerta 
Amhoinensis,    considered   a  great  rarity;    Venomous  Serpents 
of  America,  the  Indies,  and  South  Seas,  remarkable  for  the 
flatness  of  their  heads  ;  Flying  Fishes  of  the  Red  Sea;  Worms, 
Scorpions,  and  other  insects  in  great  number;  bones,  teeth,  &c. 
of  Elephants;  and  weapons,  dresses,  and  idols  of  the  Islands 
of  Australasia.     Around  the  room  are  ranged  specimens  of 
greater  magnitude;    as,  the  heads  of  the  Cape  Buffalo;   the 
Hippopotamus,    believed    to    be    the    Behemoth    of    sacred 

Scripture ; 


ffWfHWflftHWWT 


248  STOCKHOLM. 

chap.  vi.   Scripture ;  the  horns  of  various  animals,  some  of  astonishing 
size,  of  the  Rein- deer,  Elk,  &c. 

The  Academy  of  Belles  Lettres  was  much  patronized  by 
Gustavus  the  Third;  who  not  only  endowed  it  with  a  fund 
for  prizes,  but  also  for  allowing  premiums  to  several  of  its 
members.  Its  province  extends  to  Foreign  Literature  and 
Classical  Antiquities.  The  number  of  its  members  is  limited 
to  fifty.  It  was  founded  in  1753,  by  Queen  Louisa  Ulrica. 
Within  these  few  years,  it  has  lost  many  men  of  great  merit ; 
as,  Dalin,  Lagerbring,  Ulhre,  Potberg,  and  De  Bcrch.  Its 
secretary  is  Mr.  Tileman,  Royal  Antiquarian.  This  Academy 
has  published  several  volumes  of  Memoirs,  in  Swedish.  It 
possesses  a  beautiful  collection  of  medals. 

The  third,  the  Swedish  Academy,  or  the  Academy  of 
Eighteen,  is  so  called  from  the  number  of  its  members. 
It  was  instituted  for  the  cultivation  of  the  Sivedish  language, 
by  Gustavus  the  Third,  in  1786.  Its  particular  aim  is  to 
cultivate,  to  purify,  and  to  enrich  the  Swedish  language.  It 
composes  the  eulogies  of  Kings,  noblemen,  and  private 
men  who  have  been  celebrated.  It  has  published  many 
volumes,  on  these  and  other  subjects.  Gustavus  the  Third 
neglected  nothing  that  might  conduce  to  its  welfare.  Since 
the  year  1792,  it  has  enjoyed  the  exclusive  privilege  of 
publishing  the  Swedish  Gazette.  Its  secretary  is  Mr. 
Rosenstein,  late  preceptor  of  Gustavus  the  Fourth.  It  is 
usual,  upon  the  death  of  one  of  its  members,  to  deliver 
a  funeral  oration,  illustrating  his  merits,  enumerating  his 
writings,  and  pronouncing  his  eulogium.  This  ceremony 
is  always  attended  by  the  Academicians  in  their  full  dress, 

by 


STOCKHOLM. 


249 


by  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family,  the  Nobles  and  chap.  vi. 
Gentry  of  Stockholm,  and  Foreigners  admitted  with  tickets 
distributed  by  the  members  of  the  Academy.  We  were 
present  upon  one  of  these  occasions,  Saturday,  November  23, 
when  the  sitting  was  attended  with  a  great  degree  of 
grandeur.  It  was  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Stenhammar .  We 
arrived  in  the  evening,  and  found  the  chamber  of  the  Aca- 
demy illuminated  by  a  profusion  of  candles  suspended  in 
heavy  chandeliers  of  cut  glass.  Upon  the  right  hand,  as  we 
entered,  in  boxes  affixed  to  the  wall,  sate  the  King  and  his 
Court ;  his  Majesty,  with  the  male  part  of  his  suite  of 
attendants,  being  in  one  of  the  boxes  ;  and  the  Duchess  of 
Sudermania,  with  her  maids  of  honour,  in  the  other.  The 
seats  on  the  opposite  side  were  filled  with  Noblemen,  Ambas- 
sadors, Peeresses,  and  Foreigners  of  distinction.  In  the 
middle  of  the  assembly,  and  below  the  King's  box,  was  a 
long  table,  at  which  were  placed  the  members  of  the 
Academy.  The  rest  of  the  apartment  was  crowded  by 
military  officers  and  the  sons  of  the  principal  families  of 
Stockholm,  all  in  full  dress  or  in  uniform.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  sitting  opened  with  a  Congratulatory  Poem 
addressed  to  the  King,  by  Mr.  Leopold,  the  most  cele- 
brated of  the  Swedish  Poets,  upon  the  birth  of  the  young 
Prince;  containing,  as  may  be  easily  supposed,  little 
more  than  the  most  extravagant  adulation,  disposed  into 
metre  and  rhyme.  After  this  had  been  read,  a  new 
member,  Count  Fleming,  was  introduced,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Stenhammar,  and  to 
vol.  vi.  k  k  pronounce 


250 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  pronounce  the  funeral  oration1.  This  was  read  by  the  Count, 
from  a  manuscript,  in  the  Sivedish  language,  written  in  a 
terse  and  elegant  style,  with  great  uniformity  of  diction,  but 
highly  polished;  and  it  gave  general  satisfaction.  The 
reading  lasted  a  considerable  time.  When  it  was  over,  his 
Majesty  advanced  towards  the  Duchess  of  Sudermania,  and 
kissed  her  before  all  the  company  present;  a  ceremony 
which,  as  was  before  remarked,  very  generally  attends  the 
breaking  up  of  assemblies  in  Sweden. 

The  Academy  of  Painting  and  Sculpture  was  founded 
in  1/35,  by  Count  Tessin.  It  was  particularly  protected  by 
Gustavus  the  Third,  who,  in  1783,  enlarged  and  perfected  the 
plan  of  its  establishment  by  new  regulations.  It  publishes 
every  year  an  exposition  of  its  works,  and  distributes  prizes 
among  its  pupils.  Of  this  Academy,  Mr.  Fredenheim  is 
President,  and  Mr.  Pasch  Director ;  the  first,  Intendant  of  the 
King's  Buildings;  the  second,  Keeper  of  the  King's  Pictures. 
Among  its  members,  it  boasts  of  the  celebrated  Sergell,  one  of 
the  greatest  sculptors  in  Europe.  The  other  most  distin- 
guished members  of  this  Academy  are,  Mr.  Breda,  the 
portrait-painter;  Mr.  Templeman,  the  Secretary,  and  Architect 
to  the  King  ;  Mr.  Masrelier,  Painter  to  the  King;  the  famous 

Dcspres, 

(l)  Acerbi  has  mentioned  a  Swedish  bon-mot,  upon  the  occasion  of  Count  Fleming's 
being  introduced  as  the  new  member  of  the  Academy  of  Eighteen  ;  which  will  shew  the 
natural  sprightliness  and  wit  of  the  Swedes,  notwithstanding  the  character  of  gravity 
often  imputed  to  them.  When  the  Count  took  his  seat  among  the  Academicians,  a  wag 
observed  that  their  number  now  amounted  exactly  to  170.  *  How  so?'  it  was  asked. 
'Because,'  replied  he,  'when  a  cipher  is  added  to  the  number  seventeen,  the  amount  is  I/O.* 
— See  Acer  bis  Travels,  vol.  I.  p.  I/O.    Loud.  1S02. 


M 


STOCKHOLM. 


251 


Despres,  scene-painter,  &c. ;    the  two  Martins,  one  a  land-   chap.  vi. 
scape  painter,  the  other  an  engraver  and  painter  in  water- 
colours.     It  has  lost  Mr.  Gillberg,  who  produced  the  medals 
which  compose  the  medallic  history  of  Gustavus  the  Third. 

The  Royal  Academy  of  Music  was  founded  in  1772,  by 
Gustavus  the  Third.  The  Opera  is  annexed  to  its  establish- 
ment. It  has  produced  works  of  great  merit,  in  poetry, 
music,  and  scenery:  for  example,  the  famous  opera  of 
Gustavus  Vasa,  which  was  brought  out  with  unequalled 
splendour  and  perfection.  The  music  of  its  pieces  is  princi- 
pally composed  by  Uttini,  an  Italian;  and  by  Vogler  and 
Kraus,  who  are  Germans. 

The  Patriotic  Society  began  to  assemble  in  1767?  and  is 
numerous  as  to  its  members.  It  is  chiefly  occupied  in  the 
science  of  Economy,  as  applied  to  the  kingdom:  it  publishes 
annually  works  upon  this  subject.  Its  principal  secretary 
is  Mr.  Modur,  who  may  be  considered  as  its  founder.  This 
society  is  truly  useful  to  the  Swedish  nation. 

On  Saturday,  December  7th,  the  King  left  Stockholm,  for 
Upsala,  in  consequence  of  a  petition  he  received,  as  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University,  from  the  Students,  remonstrating 
against  the  conduct  of  the  Rector  Magnificus,  and  demanding 
a  legal  inquiry  into  the  propriety  of  the  measures  he  had 
thought  proper  to  pursue.  These  young  men  had  celebrated  Riots  at 
Buonaparte's  return  to  Paris'1;  and  exhibited  an  ideot,  in 
solemn  procession,  dressed  and  decorated  with  the  uniform, 
orders,  and  insignia  of  Suwarqf.       The  principal  magistrate 

of 


(2)  After  landing  at  Frejus,  from  his  Egyptian  expedition. 


H 


252 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.   of  the  University  had  therefore  assembled  the  students,  and 

publickly  reproved  them  for  their  conduct.     In  consequence 

of  this  disgrace,  which  they  conceived  they  had  not  merited, 

the  appeal  had  been  made  to  the  King.      Upon  receiving  this 

petition,  his   Majesty  immediately  repaired  to    Upsala ;   and 

having  satisfied  himself  of  the  irregular  behaviour  of  a  parcel 

of  unruly   boys,   made    it   known    to    the    members  of  the 

University  that  he  did  not  deem  them  any  longer  worthy  either 

of  his   patronage    or  protection,   and    accordingly   resigned 

the  Chancellorship.     This  was  one   of  those  measures,  for 

which,  having  acted  from  the  impulse  of  his  own  heart,  and 

consulting  the  advice  of  no  one  able  to  guide  him,  he  was 

universally  blamed   in  Stockholm:  it  was  said,  that  it  might 

tend  to  the  ruin  of  the  University.    To  an  impartial  bystander, 

the  King's  only  error  seemed  to  be  in  having  at  all  noticed  an 

application  of  so  puerile  a  nature,  and  one  that  he  might  so 

easily  have  dismissed,  by  referring   the  whole  affair   to  the 

resident  magistrate.     But  so  determined  was  he  to  adopt  his 

own  judgment  in  all  things,  that  if  any  of  his  Ministers 

had  the  reputation  of  influencing  his  actions,  it  was  made  a 

sufficient  ground  for  their  immediate  dismissal. 

lioyai  Palace.  We  availed  ourselves  of  his  absence,  upon  this  occasion, 
to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Royal  Palace  ;  strangers  not  being 
admitted,  during  his  residence,  into  the  State  apartments.  This 
magnificent  structure  is  one  of  the  finest  modern  edifices  of 
the  kind  in  Europe.  It  is  not  so  spacious  as  the  Royal 
Palace  of  Copenhagen,  but  it  has  a  grander  aspect,  being  upon 
an  eminence  which  commands  all  parts  of  the  city.  It  is  of 
a  square  form,  built  four  stories  high,  of  brick-work,  faced 

with 


STOCKHOLM. 


-253 


with  stucco  after  the  Italian  manner1,  and  adorned  with  chap.  vi. 
Grecian  pillars  and  pilasters.  The  interior  court  measures 
about  eighty-seven  paces  by  seventy-five.  A  marble  stair- 
case leads  to  the  Chapel,  which  is  surrounded  by  a  gallery, 
and  beautifully  decorated.  Opposite  the  Chapel  is  the 
Council-chamber,  in  which  we  saw  two  fine  portraits  by 
an  unknown  artist;  one  of  Gust avus  Vasa,  executed  in  black 
drapery ;  and  another  of  Gustavus  Adolphus.  These  are  whole 
lengths;  but  they  have  been  stretched  upon  new  canvas 
since  they  were  originally  painted,  by  which  means  the 
back- ground  has  in  each  instance  been  enlarged,  and  the 
original  design  of  the  painter  extended  with  marvellous  suc- 
cess ;  the  harmony  and  due  effect  not  being  at  all  violated, 
which  is  very  unusual  in  such  cases.  The  State  apartments 
consist  of  a  suite  of  chambers,  the  first  of  which,  of  a  square 
form,  is  ornamented  with  gilded  columns.  Here  there  are  two 
statues  as  large  as  life,  by  the  famous  Sergell,  who  was  at  this 
time  resident  in  Stockholm,  afflicted,  as  it  was  said,  with  an 
incurable  melancholy:  the  one  is  a  statue  of  Apollo,  the  other 
of  Venus;  the  head  of  the  latter  being  a  portrait  of  the 
Countess  Hoepken*.  Passing  on,  we  entered  another  grand 
chamber,  furnished  with  rich  French  velvet;  in  which  were 
six  marble  busts,  also  by  Sergell,  representing  the  Family  of 
Gustavus  the  Third.  After  this  occurred  a  small  Cabinet, 
serving  as  a  kind  of  vestibule  to  thePicture  Gallery,  containing 
an  antique  marble  bason,   supported  by  a  tripod  of  lion's 

feet, 


(1)  See  the  Plate  facing  p.  152,  in  the  former  Volume. 

(2)  Voyage  de  Deux  Francois,  torn.  II.  p.  54. 


H 


254 


STOCKHOLM. 


Picture 
Gallery 


chap.  vi.  feet,  and  three  antient  marble  statues — Juno,  Pescennius  Niger, 
and  A  Youth  with  a  Swan  holding  in  its  beak  a  serpent. 
The  Picture  Gallery  contains  some  fine  pieces ;  but  in  the 
examination  of  this  collection,  we  thought  that  the  number  of 
copies  exceeded  the  original  pictures  in  the  proportion  of  ten 
to  one.  It  was  principally  formed  by  Gustavus  the  Third, 
during  his  travels  in  Italy ;  and  any  one  who  has  resided  in 
that  country  will  figure  to  himself  the  traffic  that  would  be 
going  on  when  a  young  Prince,  passionately  fond  of  the  arts, 
and  liberal  in  his  disposition,  arrived  among  the  Ciceroni  and 
dealers  at  Rome.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  he  should  have 
brought  away  with  him  more  trash  than  most  of  our  English 
nobility  journeying  as  amateurs.  In  viewing  this  collection, 
it  was  easy  to  recognize  the  decisive  marks  of  a  system  of 
imposition,  and  some  articles  of  manufacture,  which  have 
continued  for  many  years  to  exercise  the  ingenuity  of  the 
Italian  artists,  and  to  dupe  the  credulous  foreigners  by  whom 
they  are  visited. — In  this  gallery  is  a  picture  of  The  death  of 
Adonis,  attributed  to  Vandyke,  which  is  assuredly  a  copy1. 
Others,  said  to  be  by  Bassano,  which  are  also  copies.  One 
attributed  to  Leander  da  Ponte,  seemed  to  be  really  by 
that  master.  A  picture  of  Sigismund,  king  of  Siveden  and 
Poland,  on  horseback,  ivith  a  dog,  in  the  manner  of 
Vandyke,  is  shewn  as  a  picture  painted  by  Rubens,  Van- 
dyke, and  Sneyders :  it  was  bought  at  a  common  post- 
house,   for  a  single   ducat.      Of  this  picture   it    is    usually 

said, 


(l)  The  Authors  of  the  Voyage  de  Deux  Francais  ascribe  this  picture  to  Le  Moine. 
See  torn.  II.  p.  55. 


STOCKHOLM. 


255 


said,  that  the  figure  of  Sigismund  is  by  Vandyke,  the  horse  chap.  vi. 
by  Rubens,  and  the  dog  by  Sneyders.  Here  are  many 
pleasing  and  highly- finished  Flemish  pictures;  and  among 
others,  some  of  Wouvermans :  also  a  masterly  picture  by 
Rembrandt,  of  a  Philosopher  reading.  A  Butcher  cutting  up 
an  ox;  said  to  be  by  Teniers;  doubtful.  The  Family  of 
Rubens,  by  Vandyke.  Besides  these,  are  works  attributed  to 
Poussin,  Berghem,  Holbein,  Titian,  Lanfranc,  and  Simon  da 
Pesaro,  which  it  would  be  tedious  to  enumerate.  In  the  same 
gallery,  moreover,  are  thirteen  antique  marble  statues,  some  of 
which  may  justly  rank  among  the  finest  reliques  of  antient  art. 
In  other  parts  of  this  stately  palace  are  many  other  pictures 
and  statues ;  among  the  latter,  a  small  statue  of  A  cumbent 
Fawn,  one  of  the  finest  works  of  Sergell.  We  were  conducted 
from    this   Gallery   to   the  private  apartments  of  the   King,  Private Cabi. 

.  ...  -  nets  of  Gusia- 

and  much  interested  in  viewing  the  elegant  suite  of  small  vusthe  Third. 
rooms  in  which  Gustavus  the  Thir d  exercised  a  taste  of  which 
he  was  vain,  in  shewing  how  much  it  was  possible  to  contrive 
within  a  narrow  compass.  This  was  what  he  used  to  call  his 
Multum  in  parvo.  Master  of  a  palace  vast  enough  to  accom- 
modate all  the  Sovereigns  in  Europe,  he  would  creep  into 
closets,  in  order  to  convince  his  friends  how  snug,  con- 
venient, and  withal  how  elegant,  a  room  might  be  made, 
in  which  the  head  of  a  tall  man  would  touch  the  cieling,  and 
his  arms,  when  extended,  the  side  walls.  It  was  with  this  view 
he  used  to  retire  to  his  little  chambers  in  the  Opera  House, 
where  he  would  frequently  lodge ;  quitting  a  palace  like 
Hadrian  s  Villa,  to  dwell  in  Diogenes'  tub. — At  the  end  of  a 
series  of  such  small  cabinets  which  were  once   occupied  by 

him 


i^^HHHHH 


4W** 


256 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vi.  him  in  this  palace,  we  were  shewn  an  elegant  boudoir,  or 
closet  for  writing ;  the  table  being  raised,  and  adapted  to  a 
rich  couch  surrounding  the  apartment.  The  doors  of  all  the 
rooms  leading  to  this  boudoir  being  placed  in  a  straight  line, 
and  glazed,  enabled  the  King,  as  he  sat,  to  view  the  whole 
extent  of  these  chambers,  •  and  the  persons  of  all  who  might 
be  in  them,  even  when  the  doors  were  shut. 


IGNEOUS  BASALT,  from  the.  Bottom  of  a  Copper  Furnace  in  Siberia. 

The  origiua'.  Specimen  in  the  possession  of  the  King  of  Sadden. 


CHAP.  VII. 


STOCKHOLM. 

Public  Women — Mildness  of  the  Season — Vauxhall — Watchmen — Balls 
of  the  Society — Manners  of  the  Inhabitants — Public  Executions — 
Artists  —  Royal  Palaces  —  Views  of  Stockholm — Description  of 
Drottningholm — Lake  Moelar  —  Sudden  Change  induced  by  the 
coming  of  Winter — Frozen  Game — Population — State  of  Trade — 
Boot  and  Shoe  Market — Cabinet  of  Models — College  of  Mines — 
Igjieous  Basalt — Jpparel  worn  by  Charles  the  Twelfth  when  he  was 
assassinated — Cast  of  that  King's  face  after  death — Royal  Library 
vol.  vj.  l  l  —Codex 


__■      ^B 


Public 
Women 


Mildness  of 
the  Season. 


STOCKHOLM. 

— Codex  Aureus — Codex  Giganteus  —  Curious  Manuscript  Code 
of  Medicine — Typographical  Rarities — Collection  of  Original  Designs 

—  Royal  Museum  —  Observations  on  the  Literature  of  Sweden  — 
Literary  Productions — Establishments — Gymnasia — Committee  for 
Public  Education — Chirurgical  and  Medical  Colleges — Remarks  on 
the  Swedish  Poetry — List  of  Poetical  Works — Operas — Dramas 

—  Comedies — Works  in  the  higher  order  of  Literature. 

chap. til  THE  streets  of  Stockholm  are  not  paved  for  foot-passengers; 
neither  do  they  swarm  with  prostitutes,  like  the  public 
streets  of  London.  Women  of  this  description  are,  however, 
not  the  less  numerous  here,  for  being  less  public  in  their 
appearance,  During  the  month  of  November  we  were 
surprised  at  the  mildness  of  the  temperature ;  the  ther- 
mometer of  Fahrenheit,  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  month, 
varying  from  40  to  44  degrees,  when  we  had  expected  that 
we  should  have  been  going  about  in  sledges  upon  the  snow. 
We  went  to  what  are  called  the  Vauxhall  Gardens,  upon 
Sunday,  November  1  7,  after  visiting  the  Theatre,  which  we 
found  more  than  usually  dull.  These  gardens  have  but 
little  resemblance  to  those  in  England,  whence  their  name 
has  been  borrowed  :  a  few  rows  of  trees,  and  a  narrow  room 
for  walking  or  dancing,  about  eighty  yards  in  length,  make 
up  the  whole.  This  room  is  lighted  by  lustres  of  cut  glass. 
In  a  gallery  upon  the  left  was  a  band  of  musicians,  who 
played  during  the  evening,  from  six  to  ten,  when  a  trumpet 
sounded  for  the  company  to  disperse.  The  principal  part 
of  the  persons  present  were  women  of  the  class  before 
mentioned:  the  company,  consequently,  with  the  exception 
of  several  officers  of  the  army,  being  of  the  lower  orders. 

We 


Vauxhall. 


STOCKHOL  M. 


259 


We  were  a  good  deal  amused  by  the  grotesque  appearance  chap.  vii. 
of  the  watchmen,  in  the  streets  at  night.  Their  dress  watchmen. 
consists  entirely  of  the  skins  of  animals;  and  they  walk  in 
pairs,  carrying  in  their  hands  a  curious  instrument  for  seizing 
culprits  who  may  endeavour  to  make  their  escape  from 
them.  It  is  so  contrived  as  to  shut  fast  about  the  neck, 
being  applied  below  the  back  part  of  the  head  ;  and  becoming 
tighter,  the  more  a  person  struggles  to  get  free.  When  once, 
therefore,  this  instrument  is  fixed,  the  prisoner  is  sure  to 
remain  quiet,  through  fear  of  being  choked:  afterwards, 
it  opens  with  a  spring.  Perhaps  this  portable  trap,  or 
thief-collar,  might  be  made  useful  in  our  own  country,  to 
aid  the  apprehension  of  midnight  robbers  by  the  police  of 
our  metropolis :  and  we  are  quite  sure,  that  it  is  more 
wanted  in  London  than  in  Stockholm,  where  all  the  watch- 
men have  to  do,  is,  to  carry  about  their  rattle-spikes,  with 
these  instruments,  calling  the  hour  in  the  same  dismal  ditty 
which  is  heard  all  over  Sweden1 — ■ 

Klockan  ar  tie  slagen! — 
Fran  eld,  och  brand, 
Och  fienden's  hand, 
Bevara,  O  Gud  !    den  stad  och  land  ! — 
Klockan  ar  tie  slagen ! 

As  a  contrast  to  the  scene  exhibited  by  their  Vauxhall, — 

where, 

( I )  The  author  finds  this  preserved  in  the  MS.  Journal  of  his  friend  Dr.  Fiott  Lee. 
It  is  thus,  when  literally  translated  : 

The  clock  has  struck  ten  ! — 

From  fire,  and  burning  (fire-brandj, 
And  from  the  enemies'  hand, 
Save,  0  God  !  this  town  and  land  ! — 
The  clock  has  struck  ten  ! 


260 


S  T  O  C  K  H  0  L  M. 


Balls  of  the 
Society. 


chap.  vii.  where,  however,  there  is  nothing  of  rudeness  or  disorder,  — 
a  stranger  finds  in  the  balls  of  the  Society  the  utmost  degree 
of  elegance  and  the  most  polished  manners.  We  accom- 
panied Baron  Oxenstierna,  with  Messrs.  Acerbi  and  Bcllotti, 
and  our  friends  Messrs.  Kent  and  Jarrett,  to  one  of  those 
balls.  The  preceding  day,  November  25,  had  been  a  great 
day  at  Court,  and  most  of  the  principal  personages  were 
present  upon  this  occasion.  We  were  much  struck  with 
the  magnificence  of  the  assembly.  The  dancing  began 
with  quadrilles  ;  after  which  the  company  joined  in  what 
they  called  the  long  dance ;  that  is  to  say,  one  of  our 
English  country-dances :  the  whole  was  then  concluded 
with  a  waltz,  when  they  all  adjourned  to  the  supper-rooms. 
There  were  three  rooms  for  supper  ;  two  ball-rooms  ;  and 
two  other  apartments  for  cards — a  very  favourite  amuse- 
ment with  all  the  Swedes.  This  entertainment  lasted  until 
near  five  o'clock  in  the  following  morning. 

From  all  that  we  had  seen  of  Sweden  we  found  much 
more  to  admire  than  to  disapprove,  and  very  little  to  censure  : 
the  generality  of  Englishmen  visiting  the  country  will  pro- 
bably coincide  in  this  opinion.  The  more  we  became 
acquainted  with  the  inhabitants,  the  better  we  were  pleased 
with  them.  There  are  few  places  where  the  traveller  will 
find  a  greater  facility  of  intimate  intercourse  with  the 
different  families  than  in  Stockholm :  for  although  the 
hospitality  he  may  experience  be  not  of  that  unbounded 
nature  which  distinguishes  the  natives  at  a  distance  from 
the  capital,  it  is  on  this  account  less  oppressive,  and  more 
according  to  the  rules  of  refinement.     The  time  of  paying 

and 


Manners  of 
the  Inhabi- 
tants. 


STOCKHOLM. 


261 


and  receiving  visits  is  in  the  evening:  it  begins  about  five  chap, vii. 
o'clock.  Having  been  once  introduced,  no  invitation  is 
afterwards  necessary.  As  no  visits  are  made  in  a  morning, 
every  one  makes  his  appearance  dressed  for  the  evening 
parties.  They  occur  in  several  houses,  at  each  of  which 
it  is  usual  to  stay  half  or  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  At 
these  parties  the  amusements  are,  music,  singing,  cards, 
and  dancing.  The  conversation  is  always  lively,  and  gene- 
rally remarkable  for  the  good  humour  and  mirth  which  is 

excited. 

Public  executions,   always  rare  in   the  provinces,   are  not  Public 

J  Executions. 

common  in  the  capital.  During  our  residence  in  Stockholm 
an  event  of  this  kind  took  place.  Two  malefactors,  con- 
demned for  forging  the  paper  money,  were  hanged.  The 
concourse  of  people,  to  see  these  men  executed,  exceeded  any 
we  had  ever  observed  elsewhere,  upon  a  similar  occasion.  For 
some  hours  before  the  sentence  of  the  law  was  enforced,  the 
streets  of  the  city  leading  to  the  place  of  execution  were 
full  of  passengers,  moving  towards  the  spot.  This  is  situate 
in  a  forest,  about  three  English  miles  from  Stockholm.  The 
lower  part  of  the  gibbet  was  surrounded  by  a  circular  wall, 
concealing  the  executioners  from  view,  and  leaving  only  the 
top  of  the  gallows  visible.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  two  culprits  were  conducted  from  their 
prison  to  this  place.  The  rocks  and  hills  around  were 
covered  with  spectators,  and  the  throng  in  the  road  was  so 
great  that  carriages  could  not  approach.  The  two  malefactors, 
after  being  allowed  to  halt  (as  is  usual  in  such  cases)  at  a 
small  cabaret,  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine,  were  brought  to  the 

outside 


5^M^>*Mf 


262 


STOCKHOLM. 


chaf.  vii.  outside  of  the  circular  wall  at  the  foot  of  the  gibbet.  Two 
ropes  appeared  above  this  wall,  hanging  from  the  beam.  At 
the  door  which  opened  into  the  interior  area,  the  secretary  of 
the  police  read  to  the  two  criminals  the  sentence  which  had 
been  pronounced  against  them  ;  after  which  they  were  ushered 
in.  About  five  minutes  had  elapsed,  after  their  entrance, 
when  the  ropes  began  to  be  in  motion.  The  executioner 
at  the  same  time  made  his  appearance,  having  ascended  a 
ladder  placed  against  the  beam  of  the  gibbet.  Immediately 
one  of  the  criminals  was  drawn  up  by  a  rope  fastened  round 
his  waist,  and  exposed  to  view,  with  his  hands  bound  behind 
him,  his  eyes  covered,  and  his  head  and  legs  hanging  down. 
A  short  rope  was  fastened  to  his  neck,  with  a  loop,  which 
the  executioner  attached  to  an  iron  hook  in  the  beam  ;  and 
then,  letting  go  the  rope  by  which  he  had  been  drawn  up, 
and  placing  his  foot  upon  the  criminal's  head,  his  neck  was 
instantly  broken.  The  other  malefactor  suffered  in  the  same 
way. 

These  unfortunate  men  were  remarkably  well  dressed,  and 
seemed  to  have  paid  an  attention  to  their  persons  which  is 
very  remarkable  at  such  an  awful  moment.  One  of  them  had 
served  as  a  Serjeant  in  the  provincial  cavalry,  of  which  the 
Duke  of  Sudermania  was  colonel.  His  melancholy  fate  seemed 
to  interest  and  affect  the  spectators,  many  of  whom  were  in 
tears.  As  he  was  drawn  up,  his  voice  was  heard  uttering, 
several  times,  these  words  :•— 

u  Gud  bevara  min  sjal !   min  sjal !" 

"  God  save  my  soul !  my  soul  /" 

We 


STOCKHOLM. 


263 


We  remained  in   Stockholm  during  a  considerable  part  of  chap.  vii. 
the  months  of  November  and  December,  having  no  reason  to 
complain  either  of  the  climate  or  of  the  inhabitants.     Indeed, 
when  we  considered  the   latitude  of  the  place,   it  seemed  as 
if  winter  had  postponed  its  annual  visit. 

In  a  former  volume  we  mentioned  some  of  the  artists  Artis 
of  this  city.  Towards  the  end  of  November  we  were 
occupied  in  renewing  our  visits  to  them,  and  also  in 
inspecting  the  works  of  others.  A  painter,  Mr.  Breda,  late 
pupil  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  was  engaged  in  painting  a  whole- 
length  portrait  of  the  King,  who  sate  to  him  every  day. 
This  portrait  was  a  very  fine  one,  and  a  striking  likeness  of 
his  Majesty.  Mr  Breda  had  a  valuable  cabinet  of  pictures 
of  the  old  Masters,  which  had  been  formed  by  his  father. 
At  an  engraver's  of  the  name  of  Martin,  brother  of  the 
landscape-painter  of  that  name,  whom  we  before  men- 
tioned, we  procured  many  views  of  the  mines  and  of  the 
city,  some  of  which  have  been  engraved  for  this  work. 
We  visited  that  eccentric  genius  Desprds,  a  painter  brought 
from  Italy  by  the  late  King ;  and  saw  several  fine  pictures, 
the  works  of  his  hand.  Being  admitted  into  the  workshop 
of  the  celebrated  Sergell,  we  saw  the  colossal  bronze  statue 
of  Gustavus  the  Third,  ordered  by  the  citizens  of  Stockholm, 
for  a  pedestal  of  polished  porphyry,  which  was  already 
placed  upon  the  Quay,  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  Palace. 
Sergell  is  considered  as  second  only  to  Canova,  in  the  art 
of  sculpture.  This  bronze  statue  represents  the  King  as 
a  pedestrian  figure,  dressed  in  a  long  mantle,  in  the  act  of 
haranguing  his   troops.     It  is  eleven  feet  high.     The  right 

hand 


Hi 


2G4 


CHAP.  VII. 


STOCKHOLM. 

hand  is  raised  and  extended,  holding  an  olive-branch.  The 
modelling  cost  10,000  rix-dollars  ;  the  casting  and  metal, 
20,000.  We  saw  a  valuable  collection  of  designs,  books, 
and  casts,  at  the  house  of  Masrelier,  whose  own  drawings 
are  deservedly  in  high  estimation.  Upon  the  28th  of 
November  we  were  invited  by  Baron  Oxemtierna  to  a  dinner, 
at  which  we  met  all  our  English  friends.  In  the  evening, 
Signor  Acerbi,  who  was  present,  amused  the  company  by  the 
exhibition  of  his  musical  talents  ;  performing  upon  the  harpsi- 
chord a  great  variety  of  national  airs,  to  which,  with  surprising 
facility,  he  adapted  the  most  skilful  and  pleasing  variations. 
Upon  Friday  the  Oth  of  December,  we  set  out  to  visit 
lioyai Places.  Drottningholm,  one  of  the  royal  palaces  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. The  name  of  this  place,  when  translated,  signifies 
The  Queen  8  Island  :  it  is  situate  in  an  island  upon  the  borders 
of  the  Lake  Moelar.  about  six  English  miles  from  Stockholm. 
As  a  place  of  summer  residence,  nothing  can  be  more  delight- 
ful. There  are  two  other  palaces  belonging  to  the  King  in 
the  environs — Gripsholm  and  Stromsholm ;  but  this  by  far 
exceeds  the  others  in  beauty,  and  has  generally  been 
preferred  by  the  Royal  Family.  The  view  of  Stockholm 
from  the  bridge,  in  going  to  Drottningholm,  is  the  best :  and  if 
external  appearance  alone  were  to  be  relied  on,  this  might 
be  deemed  the  most  magnificent  city  in  the  world.  But 
the  effect  produced  is  not  to  be  described  in  words :  the  aid 
of  the  painter  is  here  wanted1.      White  edifices,  consisting 

of 

(l)  There  cannot  be  a  better  subject  for  a  Panorama  than  a  View  of  Stockholm, 
connected  as  the  different  objects  are  with  many  interesting  events  in  History.     If  the 

ingenious 


Views  of 
Stockholm- 


STOCKHOLM. 


565 


of  public  and  private  palaces,   churches,  and  other  build-  chap.  vii. 
ings,  rising  from  an  expanse  of  waters,  produce   an   effect  Description 

t  of  Drdltning  - 

of  incomparable  grandeur.  The  approach  to  Drottmng-  Mm. 
holm  is  by  a  floating-bridge,  seven  hundred  feet  in  length. 
This  bridge,  they  say,  was  finished  in  twenty-two  days ; 
and  cost  five  thousand  rix-dollars  :  it  is  constructed 
entirely  of  wood.  The  palace  is  a  handsome  stuccoed 
building,  roofed  with  copper,  with  side  wings  ;  and  has  at 
either  extremity  a  pavilion,  surmounted  by  a  dome,  one  of 
which  is  the  chapel;  The  length  of  the  whole  building 
seemed  to  be  about  forty  yards.  We  went  first  into  the 
chapel,  which  is  small,  and  perfectly  simple.  Then  we  took 
a  walk  round  the  gardens,  which  we  found  barbarously 
laid  out,  in  the  old  style,  with  shorn  trees  and  clipped  hedges. 
We  were  conducted  to  a  Theatre  formed  in  this  wretched 
taste,  by  means  of  avenues.  We  soon  saw  enough  to 
convince  us  that  nature  had  done  every  thing  for  Droit- 
ningholm,  and  man  worse  than  nothing.  In  the  reign  of 
Gustavus  the  Third  this  place  partook  largely  of  the  splen- 
dour that  characterized  his  reign;  the  sum  of  money 
expended  in  its  decorations  was  enormous.  Its  interior 
exhibits  a  very  different  aspect  now,  from  its  appearance 
then.      The   Library  and    some    of    the   rooms   are   worth 

seeing; 


ingenious  artist,  to  whom  the  public  has  been  indebted  for  so  many  excellent  pictures 
of  this  kind,  should  pursue  the  hint  here  suggested,  he  will  probably  select,  for  his 
point  of  view,  the  little  hill  upon  which  the  Observatory  stands,  or  else  the  tower  of 
St.  Catherines  Church;  whence  the  eye  commands,  not  only  the  whole  of  this  remarkable 
city,  intersected  with  all  its  bays,  creeks,  and  harbours,  but  also  the  numerous  little 
islands,  with  all  the  principal  squares,  streets,  palaces,  churches,  and  country-seats. 

VOL.  VI.  M  M 


*»,»?• 


^66 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  seeing ;  but,  upon  the  whole,  there  was  nothing  to  detain 
us  long.  A  noble  statue  of  Neptune,  in  bronze,  upon  the 
border  of  the  lake  and  in  front  of  the  Palace,  has  been 
disposed  so  as  to  produce  a  very  striking  effect.  It  is  a 
common  thing  to  decry  works  of  this  kind,  as  they 
are  generally  seen  in  public  gardens — leaden  Mercuries, 
spouting  dolphins,  and  dancing  Cupids  ;  but  the  appearance 
of  this  fine  statue,  extending  its  arm  over  waters  con- 
nected with  the  ocean,  and  exhibiting  a  masterly  style  of 
sculpture,  is  truly  majestic.  All  the  bronze  figures  exhibited 
here  were  taken  at  Prague,  in  the  Thirty-years'  war. 
Upon  a  vase  may  be  observed  the  cipher  of  Ferdinand  the 
Second.  These  works  are,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  style 
of  the  Florentine  school,  in  which  the  German  artists  used  at 
that  time  to  study.  We  now  returned  to  the  Palace  itself, 
and  were  conducted  to  the  Library.  Upon  the  tables  we 
saw  a  number  of  small  specimens  of  sculpture,  executed 
at  Florence,  in  gypsous  alabaster.  Here  are  also  a  number 
of  those  beautiful  terra-cottas  commonly  called  Etruscan 
vases  ;  some  of  these  were  of  great  value  :  and  a  collection 
of  medals  of  the  highest  price,  containing  those  of  antient 
Greece  and  Rome;  together  with  a  regular  series  of  every 
thing  rare  and  remarkable  in  the  Szvedish  coinage.  This 
collection  is  contained  in  eight  cabinets.  Besides  a  well- 
chosen  collection  of  books,  there  are,  in  this  library,  Flemish, 
Dutch,  and  Italian  paintings ;  and  models,  in  cork,  of  the 
antiquities  of  Italy.  There  is,  moreover,  a  curious  Cabinet 
of  Natural  History,  which  belonged  to  the  late  Queen,  and 
was  described   by  Linnaeus.     Here  we  saw,    among    many 

other 


STOCKHOLM. 


'26? 


other   curious   animals    preserved    in    alcohol,    the   embryo  chap.  vii. 

of  an    elephant ;      together    with   apes,    birds,    amphibious 

animals,  fishes,  insects,   and   shells,    many    of   the    greatest 

rarity  and  beauty.      There  are   few  things  in    this   palace 

more  worth  a  stranger's  notice  than  a  View  of  Stockholm 

by  Martin,  one  of   the    best   works  of  that   artist.      The 

Audience-chamber  is  filled  with  allegorical  pictures,  alluding 

to  the  history  of  Sweden,  principally  in  the  time  of  Charles 

the  Eleventh,  painted  by  Ehrenstrale.     The  Gallery  contains 

a  series  of  large  pictures,  representing  the  battles  of  Charles 

the  Tenth.     The  grand  staircase  is  ornamented  with  marble 

statues,  all  of  which  are  modern.     We  saw,  above  stairs,  a 

most  excellent  portrait   of  Charles  the  Twelfth  ;  and  some 

good   pictures    of  his  most    celebrated  Generals,    by  Raft. 

Opposite   the  palace  is  the  Theatre ;    and  there  are  several 

adjoining  houses,  for  the  members  of  the  Court  in  attendance 

upon  the  Royal  Family. 

The  Lake  Moslar,  with  its  irregular  shores  and  numerous  Lake  M«iar. 
islands,  has  all  the  variety  and  beauty  that  rocks,  woods,  and 
verdant  spots  without  great  height  can  give ;  and  the  views 
towards  Stockholm,  especially  if  seen  from  the  water,  are 
singularly  pleasing.  The  immediate  boundaries  of  the 
water  are  generally  rocks  of  gneiss,  and  the  shores  conse- 
quently bold  and  denuded.  The  trees  are  chiefly  firs  ;  but 
birch,  alder,  and  oak,  are  not  unfrequent.  The  approach  to 
Stockholm  was  described  in  a  former  Volume,  both  from  our 
own  testimony,  and  also  from  the  MS.  Journal  of  the  late 
Rev.  E.  V.  Blomfield\  as  affording  no  idea  of  the  entrance 

to 

(2)    See  p.  150,  Chap.  V.  of  the  preceding  Volume. 


-2(i$ 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vij.  to  a  great  capital  :   but  if  it  be  approached  from  the  side 
of   Drbttningholm,    or    from    the    Glass-ivorks,    no    city    in 
Europe  can  pretend  to  vie   with  it: — it  seems  a  Cyclopean 
heap    of  the  most  noble   structures;   palaces   and  churches 
all  piled   one   above  another;    and    the   whole  floating,    as 
it    were,    upon    the    broad    bosom    of    the    deep.       This 
magnificent  scene   is   further  enlivened   and   rendered  more 
enchanting  by  the  appearance  of  vessels  of  all  sizes;  some 
sailing,   others   riding  at   their  anchorage  amidst   the  rocks 
and  groves,    or  beneath    the  very  windows  of  those  lofty 
buildings.     Nor  does   this  prospect   become  less   delightful 
when   the    lake  and    the    sea  is  frozen  ;  because  then  they 
are  covered  by  sledges  of  all  kinds,  and  exhibit  one  of  the 
gayest  scenes  imaginable.     The  coming  of  winter  opens  for 
the  Swedes,  as  among   the  Norwegia?is,   the  heyday    of  the 
year.     When  the  snow  has  fallen,  every  body  is  in  motion, 
and  the  most  lively  intercourse   prevails:    business  seems  to 
awake    as    from  a  slumber,    and     all    is   cheerfulness    and 
industry.     The    return    of  this    winterly   festival   was    first 
announced  to  us  by  a  custom  which  reminded  us  of  good  old 
times    in  England :    parties  of  boys,   attended   by  bands   of 
music,  came  to  sing  carols  at   our  door.     This  began  with 
the  month  of  December.     Fahrenheit's  thermometer  was   at 
28°  upon  the  second  day  of  the  month  ;  but  it  was  not  until 
the   8th    that   the    mercury    remained   steadily    below    the 
freezing  point.     After  the  12th,  however,  it  was  observed 
every  day  to  fall  gradually   lower  :  the  air  was  then  clear 
and  dry,  and  wre  felt  none  of  that  chilliness  which  arises  from 
a  damp  atmosphere  when  freezing  is  about  to  take  place 


\ 


STOCKHOLM.  269 

As  soon  as  the  frost  had  fairly  set  in,  Game  of  all  sorts  became  chap.  vii. 
abundant,  and  was  seen  upon  stalls  in  the  principal  streets.  Fro«mG*ne. 
This  being  frozen,  the  poulterers  are  under  no  apprehen- 
sion of  its  becoming  stale.  The  heaps  of  curious  birds,  in 
their  beautiful  plumage,  afforded  to  us  a  very  interesting  sight. 
As  the  frost  had  commenced  earlier  in  the  more  northern 
districts,  a  short  time  only  elapsed  before  we  saw  immense 
sledges  arrive,  bringing  every  species  of  wild  fowl,  and  from  the 
most  distant  provinces,  piled  in  heaps,  like  so  many  stones. 
We  sent  the  skins  of  many  of  them  to  England:  and  a  visit 
to  the  Game-stalls,  as  to  a  cabinet  of  natural  history,  became 
to  us  a  pleasing  amusement.  The  prices  in  the  beginning 
of  December,  for  Game  and  other  articles,  were  as  follow  : 

A  Cock  of  the  Wood  (Tetrao  UrogallusJ   .     .     .  1  \  dollar. 

Grouse the  brace  Ik  ditto. 

A  bird  called  Hjarpe  (Tetrao  BonasiaJ       .     each  1$.  Sd.  English. 
The  beautiful  Snow-R'ntpa  (Tetrao  LagopusJ   each  2s.  ditto. 

Turkeys each  4  rixdollars. 

A  Goose 2  ditto. 

Hares each  1.?.  4J.  English. 

Pullets 2s.  8d.  ditto. 


other  wild-fowl,  &c.  in  proportion.  These  prices  appeared 
to  us  to  be  very  high,  considering  the  abundance  of  Game 
everywhere  displayed ;  and  it  was  expected  they  would 
not  be  lowered  during  the  present  month.  The  inns  in 
Stockholm  are  very  dear,  and  very  bad.  The  best  plan  is, 
to  hire  lodgings;  but  for  these,  if  tolerably  neat,  a  traveller 
will  have  to  pay  two  dollars  a  day;  besides  one  dollar  a 
day  for  fuel,  which  till  lately  was  never  made  an  article 
of  charge.      For  breakfast    of  tea   and   bread   and    butter, 

the 


■  i'ff 


-  V<?  „  m  s*  ',.  *  >.:\<«.  "i 


1WT1T11 


270 


STOCKHOLM. 


Population. 


State  of 
Trade. 


chap. vii.  the  price  is  half  a  dollar  each  person;  and  two  dollars  a 
head  are  demanded  for  the  most  common  dinner,  not 
including  wine. 

In  reading  a  list  of  all  the  tradesmen  and  artificers  in 
Stockholm,  a  stranger  might  hastily  conclude  that  a  great 
deal  of  business  and  many  manufactures  were  going  on. 
The  same  opinion  might  be  formed  by  visiting  the 
Exchange,  situate  in  the  great  market-place,  south  of 
the  Palace,  between  one  and  two  o'clock.  Here  the 
throng  is  so  great,  that  it  is  difficult  to  force  a  way 
through  the  crowd.  The  number  of  inhabitants  in  the 
whole  city  is  estimated  at  something  less  than  the 
population  of  the  city  of  Bristol:  it  amounts  to  72,652.' 
In  this  number  there  were,  at  this  time,  thirty-six  wig- 
makers,  and  only  one  cutler !  forty-seven  vintners,  and  not 
a  single  chimney-sweeper  !  nineteen  coffee-roasters,  although 
coffee  had  been  prohibited !  and  only  nine  copper-smiths ! 
seventy  goldsmiths  and  jewellers,  and  only  four  braziers  ! 
one  hundred  and  thirteen  keepers  of  ordinaries,  and  only  one 
tool-grinder !  We  could  find  nothing  good  that  had 
been  manufactured  in  the  country,  excepting  iron,  tar,  and 
gloves.  The  gloves  of  Scania  are  the  best  in  the  world ; 
but  all  other  articles  were  of  inferior  quality,  unless  they  had 
been  imported  from  England,  in  which  case  they  were  con- 
sidered as  contraband,  and  were  sold  at  immense  prices,  and 
in  a  clandestine  manner.  The  glass-works  were  all  bad  : 
the  same  may  be  said  of  all  the  works  of  joiners  and  cabinet- 
makers; 

(l)  See  also  Thomson's  Travels  in  Sweden,  p. 94.    Lond.  1813. 


STOCKHOLM. 


271 


makers;  cloth,  leather,  &c.  &c. :   yet  one  of  the  most  singular  chap.  vii. 
sights  in  Stockholm  is  the  boot  and  shoe  market:     this  is  a  Boot  and  shoe 

,  Market. 

building  near  the  Palace,  to  which  there  is  an  ascent  by  a 
flight  of  stairs,  where  ready-made  boots  and  shoes  are  sold 
very  cheap  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  inferiority  of  the  leather, 
and  the  negligence  shewn  in  the  work,  boots  are  no  where 
better  made.  The  astonishing  quantity  exposed  for  sale  in 
this  market  is  really  worth  a  visit  to  the  place  :  it  is  a  kind 
of  gallery,  filled  with  stalls,  and  attended  by  women.  With 
regard  to  other  articles  of  trade,  the  inferiority  of  the  Swedish 
workmanship,  and  in  many  instances  the  total  want  of  the 
article  itself,  is  very  striking.  A  whole  day  may  be  lost  in 
inquiring  for  the  most  common  necessaries.  Of  all  things  for 
which  a  traveller  may  have  need,  we  thought  that  furs  might 
be  obtained  here  in  the  greatest  perfection,  and  at  the  most 
reasonable  prices;  but  even  this  branch  of  trade  seemed  to  be 
almost  a  monopoly  in  the  hands  of  the  English.  The  best 
furs  were  all  imported  from  England,  and  came,  as  it  was 
said,  originally  from  America ;  consequently  the  prices  were 
very  high,  and  the  articles  rare.  All  optical  instruments 
were  the  wares  of  those  vagrant  Italians  from  the  Milanese 
territory,  whom  we  have  before  described  as  wandering  with 
the  proofs  of  their  industry  and  ingenuity  in  every  part  of 
Europe. 

It  is  difficult  to  reconcile  this  want  of  manufactures  with 
the  inventive  genius  shewn  by  the  Sivedes  in  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  of  the  public  exhibitions  of  their  capital, — that 
of  the   Cabinet  of  Models.     This  cabinet  is  preserved  in  an  cabinet  of 

J  r  Models. 

antient  palace,  where  the  courts  of  justice  are  now  held,  near 

Riddarholm 


I  I        '   '-S~: 


,-itf 


272 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  Kiddarliohn  Church,     As  a  repository  of  the  models  of  all 
kinds  of  mechanical  contrivances,  it  is  the   most  complete 
collection  that  is  known.     We  went  several  times  to  view 
it;  and  would  gladly  have  brought  to  England  specimens  of 
the  many  useful  inventions  there  shewn'.     In  this  chamber, 
it  is  not   only  the  number  of  the  models  that  strikes  the 
spectator,  but  their  great  beauty  and  the  exquisite  perfection 
of  the  workmanship,  added  to  the  neatness  with  which  they 
are  arranged  and  displayed.     Every  thing  necessary  to  illus- 
trate the  art  of  agriculture  in  Sivedcn  may  be  here  studied; — 
models  of  all  the  ploughs  used  in  all   the  provinces  from 
Smoland    to  Lapland;    machines    for   chopping    straw,    for 
cutting  turf  to  cover  houses,   for  sawing  timber,   for  tearing 
up  the  roots  of  trees  in  the  forests,   and  for  draining   land; 
stoves  for  warming  apartments,  and  for  drying  all  sorts  of 
fruit;  machines  for  threshing  corn;  corn-racks;  windmills; 
pumps;  all  sorts  of  mining  apparatus;  fishing-tackle;   nets; 
fire-ladders;   beds  and  chairs  for  the  sick;  in  short,  models 
of  almost  every  mechanical  aid  requisite  for  the  comforts  and 
necessaries  of  life,   within  doors  or  without. — There  can  be 
no  doubt  but  that  patents  would  be  required  for  some  of 
them,  if  they  were  known  in  England :  and  possibly  patents 
may  have  been  granted  for  inventions  that  were  borrowed 
from  the  models  in  this  chamber.     Among  them  are  models 
for  light-houses,   telegraphs,  and  other  methods   of  making 

signals. 

T!pon 


U- 


(1)  Mr. Cripps  succeeded  in  purchasing  copies  of  some  of  them;  such  as,  a  machine 
upon  an  improved  plan  for  denchering  land  j  and  models  of  some  of  the  Swedish  stoves 
for  heating  apartments. 


STOCKHOLM. 


273 


Upon  this  our  second  visit  to  Stockholm,  we  again  examined  chap.  vii. 
the  collection  of  minerals  belonging  to  the  Crown  ;  and  were  College  of 
much  indebted   to   the   celebrated    chemist  Hjelm,    for  the 
readiness  he  always  shewed  to  gratify  our  curiosity;  allowing 
us  to  inspect  all  the  produce  of  the   Swedish  mines.     The 
refractory  nature  of  some  of  the  richest  iron  ores  of  this 
country  and  of  Lapland  is   owing  to  the  presence  of  several 
remarkable  extraneous  bodies;    among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned  titanium,   zircon,   and  phosphate  of  lime*.     We  had 
made  a  large  collection  of  these  ores,  and  the  nature  of  them 
is  now  well  ascertained.     In  the  account  we  gave  of  our 
first  visit  to  this  collection,  a  specimen  was  slightly  alluded 
to,   exhibiting  a  remarkable  prismatic  configuration,   taken 
from   the   bottom   of  a  furnace    in   Siberia3.     How   it   was 
brought  to  Stockholm  we  did  not  learn.     Some  of  the  Sivedish 
mineralogists   attached    more    importance   to    this    artificial 
appearance  than   we   did ;    considering   it  as  a  satisfactory 
elucidation  of  the  origin  of  what  is  commonly  called   the 
basaltic  formation  by  means  of  igneous  fusion.     We  caused  igneo 
an  accurate  drawing   to  be  made  of  it,   by  Martin,   which 
has  been  engraved  as  a  Vignette  to  this  Chapter4.     By  this 
it    will  appear,   that  the   prismatic  form    which    the    mass 
assumed  in  cooling  after  fusion,  can  hardly  be  considered  as 

charac- 


leoui 
Ilcisutf. 


(2)  The  last  was  discovered  by  Dr.  Wollaston,  in  some  of  the  iron  ore  which  was 
brought  from  Lapland.  Zircon  was  discovered  in  iron  ore  by  Mr.  Swedenstierna  of 
Stockholm.  fSee  Thomson's  Trav.  in  Sweden,  p.  105.  Lond.  1813.)  In  some  of  the 
specimens  of  the  iron  ore  of  Gellivara,  crystals  of  zircon  might  be  discerned. 

(3)  See  p.  165  of  the  former  Volume. 

(4)  See  the  Vignette. 

VOL.  VI.  N  N 


Jgv'W" 


274 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap. vii.  characterized  by  that,  regularity  of  structure  which  belongs 
to  basalt ;  that  is  to  say,  to  those  rocks  in  which  hornblende, 
forming  a  predominant  ingredient,  generally  occasions  a  much 
nearer  approach  to  crystallization  :  nor  would  the  subject 
have  been  again  introduced,  were  it  not  for  the  contending 
theories  which  prevail  respecting  the  origin  of  rocks  exhi- 
biting a  prismatic  structure,  and  the  proofs  urged  to  demon- 
strate that  basalt  has  sustained  the  igneous  fusion1.  Persons 
who  maintain  this  opinion,  will  find,  in  this  solitary 
example,  something  calculated  to  support  their  favourite 
hypothesis. 
bPo£to«2  The  hat  and  clothes  worn  b7  Charles  the  Twelfth  when  he 
h^wfslssuS  was  snot  m  tne  trenches  before  Frederichhall  are  preserved 
in  the  Arsenal,  in  the  north  suburb,  precisely  in  the  state  in 
which  they  were  taken  from  the  King's  body  after  his 
assassination.  That  he  was  really  assassinated,  seems  so 
clear,   that  it  is  marvellous  any  doubt  should  be  entertained 

as 


nated. 


(l)  Some  of  these  proofs,  it  must  be  owned,  have  been  strangely  defective.  Avery 
principal  one  was  this ;  that  coal,  lying  in  contact  with  basalt,  had,  by  the  heat  of  the 
melted  basalt,  been  converted  into  coak.  It  happened  to  the  author  to  be  permitted 
to  examine  a  series  of  specimens  of  this  supposed  coak :  they  were  preserved  in  a  very 
celebrated  collection,  and  arranged  in  a  regular  order,  from  the  state  of  the  natural  and 
unaltered  pit-coal,  through  all  the  changes  which  the  mineral  had  been  said  to  have 
sustained,  of  incipient  and  more  perfect  calcination,  until  it  appeared  as  a  scoriaceous 
body,  deprived,  it  was  maintained,  of  its  bituminous  and  volatile  ingredients,  in  which 
state  it  was  denominated  coak.  To  this  last  substance  the  author's  attention  was 
particularly  directed.  Being  permitted  to  examine  and  to  analyze  it,  he  found  that  its 
scoriaceous  and  porous  texture  was  entirely  owing  to  a  number  of  little  cavities  which 
had  been  occupied  by  a  granular  carbonate  of  lime ;  a  notable  quantity  of  which  was 
still  disseminated  throughout  the  mass,  but  which  had  undergone  no  calcination  :  it 
effervesced  in  acids,  as  usual ;   and   lime  was  precipitated  from  its  solution. 


STOCKHOLM. 


27-5 


as  to  the  fact;  and  yet,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  truth  chap. vii. 
as  to   the  manner  of  his  death,   every  succeeding  sovereign 
has  thought  it  right  to  open  his  sepulchre,  and  to  inspect  his 
embalmed  remains.     The  other  curiosities  contained  also  in 
the  arsenal  are,  the  skin   of    a  horse  upon  which   Gustavus 
Adolphus  rode  at  the  battle  of  Lutzen ;  a  boat  built  by  Peter 
the  Great  at  Sardam  in  Holland,  taken  by  the  Swedes  while 
on  its  way  to  Petersburgh;   a  number  of  trophies  taken   by 
Charles  the  Twelfth,  from   the  Russians,  the  Poles,   and  the 
Danes ;  also  the  dress  worn  by   Gustavus  the  Third  at  the 
time  of  his  assassination,  and  his  image  in  wax,   which  we 
before  noticed2.       Our  main  object,  upon  this  occasion,  was 
to  see  once  more  the  clothes  worn  by  Charles  the  Twelfth  at 
the  time  of  his  death,   as  connected  with  a  few  observations 
which  we  had  made  respecting  that  event,  and  which  we  shall 
presently  state.     The  coat  is  a  plain  blue  uniform,  with  large 
brass  buttons,  like  that  of  a  common  soldier ;  the  gloves  are 
of  bufFleather,  and  reached  almost  up  to  the  elbow;  the  right- 
hand  glove  is  a  good  deal  stained  with  blood3,  and  so  is  a  buff 
belt  which  he  wore  round  his  body.     The  hat  seems  to  have 
been   slightly  grazed  by   the   ball   in   that  part   which   im- 
mediately covered   his   temple ;    but  there  was   nothing   in 
its  appearance  which  could  throw  any  light  upon  the  nature 
of  the  wound  that  was  inflicted  ;  that  is  to  say,  whether  it 
had  been  thus  grazed  by  a  ball  entering  in,  or  going   out. 

The 

(2)  See  former  Volume,  p.  15/. 

(3)  Mr.  Coxe,  who  mentions  this  circumstance,  considers  it  as  probable  that  the  King, 
'.'  upon  receiving  the  shot,  instantly  applied  his  right  hand  to  the  wound  in  his  temple, 
and  then  to  his  sword." — See  Trav.  into  Sweden,   p. 352.  Lond.  1/84. 


H  H 


:>7<> 


CHAP.  VII. 


Cast  of  the 
face  of 
Charles  XII. 
after  death. 


STOCKHOLM. 

The  appearance  of  the  scull,  after  the  King's  death,  satis- 
factorily proved  that  the  wound  in  the  temple  was  made  by 
a  ball  going  out.     Was  it  to  be  believed  that  a  ball  from  the 
enemies'  works,  at  the  distance  the  King  stood,  would  have 
either  taken  the  direction  of  that  by  which  he  was  shot,   or 
that  it  would  have  passed  entirely  through  the  scull  on  both 
sides  ?     Mr.  Frcdejiheim,  Knight  of  the  Polar  Star,  President 
of  the  Academy  of  Painting  and  Sculpture,  distinguished  by  his 
travels  and  historical  collections,  and  High  Steward  of  all  the 
Royal  Cabinets,   had,  at   this  time,   the  care  of  the  matrice 
moulded  upon  the  King's  face  soon  after  he  was  killed.   Owing 
to  his  kindness,  and  that  of  Mr.  Breda,  to  whom  Gustavus  the 
Fourth   came  daily  to  sit  for  his    portrait,    permission  was 
obtained  for  us  to  have  a  Cast  taken  from  this  matrice  :  it  is 
now  deposited  in  the  University  Library  at  Cambridge.     From 
the  appearance  of  this  Cast,  all  dispute  must  cease  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  shot  which  caused  the  King's  death  ;   which,  in 
the  account  of  that  event  published  by  order  of  the  Sivcdish 
Government,  was  said  to  have  been  a  ball  from  a  falconet1. 
Voltaire,  also,  in  his  anxiety  to  do  away  the  imputation  that 
had  fallen  upon  his  countryman,  Siquier,  insists  upon  it  that 
the  ball  was  too  large  for  the  calibre  of  a  pistol2;  whereas 

it 

(1)  See  Coxes  Travels  into  Sweden,  p.  357-  Land.  1784. — "A  ball  from  a  falconet 
usually  weighs  one  pound  and  one  eighth,  at  the  least."     Ibid. 

(2)  "Que  Ton  considere  que  la  balle  qui  frappa  Charles  XII.  ne  pouvait  entrer  dan» 
un  pistolet,  et  que  Siquier  n'aurait  pu  faire  ce  coup  detestable  qu'  avec  un  pistolet  cache 
sous  son  habit." — Also,  in  giving  the  account  of  the  King's  death,  Voltaire  makes  the 
weight  of  the  ball  equal  to  half  a  pound.  "  Une  balle  pesant  une  demi-livre  l'avait 
atteint  a  la  temple  droit."  CEuvres  de  Voltaire,  tome  VII.  Histoire  de  Charles  XII.  pp.  280, 
283.    Geneve,  1768. 


H 


STOCKHOLM. 


277 


it  is  plain  that  the  real  shot  was  a  pistol  bullet.  The  chap.  vn. 
appearance  of  the  wound  in  the  temple  also  shews  that  it 
was  inflicted  by  a  bullet  going  out,  and  slanting  upwards, 
having  entered  into  the  lower  part  of  the  scull  behind:  and 
that  the  shot  was  directed  hv  a  private  hand  from  behind, 
and  did  not  come  from  the  enemies'  works,  is  obvious  from 
this  circumstance,  and  from  the  fact  of  the  King's  having 
drawn  his  sword  half  out  of  its  scabbard,  in  the  agonies  of 
death,  to  immolate  his  assassin5.  Who  can  read  the  conver- 
sation which  passed  between  Count  Liewen,  the  King's  Page, 
then  upon  the  spot,  and  Mr.  Wraxall,  without  being  con- 
vinced that  the  King  was  assassinated4,  even  if  this  evidence 
were  wanted :  but  as  it  is  so  nearly  connected  with  a 
very  important  event  in  history,  and  serves  to  confirm 
Count  Liewen  s  testimonv,  we  have  caused  an  accurate 
drawing  of  this  Cast  to  be  engraved,  in  which  the  nature  of 

the 


(3)  "  I  followed  the  Officers  to  the  place  where  the  King  was  killed.  The  Prince 
ordered  the  Generals  and  Officers  who  were  present  to  place  the  body  in  a  litter  prepared 
to  convey  it  to  the  head-quarters  j  one  and  twenty  soldiers  standing  around  with  wax 
tapers  in  their  hands.  We  observed  that  the  King,  in  the  agonies  of  death,  had  drawn 
his  sword  half  out  of  the  scabbard  ;  and  that  the  hilt  was  so  tightly  grasped  by  the  right 
hand,  as  not  to  be  disengaged  without  difficulty." — See  the  Account  taken  from  the 
Narrative  of  Philgren,  a  Page  to  the  Prince  of  Hesse,  who  was  that  day  in  waiting. 
Coxe's  Trav.  into  Sweden,  p. 354.    Lond.  1/84. 

(4)  "  There  are  now  very  few  men  alive  who  can  speak  with  so  much  certainty  as 
myself.  I  was  in  the  camp  before  Frederickshall ;  and  had  the  honour  to  serve  the  King, 
in  quality  of  Page,  on  that  night  when  he  was  killed.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he 
was  assassinated.  The  night  was  extremely  dark  ;  and  it  was  almost  an  impossibility 
that  a  ball  from  the  fort  could  enter  his  head,  at  the  distance,  and  on  the  spot  where 
he  stood.  I  saw  the  King's  body,  and  am  certain  the  wound  in  his  temple 
was  made  bt  a  pistol  bullet." — Count  Liewen 's  Conversation  with  Mr.  WraxalU 
See  Coie's  Travels  &c.  p.  35?. 


278 


STOCKHOLM, 


chap.  vii.  the  wound  in  the  right  temple  may  he  as  plainly  discerned 
as  if  the  original  had  heen  exposed  to  view.  The  same 
engraving  will  also  serve  to  exhibit  the  countenance  of  Charles 
the  Twelfth  with  much  greater  accuracy  than  any  other 
portrait  can  pretend  to  :  it  remained  unaltered  even  in  death  ; 
and  displays,  in  a  very  striking  manner,  the  haughtiness 
of  character  for  which  this  hero  was  so  remarkably  dis- 
tinguished. 

We  shall  now  close  our  account  of  Stockholm  with  some 
remarks  upon  the  Royal  or  Public  Library,  and  the  actual 
state  of  literature  in  Sweden.  For  the  substance  of  our 
information  upon  the  latter  subject,  we  are  indebted  to  the 
communications  made  to  us  by  the  King's  Librarian,  Mr. 
GiorwelL  We  are  the  more  anxious  to  oppose  Mr.  GibrwelPs 
statement  to  the  observations  we  before  introduced  upon  the 
state  of  Sweden  and  Swedish  literature,  because,  coming 
from  a  Swede,  it  will  shew  what  their  opinions  are  respecting 
their  own  country.  This  gentleman  drew  up  for  us  a 
Memoir  upon  the  progress  and  state  of  Letters  and  of  the 
Arts,  during  the  reigns  of  Gust  amis  the  Third  and  Gustavns 
the  Fourth ;  prefacing  it,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  few 
remarks  upon  the  state  of  learning  in  Sweden  at  a  much 
earlier  period;— but,  of  course,  we  shall  only  extract  from  this 
memoir  the  principal  facts.  In  his  preface  to  it,  the  learned 
author  dwells  too  much  upon  the  importance  of  the  historical 
ballads  of  the  Scalds,  and  other  of  their  records  called  Savor  : 
as  also  upon  the  Latin  Chronicles  of  the  middle  ages,  and  the 
code  of  laws  extant  about  the  same  time  in  the  language 
of   the     country,    of    which     we    have    hardly    now    any 

remnant. 


STOCKHOLM. 


279 


remnant'.     We  shall  therefore  pass  immediately  to   the  rest  chap.  vii. 
of  his  observations;  beginning  with  the  Royal  Library,  from  Royal 

Library. 

a  view  of  which,  perhaps,  a  better  estimate  may  be  made  of 
the  encouragement  given  to  literature,  than  from  almost 
any  other  document ;  because  this  collection  is  open  to  the 
public,  and  was  formed  under  the  brightest  auspices  Sweden 
has  yet  beheld.  It  consists  of  three  long  galleries  in  one  of 
the  angles  of  a  small  court  belonging  to  the  Palace,  and  is 
certainly  the  finest  literary  establishment  in  all  Sivcden.  It  was 
first  appropriated  to  public  use  during  the  reign  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  This  Library  was  plundered  at  the  departure  of 
Queen  Christina  in  l654 ,2  and  suffered  from  fire  during  the  con- 
flagration of  the  Palace  in  1 797.  In  the  reign  of  Gustavus  the 
Third,  it  was  greatly  enriched;  and  after  his  death  augmented, 
by  the  addition  of  all  his  private  library,  which  was  very 

select, 


(1)  "  Entre  autres  ouvrages  de  cette  periode,"  observes  Mr.  Giorwell,  "nous  en 
avons  un  qui  a  pour  litre  '  Le  Miroir  des  Rois  et  des  Regens.'  C'est  un  vrai  tresor  de 
sagesse  et  politique.  II  a  ete  traduit  en  Latin,  et  publier  par  Jean  Schejf'erus,  a 
Stockholm,  1669,  in  folio." 

(2)  It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  any  accurate  account  of  the  state  of  Sweden  at  this 
period,  and  of  the  opportunities  of  plunder  to  which  the  Queen's  departure  gave  rise. 
Among  the  literary  losses  which  the  Royal  Library  then  sustained,  it  is  said  that  the 
Codex  Argenleus,  now  at  Upsala,  was  one;  and  that  this  valuable  manuscript  was 
embezzled  and  carried  out  of  Sweden  by  Isaac  Vossius.  The  manner  of  its  restoration 
afterwards  was  before  mentioned.  The  losses  appear  to  have  been  owing  to  the 
disorder  which  arose  in  packing  up  the  articles  which  the  Queen  took  away  with  her  at 
her  departure  j  for  it  seems,  from  what  Puff'endorfhas  related,  that  the  ornaments  of  the 
Coronation  of  Charles  Gustavus  were  afterwards  borrowed.  "  La  Suede  se  trouvoit 
epuisee ;  et  la  Reine  avoit  fait  emballer  et  transporter  en  Allemagne  la  plus  grande  partie 
des  meulles  de  la  couronne,  de  sorte  que  presque  tout  ce  qui  parut  dans  cette  ceremonie 
avoit  ete  emprunte." — Histoire  de  Suede  par  Pujfendorf,  tome  II.  p.  420.     Amst.  1743. 


280 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vn.  select,  and  consisted  of  14,000  volumes,  forming  a  most 
valuable  collection  of  works  in  history,  politics,  and  general 
literature.  His  library  was  moreover  rich  in  manuscripts : 
it  contained  all  the  Sagor,  Chronicles,  and  Diplomas  anterior 
to  the  reign  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  together  with  many  beautiful 
manuscripts  of  antient  authors  and  of  the  middle  age. 
Among  the  last,  the  most  remarkable  is  a  copy  of  the  Four 
Gospels  in  folio,  with  initial  letters  in  gold ;    thence  called 

codex  Aureus,  the  Codex  Aureus*  This  manuscript  seems  to  have  belonged 
to  some  splendid  ecclesiastical  establishment  in  Spain : 
it  was  purchased  in  Madrid  in  1690,  by  the  learned 
Sparvenfeldt ,  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  to  Charles  XL  who 
travelled,  at  the  expence  of  that  monarch,  all  over  Europe,  in 
search  of  manuscripts.  His  autograph  appears  upon  this 
manuscript  in  the  following  words :  "  Pretiosissimum  hunc 
Evangcliorum  Codicem  cmi  ex  famosd  ilia  Bibliothecd  illmi 
Marchionis  de  Liche  Mantuce  carpent.  a.  1690.  d.  8.  Jan. 
Ego  Joannes  Gabriel  Sparvenfeldt  nob.  Suecus." 

A  very  remarkable  manuscript  preserved  in  this  library 
is  the  Codex  Giganteus ;  so  called  on  account  of  its  colossal 
size.  It  was  taken,  among  other  spoils,  from  a  Benedictine 
monastery  at  Prague,  during  the  Thirty-years'  war,  by  Field- 
marshal  Count  Kbnigsmarh.  It  is  two  Swedish  ells  in 
height,  and  of  proportionate  breadth.  This  code  is  in  fact  a 
species  of  library  in  itself:  it  contains,  besides  the  Vulgate,  a 
collection  of  writings  upon  the  Jewish  Antiquities,  by  Josephns, 
Isidorus,  &c.  Also  the  Cosmce  Pragensis  Chronicon  Bohemice. 
A  learned  Hungarian  of  the  name  of  Dobrowshi  made  a 
journey  to  Sweden  in  1792,  expressly  to  examine  this  codex. 

Because 


Codex 
Giganteus. 


STOCKHOLM. 


281 


Because  the  volume  is  terminated  by  a  treatise  on  magic,  chap,  vn. 
ornamented  with  an  illuminated  figure  of  the  Devil,  several 
foreigners  who  have  visited  this  Library,  being  struck  with 
the  enormous  size  of  the  volume,  and  with  this  singular 
illumination,  have  agreed  in  calling  it  "  La  Bible  du 
Diable1  and  Codex  Diaboli."  There  is  also  a  most  curious 
manuscript,  entitled  "  Magistri  Johannis  Arderum  de  Slewark, 
de  Arte  Physicali  et  de  Cirurgid,  quas  ego  prcedictus  Johannes 
ferventc  pcstilentid,  quae  fait  anno  Domini  millesimo  cccxlix. 
usque  annum  Domini  m.ccccxii.  Morem  (aut  moram)  egi 
apud  Neiverh,  in  comitatu  Slothingui,  et  ibidem  quamplures  de 
infirmitatibus  subscriptis  curavi."  This  manuscript  is  upon  a 
vellum  roll  of  considerable  length,  divided  into  columns.  In 
these  columns  are  represented  the  figures  of  the  persons 
diseased ;  and  by  the  side  of  them  a  description  of  the  dis- 
order, and  the  remedy  prescribed.  There  are  also  anatomical 
figures  for  midwifery  &c.  Considering  the  date  of  this  work, 
it  is  very  curious  to  observe  the  words  "Pro  morbo  qui 
dicitur"  *********,  followed  by  the  French  name  of  a 
disorder  which  is  supposed  not  to  have  been  known  in 
Europe  before  the  discovery  of  America. 

Among  the  typographical  rarities  of  this  Library,  we  saw 
one,  in  large  quarto,  with  wood- cuts,  which  would  hold  a 

distin- 


(l)  This  manuscript,  for  particular  reasons,  is  not  often  shewn  to  strangers.  The 
Authors  of  the  Voyage  de  Deux  Fran$ais  were  not  allowed  to  examine  it 5  yet  if  the 
account  of  it  which  they  received  from  the  Abbe  Albertrandi,  Librarian  of  the  King  of 
Poland,  be  correct,  it  may  have  received  the  name  of  "  The  Devil's  Bible"  from  a  very 
different  cause  :  it  may  have  been  so  called  from  the  confession,  "  en  lettres  rouges  sur 
un  fond  hrun  "  at  the  end  of  the  manuscript,  of  its  former  diabolical  owner. — See 
the  work  above  cited,  tome  II.  p.  S4.  Paris,  1/Q6. 
VOL.  VI.  O  O 


^82 


S  T  O  C  K  H  O  L  M. 


chap.  vii.  distinguished    place    in    any  collection:    it   has   this   title — 
Typographic    "  Speculum  Humance  Salvationis ;"     being    without   date    or 

Rarities.  , 

printer  s  name,  or  any  indication  of  the  place  where  it  was 
printed.  Some  have  supposed  that  it  proceeded  from  the 
press  of  Jo/in  Coster,  at  Harlem,  in  1 4-10 :  others,  that  it  was 
printed  by  John  Faust,  at  Maycnce,  in  1459.  Also,  Cicero  de 
Officiis,  upon  vellum,  by  Faust  and  Schoeffer,  at  Mayence,  1466. 
The  first  edition  of  Homer,  at  Florence,  1-188,  in  the  highest 
state  of  preservation,  upon  paper,  with  a  wide  margin.  But 
more  valuable  than  all  these  is  the  copy,  here  preserved,  of 
the  identical  Vulgate  which  belonged  to  Luther — Biblia  Vet* 
et  Nov.  Testamenti;  the  margin  being  covered,  as  well  as  all 
other  spaces  open  to  his  pen,  with  his  own  autograph  notes. 
This  volume  was  printed  in  folio,  at  Lyons,  in  1521.  It  was 
found  by  the  Sivedcs  at  the  capture  of  Wittenberg.  The 
curious  commentaries  which  Luther  has  here  added,  seem  to 
make  known  the  progress  of  his  ideas  upon  subjects  of  divinity 
and  ecclesiastical  discipline.  By  trophies  such  as  these,  taken 
by  the  Swedes  during  the  Thirty-years'  war,  in  consequence 
of  the  victories  won  by  Gusiavus  Adolphus,  and  by  Charles 
Gustavus,  the  libraries  of  Sweden  became  enriched,  as  those 
of  Germany,  Prussia,  and  Denmark  became  impoverished. 
But  the  most  precious  part  of  the  whole  collection  is  pre- 
served in  a  small  chamber  adjoining  the  Library;  namely, 
Collection  of    fourteen  large  volumes,  in  folio,  of  Original  Designs   by  the 

Original  De- 
signs, old  Masters,  and  of  every  School'.    This  collection  was  bought 

by 


(l)    This  valuable  collection   contains   3025  Designs,   distributed  according  to  the 
different  Schools,  in  the  following  order: 

Florentine 


STOCKHOLM. 


283 


bv  the  Senator  Count  Charles  Gustavus  de  Tessin,  during  his  chap.  vii. 
embassy  at  Paris,  and  was  presented  by  that  nobleman  to  King 
Adolphus  Frederic.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  Gustavus 
the  Third  gave  it  to  the  Library,  for  the  use  of  the  State.  To 
this  collection  is  added  an  Historical  Catalogue  by  the  Grand 
Chancellor,  Baron  De  Sparre,  and  in  his  own  hand-writing. 
Almost  all  these  designs  are  unique.  The  principal  part  of 
those  belonging  to  the  Roman  School  are  by  the  hand  of 
Raphael. 

From  this  establishment  we  cannot  separate  the  Museum,  r^ 
founded  by  the  Duke  Regent,  in  1702.     It  contains  all   the 
Greek,  Roman,  and  Swedish  antiquities  which  were  formerly 
scattered   over  the   kingdom.     Some  of  the  finest  paintings 
belonging  to  the  Royal  Collection  have  been  added  to  the 

Museum : 


Florentine  School 183 

School  of  Sienna 43 

Roman  School 400 

School  of  Lombardy 29 

Bologna       .517 

Milan,  Cremona,  and  other  Italian  Towns  .     .  19 

Venice     .     .          157 

Genoa,  Naples,  and  Schools  of  Spain      ...  75 

Designs  of  unknown  Masters 234 

Flemish,  Dutch,  and  German 470 

Swedish  designs 105 

Portraits  of  celebrated  Painters,  of  the  Italian, 

German,  and  Flemish  Schools    ....  83 

Drawings  of  the  French  School     ....  566 

Various  designs  of  Antient  Masters     .          .     .  138 

3025 


284 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  Museum':  it  occupies  two  grand  galleries  below  the  Library. 
The  immediate  care  of  the  Library  was  entrusted  to  Professor 
Malmstroem;  and  the  management  of  the  Museum  to  the 
Grand  Chamberlain,  or  Intendant  of  theCourt,  Mr.  Fredenheim, 
Besides  this  library  at  Stockholm,  and  that  of  Droitnhigholm, 
there  is  also  another,  belonging  to  the  Crown,  at  Haga, 
extremely  select,  and  composed  chiefly  of  scarce  books, 
collected  by  Count  De  Creutz,  when  he  was  Minister  in 
Spain  and  afterwards  in  France.  The  two  libraries  of 
Drottningholm  and  Haga  are  preserved  exactly  as  they  were 
under  Gustavus  the  Third;  and  they  are  independent  of  the 
great  libraries  of  the  kingdom,  of  which  we  have  now 
spoken. 

The  first  dawning  of  any  national  spirit  of  literature  in 
Sweden  does  not  date  earlier  than  the  reign  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century :  for 
although  Gustavus  Vasa,  in  new  modelling  the  State  and  the 
Church,  had.  burst  the  fetters  of  that  libertv  of  opinion 
which  is  essential  to  the  very  being  of  know  ledge,  yet  the 
religious  controversies  in  which  the  State  was  involved 
arrested  the  progress  of  letters  almost  an  entire  century. 
To  Gustavus  Adolphus  it  wras  owing  that  the  Swedes,  as  a 
people,  first  began  to  feel  an  emulation  of  being  distinguished 
in  the  world  of  Letters.     The  examples  set  by  this  monarch, 

in 


Observations 
on  the  Lite- 
rature of 
Sweden. 


(l)  Among  many  other  remarkable  pictures  in  the  Museum,  there  is  one,  a  Portrait 
of  a  Woman,  with  a  Negro;  remarkable  for  this  artifice  of  the  painter,  who,  to  hide 
the  sallowness  of  complexion  in  the  Lady  who  sate  to  him,  has  introduced  the  head  of 
the  Negro.     She  would  have  appeared  as  a  Mulatto,  but  for  the  contrast  thus  afforded. 


STOCKHOLM. 


285 


in  reserving,  as  his  own  share  of  plunder,   all   the  literary  chap,  vil 

spoils  taken  in    war,    and  afterwards    presenting    them    to 

the  literary  establishments  of   his  country0,    was    followed 

by   his    successors :    and    it  has    greatly   tended  to  add    to 

the    literary    wealth    and    character    of    the    nation.      His 

extensive  knowledge  and  patronage  of  learning  have  never 

been  duly  appreciated  ;  being  lost   in  the  splendour   of  his 

military    achievements.      The  library   at    Upsala,   according 

to  Olaus  Celsius,  owes  its  origin  to  Gustavus  Adolphus\     The 

plans    devised   by   that  monarch    for   the    advancement    of 

literature     in    Sweden    were     adopted     and    perfected    by 

his    daughter,    a    princess    marvellously    distinguished    by 

her  talents   and   love  of  letters.      Christina  had  no  sooner 

mounted  the  throne,  than   she  invited  to  her  Court  men   of 

genius   and  high    literary   character,    from   other  countries. 

Descartes    was     one    of    these :     he     died     at    Stockholm. 

Among  her  own  subjects,  she  encouraged  and  rewarded  all 

those  who  rendered  themselves  conspicuous  by  their  talents: 

and  in  this  list  was  signalized  one  whom  the  Sivedcs  consider 

as   the   greatest  genius   which  their  country  has  produced  ; 

namely,  Stiernliiclm ;     known    among  them  as   a   poet   and 

philosopher  of  such  eminence,  that  they  have  bestowed  upon 

him  the  name  of  Polyhtstor. 

During   the    wars    of   Charles    the    Tenth,    Eleventh,    and 
Tiuelfth,    learning    made    but    little    progress    in    Sweden. 

Never- 

(2)  "  Ingentem  auri  argentique  praedam  militibus  reliquisset  rex  ;  sibi  solos  reservavit 
libros,  quos  sine  mora  in  patriam  mis'it,  Upsaliensi  Bibliothecre  inserendos." — 01.  Celsii, 
Hist.  Bib.  Upsal.  p.  21. 

(3)  Ibid. 


BBBB 


288 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  Gothenburg,  founded  in  1773.  Sweden  has  also  twelve 
colleges,  called  Gymnasia ;  one  in  each  episcopal  city :  and 
in  all  the  towns  there  are  Public  Schools.  Some  of  the 
Gymnasia  have  their  own  libraries  :  and  in  this  number,  the 
library  of  Linkoeping  deserves  to  be  particularly  noticed,  on 
account  of  its  valuable  manuscripts  relating  to  the  history  of 
Sweden.  A  Military  Academy,  established  in  the  Royal 
Palace  at  Carlberg,  was  founded  by  the  Duke  Regent  in  1792. 
The  youths  admitted  into  this  Academy  are  educated  under 
excellent  masters,  and,  moreover,  instructed  by  Professors, 
chosen  for  this  purpose,  in  all  the  arts  and  sciences. 

In  the  year  1770,  a  Royal  Committee  for  the  guardianship 
of  Public  Education  was  established  :  it  was  charged  with 
the  general  and  immediate  inspection  of  all  places  and 
establishments  for  the  instruction  of  youth.  It  continued  in 
force  for  about  twenty  years,  when,  in  1 771,  it  was  suppressed 
by  order  of  Gust av us  the  Third.  Great  hopes  of  its  revival, 
under  the  reigning  monarch,  were  entertained  at  this  time,  by 
those  who  had  the  best  interests  of  their  country  at  heart. 
We  were  not  made  acquainted  with  the  reasons  for  its 
suppression. 

In  Stockholm,  moreover,  besides  a  Chirurgical  Society, 
there  is  a  Royal  College  of  Medicine,  to  which  are  attached 
a  Library,  an  Anatomical  Theatre,  and  a  Lying-in  Hospital. 
The  members  of  this  College  give  public  lectures,  in 
Anatomy,  Botany,  and  Pharmacy.  In  the  limits  of  a  work  of 
this  kind,  it  is  impossible  to  enter  fully  into  the  detail  of  all 
the  minor  establishments  affecting  the  general  state  of 
knowledge  in  Siveden.     For  this  reason  we  have  omitted  to 

notice 


STOCKHOLM. 


289 


notice  many  private  cabinets  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  chap.  vii. 
although  some  of  them  be  of  considerable  importance  ;  as  the 
collection  belonging  to  Baron  De  Sparre,   Senator  Baron  De 
Ridderstolfe,  to  the  Count  Brake,  and  General  Count  Horn; 
in  ail  of  which  there  are  valuable  manuscripts. 

With  the  slight  knowledge  that  we  had  of  the   Swedish  J*™?*8  * 

o  o  the  Swedish 

language,  we  could  nevertheless  discern  the  beauty  of  the  Poetry- 
Sivedish  poetry;  and  we  shall  add  a  short  account  of  some 
poetical  and  other  works:  but  the  poetry  is  of  a  peculiar 
cast.  The  Swedish  Poets  are  fond  of  rhyming  in  trochaic 
dissyllables,  and  of  introducing  Alexandrines  into  their 
compositions.  The  language  is  exceedingly  soft  and  har- 
monious, although  not  equal  in  this  respect  to  the  language 
of  Finland,  which  may  be  considered  as  a  concentration  of 
pleasing  sounds,  admirably  adapted  to  poetry,  and  fuller 
of  vowels  than  the  Italian.  That  of  Sweden  is  perhaps 
more  dignified  when  in  prose;  but  in  verse,  the  measure 
being  so  frequently  trochaic,  is  perhaps  best  suited  to 
convivial  songs  and  accompaniments  of  the  dance.  It  is 
very  easy  to  give  an  imitation  of  this  trochaic  or  ballad- 
metre,  with  the  double  rhyme  : — 

■ 

Let  us  drink  and  merry  be, 

Laughing,  singing,  dancing: 
Who  so  blithe,  so  gay  as  we, 

Now  the  night 's  advancing  ? 

All  our  daily  labour  done, 

Set  the  cans  a-clinking : 
Fill  and  swill,  till  morning  sun 

Calls  us  from  our  drinking ! 


VOL.  VI. 


P  P 


Some 


490 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  Some  of  our  old  English  ballads  were  composed  exactly  in 
the  same  style.  The  old  song  of  "Barbara  Allen  s  Cruelty  '.' 
is  quite  in  the  character  of  Sivedish  poetry1  : 

"  In' Scarlet  towne,  where  I  was  borne, 
There  was  a  fair  maid  dwellin, 
Made  every  youth  crye,  Well-awaye ! 
Her  name  was  Barbara  Allen." 

But  the  Odes  are  sometimes  written  in  a  much  more  turgid 
and  pompous  manner,  upon  the  most  solemn,  grave,  and  even 
melancholy  subjects,  with  long  stanzas  and  Alexandrine  lines; 
and  of  this  kind  of  metre  there  are  many  examples  among 
the  specimens  of  early  English  poetry.  The  following  list 
will  serve  to  shew  the  subjects  of  the  mqst-admired  native 
compositions  in  Sweden* 

POEMS. 

List  of  Poeti-  1.    "  THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  BELT  BY  CHARLES  GUSTAVUS  (TaCJCt  ofVCX  2Mt)  :" 

cm  I  W  01  k  m 

an  heroic  poem  in  twelve  cantos,  by  Count  De  Gyllenborg :  also  author  of 
"  The  Seasons  (fetiberm),"  and  of  a  satire  called  "  My  Friends  (2)?ina 
banner) ;"  works  of  great  merit. 

2.  "  The  Harvest  (@forbcmie),"  by  the  nephew  of  the  preceding,  Count 
Oxemtierna ;  a  pastoral  poem,  in  nine  cantos. — This  poem  is  much  admired 
in  Sweden. 

3.  "  Swedish 


(l)  The  Reader  may  compare  with  it  the  first  stanza  of  a  poem  by  Professor  Franzen 
of  Abo,  given  in  the  Appendix  : 

Unga  Flicka  i  din  var 

Bind  dig  Myrtenkransen 
Dansa  medan  Du  format 

Snart  Lir  Du  ur  dansen. 


STOCKHOLM. 


'291 


3.  "  Swedish  Liberty  (6t>en3fct  !jrifjeten) ;"  an  epic  poem,  by  the  late  char  vii. 
Mr.  Dalin,  author  of  the  best  History  of  Sweden.  * 

4.  "  Atis  and  Camilla  (^Itt^  octy  lamina),"  by  the  late  Count  Creutz.— 
The  object  of  this  poem  is  to  represent  love  in  the  most  delicate  colours. 
It  is  a  work  of  great  energy,  and  full  of  pleasing  but  voluptuous  descriptions. 

5.  "  The  Legacy  of  a  Father  to  his  Children,"  by  Mr.  Liljestrule  ; 
a  didactic  poem. 

6.  a  The  Dalecarltans  (X>alfartamc),"  by  the  late  Mr.  Engzell;  a  political 
poem,  in  praise  of  the  fidelity  and  courage  of  the  Dalecarlians,  ready  to 
sacrifice  themselves  in  defence  of  their  Country  and  for  their  King. 

TRAGEDIES. 

K  "  Dbetl"  (founder  of  the  kingdom  of  Sweden),  by  Mr.  Leopold; — beyond  Tragedies. 
all  contradiction,  the  finest  work  of  the   kind   which  the   Swedes  have. — 
Leopold  is  called  the  Voltaire  of  Sweden. 

2.  "  @utie  !jart,"  Grand-Mayor  of  the  Kingdom ;  by  the  Count  De  Gyllenborg. 

3.  "  2n#talt>  ifrdbe,"  King  of  Sweden;  who  burns,  at  a  festival,  the  minor  kings 
his  vassals,  to  render  himself  despotic; — by  Mr.  Adlerleth. 

GRAND  OPERAS. 

1.  "  (Sltftawtg  %a$a,"  by  the  late  Mr.  Kellgren;  considered,  not  only  by  the  Operas. 
Swedes,  but  by  all  the  Foreign  Ministers  resident  in  the  Country,  as  surpassing, 
m  magnificence  and  in  the  style  of  its  composition,  every  theatrical  work  of 
the  kind  in  Europe. 

2,.  (i  The  Holiday  of  Sweden  (@t}ca$  J5&#ttb) ;"  composed  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  erection  of  the  statue  of  Gustavus  Vasa  in  the  Place  des  Nobles;  by 
Count  De  Gyllenborg. 


MINOR  OPERAS. 

1.  "Opportunity  makes  the  Thief"  (Swedish  proverb  —  Xilfaffc  #tor 
Xjltfoen) ;  by  Baron  D'Armfeldt,  distinguished  hy  the  high  favour  in  which 
he  was  held  by  Gustavus  the  Third,   and  by  the  disgrace  into  which  he  fell 

when 


292 


STOCKHOLM. 


CHAP.  VII.    when  D\ike   Charles  became  Regent. — His  having  enjoyed   the  confidence 
Y  of  the  former,  would  sufficiently  account  for  the  hatred  entertained  towards 

him  by  the  latter. 

2.  "  The  Extravagant  Musician  (2)tU&&SlUWtt)  j"  a  very  popular  piece; 
by  Mr.  Enwallson ;   also  author  of  another,  which  has  had  great  success,  called 

DRAMAS. 

Dramas.  1.  " girt  23mI)C;"  by  Gustavus  the  Third;  who  also  composed  another  piece, 

called  "SiatCilie  SWavisfui." — These  are  much  extolled  by  the  Swedes,  but  have 
never  been  printed. 

2.  "£)euilfdbt;"  by  Gustavus  the  Third. — Helmfeldt  was  son  of  a  Burgomaster 
of  Stockholm,  who,  after  many  extraordinary  adventures,  became  one  of  the 
greatest  Generals  of  Charles  XL  and  in  that  state  was  recognised  by  his 
aged  father,  who  believed  him  dishonoured  and  dead. 

3.  "  59if#e?  ^tlVl,"  Regent  of  the  Kingdom ;  by  Count  De  Gyllenlorg. 

4.  "  The  Father  reconciled  C2)en  ^Ot^Otwbe  $at>mi)  f  by  Mr.  Lindegren. 


COMEDIES. 

I'ouieaies.  \t  '■'  The  New  Master  (Sfya  $<Xiifi(ipti) ;"  by  Count  De  Gyllenlorg. 

2.  "  The  Officious  (^tf a^f'cn) ;"  by  the  late  Mr.  Schroederheim. 

3.  "  The  Boaster"  (Captain  Puff,  or  ©tOfptatftren) ;  by  the  late  Mr.  Kexel. 
— This  is  the  best  piece  belonging  to  the  Swedish  Theatre,  in  the  style  of  low 
comedy. 

These  are  the  principal  productions  of  the  Swedish  Muse, 
and  they  are  all  original  compositions.  To  this  list  may  be 
added  an  heroic  Drama  in  prose,  composed  by  Gustavus 
the  Third,  entitled  "  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  Ebb  a  Brahe 
(©it&af-9l&otp&  od)  @-66a$vfll;e)."  It  was  performed  at  Drottning- 
holm,  the  nth  of  September  1783,  by  the  Duke  Charles,  the 

Princess 


STOCKHOLM. 


293 


Princess  Royal,  and  other  persons  of  the  highest  distinction  chap.  yii. 
about  the  Court.  The  story  upon  which  this  piece  turns  is 
founded  upon  the  love  felt  by  the  young  King,  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  for  the  beautiful  Ebba  Brake,  daughter  of  a  Peer 
who  ranks  highest  in  the  order  of  the  Swedish  Nobility ; 
a  passion  which  he  sacrificed  for  the  honour  of  his  august 
family  and  for  the  throne  of  Sweden,  according  to  the 
haughty  notions  of  his  Court,  especially  of  his  mother 
the  Queen  Dowager.  This  piece,  characterized  by  the 
genius  and  political  talents  of  Gustavus  the  Third,  was 
afterwards  put  into  Sivedish  verse  by  Mr.  Kellgren,  and 
performed  for  the  first  time  in  Stockholm  upon  the  24th  of 
January  1788.  It  may  be  found  printed  in  the  collection 
of  Mr.  Kellgren 's  works. 

In  the  higher  walks  of  Literature  we  should  now  vainly  Works  in  the 

higher  order 

seek  for  works  of  much  importance.  Celsius,  Bishop  of  Lund,  of  Literature, 
is  the  author  of  a  History  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  and  his  son 
Eric  XIV.  The  historical  work  of  Mr.  Dalin  has  been  already 
noticed .  Tacitus  has  been  translated  by  Mr.  Steenpiper.  The 
master  of  the  Cathedral  School  of  Stockholm  may  be  con- 
sidered as  an  historian  of  merit :  his  name  is  Murrberg :  he 
wrote  an  account  of  Christian  s  residence  in  Stockholm  in 
1520.  Biography  has  also  found  an  advocate  in  Mr.  Nordin, 
who  has  written  the  Lives  of  Illustrious  Swedes.     There  are 

o 

some  distinguished  men  at  the  University  of  Abo;  but  of 
these  we  may  speak  hereafter.  Much  may  yet  be  expected 
from  the  Swedes  ;  and  their  literature  may  revive;  but  it  must 
be  owned  the  prospect  is  a  bad  one.  The  spirit  of  the  people 
remains  yet  unbroken :  but  where  the  liberty  of  the  press  is 

annihilated, 


294 


STOCKHOLM. 


chap.  vii.  annihilated. — and  Russia,  like  one  of  those  moving  bogs,  of 
which  we  read,  in  Ireland,  comes  slowly  but  surely  on, 
threatening  to  overwhelm  the  country1,  and  to  extinguish  all 
that  remains  of  genius  and  heroism  in  the  land, — he  must 
indeed  be  sanguine  who  can  hope  to  see  Sweden  regenerated 
and  her  glory  restored. 


(I)  The  University  of  Abo,  together  with  all  Finland,  has  already  fallen  under  the 
dominion  of  Russia. 


CHAP.  VIII. 


STOCKHOLM  TO  ALAND. 


Characteristical  Swedish  Exclamation — Departure  from  Stockholm — 
Commencement  of  the  Winter  season — Grisselhamn — Telegraph — 
Passage-boat — Geographical  Nomenclature — Dangerous  situation  of 
the  Author  and  his  Companions — -Providential  escape — Aspect  of 
affairs  in  landing  upon  Aland — Frebbenby — State  Messenger  of  the 
Court  of  Russia — Ruins  q/'Castelholm — History  of  that  Fortress — 
Skarpans — Change  in  the  Manners  of  the  People — Bomarsund — 
Vargatta  Sound — Sledge-Travelling — Isle  of  Vardo — The  Party 
embark  across  the  Delen  for  Kumlinge  —  The  Author  induced  to 

return 


296  STOCKHOLM. 

return  to  Skarpans —  Festivities  of  Christmas  Eve  —  Attempt  to 
convey    the    carriage   upon    the    ice  —  Sudden    storm  • —  Village   of 

o 

Vardo — Interior  of  an  Aland  Dwelling — Breakfast  of  the  Natives  — 
Extra  Post — A  turbulent  sea  frozen  in  one  night  —  Cause  of  the 
rapid  change  —  The  Auihor  recrosses  the  Bomarsund  —  Southern 
Passage  to  Kumlinge — State  of  the  Delen — Geological  features  of 

o  o 

Aland — Manners  of  the  Alandersm  Winter — Number  of  inhabitants 
— Means  of  subsistence  —  Clergy — Land-measurers —  their  destruc- 
tive influence  and  depredations. 

^?AF'VIII;  Among  the  peculiarities  of  national  habits  which  cannot 
fail  to  be  remarked  by  a  stranger  in  Sweden,  is  the  universal 
prevalence  of  'an  expression  constantly  in  use,  although 
adapted  to  a  great  variety  of  feelings   and   circumstances. 

characteristi-  This    expression    consists    of     two    monosyllables,    Ja  sa ! 

cal  Swedish  m  . 

exclamation,  pronounced  with  a  strong  aspiration  upon  the  first,  and  a 
lengthened  tone  upon  the  second ;  varying,  however,  according 
to  the  passion  that  is  to  be  expressed, — Yah  so  !  It  is  impos- 
sible to  crive  an  idea  of  the  innumerable  significations  to 
which  Yah  so  I  is  applied :  from  the  throne  to  the  cottage  it 
constitutes  four-fifths  of  the  remarks  made  by  the  Swedes 
upon  all  occasions.  Sometimes,  when  a  person  is  relating  a 
story,  it  comes  out  slowly,  as  a  kind  of  obliging  assent  to  the 
credit  of  his  narration,  and  an  encouragement  for  him  to 
proceed —  Yah  so  !  Yah  so  !  And  then  it  is  given  in  a  sub- 
dued and  whining  tone :  at  others,  upon  suddenly  compre- 
hending what  was  before  a  paradox,  it  bursts  forth  with 
emphasis — Yah  so!  ! !  Again,  at  other  times,  it  is  used  as 
a  term  of  defiance,  and  with  a  more  guttural  sound,  upon 
being  menaced — Yach  so  !     And  then  it  is  accompanied  by  a 

corre- 


DEPARTURE  FROM  STOCKHOLM. 


297 


corresponding  swing  of  the  head.     Again  in  rejoinder;    as  chap.viii. 

for  example  :      Quest.  Who  are  they  ?     Answ.  Englishmen. 

Rejoind.    Yah  so!       If  a   Swede  were  told  that  his    head 

would  be  struck  off  within  the  next  half  hour,  he  would  say, 

beyond  doubt,  Yah  so!      This  is  not  peculiar  to  the  Capital, 

or  to  any  one  of  the  Provinces,  but  may  be  observed  alike  in 

all  parts  of  the  Country.     Wherever  a  Swede  is  found,  Yah  so  ! 

is  sure  to  denote  his  presence. 

We  felt  sorry   when   the  time   arrived  in   which  it  was 

necessary  to  bid  farewell,  not  only  to  Yah  so !  under  all  its 

multiplied   associations,    but    to    the    Swedes   and    to   their 

Country.     Being  tempted  by  the    hope   of  overtaking   the 

friends  with  whom  we  entered  Swede?!1,  before  they  should 

have  left  Petersburg,  we  had  waited  only  for  the   coming  of 

the  frost  to  set  out  for  Russia.     We  left  Stockholm,  upon  Departure 

from  stock- 
wheels,  before  the  snow  had  fallen,  upon  Saturday,  Dec.  14.  *«'«• 

The  mercury  in  Fahrenheit's  thermometer  fell  this  day,  at 
noon,  only  four  degrees  below  the  freezing  point,  and  it  had 
not  been  so  low  during  all  the  month  of  November.  Soon 
afterwards,  however,  its  descent  was,  with  little  variation,  pro- 
gressive. At  seven  in  the  evening  it  fell  21°  below  freezing. 
We  had  bought  of  Signor  Acerbi  a  very  excellent  German 
Bdtarde,  which  that  traveller  had  caused  to  be  constructed 
in  Vienna  according  to  his  own  directions,  and  it  was  pro- 
vided with  many  conveniences  for  travelling.  We  have 
given  an  account  of  such  a  vehicle   in  a  former  volume0. 

We 

(1)  Professor  Malthus  and  the  Rev.  W.  Otier. 

(2)  See  Vol.1,  p.  14.   Camb.  1810. 


M 


VOL.   VI. 


Q  Q 


RBBSSEEEEEER 


■ 


ra^f^-i1'. 


CHAF.VIH. 


Commence- 
ment of  the 
Winter  Sea- 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 

We  passed  the  first  night  at  Kragsta.  In  our  way  thither, 
through  Ensta,  Osby,  Hall,  and  Rilanda,  the  country  was 
more  open  than  usual,  and  much  cultivated.  The  roads 
were  rendered  as  perfect  as  possible  by  the  frost.  According 
to  the  custom  in  Sweden  and  Russia,  our  postillion  drove 
four  horses  abreast.  We  passed  several  lakes,  which  were 
frozen.  The  next  day  we  journeyed  through  Svanberga, 
Stabby  or  Staba,  and  Tresta,  to  Grissehamn.  The  cold  was 
now  become  so  piercing,  that  we  could  see  little  of  the 
country.  At  Staba  we  estimated  the  temperature  at  noon  : 
the  mercury,  by  Fahrenheit's  scale,  fell  fourteen  degrees  and 
a  half  below  freezing.  Afterwards  it  became  much  colder. 
We  did  not  venture  to  open  a  window;  but  the  vapour  of 
our  breath  froze  into  a  thick  coat  of  ice  upon  the  glass.  The 
Winter  had  now  evidently  set  in,  with  considerable  severity  ; 
but  the  atmosphere  was  clear  and  dry.  The  people  were 
all  rejoicing  at  the  change;  because  this  is  to  them  the 
hevHav  of  the  vear.  The  lakes  were  crowded  with  boys 
skaiting,  or  with  peasants  pushing  before  them  sledges  laden 
with  different  articles.  Their  winter  dress  is  a  sheep-skin 
coat,  worn  with  the  wool  towards  the  body :  it  is  white  and 
clean,  and  has  a  neat  appearance.  Upon  their  heads  they 
wear  handsome  caps  of  dark  fur,  with  crowns  of  scarlet 
cloth.  Every  house  that  we  entered  was  filled  with  pro- 
visions. The  frost  preserves  all  their  meat,  which  is, 
therefore,  much  more  wholesome  than  if  it  were  salted. 
Even  the  poorest  peasants  have  a  share  of  luxurious  diet 
at  this  season  of  the  year.  We  said  to  some  of  them,  that 
it  was  very  cold;     to   which    they   replied,    rubbing   their 

hands, 


TO   ALAND. 


299 


hands,  and  with  looks  of  joy,  "  Yes,  bravely  cold — beautiful  chap.viii. 
weather!  Now  you  may  travel  as  fast  as  you  please!" — 
Indeed  the  roads  were  rendered  so  smooth  and  hard,  that 
they  seemed  like  one  mass  of  stone.  To  give  an  idea  of  the 
severity  of  the  frost,  before  we  arrived  at  Grissehamn,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  state,  that  some  Madeira  wine,  in  bottles, 
in  the  well  of  the  carriage,  became  solid :  when  we  attempted 
to  pour  it  out,  the  wine  would  not  flow,  but  fell,  at  last, 
slowly,  in  successive  drops.  All  our  bread  was  frozen,  and 
could  not  be  cut.  We  broke  it  with  a  hammer,  and  it 
glittered,  within,  like  loaf-sugar.  We  had  some  cold  roasted 
game,  and  this  cut  like  a  snow-ball.  All  the  furs  we  could 
use  in  the  close  carriage,  with  all  the  windows  up,  would 
not  protect  us  ;  we  seemed  to  be  sitting  in  the  bleak  and 
open  air.  Over  our  feet  we  had  thick  yarn  stockings 
covered  by  stout  leather  boots,  and  over  these  again  were 
boots  made  of  the  hides  of  rein-deer,  with  the  hair  on  the 
outside,  and  doubly  lined  with  sheep-skin  covered  with 
black  wool.  We  had,  moreover,  fur  caps  upon  our  heads, 
and  bear-skin  pelisses  over  our  bodies,  besides  several  flannel 
waistcoats ;  and  upon  our  hands,  gloves  of  sheep-skin, 
covered  by  double  gloves  of  fur  and  wool.  Yet  all  these 
precautions  did  not  protect  us  from  feeling  the  severity  of 
the  weather.  The  Swedes  told  us,  and  we  had  reason  after- 
wards to  believe  the  truth  of  what  they  said,  that  we  should 
be  less  sensible  of  the  action  of  the  atmosphere  if  we 
travelled,  as  they  did,  in  open  carriages.  We  found  the 
houses  in  a  very  different  state  from  that  in  which  we  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  them,  and  carefully  guarded  from 

the 


'.  ■"•'.*  I 


300  FROM    STOCKHOLM 

cHAP.vm.  the  admission  of  external  air.  The  windows  in  all  the  rooms 
were  nailed  up,  and  paper  had  been  pasted  over  the  crevices; 
yet  the  natives  laughed  when  we  conversed  with  them 
about  their  climate,  saying  it  was  nothing  to  what  we  should 
soon  experience. 

In  the  first  stage  this  day,  an  iron  bolt  belonging  to  the 
carriage  snapped  like  a  piece  of  glass  and  was  broken.  This 
compelled  us  to  proceed  to  an  iron-foundry  belonging  to 
a  Mr.  Arfvedson  of  Stockholm,  situate  half-way  between 
Svanberga  and  Staba.  The  superintendant  of  these  works 
told  us  that  a  large  quantity  of  bar-iron  is  manufactured 
here,  which  is  sent  to  Stockholm  for  exportation.  He  also 
added,  that  they  sometimes  import  sea-coal  from  Englcuid, 
for  the  use  of  the  foundry.  The  same  level  country  and 
richly- cultivated  fields  appeared  the  whole  way  to  Tresta, 
where  we  crossed  a  ferry.  Here  the  land  wore  a  more  sterile 
aspect,  exhibiting  a  scene  of  hills  and  rocks  the  whole  way 

Cris$ehan>m  to  Grissehamn.  This  place  consists  of  nothing  more  than 
a  single  post-house,  built  by  Government  about  twenty  years 

Telegraph.  ago ;  near  which  is  stationed  a  Telegraph.  It  serves  also  to 
travellers  as  an  inn,  although  the  worst  in  all  Sweden. 
There  is  no  situation  better  adapted  for  a  house  of  accommo- 
dation ;  but  a  place  more  poverty-struck,  dirty,  cold,  or  in  all 
respects  more  wretched,  can  hardly  be  conceived.  It  stands 
upon  a  rock,  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia.  The 
country  around  it  is  low,  barren,  and  full  of  rocks,  with 
here  and  there  a  few  stunted  trees  and  shrubs.  We  were 
detained  at  this  miserable  place,  owing  to  the  violence  of  the 
wind,  which  was  now  stormy.      The  mariners  who  conduct 

passengers 


TO   ALAND. 


301 


passengers  over  to  Ekero  would  not  put  off  from  the  shore,  chap.viii. 
During  this  delay  our  situation  was  rather  awkward  ;  for  while 
the  excessive  coldness  of  the  weather  drove  us  into  the  only 
room  allowed  for  shelter,  volumes  of  smoke  from  some  green 
boughs  piled  beneath  a  large  open  chimney  expelled  us 
again  into  the  open  air.  There  was  no  other  fuel  to  be  had, 
and  but  little  even  of  this.  We  set  off,  therefore,  to  visit 
the  Telegraph  erected  near  the  spot.  This  machine  is  not 
Only  used  for  Government  despatches  ;  it  gives  notice,  across 
the  mouth  of  the  Gulph,  when  travellers  arrive — how  many 
horses,  and  what  other  necessaries  and  accommodations  they 
may  require — what  boats  will  be  wanted.  The  Director, 
who  is  the  Postmaster,  was  perfectly  versed  in  the  art  of 
working  it:  he  said  he  would  bespeak  a  dinner  for  us  on  the 
other  side  of  the  water ;  and  regretted  that  he  had  no 
provisions  himself  to  offer  us.  To  make  him  easy,  we  told 
him  that  we  were  tolerably  provided  for  the  day,  and  that  he 
should  share  with  us  a  part  of  our  stock.  He  then  permitted 
us  to  examine  the  Telegraph  tables;  which,  perhaps,  are  much 
the  same  everywhere ;  but  the  simplicity  of  these  struck  us 
as  being  worth  notice.  He  is  able,  according  to  his  own 
statement,  to  work  1024  changes  ;  and  conveys  intelligence  to 
the  distance  of  five  Swedish  miles  and  a  half — nearly  forty 
English.  He  said  that  this  'Telegraph  was  constructed  after  an 
English  model.  We  were  quite  surprised  at  the  facility  and 
speed  with  which  intercourse  is  carried  on.  Any  message 
whatever  may  be  sent  by  it,  and  in  a  few  seconds.  His  book 
contained  the  ranks  and  professions  of  all  travellers  likely  to 

arrive; 


302 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


ciup.vni.  arrive ;  and  among  others,  the  lofty  title  of  ''Paul,  Emperor 
of  all  the  Russias,"  whose  coming  we  thought  no  Sivede  would 
wrish  to  announce.  We  sent  an  order  by  it,  to  have  a  dinner 
prepared  in  a  warm  room,  and  five  horses  ready  for  starting. 
The  signs  of  communication  were  all  figures,  ranged  beneath 
a  letter,  in  this  order: 


A 

1 

l 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

3 

3 

The  letter  A.  shews  to  what  table  of  words  or  sentences 
the  several  signs  belong ;  therefore,  when  the  letter  is 
changed,  a  new  series  is  referred  to:  and  there  may  be,  of 
course,  as  many  sets  of  changes  as  there  are  letters  in  the 
alphabet.  The  Director  of  the  machine  is  placed  in  a  small 
square  room;  with  a  telescope.  He  amused  us  by  holding  a 
conversation  wTith  his  distant  comrade.  Sterile  as  was  the 
appearance  of  the  land  about  Grissehamn,  it  must  wear  a 
pleasing  aspect  in  summer,  from  the  number  of  the  inlets 
of  the  Gulph  intersecting  the  rocky  shore.  The  opposite 
coast,  when  examined  with  a  glass,  was  at  this  time  glittering 
with  masses  of  ice  beginning  to  accumulate  upon  the 
shore. 

We  were  detained  the  whole  of  Monday  at  Grissehamn. 
On  Tuesday,  December  1 7th,  as  soon  as  daylight  appeared,  we 
set  sail.     The  wind  had  been  gathering  strength  the  whole 

of 


TO    ALAND. 


303 


of  the  preceding  night ;    and  we  endeavoured,  but  in  vain,  chap.viil 

to  prevail  upon  our  boatmen  to  take  in  a  few  reefs  in  the  Passage-Boat. 

enormous  sail  with  which  they  ventured  forth  in  their  small 

and  rude  bark.     The  carriage  had  been  put  on  board  soon 

after  sunset ;  and  we  seated  ourselves  within  it,   to  avoid  as 

much  as  possible  the  piercing  nature  of  the  blast.     Scarcely 

had  we  cleared   the    rocks  around   the  bay  of   Grissehanm, 

when  the  vessel — gunnelling  on  her  lee-side  from  the  pressure 

of  so  much  canvas,  neither  proportioned  to  the  boat  nor  to 

the  weather — shipped  a  sea  that  threatened  at  once  to  sink 

her.     The  effect  of  this  was  rendered  the  more  alarming,  by 

the  beginning  of  that  horrid  state  of  confusion,  in  which 

men  lose   all   presence  of  mind :    one  pulled  at  the  boom, 

another  let  slip  a  wrong  rope,   and  all  management  of  the 

boat  seemed  to  be  lost.      We   made   our  escape  from  the 

window  of  the  carriage,  by  means  of  the  main-stay,  which 

was  within  reach  ;    and  in  another  instant,  those  who  could 

swim  would  have  taken  to  the  water,  with  a  view  to  reach 

one  of  the  rocks  over  which  the  sea  was  beating,  and  thence 

endeavour   to   gain    the   nearest    shore.      At   this   dreadful 

moment,  when  disorder  and  the  tempest  seemed  to  govern 

every  thing,  the  man  at  the  helm,  by  a  daring  but  dextrous 

effort,  put  the  vessel  quite  about,  and  saved  us  all.      The 

management  of  the  sail  was  then  recovered,    and,  getting 

under  a  lee-shore,  we  rolled  back  to  Grisseham?i. 

The  tempest  continued  all  that  day,  and  throughout  the 
entire  night.  On  the  following  morning,  December  18th, 
it    was   still   more   violent,    with    a   contrary   wind.      The 

thermometer 


H  H 


304 


FROM   STOCKHOLM 


cHAP.vni.  thermometer  of  Fahrenheit1  was  this  morning  sixteen  degrees 
and  a  half  below  freezing.  Upon  our  return,  the  poor  man's 
fuel  was  all  consumed.  We  sent  for  a  load  of  wood ;  and 
making  a  large  fire,  managed  to  keep  his  airy  chamber  heated 
about  up  to  the  freezing  point ;  living  the  whole  time  in  a 
dense  atmosphere  of  smoke,  which  we  endeavoured  to  avoid 
by  sitting  on  the  floor.  Our  provisions  were  all  expended,  and 
there  was  literally  nothing  to  be  had  upon  the  spot.  We  there- 
fore sent  our  Interpreter,  Peter,  upon  a  sledge,  along  the 
smaller  bays,  which  were  now  covered  with  ice,  to  search 
for  and  purchase  provisions,  which  were  plentiful  enough 
inland.  He  returned  at  the  close  of  the  day,  bringing  the 
side  of  a  hog  and  about  thirty  eggs.  We  could  not  even 
procure  a  candle,  to  cheer  the  long  night  in  our  cold  and 
suffocating  apartment ;  but  by  taking  out  these  which  were 
in  the  lanterns  of  our  carriage,  we  obviated  this  inconveni- 
ence, and  were  able  to  amuse  ourselves  by  writing,  while 
the  servants  made  a  fry  of  the  hog  and  the  eggs,  to  which 
we  invited  our  host.  He  told  us  that  the  boatmen  upon  this 
station  are  usually  dextrous  in  the  management  of  the 
wretched  skiffs  entrusted  to  their  care,  and  that  boats  are 
rarely  lost  in  making  the  passage.  The  last  accident  of  this 
kind  happened  about  a  month  before.  A  boat,  overladen 
with  forty  tons  of  corn  from  Upsala,  foundered  in  its  passage 
to  Aland,  in  a  gale  of  wind  ;  and  one  of  the  richest  farmers  in 

o 

A  land, 


(l)  We  used  a  thermometer  with  the  centigrade  scale  of  Celsius ;  but  as  Fahrenheit's 
scale,  absurd  and  inconvenient  as  it  is,  still  obtains  a  preference  in  England,  we  have 
always  adapted  our  observations  to  Fahrenheit's  scale. 


TO    ALAND. 


•305 


C 

Aland,  together  with  the  rest  of  the  crew,  were  lost.  In  the  chap.viii. 
year  1791,  a  Grissehamn  boat,  returning  from  Ekero  with 
the  mail,  but  without  passengers,  was  driven,  by  a  strong 
westerly  wind,  into  the  Baltic,  and  never  heard  of  afterwards. 
With  these  exceptions,  he  said,  no  similar  accident  had 
occurred  for  the  last  forty  years.  However  this  may  be,  no 
person,  seeing  the  saucer-like  boats  in  which  they  make  the 
passage,  ballasted  only  with  a  few  large  and  loose  stones,  and 
reflecting  upon  the  boisterous  weather  to  which  they  must  be 
liable  in  these  straits,  would  think  there  was  much  proba- 
bility of  their  escape.  Perhaps  there  is  no  part  of  the  world 
where  boats  of  the  same  size  carry  so  much  sail ;  drawing  at 
the  same  time  so  little  water,  that  it  is  likely  the  smallest 
sudden  squall  will  upset  them.  In  the  depth  of  winter,  this 
passage  may  be  made  upon  the  ice ;  but  it  seldom  happens 
that  the  sea  is  here  sufficiently  frozen  before  the  month  of 
February ;  as  it  requires  many  weeks  of  severe  and  uninter- 
rupted frost  to  render  it  practicable  for  sledges  drawn  by 
horses,  or  even  for  hand-sledges.  The  boats  are  supplied 
upon  the  same  plan  as  the  post-horses,  by  a  tax  upon  the 
peasants.  Every  parish  is  bound  to  contribute  for  this 
purpose.  There  are  eighteen  boats  belonging  to  the 
Grissehamn  side,   and  the  same  number  in  the  Isle  of  Aland, 

In  the  examination  of  the  names  of  islands  and  places 
throughout  the  curious  tract  of  land  and  water  which 
intervenes  between  Sweden  and  Finland,  it  will  be  seen  how 
necessary  a  knowledge  of  the  language  is  to  the  illustration 
of  the  geography  and  natural  history  of  this  region,  and 
to  the  explanation  of  some   names   in  our  own    language. 

vol.  vi.  r  r  Among 


Nomencla- 
ture. 


306  FROM    STOCKHOLM 

chap.viii.  Among  the  innumerable  islets  with  which  the  mouth  of  the 
Ge^Tphicai  G-ulph  of  Bothnia  is  studded,  appear  as  many  names  ter- 
minated by  b,  as  in  the  north  of  the  same  Gulph  are  ter- 
minated by  a,  pronounced  like  our  o ;  yet  these  terminations 
have  very  different  significations.-  O,  pronounced  like  the 
French  u,  is  very  difficult  to  an  English  tongue,  and  signifies 
in  itself  an  island;  whereas  a,  as  it  was  before  mentioned, 
answering  to  the  French  word  eau,  signifies  water.  Thus,  in 
the  names  of  the  little  islands  in  question,  Aspb  means  the 
Isle  of  Asp-trees ;  also  Korp'6,  the  Croiv-island ;  and  Brando, 
either  the  Burnt-island,  or  the  island  whose  shores  repel  the 
waves  ;  for  brand  has  two  significations,  one  of  which  is  '  to 
repel'  or  'drive  back.'  There  are  many  other  instances.  Noto 
signifies  the  Isle  of  Cattle  or  Pasture.  The  Isle  of  Wardo, 
pronounced  Vardo,  means  the  Island  of  the  Spri?ig;  and  Ut'6, 
the  Out-island,  or  Insula  ultima.  The  Ferro  Isles  in  the  North 
Sea  would  be  written  Faro  by  a  Swede ;  because  the  name 
implies  Sheep  Isles ;  and  with  them,  Far  means  a  sheep,  and 
o  an  island.     Indeed,  the  name  occurs  thus  written,  Faro,  in 

e 

the  Chart  of  a  groupe  of  Isles  south-west  of  Abo.  In  the 
north  of  Ireland,  Fair  Head  has  doubtless  the  same  significa- 
tion, being  so  called  from  the  sheep  there  pastured1. 

Dec. 

(1)  A  curious  circumstance  was  mentioned  to  us  in  Norway,  by  Bernard  Anker  of 
Christiania,  which  is  foreign  to  the  present  subject,  but  may  be  here  noticed  without 
interrupting  the  narrative.  He  told  us  that  Great  Britain  holds  the  Orkney  Islands 
only  in  pawn.  Looking  over  some  old  deeds  and  records  belonging  to  the  Danish 
Crown  at  Copenhagen,  Mr.  Anker  found  that  these  islands  were  consigned  to  England 
in  lieu  of  a  dowry  for  a  Danish  Princess  married  to  one  of  our  English  Kings,  upon 
condition  that  these  islands  should  be  restored  to  Denmark  whenever  the  debt,  for  which 
they  were  pledged,  should  be  discharged.  Therefore,  as  the  price  of  land,  and  value 
of  money,  have  undergone  such  considerable  alteration  since  this  happened,  it  is  in  the 
power  of  Denmark,  for  a  very  small  sum,  to  claim  possession  of  the  Orkneys. 


TO    ALAND. 


307 


Dec.  1Q. — This  morning  the  Gulph  was  still  impas-  chap.viii. 
sable,  from  the  violence  of  the  gale,  which  was  now 
contrary,  the  wind  being  north-east  by  east.  Snow  had 
fallen  during  the  night.  The  mercury  in  Fahrenheit's  ther- 
mometer fell  at  noon  21°  below  freezing.  Towards  night 
the  wind  veered  to  the  west.  Many  persons  arrived  at 
Grissehamn,  also  waiting  for  a  passage. 

Friday,  Dec.  20,  proved  an  eventful  day  for  all  of  us.  It 
was  the  sixth  day  since  our  arrival  at  this  wretched  place  ; 
all  of  which  time  we  might  have  spent  much  more  ad- 
vantageously in  Stockholm,  without  delaying  our  progress. 
Early  in   the  morning,  before  day-light  appeared,  our  ma- 

o 

riners,  who  belonged  to  Aland,  and  were  impatient  to  return, 
came  to  summon  us  on  board ;  saying  the  weather  was  more 
mild  and  the  wind  somewhat  favourable,    and    that    they 
wished  to  sail  with  all  possible  expedition.     After  what  we 
had  before  experienced,  it  was  wrong  in  us  to  venture  a  second 
time,  without  a  certainty  of  a  more  tranquil  sea  ;   but  it  was 
much  greater  rashness  to  allow  the  carnage  to  be  conveyed 
in   the  same  boat.      The  Grissehamn  and  Aland  boats  are 
neither  accustomed  to  the  transportation  of  carriages,  nor  are 
they  suited  to  their  conveyance.      The  sight   of  our  vessel, 
half  filled  with  snow,   in  which  the  carriage,  propped   upon 
poles,  yet  rolled  about  with  the  slightest  motion,  reminded 
lis  of  an   old  distich,  not  inapplicable   to  our  present  folly 
in  venturing  on  board: — 

"  Seven  men  of  Gotham 
Went  to  sea  in  a  bowl,"  &c. 


We 


HWW 


308 


FROM     STOCKHOLM 


chap. vin.      We  set  sail.     The  morning  was  dark;    and  the  shore  here 
Dangerous      is  so  formed,  that  the  appearance  of  the  horizon  and  of  the 

situation  of 

the  Author      sea    cannot  be  discerned  until  the  land    has    been    cleared. 

and  his 

companions.  The  sky  looked  fearfully  red  towards  the  cast,  and  as  fear- 
fully black  towards  the  west,  in  which  quarter  the  wind  was. 
We  expressed  our  apprehensions  to  the  boatmen;  but  they 
said  that  within  four  hours  they  could  take  us  over,  and  that 
the  wind  would  not  increase  within  that  time.  Scarcely 
had  we  cleared  the  land,  when  we  beheld  a  sea  at  which  even 

o 

our  Alanders  were  appalled:  at  the  same  time  it  came  on  to 
blow  with  great  violence,  the  gale  gathering  force  at  every 
instant.  But  the  storm  of  wind  was  nothing,  compared  to 
the  state  of  the  sea ;  which  having  been  agitated  for  many 
days,  presented  to  our  astonished  boatmen  mountains  of 
boiling  water.  Nothing  could  more  effectually  convince  us 
of  our  serious  situation,  than  seeing  the  consternation  of  the 
crew.  We  begged  them  to  put  back,  as  they  had  done  before. 
This  they  confessed  they  would  gladly  accede  to;  but  that 
it  was  impossible :  that  all  we  could  now  do  was,  to  bear  up 

o 

to  windward,  in  the  hope  of  making  one  of  the  Aland  Isles, 
and  avoid  being  driven  into  the  Baltic.  Within  ten  minutes 
after  our  danger  became  apparent,  every  hope  seemed  to 
vanish.  Our  Interpreter,  as  a  seaman  in  the  East-India 
service,  had  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  often  sailed 
in  storms  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  but  he  confessed  he  had  never 
beheld  such  a  sea  as  was  here  gathered  in  the  Aland  Haf.  One 
of  the  Alanders,  an  experienced  sailor,  took  the  helm,  and  made 
his  comrades  lower  the  foresail.  The  mainsail  could  not  be  dis- 
pensed with,  as  we  were  falling  fast  to  leeward;   and  without 

bearing 


TO    ALAND. 


309 


bearing  to  windward  we  must  inevitably  perish.  We  con-  chap.viii. 
tinued  to  luff  from  time  to  time;  but  when  "  the  rising  world 
of  waters,"  in  mountain-breakers,  threatened  to  overwhelm 
us,  the  yells  of  all  our  boatmen  became  a  signal  to  the 
helmsman  to  oppose  to  it  the  stern  of  the  vessel ;  and  thus, 
letting  her  drive  before  the  sea,  to  fall  off  to  leeward,  being 
carried  into  a  gulph  of  foam,  which  broke  over  both  sides  of 
our  boat,  and  covered  us  with  the  waves1.  Half  drowned 
and  gasping,  we  saw  far  behind  us,  when  we  were  lifted 
upon  the  tops  of  the  billows,  another  boat  in  equal  distress ; 
and  this  occasionally  disappeared  so  completely  from  our 
view,  as  to  make  us  believe  she  had  foundered :  but  when 
she  hove  again  in  sight,  she  was  so  far  to  windward  of  us 
that  there  was  not  the  smallest  chance  of  our  being  able  to 
reach  her  by  swimming,  in  case  of  our  being  upset :  and  we 
afterwards  learned,  that  she  had  entirely  given  us  over,  and 
had  enough  to  do  in  baling  the  water,  which  filled  on  her  lee- 
side,  to  think  of  rendering  us  any  assistance.  The  principal 
part  of  our  distress  was  attributed,  by  the  boatmen,  to  the 
having  our  carriage  on  board  ;  and  they  reproached  us  on  this 
account.  Every  time  the  vessel  heeled,  the  weight  and 
swing  of  this  vehicle,  propped  high  in  the  boat,  made  her 
ship  more  water  than  she  would  have  done  otherwise.  We 
soon  came  to  the  resolution  of  consigning  it,  with  all  we 
had,  to  the  deep,  and  gave  orders  to  the  men  to  heave  it 
overboard.  This  was  attempted;  but  they  assured  us  we 
should   sink   the  vessel  in    so    doing,  ^nd   abandoned   the 

under- 


(1)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 


310 


fROM    STOCKHOLM 


escape. 


chap. viii.  undertaking.  By  cutting  away,  however,  the  props  upon 
which  the  carriage  was  supported,  we  contrived  to  lower  it 
upon  the  ballast,  and  the  vessel  laboured  less  in  consequence. 
Still,  however,  the  storm  increased  ;  and  the  sea  washed  over 
us  continually.  Huddled  together  near  the  stern,  we  could 
only  trust  to  Providence,  and,  in  the  intervals  when  the  sea 
left  us,  watch  the  countenance  of  our  undaunted  helmsman. 

Providential  After  all,  we  knew  not  how  our  escape  was  effected,  being 
quite  stupified  and  benumbed  by  our  dreadful  situation.  All 
that  the  author  could  recollect  of  the  first  glimpse  of  hope 
was,  that,  after  long  struggling  in  endeavours  to  recover  the 

0 

vessel's  lee-way,  the  island  on  which  the  Aland  Telegraph  is 
stationed  appeared  at  a  great  distance  to  leeward,  under  the 
boom  of  the  mainsail.  Soon  afterwards,  getting  another 
island  to  windward,  the  sea  was  thereby  rendered  somewhat 
more  tranquil,  and  the  boatmen  set  up  a  shout,  saying,  "  Bra  ! 
Bra! — Ingenfara!  Det  har  ingen  fara1!"  After  this  we 
sailed  through  the  Sound2,  and  close  to  the  shore:  but  could 
not  land  on  account  of  the  surf.  Having  passed  these 
islands,  we  steered  for  Ekero,  the  sea  being  much  more 
calm  ;  and  arrived  there  soon  after  mid-day.  The  crew  of 
the  other  boat  met  us,  and  hailed  our  coming.  It  consisted 
of  a  party  with  the  Ostero- Bothnia  mail,  and  a  Swedish  naval- 
officer,  who  told  us  he  had  no  expectation  that  we  should 
have    weathered   the   storm,    seeing  the  manner   in   which 

our 


(1)  Bra!  is  an  interjection  answering  to  bravo!     The  literal  meaning  therefore  is, 
"  Bravo  !  Bravo  ! — No  danger  !     There  is  no  danger  '" 

e 

(2)  See  the  Chart  of  the  J  land  Isles. 


.57 


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vS  «HE  [;  RIto  F  (  >'  I,A  v  I); 

///.sv  /A'  r//y///'/r//s  /•(>///<■  /></-/i'/-///,</ />v  ///c 
ll'TiroLt  .'//;>/,  //,,  TCEof&K&ROZEWSEA 
after  cetnrning'from  flie  ksleof 
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IT 


TO    ALAND. 


311 


our  vessel  laboured.     His  own  boat  had  encountered  consi-  chap.  vm. 
derable  danger ;    but  it  was  less  burdened,  and  much  more 
manageable,    and   had    therefore  been   held   in  her  course, 
without  being  driven,  as  was  the  case  with  ours,  continually 
into  the  trough  of  the  sea. 

We  had  no  sooner  landed   in  Aland  than  every  thing  Aspect  of 

affairs  in 

wore  a  new  face.     The  winter  had   set  in,  and  with  great  ijndi»g  uPon 
rigour ;    the  ground  was  covered  with    snow,   and  sledges 
were  already  in  general  use.     As  our  carriage  was  still  upon 
wheels,  we  were   compelled  to  take  six  horses,  and  with 
these  we  proceeded  at  a  tolerable  rate.     We  reached  Frebbenby 
that  night.     The  inhabitants    are  a  stout  and  hardy  race, 
better  clothed,     and  in  all  appearance  wealthier  than  the 
Swedes  on  the  western  side  of  the  water.      The  inns  are 
clean ;  and  we  observed  no  symptoms  of  scarcity.     It  was, 
to  be  sure,  the  season  in  which  provisions  are  most  abundant, 
having  been  collected  for  the  winter  store  ;  and  we  were  able 
to  lay  in  a  fresh  stock  for  our  own  use.     We  found  here 
Pontac  wine  and  ale,  with  plenty  of  cold  meat,  which  the 
frost  preserves.     The  ferries  were  all  frozen  up.     We  crossed 
an  inlet  of  the  sea  on  foot,  and  our  heavy  carriage  was  drawn 
over  it  upon  sledges.     Of  the  state  of  agriculture,  in  a  country 
entirely  covered  with  snow,   we  could  not  well  determine, 
from  our  own  observations.     This  island  produces  but  little 
corn;     consequently,   the    natives    depend  chiefly   for  their 
means  of  subsistence  upon  their  fishing  excursions.     They 
exchange  a  small  species  of  herring,  called  Stromming,  with 
the  Swedes  for  corn :    they  also  pasture  a  very  considerable 
quantity  of  cattle.      The  land  is  level,  and  inclosed  in  many 

parts. 


312 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap. tiii.  parts.  The  trees  are  small  and  low,  and,  at  this  time.,  were 
almost  buried  in  the  snow,  which  covered  every  thing.     In 

Frebbenby.  the  evening,  our  inn  at  Frebbenby  was  filled  with  travellers, 
wrapped  in  pelisses,  and  smoking  tobacco.      Among  others, 

state  Mes-     there  arrived  from  the  Finland  side  a  Russian,  Colonel  Rebinin, 

senger  of 

the  Court  of  with  express  despatches  from  the  Emperor  of  Russia  to 
the  Court  of  Stockholm.  He  spent  the  evening  with  us, 
and  gave  us  the  first  specimen  of  the  lofty  tone  and  swaggering 
airs  which  so  strongly  characterize  all  the  agents  of  the 
despotic  Government  to  which  he  belonged.  "  I  bear," 
said  he,  "  the  commands  of  the  Emperor,  my  Master,  to  the 
King  of  Sivcden"  He  seemed  to  consider  obedience  to 
those  commands,  of  whatever  nature  they  might  be,  as  a 
matter  of  course.  As  we  had  not  then  undergone  any 
Russian  discipline,  we  were  not  yet  tamed  into  an  implicit 
assent  to  Russian  notions  and  opinions  ;  and  this  minion  of 
tyranny  could  not  avoid  noticing  the  freedom  with  which, 
in  our  conversation,  we  delivered  our  sentiments.  He  spoke 
much  of  the  tranquillity  and  happiness  of  despotic  Govern- 
ments ;  and  said  that  Great  Britain  would  be  ruined  for 
want  of  rigour.  Above  all  things  that  had  tended  to  lower 
our  country  in  the  eyes  of  other  nations,  he  considered  the 
Expedition  to  Holland  as  the  principal.  He  called  it  puerile 
and  disgraceful ;  and  maintained  (with  a  degree  of  warmth 
that  shewed  he  was  more  interested  in  it  than  as  a  mere 
topic  of  discourse)  that  it  had  exposed  England  to  the 
ridicule  of  the  world.  At  last,  it  came  out  that  he  had  served 
in  person  upon  that  occasion,  when  our  allies,  the  Russians, 
were  roughly  handled;     all   of  which  he  imputed  (to  use 

one 


TO   ALAND. 


313 


one  of  his  mildest  expressions,  "  to  the  imbecility  of  our  chap.viii. 
Commander-in-chief."  The  only  English  officer  of  whom 
he  spoke  in  terms  of  any  approbation,  was  General 
Abercrombie.  And  as  the  anecdotes  which  he  related  pass 
current  at  the  Court  of  Petersburg,  we  shall  mention  one  ; 
omitting  the  terms  of  contumely  in  which,  according  to 
his  account,  persons  of  the  highest  distinction  in  our  army 
are  always  spoken  of  at  that  Court. 

"  The  Russians"  said  he,  "  occupied  the  centre  of  the  allied 
armies.     Upon  one  occasion,  they  received  orders  from  the 
English  head-quarters  to  attack  the  French  at  nine  o'clock  on 
the  following  morning;    and  were  told  that  the  English  in 
the  right  wing  were  to  second  this  operation.     The  attack 
was  made,  and  the  French  were  repulsed  ;  the  Russians  after- 
wards waiting  the  promised  aid  of  the  English  troops,  which 
did  not  arrive.     Couriers  were  accordingly  despatched,  right 
and  left,  to  bring  up  the  English  army.     At  this  juncture,  the 
French,  having  received  reinforcements,  renewed  the  engage- 
ment, and  repeatedly  attacked  the  Russians  with  fresh  troops. 
From  nine  in  the  morning  until  four  in  the  afternoon  the 
Russian  army  was  thus  exposed,  and  suffered  severely.     At 
four  o'clock,  General  Abercrombie  arrived  with   the  troops 
under  his  command,  fought  with  his  wonted  bravery,  and 
repulsed  the  enemy :   then  going  up  to  the  Russian  General, 
he  burst  into  tears,  saying,  "  You  must  think  me  a  poltroon 
and  a  traitor;   but,  by  my  grey  hairs  and  by  these  tears, 
I  declare  I  was  kept  in  ignorance  of  your  intended  attack, 
and  had   to  assemble  and  to  rally  my  men  after  your  mes- 
sengers brought  me  the  intelligence." 
vol.  vi*  s  s  We 


B  BBBV 


314  FROM    STOCKHOLM 

chap.  viii.  We  have  inserted  this  as  a  specimen,  because  it  came  fresh 
from  the  Russian  Cabinet ;  suppressing  other  equally/air  and 
candid  representations,  which  we  also  heard,  and  which  were 
bandied  about,  to  the  disadvantage  of  our  countrymen  at  the 
Court  of  Paul.  The  want  of  success  in  Holland  was 
imputed  by  all  the  Russian  staff,  who  were  present,  to  the 
inefficiency  of  the  English  in  military  tactics.  They  affirmed 
that  England  had  no  land  troops  ;  that  the  display  of  English 
infantry  was  a  wretched  farce ;  and  that  the  officers  were 
worse  than  children.  Colonel  Rebinin,  in  whom  this  lan- 
guage and  these  sentiments  were  but  the  echoes  of  the 
Russian  Government,  considered  the  truth  of  his  assertions  as 
proved  by  the  very  different  success  of  the  Russians  when  in 
Italy.  <f  In  Holland,3'  said  he,  "  we  had  the  best  troops  from 
the  Emperor's  dominions — the  grenadiers  ;  all  of  whom  were 
veterans,  and  every  soldier  was  a  hero.  Those  sent  to  Italy 
were  the  refuse  of  the  army;  and  with  these  Suwarof  almost 
wrought  a  miracle.  Depend  upon  it,  whenever  Russia  is 
called  upon  to  act  in  concert  with  an  English  army,  the 
remembrance  of  the  treatment  she  experienced  in  Holland 
will,  at  least,  make  her  cautious1 !" 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  Dec.  21,  after  our  carriage  had 
passed  the  ice  piece-meal,  it  was  put  together  again ;  and 
we  set  out  with  six  horses  from  Frehhenby,  about  ten  o'clock. 

The 

(l)  Russia  has  since  shewn  her  caution,  and  redeemed  this  pledge.  But  it 
is  grateful  to  reflect  upon  the  lesson  which  the  subsequent  victories  of  Great  Britain 
have  taught  to  the  caution  of  the  Russians;  who,  in  the  triumphant  march  of  our 
heroes  to  Paris,  followed  in  the  rear  of  our  army,  as  mere  lookers-on ;  not  having  con- 
tributed, in  the  smallest  degree,  to  the  glorious  issue  of  our  contest  with  France. 


TO   ALAND. 


315 


The  roads  were  well  tracked,  but  our  wheels  could  hardly  be  chap.viii. 
made  to  turn  round.  We  passed  through  forests  and  a 
level  country  to  Enkarby,  where  we  changed  horses ;  and 
proceeded  to  Haraldsby,  passing  a  ferry  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  latter  place.  Here,  finding  the  rooms  clean, 
and  comfortable  in  their  accommodations,  we  halted.  Our 
host  brought  some  excellent  Pontac  wine,  which  he  offered 
for  sale ;  but  there  were  no  bottles  for  its  conveyance. 
Fahrenheit's  thermometer  this  day,  at  noon,  was  twenty-two 
degrees  and  a  half  below  freezing. 

We  left  Haraldsby  on  Sunday  morning,  Dec.  22,  at  ten 
o'clock,  and  soon  after  arrived  at  Castelholm  ;   so  called  from  Ruins  of 

r  .  Castelholm. 

the  little  insular  rock  whereon  the  ruins  of  a  fortress  are  situate, 
in  which  Eric  XIY.  was  confined.  We  approached  it  by  a 
bridge.  It  is  a  building  of  considerable  grandeur,  and  mar- 
vellous, considering  the  age  in  which  it  was  erected,  when  even 
the  palaces  of  Sweden  were  nothing  more  than  log-houses.  It 
was  built  with  rude  masses  of  a  beautiful  red  granite ;  but  the 
remains  of  the  windows  and  parts  of  the  walls  are  of  brick- 
work, which  appear  to  be  of  later  date  than  the  original 
structure.  The  terra-cotta  of  the  bricks  is  in  itself  a  curiosity : 
the  most  beautiful  baked  clay  of  the  vases  of  Nola  in  Italy  do 
not  surpass  it,  so  pure  and  homogeneous  is  its  texture.  Its 
colour  is  of  the  brightest  vermilion ;  and  the  bricks,  which 
were  evidently  shapen  by  the  hand  without  moulds,  seem  as 
if  they  had  been  formed  of  the  most  plastic  wax  or  butter. 
The  people  here  are  very  superstitious  :  they  speak  of  ghosts  as 
frequently  seen  about  this  castle.  Upon  the  top  of  the  Ruins 
they  shewed  to  us  an  apple-tree,  which  yielded  fruit  during 

the 


316 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


cHAP.viiL  the  preceding  summer;  but  the  fruit  was  suffered  to  fall, 
because  no  one  would  venture  to  gather  it,  or  even  to  touch 
it.  They  pretend  to  shew  the  room  in  which  Eric  was 
incarcerated :  and  strange  tales  of  dungeons  and  mysterious 
passages,  leading  no  one  knows  where,  are  of  course  con- 
nected with  the  narrative  related  to  every  stranger  who  visits 
these  Ruins. 


Some  Gentlemen,  instigated  by  the  curiosity  thus  excited, 
were  at  this  time  digging  in  the  court  of  the  castle  ; 
and  had  discovered  a  subterraneous  duct,  somewhat  like 
a  passage,  the  course  of  which  they  were  endeavouring 
to  explore  ;  but  hitherto  it  had  led  to  nothing.  This  famous 
fortress  has  been  several  times  consumed  by  fire,  and  as 
often  rebuilt.  Notwithstanding  its  importance  in  Sivedish 
History,    it   is   seldom    mentioned   by   any  author;    and  it 

is 


TO   ALAND. 


317 


is  now  sinking  fast  into  a  state  of  oblivion.  The  granite  chap.tiii. 
materials  of  its  walls  are  those  of  the  rocks  and  islands 
around  it.  The  very  rock  on  which  it  stands  is  of  red 
granite.  It  is  everywhere  surrounded  by  water,  save  only  a 
narrow  tongue  of  land  which  connects  this  rock  with  an 
adjoining  island.  As  it  is  not  likely  that  it  will  ever  be 
restored,  we  made  the  annexed  sketch  of  its  present  appear- 
ance. It  was  built  by  Birger  Jarlt  father  of  Waldemar,  in 
the  thirteenth  century.  Afterwards  it  became  the  residence 
of  the  Governors  of  Aland,  and  continued  their  place  of  habi- 
tation until  the  year  1634.  During  the  reign  of  Henry  of 
Pomerania,  called  Eric,  in  compliment  to  the  Swedes,  by 
Queen  Marguerita,  this  castle  was  inhabited  by  a  foreign 
lady  of  the  name  of  Yda\  Under  Eric  Pucke,  it  was, 
in  consequence  of  his  orders,  reduced  by  John  Folkensen. 
According  to  Puffendorf  that  prince  laid  siege  to  it  when 

o 

Otto  Pogivisch  was  Governor  of  Aland,  who  yielded  up  the 
fortress  upon  the  King's  approach*.  The  year  when  this  event 
happened  (1434)  was  rendered  memorable  for  the  curious 
watch-words  used  by  Englebert  of  Fahlun,  in  distinguishing 
foreigners  from  the  natives,  when  able  in  other  respects  to 
pronounce  the  S^eJis/z  language3.  In  1505,  Castelholm  was 
given  by  the  Regent,  Suante- Nikon- Stare,  to  Eric,  son  of  John 

Vasa, 


(1)  Acerbis  Travels,  vol.  I.  p.  I89.    Lond.  1802. 

(2)  Hist,  de  Suede,  torn.  I.  p.  186.    Amst.  1743. 

(3)  "  Engelbrecht  donna  a  ses  gens  deux  mots  pour  pouvoir  distinguer  les  etrangers, 
des  originaires  du  Pals.  Ces  mots  etoient,  Huid-hest  et  Korngulft:"  de  sorte  que 
Ton  faisoit  main-basse  sans  aucun  quartier,  sur  ceux  qui  ne  prononcoient  pas  distinctement 
ces  mots-la."     Ibid.  p.  I87. 


■'•^r '■■■■■ 


318 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap. viii.  Vasay  and  father  of  Gustavus  the  First ;  and  in  this  year  it  was 
burned  by  the  Danes l :  but  being  rebuilt,  it  became  the  prison 
of  Eric  XIV.  in  1571.  In  1556,  it  was  granted,  with  all  the 
Isles  of  Aland,  in  fief,  to  Duke  John.  Afterwards,  in  1603,  it 
devolved  to  Catherine,  wife  of  Gustavus  Vasa.  In  1644,  it 
was  again  desolated  by  fire.  Then  it  became  the  property 
of  Queen  Ulrica  Eleanora,  the  consort  of  Charles  XI.;  and, 
having  subsequently  undergone  various  fortunes,  is  reduced 
to  its  present  state  of  ruin  and  decay.  The  only  use  now 
made  of  it,  is  as  a  magazine  for  containing  corn  belonging 

o 

to  Government ;  for  which  a  tax  is  levied  upon  the  Alanders, 
and  collected  in  kind. 

After  we  had  gratified  our  curiosity  by  seeing  these  Ruins, 

skarpans.  we  continued  our  journey  to  Skarpans,  distant  only  about 
nine  English  miles  from  Frebhdnhy,  and  proceeded  no  farther 
this  day ;  being  compelled  to  leave  our  carriage,  which  was 
too  heavy  to  be  conveyed  upon  the  ice  in  its  present 
state  across  the  passage  of  the  Bomarsund :  we  therefore 
entrusted  it  to  the  care  of  the  Commissary;  and  hired  what  is 
here  called  a  Rack,  viz.  an  open  sledge  with  two  seats.  The 
inn  at  Skarpans,  like  almost  all  we  have  seen  in  Aland,  was 

change  in  the  clean  and  good ;    but  we  were  grieved  to  remark,  that  in 

Manners  of  O  »  to  ' 

the  People,  proportion  as  we  drew  nearer  towards  Finland,  we  had  fewer 
opportunities  of  observing  that  honesty  for  which  the  Swedes 
are  so  remarkably  distinguished.     The  peasants  in  Aland  all 


aim 


(l)  "lis  entrerent  dans  la  Finland,  ou  ils  brulerent  Aboo :  . ils  lirent  le  meme 
traitement  a,  la  Ville  de  Castelholm  dans  la  Province  d' Aland."  Hist  de  Suede* 
p.  296. 


TO    ALAND. 


319 


aim  at  imposition ;  and  the  practice  of  cheating  strangers  is  chap.viii. 
common  to  all  the  inns  upon  this  route.  We  had  no  sooner 
reached  Skarpans,  than  we  began  to  notice  this  change  in 
the  manners  of  the  people.  The  Commissary  had  been  sent 
for,  to  attend  the  trial  of  a  woman  and  her  accomplice  for 
murdering  a  pedlar.  The  poor  man  had  been  persuaded  to 
accompany  this  female  to  her  cottage;  and  there  they 
murdered  him,  burying  his  body  under  the  floor.  A  century 
would  elapse  in  Sweden  without  any  similar  stain  upon  the 
annals  of  the  country.  The  mode  adopted  in  this  country 
to  extort  confession  from  criminals — torture  being  never 
practised — is  simply  confinement  upon  a  diet  of  bread  and 
water  for  a  certain  length  of  time ;  which  is  said  to  answer 
the  purpose. 

Monday,  Dec.  23,  we  left  Skarpans,  to  cross  the  Bojnar-  Bomarsund. 
sund  in  the  Rack;  being  drawn  across  the  ice  by  men,  in 
the  kind  of  sledge  so  called.  As  soon  as  we  had  passed, 
horses  were  ready  for  us,  and  we  continued  our  gliding 
progress  through  the  forests.  Whenever  the  inlets  of  the 
sea  occurred,  as  the  ice  was  not  yet  strong  enough  to  bear 
horses,  the  peasants  harnessed  themselves  to  our  sledge, 
and  drew  us  over  the  water.  In  this  manner  we  at  length 
reached  the  Vargatta  Sound  and  the  Isle  of  Vardo,  and  came  vargatta 

°  Sound. 

to  a  little  village,  consisting  of  wretched  wooden  huts,  a 
number  of  small  windmills,  and  a  church.  In  passing  the 
Vargatta  Sound  we  had  an  amusing  but  very  striking  proof 
of  the  immense  power  and  influence  of  the  Russian  name 
in  these  parts ;  as  testified  in  the  marks  left  in  the  ice  by  the 
simple  passage  of  its  Courier,  Colonel  Rebinin,  whom  we  had 

seen 


*4     '4  * 


320 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap.viii.  seen  at  Frebbenby.  Being  told,  upon  his  arrival  at  Vardo, 
that  the  Vargatta  Sound  was  frozen  up,  and  that  he  could 
not  pass  until  the  ice  should  become  stronger,  he  reproved 
the  peasants  for  presuming  that  any  thing  had  power  to  stop 
an  express  Courier  of  the  Russian  Cabinet:  and  immediately 
ordered  a  passage  to  be  opened;  telling  them  to  cut  a 
way  through  the  ice,  large  enough  to  admit  the  passage  of 
a  boat ;  and  this  merely  for  the  accommodation  of  a  single 
individual.  These  men  obeyed  his  orders  :  being  well  paid 
for  their  work,  and  well  supplied  with  brandy,  they  actually 
effected  the  undertaking ;  and  the  Colonel  passed  in  his  boat, 
by  means  of  the  channel  thus  laid  open.  We  saw  the  marks 
of  this  undertaking,  extending  for  many  English  miles  through 
the  ice,  as  through  a  solid  rock,  in  this  inlet  of  the  sea. 

The  first  day  of  our  sledge-travelling  convinced  us  of  the 
folly  and  inconvenience  of  being  pent  in  close  carriages, 
when  performing  a  winter-journey  in  such  a  climate.  Never 
was  any  mode  of  travelling  more  delightful  than  this 
of  the  open  sledge.  In  the  carriage,  we  were  always 
complaining  of  the  rigours  of  the  temperature :  in  the 
sledge,  although  exposed  to  the  open  air,  we  found  no 
inconvenience  from  the  utmost  severity  of  the  frost.  The 
atmosphere  was  so  clear  and  dry,  that,  being  well 
clothed,  the  effect  of  it  was  charming.  An  intensity  of 
general  cheerfulness  seemed  to  keep  pace  with  the  intensity 
of  the  season.  Brilliant  skies  ;  horses  neighing  and  prancing; 
peasants  laughing,  and  singing — "  Fine  snow  !  brave  ice  ! 
brave  winter!"  Merry-making  in  all  the  villages.  Festi- 
val days,    with   unclouded    suns;    nights   of  inconceivable 

splendour 


Sledge- 
travelling, 


TO    ALAND. 


321 


splendour  and  ineffable  brightness ;  the  glorious  firmament  chap,  viil 
displaying  one  uninterrupted  flood  of  light,  heightened  by 
an  Aurora  Borealis,  while  boundless  fields  of  snow  reflected 
every  ray.  Add  to  this,  the  velocity  with  which  the  sledge- 
drawn  traveller  is  made  to  fly  over  sea  and  over  land ;  over 
lakes  and  over  plains;  amidst  islands  and  rocks;  through  snowy 
groves  and  forests  bending  with  the  weight  of  glittering  icicles ; 
here  winding  through  thick  woods,  there  at  large  upon  the 
solid  main — "  durum  calcavimus  ^quor;" — in  the  midst  of 
scenery  so  novel,  but  withal  so  pleasing  in  the  richness,  the 
variety,  and  the  beauty  of  the  effect.  The  snow  too,  in 
itself,  is  not  one  of  the  least  of  the  wonders  ;  for  though  it 
be  not  seen  to  fall,  it  gradually  accumulates.  It  was  now 
eight  inches  deep,  and  we  had  not  observed  a  single  instance 
of  its  descent.  From  the  extreme  diminution  of  temperature 
in  the  air,  the  condensed  vapours  were  frozen  into  particles 
so  minute,  that,  without  adhering  together  and  forming 
flakes,  they  passed  imperceptibly  through  the  clear  serene 
atmosphere,  in  the  state  of  an  invisible  sleet ;  which,  when 
agitated  by  wind,  rose  from  the  ground  in  the  form  of  a 
fine  powder  and  seemed  as  dry  as  the  dust  of  the  desert. 

When  we  arrived  at  Fargatta,  in  the  Isle  of  Vdrdb,  we  were  isic  of  Vmdo. 
informed  that,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  Sivedish  mile  from  the 
village,  there  was  a  boat  waiting  to  take  us  to  Kumlinge;  the 
sea  being  open  on  that  side  of  the  island;  and  that  two 
Gentlemen,  with  whom  we  had  shared  our  accommodations 
the  preceding  evening,  were  desirous  to  return  our  civility 
by  providing  for  our  passage  thither.  When  we  reached 
the  spot,  however,  they  were  gone :  and  as  there  was  no 

vol.  vi.  t  t  other 


iK^Jf 


322 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap.  viii.  other  means  for  our  conveyance,  we  were  under  the  necessity 

S * '  of  returning  to  Vargatta,  where  we  put  up  for  the  night  in 

a  wretched  and  filthy  hovel,  the  first  of  the  kind  we  had 
seen  since  we  left  the  Swedish  coast.      Nothing  in  Lapland 
could  be  worse:    yet  the  poor  owners  of  the  hut  called  it  a 
"  Bra  Kammare;"   and  we  did  not  wish  to  make  them  believe 
that  we  were  discontented  with  our  accommodations.     The 
evening  of  the  following  day,   Dec.  24,  being  Christmas  Eve, 
which  in  Aland  ushers    in    a  night  of  great  festivity  and 
rejoicing,   our  boatmen,   who   were   to    conduct   us   in  the 
morning  to  Kumli?ige,  came   to   beg  that  they  might  start 
before  daylight,  lest  they  should  not  be  able  to  get  back  to 
Vardb,   to  share  with  their  families  in  the  Christmas  revels. 
At  four  o'clock  a.m.  the  shouts  of  these  men  summoned  us, 
nothing  lothe,    to   quit  the  miserable  place  where  we  had 
passed  the  night;    and  we  hastened  with  them  to  the  shore. 
The  rarty      To  their  disappointment,  the  wind  was  directly  adverse ;  and 
*£%££  they  were  forced  to  pull  with  oars  the  whole  way,  which 
Kumiinge.      tlireatene(j  to  delay  their  return.     About  two  Swedish  miles, 
however,  from  Vardb,  they  descried,  to  their  great  joy,  the 
Ostero-Bothnia  post-boat,  coming  full  sail  towards  them.  Upon 
this  they  set  up  a  great  shout— "  Ostero-Post !  Ostero-Post  /'> 
and,   waiting  its    coming   with  great   eagerness,   asked  our 
permission  to  exchange  cargoes.     The  men  in  the  other  boat 
were  equally  eager  to  get  back  to  their  own  island,  and  for 
the  same  reason — to  keep  the  festival  of  Christmas  Eve.    As 
soon,  therefore,  as  the  two  parties  met,  the  exchange  was 
effected.      But  the  author,  hearing  from  the  Kumlinge  boat- 

o 

men  that  the  Lappvesi  Channel,  in  the  passage  towards  Abo, 

was 


TO    ALAND. 


323 


was  open — which  had  been  reported  as  frozen  over,  and  the  chap.viii. 
wind  being  fair  for  Vard'6,  determined  to  leave  his  companion  The  author 

-n        i-   7  i  TV         7*  i  induced  to 

with  the  English  servant  to  proceed  to  Kumhnge,  and  return  return  to 

Skttrpans. 

with  the  Vardo  boatmen  and  the  Swedish  interpreter  for  the 
carriage  which  had  been  left,  with  almost  all  our  effects, 
beyond  the  Bomarsund.  With  this  view  he  set  sail  again  for 
Vardo ;  where,  taking  guides,  he  crossed  again  the  Vargatta 
Sound,  and  the  Bomarsund,  upon  the  ice  ;  and  arrived  again 
at  Skarpans  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  at  which  hour 
it  was  quite  dark.  The  guides  had  expressed  their  fears,  the 
whole  way,  of  not  being  able  to  get  back  for  the  feast. 
Hearing  this  complaint  so  often  repeated,  the  author  asked 
what  it  was  that  they  were  to  enjoy,  which  they  deemed 
so  desirable;  and  was  answered,  "  A  belly-full  of  brandy!" 
Christmas  Eve,  however,  is  kept  all  over  Sweden  and  Finland  Festivities  of 

.    .  Christmas 

with  peculiar  circumstances  of  festivity.     The  people,  even  Eve. 
the  lowest  and  poorest  of  the  inhabitants,  join  in  the  general 
conviviality ;  those  who  can  best  afford  it,  inviting  the  rest ; 
so  that  no  one  is  omitted. 

The  next  morning,  that  of  Christmas  Day,  having  assembled 
twenty-five  of  the  peasants,  provided  with  poles,  ropes,  and 
axes,  and  having  placed  the  carriage  upon  four  sledges,  we 
began  our  expedition  across  the  Sounds.  The  difficulties  we 
expected  to  encounter  seemed  to  vanish  as  a  dream  :  by  half 
after  ten,  a.m.  the  carriage,  followed  by  sledges  bearing  the 
axle,  wheels,  trunks,  and  baggage,  together  with  the  whole 
of  our  party,  had  safely  passed  the  Bomarsund,  and  all  the 
inlets  of  the  sea  before  arriving  at  the  Vargatta,  the  largest 
field  of  ice  we  had  to  go  over.      Here  we  diminished  the 

number 


■  -^  .*;?♦'*' 


BBBB 


324 


FROM     STOCKHOLM 


chap.  viii.  number  of  peasants  attending  upon  the  body  of  the  carriage, 
to  four ;  as  the  ice  was  more  likely  to  give  way  in  this 
passage :  and  we  allotted  the  same  number  of  men  to  the 
sledge  conveying  the  axle ;  suffering  only  one  sledge  to 
proceed  at  the  same  time; — all  the  rest  following  cautiously 
at  a  distance  from  each  other,  and  all  being  drawn  by  men 
instead  of  horses.  Then,  by  sending  forward  a  single  peasant 
with  a  large  and  heavy  axe  to  try  the  strength  of  the  ice  in 
all  places  where  there  was  danger  to  be  apprehended, — and 
taking  each  of  us  a  rope,  to  animate  the  men, — vve  set  out. 


Sometimes  we  were  forced  to  deviate  a  little  from  the  straight 
line  of  our  route,  in  consequence  of  open  places  through  which 
the  sea  appeared,  and  also  when  warned,  by  our  pioneer, 
of  thin  ice  giving  way  to  the  blows  of  his  ponderous  axe:  but 
by  half  after  eleven  the  entire  train  of  our  sledges  had  cleared 
all  the  passes.  We  then  went  up  to  the  village  of  Vargatta, 
to  hire  horses  for  conveying  our  different  burdens  by  land 
about  five  English  miles  beyond  that  village  to  the  sea- shore 
of  the  passage  to  Kumlinge,  where  the  water  was  open.     By 

one 


TO   ALAND. 


325 


one  o'clock  the  whole  retinue  had  reached  Vargatta;   whence  ciiap.viii. 
we  set  out  again ;  and,  after  crossing  a  small  lake,  continued 
our  progress,  through  a  forest,   to   the  sea-side,   where   we 
found  an  inlet  so  frozen  as  to  bear  the  passage  of  the  carriage 
&c.   to  a  rock,   from  which  with  little  difficulty  it   might 
be   put   into   one   of  the  boats    on  the  following  morning. 
Having  conveyed  the  carriage  to  this  rock,  it  was  supported 
upon  the  top  of  it  by  means  of  poles  applied  to   the  sides, 
together  with    the   axle,   wheels,   the  imperial,  and  several 
trunks.     Night  now  came  on ;  and,  as  it  was  necessary  that 
some  one   should    remain  to  guard  our   effects,    we   hired 
a   peasant   for  this    purpose,    and   allowed  him    to    remain 
sheltered  by  sitting  within  the   carriage.      No   sooner  had 
we  closed  the  door  upon  this  man,  and  consigned  him  to 
his  post,  than,  as  if  at  one  explosion  of  a  tempest,  a  strong- 
north-east  wind,    accompanied   by   the  first  snow  we   had 
seen  falling,   came  on  to  blow  with  stormy  violence.       We 
felt  very   indifferent,    little   thinking  that   this  gale    would 
put  a   stop  to  our  projects  for  the  next  day;    and  getting 
into  a  sledge,  were  conducted  back  to  Vargatta,  rejoicing  in 
having,   as   we    imagined,  so  completely  secured   the    con- 
veyance  of  the   carriage    to   Kumlinge ;  whence  we  might 
proceed,   without  further  interruption,  to  Abo,   in  Finland. 
— The  sequel  will  shew  how  greatly  we  were  deceived. 

In  the  morning,  the  wind,  which  had  raged  like  a  hurricane 
all  night,  blew  with  undiminished  violence.  Our  mariners 
refused  to  stir  towards  the  sea;  alleging  that  the  boats 
would  fill  and  founder,  even  before  they  could  get  from 
the  shore.      An    Extra-post  arrived :    and  as   the  peasants 

conveying 


;f:^**2><%f^4?< 


326 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap.  viii.  conveying  it  also  refused  to  put  to  sea,  we  became  satisfied 
that  nothing  could  be  done.  The  whole  of  this  day,  Dec.  26, 
and  the  following  night,  the  same  tempest  continued  with 
unabated  fury:  but  about  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
Dec.  27,  having  continued  for  thirty-six  hours,  it  ceased  as 
suddenly  as  it  came  on.  The  interpreter  had  been  sent, 
on  the  preceding  day,  to  ascertain  the  safety  of  the  carriage 
and  other  effects  upon  the  rock,  and  also  to  report  the  state 
of  the  sea.  He  returned,  saying  that  all  was  well ;  that  ice 
had  accumulated  along  the  coast,  to  the  distance  of  about 
three  boats'  length  from  the  place  where  it  was  proposed  we 
should  embark;  but  that  if  the  storm  did  not  remove  it  before 
morning,  it  would  be  no  difficult  matter  to  cut  through  it. 

Before  daylight  appeared  we  proceeded  to  the  little 
village  of  Vard'6;  whence  the  island  so  called  is  named, 
and  where  the  Post-house  is  situate.  As  we  entered  the 
hovel  called  the  Post-house, — for  we  can  give  it  no  better 
name, — we  were  told  that  the  Extra-post  messengers  were  not 
yet  come :  we  therefore  had  to  wait  for  their  arrival :  and 
this  delay  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  little  of  the 
interior  economy  of  one  of  these  dwellings,  in  its  most 
undisguised  state.  A  more  curious  sight  could  hardly  be 
imagined.  At  our  entrance,  nobody  was  up.  The  members 
of  the  family  held  a  conversation  with  our  boatmen,  but  we 
saw  none  of  them.  The  floor  of  the  only  room  they  had, 
and  of  which  we  had  taken  possession,  was  covered  with 
straw  and  sedge,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country 
at  Christmas,  and  once  a  practice,  even  in  Kings'  houses,  in 
England.     Peeping  from  behind  their  hiding-places,  as  soon 

as 


Village  of 
Vardb. 


Interior  of 
an  Aland 
dwelling. 


TO  ALAND. 


.327 


as  they  perceived  that  strangers  had  entered  this  apartment,  chap. Tin. 
they  were  all  stirring:  and  presently  there  fell  out  from 
every  side  of  the  room  the  naked  figures  of  men,  women, 
boys,  and  girls,  who  had  been  piled  in  tiers  one  above 
another,  as  in  a  ship's  cabin;  being  concealed  from  view 
by  so  many  sheep-skins,  which  were  suspended  as  curtains 
before  their  cots.  This  motley  groupe,  amounting  in  all  to 
thirteen  persons,  without  a  rag  to  cover  them,  squatted 
themselves  upon  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  chamber, 
and  began  altogether  the  business  of  their  brief  toilette.  Trie 
women  put  on  two  pairs  of  woollen  hose,  and  over  these 
a  pair  of  greasy  boots.  The  toilette  being  ended,  they  all 
with  one  accord  began  to  blow  their  noses  into  the  palms 
of  their  hands,  and  to  wipe  them  upon  their  clothes.  Then 
the  men  kindled  their  tobacco-pipes ;  and  a  universal  hawking 
and  spitting  commenced.  Nor  were  the  women  unoccupied ; 
for  a  large  fire  being  lighted,  the  females  of  the  family 
quietly  took  up  their  petticoats,  and  sate  before  it,  very 
leisurely  gartering  their  stockings.  This  being  done,  a  girl  Breakfast  of 
now  handed  round  their  breakfast :  it  consisted  of,  first,  a 
dram  to  each  person,  served  in  a  small  silver  cup ;  secondly, 
a  portion  of  black  biscuit,  with  about  two  ounces  of  fresh 
butter.  At  this  meal  they  sate  without  ceremony  or  order, 
each  where  and  with  whom  he  pleased,  chatting  and  laughing 
in  groupes,  apparently  contented  and  happy.  It  was  rather 
new,  to  see  mothers  with  children  at  their  breasts  disengage 
their  tender  infants  from  the  nipple,  to  pour  down  their 
little  throats  a  portion  of  the  dram  which  came  to  the 
mother's  share ;  but  still  more  remarkable  to  see  these  young 

dram- 


the  Natives. 


H 


328 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap. viii.  dram-drinkers  lick  their  lips,  roll  their  eyes  about,  and 
stretch  out  their  puny  hands,  as  craving  more ;  shewing 
how  accustomed  they  were  to  this  beverage.  Perhaps  the 
practice  may  explain  the  frequency  of  dwarfs  in  the  Northern 
countries  of  Europe;  as  in  Poland,  Russia,  and  Sweden. 
But  the  author,  venturing  a  mild  remonstrance  upon  seeing 
an  affectionate  mother  pouring  brandy  down  her  child's 
throat,  was  told,  <c  It  is  good  for  them :  our  children  are 
not  troubled  with  wind  or  with  rickets ;  and  our  adults," 
giving  one  of  the  sturdy  peasants  a  notable  thump,  "see 
how  hardy  and  healthy  they  are!"      There  was  no  reply 

o  t  •       , 

to  such  an  appeal ;  for  of  the  Alanders,  in  general,  it 
may  be  said,  that  a  more  vigorous  race  can  hardly  be 
found;  and  all  of  them  have  imbibed  with  their  milk 
their  morning  drams  of  brandy.  It  is  in  scenes  like  that 
which  the  interior  of  this  hut  exhibited,  the  mind  is  forcibly 
struck  with  a  conviction  of  the  relative  nature  of  human 
happiness ;  that  it  belongs  to  no  rank  or  situation  in  life 
as  a  peculiar  possession;  but  that  in  all  stations,  gifted 
with  health  and  virtue  and  just  government,  Providence 
has  vouchsafed  an  equal  portion  of  this  blessing.  As  cer- 
tainly as  the  poor  native  of  St.  Kilda,  torn  from  his  bleak 
and  barren  rock  in  the  Atlantic,  would  pine  and  die  through 
languishing  for  his  home1,  although  transported  into  a  land 
of  luxury  and  abundance ;  so  would  every  individual  of  the 

groupe 


(l)  "He   longed   to    see   his    native    country   again."  —  Martin's  (Account  of  a 
St.Kildian  brought  to  Glasgow)  Western  Islands  of  Scotland,  p.  298.    Lond.  1703. 


TO    ALAND. 


3<29 


groupe    here   assembled   refuse   to    exchange   his    morning  chap.viii. 
whet,  of  black  biscuit  and  brandy,  for  the  choicest  dainties 
cities  and  towns  might  offer. 

The  peasants  appointed  to  convey  the  Extra-post  now 
entered,  and  the  little  hut  was  full  of  company.  "  God 
dagen!  God  morgon ! *"  being  exchanged  on  all  sides,  we 
somewhat  eagerly  interrupted  the  etiquette,  by  asking  if 
they  were  ready  to  put  to  sea  ?  "  Ready  enough  !"  was  the 
answer,  "  if  we  can  put  to  sea!  But  we  have  heard  nothing 
of  the  sea,  as  we  came  along ;  and  therefore  we  think  the 
sea  is  frozen." — "  What!"  said  the  author,  "  in  one  night  ? 
Impossible!" — "Come  along  with  us,  Sir!  we  shall  quickly 
learn  the  truth."  And  with  this  we  all  hastened  out  of  the 
hut,  got  into  our  sledges,  and  made  towards  the  shore. 
What  was  our  dismay  and  astonishment,  as  our  sledge  cleared  a  turbulent 

_  .  sea  frozen  in 

the  forest  through  which  we  were  driving,  and  the  view  one  night. 
opened  towards  the  east,  to  behold  the  sea,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  with  its  rough  waves  fixed,  and  all  its  rocks 
and  distant  isles  locked  in  one  wide  field  of  ice ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  the  chilling  exclamations  of  all  our  boat- 
men, crying  out,  in  equal  amazement,  " Gud  bevara!  Gud 
bevara!3"  announced  that  every  hope  of  getting  to  Kumlinge 
was  at  end  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time.  The  ice  of  the 
sea,  when  it  first  fixes,  is  so  rotten,  that  no  one  dares  to 
venture  upon   it,  until  a  sufficient  degree  of  hardness  and 

solidity 


VOL.  VI. 


(2)  "  Good  day  !    Good  morning  !' 

(3)  "  God  save  us  !    God  save  us !" 

U  U 


330 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap. viii.  solidity  has  been  given  to  it  by  a  subsequent  freezing  of  the 
water  below  the  surface.  This,  of  course,  happens  sooner 
or  later,  according  to  circumstances.  In  the  passage  between 
Grissehamn  and  Ekero,  it  sometimes  does  not  occur  during 
a  whole  winter,  although  the  sea  seem  covered  with  ice.  On 
venturing  a  little  way  from  the  shore,  to  try  the  strength 
of  the  ice,  we  found  even  the  roughest  parts  of  the  surface 
yielding  to  our  feet,  like  a  soft  sop.  All  this  had  been 
occasioned  by  the  fall  of  snow  upon  the  evening  of  our 
arrival  with  the  carriage.  From  what  we  learned  afterwards, 
and  from  the  information  the  peasants  gave  us,  it  was  evident 
that  nothing  tends  so  effectually  towards  the  freezing  of  the 
sea  as  a  fall  of  snow  into  the  salt-water1.  At  this  time  of 
the  year,  when  the  temperature  is  nearly  that  required  to 
effect  the  freezing  up  of  these  passages,  a  fall  of  snow  is  sure 
to  bring  this  to  pass;  although  an  instance  had  seldom 
occurred  in  which  the  wide  opening  between  Vardb  and 
Kumlinge  was  thus  suddenly  rendered  solid.  Near  the  shore, 
it  seemed  to  have  been  the  work  of  an  instant ;  the  waves 
being  caught  by  the  intensity  of  the  frost,  and  fixed  upon 
the  surface  in  all  their  undulating  forms.  Further  out, 
where  there  had  been  less  of  surf,  the  ice  was  more  level ; 
and,  perhaps,  if  we  could  have  reached  it,  at  this  distance 
from  the  land,  possessed  much  greater  solidity  and  firmness. 
What  the  temperature  had  been  this  night,  we  did  not 
ascertain;  but  the  visible  effect  of  such  a  frost,  in  the  sudden 

change 

(l)  A  more  particular  description  of  this  effect,  as  produced  by  the  mixture  of 
snow  with  sea-water,  will  be  given  in  the  sequel.  The  well-known  freezing  mixture 
of  snow  with  common  salt  acts  upon  the  same  principle. 


TO  ALAND. 


331 


change  it  had  wrought  upon  a  turbulent  sea,   is  sufficient  chap.viii. 
to  prove   that  the  mercury   must  have  fallen  much  below 
the  zero  of  Fahrenheit's  scale.      At  noon  this  day,  it  rested 
exactly  at  that  point ;    being  thirty-two  degrees  and  a  half 
below  freezing. 

In  this  dilemma,  the  only  resource  left,  was  to  rely  upon 
the  exertions  of  the  peasants  conveying  the  Extra-post; — - 
men  who  have  undertaken  a  charge  of  this  nature  being 
compelled  to  proceed  at  all  hazards,  if  there  be  a  possibility 
of  their  making  way.  They  said  they  would  attempt  to  cut  a 
passage  into  the  open  sea,  two  miles  more  towards  the  south. 
We  accompanied  them  in  this  undertaking  :  but  after  driving 
a  sledge  for  fourteen  English  miles  over  ice  and  snow,  the 
project  was  abandoned. 

The  situation  in  which  the  author  was  thus  placed 
was  by  no  means  enviable  :  and  as  he  turned  back  once 
more  to  his  wretched  accommodations  at  Vargatta,  the 
consciousness  that  his  friend  and  companion  was  left,  by 
his  management,  upon  a  bleak  and  inhospitable  island — 
cut  off  from  all  connexion  with  any  one  who  could  converse 
with  him.  and  procure  for  him  the  common  necessaries 
of  life  —  added  to  the  bitterness  of  the  disappointment. 
On  the  author's  arrival,  the  people  of  the  place,  anxious 
to  render  every  kind  office  which  it  was  in  their  power 
to  bestow,  crowded  about  him,  proffering  their  services  in 
any  way  that  might  be  useful.  They  assured  him,  that, 
if  the  frost  held  unbroken,  it  would  not  be  long  before 
they  might  all  walk  to  Kumlinge :  adding,  that  in  the 
preceding  winter  the  ice  first  began  to  spread  over  upon 

a  Wednesday ', 


332 


FROM     STOCKHOLM 


CHAP.  VIII. 


Southern 
passage  to 
Kumlinge- 


a  Wednesday,  and  that  upon  the  following  Saturday  they 
made  the  passage  in  their  sledges.  In  this  solitary  state, 
not  knowing  what  course  to  pursue,  the  author  determined 
to  recross  the  Bomarsund,  and  take  up  his  abode  in  the  first 
place  of  lodging  he  could  find,  where  he  might  wait  the 
event.  For  this  purpose,  after  again  passing  the  ice,  and 
landing  upon  the  south-east  part  of  the  island,  he  went  to  a 
small  inn  about  three  English  miles  and  a  half  from  the 
shore,  where  he  resolved  to  remain  until  a  passage  might 
be  attempted  to  Kumlinge. 

There   is  what   is    called  a  south   passage   to   Kumlinge, 

sometimes  attempted  when   the  ice  is  thin,   although  more 

than   double  the  distance    of  the    other.       The    islands    in 

that  route  being  more  numerous,   and  the  straits   narrower, 

travellers  are  sometimes  able  to  effect  a  passage  here,  when 

the  other  is  impracticable.      If  they  be  able  to  accomplish 

it,  they  generally  employ  two  days  in  the  undertaking.     Then 

they  take  a  small  boat  with  them ;  dragging  it  along  where 

the  ice  will  bear,  and  forcing  a  way  through  where  it  yields. 

Three  years  ago  some  peasants  attempted  this  passage,  with 

a  party  of  travellers  going  to  Kumlinge;  and   they  reached 

that  island  in  safety,  after  very  great  fatigue  :  but  these  poor 

peasants,  in  returning,  having  laboured  until  they  were  quite 

exhausted,   found  their  boat  locked  into  the  ice,  at  a  great 

distance  at  sea ;    and  were  unable  to  quit  the  vessel,  the  ice 

not  being  strong  enough  to  bear  them.     Fortunately  they 

had  a  frying-pan  in  the  boat,  in  which  they  kindled  a  fire; 

consuming  for  fuel  every  thing  combustible  they  could  lay 

their  hands  upon,  even  to  the  oars  of  their  boat.     Despair 

and 


TO    ALAND. 


333 


and  hunger  at  length  emboldened   them   to  venture  forth,  chap.viii. 
the  frost  becoming  exceedingly   severe;    when,  after  many 
trials   and  hardships   and   hair-breadth  escapes,    they    were 
fortunate  enough  to  reach  the  shore. 

Upon  Dec.  28,  the  author  sent  the  Swedish  interpreter  to 
Vargatta,  and  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Vardo,  to  examine  the 
state  of  the  sea.  He  returned  in  four  hours,  having  ordered 
a  sledge  to  be  constructed  in  Vargatta  for  the  better  convey- 
ance of  the  carriage.  He  brought  the  welcome  news,  that 
the  peasants  having  examined  the  state  of  the  ice  with  a 
telescope,  were  convinced  of  its  reaching,  in  one  unbroken 
field,  the  whole  way  to  Kumlinge ;  distant  from  the  Isle  of 
Vardo  twenty-one  English  miles.  He  also  added,  that,  upon 
the  following  day,  a  peasant  would  endeavour  to  walk  over 
the  Delen,  with  a  letter.  This  intelligence,  although  it 
proved  delusive,  excited  considerable  hope  in  the  author's 
mind  of  being  released  from  his  present  state  of  durance. 
A  wolf  had  passed  close  to  the  house  in  the  night,  and  had 
left  very  visible  marks  of  the  track  he  had  pursued.  The 
peasant  to  whom  this  dwelling  belonged,  sallied  forth  in 
pursuit  of  the  wolf,  armed  with  his  gun  ;  and  the  author — 
as  the  man  promised  to  shew  the  way  to  some  rocks  where  he 
said  crystals  might  be  found — accompanied  him  upon  this 
expedition.  In  the  forest  there  was  neither  wolf,  nor  bird, 
nor  living  creature  to  be  seen ;  but  the  tracks  of  wolves  and 
hares  were  visible  in  the  snow.  The  rocks  in  some  places 
under  the  trees  were  sufficiently  bare  to  exhibit  their 
geological   nature  :     they  consisted  of  a    beautiful  granite :  Geological 

-  features  of 

but  all  the  component  parts   of  granite    may   be  found   in  Aland. 

o 

Aland ; 


" 


334  FROM    STOCKHOLM 

chap. viii.  Aland;  either  as  simple  minerals  in  a  detached  state,  or 
combined  in  an  aggregate  rock  :  of  this  there  are  many 
examples.  Detached  masses  of  mica  and  of  hornblende  may 
be  observed  among  the  building  materials  in  the  Ruins  of 
Castelholm.  The  beautiful  clay  of  which  the  bricks  in  that 
fortress  were  manufactured,  may  have  originated  in  decom- 
posed feldspar.  Masses  of  pure  quartz,  of  feldspar,  and  of 
hornblende,  also  present  themselves ;  together  with  every 
variety  of  association  which  these  different  minerals  can 
exhibit.  The  crystals  which  the  guide  had  mentioned  were 
by  him  pointed  out :  they  proved  to  be  common  hexagonal 
crystals  of  quartz,  in  a  matrix  of  quartz  and  brick-red 
feldspar.  The  granite  of  Aland  occurs  in  compact  masses, 
lying  perfectly  horizontal,  and  without  any  appearance  of 
dipping  or  inclination :  it  breaks  readily,  and  near  the 
surface  exhibits  the  marks  of  decomposition ;  sometimes 
shivering  in  its  fracture,  like  trapp. 

Dec.  29. — Sent  a  peasant  to  examine  the  state  of  the  sea  ; 
who  returned  with  the  disagreeable  news,  that  the  Delen 
was  not  completely  frozen  over;  and  that  the  Extra-post  still 
remained  unable  to  proceed. — Determined  therefore,  at  all 
events,  to  attempt  a  passage  on  the  following  day,  by  the 
circuitous  southern  route. 

o 

The  manners  of  the  people  in  Aland,  during  the  increasing 
severity  of  the  winter  season,  shew  what  erroneous  notions 
we  are  apt  to  entertain  of  the  lives  and  customs  of  the 
natives  of  these  northern  regions  ;  where  imagination  pictures 
a  dreary  scene,  with  all  its  inhabitants  close  pent  in  their 
dwellings,  like  hibernating  animals,  sleeping  throughout  the 

winter, 


Manners  of 

o 
the  glanders 

in  winter. 


TO     ALAND. 


335 


winter,  and  anxious  only  to  guard  against  the  rigours  of  the  chap.viii. 
frost.  The  fact  is  quite  otherwise  :  they  are  all  abroad,  in  a 
state  of  the  most  lively  activity,  and  of  easy  revelry.  They 
are  not,  it  is  true,  engaged  in  labouring  for  their  bread,  but 
in  consuming  what  they  have  acquired  by  their  industry 
during  the  summer.  It  is,  with  them,  the  season  of  visiting 
and  travelling  to  the  most  distant  markets.  The  roads  are 
full  of  passengers  of  all  sorts  and  ranks,  from  the  itinerant 
shoemaker  and  tailor,  to  the  diplomatical  agents  and  mes- 
sengers of  Court  Cabinets.  The  coming  into  a  family  circle 
of  the  wandering  botchers  of  tailors  and  jobbing  coblers, 
which  always  happens  at  this  time  of  the  year,  is  an  event  of 
great  importance.  These  men  travel  from  house  to  house ; 
staying  as  long  as  they  find  employment,  and  then  sallying 
forth  in  search  of  more  work :  consequently  they  are  the 
bearers  of  all  the  news  and  gossiping  tales  of  the  country — 
how  folks  live  and  thrive  in  the  neighbouring  isles ;  what 
girls  have  found  husbands  ;  with  all  the  rest  of  their  budget, 
of  births,  deaths,  accidents  by  fire  and  water,  tales  of 
apparitions  by  land  and  sea,  bankruptcies,  jokes,  and  scandal. 
While  they  remain  in  a  house,  they  become  members  of  the 
family,  who  entertain  a  regard  for  them  as  friends  always 
welcome,  and  generally  dismiss  them  with  regret. 

The  inhabitants   of  the  Aland  Isles  amount   to  between  Number  of 

.  .  in        •!•  inhabitants. 

five  and  six  thousand.  There  are  nine  hundred  families : 
and  allowing,  upon  an  average,  six  persons  in  each  family, 
the  number  will  about  equal  what  has  been  stated.  The 
agricultural  produce  of  the  land  is  trifling  ;  but  they  carry 
on  a  considerable  trade  in  several  kinds  of  fish,  which  are 

carried 


^^^BBBBBB       Bf 


^/^/."W 


336 


FROM    STOCKHOLM 


chap.viii.  carried  In  well-vessels,  and  fatted  in  reservoirs  at  Stockholm. 
The  first  dish  at  table,  in  almost  all  Swedish  families  at 
Stockholm,  is  a  small  fish  called  stroemling,  which  is  reckoned 
a    great    delicacy :     it    is    eaten    generally    with    vinegar. 

o 

Abundance  of  the  stroemling  are  taken  by  the  A  landers  in 
their  fisheries  :  they  also  take  a  great  number  of  seals. 
Their  fish  they  exchange  for  corn,  both  at  Stockholm  and 
Upsala.  They  are  supplied  from  Stockholm  with  two  sorts 
of  beer  :  one  of  which  is  brewed  in  imitation  of  English 
porter,  and  is  a  most  detestable  and  unwholesome  com- 
position: the  other,  a  more  simple  beverage,  has  a  fault 
common  to  all  the  Swedish  beer,  that  of  not  being  boiled 

o 

enough  when  it  is  brewed.  The  land  in  Aland  presents 
to  the  eye  a  gently  undulating  surface,  full  of  rocks,  inter- 
sected by  numerous  bays,  sounds,  and  inlets  of  the  sea, 
which  seem  like  large  lakes,  and  covered  in  part  with  thin 
and  low  forests.  Beggars,  so  rare  in  Sweden,  are  very 
common  here.  The  best-conditioned  inhabitants  are  the 
Clergy.  The  innkeeper  at  Skarpans  possessed  twenty  cows, 
yet  this  man  was  nothing  more  than  a  peasant.  The  poorest 
of  the  peasants  keep  cows,  because  they  have  the  free 
pasturage,  or  rather  browsing,  of  the  forests  during  summer; 
and  in  winter  they  are  housed  and  fed  upon  such  fodder  as 
these  islands  very  plentifully  produce — hay,  birch-boughs, 
and  the  leaves  of  other  trees.  In  the  winter,  the  cows  are 
let  out  to  be  watered  and  fed;  being  fed  three  times  a  day — 
morning  and  evening  in  their  stalls  in  the  cow-house,  and 
at  noon  out  of  doors.  The  joy  of  these  poor  animals,  when 
the  moment  arrives  for  their   being  brought  out  into   the 

open 


TO    ALAND. 


337 


open  air,  is  so  great,  that  they  disregard  even  their  food,  for  chap.viii. 
the  delight   of  rubbing   themselves   against   the   rails,  and 
butting  against  each  other,  during  the  half  hour  that  they 
have  their  liberty. 

Among   the   better-conditioned   inhabitants,    besides   the  Land-mea- 

0  surer  s — their 

Clergy,  there  are  a  set  of  men  called  Land-measurers,  found  destructive 

0,/  influence  and 

all  over  Siveden,  depriving  the  natives  of  their  property,  and  depredations. 
creating  more  mischief  among  the  people  than  twice  the  same 
number  of  Country  Attorneys  would  do  inEnglaJid.  It  will 
perhaps  be  difficult  to  give  an  accurate  idea  of  the  power  and 
influence  of  these  harpies  in  Sweden  ;  nor  is  it  possible  to 
conceive  a  class  of  men  calculated  to  cause  more  real  evil 
in  any  country,  or  to  prove  more  oppressive.  The  land  of 
the  peasants,  although  inclosed,  is  frequently  so  divided,  that 
a  number  of  small  strips  or  portions  of,  it,  belonging  to 
different  individuals,  may  be  contained  within  the  same 
inclosure.  As  the  only  distinctive  boundary  in  such 
cases  is  a  land- mark — such,  for  example,  as  a  small  trench 
dug  in  the  earth,  or  a  stake  driven  into  the  ground — it 
wrill  often  happen  that  these  marks  disappear;  and  encroach- 
ments being  made,  disputes  begin  among  the  farmers,  as 
to  the  limits  of  their  property.  Upon  these  occasions, 
an  appeal  is  immediately  made  to  the  Land- measurer, 
who  takes  care  to  fleece  both  parties  before  the  business 
is  settled.  But  the  mischief  does  not  end  here.  The 
rapacious  Land-measurer  is  a  man  of  luxury,  of  profligate 
and  voluptuous  manners,  keeps  a  good  table,  invites 
his  friends,  drinks  and  sometimes  plays  deeply — and,  to 
support  the  extravagance  of  his  establishment,  money  is 
vol.  vi.  x  x  absolutely 


^^H 


BBS 


«*5*JUX*VJ}   W^^T.  ^■.;'^V^'/-;   I 


338 


ALAND    ISLES. 


chap. vin.  absolutely  necessary.  To  obtain  this,  therefore,  he  hints 
to  a  peasant  that  his  land  has  not  been  fairly  laid  out,  and  that 
it  may  be  more  profitably  arranged  for  him; — at  which  his 
neighbour  becomes  irritated.  A  dispute  ensues,  which  is 
artfully  fomented;  the  Land-measurer  receiving  bribes  from 
both  parties.  Each  tries  to  injure  the  other,  and  is  ready 
to  lavish  the  half  of  his  property  to  satisfy  the  vengeance  thus 
excited ; — the  property  of  the  one  being  encroached  upon 
exactly  in  the  proportion  that  the  other  is  able  to  feed  the 
avarice  of  the  pretended  mediator;  who  carries  on  his 
schemes,  until  he  has  exhausted,  and  perhaps  ruined,  one  or 
both  of  the  disputants.  In  the  interior  provinces  of  Sweden,  if 
a  house  be  seen  better  than  common,  or  a  carriage  or  a  horse 
cut  a  better  figure  than  usual,  it  is  generally  the  property 
of  a  Land-measurer.  Prowling  about,  like  wolves  seeking 
whom  they  may  devour,  the  very  coming  of  these  men 
among  the  Swedish  farmers  always  prognosticates  calamity : 
and  it  is  surprising,  that,  in  a  country  so  prone  to  revolution 
and  change  of  system,  these  injurious  plunderers  and 
disturbers  of  the  public  peace  should  have  been  so  long 
allowed  to  carry  on  their  depredations. 


CHAP.  IX. 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA,  TO  KUMLINGE. 

The  Author  determines  to  undertake  the  Southern  Circuitous  Route — 
Introduces  his  Personal  Narrative  of  that  Expedition — Grundsunda 
— Bergo  —  Simplicity  of  the  Natives — Increase  of  Wolves — Seal- 
hunters — Safety-pikes — The  Author  deserted  by  his  Guides — arrives 
at  Mushaga — Ravages  of  the  Small-pox — Mode  of  forcing  a  passage 
through  the  Ice — Remarkable  effect  of  Snow  falling  in  Sea-water — 
Natural  Cave  of  Ice — Sattunga — Description  of  the  Inhabitants — 

o  t 

Swedes  of  Aland  —  Finlanders  —  Remains  of  antient  and  pure 
Swedish — its  resemblance  to  English — Seal-skin  Sandals — Winter 
occupations  of  the  Alanders — Preparations  for  a  journey  on  the  ice 
to  Kumlinge — Description  of  the  Procession  on  leaving  Sattunga — 
Encounter  with  the  Seal-hunters — Change  of  route — Scene  exhibited 
at  mid-day  —  Arrival  at  Kumlinge  —  The  Author  terminates  his 
personal  Narrative. 

After  various  inquiries  among  the  peasants  and  messen- 
gers who  had  been  sent  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  sea  in 
what  is  called  the  Sjon  Deleji,  between  the  Isle  of  Vardo  and 

Kumlinge, 


CHAP.  IX. 


340 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


chap.  ix.   Kumlinge,  it  was  determined  to  attempt  the  southern  passage 
The  author     by  the  circuitous  route  of  Sattunga.     As  in  this  undertaking, 

determines  to  ,  . 

undertake  the  the  most  hazardous  in  which  the  author  was  ever  engaged, 

southern  cir- 
cuitous route,  he  was  of  necessity  compelled  to  bear  a  very  principal  part, 

he  makes  no  apology  for  the  frequent  allusions  to  himself 
which  unavoidably  occur.  He  was  more  than  once  deserted 
by  his  companions,  and  left  to  make  his  way  over  a  frozen 
sea  alone :  the  incidents  he  has  to  relate,  therefore,  become 
more  than  usually  restricted  in  their  reference ;  for  which 
reasons  he  proposes,  in  giving  an  account  of  this  expedition, 
to  alter  the  style  of  the  narrative,  and  to  make  it  per- 
sonal, by  transcribing  verbatim  the  description  given  of  it 
as  it  occurs  in  his  own  manuscript  journal. 

Dec.  30. — In  the  evening  of  this  day,  I  sallied  forth  in  a 
small  sledge  drawn  by  one  horse,  with  Peter  the  Swedish 
interpreter,  and  a  single  peasant  mounted  behind,  in  the  hope 
of  getting  the  same  night  as  far  as  Vargatta1.  We  passed 
the  doubtful  surface  of  the  three  Sounds  which  constitute  the 
Bomarsunds  Fjerd,  upon  the  ice,  by  starlight ;  and  arrived 
safe  at  Vargatta'1,  There  was  a  dance  in  the  village,  at  which 
Peter  attended3:  and  upon  his  return,  he  brought  me  word 
that  a  farmer  from  the  Isle  of  Sand'6  had  been  present  at  the 

dance, 


(1)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 

(2)  The  last  of  these  Sounds  is  sometimes  called  that  of  Vargatta,  by  which  name 
it  was  distinguished  in  the  former  chapter. 

(3)  The  national  Dances  of  Sweden  axe  ;  the  Waltz,  with  various  modifications;  the 
Polska,  or  Polish  Dance,  differing  from  that  of  Norway  in  having  slower  movements ;  also 
Minuets,  which  are  practised  in  Dalecarlia,  and  are  frequent  among  the  lower  orders. 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


341 


dance,  who  had  crossed  the  ice  to  Vargatta,  and  who  gave  it  chap.  ix. 
out  that  the  Sjbn  Delen  was  frozen  over.  Upon  this  intelli- 
gence, several  sailors,  and  captains  of  merchantmen,  whose 
vessels  were  all  locked  in  by  the  ice,  and  who  were  waiting 
in  the  village  for  a  passage  to  Finland,  came  to  the  resolution 
of  venturing  on  foot  by  the  northern  passage,  and  asked  me 
to  accompany  them.  Fortunately,  I  refused  their  invitation : 
for  although  they  attempted  to  reach  Kumlinge  by  this  route, 
they  never  arrived  there  :  and  I  could  not  afterwards  learn 
what  became  of  them.  In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  daylight 
appeared,  I  set  out  to  explore  the  southern  way ;  and  getting 
into  a  sledge,  drove  to  the  little  village  of  Grundsunda,  where  Grundmnda. 
we  were  told  that  the  ice  might  be  safely  passed  to  the  Isle 
of  Bergo :  but  as  the  people  here  are  rarely  able  to  give  any 
accurate  information  with  regard  to  places  a  Sivedish  mile 
from  their  own  homes,  they  could  say  nothing  of  the  state  of 
the  ice  beyond  Bergo. 

My  journey  upon  the  sea  to  the  Isle  of  Bergo  presented 
one  of  the  most  novel  and  striking  scenes  I  had  ever 
beheld.  The  ice,  instead  of  being  rough  and  opake,  as 
before,  was  smooth  and  glassy  as  a  mirror ;  and  it  is  quite 
marvellous  how  the  horses,  although  purposely  shod  for  the 
undertaking,  can  find  a  footing  upon  such  a  surface.  In  some 
places,  the  transparencies  being  perfect,  and  a  bright  light 
permeating  the  abyss,  towering  rocks  of  granite  were  seen 
rising  through  the  deep,  towards  the  crystal  plain  over  which 
we  glided.  To  stop,  and  cast  a  glance  below,  would  have 
made  the  boldest  quake,  who  has  been  unaccustomed  to  sights 
like  these.      When  we  reached  the  midway  of  this  fearful 

expanse, 


■HUP 


■■1 


342 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


Bergo, 


chap.  ix.  expanse,  some  degree  of  alarm  was  excited  by  the  conduct  of 
our  guides;  who,  upon  coming  to  a  chasm  which  the  settling 
of  the  surface  had  left  in  the  ice,  halted,  positively  declaring 
that  they  would  venture  no  farther.  Instances  of  superstition, 
and  consequent  timidity,  among  the  natives  of  these  islands, 
had  occurred  before,  but  they  were  too  trivial  to  merit  notice ; 
and  upon  the  present  occasion  it  was  hoped  that  a  little 
persuasion  would  get  the  better  of  their  panic.  They  con- 
sidered the  opening  of  this  chasm  as  an  unfavourable  omen; 
and,  declaring  they  should  no  longer  be  able  to  find  a  safe 
footing,  determined  to  return  ;  and  left  us.  I  remained,  with 
Peter,  in  the  possession  of  a  sledge,  with  one  of  their  horses ; 
and  having  with  little  difficulty  succeeded  in  getting  over 
the  chasm,  we  drove  on,  and  arrived  at  Bergo  without 
encountering  any  other  obstacle.  Over  the  whole  of  the  wide 
waste  we  had  passed,  there  was  not  an  animal,  nor  any  living 
creature  to  be  seen,  excepting  wolves,  crossing,  among  distant 
rocks,  from  isle  to  isle,  in  search  of  prey :  and  even  these  we 
should  have  mistaken  for  large  dogs,  if  the  peasants,  before 
they  deserted  us,  had  not  directed  our  attention  towards 
them,  and  told  us  what  they  really  were. 

At  Bergo  we  had  an  example  of  the  remarkable  simplicity 
and  ignorance  of  the  natives  of  these  islands,  especially  of 
those  which  lie  out  of  the  common  route  of  passing  travellers. 
Accustomed  to  see  only  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring 
shores,  our  coming,  without  any  of  the  guides,  excited  fear 
as  well  as  wonder.  The  little  village  of  the  island  consists 
of  half-a-dozen  wooden  huts,  perched,  in  a  very  irregular 
manner,  amidst  a  cluster  of  naked  rocks.     The  few  male 

inhabitants 


Simplicity  of 
the  Natives. 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


343 


inhabitants  belonging  to  this  settlement  were  out  upon  the   chap.  ix. 
sea,  dragging  their  nets  under  the  ice;   which  is  their  usual 
mode  of  fishing  at  this  season  of  the  year.     In  the  dwelling 
that  we  entered,  an   old  woman  and   her  daughters  were 
spinning ;  and  a  boy  was  feeding  a   favourite  hog,   coaxing 
the  animal,  and  calling  it  by  all  manner  of  endearing  names. 
The  sight  of  two  strangers,  who,  for  ought  they  could  tell, 
might  have    dropped   from  the  moon,  for   a  few   minutes 
interrupted  their  tranquillity.      Peter,  who  addressed  them 
in  Swedish,  was  not  on  this  account  a  whit  better  received: 
— "  We  might  be  any  body,  for  any  thing  they  could  tell. 
Why  did  we  not  go  away  ?"      At  this  moment,   our  former 
guides,  whether  afraid  of  losing  their  horse  and  sledge,  or 
ashamed  of  what  they  had  done,  came  dropping  in ;    and 
then  immediately  things  wore  a  new  face.     Such  a  chattering 
ensued,  that  it  might  be  compared  to  the  noise  of  a  rookery. 
The  old  woman  and  her  daughters  immediately  fell  to  work, 
and  prepared  a  dinner  for  these  men,  of  bacon  and  blood- 
sausages,  which  are  esteemed  a  great  delicacy.      One  of  the 
girls  now  stepped  forward,  offering  to  act  as  a  guide  in  our 
way  to  Fogl'o;    to  which  island,  I  learned  with  amazement, 
it  was  necessary  that  we  should  penetrate,  although  lying 
so  far  to  the  south l,  before  we  should  be  able  to  alter  our 
course,  and  bear  up  for  Sattunga.     They  would  not  allow 
us  a  single  horse  to  draw  one  of  their  sledges :  not  because 
the  ice  was  unequal  to  its  weight,  but  for  this  reason,  which 
they  assigned-— that,  in  returning,  the  wolves  would  infallibly 

take 


(l)  See  the  Chart  annexed  of  the  Aland  Isles. 


Increase  of 
Wolves. 


344  CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

chap.  ix.  take  it  from  the  girl  and  devour  it.  Five  of  these  ferocious 
animals,  they  said,  had  prowled  about  their  dwelling  for  two 
nights  successively.  The  great  increase  of  wolves  among 
these  islands,  and  in  all  Sweden  and  Finland,  of  late  years, 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  that  have  occurred  in 
the  history  of  the  country.  This  change  began  in  the  time 
of  Linnams;  who,  in  his  Fauna  Suecica1,  having  mentioned 
the  wolf  as  common  in  the  Swedish  woods,  adds  these  words — 
"  Ante  26  annos,  rarius  animal  in  Suecid"  The  ivolves  have 
since  become  such  a  nuisance,  as  to  call  the  attention  of 
Government  towards  their  destruction2.  In  the  north  of 
Sweden,  they  make  their  attacks  in  such  formidable  numbers, 
as  to  drive  the  inhabitants,  especially  the  Laplanders,  from 
their  Settlements.  The  Swedish  Missionaries  settled  in 
Lapland,  ignorant  of  the  true  cause  of  their  increase,  which 
is  unknown,  attribute  their  coming  to  the  war  with  Russia, 
which  disturbed,  they  say,  these  animals  in  their  haunts, 
and  drove  them  from  the  extensive  forests  of  Finland. 

The  mercury  in  Fahrenheit's  thermometer  did  not  descend 
lower  at  noon,  this  day,  than  eleven  degrees  and  a  half  below 
freezing;  but  as  the  distance  was  great  to  Foglo,  and  that 
distance  always  doubled  by  the  frequent  circuitous  deviations 

we 

(1)  Fauna  Suecica,  p.  5.    L.  Bat.  1746. 

(2)  At  the  very  moment  in  which  this  chapter  was  printing,  Mr.  Michaelson  from 
Stockholm,  visiting  Cambridge,  informed  the  author  that  a  general  hunt  for  the 
destruction  of  wolves  is  to  take  place  next  year,  by  order  of  the  Swedish  Government. 
In  the  provinces  of  Jemteland,  Herjeadalen,  and  Gastrikeland,  the  number  of  wolves 
has  amazingly  increased :  in  one  of  these  provinces  they  have  devoured  eight  children 
within  the  last  winter:  and  they  have  advanced  from  the  northern  provinces,  southward, 
so  as  to  make  their  incursions  within  the  very  neighbourhood  of  Stockholm. 


I    DZ 


Land,  ■ 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


345 


we  had  to  make,  owing  to  the  chasms  and  open  places  in 
the  ice,  it  was  sufficient  to  deter  me  from  attempting  the 
task  of  drawing  the  sledge  myself;  and  therefore,  upon 
being  refused  a  horse,  we  persuaded  the  men  who  had 
followed  us  from  Vargatta  to  bear  a  hand  in  this  undertaking, 
and  proceed  with  us  to  Foglo.  This  island  lies  far  to  the 
south  of  Bergo3,  quite  in  an  opposite  direction  from  that 
which  I  wished  to  pursue  with  a  view  of  reaching  Kumlinge. 
Having  mustered  our  forces,  and  placed  our  baggage  upon  a 
single  sledge  drawn  by  the  Vargatta  peasants,  we  set  out  on 
foot,  passing  through  a  forest  of  much  finer  trees  than 
I  expected  to  see  among  these  bleak  little  islands.  Hence  we 
descended  towards  the  sea;  and  were  soon  once  more  upon  its 
frozen  surface,  with  the  same  wide  and  chilling  prospect  of 
the  space  we  had  to  traverse.  Presently  our  guides  hailed 
some  seal-hunters,  whom  they  recognised  Upon  the  dreary 
main,  engaged  in  their  usual  occupation.  These  men 
answered  the  summons;  and  coming  towards  us,  said  that  it 
might  be  possible  to  reach  Mushaga4  without  making  the 
long  deviation  towards  Foglo;  and  that,  at  all  events,  as  the 
distance  would,  in  the  event  of  our  success,  be  greatly 
shortened,  they  advised  our  making  the  trial.  As  they  best 
knew  the  state  of  the  ice,  and  the  course  it  would  be  necessary 
to  pursue  in  order  to  reach  Mushaga,  we  asked  them  to 
accompany  us;  to  which  they  readily  agreed.  I  mention 
these  trivial  circumstances,  to  shew  how  little  reliance  can 


CHAP.  IX. 


Seal-hunt  tr*. 


be 


VOL.  VI. 


(3)  See  the  Chart  of  the  Aland  Isles. 

(4)  Ibid. 

Y  Y 


H 


34« 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


chap.  ix.  be  placed  upon  the  very  best  guides  among  the  Alanders, 
when  the  ice  is  in  a  doubtful  state ;  for  these  very  men  were 
the  first  to  desert  me  afterwards,  when  their  services  were 
most  wanted.  The  fact  is,  that  the  same  persons  who  would 
venture  through  the  most  turbulent  seas  in  the  dangerous 
storms  to  which  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  is  liable, 
and  in  boats  which  are  any  thing  but  sea-worthy,  are  often 
cowards  upon  the  ice ;  and  perhaps  for  this  reason,  that 
the  skill  and  dexterity  which  enables  them  to  encounter 
winds  and  waves  are  of  no  avail  here. 

We  now  directed  our  icy  pilgrimage  towards  Mushaga, 
by  an  eastern  instead  of  a  souther?!  course ;  our  seal-hunters 
taking  the  lead  with  their  iron-shod  pikes,  and  often  leading 
us  a  weary  circuit,  to  avoid  the  openings  and  hazardous 
places  of  thin  ice,  by  which  we  were  compelled  to  deviate 

Safety-pikes,  from  the  direct  line  of  our  march.  The  pikes  used  to  ascer- 
tain the  safety  of  a  passenger  are  about  six  feet  in  length, 
having  at  the  lower  extremity  an  iron  spike  with  a  sharp 
and  strong  hook.  The  spike  is  used  to  try  the  thickness  of 
the  ice.  If,  after  two  or  three  stabs  with  this  iron  spike,  the 
water  do  not  spout  up,  the  ice  will  bear  a  horse ;  and  if  it 
do  not  rise  after  a  single  blow,  but  appears  only  after  a 
second  stroke,  it  is  considered  as  fit  to  support  a  man.  The 
hook  attached  to  this  spike  is  for  the  purpose  of  dragging  out 
the  bodies  of  those  who  are  unfortunate  enough  to  slip 
through  the  crevices,  or  fall  into  the  holes,  which  are  deceit- 
fully covered  with  a  thin  icy  superficies.  These  accidents  are 
generally  owing  to  the  snow,  which,  by  covering  such  places, 
prevents  a  person  from  being  aware  of  the  sudden  danger  he 

may 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


•347 


may  encounter  from  a  neglect  of  sounding  often  with  his  chap.  ix. 
pike.  Every  individual  of  our  party  was  provided  with  one 
of  these  safety-pikes ;  although  the  chief  use  of  them  is  for 
those  who  precede  and  act  as  pioneers,  who  plunge  their 
pikes  into  the  ice  incessantly,  at  every  step,  in  order  to  make 
the  way  sure.  If  the  foremost  man  give  an  alarm,  the  rest 
of  the  party  fall  back,  and  disperse  as  quickly  as  possible ; 
taking  care  not  to  collect  together  upon  one  spot.  We  had 
many  of  these  alarms ;  and  our  weary  walk  continued 
throughout  the  whole  day  a  journey  of  painful  suspense  and 
apprehension,  never  free  from  danger;  being  often  farthest 
from  the  land  when  we  appeared  to  be  the  nearest  to  it, 
in  consequence  of  the  circuitous  deviations  we  were  com- 
pelled to  make,  in  order  to  obtain  a  footing.  About  half  after 
two  o'clock  p.m.  we  were  within  sight  of  Mushaga;  but  the 
difficulty  of  reaching  the  shore  increased  as  we  approached. 
Presently  we  could  discern  the  figures  of  several  of  the  natives, 
standing  upon  a  high  coast  among  the  rocks,  regarding  our 
movements  with  an  earnest  attention.  We  soon  found  the 
reason  of  the  interest  we  had  excited :  the  ice,  as  we 
advanced,  appeared  almost  everywhere  open ;  and  became  so 
thin,  that  our  pikes  brought  up  water  at  every  stroke.  It 
certainly  was  not  a  moment  for  much  ceremony,  and  the 
guides  used  none;    for   the  seal-hunters  falling  back  with  The  Author 

deserted  by 

precipitation,  the  Var gatta  peasants  dispersed  also,  followed  his  Guides, 
by  the  interpreter,  who,   in  spite  of  all  my  remonstrances, 
left  me  in  this  terrible  juncture,  to  shift  for  myself.     In  such 
a  situation,   the  presence  of  any  one,   it  is   true,   could  only 
serve  to  increase   the  danger ;    and    for    a    moment    I  was 

almost 


BE 


H 


348 


CHAP.  IX. 


•Arrival  at 
Mushaga. 


Ravages  of 
the  Small-pox. 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

almost  bewildered.  To  turn  back  again,  and  retrace  our 
former  footsteps,  at  this  late  hour  of  the  day,  over  fields  of 
ice  extending  nearly  thirty  English  miles,  would  require 
more  strength  than  I  could  then  muster,  exhausted  as  I  was 
already  by  fatigue.  I  saw  no  alternative  but  that  of  perse- 
vering, at  all  hazards,  another  quarter  of  a  mile ;  and  slowly 
ventured  on  towards  Mushagay  sometimes  working  my  way 
nearly  a  mile  in  order  to  gain  an  approach  of  twenty  yards. 
At  every  stroke  of  my  pike,  the  water  gushed  through  the 
orifice  it  made;  until  the  ice  beginning  to  bend  with  my 
weight,  I  was  afraid  to  use  it.  By  perseverance,  however, 
I  had  gained  a  very  near  approach  to  the  land,  which  gave  me 
spirits  and  courage :  the  ice  became  stronger — then  weaker  : 
at  last  I  reached  the  rocks — covered  also  with  ice ;  and,  in 
my  eagerness  to  climb  their  slippery  surfaces,  sustained  many 
severe  falls,  one  of  which  brought  me  headlong  back  again 
upon  the  sea.  The  people  collected  on  the  shore  now 
descended  to  my  assistance ;  and  the  guides  who  had  deserted 
me,  ashamed  of  being  left  behind  by  a  stranger,  after  various 
attempts,  following  my  footsteps,  arrived  also  at  Mushaga. 
Here  we  found  the  sea  quite  open;  the  ice  only  extending  an 
English  mile  from  the  shore  :  some  other  expedient,  there- 
fore, to  reach  the  open  water  with  a  boat  was  now  become 
necessary. 

We  entered  a  miserable  cottage.  The  scene  of  human 
woe  which  was  here  presented,  perhaps  never  had  its  equal. 
We  found  within,  a  wretched  family  ;  amongst  whom  were 
seven  children  afflicted  with  the  putrid  small-pox,  in  one 
close  hovel; — the  eldest,  a  daughter,  dead  of  the  disorder; 

and 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


349 


and  the  forlorn  parents  weeping  for  the  inevitable  fate  of  chap.  ix. 
those,  their  little  ones,  who  still  survived.  The  diet  of 
these  poor  creatures  consisted  of  raw  salted  fish,  first  steeped 
in  sea-water,  and  then  frozen.  To  heighten  the  calamity 
of  this  heart-rending  spectacle,  not  a  ray  of  comfort  or  of 
hope  could  be  administered ;  nothing  could  be  done  for 
them, — nor  did  they  ask  for  any  thing.  It  was  a  sight  to 
move  the  most  obdurate ;  and  the  impression  made  in 
viewing  it  will  never  be  forgotten. 

Amongst  a  few  other  dwellings,  at  some  distance  from 
this  scene  of  sorrow,  we  hired  four  peasants,  who  engaged 
to  work  out  a  boat  that  was  lying  fast  locked  in  the  ice 
among  the  rocks.  A  most  curious  undertaking  ensued ;  ™od*  °^vce' 
that  of  forcing  a  passage  for  this  boat  through  the  mile  of  iCherough  the 
ice,  into  the  open  sea.  It  seemed  to  require  nothing  less 
than  the  labours  of  Hercules  to  affect  this ;  but  the  promise 
of  high  reward,  and  the  sight  of  two  bottles  of  vile  Swedish 
brandy,  which  the  Interpreter  took  care  to  display  to  great 
advantage,  wrought  marvellously  in  our  favour.  The  sail 
belonging  to  this  boat,  when  produced,  was  found  to  be 
frozen  into  a  solid  sheet  of  ice ;  but,  after  much  labour, 
this  was  hoisted:  and  a  plank  being  fastened  with  nails 
along  the  ribs  of  the  boat,  to  prevent  her  staving,  she  was 
laid  upon  her  side  ;  and  we  all  got  into  her,  except  two  of 
the  men,  who  remained  upon  the  ice,  holding  by  her  bows. 
In  this  manner  she  scudded  before  the  wind  upon  the 
surface  of  the  thin  and  rotten  ice ;  which  soon  giving  way 
to  the  superincumbent  weight,  we  sunk,  boat  and  all,  into 
the  water ;  the  two  peasants,  without,  remaining  suspended, 

one 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M 


350 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


chap. ix.  one  at  the  prow,  the  other  at  the  stern.  Now  began  a  part 
of  the  operation  in  which  these  men,  accustomed  to  such 
trials,  shew  very  considerable  dexterity.  By  giving  their 
vessel  a  swinging  motion,  alternately  raising  and  depressing 
the  prow  as  it  was  forced  by  the  sail  upon  the  ice,  they 
continually  succeeded  in  breaking  a  way  through  it ;  and 
penetrated  along  the  channel,  thus  formed,  towards  the 
open  sea,  by  a  tedious  but  sure  progress  of  about  400 
yards  in  an  hour.  Fortunately,  a  fair  wind  blew  with  great 
violence  ;  which  aided  the  undertaking  more  than  any  thing 
else  ;  the  men  being  nearly  exhausted  before  the  passage 
was  thoroughly  effected.  In  more  severe  weather,  they 
find  this  method  of  working  through  the  ice  impracticable, 
because  it  freezes  together  instantly  as  fast  as  it  is  broken, 
and  they  remain  locked  in  ;  by  which  means  the  party  of 
peasants  who  had  conducted  some  travellers  to  Kumlinge, 
three  years  before,  as  was  related,  were  set  fast  in  the  ice 
at  a  great  distance  from  the  shore,  and  nearly  starved  to 
death.  The  ice,  before  we  got  clear  of  it,  was  nearly  six 
inches  thick  ;  and  it  was  to  our  little  stock  of  brandy"  that 
we  attributed  our  success.  The  poor  men  engaged  in  work- 
ing the  boat  were  so  overcome  by  their  excessive  labour, 
that  without  frequent  draughts  of  their  favourite  liquor 
they  would  have  given  up  the  undertaking  as  hopeless'. 

At 


(l)  The  novelty  of  a  boat  thus  sailing  upon  afield  of  ice,  from  the  singularity  of  its 
appearance,  may  serve  to  amuse  those  who  sit  by  their  fire-side,  "  hors  de  combat,"  and 
seek  only  for  amusement  in  these  pages.  The  annexed  Engraving,  shewing  the  author's, 
situation  at  this  moment,  is  from  a  design  by  the  celebrated  Atkinson,  taken  by  him, 
after  the  author's  arrival  at  Petersburg,  from  a  sketch  made  by  the  author  upon  the  spot. 


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TBBBBBBBBBB  W 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


351 


At  last,  we  reached  the  open   sea :    and  here  a  violent   chap.ix. 
tempest  of  wind  and  snow  came  upon  us :  and  the  sudden  Remarkable 

.......  effect  of  snow 

effect  or  the  snow  mingling  with  the  sea- water,  now  cooled  failing  in  sea- 

.  .  water. 

nearly  to  the  point  of  its   congelation,    was  most   striking. 
The  water  became  turbid,  like  milk  turning  to  curd  :  pieces 
of  ice  soon  made  their  appearance,  and  were  heard  rattling 
against  the  prow  and  sides  of  the  vessel.     The  old  exclama- 
tion of  "  Gud  bevaraf  once  more  gave  its  warning,  that  things 
were  not  quite  as  could  be  wished  by  our  Swedish  steersman  : 
we  saw  evidently,  that  if  we  did  not  quickly  reach  Sattunga, 
we  should  be  in  the  situation,  already  related,  of  the  poor 
mariners  in  their  return  from  Kumlinge.     The  change  was 
so  rapid,  as   the  snow  continued  falling,  that  when  we  were 
drawing  near  to  the  Sattunga    shore,    we   found   ourselves 
sailing   through  immense  moving  slabs  of  ice ;    which  were 
driven  with  such  force  against  each  other,  that  the  noise  of 
their  striking  together,  all  around  us,  was    like  the  sound 
of  a  hundred  drums  beating  :  our  boat  was  driven  against 
them  with  a  degree  of  violence  that  made  us  apprehensive 
of  her  splitting.     At  about  two  miles  distance,  we  descried 
a  boat,  already  beginning  to  be  set  fast,  and  working  its  way 
as  we  had  done  before,  in  a  part  of   the  sea  where  these 
floating  masses  had  already  fixed  themselves  into  a  compact 
state.      The   water   itself  seemed   full    of  snow ;    but  this 
appearance   always  takes   place  whenever   its   particles  are 
beginning   to    congeal.      That    the   whole    passage   would 
speedily  become  frozen,  was  very  evident ;  and  this  change 
actually  took  place  in  the  course  of  the  night.     An  open 
channel   admitted   us  within   250   yards   of   the  Island   of 

Sattunga : 


m 


1 


Natural  cave 
of  ice. 


Sattunga. 


352  CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

chap.  ix.  Sattunga :  and  here  the  ice  was  strong  enough  to  bear 
the  weight  of  our  boatmen,  while  they  drew  their  vessel 
out  of  the  water,  and  laid  her  up  in  a  snug  birth  for  the 
night.  This  birth,  at  any  other  time,  would  have  been 
considered  by  mc  as  an  object  of  great  curiosity :  it  was 
a  beautiful  cave  of  ice,  hung  with  pendent  icicles  and 
spangling  crystal  gems, — the  palace  of  the  seals,  and  temple 
of  their  amours :  but,  under  the  pressure  of  fatigue  and 
cold  and  hunger,  all  its  beauties  could  not  detain  me,  even 
for  an  instant.  The  boatmen  had  already  quitted  it :  and 
having  cast  my  eye  over  the  arched  roof  and  sides  of  this 
natural  wonder,  I  followed  them,  through  a  forest,  to  the 
Village  of  Sattunga  ;  which  consists  of  a  small  church,  and 
some  better-conditioned  cottages  than  it  is  usual  to  see  in 
these  islands.  As  soon  as  we  arrived,  we  found  here  both 
the  Eastern  and  Western  Post,  waiting  for  a  passage ;  also 
about  fifty  sailors,  together  with  other  persons  whose  ships 
had  been  frozen  in,  waiting  to  get  to  Finland  upon  the 
ice.  A  party  of  Russian  Gentlemen  set  out,  as  soon  as  we 
arrived,  in  the  hope  of  profiting  by  the  passage  we  had 
forced  through  the  ice  on  the  Mushaga  shore,  to  get  to  that 
island  :  what  success  they  met  with  I  did  not  learn  :  night 
was  already  set  in,  and  it  would  require  time  to  get  our 
boat  out  again.  One  of  them  gave  up  his  apartment  to  me, 
upon  leaving  Sattunga ;  saying,  he  had  found  it  cleanly  and 
comfortable.  The  poor  hostess,  who  conducted  me  into 
this  chamber,  was  as  proud  of  receiving  strangers  beneath 
her  roof  as  if  kings  were  come  to  visit  her.  Turning  up  her 
beds,  she  exclaimed,  "  Look  here  !  you  shall  sleep  as  well 


in 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


353 


in  my  house  as  if  you  were  in  Stockholm :  we  have  no  such  chap.ix. 
things  as  lice  or  bugs  here."  My  last  loaf  of  bread  was 
frozen,  and  as  hard  as  stone  ;  but  this  good  woman  boiled  it 
in  milk ;  and  I  never  tasted  a  more  delicious  meal  than 
from  the  bowl  containing  the  porridge  which  she  thus 
prepared  and  placed  before  me.  Intending  to  set  out  early 
in  the  morning,  I  wished  to  pay  for  my  night's  accommo- 
dation and  excellent  fare,  and  for  this  purpose  offered 
money  to  the  mistress  of  the  house  ;  who,  with  great  sim- 
plicity, but  earnestness  of  manner,  said,  "  Alas,  Sir !  give 
me  something  better  than  money.  I  have  had  a  pain  in  my 
head  upwards  of  forty  years,  and  sometimes  it  brings  on 
fits  :  leave  me  but  a  charm  to  cure  this  disorder,  and  I  shall 
bless  you  till  I  die  !"  Whether  she  believed  that  loaf- 
sugar  would  act  as  a  cha?m  or  not,  was  uncertain  ;  but  so 
completely  unknown  to  her  did  this  substance  appear,  that, 
having  begged  a  lump  of  it,  she  stuck  it  up  among  her 
rarities,  in  a  cupboard  ;  not  to  be  used,  but  exhibited  as 
a  curiosity. 

The  Island  of  Sattunga  occupies  a  central  point  amidst  the 
innumerable  rocks  and  inlets  which  almost  fill  the  mouth  of 
the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  It  lies  to  the  south  of  the  Delen,  or 
Delet,  between   Vardb  and  Kumlinge,  and  exactly  midway 

o 

between   the  coast  of  Sweden  and  Abo,  in  Finland1.      The 

natives  are  fishermen  and  seal-hunters :    they  are  the  best-  Description  of 

J  the  Inhabi- 

looking,  and  most  robust,  of  all  the  islanders.     During  the 

summer 


tanls. 


(1)  See  the  Chart.     See  also  Hermeiin's  "  Charta  b'fver  Abooch  Bjbrneborgs  Hbf' 
dingedbme."   Stockholm)  1799' 

VOL.  VI.  Z  Z 


^H 


™*": 


354 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


chap.  ix.  summer  they  carry  on  a  trade  with  Stockholm  in  fish.  My 
host  and  his  son  arrived  late  in  the  evening  ; — men  really  of 
gigantic  stature.  "  My  boys  and  I,"  said  the  father, 
pointing  to  the  athletic  figures  of  these  fine  young  men, 
"  will  accompany  you  to-morrow  to  Kumlinge :  and  you 
will  not  be  deserted  by  us,  upon  the  ice,  as  you  were  by  a 
parcel  of  striplings  from  Vargatta  and  Bergo.  We  have 
heard  of  all  your  adventures  in  going  to  Mushaga:  there  will 
be  an  end  of  such  risks  now :  trust  only  to  our  guidance,  and 
we  will  take  care  of  you."     These  men  were  Swedes;  as  are, 

o 

properly  speaking,  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  Aland  Isles,  and 
of  the  islands  upon  the  coast  of  Finland.  Formerly,  these 
islands  were  inhabited  by  Finland  corsairs  ;  to  put  an  end  to 
whose  piratical  depredations,  the  Swedes  possessed  them- 
selves not  only  of  the  Isles,  but  also  of  the  Finland  coast  as 
far  eastward  as  Petersburg,  and  northward  as  far  as  Gamba 
Carleby.  The  country  at  this  moment,  from  Gamba  Carleby 
to  Bjorneborcr,  was  entirely  inhabited  by  Swedes;  speaking,  of 
course,  the  Swedish  language.  From  Bjorneborg,  as  far  as 
Abo,  the  people  are  a  mixed  race  of  Swedes  and  Finlanders. 
We  found  the  Swedish  language  in  use  as  far  as  Varssala:  but 
when  we  reached  Varssala,  it  was  no  longer  understood. 
The  real  Finlanders,  that  is  to  say,  the  genuine  remnant  of 
the  original  colony,  which  yet  preserves  its  antient  customs 
and  language  in  their  pure  and  unmixed  state,  dwell  in  the 
interior  eastern  district  of  Finland:  they  inhabit  the  pro- 
vince of  Tavastehus  and  Savolax,  a  wild  and  watery  region, 
covered  with  numberless  lakes  and  most  extensive  forests, 
and  peopled  by  a  race   of  men  who  are  considered  by  all 

their 


Finlanders. 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


355 


their  neighbours  as  the  hardiest  of  all  the  Northern  tribes,  chap.  rx. 
In  the  severest  winters,  these  men  perform  astonishing  jour- 
neys ;  going  about  with  their  bosoms  bare,  exposed  to  all  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather.  More  barbarous  even  than  the 
Laplanders,  they  hold  in  sovereign  contempt  all  the  comforts 
and  luxuries  of  more  refined  nations.  si  Illis,"  said  Tacitus, 
speaking  of  the  Fenni,  "  ne  voto  quidem  opus  esset." 
Unaltered  in  all  the  ages  that  have  elapsed  since  he  gave  that 
eloquent  description1  which  no  paraphrase  can  express,  we 
may  still  say  of  them,  "fennis  mira  feritas,  foeda  pau- 

PERTAS  :    NON  ARMA,  NON  EQUI,  NON  PENATES  :    VICTUI    HERBA, 

vestitui  pelles,  cubile  humus."  For  all  that  concerns 
their  early  history,  and  the  origin  of  the  Finns,  we  may  in 
vain  ransack  the  libraries  of  the  world.  The  Scrictofinni, 
mentioned  by  Paulas  Diaconus  %  are  not,  properly  speaking, 
Finns,  but  their  cousin-germans  the  Laplanders,  to  whom 
perhaps  the  account  given  of  the  Fenni,  by  Tacitus,  may, 
from  some  of  his  observations3,  be  rather  applicable.     The 

true 


(1)  DeMor.  Germ.  torn.  II.  p.  592.     Ed.  Ernes H.    Lips.  1801. 

(2)  '*  Huic  loco  Scrictofenni  (sic  enim  gens  ilia  nominatur)  vicini  sunt.  Qui  etiam 
aestatis  tempore  nivibus  non  carent :  nee  aliter  fieri  potest,  quam  ut  crudis  agrestium 
animantium  carnibus  vescantur :  de  quorum  etiam  hirsutis  pellibus  sibi  indumenta  co- 
aptant.  Ii  a  saliendo  juxta  linguam  barbaram  etymologiam  ducunt.  Saltibus  enim 
utentes,  arte  quadam  ligno  incurvo  ad  arcus  similitudinem  feras  assequuntur.  Apud 
hos  est  animal  cervo  satis  assimile,"  &c. — Paul.  Diacon.  de  Gestis  Langobardorum, 
lib.  I  c.  71.  p.  354.     Basil.  Froben.  1532. 

(3)  "  Sola  in  sagittis  spes,  quas,  inopia  ferii,  ossibus  asperant.  Idemque  venatus  viros 
pariter  ac  feminas  alit.  Passim  enim  comitantur,  partemque  ^praedae  petunt.  Nee  aliud 
infantibus  ferarum  imbriumque  suffugium,  quam  ut  in  aliquo  ramosum  nexu  contegantur  : 
hue  redeunt  juvenes,  hoc  senum  receptaculum.     Sed  beatius  arbitrantur,  quam  ingemere 

agris, 


■>*■>«• 


35 g  CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

chap.  ix.  true  Finns  live  in  houses  without  chimneys,  which  are  alwavg 
filled  with  smoke,  and,  from  various  other  causes,  are  black 
and  filthy  beyond  description.  Fortunately,  the  very  nature 
of  this  climate  is  hostile  to  the  great  increase  of  vermin  ;  but 
such  reptiles  and  revolting  insects  as  are  able  to  withstand 
its  rigours,  find  themselves  as  much  domesticated  among  the 
Finlanders,  as  are  their  pigs,  poultry,  cattle,  dogs,  and  cats  ; 
all  of  which,  together  with  men,  women  and  children,  find  a 
lodging  beneath  the  same  roof.  With  regard  to  mosquitoes, 
they  may  almost  be  said  to  breathe  these  insects ;  so  com- 
pletely, during  summer,  is  the  atmosphere  possessed  by  their 
swarms. 
Remains  of         Among  these  islands,  the  Swedish  language  is  said  to  exist 

antient  and 

pure  Swedish,  in  its  most  antient  and  pure  state :    and  it  here  approaches 
itsresem-      so  near  to  the  English,  that  a  servant   of  our  own  country, 

blance  toEng-  n     i        •   i  i  i  ■, 

ush.  who  travelled  with  us,  was  able  to  understand  and    some- 

times to  converse  with  the  natives.  It  is  like  the  old  Scottish- 
English  ;  the  word  myrfjm  occurring  for  nm&Ie1,  to  signify 
much;  tfjeft  for  ttnlUr,  meaning  the  which;  tuanDr  for  burnt; 
jjlagin  for  slain;  glatrtrre  for  gladdened ;  &c.  &c.  Persons  at  all 
accustomed  to  read  old  English  books  in  the  Gothic  letter 
will  have  little  difficulty  in  reading  old  and  pure  Swedish: 
they  will    readily  translate    the   following   lines  of  an    old 

Swedish 

agris,  inlaborare  domibus,  suas  alienasque  fortunas  spe  metuque  versare." —  Tacit, 
ubi  supra. 

If  the  Roman  historian  had  lived  among   the  Laplanders,  he  could  not  more  accu- 
rately  have  described  their  tents  made  of  boughs,  their  habits,  and  disposition. 

(l)  "  %%t  king,  tfjat  Jjcarn  all  %i$  carping, 

tyt  tbanfcen  far  in  meikle  tfjlng/* 

Barbour  s  Life  of  Robert  Bruce,  p.  85.     Edin.  1758. 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


357 


Swedish  ballad,  as  they  are  preserved  by  Professor  Porthan  of  chap.  ix. 
Abo,  among  the  annotations  to  the  "Chronicon  Episcoporum 

o 

Finlandensium"  printed  at  Abo. 

©roericje  fyabt  mneljnn  tvabt 
Of  darctom,  ocl?  ^tccr  onabe ; 
2#e  fovo  ofroer  (jafwct  oc&  in  i  WIHm, 
2It  rt)e  6vanbe  opp  ©iftuna: 
3oan  Suf  ie&i*fop  watt  tfjw  gtagm, 
I(;ef  glabbc»  (Sarcla  odj  9fygalan&* 

THE  SAME  ENGLISHED. 

Sweden  had  much  danger 

Of  Carelians,  and  great  disgrace  ; 

They  passed  over  the  sea  and  into  the  Mcelar, 

And  they  burnt  up  Sigtuna: 

John  Archbishop  was  there  slain, 

The  which  gladdened  Carelia  and  Rysland. 

The  verb  To  eat,  in  the  Aland  Isles,  is  exactly  the  same  as 
with  us  in  English,  and  has  the  same  pronunciation ;  but  in 
Stockholm,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  country  where  a  mix- 
ture of  the  German  has  intervened  and  occasioned  modern 
corruptions  in  the  language,  gpcijen  is  substituted  for  ota. 
Again,  a.  bush  is  called  busha;  and  a  decoy-duck,  a  lure,  as  in 
England.  The  instances  of  similarity  in  the  two  languages 
which  occur  among  the  names  of  domestic  utensils,  as 
$ot,  $an,  jammer,  and  in  the  appellations  bestowed  upon  the 
implements  of  husbandry,  are  too  numerous  to  mention. 

o 

The  manners  and  customs  of  the  Alanders  bring  to  mind 
those  of  the  natives  of  the  isles  of  Scotland.  Every  man 
manufactures  for  himself.  They  pique  themselves  much 
upon  their  sandals  of  seal-skin,  in  which  may  be  seen  the  seai-skin 

sandals. 

first 


*J*Z,      *.' 


,V»/'? 


BED 


3>58  CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

chap.  ix.  first  rudiments  of  a  shoe.  This  kind  of  sandal  is  an  oblong 
piece  of  skin,  with  a  cord  fixed  round  its  edge,  by  which 
the  sandal  is  made  to  close  upon  and  cover  the  foot; 
the  ends  of  the  cord  being  afterwards  fastened  round  the 
ankle.  Similar  sandals,  though  made  of  different  mate- 
rials, are  worn  by  the  natives  of  the  southern  provinces  in 
Italy,  especially  those  of  Abruzzo;  also  by  the  Laplanders 
and  Russians*.  I  have  seen  them  finely  represented  in 
marble,  among  the  works  of  Greek  sculptors.  The  thongs,  or 
cords,  which  bound  them  to  the  feet,  were  by  the  Greeks 

e 

called  ifActvTsg*.  Among  the  A landers,  the  hair  of  the  seal  is 
preserved  on  the  outside,  and  within  they  put  a  little  straw. 
These  sandals,  rude  as  they  appear,  are,  when  made  of  seal- 
skin, in  such  high  estimation,  that  although  common  upon 
the  feet  of  every  one  of  the  inhabitants,  not  one  among 
them  can  be  prevailed  upon  to  sell  a  pair  to  a  stranger.  The 
great  utility  of  them  arises  in  their  resistance  to  moisture : 
they  prevent  the  melting  snow  from  penetrating,  and  are  at 
the  same  time  exceedingly  light  and  comfortable  to  the  feet. 
During  the  winter,  the  Alanders  are  chiefly  occupied  in 
fishing,  by  dragging  their  nets  under  the  ice,  or  in  hunting 
for  and  killing  seals  by  shooting  them.  Few  people  are  such 
expert  marksmen3.     When  the  sea  is  frozen  over,  they  creep 

about 


Wiuter  occu- 
pations of  the 
Alanders. 


(1)  See    Vignette  to  Chap.  X.  p.  173,  of  the  First  Part  of  these  Travels,  Vol.  I. 
Cambridge,  IS  10. 

(2)  Mark  i.  7.     Luke  hi.  16.     Perixon.  ad  JElian.  ix.  11. 

(3)  The  Norwegians  are  not  less  skilful  than  the  Swedes  in  the  use  of  the  rifle.   There 
is  a  passage  upon  this  subject  in  Dr.  Lee's  MS.  Journal:— 

"  The  Norway  farmers  are  celebrated  shots.     I  am  credibly  informed  that  they  hit 

their 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


359 


about  among  the  rocks,  with  their  rifle-barrelled  guns,  chaimx. 
watching  for  the  appearance  of  a  seal's  head  through  an 
aperture  in  the  ice.  These  animals  are  forced  to  come  up 
for  air;  and  the  moment  a  seal-shoooter  sees  one  of  them 
thrusting  his  nose  through  one  of  the  holes  to  breathe,  he 
levels  his  gun  and  dispatches  him.  They  seldom  miss  their 
aim ;  for  the  loss  of  ammunition  is  a  very  serious  concern. 
The  manner  in  which  the  seals  expose  their  young  to  all  the 
rigour  of  the  climate,  is  very  extraordinary.  They  leave  them 
upon  the  naked  surface  of  the  ice,  in  frozen  caverns  among 
the  rocks,  and  sometimes  in  cavities  of  the  ice  itself.  During 
the  day-time,  they  dive  through  the  holes  and  chasms  into  the 
abyss  below  for  food;  and  at  night,  steal  unperceived  to  the 
place  where  they  have  deposited  their  young,  carrying  with 
them  the  fish  they  have  taken,  and  there  feed  them.  If  the 
seal-hunters  find  them  at  large  upon  the  ice,  or  upon  the 
shore,  they  dispatch  them  easily  with  the  safety-pike  before 
described.  The  appearance  of  the  seal-hunters  equipped  for 
this  singular  species  of  chace  is  really  curious.  They  gene- 
rally go  in  pairs,  in  search  of  their  game.  I  met  several  of 
these  intrepid  sportsmen,  braving  the  severity  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, and  watching  for  hours  upon  the  same  spot  for  the 
appearance  of  the  seals.  Their  dress  consisted  of  a  sheep's- 
skin  for  a  jacket,  worn  with   the  wool  towards  the  body, 

and 


their  game  with  a  single  bullet ;  and  that  were  they  to  miss,  they  would  be  quite  out  of 
temper,  as  the  loss  of  a  charge  is  of  much  value  to  them.  They  often  shoot  game  on 
the  wing  with  a  bullet;  and  a  Norwegian  has  been  known  to  assert  that  he  would  shoot 
his  bird,  in  this  manner,  through  the  head;  and  has  fulfilled  his  engagement." 

Dr.  Fiott  Lee's  MS.  Journal, 


300 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


CHAP.  IX. 


Preparations 
for  a  journey 
on  the  ice  to 
Kumlinge. 


and  fastened  by  a  leathern  belt  about  the  waist ;  seal-skin 
sandals ;  and  a  fur  cap.  At  their  back  they  carry  a  rifle, 
sometimes  inclosed  in  a  case  of  seal-skin;  and  in  their  right- 
hand  appears  the  safety-pike,  which  they  use  as  a  walking- 
staff1. 

As  I  was  going  to  bed,  a  crowd  of  other  travellers  arrived, 
all  adventurers,  like  myself;  who,  from  some  of  the  neigh- 
bouring isles,  had  effected  a  passage  to  Sattunga,  and  wished 
to  get  to  Kumlinge.     These  were  all  mariners ;   the  masters 
and  crews  of  merchant-ships  locked  in  by  the  ice.     Having 
left  a  few  hands  on  board,  merely  to  guard  their  vessels,  they 
were  all  going  to  their  respective  homes  in  Finland.     The 
little  village  of  Sattunga  had  never  seen  so  many  strangers 
assembled  there  before:  every  cottage  was  full  of  them.     As 
soon  as  daylight  appeared  on  the  following  morning,   the 
court-yard  of  the  house  where  I  had  slept  was  crowded  with 
persons  who  were  to  join  company,  and  had  made  this  their 
place  of  rendezvous.     As   every  one  of  these  persons  had 
engaged  his  own  party  of  peasants,  almost  every  male  inha- 
bitant of  Sattunga  was  hired  for  the  journey  across  the  ice  to 
Kumlinge.     I  had  engaged  my  host,  two  of  his  athletic  sons, 
and  five  other  peasants.     I  found  the  whole  body  drawn  up, 
as   in    military  array.      The  dress  of  the  Sattunga  peasants 
was  moreover  uniform:  they  were  all  clad  in  the  same  simple 
and  cleanly  manner,  wearing  white  sheep-skin  jackets,  dark 
fur  caps,  seal-skin  sandals;  and  each  person  had  his  safety- 
pike  in  his  hand.     They  amounted  in  all   to  thirty-seven 

persons ; 


(l)  See  the  Plate  annexed. 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


3<il 


persons  ;  and  the  proudest  General  in  Europe  might   have   chap.  ix. 

rejoiced  to  number  such  men  among  his  troops.     We  had 

some   little   distance   to  march  by  land,   until  we  came  to 

the  sea- shore  opposite  Kumlinge  ;    when  all  of  them  were 

formed  into   a  procession  upon  the  ice,  exhibiting  a  scene  Description  of 

the  Procession 

altogether  new  to  me.     First  went  a  party  of  scouts,    as  on  leaving 

,  Satlungn . 

pioneers,  proving  the  ice  with  their  safety-pikes.  Then 
came  the  Swedish  Post  to  Finland;  the  mail-bags,  fastened 
upon  a  very  small  sledge,  being  drawn  by  a  single  man. 
Then  followed  another  party  of  scouts,  with  their  pikes  as 
before;  and,  after  these  men,  my  own  sledge,  bearing  what- 
ever clothes  I  had  with  me,  and  a  small  stock  of  provisions 
which  I  had  purchased  for  my  friend  in  Kumlinge,  whom 
I  expected  to  find  in  want  of  common  necessaries.  Next 
advanced  a  promiscuous  multitude  of  travellers,  without 
much  order  or  caution,  preceding  their  respective  sledges, 
and  attentive  only  to  the  preserving  of  a  proper  distance  from 
each  other,  so  as  not  to  huddle  together  on  any  one  spot  : 
and,  behind  all  these,  another  party  of  the  peasants,  ready  for 
any  work  in  which  their  assistance  might  be  required.  The 
whole  retinue,  when  extended  upon  the  ice,  reached  to  the 
distance  of  two  English  miles ;  and  in  those  intervals  when 
I  could  sufficiently  abstract  my  mind  from  all  sense  of  danger 
to  survey  this  curious  train,  the  effect  produced  by  the 
appearance  of  such  a  numerous  host  marching  over  the  abyss 
of  water,  was  very  pleasing.  I  had  walked  in  this  manner 
thirty-five  miles  on  the  preceding  day,  in  a  state  of  such 
constant  alarm,  that  little  leisure  was  allowed  for  calmly 
viewing  the  scene  around  us;  and  the  guides  were  of  opinion, 
vol.  vi.  3  a  that, 


362 

CHAP.  IX. 


Encounter 
with  the  Seal- 
hunters. 


Change  of 
Route. 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 

that,  although  the  distance  to  Kumlinge  in  a  direct  line  was 
not  above  twenty-one  English  miles,  yet  the  number  of 
circuits  we  should  be  compelled  to  make  would  make  our 
journey  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  preceding  day. 

We  had  not  long  quitted  the  shore  of  Sattunga,  and  were 
advancing  towards  an  island  in  front  of  our  route,  when  two 
seal-hunters  suddenly  made  their  appearance  from  behind 
some  rocks,  raising  their  voices  as  loud  as  they  could,  and 
were  seen  with  their  lifted  pikes,  calling  to  the  foremost  of 
our  scouts,  and  bidding  them  to  halt  and  fall  back  as  quick 
as  possible.  The  cries  of  "  Keep  off  I  keep  off!"  in  the 
Swedish  language,  were  at  first  not  heeded  by  our  guides  : 
but  as  we  drew  nearer,  we  could  distinctly  hear  these  men 
telling  our  pioneers  that  the  ice  was  open  in  several  places, 
and  everywhere,  according  to  their  own  expression,  "  too 
rotten  to  be  trusted1."  Accordingly  we  fell  back  with  as 
much  caution  as  possible,  retracing  our  former  footsteps;  and 
afterwards  altered  our  course,  proceeding  about  nine  English 
miles  to  the  south  of  Sattunga  before  we  could  bear  up  again 
towards  the  Island  of  Kumlinge.  A  variety  of  currents, 
prevalent  among  these  islands,  keep  the  sea  in  some  places 
open,  even  during  the  hardest  frosts ;  but  as  there  is  always 
inconstancy  in  their  operation,  it  is  impossible  to  say 
when  or  where  a  route  may  be  practicable  upon  the  ice, 
without  proving  it.  That  so  many  open  places  were  not 
owing  to  any  want  of  rigour  in  the  temperature,  is  evident 

from 

(l)  See  the  Plate  annexed,  as  engraved  by  Pollard,  from  a  sketch  made  by  the  author 
upon  the  spot. 


11 II  ij , 


>;.;. 


iltpl: 

¥tpf'§r 


■:.■•:     . 


5=    N 


2    - 

s  s  - 


Sv 


-      tt     > 
«4      @     % 

I 


§    5    3 

fc         ^         X 


*   *    1 

I  -  s 

£   -  B 
.   s   . 

a 


HB^S^^^^^SiHHH^ 


TO    KUMLINGE. 


363 


from  this  circumstance, — that  when  we  were  farther  from    chap.  ix. 
land,  we  found  the  surface,  which  had  been  hitherto  smooth 
and  sometimes  glassy,  fixed  in  a  variety  of  irregular  and  fan- 
tastic shapes,  rough  and  indented,  but  hard  as  adamant,   and 
evidently  shewing  to  us  those  broken  masses  which  appear 
only  when  the  waves  of  the  sea   have   been  suddenly  fixed 
and  rendered  solid  during  their  turbulent   state.     One   can 
hardly  conceive  any  thing  more  extraordinary,  than  a  fros* 
capable    of    causing  such    an    effect ;    nor    would   it    have 
been  produced  without  a   heavy  fall  of  snow,  at  the  time, 
mingling    with    the    salt-water.      These   slabs    of  ice    form 
instantaneously :     and,   by   the   commotion    of  the   waves, 
being  thrust  edgeways  out  of  the  water,  become  fixed,  in  all 
directions,  into  one  solid  bed.     Our  walking  was,  in  conse- 
quence, rendered  painful  and  tedious, — a  work  of  difficulty, 
and  often  of  alarm  ;  apertures  and  chasms  among  these  huge 
masses  shewing  us   the  liquid  abyss   beneath  our  feet ;  and 
frequently,  when  we  thought  ourselves  the  most  secure,  we 
were  found  to  be  in  the  greatest  peril.     Not  a  step  could  be 
taken  without  first  proving,  every  one  with  his  pike,  where 
he  should  set  his  foot:  nor  was  it  at  all  safe  to  tread  in  the 
footsteps  of  those  who  had  gone  before ;  since  the  same  ice 
which  had  sustained  the  weight  of  one  of  our  party,   might, 
as  indeed  it  happened  more  than  once,  give  way  with  the 
next;  and  we    had  a   narrow  escape  of  losing  two    of  our 
guides,  who  were  saved  by  the  dexterity,  watchfulness,  and 
courage  of  their  comrades.     An  instance  of  a  similar  nature 
happened  soon  afterwards.     The   men,  who  had  the  charge 
of  the   Ostero- Bothnia  Mail,   upon   a   hand-sledge,  actually 

passed 


I .  **..-*- 


UHlHlimi 


364 


CIRCUITOUS  JOURNEY  ON  THE  SEA, 


chap.  ix.  passed  over  an  opening  in  the  ice  covered  only  by  a 
thin  surface  of  frozen  snow.  Presently  our  pikemen  ap- 
proached the  same  spot;  and  were  about  to  attempt  the  same 
dangerous  passage,  when,  at  the  first  plunge  they  made  with 
their  pikes,  the  water  spouted  up,  and  they  scampered  off  in 
all  directions.  I  had  no  idea  of  the  extent  of  their  danger, 
until,  coming  towards  the  same  place,  I  perceived  only 
a  thin  covering  of  snow,  which  nevertheless  had  been  suffi- 
ciently frozen  to  support  the  weight  of  the  peasant  and 
sledge  with  the  Ostero-Bothnia  mail-bags,  and  of  the  guides 
who  had  gone  before. 

As  we  continued  to  advance  across  the  more  open  sea,  the 
ice.  became  stronger:  and  being  now  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  any  land,  the  prospect  widened  on  all  sides, 
and  became  at  every  instant  more  desolate  and  appalling.  The 
wind  had  carried  offevery  particle  of  snow;  and  we  journeyed 
for  many  miles  over  a  surface  clear  and  transparent  as  glass. 
It  was  the  last  day  of  the  eighteenth  century;  which  made 
me  push  forward  with  spirit  and  vigour,  that,  at  least,  I 
might  terminate  the  most  extraordinary  adventure  of  my  life, 
together  with  the  most  remarkable  period  of  it,  in  some 
place  where  I  could  lay  my  head,  and  not  remain  benighted 
upon  the  frozen  surface  of  an  inhospitable  sea.  At  mid-day, 
I  halted  to  distribute  some  slight  refreshment  among  our 
guides.  As  I  served  out  to  them  their  allowance  of  biscuit 
and  Swedish  brandy,  they  all  stood  bare-headed,  and  said 
grace.  What  a  scene,  for  such  solemnity  !  While  they  were 
engaged  in  their  brief  and  scanty  meal,  I  surveyed  the  distant 
waste.     Towards  the  East,  all  was  bleak  and  open  ;  a  vast 

region 


TO     KDMLINGE. 


365 


region  of  "  thick-ribbed  ice,"  wherein  hardly  a  single  object  chap.  ix. 
relieved  the  wandering  eye.  The  sun,  scarce  elevated  above 
the  horizon,  put  forth  ungenial  splendour;  for  although  shining 
in  cloudless  majesty,  his  rays  came  across  the  chilling  desert, 
rather  reminding  one  of  what  he  wanted  than  of  what  he 
gave.  The  thermometer,  when  exposed  to  his  full  beams, 
scarcely  acknowledged  his  presence.  The  mercury,  according 
to  Fahrenheit's  scale,  in  the  morning,  had  fallen  to  ten 
degrees  above  zero;  and  now,  at  noon-day,  it  only  rose  one 
degree  higher.  Towards  the  West,  the  prospect  was  more 
varied  ;  the  numberless  rocks,  islands,  and  islets,  which 
fill  the  Aland  Sea,  being  here  collected  into  innumerable 
clusters. 

We  set  out  once  more:  and  presently  the  Island  of  Knm- 
linge  was  hailed  by  our  party,  as  being  visible  at  the  distance 
of  fourteen  English  miles  towards  the  North.  It  was  imme- 
diately pointed  out  to  me  by  one  of  our  guides;  and  the  sight 
of  it,  at  that  moment,  filled  me  with  joy.  We  pressed 
forward  with  all  the  speed  we  could  muster,  and  met  with 
little  to  impede  or  oppose  our  progress.  About  three 
o'clock  we  entered  into  a  small  bay  belonging  to  the  island: 
and  being  very  eager  to  land,  I  made  the  best  of  my  way 
towards  a  low  shore,  with  one  of  the  most  active  and  foremost 
of  the  guides  :  the  rest  of  our  retinue  were  a  long  way  in  the 
rear,  some  of  them  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles;  being 
retarded  by  their  burdens  and  sledges.  Here  the  marks  of 
footsteps  and  sledges  from  the  village  of  Kumlinge  to  the 
«ea-side  were  very  visible  in  the  snow  :  and  as  these  served 
me  for  excellent  land-marks  in  tracing  the  road  thither,  I  set 

out 


366 


ARRIVAL  AT  KUMLINGE. 


chap.  ix.  out  alone ;  and  had  not  proceeded  above  two  English  miles, 
before  I  distinguished,  among  a  groupe  of  little  wooden- 
boxes,  which  were  so  many  dwellings  belonging  to  the 
village,  an  upright  pole,  to  which  a  vane  was  attached, — the 
well-known  sign  of  the  ©aStgifwctre^arb,  or  Inn,  in  Sweden. 
I  hastened  towards  it;  and  entering,  found  my  long-lost  Friend 
and  Companion, — as  much  rejoiced  to  see  me  as  I  was  to 
see  him, — sitting  in  a  black  and  miserable  dungeon,  which  he 
had  used  as  his  apartment;  but  in  good  health,  after  a  week's 
confinement  in  a  place  where  the  combined  action  of  fire  and 
smoke  could  not  prevent  every  thing  around  him  from 
freezing. 

Thus  terminated  the  year  One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred 
of  our  aera.  And  here  I  shall  also  terminate  the  account 
of  this  Expedition; — thankful  to  Providence  for  the  dangers 
I  have  escaped ;  and  reserving  for  another  Chapter,  in  the 
opening  of  a  new  century,  the  style  of  narrative  which5 
being  less  personal,  I  had  before  adopted. 


CHAP.  X. 


KUMLINGE   TO  ABO. 

The  Party  leave  Kumlinge  —  Brief  account  of  that  island  —  Bjorko — 
Brando — Extraordinary  Congregation  for  Divine  Service — Vattus- 
kiftel — Bursting  of  the  Ice — Varssala — Revolting  manners  of  the 
Natives  ■ —  Valedictory  remarks  upon  the  Swedes  ■ —  Fahrenheit's 
Thermometer  fifty-two  degrees  and  a  half  below  freezing — Turvesi 
Passage — Accidents  from  the  frost — Helsing — Himois — Vinkela — 
Action  of  atmospheric  air  upon  vapour  —  State  of  travelling  in 
Finland — Laitis — Tursanpare — Niemenkyla — Nussis-Nummis 

o 

— Arrival  at  Abo — Narrow  escape  from  suffocation. 

The  next  day,  Wednesday,  Jan.],  1800,  we  left  Kumlinge,  LCHAP-  x- 
crossing  part  of  the  Lappvesi  Passage  with  horses  to  our  The  rartT 
sledges;  but  we  afterwards  found  that  the  ice  would  not  bear  KumUnse- 
their  weight  the  whole  way  :    our  guides  therefore  left  these 

poor 


368 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


CHAP.  X. 


Account  of 
Kumlinge. 


poor  animals  exposed  upon  a  bleak  island,  from  which  they 
said  they  would  not  attempt  to  stray;  and  themselves  drew 
our  sledge  to  Bjorlw,  or  the  Birch  Island.  A  painter  would 
have  found  a  curious  subject  for  his  pencil,  in  the  figures  of 
the  two  horses  upon  an  ice-clad  rock,  when  wre  abandoned 
them.  Being  heated  by  drawing  the  sledges,  the  drops  of 
sweat  had  congealed  into  long  icicles,  sticking  out,  like 
bristles,  all  over  their  bodies,  and  hanging  in  such  long  and 
thick  stalactites  from  the  nostrils,  that  it  seemed  dangerous 
to  attempt  to  break  them  off,  for  fear  of  tearing  away  the 
flesh  with  them  :  all  their  shaggy  manes  and  tails  and  hair 
were  thus  covered  by  a  white  opake  crust  with  pendent 
icicles,  so  that  they  seemed  rather  like  some  non-descript 
animals  than  horses.  As  soon  as  we  quitted  them,  they 
turned  their  heads  to  leeward;  and  remained  fixed,  like 
marble  statues,  upon  the  rock  ;  closing  their  eyes,  and  scarce 
shewing  signs  of  animal  life. 

Of  Kumlinge,  sometimes  written  Kumlinga,  the  island  we 
had  now  quitted,  a  very  short  description  will  suffice.  It  is 
larger  than  any  of  the  neighbouring  isles,  and  has  a  popula- 
tion of  about  320  souls.  The  number  of  families  amount  to 
forty.  The  church,  a  rude  Gothic  structure  of  considerable 
antiquity,  is  built  of  granite,  and  roofed  with  wood.  The 
inhabitants  are  an  industrious  race,  and  cultivate  the  small 
quantity  of  soil  their  island  affords,  so  as  to  make  it  very 
productive.1  Bjorkv 


(1)  The  following  extracts  from  Mr.  Cripps's  MS.  Journal,  written  during  his 
solitary  confinement  in  Kumlinge,  will  not  be  read  without  interest.  He  describes  his 
lodging  as  a  chamber  about  four  yards  square,  with  two  beds  in  it ;  one  of  which  was 

occupied 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 

BjorJi'6  has  nothing  more  worth  notice  than  its  name.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  small  village  so  called  were  gone  to  church, 
as  they  do  every  holiday  in  Sweden;  the  peasants  being  parti- 
cularly  attentive  to  their  religious  duties.     Here  we  observed 

the 


369 


occupied  by  his  English  servant ;  and  there  was  just  room  enough  besides  for  our  little 
dog  to  stretch  himself  before  the  fire,  upon  a  floor  covered  with  dirt  an  inch  thick. 
The  sides  of  this  wretched  chamber  were  covered  with  inscriptions,  the  lamenta- 
tions of  former  travellers  detained  here  by  adverse  weather.  These  extracts  will  be 
transcribed  verbatim,  in  the  order  observed  in  the  Diary  whence  they  are  taken. 

"Kumlinge,  Wednesday,  Dec.  25.— The  inhabitants  of  this  village  went  to  church  this 
morning  at  six  o'clock,  by  candle-light.     After  breakfast,  I  hired  a  horse  and  sledge,  and 

set  out,  accompanied  by  my  host,  to  examine  the  state  of  the  island The  village  of 

Kumlinge  is  distant  half  a  Swedish  mile  from  the  sea Bought  three  white  hare-skins 

for  which  they  asked  about  twelve  pence  of  our  money.  Fox-skins  sell  for  a  much 
higher  price. The  people  of  this  island  do  not  grow  rye  enough  for  their  own  consump- 
tion ;  but  import  it  from  Finland,  paying  for  it  in  money  which  they  obtain  from  the 

same  country  by  the  sale  of  their  fish. They  prefer  the  winter  to  the  summer  season. 

In  winter,  they  make  and  repair  their  nets,  and  kill  quantities  of  game,  especially  of  Black 
Game,  which  is  common  here.     In  summer,  they  work  hard,  getting  in  their  stock  of 

hay,  harvest,  and  fish Like  all  other  Swedes,  they  cannot  live  without  brandy  ;   but 

they  seldom  drink  to  intoxication.  Even  the  gentry  of  Sweden  are  discontented,  and  quite 
out  of  their  element,  without  brandy;  especially  if  they  have  it  not  with  their  whet 
before  dinner.     All  the  peasants  wear  fur-caps  ;  and  each  man  two  pairs  of  gloves,  one  of 

worsted  next  the  skin,  and  one  of  leather  over  the  worsted While  engaged  in  making 

these  notes,  the  daughter  of  my  host  entered  and  presented  me  with  a  plate  of  nuts, 
which  she  said  they  gather  in  the  summer  to  eat  at  Christmas. 

o "  Thursday,  Dec.  26. — My  host  and  all  his  family  are  again  gone  to  church.  The 
Manders,  in  this  respect,  resemble  the  rest  of  their  Swedish  countrymen,  being  sincerely 
a  religious  people.  My  English  servant  has  observed,  that  every  night  before  they  eat 
their  supper  they  all  kneel  down  and  say  their  prayers  most  devoutly,  and  after  supper 
sing  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving.  The  mannner  in  which  they  sleep  is  singular.  They  all 
live  in  one  room  ;  their  beds  being  stationed  in  cots,  one  above  another.  To  these  they 
ascend,  naked,  by  ladders  j  stripping  themselves,  even  before  strangers,  without  appearing 
conscious  of  any  indecency. 

"  At  nine  this  morning,  Celsius's  thermometer,  in  my  room,  was  two  degrees  below  O. 

Having  placed  it  in  the  open  air,  it  fell  fourteen  degrees  below  0.     I  then  exposed  some 

Swedish  brandy  in  the  open  air :  it  did  not  freeze  ;  but  the  bottle  being  brought  into 

the  room,  was  instantly  covered  with  ice.     The  greatest  heat  that  I  could  produce  in  my 

VOL.  VI.  3  B  miserable 


HHW 


370 


KUMLINGE   TO   ABO. 


chap.  x.    the  near  resemblance  between   the  names  of  things  in  these 

island    and  in  our  own  country.     The  fire  was   low,  and 

they  said  they  would  throw  on  a  bush  ($utf&)  to  raise  it,  and 

brought  in  some  juniper  boughs  for  that  purpose. 

From 


miserable  chamber  did  not  raise  the  mercury  above  the  freezing-point.  The  sun  rose 
this  morning  at  about  ten  minutes  after  nine,  and  set  about  ten  minutes  before  three. 
Finding  that  the  brandy  did  not  freeze  in  the  bottle,  I  put  out  some  in  a  pewter-plate, 
and  it  became  solid. 

"Friday,  Dec.  27. — In  this  village  there  are  nearly  as  many  windmills  as  houses  ;  each 

family  having  its  own  mill,   which  they  call  fiEUtant. Every  article  of  the  wearing 

apparel  of  the  inhabitants  is  of  their  own  manufacture. The  main  business  of  the  year, 

with  all  of  them,  is  that  of  taking  fish.  They  sell  only  what  they  do  not  want  for  their 
own  consumption  ;  and  buy  malt  and  rye,  from  which  they  make  their  brandy.  They 
moreover  sell  tallow,  and  make  their  own  candles  :  they  also  send  butter,  cheese,  and  pork, 

to  Stockholm  ;    and  brew  a  bad  kind  of  beer. In  their  persons  they  are  much  neater 

than  in  their  houses. Each  family  kills  five  or  six  seals  in  a  year,  and  fourteen  or 

fifteen  sheep. My  host  pays  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  dollars  annually  to  the  King,  and 

as  many  Plats  *  to  the  Clergyman  ;  and  two  Plats  annually  towards  the  repairs  of  the 
church. He  maintains  one  horse,  eight  cows,  and  fifteen  sheep. 

' '  Saturday,  Dec.  28. — This  morning,  my  worthy  host  invited  me  to  accompany  him 
upon  a  shooting-excursion.  He  was  dressed  in  the  habit  worn  by  all  the  peasants; — a  sheep- 
skin jacket  with  the  wool  inwards,  a  fur-cap,  woollen  breeches,  and  worsted  stockings ; 
shoes  of  seal-skin  ;  and  over  them  rein-deer  skins  with  the  hair  outwards,  to  prevent  the 
snow  from  thawing  and  penetrating  to  the  feet.  One  of  the  most  entertaining  sights  is, 
to  see  one  of  these  marksmen  upon  a  shooting  excursion  in  the  forests,  whither  I 
followed  my  landlord.  Upon  coming  into  the  wood,  he  placed  himself  upon  a  small 
eminence  among  the  trees  ;  and  here,  laying  down  his  gun,  he,  to  my  great  amazement, 
drew  out  of  his  pocket  a  small  opera-glass,  and  began  to  survey  all  the  surrounding  dis- 
trict. After  a  few  minutes'  attentive  observation,  "Ah !"  said  he,  "  there  is  an  Orra" — 
the  name  they  give  to  the  Black  Game.  Then  crawling  upon  his  hands  and  knees  to  a 
convenient  distance,  he  placed  himself,  at  his  whole  length,  upon  the  snow.  After  a 
considerable  time  spent  in  taking  aim,  he  coolly  opened  the  pan  of  the  lock  of  his 
fowling-piece,  took  out  a  piece  of  tow,  and,  levelling  the  barrel  once  more,  drew  the 
trigger  and  shot  the  bird.  They  are  particularly  careful  in  cleansing  the  gun  after  every 
shot ;  and  are  hardly  ever  known  to  miss  their  aim,  if  they  draw  the  trigger  :  but  this 
they  never  do,  unless  they  be  sure  of  their  mark  ;  and  they  never  attempt  to  shoot  flying. 

This 
•  A  Plat  is  sixteen  shillings,  or  eight-pence  sterling  of  our  money. 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


•371 


From  Bjor^ko,  we  proceeded,  chiefly  by  land,  to  Brando,  or  chap.  x. 
the  Burnt  Island.  Where  we  had  to  pass  the  inlets  and  passages  Brands. 
of  the  sea,  the  ice  was  strong  enough  to  bear  our  horses  the 
whole  way,  which  enabled  us  to  perform  this  part  of  our 
journey  very  expeditiously.  At  Brando  there  is  a  wretched 
village  of  the  same  name  ;  and  this  name  had  excited  our 
curiosity,  because  it  signifies    "The  burnt  island:1'  but  we 

found 


This  was  a  cock-bird,  and  a  very  fine  one,  of  the  size  of  a  pheasant.     Afterwards,  he 

shot  a  kind  of  wild-duck,  which  he  called  a  Lure. The  people  here  retire  to  rest  as 

early  as  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

"  Sunday,  Dec.  2Q. — Attended  divine  service  in  the  church.  The  prayers  and  sermon 
were  in  the  Swedish  language.  The  men  sit  on  one  side,  and  the  women  on  the  other,  as 
in  all  parts  of  Sweden.     The  Clergyman  seemed  to  preach  with  great  energy,  and  in  a 

very  loud  tone  of  voice.     He  invited  me  afterwards  to  his  house. The  disposition  to 

shew  kindness  to  strangers  prevails  all  over  these  islands ;  but  they  speak  of  the  Russians 
with  strong  marks  of  aversion. 

"  Monday,  Dec.  30. — A  great  deal  of  snow  fell  to-day,  towards  evening. 1  have 

before  said,  that  the  natives  were  all  their  own  tailors,  weavers,  shoemakers,  &c. ;  but  I  now 
observe  that  they  are  also  their  own  tanners  and  carpenters.  They  procure  alder-bark, 
and  chop  it  into  very  small  pieces  ;  boiling  it  in  water,  in  which  they  first  put  their  skins ; 

and  thus  manufacture  their  own  leather. A  white  hare  was  dressed  for  my  dinner  this 

day.  It  was  first  boiled,  and  afterwards  fried;  which  I  found  to  be  no  bad  way  of 
dressing  a  hare. Two  young  women  came  to  the  house,  according  to  a  very  extraordi- 
nary custom,  to  beg,  before  their  marriage.  When  any  of  the  young  girls  of  the  island 
are  about  to  marry,  they  are  allowed  to  ask  for  gifts  from  all  their  friends,  for  some 
months  before  the  knot  is  tied.  These  damsels  were  to  be  married  in  the  ensuing 
spring.  They  brought  with  them  each  a  bag  of  linen,  as  white  as  snow.  Into  these 
bags  their  neighbours  threw  their  eleemosynary  gifts; — a  little  money — a  little  corn — 
some  feathers — a  little  household  provision — a  little  wool — a  little  tow — any  thing,  in 
short,  rather  than  nothing. 

e 

"  A  pernicious  and  dangerous  practice  exists  in  all  the  Aland  Isles,  as  in  former  times 
in  England,  although  justly  prohibited  in  Sweden, — that  of  covering  their  floors  with  straw 
during  the  Christmas  season,  by  way  of  garniture.  The  sparks  and  blazing  deal  splinters 
from  their  fires,  falling  upon  the  floor,  frequently  kindle  the  straw,  by  which  means  not 
only  houses,  but  whole  villages,  are  burned.' 

Cripps's  MS.  Journal. 


372 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


Service. 


chap.  x.  found  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  rocks  to  explain  the 
cause  of  the  appellation.  There  is  not  a  trace  of  any 
volcanic  matter.  The  geological  features  here,  as  usual  in 
all  this  district,  were  formed  of  granite;  with  veins  of  very 
coarse  marble,  which  in  some  places  rises  to  the  surface,  and 
forms  the  bed  of  the  soil.  As  we  left  Brando,  a  sight  was 
presented  which  we  may  vainly  attempt  to  set  before  the 
reader  in  all  its  novel  varieties    and  living    colours.      The 

Extraordinary  church  service  had  just  ended  :   and  at  this  season  of  the  year 

Congregation 

tor  Divine  the  congregations  are  so  numerous,  that  one  only  wonders 
how  so  many  people  can  be  accommodated  with  a  place  for 
their  devotions.  Persons  of  all  ages  and  sexes  were  coming 
from  the  sanctuary  of  this  little  island,  and  about  to  disperse 
to  their  distant  homes.  We  met  the  Clergyman,  in  the  midst 
of  his  numerous  congregation,  habited  in  a  peasant's  dress, 
like  the  rest  of  his  flock.  Upwards  of  an  hundred  sledges, 
to  which  wild  and  beautiful  horses  were  harnessed,  were 
seen  presently  in  motion  ;  and  they  might  be  said,  like  so 
many  vessels,  to  be  literally  "getting  tinder  weigh/'  for  they 
all  took  to  the  sea ;  where,  being  extended  upon  the  ice  in  a 
long  line  of  procession,  they  formed  a  most  singular  sight1. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  swiftness  with  which  this  vast 
retinue  moved,  it  might  have  been  compared  to  a  caravan 
crossing  the  desert.  To  us  the  spectacle  was  particularly 
interesting  ;  because  it  exhibited,  in  one  view,  the  population 
of  almost  all  the  different  islands  around  Brando,  the  natives 
being  all  in  their  holiday  attire.     Their  sledges,  containing 

whole 

(1)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


373 


whole  families,  were  drawn  by  those  fleet  and  beautiful  little  chap.  x. 
Finland  horses,  of  which  mention  has  been  already  made,  in  a 
former  part  of  this  work.  We  overtook  them  upon  the  ice,  in 
full  gallop;  the  peasants  who  drew  our  sledges  being  as  anxious 
as  any  of  the  party  to  fall  into  the  train,  which  now  reached 
nearly  three  English  miles.  They  had  all  taken  their  whet 
of  brandy,  as  usual,  after  divine  service  ;  and  the  coming  of 
strangers  among  them,  at  this  moment,  adding  to  their 
hilarity,  such  racing  commenced  upon  the  frozen  main,  as 
reminded  us  of  antient  representations  of  scenes  in  the  Circus 
and  Hippodrome.  Here  were  seen  female  charioteers  con- 
testing speed  against  their  male  companions ;  sledges 
overturned  ;  the  young  and  old  of  both  sexes  tumbling  out 
and  sprawling  upon  the  ice  ;  horses  breaking  loose  from  their 
trappings,  scampering  off  in  all  directions ;  other  peasants, 
having  gained  the  van,  flying  off  as  fast  as  their  fiery, 
snorting  steeds  could  fly  with  them, — laughing,  shouting, 
and  bidding  defiance  to  those  behind.  In  this  manner 
we  began  the  passage  of  the  Vattuskiftel,  a  channel  of  Fattuski/ui. 
the  sea  as  wide  as  that  of  the  Delet,  and  in  which  there 
is  always  a  strong  current  towards  the  Baltic.  The 
distance  across,  in  a  direct  line  by  water,  is  not  more  than 
eighteen  English  miles  ;  but,  owing  to  this  current,  the  ice 
was  not  passable  in  a  straight  course ;  and  we  were  compelled, 
as  usual,  to  make  a  circuitous  route,  that  nearly  doubled  the 
distance  to  Varssala  (pronounced  Vartsala).  As  we  proceeded, 
the  immense  throng  of  sledges  was  gradually  dispersed; 
and  at  length  we  found  ourselves  once  more  alone  upon  the 
wide  surface  of  the  frozen  sea.     About  halfway  over,  we  met 

a  party 


-i*x. 


374 


CHAP.  X. 


Bursting  of 
the  Ice. 


KUMLINGE    TO   ABO. 

a  party  coming  from  the  Finland  shore,  loud  in  their  murmurs 
about  the  state  of  the  ice,  which  they  said  had  opened  upon 
them  near  the  land.  We  presently  found  this  to  be  true  : 
upon  coming  to  the  part  of  the  passage  they  alluded  to,  the 
water  appeared  gushing  through  a  chasm  two  miles  in  length. 
This  opening  had  taken  place  with  an  explosive  noise,  as  of  a 
cannon  firing.  One  part  of  the  ice,  in  settling,  was  now  below 
the  level  of  the  other;  and  the  continual  vibratory  motion  of 
that  upon  which  we  travelled,  yielding  to  the  pressure  of 
the  horses'  feet,  convinced  us  that  it  was  not  frozen  to  any 
great  depth.  Whenever  this  is  the  case,  and  the  least  alarm 
prevails,  the  first  caution  a  traveller  ought  to  use  is,  to  prevent, 
if  possible,  the  affrighted  peasants  from  huddling  together 
in  a  mass, — which  they  are  very  apt  to  do,  collecting  their 
horses  and  sledges  all  upon  one  spot.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
make  a  Finlander  sensible  that  his  own  weight  is  of  any 
importance  upon  such  occasions.  Fifty  of  them  will  crowd 
together,  to  consult  upon  the  best  method  of  getting  out  of 
the  danger,  and  thereby  render  it  more  imminent.  The 
consequences  are  obvious.  In  this  manner  it  was  that  a 
gentleman,  going  towards  Finland,  was  merged  with  his  sledge 
and  horse  but  a  few  days  before  our  coming.  His  own  life 
was  saved,  by  the  dexterity  of  the  guides, — who  shew  great 
skill  in  rescuing  persons  when  the  ice  has  given  way ;  but  the 
sledge  and  horse  were  lost.  Even  the  day  before,  on  the 
morning  of  the  author's  expedition  to  Satiunga,  another 
traveller  lost  all  his  baggage,  owing  to  the  same  imprudence 
and  want  of  caution,  when  crossing  the  ice  by  the  Lappvesi 
Passage :    the  peasants,   finding  the  ice   grow  weaker   and 

weaker, 


KUMLINGE   TO    ABO. 


375 


weaker,  became  alarmed,  and  crowded  together  round  the    chap.x. 
sledge  containing  all  his  effects,  which  presently  fell  through 
the  surface,  and  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.     Fortunately, 
no  lives  were  lost. 

It   was   dark  when  we  arrived  at  Varssala,  and  entered  a  Varssaia. 
dirty  wretched  hovel,  without  any  accommodation  for  travel- 
lers ;   and  yet  this  is  almost  the   only  place  marked  for  their 

o 

reception  between  Kumlinge  and  Abo.  There  are  not  more 
than  twenty-five  habitations  in  the  whole  island,  which  is  a 
huge  rock  thinly  covered  with  a  meagre  soil.  The  food  of 
the  inhabitants  seemed  to  consist  of  nothing  more  than  black 
bread,  a  nauseous  kind  of  beer,  and  bad  salted- fish. 

We  read  the  lamentations  of  many  who  had  left  a  memorial 
of  their  regret  in  being  confined  to  this  detestable  spot,  where 
there  is  nothing  in  the  houses  superior  to  what  is  found  in 
the  worst  dwellings  of  the  Laplanders1.  The  natives  here 
began  to  speak  to  us  only  in  the  Finnish  language.  There 
was  but  one  man  who  could  converse  with  our  Sivedish 
interpreter,  or  comprehend  any  thing  of  what  he  said.     The 

manners 


(l)  See  the  entertaining  account  given  by  Porter,  of  his  long  penance  in  this  place. 
(Travelling  Sketches  in  Russia  and  Sweden,  vol.11,  p.  89,  &c.  Lond.  I8O9.)  "  I  en- 
tered," says  the  author  of  that  work,  "  a  hovel,  fitter  to  be  the  den  of  sea-monsters  than 
a  habitation  of  the  human  race."  Yet  in  this  wretched  island  Mr.  Porter  noticed  a  style 
of  head-dress  among  the  women,  which  may  often  be  observed  in  the  best  Greek 
sculpture}  and  which  he  describes  as  peculiar  to  the  women  of  Varssala; — "the  hair 
being  drawn  up  to  the  top  of  the  head,  and  there  rolled  into  a  sort  of  knot :  smoothed  at 
the  sides,  and  well  plastered  with  beer,  it  not  only  receives  a  polish  from  the  liquor,  but  is 
kept  steady  in  its  shape.  Round  this  mass  of  hair,  on  the  crown,  is  fixed  a  kind  of 
diadem,  composed  of  beads,  bugles,  &c.  of  various  colours  ;  which  ornament  completes 
the  coiffure  ;  the  whole  having  the  air  of  a  Greek  headdress,  more  like  a  nymph  of 
Paphos  than  of  IFarsala."     Ibid.  p.  Q3. 


■ 


*.**&! 


37(5 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


lievolting 
manners  of 
the  Natives 


cHAP.x.  manners  of  the  people  were  so  revolting,  that  one  hesitates  in 
giving  the  description  of  any  thing  so  disgusting.  The  glasses 
put  on  the  table  were  dirty;  and  this  being  mentioned,  they 
attempted  to  clean  them  with  spittle.  A  woman,  who  entered 
the  chamber  with  a  saucer  of  butter,  not  only  blew  her  nose 
upon  her  fingers,  but  into  the  palm  of  her  hand;  and  then, 
wiping  it  upon  her  petticoat,  proceeded  to  handle  all  the  provi- 
sions that  were  set  forth.  If  it  were  a  question,  Which  is  the 
more  tolerable,  the  filth  of  Italy  and  the  South  of  Fra?ice,  or 
that  to  which  a  traveller  is  exposed  in  the  North  of  Europe? 
an  answer  would  not  readily  be  made.  In  warm  climates, 
it  is  as  difficult  to  avoid  vermin  as  it  is  to  escape  from  villainy. 
In  Northern  regions,  there  is  more  of  honesty,  but  sometimes 
the  barbarous  condition  of  the  inhabitants  causes  them  to 
betray  the  most  disgusting  manners  : — and  where  is  the 
Englishman  who  can  fortify  either  his  nerves  or  his  stomach, 
so  as  to  regard  with  indifference  the  most  beastly  propensities  ? 
Neither  the  houses  nor  the  persons  of  the  natives  in  the  North 
of  Europe,  if  we  except  Russia,  swarm  with  vermin  as  in  Italy; 
although  they  be  not  destitute :  but  the  climate  is  unfavour- 
able both  to  their  increase  and  activity.  These  nameless 
insects,  in  Sweden  and  Finland,  like  the  inhabitants  themselves, 
are  few  in  number,  but  heavy  and  gigantic  in  their  size1. 

Oh 

(1)  At  Varssala,  however,  they  cannot  be  said  to  be  "  few  in  number."  After  the 
Author  of  the  "Travelling  Sketches,"  before  cited,  was  driven  back  to  this  island,  he  thus 
writes  of  its  filthy  state:  —"Here  then  I  am  again,  with  the  happy  prospect  of  passing, 
Heaven  knows  how  many  more  days!  in  cold,  filth,  and  famine.  I  wish  the  sea  would, 
some  time  or  other,  do  this  island  the  favour  of  a  thorough  washing :  and  then  I  am 
sure  more  living  creatures  of  the  creeping  and  jumping  species  would  be  drowned  in 
the  flood,  than  ever  filled  the  waters  at  the  general  deluge."     Hid.  p.  Q2. 


KUMLINGE    TO   ABO. 


377 


Oh  England  !  decent  abode  of  comfort,  and  cleanliness,  and  chap.  x. 
decorum  ! — Oh  blessed  asylum  of  all  that  is  worth  having 
upon  earth ! — Oh  sanctuary  of  Religion,  and  of  Liberty,  for 
the  whole  civilized  world ! — It  is  only  in  viewing  the  state  of 
other  countries,  that  thy  advantages  can  be  duly  estimated  ! 
— May  thy  sons,  who  have  "  fought  the  good  fight,"  but  know 
and  guard  what  they  possess  in  thee! — Oh  Land  of  happy 
fire-sides,  and  cleanly  hearths,  and  domestic  peace ;  of  filial 
piety,  and  parental  love,  and  connubial  joy;  "  the  cradle  of 
Heroes,  the  school  of  Sages,  the  temple  of  Law,  the  altar 
of  Faith,  the  asylum  of  innocence,1"  the  bulwark  of  private 
security  and  of  public  honour  ! 

"WHERE'ER    I    ROAM,    WHATEVER    REALMS    TO    SEE, 
MY    HEART,    UNTRAVELL'd,    FONDLY  TURNS    TO    THEE  1" 

In  this  miserable  place,  Varssala,  we  may  be  considered 
as  having  entered  Finland  once  more  ;  and,  what  is  worse, 
of  bidding  a  final  adieu  to  Sweden.  In  the  course  of  our  long  valedictory 
account  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  it  will  be  seen,  that,  thTswedJ*!*' 
with  a  strong  predilection  for  the  comforts  and  advantages  of 
England,  we  have  spoken  favourably  of  the  Swedes ; — and 
perhaps  for  this  reason,  that  they  so  strongly  resemble 
Englishmen  in  all  they  do  and  say.  As  for  their  natural 
rudeness  of  manner,  we  were  soon  taught,  that  what  belonged 
to  them  as  a  characteristic  of  the  whole  nation,  and  is  in 
itself  harmless,   might  well  be  tolerated.      We  often  heard 

foreigners, 


(l)  Sermon  by  H.  V.  Bay  ley,  A.M.  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,    p.  14. 
Manchester,  1803. 


VOL.  VI. 


3  c 


■BBBBB 


tfA-:,.-.-'/ 


378  KU  ML  INGE    TO    ABO. 

chap.  x.   foreigners,  and  especially  the  French,  when  speaking  of  the 
Swedes,  complain  of  the  impossibility  of  enduring  the  freedoms 
of  which  they  are  guilty  towards  strangers ;  but  we  con- 
sidered this  trivial  fault  as  more  than  overbalanced  by  their 
many  valuable  virtues — by  their  love  of  truth,  and  honesty,  and 
hospitality,  and  bravery.     Some  few  things  must  be  conceded 
to  a  Swede;  and  you  make  him  your  fast  friend,  and  the  most 
kind-hearted  and  generous  of  men.     He  must  be  allowed  to 
enter  into  your  apartment,  unbidden,  and  unknown,  upon  the 
moment  of  your  arrival,  without  any  form  of  introduction  or 
ceremony;  to  seat  himself  at  your  table;  spit  all  over  your 
floor ;  fill  your  chamber  with  tobacco-smoke ;  ask  your  name, 
your  rank,  your  profession,  your  age,  your  country,  your  cha- 
racter, your  business — all  your  present  and  future   plans  ; 
where  you  have  been,  what  you  are  doing,  and  whither  you 
are  going ; — finally,  what  you  think  of  Sweden.      Having 
answered  all  these  questions,  sometimes  without  his  caring 
at  all  about  your  replies  or  attending  to  them,  you  will  find 
yourself  upon  even  terms  with  him.      His  house,  his  horses, 
his  equipage,  his  servants,  his  time,  his  company,  his  advice, 
and  very  often  his  purse  also,  all  are  at  your  service,  and 
entirely  at  your  command.     He  will  make  common  stock 
with  you,   and  freely  share    with  you  whatsoever  he   has. 
Thus,  although,  in  viewing  his  character  and  manners,  we  may 
sometimes  find  a  little  ground  of  complaint,  yet  we  cannot  see 
any  thing  seriously  to  condemn.     It  is  in  tact,   and  not  in 
morality,  that  the  Swedes  are  deficient.     Often,  when  they 
have  travelled  and  learned  more  of  what  is  called  'refinement/ 
they  lose  something  of  their  more  estimable  qualities. 

Our 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


379 


Our  journey  from  Varssala  the  next  morning  {January  2)  chap.  x. 
was  one  of  extreme  suffering  ;  and  perhaps  few  English 
travellers  ever  encountered  one  of  greater  trial.  The  reports 
made  by  the  peasants  and  by  our  servants,  at  starting,  had 
prepared  us  to  expect  very  severe  cold ;  and  the  mercury  in 
Fahrenheit's  thermometer,  after  being  exposed  only  for  a  few 
minutes  in  a  sheltered  situation  near  the  house,  had  fallen 
46°  below  the  freezing-point ;  and  afterwards,  when  more  Fahrenheit 
exposed  to  a  north-east  wind,    which  blew  with  violence,  52j°  below 

v  Freezing. 

to  52J°  before  sun-rise.  Yet,  as  any  thing  was  preferable  to 
remaining  in  the  wretched  and  unwholesome  hovel  where 
we  had  passed  the  night,  we  resolved  to  brave  all  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  set  out,  at  eight  o'clock,  in 
open  sledges.  We  had  used  every  possible  precaution,  as 
to  additional  clothing ;  but  it  was  all  to  no  purpose.  When 
for  a  moment  exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  a  sensation  in 
our  cheeks  like  that  of  being  scorched  immediately  took 
place.  We  covered  our  faces  with  silk  handkerchiefs, 
drawn  over  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the  smallest 
possible  aperture  for  respiration :  the  consequence  was,  that 
the  inside  of  the  handkerchief  became  coated  with  a  plate 
of  ice,  which,  sticking  to  the  skin  and  not  melting,  could 
not  be  removed  without  excoriation.  We  had  to  cross  a 
frozen  channel  of  the  sea,  called  the  Turvesi  Passage ;  a 
narrow  strait ;  but  being  open  towards  the  north- east,  we 
were  exposed  to  all  the  fury  of  the  blast.  In  a  short  time 
the  author  found  that  his  left  eye  was  so  frozen  that  he  could 
not  by  any  effort  separate  the  eyelids,  and  he  began  to  be 
fearful  that  the  right  eye  would  also  close.     At  this  moment 

there 


Turvesi 

Passage 


380 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


CHAP.  X. 


there  came  on  a  sudden  squall  of  wind ;  so  piercing,  that  a 
languid  stupor  and  sleepiness  seized  us  all,  and  there  was 
reason  to  apprehend  the  freezing  of  the  blood  in  our  veins. 
Accidents     It  was  followed  by  a  cry  from  our  Swedish  interpreter,  that 

from  the 

Frost.  our  English  servant's  face  was  frozen.  We  hastened  to  his 
assistance ;  and  found  the  poor  man  almost  insensible,  with 
two  large  spots  upon  one  of  his  cheeks,  as  if  patches  of  white 
paper  had  been  stuck  on.  Our  peasants  knew  very  well  what 
these  spots  were,  and  how  to  treat  them.  We  began  instantly 
the  application  of  snow,  which  is  always  resorted  to  in 
such  cases, — rubbing  them  with  handfuls  of  snow,  until 
they  disappeared;  but,  to  our  dismay,  new  spots  appeared,  in 
fresh  places,  as  fast  as  the  old  ones  were  removed.  The 
interpreter's  nose,  during  the  operation,  turned  as  white  as 
the  snow  itself;  and  one  of  the  peasants  had  a  spot  that 
covered  his  cheek  and  one  side  of  his  nose.  The  only 
danger,  when  these  accidents  occur,  arises  from  being  alone, 
and  having;  no  companion  to  witness   the  snot  and  P-ive  the 

OX  X  O 

alarm  ;  as  the  person  attacked  is  insensible  of  what  has  taken 
place ;  and  if  he  should  enter  into  a  warm  room  with  one  of 
these  spots,  the  white  colour  becomes  livid,  and  an  open  sore 
instantly  ensues,  which  sometimes  mortifies,  but  always, 
even  after  it  is  healed,  leaves  a  black  scar  behind1.  Our 
poor  little  dog,  that  lay  in  the  bottom  of  one  of  the  sledges, 
wrapped  up  in  woollen,  and  as  carefully  guarded  from  the 

atmosphere 


(l)  The  drivers  of  sledges  in  Petersburg,  from  their  carelessness  in  going  with  these 
spots  upon  their  faces  into  warm  drinking-rooms,  are  always  liable  to  such  sores ;  and 
appear  frequently  with  their  faces  disfigured  by  the  black  scars,  for  the  rest  of  their  lives- 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


381 


atmosphere  as  possible,  had  one  of  his  hind-legs  frozen  so  chap.  x. 
stiff,  that  it  stuck  to  his  belly  as  if  it  had  been  glued,  and  we 
could  not  remove  it.  In  this  dilemma,  we  found  that  it  would 
be  madness  to  continue  much  longer  thus  exposed  ;  and  we 
made  all  possible  haste  to  reach  the  village  of  Leosari, 
which  was  hard  by ;  where  we  entered  a  house,  the  owner  of 
which  was  known  to  our  guides,  and  where  the  worthy 
family  hospitably  received  us  all.  They  first  cautioned 
us  against  venturing  into  a  warm  room  :  notwithstanding 
which,  our  English  servant  found  the  temptation  too  strong 
to  be  resisted,  and  imprudently  entered  a  chamber  where 
there  was  a  heated  j  stove.  The  consequence  was,  that 
his  face  almost  instantly  became  blistered  and  very  painful ; 
and  in  a  few  hours,  a  thin  purulent  ichor  flowed  from  the 
wound.  Every  one  of  the  party  who  had  been  attacked  by 
the  white  spots  had  blisters  upon  the  skin,  although  snow 
had  been  used  as  soon  as  the  spots  were  visible  ;  and  the 
mildest  consequence  was  the  peeling  off  of  the  skin. 

At  ten  o'clock  a.m.  this  day,  we  placed  our  thermometer 
in  the  yard  before  the  house,  exposed  to  a  north  aspect.  The 
mercury  fell  to  4Q°  below  the  freezing-point;  and  we  after- 
wards found  that,  at  the  same  hour  in  Abo,  it  had  fallen  to  30° 
below  o,  of  Celsius;  which  is  equivalent  to  22J°  below  zero 
of  Fahrenheit,  or  52^°  below  freezing.  In  that  severe  moment 
before  our  arrival  at  Leosari,  when  we  all  suffered  so  much, 
and  were  exposed  upon  an  open  field  of  ice,  it  was  perhaps 
much  colder,  as  the  sun  was  then  just  rising.  According 
to  the  Swedish  calendar,  it  rises  at  this  time  of  the  year  at 
ten  minutes  after  nine,  and  sets  forty  minutes  after  two. 

These 


w 


m 


v«*v*y.«;    '•:^;-J  »<#>? 


CHAP.  X. 


Helsing. 

Hitnois- 
Vinkila. 


382  KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 

These  delays  prevented  ail  possibility  of  our  reaching  Abo 
before  the  next  day  ;  but  we  continued  our  journey  over  the 
ice;  and  came  to  Helsing,  which  is  upon  terra  Jirma ;  where 
we  were  once  more  landed  in  Finland.  Afterwards,  we 
passed  through  Himois;  and  put  up  for  the  night  in  the  village 

o 

of  Vinkila.  Between  Farssala  and  Abo  there  is  nothing  that 
may  be  called  an  inn  ;  nor,  indeed,  any  place  of  rest  and 
accommodation  for  travellers.  At  Vinkila,  wanting  a  house 
of  this  kind,  we  prevailed  upon  a  widow  lady  to  receive  us 
into  her  dwelling  for  the  night,  upon  condition  of  our  paying 
for  every  thing,  as  in  a  regular  (Ba^ifwave^avb-1  Having 
assented  to  our  proposal,  she  provided  us  with  a  decent 
lodging,  and  treated  us  with  great  kindness. 

The  frost  had  been  this  day  so  severe,  that  the  horses, 

whenever  we  halted,  began  to  bite  off  the  icicles  that  were 

formed  upon  their  knees  in  an  extraordinary  manner.    When- 

Actionof  at-   ever  the  door  of  our  apartment  was  opened,  the  rushing  in  of 

mospheric  air 

uponvapour.  the  cold  air  caused  a  very  remarkable  phenomenon,  by  con- 
verting the  warm  vapour  of  the  room  into  a  whirling  column 
or  cloud  of  snow,  which,  being  instantaneous  in  its  formation, 
was  turned  round  with  great  rapidity.  We  availed  ourselves 
of  this  opportunity  to  examine  the  arrangement  of  the  spicnlce 
in  the  particles  of  snow, — as  likely  to  illustrate  the  crystalli- 
zation of  water, — by  placing  sheets  of  dark-coloured  paper,  on 
which  the  snow,  thus  formed,  might  fall.  The  beautiful 
appearance  of  the  ice,  collected  as  it  fell,  resembled,  although 
upon  a  smaller  scale,  that  which  is  presented  by  a  number  of 

the 

(l)  The  Swedish  name  for  an  inn. 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


383 


CHAP.  X. 


the  seeds  of  the  common  carduus  or  thistle,when  they  are  sur- 
rounded by  diverging  fibres  of  the  egret  or  dotvn; — that  is  to 
say,  a  number  of  radii,  diverging  from  a  central  point,  were 
held  there  by  a  power  of  attraction  exerted  by  crystalline 
forces  in  these  particles  of  water  passing  from  the  fluid  to 
the  solid  state.  We  had  not  then  observed  the  more  regular 
appearance  of  the  snowy  stars  with  six  equal  radii,  which 
descend  from  the  higher  regions  of  the  air  when  the  atmosphere 
is  calm2 ;  or  we  might  have  been  convinced  that  we  had  in 
these  less-perfect  forms  a  decisive  proof  of  the  crystallization 
of  ivater ;  and  that  hydrogen  oxide,  which  is  only  another 
name  for  water,  obeys  the  same  laws  to  which  all  other 
oxides  are  liable5. 

o 

In  this  house  we  found  a  Mr.  Elmer xen,  from  Abo,  who  state  of.tra- 

o  *  veiling  in 

agreed  to  accompany  us,  upon  our  journey  thither  on  the  Fl 
following  day.  From  him  we  learned,  what  indeed  we  already 
found  to  be  the  case,  that,  in  travelling  this  route,  beds  are  a 
species  of  accommodation  never  found.  The  traveller  must  put 
together  such  things  as  he  can  collect ;  and  lie  down  upon  a 
table,  or  a  few  boards  put  together  to  raise  him  a  little  above 
the  floor,  which  is  seldom  in  a  state  for  him  to  make  his  bed 
upon.  But  there  is  no  part  of  the  world  where  a  traveller 
will  fare  worse,  in  this  respect,  than  in  passing  through  the 
South  of  Finland  to  Petersburg.  We  had  called  at  a  Clergy- 
man's house  near  Himois,  in  our  journey  this  day,  to  see  if  it 


'inland. 


were 


(2)  See  Part  I.  (Vol.1.)  p.  11.    Cambridge,  1810. 

(3)  See  a  complete  confirmation  of  this  truth,  in  the  account  given  of  regular  rhombi 
subsequently  exhibited  by  crystals  of  ice,  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Cambridge 
Philosophical  Society,"  Part  II. 


384 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


chap,  x,  were  possible  to  find  accommodation ;  but  the  scene  of 
wretchedness  and  dirt  within  his  mansion  was  such,  that  we 
never  even  hinted  at  the  cause  of  our  visit.  In  the  dwelling 
of  our  present  hostess  we  had  less  reason  to  complain ;  and  her 
kind  attentions  would  have  made  worse  fare  tolerable.  We 
found  that  it  was  a  part  of  the  economy  of  the  family  to  knit 
worsted  stockings  for  sale  ;  and  we  bought  some,  at  the  rate  of 
oneshiWingEnglish  the  pair,  which  were  of  an  excellent  quality. 

o 

The  next  morning,  January  3,  we  set  out  for  Abo ;  first 
estimating  the  state  of  the  thermometer  at  nine  o'clock  a.m. 
The  mercury,  according  to  Fahrenheit's  scale,  had  then  fallen 
to  sixteen  degrees  and  a  half  below  zero,  or  forty-eight 
degrees  and  a  half  below  the  freezing-point.     Our  first  place 

Lauit.  of  relay  was  a  village  called  Laitis,  which  we  soon  reached, 

as  the  distance  was  not  more  than  three  English  miles  and 

Tursanp&re.  a  half.  Our  next  stage,  to  Tursanpare,  was  performed  with 
difficulty,  the  road  being  blocked  up  by  the  snow;  in 
consequence  of  which  we  were  compelled  to  make  a 
rambling  circuitous  expedition,  pulling  down  hedges,  and 
making  our  way  through  the  fields. 

Tursanpare  is  rather  a  large  village  :  and  here  we  were 
agreeably  surprised  at  seeing,  as  in  England,  a  sign-post 
and  sign  to  denote  an  inn.  Our  companion  shewed  us 
into  a  room,  where  he  called  for  burnt-brandy  with  sugar 
and  ginger  in  it ;  a  mode  adopted  in  the  country  of  making 
the  abominable  brandy  everywhere  met  with  rather  more 
stomachic  and  palatable.      From  Tursanpare  we  continued 

xiemenkyui.  our  journey  to  Niemenhyla  and  Nussis-Nummis,  distant  only 
fourteen  English  miles  from  Abo.      Our  Swedish  companion, 

who? 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


385 


who,  in  his  sledge,  was  wrapped  up  in  blankets,  quilts, 
pelisses,  all  sorts  of  woollen  and  skins,  and  wore  a  fur 
cap  upon  his  head  covering  his  ears  and  cheeks,  rallied 
us  upon  our  disregard  of  the  cold  weather,  seeing  that  we 
had  less  clothing,  and  sometimes  cast  off  even  our  cloaks ; 
saying,  "  It  was  so  like  Englishmen,  to  go  about  naked." 
But  the  fact  is,  that  when  there  is  no  wind,  and  the  sky 
is  perfectly  clear,  however  diminished  the  temperature  may 
be,  the  air  is  so  dry,  that  a  sensation  of  chilliness  is  rarely 
experienced  while  a  person  continues  in  motion,  and  does 
not  render  himself  liable  to  the  attacks  which  take  place 
in  going  suddenly  from  a  warm  room  into  the  cold  air. 
At  Nussis-Nummis  we  were  detained  a  short  time  for  horses. 

o 

We  afterwards  set  out  once  more;  and  proceeded  to  Abo, 
where  we  arrived  as  it  was  getting  dark.  Upon  our  entering 
this  Town  and  University,  the  first  thing  that  struck  us  was 
the  unusual  sound  of  bells,  upon  all  the  horses  drawing 
sledges  about  the  streets.  The  inhabitants  pay  their  visits 
attended  by  this  kind  of  music ;  and  generally  in  sledges, 
which  are  made  to  close  up  like  our  carriages.  Upon  our 
arrival,  we  went  to  an  inn  kept  by  a  person  of  the  name  of 
Scippell,  as  being  the  largest  and  best  in  the  place.  Here 
being  conducted  into  a  very  spacious  and  lofty  chamber,  used 
as  a  public  card-room,  adjoining  to  the  ball-room,  and  finding 
that  it  was  to  be  heated  by  means  of  two  stoves,  one  at 
either  extremity  of  this  cold  apartment,  we  ordered  fires  in 
both  of  them.  When  the  wood,  which  had  been  used  as  fuel, 
was  so  far  consumed  that  only  the  clear  embers  remained, 
according  to  the  common  custom  in  the  country,  we  closed 
vol.  vi.  3  d  the 


chap.  x. 


Uussis- 
Numjnii. 


Arrival  at 
Mo. 


r^j 


BBBBBB 


enSXBBBEEB 


386 


KUMLINGE    TO    AEO. 


chap.  x.  the  chimneys  by  means  of  an  iron  slider  there  placed  for  this 
purpose.  If  the  inhabitants  close  up  their  stoves  that  the 
embers  may  send  out  heated  air  into  the  room,  they  are  always 
careful  to  watch  lest  any  appearance  of  a  blue  lambent  flame 
upon  the  wood  coals  should  remain,  in  which  state  it  would 

Narrow  escape  be  dangerous  to  shut  the  sliders.     Unfortunately,  not  being 

from  suffo- 
cation, aware  of  this  critical  symptom, — which,  in  fact,  denotes  the 

formation  and  disengagement  of  carbonic  acid  gas, — and 
finding  it  difficult  to  warm  so  large  a  room  at  all,  we  stopped 
up  the  chimneys  as  soon  as  we  could  do  so  without  filling 
the  room  with  smoke ;  and  the  m  consequence  was,  that 
we  very  narrowly  escaped  being  killed.  The  author  first  felt 
the  attack:  it  came  on  with  great  coldness  in  the  extremities, 
and  a  tendency  to  sneeze ;  followed  by  a  general  sensation 
of  shivering  over  the  whole  body,  and  violent  head-ache. 
Presently,  he  fell  senseless  on  the  floor.  His  companion, 
being  roused  by  the  noise,  and  finding  him  in  this  situation, 
attempted  to  raise  him ;  but  was  by  this  time  also  similarly 
affected,  and  had  barely  strength  enough  left  to  call  in  the 
servants,  who  alarmed  the  people  of  the  house.  Luckily, 
there  happened  to  be  in  the  inn,  as  a  lodger,  a  young  man 
who  was  an  itinerant  Lecturer  in  Natural  Philosophy :  as 
soon  as  he  came  into  the  room,  in  which  many  were  now 
assembled,  he  perceived  the  cause  of  the  accident,  and  im- 
mediately drew  back  the  iron  sliders  which  had  closed 
the  chimneys,  and  opened  the  doors.  Two  persons  had 
lost  their  lives  in  the  same  chamber  but  a  short  time  before, 
and  from  the  same  cause.  This  young  man  told  us  that 
similar  accidents   occur  frequently,    in   winter,   among  the 

peasants ; 


KUMLINGE    TO    ABO. 


387 


peasants  ;  the  chimneys  in  all  their  houses  being  constructed  chap.  x. 
with  a  sliding-board,  to  close  over  the  embers  of  burning 
wood  :  but  as  the  severity  of  the  climate  always  tempts 
them  to  shut  their  chimneys  before  the  carbonic  acid  gas  has 
completely  effected  its  escape,  the  most  fatal  consequences 
ensue.  Their  mode  of  treating  persons  under  these  attacks 
is,  to  carry  them  out  naked  into  the  open  air,  and  rub  their 
bodies  with  snow  until  the  vital  functions  are  restored.  We 
felt  the  bad  effects  of  this  accident  in  violent  head-ache, 
which  lasted  during  many  days  afterwards. 


CHAP.  XI. 


ABO. 

O 

State  of  Abo — its  situation  with  regard  to  other  Seminaries  of  Learning — 
its  Commerce — Visit  to  the  different  Professors — Frantzen — his 
genius  for  poetry  — Specimen  of  one  of  his  Odes — Porthan — Account 
of  the  University — Difficulties  encountered  by  the  Professors — Disasters 

o 

to  which  Abo  has  been  liable  —  Cathedral  —  Ludicrous  mistake — 
Effect  of  an  Organ  upon  some  Natives  of  Savolax  —  Interesting 
Cippus  in  the  Chorus  Tottianus — Statues  and  Pictures — Inscription 
in  memory  q/'Catharine,  Widow  of  Eric  XIV. — Historical  Documents 
concerning  this  remarkable  Woman  —  Swedish  Legend  upon  her 
Daughter  s  coffin — Manuscripts  preserved  in  a  brazen  coffer — Histories 
of  Eric's  Reign — Portraits  of  Luther  and  Melancthon  —Image  of 

O 

Henry  the  Martyr — Chapel  o/'Olaus,  Bishop  of  Abo — Monument  of 
a  Scotch  Officer — University  Library — Manuscripts — Typographical 
Rarities  —  Theatrum  Anatomicum  —  Auditory  of  Disputations — 

Professor 


ABO. 


389 


Professor  Gadolin — Collection  of  Minerals — Professor  Hellenius — 
Botanic  Garden  —  Hellenius'*  private  Collections  —  Comparative 
Estimate  of  the  tivo  Universities,  Upsala  and  Abo — State  of  Society. 

B 

Abo  ranks  next  to  Stockholm  and  Gothenburg,  in  point  of  chap.  xi. 
grandeur  ;  and,  if  we  except  the  two  last,  is  the  largest  town  Stateof//% 
in  all  Scandinavia.  It  contains  ten  thousand  inhabitants; 
whereas  the  city  of  Upsala  has  only  three  thousand.  Its 
trade  is  very  considerable  ;  and  is  carried  on  chiefly  with  the 
interior  parts  of  Finland,  of  which  country  it  has  long  been 
the  metropolis.  Cut  off  by  its  situation  from  any  frequent 
intercourse  either  with  the  Academies  or  commercial  cities  of 
Europe,  its  very  name,  as  a  University,  rarely  reaches  the 
literary  circles  of  the  world  :  yet  it  boasts  of  many  distin- 
guished men,  whose  talents  have  fitted  them  to  shine  among 
the  higher  classes  of  polished  society.  Its  men  of  letters 
would  have  done  honour  to  any  seat  of  science.  All  the  towns 
on  the  Finland,  or  eastern,  side  of  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  from 
Abo  to  Tornea,  are  magnificent,  when  compared  with  those 
on  its  western  shore;  although  they  enter  into  no  comparison 
with  the  towns  of  England,  France,  Italy,  Germany,  and 
Holland:  therefore  the  term  magnificent  can  only  be  applied,  to 
any  of  them,  in  the  comparative  manner  here  specified.  The 
country  on  the  Finland  side  of  the  Gulph  is  better  cultivated, 
and  more  fertile;  of  course,  the  inhabitants  are  more  numerous, 
and  richer.  It  was  always  considered  as  the  great  granary 
of  Siveden ;  and  of  more  consequence,  as  a  possession  to  their 
kingdom,  than  the  whole  of  Norivay.  Its  trade  has  generally 
been  abundant  and  flourishing.  The  merchants  of  Abo,  Wasa, 

Gamla 


^H 


vw 


SI 


■ 


390 


ABO. 


chap. xi.  Gamla  Carlcby,  and  Uleaborg,  are  persons  not  only  of  local 
but  of  national  importance  and  consideration  :  they  carry 
on  trade  upon  a  very  extensive  scale,  and  to  the  most  distant 
regions.  But  upon  the  western  side  of  the  Gulph,  if  we 
except  Gefle,  commonly  pronounced  Yavcly,  there  is  hardly 
an  individual  who  may  be  considered  under  the  respectable 
title  of  a  merchant. 

As  it  was  probable  that  our  stay  in  this  place  would  be  of 
some  duration, — both  on  account  of  our  being  obliged  to  wait 
for  the  arrival  of  our  carriage,  and  also  from  our  curiosity  to 

o 

make  ourselves  well  acquainted  with  the  University  of  Abo,  its 
Professors,  discipline,  and  state  of  science, — we  sent  our  inter- 
preter, the  day  after  our  arrival,  to  hire  lodgings  ;  and  were 
soon  provided  with  a  very  neat  set  of  apartments,  having  three 
rooms  en  suite,  besides  accommodation  for  the  servants,  at  the 
price  of  two  rix-doilars,  or  four  shillings  English,  per  day  in- 
cluding fire  and  candles.  Accordingly  we  moved  from  our  inn ; 
and  had  scarcely  taken  up  our  abode  in  these  comfortable  cham- 
bers, when  we  received  a  visit  from  our  former  companion,  Mr. 
Elmgreen;  who  told  us  that  the  different  Professors,  to  whom 
we  had  letters  of  recommendation,  were  at  their  houses,  and 
would  be  very  glad  to  see  us,  and  to  shew  us  every  attention  in 
their  power.  This  kind  message  convinced  us  that  we  were 
still  within  the  limits  of Swedish  hospitality:  and  we  set  out  to 
pay  our  respects  to  all  of  them ;  beginning  with  the  cele- 
brated Poet  of  Sweden  and  Finland,  Professor  Francis  Michael 
Frantzcn;  of  whose  beautiful  Finnish  Ode,  called  Pojkarne, 
both  a  Swedish  and  a  Latin  translation  were  given  in  a  former 

volume. 


Professor 
Frantzin. 


ABO. 


391 


volume'.     Frantzen  was  Professor  of  History  and  the  Belles   chat\xi. 
Lettres.     We  had  before  seen  him  at  Gamla  Carleby,  during 
our  journey  in  the  North  of  Finland,  when  he  was  in  search  of 
a  wife,  as  we  have  before  mentioned5.     Upon  the  occasion  of 
our  present  visit,  we  found  him  in  his  little  study,  surrounded 
by  his  books ;   among  which,  to  our  surprise,  we  observed 
Addison 's  Spectator,  the  works  of  our  poet  Gray,  Cowflers 
Poems,  and  several  other  of  our  English  Poets,  all  in  their 
original  language.     Observing  that  we  noticed  his  collection 
of  English  Authors,  he  said,   "  We  Scandinavians  are  able  to 
appreciate  the   beauties  of  English   literature,  because  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  your  writers  are  so  nearly  akin  to  our 
own."     The  truth  of  this  remark  will  best  be  exemplified  by 
an  effusion  of  the  Professor's  own  muse,  taken  from  one  of 
the  public  Newspapers,  which  he  kindly  presented  to  us,  upon 
our  asking  him  for  a  specimen  of  his  poetry5.     It  has  all  the 
characteristic  pathos  of  English  poetry;  being,  in  fact,  com- 
posed in  the  style,  and  nearly  in  the  metre,  adopted  by  some 
of  our  own  Poets  ;  such,  for  example,  as  Gray,    in  one  of 
his  Odes4;  also  Merrick',  Cotton'1,  Burns1 ;  and  also  by  Miss 

Carter, 

(1)  See  Vol.  V.  Chap.  £IV.  pp.  532—535.  (2)  Ibid.  p.  517. 

(3)  The  "  ©totf&OfalS  $0ffat,  (No.  214.)"  for  Thursday,  Sept.  \Q,  1793.— 
"  S&orSfraaeil,  &«1  19  (September,  1793."  It  had,  for  signature,  the  initial  and  ter- 
minal letters  of  his  name,  thus  written  :  "  F n." 

(4)  See  Grab's  Ode,  "  'Twas  on  a  lofty  vase's  side,"  &c.  Vol.  I.  p.  6.  edit,  by  Mathias* 

(5)  See  his  Paraphrase  of  the  122d  Psalm — 

"  The  festal  morn,  my  God,  is  come." 
Also  on   the  65th  Psalm — 

"  Ye  works  of  God,  on  him  alone,"  &c. 

(6)  See  his  Fire-Side :  "  Dear  Chloe,  while  the  busy  crowd,"  &c. 

(7)  See  his  Ode  on  Despondency  :  "  Oppress'd  with  grief,"  &c. 


392 


ABO. 


chap. xi.  Carter',  and  by  Mrs.  Barbautd",  in  their  odes  and  hymns. 
Many  other  instances,  and  perhaps  some  of  a  higher  cast, 
may  occur  to  the  Reader's  memory  ;  but  these  happen  to  be 
here  recollected,  and  will  suffice  to  shew  the  analogy.  One 
of  the  most  striking  beauties  of  the  Swedish  poetry  wili  not, 
however,  be  found  in  any  of  these  examples;  although  occur- 
ring in  Professor  Frantzeiis  Ode ;  namely,  the  dissyllabic 
rhyme  :  of  this  we  before  introduced  a  striking  instance  in 
Pojharne ;  where,  for  want  of  an  analogous  specimen  in  our 
own  language,  the  author  introduced  his  own  imitation  of  it,  in 
an  Ode  to  Enterprise* ,  modelled  after  the  Swedish  taste.  The 
subject  of  Professor  Frantzeris  ode,  which  we  shall  insert  in 
the  original  language,  accompanied  by  as  literal  a  translation 
as  possible,  is  this : — 2)?drmitFjan3  ^Inletc  ("  The  Human  Face  or 
Countenance').  It  is  addressed  to  Selma;  and  consists  of  eleven 
stanzas,  written  in  the  manner  already  noticed,  but  with 
the  dissyllabic  rhyme  at  the  end  of  every  line,  except  where 
the  rhythm  alternates.    A  literal  translation  of  it  in  analogous 

English 


(1)  See  particularly  Miss  Carter's   beautiful  "  Ode  to   Wisdom;"  from  which  the 
following  stanza  may  be  selected  as  an  instance  : — 

"  To  me  thy  better  gifts  impart, 
Each  moral  beauty  of  the  heart, 

By  studious  thought  refin'd: 
For  wealth,  the  smiles  of  glad  content  > 
For  power,  its  amplest  best  extent, 

An  empire  o'er  my  mind." 

(2)  See  Mrs.  Barbauld's  "Hymn  to  Content :" 

"  O  Thou,  the  Nymph  with  placid  eye  \ 
O  seldom  found,  yet  ever  nigh  ! 

Receive  my  temperate  vow !"  &c. 

(3)  See  p.  53fi  af  the  former  Volume. 


" 


ABO. 


393 


English  metre,  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible.  We  chap.  xi. 
must  therefore  be  contented  with  a  correct  translation  in 
English  prose ;  being  sensible,  at  the  same  time,  of  the  utter 
impracticability  of  giving  any  idea  of  the  poetry  by  such  a 
version.  The  Ode,  when  converted  into  English  prose, 
loses  ail  its  beauty,  and  becomes  almost  as  grotesque  as  the 
French  prose  translation  of  the  Odes  of  Gray.  The  original, 
therefore,  is  inserted  in  a  Note'. 


THE  HUMAN  COUNTENANCE. 


ODE  TO  SELMA. 


Specimen  of 
one  of  Prof. 
FrantzSn's 
Poems. 


T. 


"  The  sixth  day  of  time  had  spread  its  purple  veil  over  the 
cedar  forests :  the  butterfly,  on  its  golden  wings,  wafted  over 
murmuring  brooks,  kissed  the  rose  in  its  bower. 

ii.  "  Orient 


(i) 


VOL.  VI. 


a^anmffjanc  9lnlcte. 
Dbe  til  (genua* 


i. 

9?eban  l;ann,  fin  punMtrjToja 
ofwev  @ebevff'oa.en  tyoja, 

£iben»  fjettc  Sag. 
©ntMknnnaab,  ofnxr  bdcfen, 
ftjdritn  fToc?  tit  vofenbdcfen, 

fyfte  befj  btfyaQ. 

3  E 


n.  %\\xm 


■MOTM 


■^■^■^■^■^i 


3.94 


ABO. 


I  HAP.  XI.  II. 

"  Orient  pearls  beamed  in  the  watery  mirror :  the  white  sails 

of  the  swan  shone  in  the  shadowy  strait :  wine  reddened  in  the 

grape  :  the  dove,  tender  and  innocent,  wantoned  in  the  groves  of 

Eden. 

in. 

u  But  Nature's  highest  beauty  was  not  yet :  the  crown  of 
Creation  was  wanted ;  until  man,  from  the  dust  arose,  lifted  his 
countenance  in  the  light  of  day,  and  his  eyes  were  opened. 

[It  is  almost  impossible  to  paraphrase  the  next  stanza :  to 
substitute  the  word  Aurora  for  Frantzcns  simple  and  expres- 
sive 3)?orgontobnan,  would  be  forlorn  indeed.  So  also  the  words 
©non  pa  fjdtleti  are  but  feebly  rendered  by  Alpine  Snows ;  the 
word  §}di  applying  to  those  lofty  ridges  upon  the  summits  of 
the  highest  mountains,  where,  as  upon  Lebanon,  the  unmelting 
snow  exhibits  a  splendid  whiteness,  that  can  only  be  con- 
ceived in  the  mind  of  persons  by  whom  it  has  actually  been 
beheld.] 

n. 
Adrian  ffen  i  wattnetS  fpc.qrt; 
$\vita,  stdnfle  ©tt>anen$  fe^cr, 

t  et  ff  uggrift  funb ; 
2Dinet  gtobbc  robt  i  bmfroan ; 
Dm  cd)  meni&g,  fcftc  bufroan , 

utt  <£ben3  umb* 
in. 
3)?cn  ben  &&#ffa  ffonfjet  felted 
i  natural— fronan  felted 

dun  i  ff  apelfen ; 
til  bc£  3J?anrnffjan  ur  gmfet 
nof  fit  antete  t  Ijufet, 

hof  opp  ogwtcm 


ABO. 


395 


IV. 


CHAP.  XI. 


"  The  snow  of  the  Fjals  was  outwhitened :  the  morning,  out- 
reddened,  sunk  behind  the  mountains :  the  star  of  day  hid  its 
diminished  lustre. 


v. 

"  To  that  up-turned  countenance  which  regarded  the  firmament, 
all  the  animal  race  paid  homage  ;  to  those  eyes,  where  Loves  and 
Graces  smiled,  and  in  which  immortal  Hope  beamed  through  the 
tears  of  sorrow. 

VI. 

"  All  the  angelic  choir  saw  with  amazement  the  speaking 
beauty  of  the  new  creation,  and  looked  at  the  Creator ;  who  im- 
pressed it  with  his  own  image,  beheld  his  work,  and  *  saw  that  it 
was  good1.' 

IV. 

©non  pa  fjtdttcn  l)bft  ej  fatten : 
SWorgonrobnan  fcafom  fcet^en 

fonf  f ovbunfrab  ner : 
©tjevnan,  font  t  fc>agen3  panna 
ffttt  fa  f f  en ,  ej  roitf  e  jlanna 

ofwcv  jovben  men 
v. 
©  jurat  typtfanbe  fig  bojbe 
for  be  bgon,  font  fie}  Ijojbe 

ifvan  ftoftet  epp ; 
bcr  hebaQ  od;  farter5  ntnfte ; 
bev  6lanb  forfeits  tavav  u;jte 

ct  obbblujt  fjopp. 

VI. 

^foafaffawn  ftar  Betaken, 
fev  be  tafanbe  Between , 

cdb  pa  ©f'aparn  fcr. 
©f'aparn  trpcfte  fit  infegel 
pa  jit  werf ;  ocb  i  bef?  fpc$ct 

fcr  jin  fctlb ,  ocfc  let** 

(l)  "  And  smiled"  would  be  nearer  to  the  original:  but  this  slight  deviation,  as 
appropriated  to  the  language  of  Scripture,  without  altering  the  sense,  may  perhaps  be 
tolerated. 


HHHH 


■  <v*- 


HBBBBHHB 


396 


CHAP.  XL 


ABO. 


VII. 


"  Ye  that  consider  all  things  but  as  results  of  chance !  hie  ye  to 
the  fountain,  and,  having  beheld  your  own  visages  reflected,  blush, 
and  retire. 


VIII. 


"  Behold  the  countenance  of  the  sage!  view  the  image  of  all 
that  is  true,  noble,  and  useful!  Catch  a  glance  from  the  eye  of  the 
hero  !   mark  the  lineaments  of  courage,  grandeur,  and  sublimity  ! 


IX. 


"  Then  look  on  the  face  of  beauty,  gentleness,  benignity !  Lift 
my  Selma's  morning  veil  from  her  blooming  cheek  !  See  the  tender 
and  bashful  expression  of  her  eyes!  Behold  the  dark  ringlets  of 
her  hair,  flying  careless  in  the  wind. 


VII. 


j  font  fl rifcn :  "  bet  dr  ingcn 
font  gett  ofbrihtgen  at  tinmen ; 

@funtpcn  ftdlbe  bent ;" 
§arat !  &iptt  til  t aflan  fticien : 
feen  ert  antete,  ocf)  tigen, 

rppnen ,  odb  gan  (Kim 

VIII. 

6e  ben  satnte  2£ife3  panna  i 
fe  en  tafia  af  bet  farnta, 

dbla,  m;tti^a* 
6e  en  6Ucf  m  $jeftenO#ft  t 
^e  et  elbbvag  af  bet  t;oa,a, 

flora,  brijfiga* 

IX. 

Del)  bet  ffona,  ntilba,  ljufwa?— 
fyft  win  ©etaiaS  morgpn&ufwa 

frdn  beg  pitvpurfinb* 
6e  bef*  ogon":  omnia ,  6193a ! 
£e  be#  morfa  totfat  fT^a, 

fprglofr,  for  en  iviiib* 


ABO. 


397 


X. 


CHAP.  XI. 


"  O  master-piece  of  nature !  Link  connecting  angels  with  men ! 
Image  of  God !  art  thou  not,  Garment  of  the  Soul,  destined  to  follow 
her  into  the  regions  of  eternity  ? 

xi, 

"Yes!  ah,  yes !  angels  shall  themselves  be  moved  by  the  regard 
of  Selma,  when  they  hear  her  voice  amongst  them.  My  Selma  ! 
In  the  Hall  of  Heaven'— in  the  valleys  of  Eden— I  shall  look  on 
thee!"  _____ 

Many  other  poems  of  Professor  Frantzen  lie  scattered  among 
the  almost- forgotten  Newspapers  of  Abo  and  Stockholm: 
for  the  expense  of  printing  in  this  country  is  such  a  bar 
to  their  being  collected  and  published  together,  that  no 
other  printed  copies  of  his  works  can  be  referred  to.     In 

the 


x. 

$)?dffawevf  utt  natural, 
laitf  fvavt  5fofltarne  til  bjuven, 

©ubafccldte ! 
©jdlcn3  forf  t  tofclt^eten ; 
gar  tut  cjt  tit  ewqlKten, 

xi. 

s.1cb !  ja :  'foicjlardiiti  ffal  rova 
©clmas  upfyn ;  bd  be  fybxa 

^ctmcl  r&ff  fclanb  ($♦ 
@elma !  dim  i  (jimlctic  fatar 
iJlnn  i  (?ipfecn$  baiar, 

fdv  jag  fe  pa  ty ! 

S 11. 

(X)  In  the  original,  «  i  |)itttlCt1#  falat* i"  in  which  expression  we  may  perhaps 
recognise  as  it  were  an  involuntary  allusion,  on  the  part  of  a  Scandinavian  poet,  to  the 
old  Gothic  mythology  of  his  ancestors,  the  Valhalla,  or  Hall  of  Odin, 


398 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  the  Abo  Gazette,  called  $60  XMty,  published  while  we  were 
in  Abo,  there  appeared  a  long  poem,  which  he  also  acknow- 
ledged as  his  composition1.  Without  a  knowledge  of  the 
Swedish  language,  it  is  impossible  to  form  any  correct  idea, 
either  of  their  merit  or  demerit.  But  Professor  Frantzen 
also  wrote  poetry  in  the  language  of  Finland,  being  himself 
a  native  of  that  country :  and  among  the  Swedes  he  was 
always  esteemed  as  the  best  poet  they  had.  In  a  note  to 
the  latest  of  his  poems,  which  we  have  now  mentioned,  he 
says,  that  Finland,  in  the  Finska  language,  is  called  ©mmtt& 

After  this  visit  to  the  Professor  of  History,  we  went  to  the 
house  of  the  most  learned  scholar  in  the  University,  Henry 

Porthan.  Gabriel  Porthan,  one  of  the  Professors  belonging  to  the 
Faculty  of  Philosophy,  and  styled,  in  the  Index  Prcelectionum 
of  the  University,  the  Regius  Professor  of  Eloquence.     The 

Acunnuofthe  University  of  Abo  consists  of  a  Chancellor ;  a  Vice-Chancellor ; 
the  Professors,  and  their  adjuncts  ;  Magistri  Docentes  ;  and 
teachers  of  modern  languages,  fencing,  and  music.  The 
Chancellor,  at  this  time,  was  the  Count  Charles  Adam 
Wachtmeister ;  its  Vice-Chancellor,  Doctor  James  Gadolin, 
Bishop  of  Abo :  and  the  names  and  titles  of  all  the  Pro- 
fessors are  given   in  the  Appendix   to   this  Volume3.     It  is 

usual 


(l)The^lbO  XibllilK}  made  its  appearance,  for  the  first  time,  on  Wednesday ,  Jan.  S, 
1800:  Nos.  1  and  2  being  published  together.  It  was  in  these  first  numbers  that  we 
saw  this  poem  by  Frantzen,  entitled  ^inlftllbS  ltyoblillC)>  in  which,  speaking  of  Finland, 
he  says — 

D  mina  faber£  fcpgb !  o  $itrtanb !  ffat  omftber 
Su  dfwen  Infta  big  Blanb  jovbcnS  lanbcv  epp. 


(2)  See  the  Index  Prcelectionum,  in  the  Appendix. 


ABO. 


399 


usual  here,  as  in  other  Universities,  for  those  who  hold  chap.  xi. 
public  disputations  in  the  Schools,  to  read,  in  Latin,  a 
written  Thesis :  which  Thesis,  however,  in  Abo,  does  not 
necessarily  relate  to  the  subject  of  their  public  exercise  ;  but 
being  paid  for  by  the  Student  who  keeps  the  Act,  and  written 
by  one  of  the  Professors,  and  afterwards  printed,  enables  the 
Professor,  if  he  choose,  thus  to  publish  one  of  his  own  Disserta- 
tions. We  found  Professor  Porthan  engaged  in  carrying  on  a 
work  of  this  kind:  and  the  manner  in  which  he  accomplished 
it  will  serve  to  shew  the  nature  of  the  obstacles  which  all  the  Difficulties 

encountered 

Professors  here  have  to  encounter  ;  wanting  those  facilities  of  hy  *•  v 
communication  with  the  literary  world,  which  are  found  in 
Universities  endowed  with  larger  funds  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  printing  works  of  science.  He  had  prepared  a  new  edition 
of  Bishop  Juustens  "  Chronicon  TpiscoporumYinlandensium" 
illustrated  by  his  own  valuable  notes  ;  in  which  there  are  fre- 
quent allusions  to  the  history  and  antiquities  of  Finland.  This 
work  he  presented  to  us,  in  the  form  of  a  bundle  of  printed 
Theses,  which  he  had  thus  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Students': 
and  it  is,owring  to  his  kindness  that  the  author  was  able  to  collect 
also  a  series  of  the  Academic  Dissertations  of  the  University 

of 


fessor* 


(3)  This  work  is  thus  mentioned  in  a  Note  to  the  "  Specimen  Histories  Litterarice 
Fennicce,"  one  of  the  Theses  printed  at  Abo,  in  1/93.  "  Paulus  Juusten  auctor 
est  Chronici  Episcoporum  Finlandensium,  quod  primus  vulgavit  ills.  Nettelbladt 
(in  (5d)iVctHfclK  Q?i&liottjef,  @TstC$  ©tucf,  No.  2.  p.  62—90.)  jam  vero  iterum  cum 
Annotationibus  uberrimis  editum  a  eel.  Prof.  Porthan,  cujus  operis  xxx  Particular 
mcusque  prodierunt." — This  work  being  completed  at  the  time  of  the  author's  arrival, 
Professor  Porthan  presented  a  copy  of  it  to  him;  and  the  author  has  since  transmitted 
t  to  Edinburgh,  to  be  deposited  in  the  Library  of  Advocates  there.  It  is  perhaps  the 
inly  copy  of  it  extant  in  Great  Britain. 


400 


ABO. 


c 

chap.  xi.  of  Abo,  for  nearly  half  a  century1.  An  examination  of  the 
principal  subjects  treated  of  in  these  Dissertations  will  enable 
the  Reader  to  form  for  himself  a  tolerably  correct  estimate  of 
the  state  of  science  in  this  seminary  of  education  for  the 
youth  of  Finland  and  Sweden,  of  which  we  shall  have  more  to 
say  in  the  sequel.  The  fate  of  such  a  scholar  as  Porthan  is 
greatly  to  be  regretted  by  the  literary  world ;  because, 
being  a  native  of  Finland,  and  deeply  versed  in  all  that 
related  to  its  history  and  antiquities,  and  himself  an  accom- 
plihsed  scholar,  well  read  in  other  branches  of  history  and 
antiquities,  he  possessed  the  ability,  if  he  had  possessed  the 
means,  of  giving  information  to  the  world  upon  a  subject  of  all 
others  the  least  known  ;  namely,  the  origin  of  the  Finlanders* 
and  Laplanders.  He  spoke  the  Latin  language,  as  if  it  had  been 
his  mother-tongue  ;  but  with  that  peculiarity  of  pronuncia- 
tion belonging  to  all  foreigners,  and  with  a  degree  of  volu- 
bility which  rendered  it  sometimes  difficult  to  apprehend 
exactly  his  meaning.  The  few  facts  which  were  gathered 
from  him,  during  the  frequent  conversations  we  had  with 
him,  will  of  course  be  stated  ;  but,  from  the  little  we  thus 
gained,  we  could  only  be  convinced  of  the  extent  of  the  loss 
sustained  by  the  literary  world,  in  not  having  better  means 
or  appreciating  his  various  acquirements.  Abo,  interdicted 
from  all  communication  with  Petersburg,  and   having   little 

intercourse 


(1)  See  the  List  of  the  principal  Dissertations,  given  in  the  Appendix. 

(2)  "Nulla  enim  illarum,  aut  in  lapidibus,  cippisque  sepulcralibus,  ant  in  aliis  vestustatis 
monumentis,  reperiri  potuerunt  vestigia."     Porthan.  Hist.  Billioth.  Acad.  Abovnsis,  p.  3. 


ABO. 


401 


intercourse  even  with  Stockholm,  owing  to  the  peculiar  cir-  chap.  xi. 
cumstances  of  its  situation,  cannot  be  considered  as  a  favour- 
able spot  for  the  interests  of  literature  ;  yet  such  has  been  the 
merits  of  its  Professors,  that  some  of  them,  to  whom  we  shall 
presently  allude,  have  caused  their  names,  in  spite  of  every 
obstacle,  to  be  heard  in  the  more-favoured  walks  of  science. 
The  history  of  Abo  is  of  considerable  antiquity ;  but  few 
places  have  been  more  liable  to  vicissitudes,  or  exposed  to 
greater  devastations.    During  the  wars  of  Sweden  and  Russia,  Disaster 


s  to 


it  has  often  been  sacked  and  laid  waste :  we  are  not,  there-  been  liable/ 
fore,  to  wonder  that  few  monuments  of  its  antient  state  of 
dignity  are  now  in  existence.  Even  the  bricks  of  which  its 
buildings  consisted  were  carried  off  by  the  Russians,  and 
taken  to  Petersburg  ;  the  first-built  structures  erected  in  that 
city  being  made  of  the  materials  taken  from  the  houses  in 
Abo.  Its  bridge,  constructed  over  the  small  river  Aeura5 
(which  flowTs  through  the  city,  and  falls  into  the  Gulph,  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  Swedish  mile  from  the  place),  was 
once  a  single  arch  of  stone :  but  this  was  destroyed  by  the 
Russians,  from  whose  ravages  Abo  has  so  often  suffered  ;  and 
it  is  now  of  wood.  All  the  timber  which  the  Russians  found 
upon  the  spot,  among  the  buildings  and  elsewhere,  they 
employed  in  building  the  galleys  with  which  they  removed 
the  spoils  of  the  city. 

The  earliest  account  of  Abo  is  contained  in  the  work  of 

Professor 


(3)  We  have  written  the  name  of  this  river  correctly  :  it  is  pronounced  Aura;   and  as 
jochi,  pronounced  yocky,  signifies  '  a  small  river,'  it  is  called  Aura-yochj. 

VOL.  VI.  3  F 


402 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  Professor  Porihan,  before  mentioned1;  which,  however,  it  is 
almost  useless  to  cite,  as  one  copy  only  of  the  work  exists  in 
Great  Britain.  It  is  there  stated,  that,  about  the  year  1 198  of 
our  aera,  during  the  episcopacy  of  Folqainius,  the  third  in  order 
of  the  Finland  Bishops,  Abo  was  consumed  by  fire,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  devastations  made  by  the  Rutheni,  or  Russians; 
whose  practice  it  always  has  been,  when  instigated  by  the 
desire  of  plunder,  to  set  fire  to  the  cities,  towns,  or  villages, 
liable  to  their  predatory  warfare2;  by  this  means  forcing  the 
inhabitants  to  quit  their  hiding-places,  and  come  forth  with 
their  effects5.  Notwithstanding  its  frequent  losses,  and  the 
injuries  to  which  it  was  continually  exposed,  it  began  to  be 
considered  among  the  chief  cities  of  Sweden  so  early  as  the 
fifteenth  century ;  carrying  on  its  commerce  chiefly  with  the 
Germans*.     But  from  the  year  1198,  down  to  this  period,  the 

history 

(1)  His  edition  of  Juusten's  "  Chronicon  Episcoporum  Finlandensium"  See  a 
former  Note. 

(2)  "  His  jam  allatis  accedit,  quod  variae  hostium,  prcecipue  Russorum  crudeles  in 
Fennia  populationes,  non  modo  multa  quae  a  privatis  hominibus  in  notitiam  posterorum 
annotata  fortassis  essent,  nobis  sustulerint,  sed  varias  etiam  collectiones  veterum  docu- 
mentorum  publicas  dissipaverint  ae  destruxerint." 

Specimen  Histories  Litterarice  Fennicce,  p.  4.    Aboce,  Typis  Frenckellianis. 

(3)  In  this  manner  they  burnt  the  city  of  Moscoiv,  in  the  moment  of  its  capture  by 
the  French  army:  and  it  has  afforded  an  amusing  lesson  of  the  wretched  shifts  of  party 
in  this  country,  in  observing  the  eagerness  with  which,  after  accusing  the  French  soldiers 
of  this  act  of  plunder,  a  few  artful  Politicians,  who  maintain  any  opinion  for  interested 
purposes,  suddenly  veered  round,  and  endeavoured  to  establish  a  belief  that  the 
burning  of  Moscow  was  a  sublime  example  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  on  the  part  of 
the  Russians.  Loyalty  and  patriotism  among  slaves  and  thieves!  !!  Men- 
tion this  act  of  Loyalty  and  Patriotism,  Reader !  in  Moscow,  and  see  how  the  Russians 
themselves  will  laugh  at  thy  credulity  ! 

(4)  Porthan,  in  Annotationibus  ad  Chronicon  Juustinianuvi,  p.  528. 


ABO. 


403 


history  of  Abo  is  nothing  more  than  a  catalogue  of  disasters,  chap.  xi. 
conflagrations,  and  catastrophes  of  every  description.  Heaven 
and  earth  seemed  to  combine  for  its  destruction ;  for  after 
being  three  times  totally  destroyed  by  common  fire,  it  was  in 
the  year  1458  destroyed  by  lightning.  After  this,  in  1473, 
it  was  again  burned  down.  In  150Q,  it  was  sacked  and 
burned  by  the  Danes*.  Three  successive  conflagrations  fol- 
lowed, in  the  years  1546,  154g,  and  1552;  and  as  often 
reduced  the  city  to  ashes. 

After  such  a  series  of  calamities,  we  may  in  vain  look  for 
traces  of  the  magnificent  ornaments  once  lavished  upon  its 
Cathedral.  These  have  entirely  disappeared :  but  the  structure  Cathedral. 
itself,  "  per  tot  discrimina  rerum,"  marvellously  remains, 
and  still  constitutes  the  principal  object  of  curiosity  in  the 
place.  The  style  of  architecture  observed  in  the  interior  is 
Gothic,  but  the  outside  exhibits  a  pile  of  plain  brickwork. 
The  roof  is  of  the  most  chaste  Gothic  ;  that  is  to  say,  simple 
and  unadorned,  without  the  intricate  combinations  and  traces 
of  the  florid  Gothic;  but  plain,  elegant,  light,  and  lofty.  The 
manner  in  which  light  is  thrown  in  from  side-windows 
among  the  arches  produces  a  pleasing  delusion.  To  a  person 
standing  at  the  altar,  and  regarding  the  whole  length  of  the 
nave,  not  a  window  is  visible;  and  yet  strong  masses  of  light 

and 


(5)  "  Anno  1509,  exercitus  Regis  Danorum  Johannis  I.1  Aboam  ex  improviso 
occuparet,  totamque  urbem  hostiliter  dissiperet,  Ecclesiam  Cathedralem  multis  pretiosis 
rebus  et  clinodiis  quam  plurimis  spoliando,  et  quod  hie  prsecipue  nominandum,  libros 
meliores  auferrent  Dani ;  qua  clade  funesta,  magnam  quoque  partem  conquisitorum  hinc 
hide  litterariorum  monimentorum  res  patrias  illustrantium  periisse,  dubio  caret." 

Specimen  Hist.  Litt.  Fennicce,  p.  4.    Abooe,  Typis  Frenckellianis. 


404 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  and  shadow,  powerfully  contrasted  with  each  other,  are 
displayed  with  wonderful  art  and  effect,  such  as  we  had 
not  seen  in  any  similar  fabric :  which  is  the  more  remark- 
able, as  the  notion  prevalent  in  Abo  is,  that  this  cathedral 
was  built  by  an  English  architect1.  The  altar,  the  principal 
aisle,  and  various  parts  of  the  building,  were  crowded 
with  wretched  paintings ;  most  of  them,  it  is  true,  of 
ancient  date,  but  none  of  them  of  the  smallest  merit. 
They  are  placed  after  the  usual  mode  of  arrangement  in 
Roman-Catholic  churches.  Over  the  altar  is  a  large  picture  of 
the  Crucifixion,  a  wretched  piece  of  daubing.  In  different 
parts  of  the  chancel,  there  are  others  of  a  like  character  : 
indeed,  the  whole  internal  appearance  of  this  Cathedral  would 
induce  a  stranger  to  believe  that  the  Roman-Catholic  religion 

o 

was  even  now  professed  in  A  bo.  Even  the  reliques  once 
venerated  here  are  still  preserved  in  the  Sacristy ;  but  they 
are  shewn  merely  as  curiosities  to  visitants.  The  organ  is 
very  large ;  and  its  excellence  is  considered  as  equal  in  all 
respects  to  its  external  magnificence4:  it  stands  at  the 
western  extremity  of  the  nave  opposite  to  the  altar. 

A  mistake  of  ours  occasioned  much  mirth  during  the  first 
visit  that  we  paid  to  this  Cathedral.  As  it  was  our  wish  to 
attend  Divine  Service,  we  repaired  thither  Sunday,  January  5, 

the 


Ludicrous 
mistake. 


(!)  This  was  also  afterwards  noticed  by  another  traveller,  Mr.  Robert  Ker  Porter, 
who  visited  Abo  in  December  1807.  "  The  church  is  large,  and  of  brick  ;  built,  they 
tell  me,  by  a  Metropolitan,  named  Henry,  who  was  an  Englishman."  Travelling  Sketches, 
vol.  II.  p.  84.    Lond.  I8O9. 

(2)  "The  organ  may  be  ranked  amongst  the  best  in  Europe:  its  tones,  indeed,  equalled 
any  I  had  ever  heard."     Ibid. 


ABO. 


405 


the  second  day  after  our  arrival,  and  found  a  very  crowded  chap.  xi. 
congregation.  Seeing  an  empty  pew  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  nave,  we  entered,  and  took  possession  of  the  seats;  but 
we  had  no  sooner  done  this,  than  we  discovered  that  we 
were  the  objects  of  universal  derision  among  all  who  were 
present.  The  women  tittered;  and  the  men,  laughing  and 
whispering  to  each  other,  frequently  regarded  us,  without  its 
being  possible  for  us  to  divine  the  cause  of  the  amusement 
we  had  thus  afforded.  At  last  we  observed  the  true  reason: 
we  had  inadvertently  seated  ourselves  on  the  female  side  of 
the  aisle ;  the  women,  as  in  all  the  northern  churches  of 
Europe,  being  separated  from  the  male  part  of  the  congre- 
gation ;  and  the  two  sexes  occupying  different  sides  of  the 
building.  As  soon  as  we  found  out  what  was  the  matter,  we 
rose  from  our  seats,  and  joined  that  part  of  the  assembly 
which  consisted  only  of  men  :  but  the  laughter,  which  had 
before  been  subdued,  and  kept  within  bounds,  now  broke 
forth  and  became  more  general  than  ever,  when  it  was  per- 
ceived that  we  were  conscious  of  the  mistake  we  had  made. 

After  the  Service  ended,  we  repaired  to  the   organ-loft,  Effect  of  an 

Organ  upon 

with  a  view  of  conducting  thither  some  of  the  Finland  pea.-  some  Natives 

of  Savohtx. 

sants,  whom  we  had  observed  expressing  their  astonishment, 
which  amounted  almost  to  fear,  whenever  the  organ  was 
heard.  They  were  some  of  the  wild  race  of  the  Finns  of 
SavolaXy  who  had  been  attracted  by  curiosity  into  the  Cathe- 
dral. Having  conducted  them  into  the  organ-gallery,  we 
prevailed  upon  the  organist  to  allow  them  to  touch  the  keys 
with  their  fingers ;  but  the  moment  any  sounds  were  pro- 
duced, they  started  back  and  were  evidently  alarmed.     The 

organist 


H 


■ 


406 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  organist  then  played  a  voluntary,  and  introduced  one  of  their 
own  national  airs  :  the  effect  it  had  upon  them  was  singular 
enough ;  it  changed  their  apprehensions  into  immoderate 
mirth :  roaring  with  laughter,  like  so  many  savages,  they 
began  to  imitate  the  motions  which  the  organist  made  with 
his  arms  and  feet ;  at  the  same  time,  being  altogether  unable 
to  account  for  the  sounds  they  heard,  as  these  were  varied,  so 
their  starting  was  renewed,  being  always  followed  afterwards 
by  laughter,  and  seizing  hold  of  each  other  as  for  protection. 
The  shocks  of  an  electrical  apparatus  could  hardly  have  pro- 
duced greater  agitation  in  persons  who  have  not  felt  their 
influence,  than  did  the  solemn  tones  of  this  fine  instrument 
among  these  simple  Finlanders,  who  had  evidently  never 
before  heard  any  thing  similar ;  although  by  no  means  utter 
strangers  to  all  musical  sounds,  however  striking  to  them  the 
difference  between  the  notes  of  an  organ  and  their  own  rude 
musical  instruments,  to  the  sound  of  which  their  poetry  has 
been  sung  for  many  ages1.     This  organ,  together  with  many 

other 

(l)  "  Atqui  ut  omnes  fere  antiqui  populi,  antequam  artis  scribendi  notitiam  sibi 
compararent,  Poesin  tamen,  Musicamque  cum  ea  conjunctam,  excolueruntj  ita  sua 
Fenni  quoque  nostri  semper  habuerunt  carmina,  quae  suo  idiomate  9?lM00t  adpellavere, 
ncque  musicam  variis  instrumentis  adhibitis,  tractare  neglexerunt :  quae  tamen  nee 
fabricam  valde  artificiosam  prodidisse,  nee  teretibus  nostri  aevi  Musicorum  auribus 
placuisse,  facile  intelligitur."  Specimen  Historice  Litterarice  Fennicce,  p.  Q.  Aboce, 
Typis  Frenckellianis. 

Acerbi  speaks  of  the  antient  melody  of  the  Finlanders,  called  Runa.  "  It  consists  of 
two  periods,"  he  says,  "  or  bars  of  five  crotchets  each,  which  make  two  periods  of 
eight  notes."     See  Acerlis  Travels,  vol.1,  p.  284.  Lond.  1802. 

We  have  figured  and  described  a  kind  of  dulcimer,  or  lyre,  with  five  strings,  in  a 
former  Volume  (p.  440),  which  the  Finns  make  use  of,  and  which  they  call  Kendele, 
or  Kentelet.  "  Nomina  ejusmodi  instrumentorum  Fennis  vernacula,  nee  a  vicinis  genti- 
bus  mutata,  hoc  demonstrant :  e.  q.  9?anbelC,  nablium,  XcXVOl,"  &c.  Annot.  Specimen 
Hist.  Litt.  Fenn.  p.  g. 


ABO. 


407 


other  donations  of  more  importance  to  the  inhabitants  of  Abo,  chap.  xi. 
were  the  gifts  of  a  Mr.  Whitefoot,  a  native  of  LubecJc,  once  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  this  city.  His  portrait,  at  full  length, 
in  the  old  English  dress,  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  organ. 
Two  other  pictures  also,  the  heads  of  himself  and  his  wife, 
appear,  one  on  either  side  of  the  altar.  These  examples  of 
public  munificence  do  not  seem  to  have  met  with  much 
gratitude.  Another  public  benefactor  to  the  city  died,  as  it 
is  said,  in  such  extreme  poverty  in  Abo,  that  the  sexton 
refused  to  toll  the  knell  for  his  decease,  because  no  one  would 
engage  to  pay  him  for  so  doing. 

We  repeated  our  visit  to  this  Cathedral.      There  is   no  interesting 

!      .-I  <!•  .  11     nr  7*  •  .  m  Cippus,  in  the 

building  in  all  Scandinavia  more  worth  seeing.     The  best  chorusTom- 

.  anus. 

view  of  its  beautiful  roof  is  from  the  altar.  On  the  right 
hand,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  nave,  close  to  the  entrance  of 
the  Chancel,  is  a  small  sepulchral  shrine  belonging  to  the 
Tott  family,  called  Chorus  Tottianus ;  which  contains  a 
monument  of  such  singular  interest,  that  we  were  surprised 
to  find  no  mention  made  of  it  by  any  of  the  travellers  who 
have  preceded  us  in  this  route.  It  is  nothing  less  than 
the  tablet  erected  to  the  memory  of  Catharine,  wife  of 
Eric  XIV.,  whose  remarkable  history  we  shall  presently  allude 
to.  The  mouldering  reliques  of  her  once  beautiful  form  lie 
deposited  in  a  vault  below.  This  shrine,  or  chapel,  is  fenced 
with  iron  gates:  within  appears  a  magnificent  marble  monu- 
ment, erected  to  the  memory  of  Count  Achatius  Tott,  grand- 
son of  Catharine,  and  his  second  wife  Christina  Brahe. 
Their  effigies,  of  the  size  of  life,  marvellously  well  sculptured 
for  the  age  in  which  they  were  executed,  are  placed  upon  a 

cenotaph  ; 


m        ■ 


408 


ABO. 


Statues  and 
Pictures. 


chap.  xi.  cenotaph  ;  the  bodies  being  in  oak  coffins  covered  with  tin,  in 
the  vault  beneath ;  together  with  those  of  Catharine,  and 
Sigrid  her  daughter  by  Eric  XIV.,  the  mother  of  Achatius 
Tott.  Owing  to  their  relationship  to  EricXIV.,  the  ignorant 
verger  had  confounded  their  history,  and  shewed  the  two 
statues  of  Count  Achatius  and  Christina  as  those  of  Eric  and 
Catharine.  There  are,  moreover,  two  pictures,  whole  lengths, 
of  the  same  persons,  placed  above  the  monument,  painted  in 
Vandyke  s  manner.  The  face  of  Christina  expresses  a  degree 
of  mildness  bordering  upon  melancholy.  She  was  evidently 
one  of  the  beauties  of  her  day,  rather  below  the  middle 
stature,  with  delicate  features,  fair  complexion,  and  light 
hair.  In  her  hand  she  holds  a  plume  of  feathers.  In  viewing 
these  statues  and  pictures,  we  seemed  to  be  admitted  into  the 
midst  of  Erics  family;  and  only  wished  we  could  have  made 
them  open  their  mouths,  and  tell  us  a  little  more  truth  than 
historians  have  done  concerning  this  monarch  and  his  family. 
The  marble  effigy  of  Achatius  Tott  represents  him  in  complete 
armour :  and  the  two  figures  of  himself  and  Christina  are 
evidently  portraits,  from  the  minute  attention  to  accuracy 
which  the  sculptor  has  shewn  in  all  that  relates  to  their 
persons  and  habits.  The  monument  was  erected  in  ]688; 
and  we  found  one  of  the  four  columns  belonging  to  it  thus 
inscribed  with  the  artist's  name :  "  Petrus  Schultz,  S.R. 
Sculptor,  invenit  et  fecit."  In  the  figure  of  Achatius  Tott  we 
recognised  the  genuine  costume  of  the  country ;  a  Scandi- 
navian custom  of  letting  the  hair  grow  so  as  almost  to 
obscure  the  eyes  on  the  two  sides  of  the  face,  falling  to  the 
shoulders  on  either  side,  and  lying  quite  flat  upon  the  top  of 

the 


ABO. 


409 


the  head.  This  practice  may  be  observed  over  all  Sweden  chap.xi. 
and  Finland,  There  is  a  regiment  of  cavalry  in  the  Swedish 
service,  in  which  this  costume  is  remarkably  preserved  ;  the 
officers  and  men  wearing  their  hair  in  two  long  braids, 
which  hang  like  pig-tails,  one  on  each  side  of  the  face,  in 
front  of  the  ears,  fastened,  at  their  extremities,  with  clasps 
of  lead.  This  is  a  national  observance,  attended  to  with 
as  much  scrupulous  devotion,  as  among  the  Tchernomorski 
Cossacks  the  preservation  of  a  single  braided  lock  of  hair, 
which  extends  from  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  is  worn 
tucked  behind  the  ear.  Nothing  can  be  conceived  less 
becoming  than  the  two  side-locks  of  the  Sivedes ;  but  they 
give  a  certain  degree  of  martial  fierceness  to  the  countenance, 
which  perhaps  may  explain  the  reason  why  the  ancient 
Britons,  and  other  barbarous  tribes,  adopted  the  same  prac- 
tice. Over  the  cenotaph  are  placed  the  armorial  ensigns  of 
the  two  families  of  Tott  and  Brake ;  and  above  all  appears  the 
image  of  our  Saviour,  with  the  cross,  between  the  figures  of 
two  angels1. 

But  that  which  possesses  a  greater  degree  of  interest  in 
this  Choir,  although  a  monument  of  much  less  splendour,  is 
a  plain  marble  tablet,  placed  against  the  wall,  which  appears 

upon 

(1)  This  is  the  Inscription  upon  the  Monument  of  Achalius  Tott :  it  is  in  capital 
gilded  letters : — 

"  Illustrissimi  Herois  ac  Domini,  D :  ni  Achatii  Tott,  Comitis  de  Carleborg,  Liberi 
Baronis  de  Sjundeby,  Domini  in  Ekholmsund,  Lehals-Lahn,  Liuxala,  et  Gerkenaes, 
Equitis  aurati,  Regni  Sveciae  Senatoris  et  Campi-Mareschalli ;  natalis  annus,  a  reddita 
salute  m.d.xcviii.  dies  iv.  mensis  Junii,  locus  aula  Gerkenaes  Nylandiae  fuit. 
Mortalitatemque  rursus  post  vitam,  rebus  domi  atque  foris,  in  aula  et  bello  praeclare  gestis, 
Gustavo  Magno,  Regum  exemplari,  magna  ex  parte  consecratam,  A:o  m.dc.xl. 
VOL.  VI.  3   G  dic 


410 


ABO. 


chap. xi.  upon  the  left,  to  one  entering ;  erected,  as  was  before  stated. 
i^cripuiThi  to  the  memory  of  Catharine  the  Wife  of  Eric  XIV.  She 
SaJL,  was  the  Grandmother  of  Achatius  Tott,  by  his  mother 
Ericxiv.     Sigrid's  side.     It  has  this  Inscription,  in  capital  letters  : — 


CONDUNTUR 

HOC     BUSTO 
CINERES 

natalibus,  virtute,  fortuna  quondam  inclyt/e  imprimis 
katharin.e,  dominie  de  liuxala  quam  ericus  xiv.  suec. 
goth.  que  rex,  thoiii  regii  societate  dignam  habuit  ; 
eademque  post  viduitatem  ad  annum  usque  ietatis  lxi1i. 
summa  vit.e  morumque  pietate  et  innocentia  transactam, 
placide  in  aula  liuxala  anno  restaurat^  salutis  mdcxii. 
obi1t.  dehinc  filije  ejusdem  ex  thoro  regio  legitime 
concepts  domine  sigridis,  quje  conjunx  peiullustris  domini 
henrici  tott,  permagno  heroi  achat10  tott  genitr1x  ex- 
stitit:  quem  tabula  ex  adverso  posita  fusius  demonstrat. 

anno  domini  m  dc  lxxv1ii. 
ILLUSTRISSIMUS  r.  s.  drotzetus   comes  petrus   braiie,  curavit 

HOC  EPITAPHIUM  FIERI  NOMINE  AC  SUMPTIBUS  ILLUSTRISSIM^E 
COMITISSiE,  DOMINiE  CHRISTINA  BRAIIE,  NATiE  COMITISS^  DE 
WISINGSBORG,  COMITISSJE  DE  CARLEBORG,  LIB. BARON.  DE  SJUNDEBY, 
DOMING  DE  SKOFTEBY,  EKHOLMSUND  ET  LEHALS  LAHN.  SIMUL 
DONAVIT  HU1C  ECCLESI/E  CATHEDRALI  ABOENS1  MILLE  IMPERIALES. 


diexvJulii,  aetatis  ultra  quadragesimum  biennio  in  aula  sua  Lafwila  Parochiae  Eura- 
minne  exuit.  Facta  non  vicini  solum,  et  quos  arma  Patriae  attigere  stupent,  sed  Italus 
pariter  et  Iberus  atque  Galli  loquntur.  Ita  post  annorum  a  prima  astate  complurium 
militiam  in  insigni  Comitis  Jacobi  de  la  Gardie,  Regni  Marschi  per  Moscoviam 
expeditione  incepta,  et  inde  Regis  contra  Polonum  in  Borussia  auspiciis  continuatam,  ac 
denique  interjecta  in  castra  exterorum  peregre  transcursione  etiam  sub  Augusto  Bello 
Sveco-Germanico  probatam,  dignus,  cui  primarium  in  militia  Campi-Mareschalli  munus, 

et 


ABO. 


411 


By  this  inscription,  which  really  becomes  a  curious  historical    chap.  xi. 
document,   we  learn  some  particulars  respecting  Catharine,  Historical 

Documents 

of  which  history  is  silent ; — That  after  the  imprisonment  of  concerning 

this  remark- 

her  husband,  and  probably  after  his  death,  she  withdrew,  far  ableffomiin- 
from  the  Sivedisk  Court,  to  the  tranquil  solitudes  of  Finland, 
where  she  lived  in  unmolested  retirement,  and  died  after 
attaining  an  advanced  age  ; — That  her  daughter  Sigrid,  whom 
she  had  borne  to  Eric  XIV.,  married  Henry  Tott,  from  which 
union  descended  Count  Achatius  Tott,  whose  monument  we 
have  described.  Liuxala,  mentioned  as  the  place  of  her 
residence  and  death,  is  a  large  farm  or  manorial  seat  in  the 
parish  of  Ka?igasala,  in  Tavasthus,  where  the  remains  of  the 
house  may  still  be  seen  in  which  Catharine  ended  her  days : 
it  was  built  by  Count  Tott,  who  was  Governor  of  that 
province. 

A  vault  below  this  Choir,  contains,  as  before  mentioned, 
the  simple  coffin  which  enshrines  the  mouldering  reliques 
of  that  once  beautiful  female  whom  Eric  XIV.  so  pas- 
sionately loved.  The  ceremony  of  her  marriage  to  the  king 
took  place  upon  the  sixth  day  of  July  1568,  the  year  after  his 

cruel 


et  cum  exercitu  delecto  agendi  plena  daretur  potestas,  quam  in  Saxonia  inferiori  exerceret, 
a  Maximo  Rege  habitus,  in  Pomeraniae  Ducatibus,  Gryphisvalda,  Wismaria,  et  Rostochio, 
in  Bremensi,  Stada,  et  Boxtahuda,  locis  munitissimis  occupatis,  exercitum  Caesareum  eis 
partibus  penitus  profligavit.  Haec  inter  Equitis  aurati  splendor  ipsi  a  summo  virtutum 
aestimatore  tributus,  hinc  Senatoria  in  victrici  Regno  dignitas,  et  post  fata  quoque  Comi- 
tatus  honos  additus.  Genus  ipsi  Paternum  ex  familia  Sveciae  Daniaeque  a  multis  retro 
saeculis,  multo  celeberrima,  Regibusque  cognata.  Materno  pariter  Filia  Erici  XIV. 
Regis  Sveciae  legitima,  Genetrice  clarus.  Bis  maritus ;  primas  cum  illustrissima  Domina 
Sigride  Bjelke,  contraxit  nuptias,  atque  ex  ea  filii,  Comitis  Claudii  Tott,  virtutibus,  qua 
toga,  qua  sago  inclyti  parens  ;  secundis,  illustrissimae  Dominae,  D:  nae  Christmce  Brake, 
Comitissae  de  Wisingsborg  &c.  sese  junxit,  quae  superstes  hoc  manibus  piissimis  vovit 
monumentum." 


412 


ABO. 


chap.  xt.  cruel  murder  of  the  whole  family  of  the  Stures;  and  that  of 
her  coronation,  which  was  celebrated  with  the  utmost  pomp, 
followed  the  day  afterwards  :  and  from  the  inscription  upon 
her  memorial  tablet,  we  learn  that  her  death  did  not  happen 
until  forty-four  years  after  her  coronation  :  but  the  first  part 
of  this  interval  was  to  her  a  period  of  tempestuous  trouble, 
for  the  very  year  of  her  coronation  was  that  of  her  husband's 
dethronement.  Beside  her  remains,  there  are  also  here, 
preserved  in  coffins  of  brass,  oak,  and  wood  faced  with  tin, 
the  remains  of  other  members  of  the  Tott  Family,  with 
Swedish  inscriptions ;  which,  however,  are  so  nearly  English, 
that  any  English  reader,  accustomed  to  Scottish-English,  or 
Old  English,  might  understand  their  meaning.  For  an 
example,  we  shall  give  the  legend  which  appears  in  capital 
letters  upon  the  coffin  of  Si  grid,  king  Eric  the  Fourteenth's 
daughter,  by  Catharine,  who  also  lies  buried  here.  The 
coffin  is  of  wood,  faced  with  tin-plate. 

SIGRID,  KONUNG  ERIC  DEN  FJORTONDES 
DOTTER,  FRU  TIL  LJUXALA,  SJUNDEBY 
OCH  GERCKENAES,  BLEF  FODD  ANNO 
MDLIV  OCH  ASSOMNADE  I  HERRANOM 
PA  LJUXALA  GARD  DEN  XXIV  APRILIS 
ANNO  M  DC  XXXIII. 


Mami8«ript8        \ye  had  some  hope  of  discovering  other  historical  infor- 

preeerved  in  a 

brazeu  coffer.  mation  connected  with  the  state  of  Sweden  during  the  period 
of  Eric  s  sufferings  after  his  deposition,  upon  being  permitted 
to  examine  the  contents  of  a  brazen  chest  which  was  shewn 
to  us,  within  a  wooden  covering,  and  which  contains  several 
manuscripts    written    upon    parchment.       They    consisted, 

however, 


ABO. 


413 


however,  of  documents  which  perhaps  will  only  interest  the  ^iap.  xi. 
Swedish  antiquaries.  We  shall  briefly  notice  them  in  the 
order  of  their  dates. — The  first  is  an  Epicedium  upon  the 
funeral  of  Catharine,  wife  of  Eric  XIV,  in  1612.  The  second, 
an  Epicedium  upon  the  re-interment  of  her  daughter  Sigrid, 
written  in  i635,   when  her  body  was   removed   from  the 

o  ^^ 

church  of  Randamaltcnsi  to  the  Cathedral  at  Abo.  The  third 
is  an  Epithalamium,  in  the  German  language,  upon  the 
marriage  of  Achatius  Tott  with  Christina  Brahe,  the  seventh  of 
October,  i638.  The  fourth  gives  an  account  of  the  heroic 
deeds  of  Achatius  Tott;  and  the  solemnities  observed  at  his 
funeral,  September  2Q,  1640.  The  fifth  is  the  patent  of 
nobility  granted  to  his  son  Claudius  Tott,  by  Queen  Christina, 
March  20,  ]  652.  The  sixth,  with  thirteen  signets  annexed  to 
it,  dated  Ekholmsnnd,  November  6,  1639,  is  nothing  less  than 
the  dowry  granted  by  Achatius  Tott  to  his  second  wife, 
Christina  Brahe. 

Few  persons  perhaps  would  have  bestowed  the  same  pains  Histories  of 

r  i_  •  Eric's  reign- 
that  we  did,  in  ransacking  the  chambers  of  the  dead  for  his- 
torical information  connected  with  the  history  of  such  a 
gloomy  superstitious  tyrant  as  Eric  XIV. ;  for  whose  bad 
character  some  writers  seem  anxious  to  apologize,  by  point- 
ing out  a  few  brilliant  points  that  appeared  amidst  its  dark 
shades ;  and  also  by  maintaining,  that  the  charges  brought 
against  him  were  calumnies  invented  to  justify  the  conduct 
of  his  brothers,  by  whom  he  was  dethroned  and  imprisoned1. 

It 


(l)  "  II  y  a  neanmoins  beaucoup  d'Ecrivains  qui  font  passer  ces  accusations  pour  des 
calomnies.     lis  pretendent  qu'elles  ont  ete  en  partie  inventees  pour  justifier  la  conduite 

des 


414 


ABO. 


chap. xi.  It  is  just  possible  that  his  faults  were  extenuated  by  those 
writers  who  lived  under  his  successors  ;  and  perhaps  crimes 
were  attributed  to  him  of  which  he  was  never  guilty :  as,  in 
the  history  of  om  English  Kings,  we  find  a  remarkable  instance 
in  the  odium  cast  upon  the  character  of  Richard  the  Third,  by  the 
historians  who  endeavoured,  by  their  calumnies,  to  gratify  his 
mean  successor,  Henry  the  Seventh1,  and  the  members  of  that 
family.  But,  in  viewing  the  annals  of  Erics  reign,  a  sensa- 
tion of  indignant  regret  is  always  excited,  when  we  read 
the  story  of  those  deeds  of  blood  by  which  the  whole  race  of 
the  Stures  were  exterminated.  It  is  impossible  to  exculpate 
Eric ;  because  one  of  these  innocent  victims  was  immolated, 
and  in  the  most  cowardly  manner,  by  his  own  hand*.     In 

his 


des  Dues  ses  freres,  et  en  partie  repandues  par  les  parens  de  Joran  Peerson,  afin  de 
rejetter  sur  la  personne  du  Roi  les  crimes  de  ce  Ministre." 

Hist,  de  Suede,  par  Pujfendorf,  tome  II.  p.  3.  Amst.  1843. 

(1)  Shakspeare  has  not  exempted  himself  from  the  list  of  these :  and  many  of  our 
erroneous  notions  of  Richard  the  Third's  character  are  owing  to  prejudices  founded  on 
the  calumnies  with  which  our  great  poet  sought  to  gratify  Henry  the  Seventh's  grand- 
daughter, Elizabeth.  Setting  aside  all  the  arguments  adduced  by  Buck,  whom  Rapin 
charges  with  partiality,  there  is  one  observation  concerning  Richard  the  Third,  which 
has  escaped  Bacon,  in  the  beginning  of  his  Life  of  Henry  the  Seventh  ;  speaking,  as  it 
were,  volumes: — "  Quanqua?n  autem  Princeps  fuisset  in  militari  virtute  probatus,  atque 
honoris  Anglici  assertor  slrenuus,  legislator  item  bonus,  in  levamen  et  solatium  vulgi." 
Vid.  Histcr.  Regni  Regis  Henrici  Sept.  vol.  V.  p.  6.  Amst.  1662.  And  with  regard  to 
the  contrast  exhibited  in  Richard's  successor,  how  admirably  is  it  displayed  by  Rapiiis 
delineation  of  the  Royal  Miser;  the  very  personification  of  Avarice — tall,  lank,  with  a  long 
and  thin  face  lean  like  the  rest  of  his  body,  and  a  countenance  exciting  fear  and  distrust. 

(2)  Seethe  account  of  his  vile  stratagems  for  the  extermination  of  the  noble  family  of 
the  Stures;  one  of  whom,  Nils  Sture,  he  stabbed  with  a  poignard,  when  rising  from 
his  bed  in  prison;  who  drawing  the  weapon  from  the  wound,  kissed  it,  and  presented  it 
to  his  murderer  : — and  all  the  rest  were  cruelly  massacred.  "  Carcerera  invadens  Nicolai 
Sture,  in  lecto  jacentem,  et  sibi  reverenter  assurgentem,  proprio  sauciavit  pugione. 

Quern 


ABO. 


415 


his  character,  Eric  XIV.  seems  most  to  have  resembled  Paul  chat,  xi. 
of  Russia — a  wretched  compound  of  superstition,  perfidy, 
lust,  and  cruelty ;  and,  with  all  these  vices,  occasionally  irri- 
tated by  flights  of  insanity3.  But  the  story  of  Erics  career 
has  never  been  either  fully  or  fairly  told4:  and  it  is  rather 
remarkable,  that  our  knowledge  should  be  so  imperfect  of  the 
life  of  a  sovereign  Prince,  the  wooer  at  once  both  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots".  Puffendorf  has 
collected  very  little  upon  the  subject ;  and  the  more  original 
sources,  to  which  we  have  referred,  do  not  supply  the  defi- 
ciency. At  least  a  dozen  romances  might  be  written  upon 
the  subjects  of  Erics  amorous  adventures.  His  amours  with 
Catharine,  when  related  with  a  due  attention  to  truth,  have 
all  the  air  of  a  romance.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  peasant 
of  Medelpad,  and  gained  a  livelihood,  when  a  child,  by  selling 
nuts   in   the   market  at  Stockholm6.      Here  Eric  first   saw 

her; 


Quern  Nicolaus  ex  gravi  pectoris  vulnere  protinus  extractum,  et  osculo  humiliter  tactum, 
parcussori  obtulit,  indeque  furens  Princeps  nonnihil  mitigatus  abiit."  Chronol.  Scond. 
npud  Messenium,  torn.  VI.  p,  44.     Stockholm,  1700. 

(3)  "  Non  diffiteor  regem  Ericum  quandoque  parum  sani  fuisse  cerebri j  sed  istud 
per  intervalla  delirium  quidam  alii,  velut  haereditariam  a  matre,  simili  mentis  vitio 
nonnunquam  laborante,  contractam  reputant  labeculam."     Ibid.  p.  36. 

(4)  There  is  a  History  of  Eric  XIV.  by  Olaf  Celsius;  and  the  works  of  Loccenius  and 
Messcnius  may  be  referred  to :  but  the  accounts  of  the  Swedish  history,  at  this  period, 
are,  for  the  most  part,  jejune. 

(5)  Puffendorf  ascribes  the  chief  part  of  Eric's  bad  conduct  to  the  evil  counsels  of  one 
Peerson,  his  favourite.  His  secretary,  Helsing,  endeavouring  to  put  himself  upon  his 
guard  against  following  Peerson's  advice,  was  stabbed  by  the  king  with  his  own  hand. — 
Hist,  de  Suede,  tome  I.  p.  438.    Amst.  J 743. 

(6)  "Erat  CATHARiNAhumili  admodum  genere  propagata, utpote  filia  cujusdam  Magni, 
agricolis  nati  parentibus,  in  Medelpadia,  qui  decurionis  nactus  officium,  inter  praesidiarios 

castri 


410 


ABO. 


chap.  xr.  her ;  and,  being  struck  by  her  beauty,  had  her  brought  to  the 
palace  ;  where  she  was  taken  into  the  service,  and  brought  up 
under  the  auspices,  of  his  sister,  the  Princess  Elizabeth1.  As 
she  grew  up,  he  fell  so  desperately  in  love  with  her,  that  she 
was  suspected,  by  the  people  of  that  age,  of  having  given  to 
him  a  love-potion1.  After  his  deposition,  little  is  known 
either  of  her  or  of  his  history,  except  that  his  own  sufferings 
were  in  some  degree  proportioned  to  his  enormous  offences. 
Among  the  different  dungeons  in  which  he  was  confined,  he 
was  for  some  time  incarcerated  in  Abo-hus,  a  fortress  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  upon  which  Abo  is  situate3 :  and  there  is 

o 

a  record  of  her  death   and  burial  at  Abo,  a.d.  1612,  in  the 
valuable  works   of  Messenius* ;   the  only  allusion,  perhaps, 

made 


castri  Stocholmensis  milites,  e6  migravit,  ubi  filia  tenuem  parentum  sustentationem 
quopiam  simullucello  alleviatura,  in  foro  nucesescario  habuit  venales." — Chronol.  Scond. 
aptid  Messer.ium,  torn.  VI.  p.  36.    Siockk.  IfOG. 

(1)  "  In  Gynecaeo  deinceps  principis  EUzabethcel'iberallter  profecto  educabatur."  Ibid. 

(2)  u  Quamquam  nonnulli  existiment,  quodam  regem  Ericum  philtro  a  Catharind 
propinato,  imprimis  usque  amantem  ipsius  evasisse,  et  posted redditum  inde  amentem." 
Ibid. 

(3) tc  The  castle,  in  the  language  of  the  country  called  Abo-Ms,  is  situated  at  the 
north  of  the  river  Aura,  upon  a  cape  bounded  on  three  sides  by  the  water.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  antient  fortresses  of  the  land.  It  was  well  fortified  under  the  kings  Albrecht, 
Charles  VIII.,  Knutson,  and  Gustavus  Vasa.  Besides  four  towers,  which  were  destined 
to  oppose  the  approach  of  an  enemy  to  the  harbour,  it  had  on  the  south  side  a  high 
wall,  with  a  triple  rampart  of  earth,  and  a  double  ditch.  A  new  building  has  been 
added  to  the  old  structure,  but  in  a  different  style  of  masonry.  Abo-hus  was  the 
residence  of  Duke  John,  and  the  prison  of  Eric  XIV.  in  the  sixteenth  century." — 
AcerMs  Travels,  vol.1,  p.  214.    Land.  1802. 

(4)  "  mdcxii.  Catharina,  regis  Erici  vidua,  hoc  tempore  clausit  vitae  periodum, 
Abogi.k  sepulta." — Epitome  Chronol.  Scond.  apudMessen.  ed.  Peringskibld,  torn.  XV. 
p.  156.     Stockholm,  1703. 


ABO. 


417 


made  to  her  in  history,  after  her  husband's  dethronement,   chap.  xi. 
which  happened    forty-four  years  before,  on  the  28th  of 
September  1568. 

In  a  room  adjoining  the  Sacristy  are  huddled  together  all 
the  images  and  symbols  of  superstitious  mummery,  which 
belonged  to  the  Cathedral  when  it  was  a  place  of  Roman- 
Catholic  worship ; —  doubtless,  therefore,  before  the  whole- 
length  portraits   of  Luther  and    Melancthon    adorned   this  Portraits  of 

.i  ..  i  •    i  «i  i        •   i  rrn  Luther  and 

building,  which  are  now  seen  in  the  principal  aisle.     That  Melancthon. 
of  Luther  has  this  inscription  : 

DOCTOR  MARTINUS  LUTHERUS  VIVIT. 
PESTIS  ERAM  VIVUS 
MORIENS  ERO  MORS 
TUA  PAPA. 

1684. 
Upon  that  of  Melancthon  are  these  words : 

MAGISTER  FHILIFPUS  MELANCTHON. 
ROM.  VIII.  31. — SI  DEUS  PRO  NOBIS,  QUIS  CONTRA  NOS? 
ANNO  1684. 


Over  one  of  the  doors  is  a  gilded  wooden  image  of  St.  *™ase  °f 
Henry  the  Martyr ;  which  the  reforming  Iconoclasts  have  Martvr- 
suffered  to  remain  in  its  original  position,  as  being  the 
effigy  of  the  Patron  Saint  of  Finland,  the  first  preacher  of  the 
Gospel  in  this  country.  In  former  times,  such  was  the  reve- 
rence entertained  with  respect  to  this  image,  that  it  was  only 
exhibited  upon  days  of  public  festivity.  The  old  shrine 
which  inclosed  it  still  remains,  together  with  the  doors  once 

vol.  vi.  3  h  folded 


HI 


418  ABO. 

chap.  xi.  folded  over  it.  Many  things  within  this  venerable  pile  serve 
to  call  to  mind  the  desolating  hand  of  war,  which  has  so 
often  ravaged  this  part  of  Finland.  From  its  very  situation, 
Abo  will  always  be  liable  to  commotion,  so  long  as  the  pos- 
session of  the  rich  corn  territories,  the  forests,  and  lakes  of 
Finland,  may  invite  a  struggle  between  the  contending 
interests  of  Sweden  and  Russia.  Accordingly,  the  memorials 
of  those  warriors  who  have  fallen  in  these  struggles  are  the 
first  things  to  strike  a  spectator  in  his  visit  to  the  Cathedral. 
Swords,  with  crape-covered  handles,  are  seen  suspended 
from  the  walls  ;  and  many  a  long  wordy  legend,  upon  the 
tombs  by  which  he  is  surrounded,  speak 

"  Tales  of  iron  wars ; 


Of  sallies  and  retires ;  of  trenches,  tents, 

Of  palisadoes,  frontiers,  parapets  ; 

Of  basilisks,  of  cannon,  culverin ; 

Of  prisoners'  ransom,  and  of  soldiers  slain, 

And  all  the  currents  of  a  heady  fight." 

It  would  far  exceed  the  limits  of  a  traveller's  journal  to  notice 
all  the  other  monuments  in  this  Cathedral,  and  to  copy  their 
inscriptions.  Some  of  them,  however,  are  well  worthy  of 
notice  ;  especially  one  of  black  marble,  representing,  upon  a 
triclinium,  the  sculptured  cumbent  effigies  of  a  warrior  and 
chapei of  his  wife1.  The  most  antient  monument  in  the  Cathedral 
o/awr,  *hpP  ^  ^e  gepulchral  Chapel,  erected,  as  the  inscription  tells,  by 

Olaus, 


(l)  Thorsten  Stahlhandsk,  and  Christina  Horn. 


ABO. 


41.9 


Olaus,  a  Bishop  of  Abo,  in  1425  ;  who  lies  buried  here  with   chap.  xj. 
the  members  of  his  family.     This  is  the  inscription  : — 
9hmo  ■£):  m  mcbr,ri>  3Jtogmt$  Clai  e  :  pits  fecit  fieri 

The  account  of  his  death  is  also  preserved  in  the  following 
inscription,  upon  a  brass  plate  : 

ANNO  DOMINI    M.CCCC.LII.    DIE  IX.  MENSIS    MARTII  OBIIT 
REVERENDUS  IN  CHRISTO  PATER    ET  DOMINUS,  D  :  NUS    MAGNUS 
D.  G.    EPISCOPUS  ABOENSIS,    HUJUS    CAPELL.E    FUNDATOR, 
QUI   SEDIT    ANNOS    QUADRAGINTA. 

Then,  upon  the  same  plate,  follows  : 

ANNO    DOMINI    M.CD.LX.    DIE  XXIV.    MENSIS    FEBR.  OBIIT 

REVERENDUS    IN    CHRISTO    PATER      AC    DOMINUS    OLAVUS,    D.  G. 

EPISCOPUS     ABOENSIS. 

ORATE    PRO    ISTIS    ET    CETERIS    CHRISTI    FIDELIBUS, 

UT    REQUIEM    HABEANT    CUM    BEATIS. 

Ail  these  had  the  addition  Tavast  to  their  names,  as  a 
surname  ;  the  first  being  called  Magnus  Olaus  Tavast;  and 
the  second,  Olaus  Henricus  Tavast,  who  is  mentioned  in  the 
Chronicle  of  Juustcnius  as  having  instituted   an    altar  and 

o 

mass  in  the  Cathedral  of  Abo,  in  honour  of  the  Eleven  Thou- 
sand  Virgins.  We  were  also  shewn  an  inscription  comme- 
morating a  warrior  of  the  same  family,  by  the  name  simply 
of  Olaus  Tavast,  who  was  also  buried  here:4 

ANNO    DOMINI      M.CCCC.LXI.     CRASTINO    F:l    PETRI   DE   CATHEDRA 
XOBIL.  V1R  OLAVUS  TAVAST,  MILES    HOC  OBIIT:    ORATE   PRO  EO. 

And 

(2)  This  Inscription  is  no  longer  in  the  Cathedral.      A  copy  of  it  was  given  to  me  by 
Professor  Porthan. 


■ 


420 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  And  formerly  were  seen  here  the  marble  effigy  and  cenotaph 
Monument     of  Samuel  Cockburne,  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  Swedish  service,  who 

of  a  Scotch 

officer.  fought  under  Charles  the  Ninth  and  Gust  amis  Adolphus ;  the 
latter  of  whom  honoured  the  funeral  of  this  brave  officer 
with  his  royal  presence,  being  at  that  time  in  Finland.  The 
place  of  this  effigy  was  pointed  out  to  us,  as  being  now  con- 
cealed by  another  tomb.     The  inscription  however  remains. 


University 
Library. 


D.  SAMUELI  C0CKBURN0  SCOTO,  DUCl  FORTISSIMO,  DUORUM 
EXERCITUUM  CHILIARCHJS  PRjESTANTISSIMO,  TOTIUSQUE  SVECICI 
EXERCITUS  SUMMO  MAJORI,  QUI  POSTQUAM  MUSARUM  CASTRA 
CUM  LAUDE  SECUTUS  ESSET,  IN  BELLO  SUB  AUGUSTISSIMIS  CAROLO 
ET  GUSTAVO  ADOLPHO  SVEC.  GOTH.  VANDAL.  REGIBUS  FOZLICITER 
VIXIT  ANNOS  XXIII,  ET  PIE  IN  PACE  MORTUUS  EST  ANN.  JETATIS  SU A 

XLVII,  CHRISTI  MDCXXI.     JOAN.   FRATER  MOZRENS  POSUIT. 
"  COCKBURNE      VIXTI      FORTIS,      AST      OBIS      FERUS,      MARTEM      ET 
MINERVAM    TECUM    QUI    CONDIS     UNO     IN     SEPULCHRO,     QUO    NON 
SCOTI  TRISTIUS,  SVECI  AUT  VIDEBUNT,  NEC  POLONI  L^TIUS." 

We  have  now  noticed  whatever  appeared  to  us  to  be  the 
most  remarkable  objects  of  curiosity  in  this  building.  There 
are,  it  is  true,  various  other  sepulchres  of  bishops  and  war- 
riors, the  former  saints  and  heroes  of  the  country ;  men 
famous  in  their  generations :  but  their  names  hardly  now 
remain  to  swell  the  catalogue  of  the  verger  or  sexton  who 
conducts  strangers  visiting  the  structure.  One  thing  more 
remains  to  be  described.  At  the  western  extremity  of  the 
Cathedral,  and  within  its  walls,  is  the  Library  of  the  Uni- 
versity ;  to  which  our  attention  will  now  be  entirely  directed. 
An  account  of  it,  written  by  Professor  Porthan,  was  printed 
at  Abo,  in  the  form  and  manner  we  have  before  mentioned, 

as 


^H 


ABO. 


421 


as  adopted  by  him  for  the  publication  of  his  works  ■ .     The  chap.  xi. 
collection  is  contained  in  three  rooms,  and  the  books  are  in 
excellent  order. 

The  establishment  of  this  Library  dates  nearly  with  the 
foundation  of  the  University*,  in  1640,  under  the  minority  of 
Christina,  daughter  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  succeeded  to 
the  throne  of  Sweden  at  the  age  of  six  years,  upon  the 
death  of  her  father  at  the  battle  of  Lutzen3.  The  whole 
collection  of  books  amounts  to  1 0,000  volumes,  and  the  annual 
revenue  of  the  Library  does  not  exceed  120  rix-dollars.  There 
are  few  things  in  this  Library  of  any  general  importance : 

but 


(1)  "  Historia  Bibliotheca;  R.  Academics  Aboensis,  disputationibus  publicis  xxm. 
A.  1771—1787-  proposita,  ab  Henrico  Gabriele  Porthan,  Eloqu.Prof.  R.  &  0.  Aboce, 
Typis  Frenckellianis."  This  work  the  author  has  also  deposited  in  the  University  Library 
at  Cambridge. 

(2)  Many  writers,  and,  among  others,  the  authors  of  the  Voyage  de  Deux  Francais, 
hare  mentioned  that  the  Library  and  University  were  founded  at  the  same  time :  but 
this  is  not  strictly  true.  "  Condita  hie  An.  Dn.  1640.  felicibus  auspiciis,  favore  Reginae, 
Litterarum  amantissimae,  &c.  celebri  Christinaea  Academia  {confer,  ut  cceteros  multos 
taceam,Wexion\i  Natales  Academics  Aboensis,  et  Bilmark,  Hist.  Acad.  A°boensis  1.  c.  <S  3.) 
mox  desiderabatur,  Musis  recens  hue  translatis,  voluptatem,  usum,  suppetiasque  praebi 
tura  Bibliotheca  bene  instructa  j"  &c.  observes  Professor  Porthan ;  but  he  afterwards 
adds,  "  Tradunt  viri  de  Historia  Patriae  summis  meritis  clarissimi,  Reginam  idcirco 
statim  post  conditam  Academiam,  Bibliothecam  quoque  hie  fundasse  regalique  mactasse 
munificentia :  sed  haec  verba  stricte  nimis  non  sunt  interpretanda ;  nihil  enim  primis  sex 
annis  nova  Academia  accepit,  liberalitate  Regiaj  librorum,"  &c.  Fide  Hist.  Biblioth 
Acad.  &c.  p.  10. 

(3)  Upon  the  26th  of  November,  1632.  Puffendorf  suspected  that  this  great  and  good 
king  was  assassinated  by  Francois  Albert,  Duke  of  Saxe-Lauwenbourg ,-  an  opinion 
warmly  contested  by  his  French  Editor  (see  torn.  II.  p.  259,  Note{\),  Amst.  1743). 
The  words  of  Puffendorf  are:  "  On  parte  fort  diversement  de  la  maniere  dont  il  fut 
tue.  Cependant,  par  les  circonstances  on  peutjuger  avec  beaucoup  de  vraisemblance,  que 
dans  la  confusion  le  meme  Due  de  Saxe-Lauwenbourg  lui  donna  le  coup  par  derriere." 


422 


ABO. 


Manuscripts. 


chai\xl   but   when  we   consider  the    situation  in    which  they  are 
placed,  we  cannot  pass  by  the  notice  of  those  Codices  which 

o 

the  Abo  Professors  regard  as  its  most  valuable  ornaments ; 
especially  as  the  increasing  power  and  obvious  views  of  such 
dangerous  neighbours  as  the  Russians  render  it  very  doubtful 
whether  any  traces  of  them  may  long  remain.  A  Catalogue 
raisonne  of  the  Manuscripts  will  be  found  in  Professor 
Porthans  History  of  this  Library1.  We  shall  of  course 
notice  only  the  most  remarkable. 

1 .  The  first  is  a  Greek  MS.,  in  folio,  of  Aetius,  a  Greek 
physician2. — It  is  fairly  written  upon  paper;  and  con- 
tains the  8th,  gth,  loth,  nth,  12th,  and  1 3th  books  of  this 
author ;  of  whose  writings  only  the  eighth,  and  some  chapters 
of  the  ninth  book,  have  hitherto  been  published  in  the 
original  Greek. 

2.  A  MS.  of  Seneca,  elegantly  written  upon  vellum,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

3.  A  folio  MS.  o[  Ciceru  etc  Oraiure,  elegantly  but  inaccu- 
rately written  upon  paper,  at  Bologna,  in  the  year  1451. 

4.  A  folio  MS.  of  Ciceroys  Orations,  negligently  written 
upon  vellum. 

5.  A  folio  MS.  upon  vellum,  elegantly  written,  of  Petrarch 
and  Boccaces  Lives  of  Illustrious  Men  and  Women. 

6.  A    fine    folio  MS.,   upon    vellum,    of  Justinian,    with 

copious 


(1)  See  Hist.  Bildloth-  Acad,  /ibo'snsis,  as  before  cited. 

(2)  AETIOT  'AvTiov':ct>s   icnpov  7?'.*;   outyveariatf  xcti   iipcfxiicH;  rav  vaa-^uxTivi/,  Xoyot  i£.  'Jcon 
tut  {.i*}  vrrn  vtTSrvTFOumt. 


ABO. 


423 


copious   marginal  annotations,   beautifully  written,    and    in 
high  preservation. 

7.  Peter  Olaus,  his  Chronicle  of  the  Kings  of  Sweden,  a 
folio  MS.,  fairly  written,  upon  paper,  in  the  Swedish 
language. 

There  are,  in  all,  eighty-six  volumes  of  Manuscripts  :  but  the 
list  includes  Missals,  Bibles,  Kordns,  and  a  few  other  Oriental 
Manuscripts,  together  with  many  curious  Codices  which  relate 
to  Swedish  and  Russian  history.  There  is  also  a  Map  of  Japan, 
given  to  the  Library  by  Count  Alric  Scheffer,  which  Porthan 
calls  "  varum  Bibliothecce  nostrce  cimelium*"  The  authors 
of  the  Voyage  de  Deux  Prancais,  by  whom  none  of  these 
Codices  were  noticed,  mention  only  one  manuscript,  in  their 
short  account  of  this  Library  :  and  although  we  give  them 
full  credit  for  their  statement,  it  so  happened  that  we  did  not 
see  the  work  to  which  they  allude4. 

Among  the  Typographical  Rarities,  we  saw  only  the  fol- 
lowing as  worthy  of  the  smallest  notice : 

1.  Terentius.     Argent.  1496.    folio,  cum  fig. 

2.  Cicero,  Quaest.  Tuscul.  cum  comment.  Phil.  Beroaldi. 
Venet.  fol.  1499. 

3.  Horatii  Placci  Opera,  cum  annotat.  imaginibusque. 
Argent,  fol.  1498. 

4.  Persius. 


CHAP.  XL 


Typographi- 
cal llarities. 


(3)  Hist.  Bibliolh.  p.  214. 

(4)"  On  nous  y  a  montre  un  Manuscrit  in  folio,  de  1341  pages  ;  intitule  :  Proces-verlal 
(Tune  commission  nominee  in  1676,  et  sentences  qui  ont  ete  prononcees  sur  des  malefices  et 
des  magiciennes,  ecrit  en  Suedois,  de  la  main  d  Andre  Engman,  notaire  de  la  dile  commis- 
sion: il  manque  quelques  feuilles  au  commencement."— Voyage  de  Deux  Franfais,  dans 
le  Nord  de  I' Europe.     Tome  II.  p.  510.     a  Paris,  1796. 


424 


CHAP.  XI. 


ABO. 

4.  Persius.   Venet.  fol.  14Q5. 

5.  Juvenalis  Satyr  ce.    Venet.   fol.  1494. 

6.  Seneca.    Venet.  fol.  1492. 

7.  M.  Fabii  Ouintiliani  Orat.  Institut.  LibriXIl.  sine  anno 
et  loco  editionis.  Fol.  Literae  initiales  adpictae  sunt,  et 
quaeidam  auro  ornatae. 

8.  Julii  Firmici  Astronomicorum  Libri  XIII.  &c.  Venet. 
fol.     in   aedibus  Aldi,  1499. 

9.  Boethius.     Colon,    fol.  1482. 

10.  Plotinus.     Florent.     fol.  1492. 

1 1 .  Dialogus  Creaturarum  Moralizatus,  4to. ' 

12.  Missale  Obense.  Lubeck,  1588,  with  wood-cuts.  Of 
this  work  only  two  copies  are  extant.  The  other  is  at  Upsala, 
and  is  not  perfect. 

Besides  these,  there  are  some  curious  Latin  Bibles,  printed 
in  the  fifteenth  century;  and  many  others  with  dates  prior  to 
the  year  1500,     Among  them  we  observed  a  copy  of  JEsop, 

in 


(l)  The  first  work  printed  in  Sweden.  They  shew  another  copy  of  it  at  Upsala,  as 
we  before  noticed*.  Concerning  this  volume,  Professor  Porthan,  in  his  History  of  the 
Library*,  remarks :  "  Quoniam  laesum  est  hoc  exemplum  (figuris  rudissimis,  coloribus 
etiam  allinitis,  ornare  opus  editor  voluit),  et  ultima  imprimis  folia  desunt,  non  possumus 
certo  quidem  hactenus  definire,  (quod  alias  editiones  cum  hac  [comparandi  non  fuit 
potestas,)  utrum  editio  sit  Stockholmensis  a  Joh.  Snell  impressa,  an  ea  antiquior  Colo- 
niensis  a.  1481,  industria  et  impensis  Conradi  de  Hombroch  e  prelo  emissa:  sed  pro 
Stockholmensi  tamen  potius  habendam  putamus."  At  the  end  of  the  volume,  however, 
we  found  this  manuscript  note  :  "  In  pagina  ultima  haec  leguntur  verba.  Praes. 
(Praesens)  liber.  Dialogus  Creaturarum  appellatus  jocundis  fabulis  plenus  5  impressus  per 
Johannem  Snell,  artis  impressoriae  magistrum — in  Stockholm  inceptus,  et  munere  Dei 
finitus  est.   Anno  Domini  1.4.8.3.    Mensis  Decembris." 


Hist.  Biblioth.  p.  226.  Note  (d). 


ABO. 


425 


in  large  octavo,  with  the  date  1490  ;  but  no  mention  made  charxi. 
of  the  place  where  it  was  printed.  We  saw  also  some 
curious  old  books  of  Travels  to  the  Holy  Land  and  other 
Eastern  Countries,  from  the  Venetian  Press,  dated  1518,  and 
151Q,  and  in  the  Italian  language.  This  Library  is  well  stocked 
with  good  editions  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Classics,  with 
the  Writings  of  the  Father,  books  of  Jurisprudence,  books 
of  Natural  History  (including  the  famous  Danish  work  on 
Shells,  the  Flora  Danica,  and  most  of  our  best  Writers  upon 
this  subject),  Medicine,  the  Mathematics,  Geography,  History, 
Antiquities,  Voyages,  and  Books  of  Travels,  &c.&c.  A  few  other 
English  Authors  caught  our  attention,  as  almost  tempting 
us  to  inquire  by  what  accident  they  came  there.  Among 
them  we  saw  Bacon  s  History  of  Henry  VII. ;  Camden  s  Queen 
Elizabeth  ;  Rapins  History  of  England ;  Carrington  s  Life 
and  Death  of  Oliver  Cromivell ;  History  of  Charles  the  Second, 
by  a  person  of  quality  ;  Wallace  s  Account  of  the  Orkney  Isles  ; 
Martin  s  Western  Islands  of  Scotland ;  &c.  &c.  A  volume  of 
Sacred  Songs,  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  Churches  in 
Lapland,  and  printed  in  the  Swedish  language,  in  octavo,  at 
Stockholm,in  l6l9,will  shew,  by  its  title,  how  very  nearly  allied 
the  languages  are  of  England  and  Sweden,  in  many  instances. 
It  was  called,  "  En  liten  Sangebok" — a  little  Song  Book. 
With  these  few  observations,  perhaps,  the  Reader  will  have 
as  much  information  as  he  may  wish  to  possess,  respecting 
the  Public  Library  of  this  University :  but  if  he  should 
be  anxious  for  more,  it  may  be  afforded  him,  by  reference  to 
a  quarto  volume,  written  upon  this  subject  alone,  by  the 
vol.  vi.  3  1  celebrated 


426 


ABO. 


Public 

fctlLficeS 


Tkvatrum 
Amdtmicum. 


chap.  xi.   celebrated    Professor    who   so  kindly    assisted    us    in    our 
own  researches1. 

The  principal  public  edifices  of  the  University  are  most 
curiously  made  a  part  of  the  Cathedral ;  being  situate  within 
its  walls.  Besides  the  Library  now  described,  pursuing  the 
same  wall,  we  came  to  the  Anatomical  Schools  (Theatrum 
Anatomicum),  and  the  Public  Auditory,  or  Chamber,  in  which 

Disputations,  the  Disputations  are  held.  It  was  intended  that,  in  the 
ensuing  spring,  a  handsome  building  should  be  erected,  for 
the  purpose  of  containing  the  Library,  and  all  other  Collec- 
tions belonging  to  the  University.  A  plan  for  the  form  of 
this  new  structure  was  shewn  to  us :  it  was  to  consist  of  a 
front  with  two  wings,  disposed  according  to  the  three  sides 
of  a  parallelogram,  in  this   manner: 


l'rof.  Gadolin, 


Front  for  the  Library- 


in    the    side  wings  were  to   be    Public  Lecture  rooms,    and 
Repositories  for  Cabinets  of  Natural  History,  &c. 

Being  afterwards  introduced  to  the  celebrated  Professor  of 
Chemistry,  John  Gadolin,  he  had  the  kindness  to  shew  to 
us  the  collection  of  Minerals  belonging  to  the  University. 
We  have  before  mentioned  the  neglect  visible  in  other 
national  collections  of  mineralogy  belonging  to  Sweden;  and 

there 


(1)  See  Professor  Portharia  Work,  as  before  cited. 


H 


ABO. 


427 


there  is  nothing  in  this  to  exempt  it  from  the  remarks  we   cHAr.xi. 
then  made.     The  Professor  who  has  the  care  of  it,  a  man  of  collection  »f 

"Minerals. 

great  and  renowned  talents,  has  done  all  he  could  for  its 
improvement ;    but  it  is,  after  all,  a  wretched  heap  of  trash. 
The  most  remarkable  specimens  which  we  saw  in  this  col- 
lection, were,  a  mass  of  the  famous  Siberian  Iron,  supposed 
to  be  meteoric,  discovered  by  Pallas  near  the  banks  of  the 
river  Jenisci ;  and  some  fine  examples  of  the  curious  mineral 
which  bears  Professor  Gadolins  own   name,  and  in  which 
he  discovered  the  remarkable  substance  called  Yttria.    Some 
specimens  of  the  Gadolimtc  were  said  by   him    to  contain 
as  much  as  forty  per  cent,  of  Yttria*.     Perhaps  there  may 
have  been,  in  this  collection,   other  minerals  worth  notice  ; 
but  the  quantity  of  useless  lumber  with  which  we  found  it 
encumbered,  and   the  want  of  a  proper  arrangement,  pre- 
vented our  further  examination  of  its  contents. 

The  collection  of  Botany,  under  the  care  and  superin- 
tendence of  Professor  Hellenius,  was  very  differently  charac- 
terized. It  is  by  far  the  most  perfect  thing  of  its  kind  in 
S?veden,  not  excepting  that  at  Upsala,  both  with  regard  to 
the  rarity  and  number  of  the  plants,  and  the  beautiful  and 
lucid  order  in  which  they  are  kept  and  arranged.  In  looking 
over  the  Catalogue,  we  wrere  surprised  to  find  an  addition 
made  to  every  genus;  containing,  in  some  instances,  twenty 
or  thirty   non-descript  plants,    hitherto   undetermined,  and 

therefore 


Professor 
HelUnius. 


(2)  Professor  Gadolin,  at  this  time,  estimated  the  proportion  of  Yttria  as  equal  to 
two-fifths  of  the  mass ;  but,  according  to  Eketerg's  analysis  of  Gadolinite,  some  varieties 
of  it  contains  55.5  of  Yttria,  besides  4.5  ot'G/ucina. 


428 


ABO. 


tlen. 


cmap.  xi.  therefore  anonymous.  The  Professor  himself  conducted  us 
Botanic  (Jar-  to  the  Botanic  Garden,  which  we  found  to  be  small,  but  in 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  In  the  green-houses, we  saw 
some  plants  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  were  in 
flower,  and  as  healthy  as  if  they  had  been  growing  in  their 
proper  soil.  A  visit  to  this  garden  is  sufficient  to  shew 
the  lovers  of  botany  what  may  be  accomplished  by  economy 
and  talents.  The  annual  fund  for  its  support  did  not  exceed 
thirty  pounds  of  our  money ;  but  in  its  produce,  and  in 
all  things  necessary  for  the  advancement  of  botanical  studies, 

Q 

especially  in  the  genius  and  abilities  of  its  Professor,  Abo, 
little  as  it  is  known  in  the  world  at  large,  may  vie  with  the 
most  celebrated  Universities.  One  circumstance,  mentioned 
to  us  by  the  Professor,  seemed  very  unaccountable  ;  namely, 
the  difficulty  of  rearing  the  Lapland  plants.  Very  few 
plants  brought  from  that  country  will  flourish  here  ;  and 
yet  the  climate  and  soil  seem  nearly  allied  to  those  of  the 
Arctic  regions.  It  is  further  remarkable,  that  with  the 
Siberian  plants  they  have  no  difficulty  whatsoever.  In 
England,  we  experienced  the  difficulty  of  rearing  plants  from 
seeds  collected  in  Lapland;  but  the  great  difference  of  cli- 
mate and  soil  may  explain  the  cause1. 

After 


(l)  All  the  attempts  made  to  rear  the  different  species  of  Lapland  Pedicularis,  in  the 
Botanic  Garden  at  Camvridge,weve  without  success.  The  seed  of  the  Pedicularis  Sceptrum 
Curolinum,  which  we  collected  in  a  mature  state,  and  forwarded,  for  greater  expedition, 
in  letters  to  England,  did  not  afterwards  germinate.  Yet  we  have  seen  this  majestic 
plant,  in  the  north  of  Sweden,  bearing  its  exuberant  blossoms,  and  flourishing,  to  the 
height  of  four  feet  and  a  half,  in  meadows  far  south  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  In  Norway,  it 
never  attains  this  altitude :  it  is  there  always  in  such  a  dwarfish  state,  as  to  make  it 
appear  like  a  different  species. 


ABO. 


429 


After  this  visit  to  the  Botanic  Garden,  Professor  Hellenius  chap.  xi. 
shewed  to  us  his  Library,  and  private   collection  of  Natural  HeiuZu^ 
History.     His  ornithological  cabinet  afforded  us  a  very  gra-  kafons.  ° 
tifying  sight,  as  it  contained  all  the  rarer  birds  of  Scandinavia, 
in  excellent  preservation ;   and  among  these  especially,  the 
birds    of  Lapland,   which   are   not    common  even    in    that 
country.      The  Turdus  Rosens  is  of  this  number;    it   might 
be  called  the  red-breasted  Blackbird.  The  Swedish  naturalists 
consider  it  as   an  American   bird,  which  only  occasionally 
visits  Lapland  and  Finmark.     The  Corvus  Lapponicus,  resem- 
bling a  small  Magpie,  is  also  a  rare  bird.    There  is  an  account 
of  it  by  Thunberg,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Academy  of  Stock- 
holm.     Another  very  remarkable  bird  is  the  Scolopax  Glottis, 
or  great  dark-coloured  Woodcock,  with  a  very  long  beak,  the 
lower  half  of  which  is  red  :  also  the  Fringilla  Lapponica :  and, 
beyond  every  other  in  the  beauty  of  its  plumage  and  sweetness 
and  infinite  variety  of  its  notes,  the  Motacilla  Suecica,  called 
Hundred-tuner,  or  Saddan  Kicllinen,  by  the  Lapps,  which  is 
seen    perching   on  the   Betula   nana,   and    making   its    nest 
among  the  moss,  where   it  deposits  five   or  six   eggs  of  a 
greenish    hue.     Its   brilliant  plumage   bids   defiance   to  the 
pencil  of  the  artist.     We  preserved  one  of  them  ;  which,  for 
this  reason,  we  have  not  figured  in  this  work,  being  dissatis- 
fied with  the  drawings  made  of  it.     Its  feathers  are  of  a 
lively  Turquoise  blue  colour,  bordered  about  the  throat  with 
black,   which   passes    into  a  reddish  grey.     It  feeds   upon 
caterpillars,  and  other  small  insects   and  worms.     There  are 
above  an  hundred   different  species   of  birds  found  in  the 

o  o 

neighbourhood  of  Abo,  and   in   the  Aland  Isles.     Many  of 

these, 


430 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  these,  of  course,  are  sea-fowl.  They  have  four  different 
kinds  of  Gulls,  together  with  the  Colymbus  and  the  Pelican, 
the  Eider-duck,  and  twelve  or  fourteen  other  species  of  Anas. 
In  our  frequent  conversations  with  Hellenius, — and  we  saw 
him  daily  during  the  time  of  our  short  residence  in  Abo, — we 
knew  not  which  to  admire  most ;  his  polished  and  friendly 
manners,  open,  generous,  and  hospitable;  or  the  extent  and 
variety  of  his  mental  accomplishments,  which  made  us  con- 
sider him  as  one  of  the  best-informed  scholars  of  his  country. 
Indeed,  we  saw  enough  in  this  University  to  be  convinced 
that  Upsala,  although  more  celebrated,  could  not  justly  be 
compared  with  it.  But  the  opinion  which  foreigners  enter- 
Comparative  tain  of  the  merits  of  the  Swedish  Universities,  is  generally 
tL  two  uni.   formed  from  conversing  with  the  Swedes  in  Stockholm,  where 

versities,  Up- 

tola  and  Jbo.  Abo  is  almost  as  little  known  as  it  is  in  London.  Consequently, 
if  in  the  literary  circles  of  Stockholm  any  mention  is  made  of 
Abo,  the  Sivedes  fancy  that  you  are  unmindful  of  the  superior 
advantages  of  Upsala,  whose  pride  and  high-mindedness 
carries  all  before  it ;  yet  this  boasted  superiority  exists  only  in 
prejudice  and  imagination  :  in  point  of  real  science,  Abo  is  as 
much  superior  to  Upsala,  as  the  latter  is  before  the  Univer- 
sity of  Lund.  But  if  this  declaration  were  made  among  the 
Swedes  of  the  metropolis,  it  would  give  rise  to  considerable 
opposition  and  warmth  of  debate  ;  because,  in  Stockholm,  the 
same  notions  are  entertained  with  regard  to  the  Finland  Uni- 
versity, that  Englishmen  entertain  respecting  the  Univer- 
sities of  Dublin  and  Edinburgh,  when  compared  with  Cain- 
bridge  and  Oxford:  they  will  not  suffer  them  to  be  weighed 
together  in  the  same  scale.     Travellers,   however,   viewing 

with 


-ABO. 


431 


with  impartial  eyes  their  comparative  merits,  soon  learn  chap.  xi. 
to  disregard  local  prejudices.  Judging  of  the  tree  by  its 
fruits,  they  will  render  to  merit  the  just  tribute  which  is  due 
to  merit :  and  in  so  doing,  it  must  be  confessed  that,  at  this 
time,  Abo  had  the  superiority.  At  Upsala,  science  was 
made  a  matter  of  conversation ;  at  Abo,  it  was  a  subject  of 
real  and  industrious  research:  but  Upsala  possessed  the 
means  of  giving  notoriety  and  celebrity  to  any  the  most 
trivial  contribution  which  it  made  to  the  interests  of  science  ; 
whereas  the  facilities  of  common  communication  with  the  lite- 
rary  world  were  wholly  denied  to  Abo.  The  former,  it  is  true, 
boasted  the  names  of  Thunberg1,  and  of  the  two  brothers 
Afzelius2;  to  which  has  since  been  added  that  of  an  illustrious 

o 

chemist,  in  Berzelius ;  but  Abo  was  at  this  time  honoured  by  its 
historian  Porthan,  by  its  poet  Frantzen,  by  its  chemist 
Gadolin,  and  by  its  botanist  Hellenius ;  men  who  in  any 
University  would  have  made  a  distinguished  figure,  and 
would  have  been  regarded  among  its  brightest  ornaments. 

The  different  state  of  public  morals,  too,  was  strikingly  con- 

...  ° 

spicuous    in   the  two  Universities   of  Upsala  and  Abo.     In 

Upsala,  drunkenness  and  riot  pervadedher  streets  ;  and  licen- 
tiousness and  Jacobinism  bad  found  their  way  into  her 
cellars,  which  were  nightly  the  resort,  and  indeed  the  only 

o 

public  place  of  meeting,  for  her  students.  In  Abo,  although 
a  town  of  greater  magnitude,   containing  a  more   numerous 

population, 


(1)  Author  of  Travels  in  Japan,  &c.  &c. ;  successor  of  Linnceus. 

(2)  John  Afzelius,  Professor  of  Chemistry;  and  his  brother,  Adam  Afzelius,  celebrated 
for  his  foreign  travels  and  talents  in  Natural  History,  especally  in  Botany. 


\m 


ABO. 


chap.  xi.  population,  peace  and  decent  order  everywhere  prevailed. 
We  saw  no  symptoms  of  that  looseness  of  discipline  and 
contempt  of  decorum  which  are  so  common  in  Upsala. 
Among  its  inhabitants,  a  milder  disposition  seemed  to  pre- 
vail ;  chiefly,  perhaps,  owing  to  the  absence  of  those  French 
principles,  which  had  been  disseminated  with  fatal  success, 
to  poison  and  debase  the  minds  both  of  Students  and  Pro- 
fessors in  Upsala,  as  among  persons  of  all  ages  in  Stockholm. 
In  Abo,  the  older  Swedish  manners  and  customs  were  pre- 
valent, not  having  been  yet  liable  to  such  mischievous  inno- 
vations :  a  love  of  truth,  and  a  sincere  ardour  in  the  pursuit 
of  science,  seemed  to  be  the  natural  growth  of  the  place, 
where  the  force  of  good  example  was  added  to  precept. 
Upsala,  among  the  youth  of  the  country,  might  be  deemed, 
as  doubtless  it  was,  the  most  fashionable  seminary  of  educa- 
tion ;  but  a  parent,  who  had  the  opportunities  of  information 
and  choice  respecting  both,  would  not  long  hesitate  in  which  to 
place  his  son.  Not,  however,thal  there  is  any  thing  of  austerity 
in  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants.  The  principal  of  them  are 
merchants,  living  in  a  very  elegant  style.  One  of  them,  to 
whom  we  were  introduced,  a  Mr.  Bremer,  had  travelled  over 
Europe,  and  visited  our  own  country.  This  gentleman 
possessed  an  excellent  library ;  and  had,  moreover,  a  small  but 
good  collection  of  pictures  and  engravings.  While,  in  the  depth 
of  their  severe  winter,  the  novel  sight  was  presented  to  English 
travellers,  of  sledges  attended  by  whole  tribes  of  the  wildest 
Finlanders  from  the  interior  of  the  country,  now  flocking 

o 

into  Abo,  and  passing  and  repassing  amidst  houses  and  public 
buildings  half  buried  in  snow,  we  had  invitations  to  balls 

and 


ABO. 


433 


and  routs,  in  which  a  very  striking  contrast  was  exhibited  to  chap.xi. 
such  features  of  savage  life.  Judging  from  the  appearance 
exhibited  in  the  public  streets,  we  might  have  imagined 
ourselves  in  some  town  of  North  America ;  but  in  the  evening, 
visiting  their  musical  societies,  of  which  they  have  two 
regularly  established  in  this  city,  or  joining  in  their  dancing 
parties,  we  were  rather  reminded  of  what  we  had  seen  in 
the  capital. 


vol,  vr. 


3  K 


Finlamltr  of  Savolm  in  the  Streets  of  Abo,  with  his  Siedge. 


CHAP.  XII. 


CHA    .XII. 


Concourse  of 
the  Natives 
from  the 
neighbouring 
districts. 


Concourse  of  the  Natives  from  the  neighbouring  Districts — Manners  of 
the  Finns — their  motives  in  visiting  Abo — their  dress — marvellous 
expedition  which  they  undertake — anecdote  of  one  of  them — Streets  of 
Abo — Booksellers^— Price  of  articles — Language  and  People  of  Fin- 
land— Finnish  Poetry — Merchants  of  Abo — Maritime  Commerce  of 
Sweden  and  Norway — Singular  customs — Courts  of  Judicature — 
Distant  excursions  of  the  trading  Finlanders — Foundation  of  the 
University — Number  of  its  Students  and  Professors — Importance  of 
a  travelling-carriage — State  of  the  accommodations  for  Travellers — 
Cursory  reflections  previously  to  the  departure  for  Russia. 

We  arrived  in  that  season  of  the  year  which,  of  all  other- 
is  best  suited  to  gratify  a  stranger's  curiosity ;  when  the 
rigorous  frost  of  the  winter  enables  the  natives  of  all  the  neigh- 
bouring  districts  to  resort  to  Abo  for  merchandize.  It  wanted 
only  a  fortnight  to  the  annual  fair;   but  the  inhabitants  of 

all 


•. :?} 


. 


i 


■*£> 


ABO. 


435 


all  the  Finland,  and  even  the  more  distant  Lapland  provinces,  chap.- mi. 
began  to  pour  in,  with  increasing  numbers,  every  day.     At 
length,  the  coming  of  these  visitants  constituted  every  morning 
a  new  throng,  moving   in  regular  procession   through   the 
streets.     By  this   means,  without  the  pains  and   privations 
that  would  attend   a  journey   into    the   interior,    we  were 
enabled,  leisurely,  to  see  and  converse  with  people  from  very 
remote  regions ;  to  watch  their  mode  of  life,  wants,  luxuries, 
and  trade;  and  to  observe  their  dresses  and  manners.    Among 
these,  the  Russian  traders  were  remarkably  distinguished,  by 
their  long   bushy  beards,  naked  necks,  and  dark   lamb-skin 
caps  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  curled  wool.      They  were  con- 
stantly in  the  streets,  dragging  after  them  hand-sledges  :  — 
while  the  Finns  tvr\\h  their  shorn  features,  long  dark  unbending 
hair,  and   sallow     countenances ;    eyes,     extended    length- 
ways, and  half  closed ;    a  peaked  nose,    frequently  inclining 
upwards,  but  always  pointed  ;  sharp  and  square  chin  ;  elevated 
cheek-bones,  and  pinched  mouth  ;  plainly  shewed  the  life  they 
led :  add  to  this,  large,  high,  and  prominent  ears ;   a  small 
head;  thin  scanty  eye-brows,  turned  upwards  at  their  extre- 
mities, like  those  of  the  Chinese ;  high  shoulders  ;  short  and 
small  fingers  ;  knees  bent,  and  projecting  forwards  ;  and  you 
have  the  genuine  portrait  of  a  Finn,  evidently  allied  to  the 
Laplanders.     But  if  it  were  asked  whom  else  they  resemble, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  say.     If  in  Great  Britain  there  be  a 
race  at  all  resembling  them,  it  is,  perhaps,  the  wild  Scotch, 
who  speak  the  Gaelic  language,  and  who  have  the  same  dark 
locks  and  swarthy  complexion  :   but  the  red-haired  and  raw- 
feoned  tribes  of  the  Lowlands  in  Scotland  are  indisputably  a 

Teutonic 


436 


ABO. 


i'hap.xii.  Teutonic  tribe,  and  perhaps  originally  Danes.  It  will  be 
recollected,  that,  in  former  instances,  we  had  been  indebted  to 
the  annual  fair  for  the  insight  w*e  were  enabled  to  obtain 
with  regard  to  tribes  inhabiting  countries  almost  inaccessible 
to  literary  travellers.  In  this  manner  we  became  acquainted 
with  the  most  distant  colonies  of  Lapps,  whose  families  visited 
the  fairs  of  Kiemi  and  Trbnyem.  To  the  same  cause  we 
were  now  indebted  for  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  the 
natives  of  Tavastehus  and  Savolax ;  perhaps  the  only  remaining 
branch  of  that  antient  race  of  Finns  who  succeeded  to  the 
Lapps  in  this  part  of  Scandinavia,  and  drove  the  latter  from 
their  settlements  among  the  Aland  Isles,  and  upon  the  southern 
shores  of  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  into  the  more  northern 
territories  they  now  inhabit.  The  Finns  of  Savolax  certainly 
resemble  the  Laplanders,  as  much  as  the  children  of  any 
family  ever  resembled  each  other.  They  are  not  so  diminu- 
tive in  stature;  which  perhaps  arises  from  the  difference  of 
their  diet  and  mode  of  life.  When  first  we  saw  what  were 
called  Finlanders  in  Ostro- Bothnia,  we  thought  they  differed 
materially  from  the  Lapps,  in  having,  besides  their  more 
athletic  form,  light  yellow  hair.  But  we  had  there  seen  a 
mixed  race,  produced  by  the  intermarriages  of  Sivedish  and 
Finland  families  ;  producing  a  comely  and  healthy  race,  who 
are  constantly  engaged  in  the  wholesome  occupations  and 
labours  of  an  agricultural  life,  and  differ  materially  from  the 
true  swarthy  and  smoke-dried  Finn;  whole  families  of  whom 
continued  at  this  time  to  pour  into  Abo,  in  such  numbers 
that  the  streets  were  filled  with  them,  so  that  it  was  wonderful 
to  us    where  they  could  all  find  a  place  for  lodging.       We 

observed 


ABO. 


432 


observed  their  sledges,  with  the  horses  yet  standing  in  the  shafts,  chap,  xn. 
filling  the  court-yards  of  all  the  shopkeepers  and  merchants,  Mannersof 
during  the  entire  day  ;  and  where  they  went  afterwards 
we  could  not  learn.  Upon  their  first  coming,  the  appearance 
of  all  of  them  was  the  same ;  all  their  sledges  being 
similarly  laden,  and  whole  families  walking  by  the  side  of 
them.  These  sledges  contained  provisions  for  themselves, 
and  provender  for  their  horses  ;  an  old  net  being  constantly 
drawn  tight  over  the  burden,  to  keep  the  hay,  which  lay 
uppermost,  from  being  carried  off  by  the  wind.  So  many  nets 
worn  out  with  fishing  occupation,  bespoke  the  ways  of  life 
of  their  owners,  who  supply  with  frozen  fishes  all  the  towns 
upon  the  coast,  even  to  the  distant  markets  of  Petersburg ; 
and  are  themselves  Icihyophagites,  inhabiting  a  vast  region  of 
lakes  and  rivers  swarming  with  this  valuable  article  of  food. 
Over  the  net,  upon  these  sledges,  is  always  placed  the  little 
family-chest,  containing  the  hoarded  treasure  produced  by  a 
year's  labour,  tobacco-pipes  and  tobacco,  together  with  the 
household  divinities  and  portable  shrines  of  their  country  ; 
such  as  were  of  old  among  the  Israelites — "  the  taberna- 
cles   OF    MOLOCH,    AND    THE     STAR  OF   THEIR    GOD  REMPHAN." 

Their  first  business,  after  their  arrival,  is  to  swallow  the 
drams  with  which  they  are  freely  supplied  by  the  tradesmen 

o 

in  Abo  who  are  to  traffic  with  them,  and  with  which  they 
become  immediately  intoxicated  :  but  no  people  upon  earth 
are  more  harmless  "in  their  cups"  than  these  simple  Finns ; 
their  drunkenness  being  only  manifested  in  the  most  ludi- 
crous grimaces,  and  in  more  than  usual  kindness  and  attention 
to  their  female  companions,  who  can  hardly  be  called  by  the 

name 


438  ABO. 

chap.  xii.  name  of  "  the  fair  sex,"  lovely  as  they  may  appear  to  a 
drunken  Finn.  Sometimes,  in  these  moments  of  intoxication, 
the  grinning  and  grimaces  suddenly  give  way  to  gravity  ;  and 
then  parties  of  them  are  seen  together  communicating,  with 
an  air  of  the  utmost  importance,  the  most  trivial  circum- 
stances ;  as,  what  they  intend  to  buy  at  the  fair,  and  whom 
they  shall  buy  it  of;  who  gives  away  the  most  brandy,  and 
promises  to  supply  their  wants  at  the  lowest  rate ;  which, 
however,  is  a  matter  of  importance  to  them.  At  these  inter- 
views the  dealers  now  and  then  contrive  to  be  present, 
either  in  their  own  persons,  or  by  means  of  their  agents; 
because,  while  the  drams,  they  have  administered,  do  their 
work,  the  heart  of  a  Finlander  is  open  to  all  comers  ;  all  their 
little  secret  plans  and  purposes  are  then[divulged  ;  and,  as  the 

© 

trade  with  them,  and  with  the  Lapps  who  resort  to  Abo  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  constitutes  a  very  principal  part  of 
the  commerce  of  Abo,  the  native  simplicity  and  unsuspecting 
disposition  of  both  render  them  an  easy  prey  to  the  more 
artful  dealers. 

We  have  said  that  the  trade  carried  on  with  these  tribes 
from  the  interior  of  the  country  constitutes  a  very  principal 
part  of  the  commerce  of  Abo;  and  hence  it  follows  that  the  chief 
part  of  the  articles  exposed  for  sale  in  the  shops  are  things 
calculated  for  their  use  :   in  fact,  the  best  trade  which  any 

o 

dealer  can  exercise  in  Abo,  is  that  of  supplying  the  natives  of 
the  interior  districts  with  the  different  commodities  they  may 
require.  Of  all  their  wants,  the  principal  are  constantly  the 
same  ;  viz.  tobacco  and  brandy, — drugs  universally  requisite, 
where   mental  resources  are   at  a  low    ebb,  for  steeping  in 

forge  tfulness 


Their  motives 
invisithi£f//6o. 


I 


ABO. 


43!) 


forgetfulness  the  tcedium  vitce.  The  desire  of  obtaining  them  chap,  xil 
is  so  great  among  the  Finns  and  Lapps,  as  to  supersede  almost 
every  other  necessary  article  of  life.  From  what  we  saw  of 
the  Finns,  it  was  evident  that  both  men  and  women  would 
sooner  eat  their  provisions  raw,  and  even  starve  themselves, 
than  be  deprived  of  brandy  and  tobacco :  therefore,  if  the 
price  of  an  iron-kettle,  for  which  a  Finn  has  made  a  journey 

o 

to  Abo,  astonishing  both  as  to  its  extent  and  difficulty, 
should  encroach  too  much  upon  his  little  fund  for  supplying 
him  with  these  articles,  he  will  spend  all  he  has  in  brandy 
and  tobacco,  and  return  home  again  without  the  utensil  for 
which  he  came.  The  author  made  an  experiment  here,  which 
had  often  afforded  him  amusement  among  the  Highlanders  of 
Scotland  (with  whom  the  taste  for  these  articles  is  much  the 
same) ;  namely,  that  of  walking  among  the  natives  with  about 
half  a  yard  of  what  is  called  pig-tail  tobacco,  dangling  from 
his  pocket-hole :  the  consequence  was  the  same  in  both 
countries  ; — the  natives,  attracted  by  the  sight,  would  follow 
him  anywhere,  and  cheerfully  do  whatever  he  required  of 
them  ;  wishing  for  no  better  payment  for  their  labour  than  a 
cutting  from  the  roll  of  tobacco.     In  one  of  the  principal 

o 

streets  of  Abo,  we  saw  a  porter  passing  through  the  market 
with  a  considerable  burden  of  this  rolled  tobacco  upon  his 
shoulders ;  and  he  was  literally  hunted  by  the  Finns,  who 
pursued  him  as  hungry  curs  run  after  a  dog  when  he  is 
carrying  off  a  bone. 

o 

During  this  their  annual  visit  to  Abo,  the  dress  of  all  the  Their  Dies*. 

Finns  seemed  to  be  universally  the  same  :  indeed,  it  is  nearly  the 

habit  worn  over  all  Finland,  Lapland,  and  a  considerable  part 

of 


440 


ABO. 


chap.  xii.  of  Russia.  It  consists  of  a  jacket  or  coat  made  of  white 
sheep-skin  leather,  which  is  dressed,  and  worn  with  the  wool 
inwards,  as  a  lining,  towards  the  body  :  this  is  fastened  always 
by  a  sash  or  girdle  about  the  waist.  Long  trowsers  or  panta- 
loons reach  below  the  calf  of  the  leg,  and  are  bound  about 
the  instep.  The  feet  are  covered  either  with  fur  boots,  or 
socks  made  of  skins  ;  over  which  are  worn,  what  the  Russians 
call  Labkas,  or  sandals  made  of  the  bark  of  trees1.  Upon 
their, heads  they  wear  a  cap  of  fur;  but  which  differs  from 
that  commonly  worn  by  the  Russians,  in  having  flaps  let 
down,  so  as  to  cover  and  keep  warm  the  cheeks  and  ears, 
which  are  the  parts  otherwise  frequently  frost-bitten.  With 
all  these  precautions  against  the  inclemency  of  their  winter- 
season,  it  is  very  remarkable  that  all  the  three  nations,  Finns, 
Lapps,  and  Russians,  appear  with  their  necks,  and  often  with 
their  bosoms,  bare,  in  the  most  severe  weather.  Among  all 
the  tribes  distinguished  by  their  hardihood  in  this  respect, 
are  particularly  to  be  mentioned  the  natives  of  Carelia;  many 

o 

of  whom  were  now  in  Abo,  with  their  necks  and  bosoms 
open  to  the  atmosphere,  when  the  mercury  in  Fahrenheit's 
thermometer  was  forty-six  degrees  below  the  freezing  point, 
or  thirteen  degrees  and  a  half  below  Zero  ;  a  degree  of  tem- 
perature that  actually  happened  while  we  were  there,  at 
noon,  upon  the  sixth  of  January.  The  fair  begins  upon 
January  the  twentieth,  and  continues  but  three  days  ;  during 
which  time  it  is  almost  impossible  to  penetrate  through  the 
square  where  the  market  is  held,  or  any  of  the  streets  leading 

to 

(1 )  See  the  Vignette  to  Chap.  X.  p.  172,  of  the  First  Part  of  these  Travels,  4to  edit. 
Oimb.  1810. 


«-r.*.,.*,- ,  <-i 


ABO. 


441 


to  it,  owing  to  the  many  thousands  of  Finns,  and  other  chap.  xn. 
tribes,  present  upon  the  occasion;  bringing  frozen  fishes  and 
corn  for  sale ;  and  bartering  these  commodities  against  salt, 
brandy,  tobacco,  dopestic  utensils,  and  sometimes  silver 
vessels  ;  which,  with  trinkets  and  other  trifles,  they  severally 
return  back  to  the  countries  whence  they  came.  What 
would  be  thought  of  it,  if  at  a  fair  in  England,  in  one  of  our 
southern  counties,  (as  for  example,  the  fair  of  Lewes  in  Sussex,) 
the  natives  of  the  Orkney  Isles  were  to  be  seen  annually 
present,  buying  up  the  principal  commodities  exposed  for 
sale  ?     Yet  distances  of  this  kind,  and  much  greater,  are  tra-  Marvellous 

o  expedition 

versed  by  the  natives  of  Scandinavia,  who  visit  the  towns  of  „^ertak? 
Norway,  Siveden,  and  Finland,  journeying  for  a  little  tobacco, 
or  brandy,  or  for  an  iron-pot,  or  any  trifling  articles  of  hard- 
ware, from  one  end  of  this  extensive  region  to  the  other.     In 
proof  of  this,  one  anecdote  will  be  sufficient,  which  afforded  Anecdote  of 

*■  one  of  thera. 

us   as   much    surprise  as    it    can    possibly    excite    in    the 
Reader's    mind.        Being  one  day  in  the  market-place   of 

o 

Abo,  engaged  in  surveying  the  crowd  of  peasants  from 
all  parts  that  were  there  assembled,  one  of  the  Finns, 
whom  we  had  noticed  on  account  of  the  wrildness  of 
his  aspect,  his  savage  look,  and  uncouth  appearance, 
suddenly  sprang  forward  from  the  multitude,  seizing  us 
by  turns  by  the  hand,  and  evidently  recognising  us  as  old 
acquaintances  and  friends.  After  some  time,  we  recollected 
having  seen  him  somewhere  before ;  and,  upon  inquiring 
whence  he  came,  he  seemed  to  be  hurt ;  and  addressing 
our  interpreter  in  the  Swedish  language,  said — "  What,  have 
the  Gentlemen  forgotten  the  poor  Finn  who  ferried  them  to 
vol.  vi.  3  l  and 


442 


ABO. 


J  louse;;  and 

o 

Streets  of  Abo 


Booksellers. 


chap.  xii.  and  fro,  in  their  visits  to  Kiemi  Fair  ?"  And  now  we  recol- 
lected the  boatman  employed  upon  that  occasion  ;  who  had 
actually  traversed,  in  his  sledge,  with  a  single  horse,  the 
whole  extent  of  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  from  Kiemi,  on  its 

o 

northern,  to  Abo,  on  its  southern  extremity  :  and  this  amazing 
journey  had  been  performed  for  the  sole  purpose  of  buying  a 
little  salt  and  tobacco,  with  which  he  was  preparing  to  return. 
Abo  chiefly  consists  of  wooden  houses,  although  there 
be  many  in  the  city  both  of  stone  and  brick.  The  streets 
are  of  great  length,  some  of  them  extending  nearly  an 
English  mile.  Being  perfectly  straight,  they  have  a  handsome 
appearance.     A  street  leading  from  the  former  site  of  the  old 

o 

Monastery  of  Abo,  towards  Tavastehus,  is  as  long  as  the  Strada 
Toledo  in  Naples,  or  the  Corso  at  Rome.  There  are  three  or  four 
booksellers'  shops,  but  they  are  worse  than  those  of  Stock- 
holm. The  owners  of  these  shops  are  only  to  be  found  in 
attendance  during  one  hour  in  the  day — from  eleven  till 
twelve  :  and  if  a  stranger,  calling  at  that  hour,  is  desirous 
of  examining  the  books,  he  is  not  allowed  to  touch  one  of 
them.  A  catalogue,  written  in  the  Sivedish  language,  is  put 
into  his  hand,  which  is  all  he  is  permitted  to  see :  and  when 
he  has  been  at  the  pains  of  examining  the  list,  he  finds  it  to 
consist  entirely  of  Sivedish  publications  ;  few  of  which  are 
worthy  of  notice.  There  are,  however,  some  which  one  is 
glad  to  meet  with  ;  as,  for  example,  the  Dictionarium  Anglo- 
Svethico  Latinum  of  Bishop  Serenius,  with  the  curious 
preface  of  Eric  Benzelius,  printed  at  Hamburg,  in  1734  ;  also 
Widegren  s  Lexicon,  Svenshtoch  Engelsht,  printed  at  Stockholm, 
in  1/88  ;   which  are  almost  essential   to  a  travellers  journey 

through 


ABO, 


443 


through  the    country.     For  the  rest,  it  is   hardly    possible  chap.  xu. 

to  conceive  a  greater  quantity  of  trash  than  it  is  usual  to 

meet   with   in   such  places.     The    works   of    the    Siucdish 

historians  are  few  in  number;  but  even  these  it  would  be  in 

vain  to  look  for  here,     They  are  more  likely  to  be  met  with 

in  London  or  Paris,  than  in  any  of  the  Scandinavian  cities,  or 

even  in  Copenhagen.     A  person  who  is  desirous   of  residing 

for  any  length  of  time  in  this  University  will  of  course  avoid 

the  inns,  the  very  best  of  which  is  bad.     The  lodgings  let  to 

o 

strangers   visiting  Abo  are  remarkably  neat  and  clean  :  for 

a  sum   not  exceeding   four  shillings    English    per  week,    a  Pri«°* 

°  °  °  *  Article?. 

good  set  of  apartments  may  be  hired  ;  and  no  additional 
charge  will  be  made  for  fire  and  candles.  The  only  dear 
article  is  wine,  which  is  supplied  by  the  merchants  of  the 
city,  who  trade  with  Portugal  and  France  ;  and  is  of  better 
quality  than  it  is  usual  to  meet  with  in  Stockholm.  One 
dozen  of  very  good  Champagne  sold  for  about  thirty 
shillings ;  and  the  same  quantity  of  good  Porty  for  twenty- 
four  shillings.  Other  Portuguese  and  French  wines  might 
be  had  in  abundance  ;  especially  the  different  sorts  of  Claret; 
one  of  which,  La  File,  is  always  called  Long-cork  in  Sivcden, 
and  is  the  favourite  wine  in  all  company.  They  have  also 
Hock  and  other  wines  from  the  Rhine  and  the  Moselle. 

Our  frequent  intercourse  with  the  respectable  Professors 
of  this  University,  especially  with  Professor  Porthan,  of 
whose  historical  talents  we  have  already  spoken,  gave  us 
reason  to  hope  that  we  should  be  able  to  gain  some  insight 
into  the  antient  history  and  origin  of  the  Finnish  tribes. — 
Professor  Porthan  was  himself  a  native  of  Finland,  and  well 

read 


144 


ABO. 


chap.  xii.  read  and  experienced  in  all  that  related  to  his  own  country- 
men. He  often  visited  us;  and  we  passed  whole  evenings 
in  conversing  with  him  upon  this  subject.     From  all  that  we 

language  and  could  collect,  it  was  evident  that  the  language  of  the  Finns 

People  of  Fin- 

i***-  is  a  dialect  of  that   which  is  spoken  by  the  Lapps ',  by  many 

°f 

(l)  This  opinion  is  combated  by  ihe  Authors  of  the  Universal  Histoey,  (see 
vol.  xxxv.  pp.  10,  11.  Lond.  1/62.)  and,  as  it  should  seem,  upon  the  authority  of 
Voltaire,  who  knew  about  as  much  of  the  Laplanders  and  Finns,  as  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Moon.  "  Olaus,"  (observe  the  writers  before  cited,  speaking  of  the  Lapps,)  and 
others  who  have  copied  him,  tell  us,  that  these  people  were  originally  Finns,who  retired 
into  Lapland.  But  why,  as  M.  de  Voltaire  observes  (Hist,  de  Russie,  torn.  I.  p.  16.), 
when  they  were  moving,  did  they  not  choose  a  less  northern  land,  where  life  would  have 
been  more  comfortable  to  them  ?"  To  which  question  of  Voltaire  there  is  this  plain 
answer — That  all  the  comforts  of  a  Laplanders  life  depend  upon  the  comforts  of  his 
rein-deer ;  for  which  animal  nothing  can  be  better  suited  than  the  productions  and 
climate  of  Lapland.  If  they  had  chosen  "a  less  northern  land,"  they  would  not  have 
been  provided,  as  they  are,  with  the  Lichen  rangiferinus  for  their  rein-deer,  without 
which  article  of  food,  as  it  is  well  known,  the  animal  degenerates  and  dies.  The  same 
authors  maintain,  that  there  is  no  similitude  between  the  languages  of  the  Finns  and  the 
Lapps  :  of  the  fallacy  of  which  remark  the  Reader  may  judge  from  the  following  compa- 
rative Vocabulary.  At  the  same  time  it  should  be  stated,  that  there  is  some  difference 
between  the  two  languages :  the  appellations  of  the  different  parts  of  the  human  body 
are  the  same  in  both ;  but  the  names  of  the  Heathen  Gods  of  the  Finns  and  Lapps  are 
not  the  same : 

yiNN. 


JiiNULian. 

Nose. 

Njuone 

Shoulder. 

Alke. 

Spine. 

Nidtje. 

Hand. 

Kat. 

Finger. 

Suorm, 

Thumb. 

Pelge. 

Knee. 

Puoliv. 

Foot. 

Juolke. 

Blood. 

Warr. 

Sinew. 

Suona ■ 

To  hear. 

Kullet. 

To  mourn. 

Surgot 

To  lament. 

Vdot. 

Nena. 

Olka. 

Nisa. 

Kasi. 

Sormi. 

Peukalo. 

Polvi. 

Jalka. 

Weri. 

Suoni. 

Kuulla. 

Sureta. 

Valittaa. 


ABO. 


445 


of  the  Russian  nations  ;  and,  what  is  much  more  remarkable,  chap.  xii. 
it   has    also     been    identified     with    the   language    of  the 


Hungarians. 


FINN. 

Peljata. 

Vaslala. 

Menna. 

Juoda. 

Nelka. 

Nuolla. 

Kylmettya. 

Paeta. 

Veil. 

Nuori. 

IVanka. 

Paiva. 

Ehto. 

Pilvi. 

Jaa. 

Tuli. 

Laaxi. 

Sauwu. 

Juki. 

Salo-sari. 

Wuori. 

Kivi. 

Suo. 

Marja. 

Leppa. 

Kuusi. 

Nela. 

Mato. 

Karme. 

Lindu. 

Walkia. 


All  these,  and  many  more,  are  enumerated  in  the  Appendix  to  a  printed  Thesis,  "  Be 

O 

Bicarlis"  written  by  Porlhan,  for  an  Act  kept  in  the  Schools  at  Abo  by  Frantxin,  upon 
the  20th  of  Dec.  1786,  upon  which  occasion  Porthart  himself  presided. 


ENGLISH. 

LAPP. 

To  fear. 

Pallet. 

To  answer 

Vaslatet. 

To  travel. 

Man  net. 

To  drink. 

Jukket  . 

Hunger. 

Nelget. 

To  swallow. 

Njalot. 

To  freeze. 

Kalmet. 

To  fly  away. 

Pateret. 

Brother. 

Valja. 

Young. 

Nuor. 

Old. 

Wuoras. 

Sun. 

Peive. 

Evening. 

Ekked. 

Cloud. 

Palw. 

Ice. 

Jagna. 

Fire. 

Toll. 

Bay. 

Lukt. 

Smoke. 

Suowa. 

River. 

Jock. 

Isle. 

Suolo. 

Mountain. 

Ware. 

Stone. 

Kedke. 

Bog. 

Suis. 

Leaves. 

Muorje. 

Alder. 

Leipe. 

Pine-tree. 

Kuosa. 

Marten. 

Nete. 

Louse. 

Matok. 

Serpent. 

Kerbma. 

Birch. 

Ladde. 

White. 

Velkas. 

14t> 


ABO 


jhap.xii.  Hungarians  ',  According  to  Professor  Porthan,  the  Finns  are 
the  second  colony  of  Tatars  who  settled  in  Scandinavia  ;  the 
old  and  original  colony,  or  first-comers,  being  the  Lapps.  The 
Finns  also  peopled  the  north  of  Livonia,  the  south  of  which 
country  was  inhabited  by  a  very  different  race  of  men.  They 
once  occupied  all  the  western  and  southern  parts  of  Russia, 
as  far  as  the  Caspian  Sea  :  being  compelled  to  emigrate,  in 
consequence  of  the  incursions  of  the  Monguls,  they  settled  in 
Finland.  What  branch  of  them  it  was,  and  at  what  time 
the  event   took  place    that   occasioned   their   settlement  in 

Hungary 


(l)  The  Reader  will  find  this  fact  satisfactorily  established  by  consulting  the  work  of 
I. Sajnovics,  "  Demonstratio  Idioma  Ungurorum  et  Lapponum  idem  esse"  4to.  Hafnicp, 
1770.  Alsoan'other  very  curious  treatise,  printed  at  Gottingen,  in  1799,entitled  "Affinitas 
Linguae  Hungaricos  cum  Linguis  Fennicce  originis,  auctore  S.  Gyarmathi."  But  the 
principal  confirmation  of  this  curious  circumstance  was  made  by  the  discovery  of 
Sajnovics  -,  who,  going  to  Wardhuus,  to  witness  a  transit  of  Venus  on  the  Sun's  disk, 
first  observed,  and  afterwards  made  known,  the  striking  affinity  between  the  languages 
of  Lapland  and  Hungary.  In  Strallenberg's  "  Descriplio  Imperii  Iiussici,"  printed 
at  Stockholm  in  1730,  p.  32.  there  is  the  following  quotation  from  Sajnovics:-— 
'*■  Sciendum  est,  in  Europa  et  Asia,  qua  septentrionem  et  orientem  respiciunt,  sex  classes 
populorum  inveniri,  quos  passim  sub  uno  Tartarorum  nomine  complcctimur      Sunt  hi 

1.  MORDUINI.  3.    PERMECKII.  5.    WOGULITZII. 

2.  ScHEUEMISSJE.  4.    WOTYACKII.  Q.   OSTIAKI. 

Omnes  hi  olim  cum  Finnis,  Lapponibus,  Esthiis,  et  Ungaris  unum  eundemque 
populum  constituerunt.  Atque  ad  sic  dictos  Hunnos,  vel  Unnos,  qui  non  erant  Tar- 
TARi  per tinelant." — Nothing  has  ever  puzzled  philologists  more  than  the  extraordinary 
discrepancy  of  the  Hungarian  Ianguage,when  compared  with  all  others  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood. Molnarius,  a  Hungarian,  in  the  preface  to  his  Hungarian  Grammar,  says, 
"  Si  quis  e.v  me  qucerat,  ad  quam  originalem  linguum  Ungarica  referenda  sit,  vel  cum 
quilus  haleat  cognationem,  me  nescire  fatebor.  Video  enim  eos,  qui  hoc  tempore 
thesauros  Polyglottos  edunt,  et  linguas  quasque  in  suas  origines  et  classes  referunt, 
Ungaricam  semper  in  medio  relinquere.  Cum  Europceis  nullam  connexionem  habere 
hancnostram  certum  est.  An  vero  in  Scythicis  Asias  jinibus,  supersint  Gentes  aliquce 
nostra  lingua  Hunnica  utentes,  juxta  cum  ignarissimis  scio." 


ABO. 


447 


Hungary,  cannot  now  probably  be  determined.  There  is  no 
other  evidence  of  the  fact  than  the  similarity  of  the  two 
languages:  but  surely  such  evidence  is  conclusive;  for,  as  it 
is  observed  by  the  celebrated  Ihre,  in  his  Suio-Gothic  Glossary, 
when  speaking  of  the  analogy  between  the  two  languages  *, 
and  the  importance  of  such  proofs,   "  non  enim  ut  fungi, 

TEMERE    ET    INOPINATO      NASCUNTUR    VOCABULA." — The    FhlllS 

possess  poetry  and  music;  but  they  have  no  national  dance, 
nor  indeed  any  more  ability  or  inclination  for  dancing  than 
the  bears  which  inhabit  their  forests.  In  this  respect  they 
may  be  said  to  resemble  the  Arabs,  but  differ  from  the  whole 
race  of  Goths.  In  this  poetry  the  Finns  are  what  the 
Italians  call  Improvisatoris ;  composing  extempore  rhapsodies. 
Their  poetical  productions  are  without  rhyme,  and  consist 
almost  entirely  of  trochees.  All  they  seem  to  aim  at,  in 
these  compositions,  is  alliteration  ;  of  which  they  are  so 
passionately  fond,  that  the  whole  effect  of  a  song  or  a  poem 
is  often  owing  to  words  which  in  the  same  line  either  begin 
entirely  with  the  same  letter,  or  in  which  a  repetition  of  the 
same  letter  frequently  recurs.  Professor  Frantzen  gave  us 
a  specimen  of  Finnish  poetry,  which  will  illustrate  what  is 
now  said.  He  called  it  "a  Native  Song  of  a  Finnish  Maiden" 
and  we  shall  neither  alter  the  title,  nor  make  any  change  in 

the 


CI  I A  I*.  Xli. 


(2)  This  work  was  printed  at  Upsala  in  l/Og.  After  speaking  of  the  Lap  land  and 
Finnish  race,  and  attributing  to  them  a  common  origin  with  the  Hungarians,  in  his 
preface  the  author  says — "Non  enim  arbitror  alia  ratione  facile  explicari  posse,  unde 
exstilerit  insignis  ilia,  quce  inter  linguam  Ungaricam  et  Fennicam  olservatur  nffinitas, 
qiiceque  tanta  est,  ut  eertajide  relatum  mihi  sit,  in  nupero  hello,  quod  in  Germania 
gessimus,  milites  quosdam,  Fennicce  nationis,  in  Ungariam  translator,  intra  pereriguum 
tempuscum  regionis  eius  incolis  collor/uia  miscere  potuisse." 


Finnish 
Poelrv. 


4  48 


ABO. 


li.M'.  kit.  the  manner  in  which  it  is  written  ;  although  the  form  of  the 
metre  seems  to  be  altogether  irregular.  For,  understanding 
the  mode  of  accentuation,  it  is  only  necessary  that  the  Reader 
should  observe  the  following  order  of  the  metre : 


The  first  word  consists  of  a  regular  trochee ;  the  second,  of 
one  long  syllable,  followed  by  two  short  syllables,  or  a 
dactyl;  the  third,  the  same ;  with  which  the  line  terminates. 
Every  line,  therefore,  is  made  to  consist  of  one  trochee  and 
two  dactyls.  We  shall  now  insert  the  whole  of  it,  accom- 
panied by  a  literal  translation. 


NATIVE  SONG  of  a  FINNISH  MAIDEN. 

Jos  mun  tuttuni  tulisi, 
Enne  ntihtyhd  nnakysi : 
Sillen  suuta  ssuikajaisin, 
Jos  olis  sun  suden  veressa  : 
Sillen  katta  kaapajaisin, 
Jos  olis  karme  kammen  puassa. 

Olisko  tuuli  mielelissuy 
Ahavainen  kilelissay 
Sanan  toisi,  sanan  veisi, 
Kanden  rakkahan  v a! ilia. 

Ennensu  heitan  kerkurnat, 
Paistit  pappilan  unohdan, 
Ennerko  heitan  hertaiseni 
Kesan  kestyteldyuni, 
Talven  taivutelduani. 


Literal   Translation. 

If  my  well-known  should  come, 
My  often- beholded  should  appear ; 
I  would  snatch  a  kiss  from  his  mouth, 
If  it  were  tainted  with  wolf's  blood  ; 
I  would  seize  and  press  his  hand, 
If  a  serpent  were  at  the  end  of  it. 

If  the  wind  had  a  mind, 
If  the  breeze  had  a  tongue, 
To  bear  and  bring  back  the  vows 
Which  two  lovers  exchange  : 

All  dainties  would  I  disregard, 

Even  the  vicar's  savoury  meat  j 

Rather  than  forsake  the  friend  of  my  heart, 

The  wild  game  of  my  summer's  huntingj 

The  darling  of  my  winter's  taming. 


This  language  is  full  of  vowels,  and  perhaps  better  adapted 
to  Poetry  than  any  other  language  known.  Their  words 
never  begin  with  two  consonants :  if  a  word  begins  with  a 
vowel,  it  almost  always  ends  with  one ;  at  least,  generally 

the 


ABO. 


449 


this  happens;  although  there  be,  of  course,  exceptions,  chap.  xm. 
Acerbi,  who  was  himself  a  skilful  musician,  has  published,  in 
the  Appendix  to  the  second  volume  of  his  Travels,  the 
curious  variations  given  by  the  Finlanders  to  the  five  notes  of 
which  alone  all  their  music  consists.  He  has  preserved  their 
famous  Runa,  beginning 

"  Nuko,  Nuko,  pico  Unto, 
Veni,  Venu  Vesterehi" 
as  it  is  played  upon  the  Harpu.  He  also  mentions  their 
dances;  but  this  is  an  error,  as  they  have  no  dance  of  their 
own.  The  dance  to  which  he  alludes,  and  which  he 
witnessed  on  the  banks  of  Leivaniemi,  is  not  a  Finnish  dance, 
but  one  borrowed  from  their  neighbours. 

o 

The  merchants  of  Abo  have  no  regular  place  of  Exchange;  Mcercha^*^ 
but  they  meet  in  the  Square,  and  there  transact  their  business. 
Indeed,  the  number  of  the  wholesale  dealers  is  very  restricted. 
Mr.  Bremer,  a  friend  of  ours,  was  one  of  this  number :  he 
had  travelled  over  Europe,  and  possessed  a  good  collection 
of  paintings.  We  bought  one  of  him,  by  Le  Brim  ;  a  very 
good  picture,  representing  the  Crucifixion;  which  he  had 
procured  in  France  during  the  troubles  of  the  Revolution, 
and  had  destined  for  the  altar  of  a  small  chapel  erected  by 
himself  near  some  glass-works  in  the  neighbourhood.   The 

o 

trade  between  Abo  and  England,  at  this  time,  was  very  much 
restricted ;  and  there  was  a  report  of  its  being  entirely 
prohibited.  Spain  was  the  only  country  from  which  salt 
was  allowed  to  be  imported,  consistently  with  a  regulation 
which  prevailed  all  over  Sweden.     A  cursory  survey  of  the  Maritime 

A  j  j  Commerce  i»f 

foreign  commerce  of  all  the  maritime  towns  of  Sweden  and  5Jw*»«a 

0  Norway. 


VOL.  VI. 


3  M 


Norway 


450 


ABO. 


chap.  xii.  Norway  might  be  afforded  in  very  few  words.  All  the 
country,  from  Louisa,  on  the  Gulph  of  Finland,  to  Abo,  was 
occupied  in  commerce  with  Spain.  Following  the  coast, 
along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Gulph  of  Bothnia,  the  inhabitants 
were  engaged  in  trade  with  England.  All  the  western  side 
of  the  same  gulph  was  employed  in  traffic  with  Stockholm, 
from  whence  the  commerce  is  general  over  the  world. 
Tornea,  in  the  north  of  the  gulph,  trades  with  Stockholm 
and  Copenhagen,  and  sometimes  exports  to  England  its 
commodities,  of  tar,  deals,  fish,  and  peltry.  All  the 
south  of  Siveden  proper  is  engaged  in  trade  with  England 
and  Holland.  The  ships  of  Gothenburg  sail  even  to  China. 
With  regard  to  the  Norwegian  coast  of  Scandinavia, 
beginning  from  North  Cape,  westward,  the  inhabitants 
supply  the  ports  of  Denmark,  Holland,  and  England,  with 
Jish  and  peltry ;  and  also  send  the  same  commodities  into 
Sweden,  by  the  way  of  Tornea.  Ships  from  Tronyem  sail  to 
Ireland,  Scotland,  and  Holland.  The  trade  of  Bergen  is 
confined  chiefly  to  Holland;  and  that  of  Christiania,  as  we 
have  before  mentioned,  to  England:  but  the  trade  of  the 
south  of  Norway,  by  the  late  abandonment  of  its  interests  on 
the  part  of  England,  and  its  cession  to  Sweden,  has  been 
entirely  ruined1. 

c 

In  Abo  there  are  some  customs  rather  of  a  singular  nature. 
They   ring   their   church-bells   at    a  funeral,   as  we  do  in 

England 

(l)  This  remark  of  course  applies  to  the  political  changes  that  have  taken  place  since 
the  period  of  these  Travels.  Norway  remains  as  it  was,  and  as  it  ever  will  be, — the  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  country  in  the  world,  full  of  the  grandest  scenery  in  Nature  ;  but  its 
foreign  commerce  is  annihilated,  and  its  merchants  are  all  ruined. 


Singular   cus 

to  his. 


ABO. 


451 


England  at  a  wedding.       When  a  robbery  has  been  com-    chap.xii. 
mitted,    a   person,  beating  a  drum,   goes  through    all    the 
streets,  to  make  it  known  to   the  inhabitants.    They  have 
here  a  Town  Hall  and  a  Parliament  House:    petty  offences  Courts  of  ju. 

.     '  dicature. 

being  judged  of  at  the  former,  and  capital  crimes  at  the 
latter.  The  President  or  Judge  passes  sentence ;  but  if 
the  offender  be  condemned  to  death,  his  execution  cannot 
take  place  without  an  order  from  the  King.  Both  the 
Town  Hall  and  the  Parliament  House  are  built  of  stone  ;  as 
are  also  the  seat  of  the  Courts  of  Justice,  the  Excise  Office, 
the  house  of  the  Governor,  and  the  houses  of  some  of  the 
merchants.  A  bo  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  rocky  hills, 
which  have  a  very  naked  appearance,  and  consist,  for  the 
most  part,  of  granite. 

In  the  questions  which  we  put  to  the  numerous  fami-  ^j-^^fhe 
lies  of  Finns  who  were  now  daily  flocking  into  Abo,  jj^*  Hn~ 
respecting  the  particular  articles  of  commerce  for  which 
they  had  made  such  marvellous  journeys,  we  were  an- 
swered, that  they  came  to  buy  salt  and  tobacco ;  bringing 
at  the  same  time,  in  exchange  for  these  commodities,  corn, 
peltry,  Jish,  butter,  and  cheese.  Some  of  them  were  from 
parishes  at  the  extremities  of  the  two  Gulphs  of  Bothnia  and 
Finland;  and  of  these  we  have  already  mentioned  one 
individual  from  Kiemi.  What  would  be  thought,  in  England, 
of  a  labouring  peasant,  or  the  occupier  of  a  small  farm, 
making  a  journey  of  nearly   700  miles*  to   a  fair,  for  the 

articles 


(2)  The  distance  from  Tornea  to  Abo,  by  the  Swedish  Vagvisare,  Stockholm  ,17/6,  p.  41, 
is  97  Swedish  miles ;   which,  at  the  rate  of  seven  English  miles  to  one  Swedish,  is  679 

o 

miles :  but  many  of  the  F'mlanders  who  resort  to  Abo  fair  perform  journeys  of  far 
greater  distance. 


452 


ABO. 


CHAP.  XII 


l'ouiulation 
the   Univer 

sitv. 


articles  of  their  home  consumption  ?     Except  in  this  annual 

o 

journey  to  Abo,  the  true  Finns  have  little  intercourse  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  maritime  district  :  they  inhabit  the 
eastern  provinces  of  Savolax  and  Tavasthuus ;  where  they 
live  in  the  midst  of  forests,  by  the  borders  of  the  lakes  ;  and 
lead  a  mode  of  life  which  exactly  resembles  that  of  the 
agricultural  or  settled  Laplander ;  in  houses  which  have  a 
hole  at  the  top  to  let  out  the  smoke,  and  in  one  large  room 
which  is  occupied  by  the  whole  family.  The  natives  upon 
the  coast  are  either  Swedes,  or  a  mixed  race  of  Swedes  and 
Finns;  of  which  nature  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  country 

o 

from  Abo  to  the  north,  as  far  as  Bjorneborg. 
>t  The  Literary  establishment  of  Abo,  as  a  University,  is  of 
very  recent  date,  compared  with  the  origin  of  similar 
institutions  in  our  own  country.  Gustavus  Adolphus,  in  the 
year  1626,  first  founded  here  a  Gymnasium,  or  School,  for  the 
use  of  the  town  only.  Fourteen  years  afterwards,  Queen 
Christina,  or,  as  the  Swedes  call  her,  Stina1,  converted  the 
Gymnasium  into  a  University,  endowing  it  with   the  same 

privileges 


(l)  "In  No.  135.  the  Spectator,  upon  the  subject  of  the  English  language,  observes, 
that  proper  names,  familiarized  in  English,  dwindle  to  monosyllables,  but  that  in  other 
languages  they  receive  a  softer  tone  by  the  addition  of  syllables.  Thus  Nicholas,  in 
English  Nic,  becomes  Nicolini  in  Italian  ;  John,  alias  Jack,  becomes  Janot  in  French ; 
&c.  The  Swedes  in  this  case  are  our  allies,  for  we  both  follow  this  dwindling  system  ; 
but  with  this  difference,'  that,  as  we  cut  at  one  end  of  our  words,  they  dock  at  the  other. 
Who  would  ever  imagine,  among  the  softening  French  or  Italian  linguists,  that 
Nicholas  was  expressed  by  Nils,  as  in  Nils  Marelius  ?  Christina,  by  Stina  ?  And 
who  would  guess  that  Greta  was  the  same  as  Marguerita  ;  Pehr,  as  Peter  j  or  Jan, 
as  Johan  ?  Yet  I  think  that  these  alterations  are  improvements;  and  I  am  much 
delighted  with  my  female  acquaintance  under  the  abbreviations  of  Maia,  Karin,  and 
Phia,  for  Mary,  Catherine,  and  Sophia  ■,  and  which  appear  to  be  preferable  to  the 
abbreviations  which  are  used  of  Bet,  Kate,  or  Sophy." — Dr.  Fiott  Lee's  MS.  Journal. 


ABO. 


453 


nriviJeges  as  Upsala ;  and  she  appointed  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese  Vice-Chancellor.  The  number  of  resident  Students 
did  not,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  exceed  300;  but  including 
all  who  had  their  names  upon  the  foundation  list,  there 
might  be  about  500.  The  number  of  the  Professors  was  as 
follows : — in  the  faculty  of  Divinity,  three,  with  me  Adjunct: 
in  Law,  one:  in  the  faculty  of  Medicine,  two  ordinary,  and 
one  extraordinary,  as  Profefisors ;  together  with  an  Adjunct : 
in  Philosophy,  nine  Professors,  besides  two  Adjuncts  ordinary 
and  one  extraordinary.  There  was,  moreover,  a  list  of 
Teachers,  as  before  stated,  called  Magistri  docentes ;  two  for 
Divinity,  and  eleven  for  Philosophy:  and  one  French  Master; 
one  Fencing  Master ;  and  one  Teacher  of  Music,  who  was 
Organist  of  the  Cathedral. 

We  had  sent  back  our  Swedish  Interpreter  the  whole  way 
from  Abo  to  the  village  of  Vargatta,  near  which  place  our 
travelling-carriage  had  been  left  upon  a  rock2.  This  man  had 
a  most  dreary  journey  to  perform,  upon  the  ice,  as  it  must 
appear  from  the  account  we  have  given  of  our  own  ;  but  the 
Swedes  are  used  to  such  expeditions,  and  think  nothing  of 
them.  He  undertook  it,  in  an  open  sledge,  with  the  greatest 
readiness  ;  and  returned  as  soon  as  the  ice  was  strong  enough 
to  bear  the  weight  of  such  a  vehicle  the  whole  way,  and 
brought  it  safe  to  Abo.  The  mode  of  travelling  in  the 
common  sledges  of  the  country  is  certainly  the  best,  as  far 
as  the  mere  business  of  the  day  is  concerned  :  it  is,  therefore, 
that  mode  of  journeying  which  every  one  would  adopt  who 
seeks  only  to  perform  a  given  distance  with  the  greatest 

expedition  : 


CHAP.  XI!. 

Number  of 
Students. 


(2)  See  p.  3 1 8  of  this  volume. 


454 


ABO. 


chap.  xir.  expedition :   but  what  is  to  become  of  a  traveller  in  the  night, 
importance  of  in  such  a  country  and  climate,  where  there  are  not  only  no 

a  travelling-      .  •nyi*  n       • 

carriage.  inns,  but  where  he  will  find  it  actually  impossible  to  procure 
a  place  of  rest ;  nor  even  a  stable,  in  which  he  may  find  clean 
straw  for  his  couch,  or  a  place  where  he  may  lie  down  ?     It 

state  of  the     seems  as  if  the  natives  of  the  dreary  district  between  Abo  and 

accommoda- 
tions for  Tra-  Petersburg  had  exerted  their  utmost  ingenuity,  and  with  fatal 

vellers. 

success,  to  banish  from  their  dwellings  every  thing  that  bore 

any  relationship  to  comfort  and  cleanliness.    They  lie  down 

themselves  upon  dirty  boards,  filthy  with  grease  and  smoke ;  in 

dark  hovels,  stinking  of  putrid  fish  :  and  these  boards,  which 

they  use  for  their  beds,  are  not  put  together  horizontally,  so 

that  a  traveller  might  cover  them  with  skins,  and  thus  contrive 

a  resting-place  ;  but  they  are  set  up  in  a  sloping  position,  like 

the  roof  of  a  house,  with  a  foot-board  to  arrest  the  feet, 

and  prevent  the  person  sleeping  upon  them  from  slipping 

off;  to  which  a  stranger,  unused  to  the  practice  of  being 

extended    like    a    carcase    upon  a   butcher's    shamble,    is 

constantly  liable.     Our    travelling- carriage,   therefore,  was 

for  us  a  moveable  home ;  without  which  it  would  be  folly, 

in  this  season  of  the  year,   to  think  of  making  any  further 

progress.     In  the  summer  season  the  case  would  have  been 

different ;  because  the  traveller, well  armed  against  mosquitoes, 

may  then  lie  down  in  the  open  air,  quite  indifferent  as  to  the 

state  of  the  dwellings  in  his  route'. 

As 


(1)  Such,  too,  is  the  expedition  with  which  voyages  among  the  Aland  Isles  are  then 
performed,  that  Professor  Malthus  and  the  Rev.  W.  Otter,  who  passed  this  way,  from 
Stockholm  to  Petersburg,  in  August,  came  in  a  boat  from  Skarpans  to  Abo,  a  distance 
equal  to  1 1 7  miles,  in  a  single  day.  In  the  course  of  this  voyage,  which  they  describe 
as  resembling  a  passage  across  a  beautiful  lake  sprinkled  with  islands,  they  were  only 

once 


DEPARTURE    FROM  ABO. 


455 


As  soon  as  the  carriage   arrived,   we  took  leave  of  our  ciur.  xn. 
friends,  and  prepared  for  our  journey  into  Russia.    Knowing  Cursory  re- 

7  r      *■  j  j  o    flections  pre- 

nothing;  of  that  country,  or  of  its  inhabitants,  we  set  out  full  vious  t0  ,de" 

fc>  «'  '  '  parture  lor. 

of  hope  that  our  gratification  would  be  at  least  equal  to  that  Rm,ia- 
we  had  received   in  visiting  Sweden,    and  little  prepared  for 
the   grievous    disappointment   we    afterwards    experienced. 
Every  thing  tended  to  excite  in  us  a  curiosity  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  Russians; — the  great  figure  they  were 
beginning  to  make  in  the  political  world  ;   and  the  memory  of 
the   illustrious  names    connected  with   the    history   of  the 
country.     There  is  something  imposing  in  the  mere  name  of 
such  a  mighty  empire.     Extending  from  the  Caspian  to  the 
Icy  Sea,  and  from  the  Baltic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  it  presents, 
under  one  Sovereign,  a  greater  extent  of  territory  than  all  the 
empires  of  antiquity.     It  is  therefore  with  an  aching  heart, 
but  with  more  of  regret  than  indignation,  that  the  writer  of 
these  pages  purposes  to  make  known  to  the  English  Reader, 

wThat 

once  out  of  sight  of  land  ;  namely,  in  sailing  to  Ekero.  Their  carriage  had  been  taken  to 
pieces,  and  put  into  their  boat.  They  left  Skarpans  at  a  quarter  past  six  in  the  morning  of 

C 

August  7,  and  reached  the  Custom-house  at  Abo  a  quarter  before  six  in  the  evening.  They 
had,  therefore,  performed  their  delightful  voyage  in  eleven  hours  and  a  half,  at  the  rate 
often  miles  an  hour  the  whole  way.  They  did  not  keep  a  direct  course  ;  but  sailed  in  and 
out  among  the  islands,  and  passed  a  number  of  very  narrow  straits.  They  describe  the 
appearance  of  the  islands  in  summer  as  "sometimes  exhibiting  a  prospect  of  bare  rocks  ; 
sometimes,  rocks  covered  with  firs  3  and  sometimes,  but  not  often,  cultivated  lands,with 
farms  upon  them."  The  villages  and  little  towns  are  "  built  of  small  wooden  houses, 
many  of  them  projecting  into  the  water."  Upon  the  rocks  near  one  village  they  counted 
nineteen  windmills,  all  going.  The  whole  had  a  very  picturesque  effect,  and  the  scenery 
was  charming.  The  rocks  were  no  where  very  high.  The  woods  were  generally  of  fir- 
trees,  but  sometimes  mixed  with  alders,  birch,  &c.      The  entrance  of  the  river  Aeura, 

o 

in  sailing  up  to  Abo,  possessed  striking  beauties,  as  the  rocks  were  higher ;  and  nothing 
could  be  more  agreeable  than  the  voyage  they  had  made. 


456 


REFLECTIONS  ON  LEAVING  ABO. 


chap.  Xii.  what  his  fate  will  be,  if  hereafter,  pursuing  the  same  route, 
he  should  venture  to  traverse  the  Russian  dominions,  and 
especially  Russian  Finland,  in  his  way  to  Petersburg.  Every 
effort  of  a  powerful  people  has  hitherto  been  made  to 
suppress  the  truth  with  regard  to  Russia.  Large  sums  of 
money  have  been  constantly  paid,  both  in  England  and  upon 
the  continent  of  Europe,  to  buy  up  the  public  journals;  and 
to  engage  writers  who  should  answer  all  the  views  of  the 
Russian  Cabinet,  by  studiously  concealing  the  truth  with 
regard  to  that  country,  and  by  propagating  false  accounts  of 
its  inhabitants.  It  is  not  therefore  to  be  subject  of  wonder 
that  we  fell  so  easily  into  the  snare  which  was  spread  before 
us.  As  we  did  not  expect  to  meet  with  refinement,  we  had 
no  right  to  complain  of  the  barbarism  of  the  Russians ;  but 
the  rude  and  simple  manners  of  unenlightened  nations, 
however  barbarous  they  may  be,  are  sometimes  joined  to 
benevolence,  if  not  to  honesty  :  yet  the  very  word  honesty, 
if  it  exist  in  the  Russian  language,  is  unintelligible  to 
Russians :  they  know  not  the  virtue  to  which  it  applies.  If 
any  trace  of  it  lie  concealed  throughout  the  wide  extent  of 
the  Scythian  dominion,  it  is,  perhaps,  buried  in  the  breasts 
of  those  victims  of  tyranny  who  have  been  condemned,  for 
their  love  of  truth,  to  a  life  of  labour  in  the  mines  of  Siberia: 
or  it  may  exist  in  some  dungeon  of  the  empire,  the  access  to 
whose  walls  is  carefully  guarded  by  Despotism,  that  unnatural 
monster,  who  can  only  thrive  where  virtue  is  oppressed. 
At  this  time,  Sweden  had  not  lost  her  valuable  possessions  in 
Ostero- Bothnia;  but  the  designs  of  Russia  were  well  known 
to  all  the  best-informed  men   of  the  country.     From  their 

account, 


WKT 


REFLECTIONS  ON  LEAVING  ABO. 


457 


account,  therefore,  of  the   people  we  were  about   to  visit,  chap.  xii. 
founded  on   the    bitter   experience  of  the   Finlanders    with 
regard  to  Russia,  we  had  some  prescient  view  of  the  gathering 
storm  that  was  about  to  burst  upon  the  land  :  but  we  enter- 
tained a  hope,  that  the  Cabinets  of  Europe,   much  better 
aware   of  what  was   going    on,    would    never    allow    the 
predatory  designs  of  the  Russians  to  be  carried  on  unmolested. 
A  great  national  animosity  had    always  subsisted  between 
Sweden  and  Russia;  and  we  hoped  that  to  this   might  be 
attributed  something  of  the  dark  picture  given  to  us  of  the 
latter.     Sweden,  boasting  of  her  former  victories,  saw  with 
fear  and  distrust  the  rising  prosperity  of  her  mighty  adversary, 
and    the    indifference    with   which    more    distant    nations 
regarded  the  encroachments  the  Russians  were   everywhere 
making    upon  the  territories  of  their   neighbours.      Russia, 
with  an  appetite  for  dominion,  that  grows  by  what  it  feeds 
upon,  witnesses  every  year,  as  it  passes,  some  new  district 
annexed  to  her  empire.     She  was  now  viewing  with  longing 
eyes    the    rich    fields    of    Finland,    which    intercepted    the 
progress   of  her  boundaries  towards  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  : 
and    Sweden  and  Norway  will  next  become  a  prey  to  her 
devouring  ambition  and  avarice  ;  as  will  the  whole  of  Persia, 
India,  and  Turkey; — when  it  will  be  too  late  for  other  Powers 
to  interfere,  and  to  curb  the  ferocious  system  of  oppression  ; 
which  in  due  season  they  might  have  restrained ! 


VOL.  VI. 


3  N 


Tomb  of  Count  Ernsverd. 


CHAP.  XIII. 


CHAP.XIII. 

•Journey  from 

Abo  to  Hel- 
sing/ors. 


FROM  ABO  IN  FINLAND,  TO  PETERSBURG  IN  RUSSIA. 

Journey  from  Abo  to  Helsingfors — Description  of  Helsingfors — For- 
tress of  Sweaborg — Tomb  of  Count  Ernsverd — Strength,  size,  and 
importance  of  Sweaborg — Route  from  Helsingfors  to  Borgo  and 
Louisa — approach  to  the  Russian  frontier — Boundaries  of  the 
Swedish  and  Russian  Dominions — Contrast  betiveen  the  Natives  of 
the  two  countries — Mode  of  recruiting  the  Russian  Army — Iniquitous 
conduct  of  a  Russian  Inspector  of  the  Customs  — Difficulties  that 
impede  the  Traveller — Arrival  at  Frederickshamm — Appearance  of 
that  place — Regulation  relating  to  Posting  in  Russia — Description 
of  the  Post-houses  in  Russian  Finland — Intense  cold  of  the  weather 
during  the  night — Arrival  at  Wibourg — Appearance  of  the  Soldiers 
of  the  Garrison — Mode  of  inflicting  punishment  on  Deserters — Inha- 
bitants of  Wibourg — Arrival  at  Petersburg. 

The  journey  from  Abo  to  Helsingfors,  in  the  summer  time, 
affords  a  series  of  prospects,  which,  in  their  character,  cannot 
be  equalled  in  the  Swedish  dominions ;  but  in  the  winter 
season,  it  is  performed  under  circumstances  of  so  much  dreary 

uniformity, 


FROM   ABO   TO  HELSINGFORS. 

uniformity,  that  the  traveller  is  glad  to  pass  over  it  with  all 
possible  expedition.     In  this  long  route,  therefore,  little  will 
now  be  said  respecting  any  particular  part   of  it:  the  only 
objects  attracting  notice,  being  the  houses  of  relay ;   which 
are  much   the  same  everywhere,  seldom  rising  to  mediocrity 
as  to  the  accommodations  they  offer,  but  situate  in  a  country 
full  of  picturesque  beauty.     This  part   of  Finland  is    much 
cultivated :  the  forests  having  been  cleared,  and  enclosures 
made,   of  course    the    population  is   greater  than  in  other 
places.     The  whole  country  appears  decked  with  farm-houses 
and  village-churches,  rising  to  the  view,  or  falling  from  it, 
over  an  undulating  district,  amidst  woods,  and  water,  and 
rocks,  and  large  loose  masses  of  granite :    it  may  be  called 
Norway  in   miniature  :  and  the   extraordinary  novelty  to  an 
English  traveller,  of  seeing  vessels  gliding  out,  as  if  from  the 
woods,   among   which   are  so  many  bays,   lakes,   and  little 
inland  seas,  in  that  season  of  the  year  when  the  ice  has  not 
locked  up  the  waters,  is  as  delightful  as  it  is  striking.     Higher 
up  the  country,  towards  the  north,  there  are  scenes  which 
were  described  to  us  as  unrivalled  in  the  world.     Every  charm 
which  the  effect  of  cultivation  can  give  to  the  aspect  of  a 
region  where  Nature's  wildest  features — headlong  cataracts, 
lakes,  majestic  rivers,  and  forests — are  combined,  may  there 
be  seen. 

The  road  from  J  bo  to  Peike,  the  first  stage,  one  Sivedish 
mile  and  a  half,  is  broader  than  the  generality  of  roads  in 
Sweden,  and  very  good.  Here  we  found  the  people  speaking 
Finnish,  of  which  we  understood  very  little.  Our  next  stage, 
to  VisfUy   was  through  a  tract  of  land   surrounded  by  hills 

sprinkled 


459 


chap.xiu. 


460 


HELSINGFORS. 


chap.xiii.  sprinkled  with  firs,  caliing  to  our  mind  the  scenery  near 
Gothenburg  in  Sweden,  where  all  the  hills  seemed  formed 
into  basins.  As  we  proceeded,  the  country  was  broken  with 
woods  and  forests  of  birch  and  fir ;  and  on  our  right  we  had, 
occasionally,  views  of  inlets,  or  bays  of  the  sea.  From  the 
information  of  some  travellers  who  passed  through  the  part 
of  Swedish  Finland  that  lies  between  Abo  and  Louisa,  we 
found  that  nothing  could  be  more  incorrect  than  the  account 
they  had  received  at  Stockholm  respecting  the  face  and  nature 
of  the  country.  They  had  been  told,  that  they  would  see 
one  continued  black  forest :  instead  of  this,  the  tract, 
through  which  they  passed,  in  the  month  of  August,  pre- 
sented, frequently,  scenery  of  a  most  beautiful  and  pic- 
turesque nature.  The  soil,  in  some  places,  was  extremely 
fertile  ;  the  pasture  lands  very  rich ;  and  the  crops  of  corn,  of 
which  a  great  quantity  is  exported  from  this  part  of  the 
country,  abundant. 

By  the  friendship  of  Baron  D \4rmfeldt,  upon  our  arrival 
at  Helsingfors,  we  were  conducted  to  the  famous  fortress  of 
Siveaborg ;  perhaps,  after  Gibraltar,  the  strongest  in  Europe. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  admission  :  and  we  were  told 
that  even  the  Baron,  who  was  second  in  command  in  the 
garrison,  could  not  procure  for  us  leave  to  enter.  But  when 
he  presented  us  to  the  General,  the  latter,  after  being  assured 
that  we  were  not  travelling  in  any  military  character,  per- 
mitted the  Baron,  and  a  captain  of  marines,  to  conduct  us 
over  it.  I  must,  however,  first  speak  of  Helsingfors,  as  it 
occurs  first  in  order. 

Description  of      jt  [s  a  small  but  handsome  town,  containing  many  stone 

houses; 


( 


HELSINGFOR  S. 


4t»l 


houses;    and,  considering  the  size  of  it,  carries  on  a  very  chaf.xim. 
active  trade :  the  shopkeepers  deal  with  the  neighbouring 

o 

farmers,  and,  as  at  Abo,  with  the  Finns,  who  descend  in 
numbers  in  the  winter.  The  town  was  crowded  with  them, 
when  we  were  there.  The  foreign  commerce,  as  well  as 
that  of  all  the  south  of  Finland,  is  exclusively  with  Spain, 
to  which  country  it  conveys  deal  planks,  and  brings  back 
salt ;  the  return  with  this  article  being  considered  of  great 

o 

importance.  Helsingfors,  like  Abo  and  Louisa,  is  renowned 
for  its  deal  planks ;  some  of  which  we  found  to  be  twelve 
feet  in  length  and  two  inches  in  thickness,  perfectly  fair, 
and  very  free  from  knots.  Twelve  of  them,  when  shipped, 
cost,  including  all  expenses,  two  rix-dollars  and  a  half  of  the 
paper  currency ;  about  eight  shillings  English,  according  to 
the  present  state  of  exchange,  which  must  render  the  profit 
very  high.  The  expense  of  building  vessels  is  not  great 
here ;  and  it  is  still  less  in  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia.  A  ship  of 
150  Swedish  lasters  may  be  purchased  for  six  thousand  rix- 
dollars  ;  and  many  well-constructed  trading  brigs  do  not  cost 
more  than  two  thousand.  Of  all  the  deals  exported  from  the 
Gulf  of  Finland,  those  of  Frederickshamm,  a  town  in  the 
Russian  dominions,  are  preferred  by  the  Spanish  merchants. 

The  houses  have  an  appearance  of  comfort ;  and  the  inha- 
bitants, we  were  informed,  lived  in  perfect  harmony  and  good- 
will among  each  other.  We  experienced  great  attention  and 
politeness  from  many  of  them.  Nothing  can  be  more  gay 
and  pleasing  than  the  scene,  exhibited  on  the  ice,  from  Hel- 
singfors to  the  fortress  of  Siveaborg,  which  is  situate  on  an 
island,  distant  two  English  miles.     The  road  is  marked  on 

the 


t# 


\m 


SWEABORG. 


fortress  of 
Swfuborg. 


chap.xiil  the  snow  by  trees,  or  large  branches  of  the  pine,  planted  in 
the  ice.  Sledges  of  all  sizes  and  descriptions,  open  and 
covered,  of  business,  burthen,  or  pleasure,  plain  or  decorated, 
with  beautiful  little  prancing  Finland  horses,  are  seen  moving 
with  the  utmost  rapidity,  backwards  and  forwards,  the  whole 
way,  from  morning  to  night.  Officers  with  their  servants, 
ladies,  soldiers,  peasants,  artificers,  engineers,  form  a  crowded 
promenade,  more  interesting  and  amusing  than  that  of  Hyde 
Park  in  London,  or  the  Corso  at  Rome. 

The  entrance  to  the  fortress  of  Siveaborg  is  by  a  long  and 
narrow  arched  way.  Every  thing  around  us — the  massive 
walls,  numerous  batteries,  intricate  mazes,  the  prodigious 
quantity  of  cannon,  and  the  swarms  of  soldiers,  sentries,  posts 
of  guard — announced  the  strength  and  consequence  of  the 
place.  Our  passports  and  persons  underwent,  as  we  entered, 
a  very  rigid  examination.  The  house  of  the  Commandant 
and  principal  officers  is  a  lofty  white  edifice,  placed  on  an 
eminence,  over  the  gateway.  On  an  area  immediately  before 
it,  stands  the  simple  but  characteristic  Tomb  of  Count 
Ernsverd,  the  engineer  who  planned  the  works '.  The 
chastity  and  purity  of  taste  which  are  shewn  in  this  tomb, 
at  once  bespeak  the  .Augustan  age  of  Siveden,  and  the  genius 
of  Gustavus  the  Third.  Whatever  is  elegant  in  art,  what- 
ever is  great  and  correct  in  design,  whatever  is  magnificent, 
all  came  from  him ;  and  to  the  same  source  the  Tomb  of 
Ernsverd  owes  its  origin.  It  is  worthy  of  the  finest  age  of 
Greece ;  and  has,  at  the  same  time,  an  Etrurian  character  of 

durability 


Tomb  of 

Count 

Ernsverd. 


(1)  See  the  Vignette  to  this  Chapter. 


■ 


SWEABORG. 


463 


durability  and  massiveness.  It  is  raised  upon  an  ascending  chap.xiii. 
scale  of  four  tablets,  perfectly  simple  and  plain  in  all  its  parts ; 
except,  that  on  each  of  its  oblong  sides,  which  are  indented, 
there  are  short  inscriptions  in  gilt  letters :  the  snow  which 
covered  them  had  been  hardened  by  the  frost;  and  we  were 
not  able  to  remove  it,  in  the  few  moments  we  had  leisure  to 
examine  the  tomb. 

Not  being  at  all  conversant  with  matters  relating  to  fortifi-  strength,  »ze 

and  import- 
Cation,  we  can  give  only  an  imperfect  account  of  the  interior  anceof 

wonders  of  this  admirable  fortress.  Its  basins,  and  canals, 
and  dry  docks,  have  been  cut,  with  infinite  labour  and  art,  out 
of  the  solid  rock  ;  and  works  for  its  further  improvement  are 
still  going  on.  The  roofs  and  chimneys  of  all  the  store-houses 
and  magazines  are  covered  with  copper.  Strong  ladders 
reach  from  the  basins  to  the  tops  of  the  buildings,  which,  in 
case  of  fire,  must  be  particularly  serviceable  ;  for  they  are  as 
stout  and  broad  as  staircases ;  and  every  one  of  them  would 
allow  persons  ascending  and  descending  to  pass  each  other. 
In  different  parts  of  the  fortress  are  a  great  number  of  cannon 
taken  from  the  Russians,  which  may  be  distinguished  from 
those  of  Sweden  by  their  shortness. 

Here  are  kept  the  Galleys,  capable  of  being  worked  equally 
with  sails  or  oars.  The  dry  docks,  large  enough  to  receive 
the  fleet,  have  a  very  narrow  entrance  :  one  vessel  only  can 
be  admitted  at  a  time.  Batteries  of  various  heights,  ap- 
pearing like  mountains  of  massive  masonry,  command  every 
port  and  avenue  of  the  works.  Water  is  admitted  by  gates 
or  locks  ;  and,  when  necessary,  it  is  afterwards  carried  off  by 
mill-pumps.     Every  vessel  has  its  proper  place  :  and  the  ships 

are 


MU 


S  W  E  A  B  0  R  G. 


CHAP.X.III.  are  laid  up  in  a  manner  so  convenient  and  admirable,  as  to 
be  ready  at  the  shortest  notice ;  and  are  carefully  preserved, 
when  not  in  use.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  they  were  con- 
structing a  dock  sufficiently  large  to  enable  them  to  build  a 
ship  of  one  hundred  guns  in  it'. 

The  garrison,  at  present,  consists  of  three  regiments,  one 
of  marines  and  two  of  infantry.  There  are  besides,  in  Hel- 
singfors  and  Siveaborg,  twelve  hundred  artillery  soldiers ;  but 
only  two  hundred  in  the  fortress.  In  time  of  war,  the  gar- 
rison contains  ten  thousand  men,  a  number  necessary  to  its 
proper  defence.  For  these,  every  accommodation  can  be 
afforded  within  the  walls.  All  the  officers  reside  here  with 
their  families,  in  very  comfortable  apartments ;  but  we  were 
informed,  by  those  who  had  served  in  France,  in  the  Regiment 
Royale  de  la  Suede,  that  in  Lisle,  and  other  fortresses  of  that 
country,  the  accommodations  were  far  superior ;  a  captain 

being 


(l)  As  the  Fortress  of  Sweaborg  has  been  seldom  visited  or  described,  some  additional 
information  is  here  annexed,  from  Fortia's  Travels  in  Sweden,  in  17Q0 — 1/02.  The 
fortress  is  composed  of  seven  small  islands,  or  rather  rocks,  three  of  which  are  joined 
to  each  other  by  bridges.  It  requires  half  an  hour  to  pass  over  from  Hebingj'ors  to  the 
principal  island  (Gustafholm),on  which  the  Governor's  house  is  situate.  No  communi- 
cation between  the  fortress  and  the  town  is  practicable  during  the  prevalence  of  a 
strong  south-west  wind.  The  construction  of  this  place  was  begun  in  1/48;  and 
although  it  be  not  yet  complete,  it  is  in  a  perfectly  defensible  condition.  The  harbour  is 
excellent,  being  capable  of  containing  sixty  sail  of  the  line.  Large  vessels  cannot  enter, 
but  by  an  extremely  narrow  channel,  commanded  by  the  guns  of  the  fortress.  We  saw, 
exclusively  of  mortars,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  cannon,  which  point  upon  this 
passage  ;  and  nearly  one  thousand  pieces  altogether,  including  the  land  batteries,  in  the 
different  forts.  Many  of  the  works  are  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  There  is  an  eighth 
island,  contiguous  to  that  in  which  the  fortress  is  situated  ;  whence,  in  case  of  the  enemy 
getting  a  station,  it  might  be  successfully  attacked. — See  Pinkertoris  Voyages  and 
Travels,  vol.  VI. 


BORGO.— LOUISA. 


465 


being  lodged  better  there,  than  a  colonel  in  Siuedborg.      The  chap.xiii. 
inhabitants  of  the   garrison  live  in    the   most   pleasant   and 
social  manner :  they  have  their  assemblies  and  balls,  at  which 
more  than  forty  ladies,  many  of  them  of  great  beauty,  make 
their  appearance. 

Sweaborg  is  much  larger  than  Portsmouth ;  and,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  Sivedish  officers  who  have  seen  both  places, 
it  is  much  stronger.  They  deem  it  impregnable :  but  whether 
it  could  be  properly  defended  in  the  winter-time — when  access 
to  it  is  rendered  so  easy  by  the  ice,  and  when,  for  want  of  water, 
which  then  becomes  frozen  in  all  the  basins,  a  conflagration 
would  produce  the  most  dreadful  effects — we  shall  leave  to  the 
decision  of  persons  who  are  more  competent  than  ourselves 
to  speak  on  these  matters.  Notwithstanding  the  extent  of  the 
works  which  were  at  that  time  carrying  on,  there  were  not 
more  than  three  hundred  men  employed  when  we  were  at 
Sweaborg. 

From  Helsingfors  we  came  to  Borgoy  where  we  stopped  at  Route  from 

Helsingfors  to 

a  good  but  extravagant  inn.  The  town  is  small;  though,  for  BorgoavA 
Finland,  it  is  a  considerable  one.  It  has  a  Gymnasium,  or 
School ;  and  possesses  a  Library,  in  which  are  preserved  some 
of  the  earliest  works  of  Linnceus.  The  houses  are  of  wood, 
and  painted  red  :  the  inhabitants  are  chiefly  Swedes.  As  we 
proceeded  to  Forsby,  the  road  became  more  rocky.  We  passed 
some  woods  of  birch  and  fir ;  and  in  the  latter  part  of  our 
route,  before  we  arrived  at  Louisa,  we  perceived  a  lake  on 
our  right.  As  we  entered  this  town,  we  were  stopped  by  a 
Custom-house  officer;  who  intended,  as  we  supposed,  that 
we  should  unpack  all  our  baggage  :  but  he  at  last  observed, 
vol.  vr.  3  o  that 


Louisa. 


466 


RUSSIAN    FRONTIER. 


chap.xiii.  that  if  we  would  give  him  something,  he  would  suffer  us  to 
pass.  The  manners  of  the  people  began  to  change  ;  and  we 
found  nothing  here  to  remark,  but  dirt  and  drunkenness. 
The  town  is  rather  pretty,  and  the  principal  street  is  wide  : 
in  summer  it  may  perhaps  be  entitled  to  more  praise ;  as, 
doubtless,  all  these  maritime  places,  situate  on  bays,  creeks, 
and  among  islands,  must  then  have  a  beautiful  appearance; 
for  their  shores  are  rarely  destitute  of  trees. 

We  could  not  quit  Louisa  so  early  as  we  wished ;  being 
delayed  by  our  pass,  which,  it  should  seem,  was  examined 
by  many  different  persons  ;  for  it  was  sent  for,  and  brought 
back  again,  several  times.  It  was  necessary  also  to  have  our 
Swedish  paper  changed  for  Russian  money,  that  we  might  be 
able  to  pay  for  our  horses  on  the  other  side  of  the  frontier. 
We  here  found  that  the  Russian  rouble  was  worth  forty  schil- 
lings Swedish.  In  going  to  Tesjo,  we  passed  a  forest  of  firs, 
growing  in  the  interstices  of  large  loose  rocks  of  granite. 
We  slept  at  this  place,  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Sivedish  and 
Russian  frontiers,  in  order  that  we  might  be  ready  to  undergo 
the  examination  of  the  Custom-house  officers  early  the  next 
morning. 

We  know  not  how  to  paint  the  extreme  contrast  which 
appears  in  the  short  distance  of  an  English  mile,, — from  the 
Swedish  to  the  Russian  guard.  The  country  is  still  Finland , 
but  it  is  Russian  Finland  ;  and  to  heighten  the  difference 
between  an  union  with  Sweden,  and  a  subjugation  by  Russia, 
the  Russian  Finns  are  not  those  who  make  their  appearance 
at  the  guard,  but  soldiers  from  the  interior  of  the  empire  ; 
the  reason   of  which   will   soon  appear.       In  a  company 

of 


Approach  ta 
the  Russian 
Frontier. 


1 


RUSSIAN   FRONTIER. 


467 


tllC   Boundaries  of 
the  Swedish 


of  the  Tavasthuas  militia,  stationed  at  a  small  distance  chap.xiii. 
from  the  Swedish  Douane,  on  the  east  side  of  the  western 
branch  of  the  river,  which  separates  the  two  countries, 
we  had  the  last  view  of  the  benevolent  and  mild  inha- 
bitants of  Sweden.  They  were  a  sturdy  and  athletic  troop  : 
and  as  it  gave  us  a  melancholy  satisfaction  to  prolong  the  few 
moments  of  our  farewell,  by  conversation  with  them,  the 
officer  on  duty  politely  accompanied  us  as  far  as  the  Russian 
guard. 

In    passing    the    little  island    which    lies    between 
Swedish  and  the  Russian  bridge,  we  expressed  a  curiosity  to  a"a  ft**** 

ox  J  dominions. 

know  what  formed  the  precise  boundary  of  the  two  countries. 
The  Swedish  officer  shewed  us  a  stone  of  about  two  tons 
weight,  which  is  the  only^  object  that  is  supposed  to  break 
the  neutrality  of  this  interval  between  the  respective  posts. 
Higher  to  the  north  is  the  Tammijara,  a  small  lake  in  the 
western  branch  of  the  Kymene  river ;  which  river,  with  the 
more  remote  waters  of  the  Pyha  and  Wuoka  lakes,  forms  the 
line  of  demarcation1. 

When  the  mind  has  been  accustomed  to  repose  implicitly 
on  the  fidelity  and  virtues  of  those  around  us,  it  is  difficult  to 
submit  it  all  at  once  to  a  system  of  suspicion  and  caution. 

The 

(l)  "  Sweden  is  at  present  reduced  to  the  narrow  but  long  country  situate  between 
Norway  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Baltic  and  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  on  the  other.  The 
loss  of  Finland  is  to  be  regretted,  as  a  diminution  of  her  population :  the  Finlanders 
were  fully  as  warlike  as  the  Swedes ;  and  they  seem  to  have  a  superiority  over  them  in 
industry.  But  these  disadvantages  are  scarcely  a  balance  to  the  additional  security 
which  Sweden  has  thence  derived,  and  to  the  consequent  diminution  of  their  expenses, 
as  far  as  it  is  necessary  to  provide  for  the  security  of  their  country." — Thomson's  Travels 
in.  Sweden,  1813.  />.  417. 


1 


468 


RUSSIAN  FRONTIER. 


chap.  xiii.  The  confidence  which  had  originated  in  the  long-experienced 
honesty,  goodness,  and  placid  benignity  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Sweden  did  not  entirely  forsake  us,  as  it  ought  to  have  done, 
on  entering^  Russia.      A  few  miles,  nay,  even  a  few  yards, 
conduct  you  from  aland  of  hospitality  and  virtue,  to  a  den  of 
thieves.     We  suffered  for  this  want  of  caution,  in  the  loss  of 
the  first  moveables  on  which  the  Russians  could  lay  their 
hands.     We  had,  indeed,  been  forewarned  of  their  pilfering 
disposition,  but  did  not  imagine  that  we  should  so  soon  expe- 
rience the  truth  of  the  information  which  we  had  received 
respecting  this  part  of  the  Russian  character. 

contrast  be-        We  have  alluded  to  the  guard  of  soldiers  who  are  sent  from 

tween  the  .  t 

Natives  of  the  the  interior  of  the  country,  to  be  stationed  on  the  Russian 

two  countries. 

frontier.  In  this,  we  see  a  remarkable  contrast  in  the  man- 
ners of  the  two  nations.  The  Swedish  frontier  is  guarded 
by  the  Tavasthuus  militia,  natives  of  the  districts  they  are 
stationed  to  defend.  Sweden  carries  on  no  war  against  its  own 
subjects ;  it  transacts  no  deeds  of  darkness  on  its  own  fron- 
tier; the  defence  of  them  is  entrusted  to  armed  natives. 
Mode  of        But  with  Russia,  the  case  is  very  different :    her  Government 

recruiting  the  ,         .  ,         # 

Russian  army,  was  employed,  at  the  time  we  entered  the  country,  in  kidnap- 
ping, during  the  night,  all  the  young  men  who  could  be  found 
in  their  houses,  to  supply  the  armies.  Their  hands  and  legs 
were  bound,  and  they  were  cast  into  sledges,  like  calves. 
As  this  naturally  begets  a  desire  in  the  Russians  who  inhabit 
the  borders  to  migrate  to  the  Swedish  side,  that  they  may 
experience  the  influence  of  a  milder  government,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  piquets  stationed   along  the  line,   and   roving 

Cossacks, 


RUSSIAN  FRONTIER. 


469 


Cossacks,    to    prevent    desertion.      Strangers  are   evidently  chap.xiii. 
wanted  for  this  purpose ;  as  few  of  the  natives  would  intercept 
a  brother  or  a  friend,  in  his  flight  from  tyranny. 

Having  crossed  the  Russian  bridge,  we  were  ordered  to 
halt,  by  one  of  the  sentinels,  a  dwarfish  meagre  figure  with 
a  sallow  complexion  and  a  long  cloak,  who,  with  scarcely 
strength  enough  to  shoulder  a  musket,  stood  shivering 
before  a  large  fire.  A  little  above  was  the  wretched  hovel 
which  serves  as  a  guard-house.  Notice  being  given  of  our 
arrival,  we  were  ordered  to  approach  ;  and  after  a  few  neces- 
sary ceremonies,  we  passed  to  the  Custom-house,  a  little 
higher  up  on  the  left  hand.  Here  we  were  ushered  into  a 
tolerably  neat  little  room,  where  sate  an  officer  with  a  lame 
foot  on  a  couch.  He  could  neither  talk  French  nor  English, 
and  very  little  Swedish ;  so  that  we  had  no  means  of  communi- 
cation, until  at  length  he  surprised  us  by  asking  if  we  spoke 
Latin.  Our  passports  were  then  examined,  and  returned. 
We  had  reason  to  fear  that  our  servants  would  be  detained  ; 
for  although  they  had  been  included  in  the  passports  of  the 
Danish  amd  Swedish  Sovereigns,  and  expressly  mentioned  in 
that  of  our  own  Government,  they  had  not  been  included  in 
the  Russian.  Our  passports  were,  however,  signed  and  deli- 
vered to  us,  with  an  assurance  that  we  were  at  liberty  to 
proceed.     As  we  advanced  to  the  carriage,  an  inspector  of  iniquitous 

A  conduct  of  a 

the  Customs,  a  renegado  Finn,  informed  us,   in  the  Swedish  RusHanin. 

7  o  *  spector  of  the 

language,   that  he  had  two  handsome   pipes   to  sell.      We  customs. 
thanked  him,  but  informed  him  that  we  did  not  use  tobacco. 
"  Yah  so  I1 "  he  replied ;  "  but  you  have  some  Swedish  money, 

which 


m 


( 1 )  For  the  different  import  and  meaning  of  this  expression,  see  p.  296  of  this  volume. 


■ 


470  RUSSIAN   FRONTIER. 

chap.xiii.  which  I  will  accept  in  exchange  for  Russian."  He  then 
produced  two  false  notes,  one  for  fifty,  the  other  for  five 
roubles, which,  he  said,  was  all  the  Russian  money  he  possessed. 
As  the  imposition  was  too  glaring  to  pass,  and  the  Swedish 
officer  openly  pronounced  the  notes  to  be  bad,  we  declined 
having  any  dealings  with  the  Inspector.  Upon  this,  he 
snatched  from  my  hands  one  of  our  passports  ;  and  opening  it, 
declared,  that  as  the  names  of  the  servants  were  not  included, 
they  might  attempt  to  proceed  at  their  peril ;  calling,  at  the 
same  time,  to  the  soldiers  to  mind  their  duty,  or  to  abide  the 
consequences.  We  in  vain  entreated  that  they  might  be 
accompanied  by  a  guard  to  Frederichshamm,  where  we  might 
state  our  situation  to  the  Commandant ;  adding,  that  all 
expenses  should  be  defrayed  by  us,  and  the  soldiers  liberally 
rewarded.  We  represented,  that  a  journey  of  three  hundred 
versts,  to  Petersburg,  in  so  severe  a  season  of  the  year,  with 
so  much  baggage,  and  without  a  knowledge  of  the  language, 
would  subject  us  to  the  greatest  hardships,  and  perhaps  to  the 
loss  of  all  our  trunks.  But  our  attempts  to  persuade  him 
were  fruitless :  his  honour  had  been  wounded  by  the  detection 
of  his  villany;  and  therefore,  making  a  virtue  of  revenge,  he 
would  for  once  fulfil  his  duty  to  his  Sovereign,  by  exactions  of 
the  most  vexatious  and  frivolous  kind.  He  had  also,  without 
doubt,  a  hope  that  our  servants  would  be  left  in  his  hands  ;  by 
which  means  a  new  demand  might  be  made  upon  us,  subject 
to  the  most  flagrant  imposition.  The  Sivedish  officer,  with 
the  politeness  and  hospitality  of  his  nation,  and  justly  indig- 
nant at  what  he  had  witnessed,  conducted  them  back  to 
Louisa,  assuring  us  that  they  should  be  taken  care  of,  until  we 


were  able  to  send  for  them  from  Petersburg. 


We 


RUSSIAN  FRONTIER. 


471 


The  author  has  frequently  avoided,  in  the  course  of  the  chap.xjil 
account  of  these  Travels,  the  unnecessary  insertion  of  circum-  Difficulties 

that  impede 

stances  and  adventures,  the  narrative  of  which  might  have  the  the  traveller 

in  Jiutsia. 

appearance  of  egotism.  The  statement  of  what  occurred  on 
first  entering  the  Russian  frontier  will  not,  he  trusts,  expose 
him  to  this  charge.  An  omission  of  that  which  serves  to 
characterize  a  nation,  or  part  of  a  nation,  and  which  may 
prove  a  caution  to  travellers,  would  be,  indeed,  neglect.  We 
might  add,  to  the  conduct  of  the  inspector,  a  catalogue  of 
difficulties  which  quickly  succeeded  each  other,  during  our 
expedition  to  Petersburg,  through  a  country  more  inhospitable 
than  the  deserts  of  Tahtary.  Attempts  were  frequently  made 
to  impede  our  progress.  In  the  small  towns,  there  is  generally 
found  a  miserable  innkeeper,  to  whom  the  officers  are  fre- 
quently in  debt :  it  is  his  interest,  therefore,  to  detain  the 
traveller:  and  the  officer  on  guard,  or  even  his  superior,  has 
little  difficulty  in  discovering  some  method  by  which  this 
object  may  be  accomplished. 

The  tract  of  land  between  Aberfors  and  Frederickshamm  is 
the  scene  of  the  last  glories  in  the  life  of  Gustavus  the  Third 
of  Sweden.  He  carried  his  conquests  even  to  the  walls  of 
that  fortress ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  perfidy  of  his 
officers,  would  have  received  a  more  splendid  crown  of 
yictory  within  the  city  of  Petersburg.  The  spot,  where  the 
contest  between  the  armies  was  most  severe,  is  about  three 
Sivedish  miles  from  Aberfors,  at  Anjala.  In  this  route,  wherever 
the  Russians  appeared,  a  striking  difference  was  visible 
between  their  figure,  features,  manners  and  dress,  and  those 
of  the  Finns.      The  hair  and  complexion  of  the  latter  were 

lighter  t 


472 


FREDERICKSHAMM. 


Arrival  at 
Fredericks 
hamm . 


chap.xiii.  lighter :  the  Russians  wore  long  beards,  with  their  necks  bare. 
At  a  short  distance  before  we  arrived  at  Fredericksha?nmy 
we  passed  round  a  Russian  station,  the  fortifications  of  which 
had  been  lately  thrown  up.  We  considered  ourselves  happy 
in  not  meeting  with  any  further  interruption.  We  saw  few 
peasants ;  and  those  whom  we  met  had  a  very  poor  and 
wretched  aspect. 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  more  desolate  tract  of  country 
than  the  whole  route  from  Louisa  to  Frederickshamm.  Some 
white  houses,  particularly  the  Town-house,  a  large  building 
in  the  centre,  painted  white  and  green,  gave  to  Fredericks- 
hamm  a  lively  appearance.  The  fortifications  were  very 
regular;  and  the  street,  by  which  we  entered,  was  straight,  and 
terminated  in  the  Town-house.  We  were  suffered  to  proceed 
through  the  exterior  parts  of  the  fortifications  without  inter- 
ruption ;  but  on  coming  to  the  interior  gate,  we  were 
stopped,  and  our  passes  examined.  While  we  were  detained, 
a  sudden  shout  was  raised  by  all  the  soldiers  on  guard ;  and 
they  ran  to  arms.  We  found,  on  looking  round,  that  the 
appearance  of  the  Governor,  in  his  carriage,  was  the  cause  of 
this  bustle.  The  beating  of  the  drums,  and  the  noise  of  the 
muskets,  made  our  horses  rear  and  plunge ;  and  as  we  were  in 
the  gateway,  the  Governor  was  obliged  to  give  orders  to  the 
soldiers  to  cease,  that  we  might  move  on  one  side,  and  make 
room  for  him.  When  he  had  passed,  some  of  the  officers 
spoke  to  us  in  French,  and  asked  how  long  we  proposed 
staying  in  the  town  ;  and  said  that  our  passports  should  be 
returned  to  us  the  next  morning.  We  were  informed,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  obtain  from  the  Governor  a  paper,  called 

poderomoy, 


Regulations 
relating  to 
Posting  in 
Russia. 


B^B  e^ 


RUSSIAN  FINLAND. 


473 


poderosnoy,  to  shew  at  every  post-house ;  as  without  it  we  chap.xiii. 
could  not  procure  horses.  For  this  paper  we  were  to  pay 
one  copeek  a  verst,  for  each  horse.  The  Commandant  of  the 
garrison  shewed  us  great  civility  :  we  attended  his  levee,  with 
all  the  officers,  whom  he  received  in  his  robe  de  chambre, 
with  his  breast  and  bosom  bare.  Having  received  our  pass- 
ports, which  were  signed  and  countersigned,  and  our  permit 
for  horses,  we  set  out ;  but  were  stopped  for  above  half 
an  hour  on  quitting  the  town,  and  our  passports  were  again 
examined. 

Frederickshamm  had  once  a  little  trade ;  but  since  the 
exportation  of  timber  has  been  forbidden,  and  the  town  has 
been  filled  with  soldiers,  this  has  almost  entirely  ceased.  We 
proceeded  to  Kouxis,  distant  sixteen  versts,  through  a  stony 
and  rocky  kind  of  country :  the  road  during  the  next  stage  was 
varied  with  more  hills.    At  every  post-house,  when  we  asked  Regulation 

relating  to 

for  horses,  twelve  or  fifteen  peasants  generally  made  their  Posting  in 
appearance.  They  were  dressed  chiefly  in  a  kind  of  loose 
coarse  linen  coat  and  trowsers,  and  had  a  particularly  clownish 
and  boorish  look.  At  each  of  these  houses,  a  Russian  soldier 
is  placed,  as  the  manager ;  and  to  him  we  were  directed  to 
give  ten  copeeks,  for  what  is  called,  in  England,  drink-money. 
He  also  receives  the  sum  which  is  to  be  paid  for  the  horses ; 
and  demands  it  before  the  traveller  leaves  the  place.  This  re- 
gulation was  caused  by  the  conduct  of  the  Russian  officers,  who 
not  unfrequently  paid  the  poor  peasants  with  the  blows  of 
their  canes,  instead  of  with  copper.  Many  of  the  houses,  in 
the  villages  we  passed  through,  were  without  chimneys;  and 
vol.  vi.  3  p  the 


Rmriii . 


474 


RUSSIAN  FINLAND. 


cHAPXiii.  the  (houses  themselves  were  of  smaller  size,  and  of  a  more 
miserable  appearance  than  those  we  had  remarked  in  Swedish 
Finland.  The  peasants  whom  we  saw  in  this  journey  bore  a 
strong  resemblance  to  the  Laplanders.  It  is  almost  impossible 

Description  of  for  the  Reader,  from  any  thing  he  has  either  seen  or  heard, 

thel'osthouses 

m  Russian      to  form  any  idea  of  the  inside  of  these  post-houses.     That  at 

Finland. 

Ursala  was  nothing  but  a  dark  hole  :  a  partition  with  some- 
thing like  a  bed  in  it  was  reserved  for  the  Russian  soldier,  to 
whom  the  Finnish  peasants  seemed  to  pay  great  respect. 
The  other  part  of  the  room  had  a  broad  bench  round  it,  placed 
against  the  walls,  on  which  the  peasants  slept.  We  were, 
upon  the  whole,  much  struck  with  the  evident  inferiority, 
both  in  looks  and  apparent  condition,  of  the  RussianFin- 
landerSy  in  comparison  with  the  Swedish. 

The  distance  between  Frederickshamm  and  Wibourg  is  one 

hundred  and  ten  versts ;   and  there  is  not  a  single  house  in 

iHtensecoiduf  which   it  is  possible  for  a  traveller  to  sleep.     The    thermo- 

the  weather 

during  the       meter  fell,  during  the  night,  to  fifteen  and  twenty  degrees 

night.  ° 

below  o  of  Celsius  :  and  we  were  sometimes  compelled  to  go 
into  the  post-houses  for  warmth.  In  the  carriage,  our  breath 
froze  into  a  coat  of  ice  on  an  earthenware  bottle,  as  we  drank 
some  wine ;  and  if  we  held  it  to  our  mouth,  the  skin  stuck  to 
it.  All  the  furs  we  could  apply  to  our  bodies  and  feet  were  no 
defence  against  the  frost.  The  poor  peasants,  who  drove  us, 
presented,  at  the  end  of  every  stage,  faces  as  it  were  in 
armour  with  ice ;  and  their  fur-caps  and  hair  were  covered 
with  icicles.  When  we  stepped  into  their  houses,  which 
are  as  hot  as  a  vapour-bath,  we  found  the  air  within,  on 

opening 


RUSSIAN  FINLAND. 


475 


opening  the  door,  instantly  converted  to  snow1,  which  is  chai'.xiii. 
whirled  round  and  round,  so  that  every  thing  in  the  first 
moment  is  invisible,  as  if  the  room  were  filled  with  a  thick 
smoke.  When  this  has  subsided,  a  scene  presents  itself,  to 
which  nothing  in  any  part  of  Lapland  has  the  least  resem- 
blance. The  only  light  is  afforded  by  a  deal  splinter  stuck 
horizontally  within  the  wall.  The  roof  and  sides  are  as  black 
as  night.  As  the  thick  vapour  disperses,  a  figure  appears 
close  to  you,  with  a  long  dark  beard,  and  hair  eyes,  distilling 
rheum ;  and  a  face  fixed  in  mute  astonishment.  Suddenly, 
from  a  sloping  bench  like  a  writing-desk,  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  apartment,  twelve  or  thirteen  other 
similar  spectres  start  up,  with  a  Babel  confusion  of  tongues— 
Finnish,  Swedish,  Russian. 

There  is  no  country  where  horses  are  supplied  with  greater 
expedition  :  sixteen  may  be  found  waiting  at  every  stage  ;  and 
in  no  part  of  Europe  can  accidents  to  your  harness  or  sledge 
be  more  quickly  repaired.  Our  traces  broke  ;  and  half-a-dozen 
peasants,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd,  which  one  would  have 
imagined  would  have  only  confused  them,  formed  a  braided 
work  of  ropes  in  a  few  moments,  which  lasted  the  whole 
of  the  way  from  Frederickshamm  to  Wihourg.  We  travelled, 
during  the  night,  without  any  moon ;  frequently  at  the  rate 
of  ten  versts  in  the  hour.     Ten  copeeks,  or  five  pence,  for  six 

horses, 


(l)  Maupertuis  and  the  French  Academicians,  in  their  journey  to  Tornea  to  measure 
a  degree  for  ascertaining  the  figure  of  the  earth,  made  a  similar  remark  ;  "  On  opening 
the  door  of  a  warm  room,  the  external  air,  rushing  in,  instantly  converted  the  vapour 
into  a  fleece  of  snow." 


476 


WIBOURG. 


A  nival  at 
TVibourg. 


chap.xiii.  horses,  is  the  usual  sum  paid  to  the  peasants  ;  but  fifteen  (or 
sevenpence-halfpenny),  which  I  believe  is  generally  given 
by  English  travellers  to  these  poor  men,  is  received  by  them 
with  surprise  and  joy. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  gates  of  Wibourg,  our  drivers 
suddenly  withdrew ;  and,  huddling  together  under  the  gate, 
remained  for  two  hours  in  a  degree  of  cold  that  we  thought 
would  have  killed  the  horses,  without  telling  us  the  reason. 
The  gates  of  the  fortress  were  not  yet  opened ;  and  we 
waited  until  seven  o'clock  in  that  situation.  As  soon  as  we 
arrived,  the  Commandant  and  General-in-chief  of  the  forces 
at  Wibourg,  General  Von  Vrangel,  sent  for  us,  by  one  of  his 
officers  ;  received  us  with  great  politeness  ;  invited  us  to  a 
masquerade,  and  to  dinner;  and  requested  us  to  attend 
him  upon  the  parade  at  eleven  o'clock.  He  said  he  had 
received  orders  to  permit  us  to  proceed  on  our  journey  to 
Petersburg,  ever  since  the  month  of  May.  This  was  informa- 
tion of  great  importance  to  us  ;  for  an  officer  soon  discovered 
and  remarked,  that  our  passes  were  not  from  the  Crown. 

Wibourg,  in  the  time  of  the  late  Empress,  was  burnt 
down :  it  has  been  rebuilt  upon  a  regular  plan.  The 
edifices  are  all  of  brick,  none  of  wood  being  allowed  ; 
and  are  large  and  grand  :  the  square  is  very  spacious.  The 
town  has  a  military  appearance :  drums  are  heard  from 
morning  to  night :  the  troops  are  exercised  every  day, 
not  excepting  Sundays.  We  could  not  help  admiring  the 
extraordinary  regularity  and  accuracy  with  which  they  per- 
formed all  their  manoeuvres.  The  soldiers,  when  collected 
together,  seemed  a  fine  set  of  men  ;  but  when  we  examined 

them 


WIBOURG. 


47? 


them  individually,  we  were  disappointed  in  their  appearance,  chap.xiii. 
The  officers,  of  whom  there  were  many  present,  were,  in 
general,  ill-looking,  small,  badly  made ;  and  very  few  of 
them  had  the  air  of  Gentlemen.  Once  or  twice  during  the 
exercise,  every  one  present  pulled  off  his  hat :  we  observed 
this  ceremony  repeated  frequently ;  and  there  was  much 
apparent  servility  on  the  part  of  the  inferior  officers  towards 
the  higher.  With  the  leave  of  the  Commandant,  we  walked 
round  the  ramparts,  accompanied  by  the  Major  de  Place, 
who  was  also  a  Lieutenant-colonel.  He  informed  us,  in 
French,  that  the  troops  commanded  by  General  Von  Vrangel 
consisted  of  four  battalions,  each  of  a  thousand  men ;  and 
that  there  were  in  addition,  in  the  town,  two  battalions, 
also  of  a  thousand  men  each,  under  the  command  of  General 
Kutusqf,  the  General- in-chief  of  the  forces  in  Finland;  and 
a  corps  of  engineers.  The  town  is  generally  provisioned  for 
a  year :  it  seemed  to  consist  chiefly  of  the  houses  of  the 
officers,  barracks  for  the  soldiers,  magazines,  and  churches. 
To  garrison  the  place  in  time  of  war,  the  Colonel  informed 
us  that  sixteen  thousand  men  would  be  necessary.  The 
fortifications  were  strong  and  regular,  but  very  little  assisted 
by  nature.  From  the  top  of  the  tower  of  the  castle,  which 
is  of  some  height,  we  had  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 
The  situation  was  flat,  and  the  fauxbourgs  had  a  poor 
and  miserable  appearance.  The  port  will  not  admit  ships 
that  draw  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet  water.  Many 
of  the  merchants  have  become  bankrupts,  by  the  Empe- 
ror's prohibition  of  the  exportation  of  timber,  in  which 
their  trade  principally  consisted.     Applications  have  been 

made, 


■ 


478 


WIBOURG. 


Russian 
mode  of  in- 
flictinc;  pu- 
nishment on 
1  deserters. 


ciiAr.xiii.  made,  to  export  what  has  been  already  cut ;   but  without 
success. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  at  Wibourg,  our  curiosity  got  the 
better  of  our  feelings,  and  we  went  to  see  the  mode  in  which 
the  Russians  inflict  punishment  on  their  soldiers,  for  desertion. 
Five  hundred  men  were  drawn  up,  in  three  lines,  forming 
two  alleys,  through  which  the  deserter  was  to  pass  six  times. 
A  drummer  preceded  him,  to  prevent  his  walking  too  fast ; 
and  each  soldier  had  a  stick,  with  which  he  struck  him. 
As  soon  as  the  punishment  began,  we  turned  another  way ; 
but  were  informed,  afterwards,  that  it  was  more  severe  than 
we  should  have  expected  from  the  size  of  the  sticks.  Many 
soldiers  desert  into  Swedish  Finland ;  but  they  are  frequently 
apprehended,  in  their  attempts  to  reach  the  frontier,  by  the 
peasants  ;  who  are  exasperated  against  them,  on  account  of 
the  robberies  which  they  commit  in  their  flight,  for  the 
purpose  of  supporting  themselves.  Five  silver  roubles  are 
the  reward  for  taking  a  deserter. 

The  inhabitants  of  Wibourg  are  partly  Russians  and  partly 
Finns.  The  former  are  generally  distinguished  by  their 
beards  :  in  their  dress,  they  have  the  appearance  of  Jews,  a. 
long  loose  coat  being  tied  round  the  waist  with  a  sash.  The 
Finland  girls  wear  their  hair  drawn  together,  and  fastened 
at  the  back  of  the  head  with  a  little  circular  roll,  and  a  pin 
stuck  through  it.  The  principal  articles  in  request  in  this 
town,  as  luxuries,  are,  French  brandy,  sugar,  wine,  and 
coffee,  all  of  which  are  very  dear.  The  Finns,  who  bring 
corn  and  planks  to  Wibourg,  return  with  salt.  Here,  and  at 
Frederickshamm,    we  found  the  finest  bread  we  had  ever 

tasted. 


Inhabitants  of 
fVibourg. 


RUSSIAN    FINLAND. 


479 


tasted.      On    inquiring   the  price   of    provisions,    we    were  chap.xui. 
informed  that  a  sack  of  rye  of  nine  pouds  cost  seven  roubles  ; 
which  is  not  higher  than   it  was   two  or  three  years  ago, 
though  double  or  triple  of  what  it  was  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  years  since. 

From  IVibourg,  we  proceeded,  through  Konuta  and  Rorwer, 
to  Pampola,  a  distance  of  sixty-two  versts,  over  a  flat  country, 
passing  through  forests  of  fir  and  birch  trees.  Pampola  is 
rather  a  large  village :  we  observed  the  gable  ends  of  the 
houses  always  turned  towards  the  road  :  the  only  openings 
which  were  left  for  light  were,  one  small  window  with  glass, 
and  two  holes  on  each  side  without  any ;  all  placed  at  the 
same  end  of  the  house.  At  Bulostrof,  thirty-eight  versts 
distant  from  Pampola,  we  entered  one  of  the  peasant's 
cottages,  a  wretched  abode  quite  black  with  smoke ;  the 
holes  for  light,  on  each  side  of  the  window,  were  not  so 
much  as  a  foot  square.  There  appeared  to  be  two  families, 
consisting  of  two  men,  two  women,  and  five  or  six  children  : 
the  latter  did  not  look  so  unhealthy  as  we  might  have 
expected  from  the  extreme  heat  and  dirt  of  the  room.  A 
bench,  round  two  sides  of  the  cottage,  appeared  to  be  the 
general  sleeping-place.  They  expressed  great  surprise  on 
our  entering ;  and  one  of  the  women,  on  my  offering  to  her 
a  five-copeek  piece,  stared,  and  refused  to  take  it.  I  then 
placed  it  on  the  table,  where  was  some  bread ;  of  which  they 
offered  me  a  piece,  in  return  for  the  money.  The  bread  was 
of  rye,  dark-coloured,  little  baked,  but  had  not  a  bad  taste. 

In  going  to  Drasnicqf,  we  passed  through  the  same  kind 
of  country  as  before  ;  but  the  firs  were  of  larger  size.     The 

roads 


480 


APPROACH  TO  PETERSBURG. 


chap.xiii.  roads  are  made,  in  general,  with  small  trees,  thrown  across, 
and  covered  with  dirt  and  sand.  When  the  trees  are  decayed, 
or  recently  laid  down,  the  motion  of  the  carriage  is  ex- 
tremely rough  and  unpleasant. 

The  view  of  Petersburg  presented  itself  to  us  at  some 
distance  before  we  arrived  at  the  last  barrier,  where  our 
passports  were  examined.  We  then  entered  a  broad  and 
perfectly  straight  avenue ;  the  further  extremity  being  termi- 
nated by  the  domes  and  palaces  of  the  city. 


Arrival  at 
Petersburg 


CHAP.    XIV. 

PETERSBURG. 

General  appearance  of  the  City — Novelty  of  the  Scene  exhibited  in  the 
Dresses  and  Figures  of  the  Inhabitants — Expense  in  the  mode  of  living 
among  the  Higher  Ranks — Collections  of  Art,  in  the  possession  of 
Individuals — Amusements  of  the  different  Classes  of  Society — Ice- Hills 

—  Visit  to  some  of  the  Public  Institutions — Academy  of  Sciences 
— Library  attached  to  it — Museum — valuable  Collections,  in  different 
branches  of  Natural  History,  preserved  there— Peter  the  First — 
Academy  of  Fine  Arts— nature  of  the  Institution — Fortress — Tombs 
of  the  Imperial  Family— Mint — Statue  of  Peter  the  First — defect 
of  taste  in  the  Artist— expense  of  the  Work — Hermitage — Pictures 

—  Hall  of  St.  George — Palaces  of  P eterhof  and  Oranienbaum — State 
of  the  Peasantry — Mode  of  managing  the  Estates  of  the  Russian 
Nobility — Checks  to  Population. 

W  e  reached  the  first  gate  of  Petersburg  about  eleven  o'clock;  chap.xiv. 
and    were   ordered   by    the  sentinel   to   stop,    and    descend 
from  our  carriage.     Our  passports  were  presented,  as  usual ; 
vol.  vi.  3  q  but 


482 


PETERSBURG. 


CHAP.  XIV 


General  ap- 
pearance  of 
the  city. 


but  he  would  not  even  lift  up  his  arm  to  take  them  :  it  was 
contrary  to  order,  he  said,  to  receive  them ;  and  we  must 
go  ourselves  to  the  officer  upon  guard ;  by  whom  we 
were  detained  half  an  hour,  and  then  sent  with  a  sentinel 
to  the  city.  We  approached  it  by  its  most  beautiful  quarter, 
crossing  the  Neva  upon  the  ice,  which  was  covered  with 
sledges ;  and  landed  again  opposite  to  the  Marble  Palace. 

The  united  magnificence  of  all  the  cities  of  Europe  could 
but  equal  Petersburg.  There  is  nothing  little  or  mean,  to 
offend  the  eye; — all  is  grand,  extensive,  large,  and  open.  The 
streets,  which  are  wide  and  straight,  seem  to  consist  entirely 
of  palaces :  the  edifices  are  white,  lofty,  and  regular.  At  first 
sight,  the  whole  city  appears  to  be  built  with  stone ;  but  on  a 
nearer  inspection,  you  find  the  walls  are  of  brick,  covered 
with  plaister;  yet  every  part  is  so  clean  and  in  such 
excellent  order,  and  has  an  appearance  so  new,  that  the  effect 
is  as  fine  and  striking  as  if  they  were  formed  of  marble. 
The  public  structures,  on  whatever  side  you  direct  vour 
attention — quays,  piers,  ramparts — are  all  composed  of  masses 
of  solid  granite1,  calculated  to  endure  for  ages.  It  seems  as 
if  the  antient  Etruscans  or  Egyptians — stimulated  by  emula- 
tion to  surpass  their  prodigious  works,  aided  by  despotic 
power,  and  instructed  by  Grecifan  taste — had  arisen,  to 
astonish  the  modern  world.  Such  is  the  metropolis  which 
Catherine  has  left !   Much  had  been  done  by  her  predecessors ; 

but 


(l)  "  Les  quais  de  la  Neva  et  du  magnifique  Canal  de  Catherine  sont  construit9  de 
ce  granit:  les  remparts  de  lafortresse  en  sont  revetus."  Patrin.  Histoire  Naturelle  des 
Mineraux,  tome  I.  p.  q6.  The  granite  he  alludes  to  is  called  Granit  de  I'Ingrie,  which 
he  describes,  p.  95.  He  there  states,  that  a  colonnade  in  the  Summer  Garden  is  com- 
posed of  more  than  sixty  pillars  of  granite  ;  each  column  being  of  one  piece,  twenty 
feet  in  length,  and  three  feet  in  diameter. 


in 


PETERSBURG. 


483 


but  her  labours  surpassed  them  all :  and  our  admiration  is  chap.xiv. 
increased,  while  we  behold  the  magnificence  of  the  buildings, 
the  breadth  of  the  streets,  the  squares,  and  openings,  and 
noble  palaces, — and  recollect  that  a  century  has  not  yet 
elapsed,  since  the  first  stone  of  the  foundation  of  the  city  was 
laid  by  Peter  the  Great. 

We  were  told  that  we  should  find  Petersburg  like  London, 
and  that  we  should  everywhere  hear  the  language  and  see 
the  manners  of  England;  but  nothing  can  be  farther  from 
the  truth.  This  city  presents  to  the  stranger  a  sight  as  novel 
and  interesting  as  any  which  he  will  meet  with  in  Europe. 
In  the  general  appearance  of  features  and  countenance,  the 
Russians  have  nothing  very  characteristic;  and  when  their 
beards  are  cut  off*,  as  is  the  case  with  those  who  live  as 
servants  in  the  families  of  Gentlemen,  thev  could  not  be 
distinguished  from  Englishmen  :  but  in  the  dresses  of  the 
people  we  are  reminded  of  the  inhabitants  of  some  Asiatic 
towns  ;  though  perhaps  in  summer,  when  the  robes,  pelisses, 
and  caps  are  not  worn,  the  impression  may  be  different. 
The  resemblance  to  Asiatic  customs  and  manners,  percepti- 
ble in  Moscow  and  Petersburg,  will  probably  decrease,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  intercourse  of  the  Russians  with  other  parts  of 
Europe.  The  stile  of  dress  in  the  seventeenth  century  was 
more  Oriental  than  it  is  at  present:  a  robe  was  then  in  use 
called  Feredja,  which  is  a  Turkish  word2.  At  this  season, 
the  streets  are  filled  with  sledges ;  and  with  peasants  in 
various  costumes,  having  long  beards,  straight  locks,  bare 
necks,  and  their  feet  covered  with  shoes  of  vthe  matted  bark 

of  trees. 

With 


(2)  In  parts  of  Petersburg,  the  shops  which  sell  the  same  articles  adjoin  each  other, 
as  in  the  Bazars  of  Constantinople  and  other  cities  of  the  East. 


484 


PETERSBURG. 


ranks. 


chap. xiv.       With    respect    to    magnificence,    Petersburg   is   as    much 

superior  to  London,  as  London  is  to  any  provincial  city  in 

Expense  in     England ;  and  the  style  and  mode  of  living  adopted  by  the 

the  mode  of  * 

living  among    N0kies  exceeds  all  belief.     The  most  distant  provinces  of  the 

the  higher  A 

empire  are  explored,  to  furnish  some  delicacy  for  their  enter- 
tainments :  two,  three,    or  even   four  hundred   roubles  are 
expended  on  particular  dishes.     At  no  season  of  the  year 
are  their  tables  without  fruits  of  the  rarest  and  most  exqui- 
site kind.     Immense  revenues  are  necessary,  to  support  the 
prodigality  and  profusion  exhibited  by  many  of  the  Russians 
of  the  highest  rank.     The  number  of  servants  who  are  the 
vassals  of  the  great  land-owners  amounts  to  two  or  three 
hundred ;    who  supply,  in  various  ways,  by  their  different 
occupations,  the  wants,  tastes,  and  demands  of  their  masters1. 
The  love  and    admiration  of  what    is   foreign,    encourage 
many  strangers  to  settle  here,  whose  talents  and  ingenuity 
are  constantly  employed  in  furnishing  and  ornamenting  the 
palaces  of  the  Noblemen  in  the  most  sumptuous  and  splendid 
manner. 
collections  of      The  collections  of  Art  in  the  possession  of  individuals  at 

Artinthepos-  ,  ■ 

session  of  in-  Petersburg,  as  well  as  in  London,  were  enriched  by  very 
valuable  works,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  revolutions  in 
parts  of  Europe,  were  dispersed  over  the  Continent.  Some 
of  these  we  were  allowed,  by  the  kindness  and  hospitality  of 
their  owners,  to  examine ;  but  they  neither  equal  in  extent 
or  in  real  value  those  we  have  described,  in  another  Part  of 
this  Work,  as  existing  at  Moscow.  The  Picture-gallery  of 
Count  Strogonqf  is  a  long  room  terminated  by  an  enormous 

mirror, 


dividuals. 


(1)  "  I  never  put  my  hands  into  my  purse  for  any  thing,"  said  a  Russian  Nobleman 
to  a  friend  of  the  writer  of  this  note,  "  but  to  purchase  foreign  wines,  and  articles  for  my 
'wife's  dress." — He  was  provided  with  every  thing  he  wanted  from  his  estate  and  his 
slaves. 


PETERSBURG. 


485 


mirror,  which,  sliding  on  one  side,  opens  to  the  Library  ;  and  chap.xiv. 
beyond  that  is  the  Museum.  Among  the  most  remarkable 
paintings,  we  shall  mention  ;  1.  The  Flight  into  Egypt,  by 
Nicolas  Poussin,  the  most  brilliant  work  of  that  master. 
2.  A  Centaur  righting  with  one  of  the  Lapithae,  by  Luca 
Giordano.  3.  Les  Pecheurs,  by  Teniers,  a  work  much 
esteemed  by  connoisseurs.  4.  A  Philosopher,  or  Hermit,  by 
Rembrandt,  of  great  effect.  5.  A  Holy  Family,  by  Schedoni, 
from  the  collection  of  Monsieur  de  Calonne.  6.  Abraham, 
Sarah,  and  Hagar,  by  Dietrici.  7.  The  famous  Claude, 
originally  belonging  to  the  Duchess  of  Kingston.  It  is 
singular,  that,  in  rubbing  this  picture,  a  figure  has  appeared, 
which  the  painter  had  concealed.  8.  The  finest  Portrait  by 
Vandyke  that  perhaps  ever  proceeded  from  his  hand.  Fernet, 
standing  for  some  time  opposite  to  it,  at  Paris,  at  length 
exclaimed,  " Parle  done!"  There  are  also  many  good  pictures 
by  Spagnolet,  Kuyp,  and  Berghami.  In  the  Museum  is  a  curious 
Plate  of  China  porcelain  ;  the  outer  varnish  of  which  having 
worn  off,  a  representation  is  seen  of  the  Crucifixion,  with  these 
letters  over  the  cross,  '  INRL'  The  Cabinet  of  Mineralogy 
contains  very  magnificent  specimens,  but  without  any  order  or 
classification.  There  is  a  whole  cabinet  of  malachite :  one 
piece,  bought  of  Dr.  Guthrie  for  a  prodigious  sum,  is  contained 
in  a  case  by  itself.  The  finest  specimens  are  furnished  by 
China  and  Siberia :  the  mine  of  Goumechefski  formerly  produced 
the  best ;  but  this  mineral  is  now  no  longer  found  there2. 

Count 


(2)  "  La  mine  de  Goumechefski  est  a  douze  ou  quinze  lieues  au  sud-ouest 
d'Ekaterinbourg,  dans  la  partie  centrale  de  la  chaine  des  Monts  Oural ;  e'est  de  toutes 
les  mines  connues  celle  qui  a  fourni  les  plus  beaux  morceaux  en  ce  genre.  Cette  mine  est 
<lans  une  espece  de  plaine,  au  bord  d'un  lac,  et  tout  entouree  de  montagnes  primitives." 

Patrin.  Histoire  Natureile  des  Miner aux,  tome  V.  p.  Q7* 


4Bt)  PETERSBURG. 

chap.  xiv.  Count  Besberodko  was  engaged  only  four  years  in  forming 
his  collection;  but  spared  no  expense,  during  that  time,  to 
render  it  as  complete  as  possible.  We  found  there  many 
pictures  we  had  seen  before  in  different  parts  of  Europe. 
Among  them  is  a  most  singular  one,  by  Dietrici : — it  is  said 
there  are  others,  at  Dresden,  executed  in  the  same  style :  it 
possesses,  instead  of  his  laboured  and  finished  manner,  the 
wildness  and  boldness  of  Salvator  Rosa. — '  Judith  with  the 
head  of  Holofernes/  I  had  seen  at  Venice:  the  drapery  is 
green, but  remarkably  kept  down.  On  approaching  to  examine 
the  colours  in  detail,  they  will  be  found  to  consist  of  yellow, 
brown,  black,  white,  and  many  other  demi-tints.  In  addition 
to  the  excellent  pictures  by  the  Masters  of  the  Lombard, 
Bolognese,  and  Venetian  Schools,  there  is  a  whole  cabinet  of  the 
best  works  of  Vernet,  containing  views  of  the  principal  towns 
and  harbours  of  Europe.  The  collection  of  antiquities  is 
very  great ;  and  there  is  a  magnificent  room,  planned  by 
(raarengrri,  and  finished  under  his  direction,  furnished  in  the 
most  splendid  and  costly  manner.  The  Library  of  Baron 
Strogonqf  undoubtedly  contains  some  valuable  books  ;  but 
many  of  the  editions  are  modern  :  they  are  very  splendid  ; 
and  the  owner  seems  in  general  to  have  paid  more  attention 
to  finery  and  show  than  utility.  We  observed  in  it  three 
different  copies  of  the  French  Encyclopedic 

Notices  attached  to  the  advertisements  and  bills  of  the 
Play-houses  mark  in  a  striking  manner  the  character  of  the 
climate.  They  state,  that  if  the  cold  is  below  IJ  degrees 
there   will   be    no   representation    at   the    Theatre1.      The 

pbserva- 


(l)  The  Vignette  to  tfiis  Chapter  represents  the  Stone  Theatre,  ,as  it  appeared  in 
J  801;  with  some  of  the  Public  Stoves, 


Ml 


PETERSBURG.  487 

observations  are  made  on  the  scale  of  Reaumur ;  and  there  is  chap.xiv. 
hardly  a  house,  whatever  be  the  rank  of  its  owner,  without  a  Amusement 

*  >f  the  dif- 

thermometer.    The  masquerades  form  part  of  the  amusements  ferent  classes 

*  r  of  Society. 

at  this  season.  The  first  took  place  on  a  Sunday,  at  ten  in  the 
morning.  At  night,  the  Empress  came,  followed  by  the  wives 
of  the  Grand-dukes  Alexander  and  Constantine,  and  by  all 
the  Court.  The  dances  began  soon  after  her  arrival.  Madame 
Chevalier,  the  mistress  of  Koutizof  the  Emperor's  favourite, 
seemed  to  occupy  as  much  attention  as  the  Empress  herself. 
Another  masquerade,  on  the  following  Tuesday,  was  much 
crowded,  and  there  were  more  persons  in  character  than  in 
dominoes.  The  most  interesting  were  a  set  of  costumes  of 
the  different  provinces  of  the  empire. 

While  the  higher  orders  partake  of  the  diversions  of  the 
season,  the  lower  ranks  are  not  without  their  festivities  and 
sports.  The  frozen  Neva  presents  a  crowded  and  busy  scene. 
In  one  part,  booths  are  erected  on  the  ice,  where  brandy  and 
drams  of  every  kind  are  sold  :  in  another  direction  are  ped- 
lars, mountebanks,  and  jugglers,  and  the  pastimes  of  Bartho- 
lomew Fair  :  in  a  different  place  are  dramatic  representations 
of  a  burlesque  and  ridiculous  nature,  to  which  the  spectators 
are  admitted  for  a  few  copeeks.  The  ice-hills  afford  an  amuse-  ice-hffls, 
ment  to  the  populace,  peculiar  to  the  inhabitants  of  Russia. 
A  scaffolding  of  wood  is  raised  on  the  river,  to  the  height  of 
forty  feet:  from  the  summit,  an  inclined  plane,  having  a  steep 
descent,  is  covered  with  blocks  of  ice,  firmly  united  together 
by  water  poured  over  them.  The  sides  of  the  steps,  or  ladder, 
which  lead  by  the  back  part  of  the  scaffolding  to  the  top, 
are  decorated  with  fir-trees.     The  low  sledge,  resembling,  in 

shape, 


488 


PETERSBURG. 


chap. xiv.  shape,  a  butcher's  tray,  descends  the  hill  with  a  rapidity 
sufficiently  great  to  carry  the  person  seated  in  it  over  a 
large  tract  of  ice  cleared  of  the  snow,  to  an  opposite  scaf- 
folding, constructed  in  a  similar  manner.  Here  he  takes  his 
sledge  on  his  back,  mounts  the  steps,  and  proceeds  as 
before.  Those  who  do  not  wish  to  descend  alone,  have  a 
guide,  who  seats  himself  in  the  sledge  as  far  back  as  he  can 
raising  his  legs  at  the  same  time :  the  other  person  is 
placed  before  him,  and  between  his  legs,  in  a  similar  position  '. 
The  sledges,  horses,  and  carriages,  moving  about  in  various 
directions,  and  the  crowds  of  spectators  who  assemble  to 
behold  this  amusement,  present  a  very  striking  and  animated 
scene. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  observe,  that  a  city  like 
Petersburg  must  possess  many  public  Institutions  —  many 
monuments  of  art  and  industry,  which  afford  to  the 
stranger  a  constant  subject  of  interest  and  instruction.  No 
quarter  of  the  Capital  is  without  them.  Some  account  will 
now  be  given  of  those  we  visited,  during  our  residence  here. 
The  Academy  of  Sciences,  founded    by  Peter  the  Great  in 

1724, 


Visit  to  some 
•f  the  Public 

Institutions. 


Academy  of 
Sciences. 


(1)  This  mode  of  descending  is  very  well  described  in  the  Voyage  de  Deux  Francois. 
"  Le  traineau  consiste  en  une  petite  planche  plus  longue  que  large,  et  peu  elevee :  une 
seule  personne  peut  s'y  tenir,  encore  n'est  elle  point  a  son  aise.  Le  conducteur  du 
traineau  est  assis,  lesjambes  ouvertes,  entre  lesquelles  se  place  celui  qui  veut  descendre. 
L'un  et  l'autre  ont  l'attention  de  tenir  les  jambes  fort  elevees,  et  le  corps  tres  en 
arriere  :  ainsi  places,  et  le  traineau  etant  parfaitement  droit,  on  le  conduit  au  bord  de  la 
descente,  et  on  le  laisse  aller  :  le  conducteur  le  dirige.  La  rapidite  de  la  course  est 
prodigieuse:  et  le  traineau  arrive  sur  le  terrain  plat,  parcourt  uneassez  grande  etendue. 
Dans  le  premier  moment  la  respiration  est  fort  genee  j  il  faut  avoir  l'attention  de  ne  faire 
aucun  mouvement  d'un  cote  ou  d'un  autre  ,•  on  seroit  culbute." 


PETERSBURG. 


489 


1724,  has  received  donations  and  encouragement  from  all  charxtv 
the  succeeding  Sovereigns,  and  particularly  Catherine  the 
Second.  The  present  revenue  is  from  seventy  to  eighty 
thousand  roubles.  The  Academicians  are  called  Professors, 
and  have  salaries  varying  from  eight  hundred  to  fifteen 
hundred  roubles.  Some  of  them  derive  an  income,  in  addition 
to  their  stipends,  from  places  or  offices  connected  with  the 
Government:  there  are,  however,  others,  who  are  not  so 
fortunate ;  and,  finding  the  salary,  which  was  fixed  at  a  time 
when  the  articles  of  life  were  at  a  lower  price  than  they  are 
now,  insufficient  to  maintain  them,  become  tutors  and  ushers 
in  different  seminaries.  The  four  classes  are  those  of  Mathe- 
matics, Physics,  Natural  History,  comprehending  Chemistry 
and  Anatomy,  and  Astronomy :  and,  on  each  of  these  subjects, 
lectures  are  given,  at  certain  times  of  the  year,  in  the  Russian 
language.  Among  the  distinguished  members  of  the  Academy, 
arc  found  the  names  of  Bayer,  Gmelin,  Eider,  M'dller,  and  Pallas. 

The  books  of  the  Library  amount,  in  number,  to  fifty  Library. 
thousamd.  We  cannot  expect  to  find  in  it  the  literary 
treasurers  which  are  the  ornament  of  those  of  London,  Paris, 
and  Vienna:  there  are  few  Greek  or  Latin  manuscripts; 
but  there  are  many  works,  relating  to  the  history  of  the 
country,  of  great  value;  and  the  collection  of  Chinese, 
Mongol,  and  Tangutian  manuscripts  is  unique.  In  a  gallery, 
were  arranged  the  dresses  of  various  nations  ;  and  waxen 
figures  of  the  inhabitants,  in  their  proper  costumes — Persian, 
Chinese,  Siberian,  and  Samoyede.  The  human  countenance 
is  here  seen  modified  according  to  every  possible  form : 
*'  long  and  round  heads,  flat  and  snub  noses,  hogs*  eyes  and 

vol.  vr.  3  r  calves 


490 


PETERSBURG. 


Museum. 


chap.  xiv.  calves'  eyes,  bearded  and  unbearded  chins,  succeed  each 
other,  in  grotesque  variety." 

The  example  of  Peter  the  Great,  who  had  expended  large 
sums  in  procuring  the  most  curious  productions  of  nature 
and  art  to  enrich  the  Museum,  was  followed  by  his  suc- 
cessors, and  by  many  of  the  nobles  of  the  empire.  Additions 
are  constantly  made  to  the  Museum,  by  the  Academicians 
who  are  travelling  in  the  remote  provinces  of  Russia,  or  in 
different  parts  of  Europe.  The  treasures  which  it  contains, 
relating  to  the  mineral  and  vegetable  kingdoms,  are,  perhaps, 
unrivalled.  According  to  the  account  of  Bachmeister,  there 
are  five  hundred  animals  of  different  sizes,  stuffed,  or 
preserved  in  alcqhol :  there  are  also  twelve  hundred  birds, 
stuffed:  and  the  classes  of  amphibia,  fishes,  and  insects, 
are  very  numerous.  The  Collection  of  Ruysch,  containing 
the  anatomical  preparations  of  that  great  naturalist,  was 
purchased  by  Peter  the  Great,  in  Holland,  for  thirty  thousand 
florins. 

From  the  Library,  we  were  introduced  into  a  small 
chamber,  which  was  the  Workshop  of  Peter  the  First,  filled 
with  different  carvings  in  ivory  and  copper,  all  executed  by 
him,  and  generally  representing  sieges  or  battles.  In  the 
middle  of  the  room  was  a  large  ivory  lustre  by  the  same 
hand ;  a  number  of  medals  struck  on  different  occasions ; 
and  the  battle  of  Pultowa  in  relief,  on  a  large  plate  of 
copper.  In  a  gilt  box,  at  one  end,  is  carefully  preserved 
the  Manuscript  of  Catherine,  containing  instructions  for  the 
new  code  of  laws  proposed  by  her :  it  is  written  in  rather 
a  large  careless  hand,  partly  in  Russian,  partly  in  French,  and 

forms 


Workshop  of 
Peter  theFirst 


H  P 


PETERSBURG. 


491 


forms  a  thin  folio.  In  a  small  chamber  within,  is  a  figure  chap.xiv. 
of  Peter  the  First  in  wax,  in  his  habit  of  ceremony.  He 
appears  to  have  been  a  large  tall  man ;  his  height,  marked 
against  the  door,  being  about  six  feet,  six  or  seven  inches. 
On  each  side  of  the  figure  are  two  cabinets  filled  with  his 
clothes :  in  the  first,  is  a  blue  coat  lined  with  brown  silk, 
and  a  hat  with  a  hole  made  by  a  ball  passing  through  it  at 
Pultowa ;  in  the  other,  his  leather  working-dress,  and  a  pair 
of  shoes  which  he  had   mended  himself. 

From  this  room  we  descended  into  two  smaller  ones,  below 
stairs :  in  the  first  of  which  is  a  collection  of  fossils  ;  and,  in 
the  other,  of  minerals,  placed  over  the  sides  and  ceilings,  in  the 
form  of  a  grotto.  Here  we  saw  the  immense  piece  of  native 
iron1  found  in  Siberia  by  Professor  Pallas,  weighing  forty  ponds. 
There  is  also  a  curiously  wrought  cabinet,  with  an  Apollo  of 
solid  gold  on  the  top  of  it.  In  one  of  the  rooms,  we  saw 
the  idols,  utensils,  and  weapons  which  had  been  discovered 
in  the  Tdhtarian  sepulchres. 

In  our  visit  to  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  we  were  Academy  of 

Fine  Arts. 

accompanied  by  one  of  the  Sieves  of  the  first  class.  He 
informed  us,  that  the  pupils  are  divided  into  five  classes  :  in 
the  three  lowest,  Reading,  Writing,    German,  French,   and 

Geography, 


(l)  "  Une  masse  de  fer  natif,  pdsant  environ 60  myriagrammes,  aete  trouvee  en  Siberie, 
pres  des  Monts  Kemir,entre  Krasnoiarsk  et  Abakansk :  elle  etoit  entierement  composee 
de  fer  metallique  tres  blanc  et  tres  malleable,  remplie  de  cavites  spheriques,  qui  ren- 

fermoient    une  matiere  vitreuse,   jaunatre    et    transparente Les  Tartares 

regardoient  ce  fer  comme  une  pierre  sacree  et  tombee  du  del."— Pallas. 

"  Elle  contient  0,98  j  de  fer  sur  0,  OH  de  nickel." — Klaproth. 


492 


PETERSBURG. 


chaf.xiv.  Geography,  are  taught ;  and  in  the  other  two,  in  which  they 
remain  six  years,the  arts  of  Engraving,  Painting,and  Sculpture. 
Those  whom  we  saw  at  work  were  dressed  in  grey  coats,  and 
had  a  very   neat  appearance  :    the  lower  classes  wear  red. 
The    proper   number  of   pupils,   when    complete,   is   three 
hundred,   each  class   containing  sixty :  and  the  list  is  now 
nearly  full.     The  first  room  we  entered  was  a   handsome 
rotunda  with  pillars,  ornamented,  in  the  niches,  with  casts  of 
statues,  from  the  antique.     We  were  then  led  into  a  very 
spacious  room,  eighty  or  ninety  feet  long,  and  thirty  broad  ; 
in  which,  also,  were  some  casts  of  statues,  a  few  Italian 
paintings,  and  the  portraits  of  the  principal  Patrons  of  the 
Society,  and  the  most  celebrated  Academicians.     In  the  centre 
was  the  portrait  of  the  Emperor,  and,  on  each  side,  his  two 
sons.     An  allegorical  picture,  representing  the  late  Empress, 
in  the  character  of  Minerva,  had  formerly  been  placed  here, 
but  was  removed  when  Paul  came  to  the  throne.     While  he 
was  Grand-dukc,  he  had  learned  to  draw  at  the  Academy ; 
and  we  were  shewn  the  sketch  of  a  head  in  chalk  done  by 
him  ;    and  some  heads  in  wax,  and  drawings,  by  the  present 
Princesses,  very  well  executed.    The  Italian  paintings  did  not 
appear  to  possess  very  great  merit :  the  best  among  them 
represented  Mars  and  Venus  entangled  in  the  net  by  Vulcan ; 
but  we  could  not  learn  the  name  of  the  artist. 

We  next  entered  a  long  gallery,  filled  with  casts  from  the 
most  celebrated  ancient  statues;  a  collection  very  similar  to  one 
we  had  seen  at  Stockholm,  The  rooms  that  we  afterwards 
saw  were  furnished  with  paintings  of  the  different  Italian 

Schools ; 


'*•  «.'*?.; 


PETERSBURG. 


493 


Schools ;  with  some  which  were  the  works  of  the  Members  of  chap.xiv 
the  Academy  who  had  studied  in  Italy  at  the  expense  of  the 
Society ;  and  with  prize-pictures  of  the  eUves,  previous  to 
their  quitting  the  Institution.  There  was  an  excellent  cartoon 
by  Mengs,  from  a  Holy  Family  of  Raphael.  In  one  of  the 
rooms  was  a  model,  in  granite,  of  the  rock  which  forms  the 
pedestal  of  the  famous  statue  of  Peter ;  and  a  representation 
of  the  manner  in  which  it  was  drawn  to  the  water,  rolling 
upon  balls,  in  grooves.  We  saw  many  of  the  eleves  at  work, 
in  painting  and  plaster.  The  building  is  extremely  spacious, 
and  all  the  rooms  large  and  airy.  We  could  not  be  admitted 
into  the  general  dormitory,  as  it  was  locked ;  but  that  of 
the  highest  class,  which  we  entered,  was  very  neat  and 
clean  :  each  pupil  has  a  separate  bed,  and  there  were  four 
beds  in  each  room.  The  building  is  of  a  square  form  ;  the 
front,  towards  the  Neva,  extremely  handsome,  with  columns 
in  the  middle  and  at  the  two  extremities  ;  but  the  upper  part 
is  disfigured  by  a  green  cupola.  Notwithstanding  the  support 
which  is  so  liberally  given  to  this  Institution  by  the 
Government,  few  artists  have  hitherto  risen  to  any  great 
eminence.  A  slight  degree  of  reflection  will  explain  the 
cause  of  this.  A  taste  for  works  of  art  is  not  yet  diffused 
through  the  provinces  of  the  empire :  in  Moscow  and 
Petersburg  alone  are  found  individuals  possessing  great 
wealth,  and  actuated  by  a  desire  of  encouraging  native  talent. 
But  it  is  impossible  that  the  numbers  who  quit  the  Academy 
can  all  find  sufficient  employment  in  these  capitals.  It  is 
not  from  want  of  genius  that  so  little  has  been  done ;  but 

the 


■ 


494 


PETERSBURG. 


Fortress. 


chap.  xiv.  the  Russian  painters,  finding  no  motive  to  urge  them  to  proceed 
in  their  profession,  no  stimulus  to  exertion,  become  indolent, 
and  neglect  the  instructions  which  they  have  received. 
Many  of  the  inferior  artists  are  obliged  to  seek  the  means  of 
a  scanty  livelihood  by  painting  pictures1  for  the  Churches. 

We  visited  the  Fortress,  one  of  the  most  ancient  structures 
of  the  city,  built  on  an  island  of  the  Neva,  according  to  a 
plan  drawn  by  Peter  the  First.  It  is  of  brick,  faced  with 
granite.  Here  we  saw  the  Church  where  the  Sovereigns  of  the 
Empire,  from  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great  to  the  present 
period,  are  buried.  The  spire  is  graceful  and  lofty,  being 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height  ;  but  the  inside  of  the 
church  is  distinguished  by  no  peculiar  architectural  beauty. 
Nothing  can  be  more  simple,  more  devoid  of  all  splendour, 
than  the  Tombs :  they  are  of  plain  unornamented  marble,  with 
only  an  inscription  containing  the  name  of  the  person  and 
the  time  of  birth  and  death ;  a  mode  of  burial  which  we 
must  allow  to  be  more  suited  than  any  other  to  the  dignity 
of  the  character  of  those  whose  bodies  they  contain.  They 
were  all  covered  with  a  velvet  pall  embroidered  with  silver. 
The  Russians  cross  themselves  before  the  tomb  of  Peter  the 
First.  Catherine  herself  lies  not  in  greater  state  than  any  of 
her  predecessors,  nor  in  a  manner  different  from  that  which 
belongs  to  any  private  gentleman  in  an  English  church-yard. 

The 

(l)  Some  of  the  artists  of  France  dispose  of  their  works  in  a  similar  manner  In  visiting 
the  public  exhibition  of  paintings  in  the  Louvre,  in  1 822,  the  writer  of  this  note,  on  asking 
what  became  of  the  pictures  of  ordinary  merit,  of  which  the  subjects  were  of  a  religious 
nature,  was  informed,  that  many  were  bought  for  the  Churches. 


*—xmm£ 


PETERSBURG. 


495 


The  Tombs  are  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar,  and  arranged  in  chap.xiy. 
the  following  manner : 


6  5  4 


Tombs  of 
the  Imperial 
Familv. 


3 

2 

1 

1.  Peter  the  First. 
4.  Anne. 


2.  Catherine  the  First. 
5.  Peter  the  Third. 


3.  Elizabeth. 

6.  Catherine  the  Second. 


The  Mlnty  established  in  part  of  the  Fortress,  is  worked  by     Mi 
steam-engines.      Ten  thousand  pouds  of  silver,  and  seventy- 
three  of  gold,  in  ducats,  had  been  coined  this  year  for  the 
Emperor's  private  use.    A  piece  of  mechanism,  worked  by  the 
steam-engine,  counted  the  number  which  were  struck. 

We  have,  in  a  former  Part  of  these  Travels,  had  occasion  to 
mention  circumstances  illustrating  the  thievish  and  pilfering 
propensities  of  some  of  the  Russian  nobles.  When  they  enter 
a  shop,  they  carry  away  things  in  their  muffs.  A  party  having 
visited  the  Mint,  had  the  meanness  to  purloin  two  ducats  ; 
and  the  poor  slaves  were  forced  to  make  good  the  loss. 

The  view  of  Petersburg,  in  descending  from  the  Fortress, 
is  one  of  the  grandest  and  the  most  striking  that  can  be 
conceived.  We  beheld  a  great  part  of  the  city  extended 
before  us  ;  a  series  of  noble  buildings,  domes,  houses,  reaching 

to 


inl 


496 


PETERSBURG. 


House  of 
Peter  the  First. 


His  Statue. 


cha.p.xiv.  to   the   distance  of  four  miles ;  the  Admiralty,  its  Church, 
the  Marble  and  Winter  Palaces,  and  the  Hermitage. 

In  the  quarter  of  St.  Petersburg,  we  saw  the  House  of  Peter 
the  First;  a  small  wooden  building,  consisting  only  of  three 
rooms  ;  one  of  which  was  about  fifteen  feet  square;  the  other, 
fifteen  by  twelve  ;  and  the  third,  not  ten  feet  square.  These, 
with  a  little  passage  as  an  entrance,  made  up  the  whole  of  the 
house,  and  formed  a  curious  contrast  to  the  magnificent 
palaces  of  the  modern  city. 

On  recrossing  the  Neva,  we  arrived  at  the  colossal  Statue 
erected  by  Catherine  to  the  memory  of  the  Founder  of 
the  Russian  Empire.  The  merit  of  transporting  the  enor- 
mous mass  of  granite  which  serves  as  the  pedestal  of  it, 
from  the  forest  of  Carelia  to  the  water-side,  and  thence  to 
the  city,  is  entirely  due  to  Count  Carburi.  Being  placed  on 
balls  of  brass  fifteen  inches  in  circumference,  which  rolled  on 
sledges  over  a  causeway  raised  for  the  purpose,  it  was  moved 
every  day,  by  four  hundred  men,  with  the  assistance  of  pulleys 
and  a  windlass,  over  a  space  of  ground  equal  to  about  half  a 
mile.  From  the  coast,  it  was  brought,  on  a  raft  of  a  peculiar 
construction,  to  the  city.  The  original  size  of  the  rock  was 
thirty-six  feet  in  length,  twenty  in  height,  and  as  many  in 
breadth  ;  but  in  forming  it  for  the  pedestal,  a  great  part  was 
cut  off;  and  it  was  afterwards  found  necessary  to  add  two 
pieces.  The  time  of  its  erection  is  recorded  by  a  simple 
inscription,  in  bronze,  placed  on  one  side : 

PETRO  PRIMO 

CATHERINA  SECUNDA 

1782. 

The 


.^pwrl 


PETERSBURG. 


497 


The  Russian  Inscription,  on  the  side  facing  the  Admiralty,  chap.xiv. 
has  the  same  meaning.  The  statue  is  a  master-piece  of  art, 
and  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the  talents  and  genius  of 
Falconet,  the  sculptor.  The  Tsar,  dressed  simply,  according  to 
the  national  costume,  is  seated  on  horseback :  his  left  hand 
holds  the  reins ;  the  right  is  extended  in  a  direction  towards 
the  Neva  and  the  Fortress.  The  head,  formed  after  a  bust 
made  by  Mademoiselle  de  Collot,  is  crowned  with  a  wreath  of 
laurel.  An  appearance  of  stiffness  in  the  right  arm  is  the  only 
defect  in  this  admirable  figure  ;  but  the  statue  of  the  horse 
is  faultless ;  and  nothing  can  exceed  the  fire  and  animation 
with  which  this  noble  animal  is  represented  in  the  act  of 
galloping  towards  the  summit  of  the  rock,  and  trampling 
on  a  serpent  endeavouring  to  impede  his  course.  The  height 
is  sixteen  feet :  that  of  the  Tsar,  ten  feet.  The  model  of 
the  statue,  in  plaster,  was  exposed  to  public  view  for  many 
years  ;  but  the  statue  itself  was  not  allowed  to  be  seen 
during  the  progress  of  the  work.  In  the  year  1782,  when 
the  whole  was  complete,  the  day  of  exhibiting  it  was 
commemorated  in  a  striking  and  solemn  manner.  The 
Empress,  attended  by  her  Court,  assisted  at  the  ceremony ; 
detachments  of  soldiers  were  drawn  out,  and  placed  round 
the  statue ;  discharges  of  cannon  were  the  signal  for  the 
removal  of  the  scaffolding;  medals  of  gold  and  silver  were 
distributed  on  the  occasion  ;  and  an  ukase  was  issued, 
proclaiming  pardon  to  all  debtors  of  the  Crown,  under  a  certain 
sum.  The  rock  having  been  diminished,  and  shaped  according 
to  the  fancy  and  direction  of  the  artist,  has  lost  that  bold  and 
sublime  appearance  which  it  originally  possessed.  Cut  and 
vol.  vi.  3  s  garnished, 


498  PETERSBURG. 

chap. xiv.  garnished,  what,  in  the  present  state,  does  the  whole  exhibit  ?— 
a  colossal  figure  of  a  man  and  horse,  and  a  miniature 
representation  of  a  mountain !  A  contradiction  of  this  kind  is 
absurd  :  it  is  the  greatest  violation  of  proportion  that"  can 
exist.  But  the  rock  in  its  original  state  pretended  to  nothing  : 
it  was  simply  a  rock,  rude,  and  fashioned  by  the  hand  of 
Nature :  and  if  it  had  been  suffered  to  remain  as  Catherine 
certainly  wished  it  should,  untouched  and  unmutilated, 
nothing  could  have  marked  with  more  truth  and  propriety 
the  character  of  the  man  in  whose  memory  the  work  was 
raised,  than  a  representation  of  the  horse  forcing  its  way  and 
endeavouring  to  attain  the  summit.  According  to  a  calcu- 
lation made  by  the  Office  for  superintending  the  buildings  of 
the  city,  the  sum  expended  on  the  erection  of  this  monument 
— including  the  cost  of  transporting  the  rock  from  its  original 
site,  the  allowance  to  the  artist  who  was  engaged  eight 
years  in  his  labour,  to  the  person  who  cast  the  statue,  and 
to  others  who  assisted  in  the  inferior  departments  of  the 
work— amounted  to  424,6oo  roubles. 

Hermitage.  Proceeding,  in  an  easterly  direction,  from  the  spot  where 
the  statue  is  erected,  we  arrive  at  the  Hermitage,  a.  large 
pile  of  building  connected  with  the  Winter  Palace.  We 
first  passed  through  a  small  but  elegant  Theatre,  in  which 
some  persons  were  rehearsing  a  play  :  it  was  rather  dark,  but 
the  columns  round  the  semicircular  part,  where  the  audience 
sate,  appeared  to  us  to  be  of  fine  marble.  After  passing 
through  three  rooms,  two  of  which  are  filled  with  pictures, 
we  entered  a  most  beautiful  Gallery,  said  to  be  an  exact 
representation  of  the  Vatican.     The  copies  of  the  Cartoons  of 

Raphael 


SPM 


SB 


PETERSBURG. 


499 


Raphael  were  well  executed.  From  this  gallery  we  were  led  chap.xiv, 
into  various  suites  of  apartments,  almost  all  ornamented 
with  pictures.  Those  which  formed  part  of  the  Houghton 
Collection,  purchased  by  Catherine,  were  not  arranged  during 
her  life-time :  since  her  death,  they  have  been  hung  up  in 
the  rooms  of  this  palace;  and  many  have  been  injured  by  the 
process  of  cleaning  and  varnishing,  through  which  they 
have  passed :  some  have  fortunately  remained  untouched, 
and  retain  all  their  original  beauty  and  character :  among 
these,  we  may  mention  the  Prodigal  Son  by  Salvator  Rosa, 
and  the  Holy  Doctors  of  the  Church1,  the  celebrated  work  of 
Guido.  Some  pictures  by  Murillo  are  in  one  of  the  saloons : 
in  another,  are  a  few  admirable  pieces  by  the  two  Wouver- 
manns :  the  collection  is  also  adorned  by  some  works  of 
Nicolas  and  Gaspar  Poussin,  Claude  Lorraine,  Tenters,  and 
Rembrandt,  and  a  few  portraits  by  Vandyke,  executed  in  his 
best  manner.  In  one  of  the  glass  cabinets  we  observed  an 
aigrette  of  diamonds,  presented  to  the  late  Empress  by  the 
Grand  Signior. 

The  Hall  of  St,  George,  in  a  part  of  the  palace  adjoining  Haiiofft. 
the    Hermitage,    is    a  very   magnificent   room,    about  one 

hundred 


(l)  "In  this  picture,  which  is  by  Guido,  in  his  brightest  manner,  and  perfectly  pre- 
served, there  are  six  old  men  as  large  as  life ;  the  expression,  drawing,  design,  and 
colouring,  wonderfully  fine.  The  Doctors  of  the  Church  are  consulting  on  the  imma- 
culateness  of  the  Virgin,  who  is  above  in  the  clouds.  After  Sir  Robert  Walpole  had 
bought  this  picture,  and  it  was  gone  to  Civita  Vecchia  to  be  shipped  for  England, 
Innocent  XIII,  then  Pope,  remanded  it  back,  as  being  too  fine  to  be  suffered  to  go  out 
of  Rome  j  but  on  hearing  who  had  bought  it,  he  gave  permission  for  its  being  sent 
away  again." — Account  of  the  Pictures  at  Houghton  Hall,  by  Horace  Walpole. 


500 


PETERSBURG. 


Palace  of 
J'elerhof, 


iiiAr.xiv.  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  fifty  in  breadth. 
There  are  eighteen  fluted  Corinthian  columns  of  fine  marble, 
with  gilded  capitals,  extending  the  length  of  the  Hall ;  and 
six  in  breadth,  placed  with  greater  intervals,  between  every 
two :  pilasters  on  the  wall  correspond  to  them.  At  one 
end  is  the  throne,  of  crimson  velvet  and  gold  ;  the  back  and 
canopy  ornamented  with  the  Imperial  arms  :  at  the  other  end 
are  two  groupes  of  sculpture,  by  Falconet ;  one  represents 
"  Pygmalion  admiring  his  own  work  ;"  the  other,  "  Prometheus 
communicating  fire  to  the  image  which  he  had  formed."  The 
figure  of  the  woman  in  the  first  groupe,  and  the  countenance 
and  attitude  of  Pygmalion,  are  particularly  excellent. 

On  the  southern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Cronstadt,  and  at 
twenty-five  versts  distance  from  the  capital,  stands,  in  a  lofty 
and  commanding  situation,  the  Imperial  Palace  of  Peterhof. 
It  was  built  in  the  reign  of  Peter  the  First,  and  has  received 
additions  from  different  Sovereigns  ;  and,  consequently,  pre- 
sents various  styles  of  architecture.  We  were  shewn  the 
Maison  Hollandaise  of  that  Emperor,  a  summer-house  fitted 
up  in  the  Dutch  taste ;  a  favourite  spot,  as  from  it  he  could 
behold  Cronstadt  and  his  fleet.  In  another  part  of  the  garden 
is  a  wooden  house,  having  externally  the  appearance  of  a 
cottage,  but  furnished  inside  with  a  number  of  mirrors,  and 
in  a  style  of  great  magnificence.  In  the  palace  itself  were 
many  suites  of  apartments  ;  some  of  them  richly  ornamented 
with  gold.  The  bed-room  of  the  Emperor  was  furnished  in 
a  very  handsome  manner :  the  bed  was  placed  under  a  canopy; 
and  near  it,  on  a  golden  stand,  was  the  glass-case  for  the 
crown,  which  the  Emperor  always  takes  with  him.     The 

first 


FlPwrl 


PETERSBURG. 


501 


first  room    into    which  we   entered   was  fitted  up   with   a  chap.xiv. 

profusion  of  portraits  of  Russian  Peasants,  male  and  female, 

in  their  different  costumes  :  many  of  them  were  exceedingly 

well  executed,  and  represented  some  beautiful  faces.     Of  the 

other  apartments,   those  destined  for  the  masquerades  were 

the  most  remarkable  for  their  size. 

The  Palace  of  Oranienbaum,  distant  a  few  versts  further,  Palace  of 

Qramenbaum. 

had  been  presented  by  Paul  to  the  Grand-duke  A  lexander : 
workmen  were  now  engaged  in  fitting  it  up,  for  his  residence  ; 
but  it  was  not  supposed  that  he  would  live  much  here.  We 
were  told  that  there  was  little  worth  seeing  within.  In  the 
grounds  adjoining,  we  were  shewn  a  building  of  very  elegant 
form,  erected  by  Catherine  the  Second:  some  of  the  apartments 
were  furnished  with  tables  of  beautiful  work  in  mosaic,  and 
good  paintings  in  fresco.  Many  smaller  buildings,  that  were 
formerly  placed  in  different  parts  of  the  grounds,  had  been 
pulled  down.  Out  of  4700  peasants  attached  to  this  place, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  were  taken,  in  rotation,  every  week,  to 
work  about  the  grounds.  The  person  who  accompanied  us. 
and  who  had  the  superintendence  of  them,  informed  us,  that 
they  were  sometimes  rather  idle,  and  required  a  little  beating. 
This  he  did  not  administer  himself,  but,  when  he  thought  it 
necessary,  sent  them  to  the  soldiers.  The  peasants  pay  three 
roubles  a-year,  besides  this  contribution  in  kind :  they  also 
furnish  horses  and  carts. 

The  peasants  are  slaves1:  these  unfortunate  people  are  sold,  state  of  the 

Peasantry. 

like 


(1)  A  peasant  may  obtain  his  liberty,  either  by  manumission,  as  in  the  instance  of 
domestics ;  or  by  purchase ;  or  by  serving  in  the  army  or  navy,  ( 


502 


PETERSBURG. 


chap. xiv.  like  cattle  in  the  market;  and  as  much  art  and  finesse  are 
shewn  by  the  nobles  in  disposing  of  them,  as  in  the  sale  of 
their  horses.     If  they  are  diseased,  or  infamous,  or  stupid, 
their  faults  and  vices  are  concealed,     They  are  often  adver- 
tised in  the  Gazettes:  and  are  let  out  on  hire,  or  suffered  to 
keep  shops  ;  their  masters  receiving  the  principal  part  of 
their  gains.    The  price  of  a  slave  varies,  according  to  circum- 
stances :  if  he  is  a  mechanic,  an  artisan,  if  he  dresses  hair — 
in  short,  if  he  knows  how  to  procure  a  little  money,  the  price 
rises  in  proportion  to  his  abilities.     The  children  of  slaves 
are  also  slaves.     The  treatment  which  such  persons  must 
sometimes  experience  in  Russia  may  be  well  conceived.     We 
had  once,  in  Petersburg,  the  pain  to  witness,  in  the  public 
streets,  the  punishment  which  a  meagre  effeminate  coward 
thought  proper  to  bestow  on  a  man  who  might  have  crushed 
him  with  a  grasp  :  but  he  was  a  slave  !     This  contemptible 
tyrant,  for  no  cause  whatever  that  we  could  discover,    was 
displaying  his  prowess,  before  a  mob,  by  beating  a  peasant 
with  a  large  bludgeon.     The  poor  man  bore  the  punishment 
without  a  groan  or  a  tear,  or  even  a  word.     His  cowardly 
oppressor  seemed  to  think  he  distinguished  himself  by  the 
number  of  blows  he  gave  ;  and  became  exasperated,  because 
the  object  of  his  torture  refused  to  shew,  in  any  manner,  that 
he  felt  the  severity  of  the  punishment.     Unable  to  endure  a 
spectacle  so  repugnant  to  the  common  feelings  of  humanity, 
and  yet  sensible  of  the  danger  of  interfering  in  a  species  of 
iniquity  protected  and  encouraged  by  the  laws,  we  ventured, 
with  great  deference,  to  remonstrate,  and  to  petition  for  the 
release  of  the  peasant.  "  You  know  little,"  said  his  chastiser 

to 


SPEffll 


??w 


PETERSBURG. 


503 


to  us,  in  French,  "  of  this  people :  you  have  been  so  short  a  ghap.xiv. 
time  in  this  country,  that  you  have  not  learned  how  to  manage 
a  Russian :  if  you  do  not  flea  the  skin  from  his  body,  you 
will  never  have  him  in  any  order  whatever." 

There  are,  however,  many  proprietors  in  Russia  whose 
general  conduct  to  their  peasants  is  directed  by  feelings  of 
benevolence  and  kindness.  The  family  of  Prince  Sheremetof 
have  been  remarkable,  for  some  time,  for  the  treatment  of  their 
slaves ;  many  of  whom  are  very  rich,  and  not  afraid  to 
shew  their  wealth  :  their  condition  is,  indeed,  better  than 
that  of  the  peasants  of  the  Crown.  The  Prince  has  150,000; 
and  receives,  from  each,  five  roubles  a-year,  as  Capitation- 
tax.  As  an  illustration  of  the  wealth  possessed  by  many  of 
this  class  of  men,  we  were  informed  that  the  late  Empress, 
wishing  to  obtain  a  supply,  proposed  to  make  a  levy  of  one 
in  five  hundred ;  which,  with  the  population  of  that  time,  of 
nine  millions,  would  amount  to  eighteen  thousand ;  declaring, 
however,  that  those  who  would  pay  five  hundred  roubles 
should  be  exempted.  The  levy  was  made  in  the  usual  manner ; 
and  fourteen  thousand,  out  of  the  eighteen  thousand,  paid 
four  hundred  roubles.  It  is  customary,  on  the  different  estates, 
for  the  peasants  to  go  as  soldiers ;  and  a  family  generally  knows 
when  they  will  have  to  send  a  son.  The  only  exception  to 
this  takes  place  when  either  the  Seigneur  or  the  neighbour- 
hood are  desirous  of  ridding  themselves  of  some  man  of  bad 
character. 

The  peasants  on  the  estates  of  the  Russian  noblemen  are  Mode  of  ma. 

naging  the 

allowed  to  manage  the  lands  as  they  please,  provided  they  pay  Estates  of  the 
the  Capitation-tax.     This  is  different  in  different  places ;  as  ut*' 

much 


504 


PETERSBURG 


chap.  xiv.  much  depends  on  the  wants  of  the  proprietor.  The  higher  the 
rank,  and  the  greater  the  wealth,  the  happier,  for  the  most  part, 
are  his  peasants.  Few  of  the  Russian  noblemen  farm  their 
own  estates :  when  they  do,  their  lands  produce  more  ;  but  the 
situation  of  their  peasants  is  rendered  at  once  miserable.  This 
is  the  case  in  Livonia  and  Poland,  where  some  of  the  noblemen 
suffer  their  slaves  to  work  for  themselves  only  on  Sunday. 

There  are  some  estates  appropriated  to  particular  branches 
of  the  Royal  Family  ;  and  the  peasants  attached  to  them  are 
considered  to  be  in  a  better  condition  than  those  belonging 
to  individuals.  There  are  peasants,  but  not  many,  who  may- 
be said  to  possess  land  of  their  own ;  and  these  are  chiefly  the 
families  of  noblemen  reduced  to  poverty,  who  have  been 
permitted  to  enter  into  the  class  of  vassals,  and  have  had 
lands  given  to  them  by  the  Crown,  which  they  hold  under  a 
particular  tenure.  On  every  estate,  whether  it  belongs  to  the 
Crown  or  to  an  individual,  a  new  enumeration  and  a  new 
division  of  lands  takes  place  every  ten  or  twelve  years.  A 
family  that  loses  any  male  children  during  the  interval  pays 
for  them  until  the  next  enumeration.  Forty  acres  is  the 
common  portion  of  land  allotted  ;  but  the  quantity  depends 
on  the  size  of  the  family,  or  what  they  are  thought  able  to 
cultivate,  and  on  the  plenty  or  scarcity  of  land  on  the  estate. 
The  tax  is  like  a  rent ;  and  the  Seigneur  in  general  does  not 
trouble  himself  in  what  manner  it  is  earned,  whether  by 
cultivating  the  farm,  or  leaving  it,  and  working  in  a  town: 
for  the  latter,  however,  permission  is  required.  Many  of  the 
arrangements,  relating  to  the  division  of  the  lands  and 
internal  regulations,  are  settled  by  the  peasants  themselves, 

the 


?£W 


PETERSBURG, 


505 


the  Elders  of  the  village.     When  an  estate  is  overpeopled,  chap.xiv. 

which,   however,  does  not  often   happen,  the  peasants  are 

sometimes  transported   to  another  place,  and  formed  into  a 

new  colony.     The  brother  of  the  Baroness  Strogonqf  had  an 

estate  where  the  population  was  too  great  for  the  quantity  of 

land  ;  but  no  inconvenience  arose  from  it,  as  he  received  a 

certain  capitation-tax,  and  allowed  his  peasants  to  go  and 

earn  it  where  they  pleased.     This  was  the  method  he  pursued 

in  general  ;    and  therefore  never  gave  himself  any  trouble, 

whether  they  cultivated  the  land  that  was  allotted  to  them,  or 

not.     "  Cela  mest  e'gal :  cela  me  fait  ni  bien,  ni  mal  /" 

Early  marriages  are  encouraged  by  the  Seigneurs.  The 
principal  checks  to  population  are,  the  recruiting  service — the  checks  to 

r  .  „  Population. 

numbers  lost  before  they  join  the  army — the  debauchery  of 
the  large  villages — the  custom  of  drinking  great  quantities  of 
brandy1 — the  small-pox,  and  other  epidemic  diseases.  Scar- 
cities do  not  often  occur,  though  there  have  been  partial  ones. 
The  price  of  labour  was  between  eighty  copeeks  and  a  rouble 
a-day.     Brandy  was  so  cheap,  that  a  man  could  completely 

intoxicate 

(1)  The  result  of  the  inquiries  made  relating  to  marriages,  births,  and  deaths,  is 
published  occasionally  by  the  Academicians,  in  their  Memoirs.  According  to  the  obser- 
vations of  Professor  Kraft,  the  mortality  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  twenty-five  is 
very  great.  From  1764  to  1780,  out  of  47,538  males,  and  26,899  females,  there  died, 
between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and  twenty,  364  males,  and  670  females;  but  between  the 
ages  of  twenty-one  and  twenty-five,  14,752  men,  and  973  women. — Storch  states  the 
mortality  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  sixty  to  be  very  great :  "  Neither  by  the 
bodily  frame,  nor  the  climate,  is  this  to  be  explained;  since  both  are  favourable  to  life,  as 
the  periods  till  the  fifteenth  year  sufficiently  prove.  Nothing,  therefore,  but  the  mode  of 
living  can  account  for  this  political  calamity."  He  then  mentions  the  cause,  which  was 
stated  to  us,  among  other  circumstances,  as  affecting  the  population.  "  No  other  cause 
remains  that  we  can  accuse  of  this  terrible  effect,  than  brandy."  p.  9*- — See  also  Tooke's 
Russian  Empire,  vol.  II.  p.  156. 


VOL.  VI. 


3T 


I 


50(7 


PETERSBURG. 


CHAPXiv.  intoxicate  himself  for  eight  copeeks.  The  price  of  labour 
had  been  trebled  during  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years  ;  and 
that  of  brandy  had  not  been  raised  more  than  a  third.  The 
population  of  the  city,  according  to  a  recent  census,  amounted 
to  200,000  persons,  including  the  strangers ;  a  calculation 
which  places  Petersburg  after  London,  Paris,  Vienna,  and 
Naples.  It  was  difficult,  however,  to  obtain  an  accurate  esti- 
mate ;  as  some  thousand  workmen — bricklayers,  masons,  and 
labourers  of  various  classes — come  to  the  city  in  spring  and 
summer,  and  quit  it  in  autumn.  Of  the  foreigners  resident 
here,  the  Germans  are  the  most  numerous.  The  trades 
which  contribute  to  luxury,  ornament,  and  fashion,  as  well 
as  those  of  general  use,  are  carried  on  by  them.  Next  to 
these,  we  may  place  the  French ;  who  follow,  among  other 
employments,  those  of  cooks,  hair-dressers,  watch-makers, 
and  milliners. 


VMs 


CHAP.  XV. 


PETERSBURG. 

Benediction  of  the  Waters  of  the  Neva — Monastery  of  St;  Alexander 
Nevsky — Religious  Festival  in  honour  of  that  Saint — Tombs — 
Church  of  St.  Nicholas — Glass-house  established  by  Potemkin — 
nature  of  the  works  carried  on  there — Foundling  Hospital  — 
description  of  it — state  of  the  Children — mortality  which  prevails 
amongst  them — encouragement  given  to  licentiousness  by  the  Institu- 
tion— Character,  temper,  and  disposition  o/'Paul,  before  his  accession 
to  the  throne — Disrespect  and  insult  shewn  by  him  to  the  memory 
of  Catherine,  on  his  becoming  Emperor — Anecdotes  illustrating 
his  extraordinary  conduct — Remarks  on  the  character  of  the  Empress 
Catherine — Deposition  and  murder  of  Peter  the  Third. 

bo  much  has  been  said  in  other  works  respecting  the  religious  chap.  xv. 
rites  and  usages  of  the   Greek  Church,  that  little  need  be 
introduced  in  this  place  on  the  subject.     We  shall  only  men- 
tion those  objects  worthy  of  attention,  noticed  by  us  in  the 

course 


508  PETERSBURG. 

chap. xv.  course  of  our  visits  to  some  of  the  churches;  and  the  annual 
Benediction    ceremony  of  the  Benediction  of  the  waters  of  the  Neva. 

of  the  waters  _  _  _    _, 

otthe  Neva.    The  last  takes  place  on  the  sixth  or  January  (U.b.),   and  was 

formerly  celebrated,  with  great  splendour  and  magnificence. 

on  the  river.    At  present,  a  small  Temple,  of  an  octagon  form, 

made  of  wood,  painted  and  adorned  with  crosses  and  pictures 

representing  parts  of  the  history  of  John  the  Baptist,  is  erected 

on  the  Admiralty  Canal :  an  inclosure  is  formed  around  it, 

and  within  is  a  hole  cut  in  the  ice.     A  platform,  covered 

with  scarlet  cloth,  leads  from  the  Palace  to  the  Temple ;  along 

which  the  procession  advances,  consisting  of  the  Archbishop, 

accompanied  by  Bishops  and  Dignitaries  of  the  Church,  the 

Imperial  Family,  and  persons  attached  to  the  Court.     Having 

arrived  at  the  Temple,  different  prayers  are  recited1 :  after 

which,    the  Archbishop   descends   a   ladder   placed    within 

the  octagon  building,  and  dips  the  cross  thrice  in  the  water ; 

the  benediction  being  pronounced  at  the  same  time.     Some 

of  the  water  is  then  taken  up  in  a  vessel,  and  sprinkled  on 

the    surrounding    spectators.        The    military,    with     their 

standards,  the  religious  orders  in  their  different  dresses,  the 

presence  of  the  Imperial  Family,  and  the  crowds  of  people 

assembled  together,  form  a  very  striking  scene.     The  last 

occasion  on  which  Peter  the  Great  appeared  in  public,  w.as 

at  the  celebration   of  this  ceremony.      He   was   previously 

indisposed  ;  a  severe  cold  attacked  him  on   the  day  of  the 

Benediction  of  the  waters,  increased  his  disorder,  and  in  a 

short  time  brought  on  his  death.     At  the  celebration  of  a 

ceremony 

(1)  The  prayers  used  on  this  occasion  are  given  by  Dr.  King,   in  his  account  of  the 
Greek  Church,    p.  384. 


" 

| 

ii 

1 

2 

1 

Z 

$ 

a 

P 

% 

-, 

- 

m 

-5 

t 

H 

< 

- 

< 

w 


PETERSBURG. 


509 


ceremony  of  the  same  kind,  which  was   instituted  in  the  ch.vi\xv. 
early  period  of  the  empire,  at  Moscow,  an  image  of  the  Holy 
Virgin  was  plunged  into  the  river ;  the  water  was  blessed  by 
the  Patriarch  ;  and  the  Tsar,  and  the  persons  of  the  Court 
who  were  present,  were  sprinkled 2  with  it. 

The  Monastery  of  St.  Alexander  Nevshy  is  situate  on  the  Monastery  of 

f^t.  Alexander 

left  bank  of  the  Neva,  at  the  distance  of  four  versts  from  the  -v«w*jr. 
Admiralty,  in  a  south-east  direction  :  it  was  built  by  Peter 
the  Great,  in  order  to  receive  the  remains  of  one  of  his 
ancestors  which  were  brought  from  the  Convent  ofGodoretch 
in  1724.  When  we  visited  this  monastery,  the  priests  were 
performing  the  service  in  a  small  chapel,  and  not  in  the 
great  church.  After  the  singing,  a  sermon  was  read,  in 
rather  a  fast  and  vulgar  voice :  at  intervals,  the  people  bowed 
and  crossed  themselves,  some  touching  the  ground  with 
their  foreheads.  We  observed,  in  general,  that  the  women 
shewed  the  most,  and  the  Monks  the  least  devotion.  The 
latter  were  dressed  in  black  stuff  or  camlet,  with  a  high  cap, 
and  a  black  crape  veil  over  it.  After  the  service,  we  went 
into  the  great  Church;  where  we  remarked  three  Monks 
before  the  Shrine  of  St.  Alexander,  saying  a  mass  for  a 
particular  person  who  was  standing  near  them.  The  prayers 
were  read  by  one,  in  a  singing  tone ;  and  the  two  others  joined 
at  intervals,  and  made  responses,  taking  a  second  or  tenor  at 
a  particular  part  of  the  service.  The  head  of  the  devotee 
was  covered,  for  some  time,  with  the  mantle  of  the  reader,, 
and  the  book  placed  upon  it :    the  person  then  kissed  the 

book 

(2)  "  Toute  la journee  on  se  rendait  alors  sur  la  glace :  on  y  faisait  des  trous :  le  Patriarche 
bcnissait  l'eau  pour  toute  1'annee,  y  enfoncait  l'image  de  la  Sainte  Vierge,  et  aspergeait 
le  Tsar  et  les  Courtisans." — Histoire  de  Russie,  par  Levesque,  torn.  IV.  Note  par  Dipping, 
p.  130. 


510 


PETERSBURG. 


chap. xv.  book  and  the  hand  of  the  priestr  paid  his  devotions  to  the 
shrine,  gave  a  certain  number  of  copeeks,  and  retired.  We 
observed  others,  afterwards,  apparently  negotiating  for  a  mass 
at  a  certain  price,  and  sometimes  unsuccessfully.  A  gentleman 
with  a  cockade,  accompanied  by  a  servant  in  a  silver-laced  hat, 
seemed  to  be  more  fortunate,  and  had  a  mass  said,  and  some 
water  blessed  for  him.  The  latter  part  of  the  ceremony  was 
so  long,  that  we  did  not  stay  to  see  the  conclusion  ;  but  were 
told,  that  he  either  carried  the  water  home,  or  left  it  with  the 
Monks,  to  be  added  to  that  which  was  already  consecrated 
in  the  church.  He  did  not  appear  to  go  through  his 
part  with  much  devotion ;  and  instead  of  bowing  his  fore- 
head to  the  earth,  in  general  only  touched  it  with  his  hand. 
He  afterwards,  however,  knelt  down  once  or  twice,  and 
kissed  the  shrine.  While  they  were  saying  the  masses, 
many  people  came  and  paid  their  devotions  to  the  shrine ; 
always  putting  some  money,  at  the  same  time,  in  a  little 
box  placed  there  for  the  purpose.  The  shrine  is  very 
handsome :  religious  emblems  of  various  kinds,  candelabra, 
reliques  from  Palestine,  and  a  pail  adorned  with  gold  and 
jewels,   form  part  of  its  decorations.     The  silver  in  it  is  said 

to  weigh  eighty  pouds  and  eight  pounds;  or  3208  pounds1. 

We 

(l)  We  were  not  in  Petersburg  at  the  time  of  the  year  when  the  great  Festival  occurs 
in  honour  of  the  Saint  to  whom  the  Monastery  is  dedicated.  The  author  is  indebted  to 
a  friend  for  permission  to  transcribe  from  his  Journal  the  following  ] account  of  what  he 
observed  on  that  occasion. 

"  When  we  reached,  with  some  difficulty,  the  Church,  we  found  that  the 
procession  of  Priests  had  arrived  before  us,  and  the  service  was  begun.  It  was 
read  in  a  chanting  tone,  and  frequently  interrupted  by  singing.  All  the  people 
bowed,  and  crossed  themselves,  for  some  minutes.  We  were  near  the  Shrine  of  the 
Saint,  which  was  of  massive  silver,  and  very  handsome.  Many  waxen  tapers  were  burning 
before  it :  some  were  brought  by  the  devotees  themselves,  who  also  handed  op 
money,  which,  we  understood,  was  for  the  purpose  of  contributing  to  the  expense  of 

•the 


SPTCfil 


PETERSBURG. 


511 


We  afterwards  went  into  another  church  belonging  to  chap.xv. 
the  Convent,  in  which  were  some  fine  monuments  :  we 
observed  particularly  those  of  Count  Panin,  Prince  Galitzin, 
Count  Besherodho ;  and  a  very  handsome  one  of  Narishlin, 
Over  the  tomb  of  Besherodho,  a  lamp  was  to  be  kept  always 
burning  before  a  small  figure  of  Christ ;  and  in  an  adjoining 
room  was  a  rich  crimson  velvet  and  gold  baldachin,  under 
which  was  the  body  lying  in  state.  In  a  room  above  stairs 
was  a  very  good  picture  representing  the  Baptism  of  the 
Wife  of  the  Grand-duke  Alexander,  previously  to  her 
marriage.  It  was  the  work  of  a  slave  who  attended  at 
the  ceremony ;  and  was  presented  to  the  Empress,  for  the 
Hermitage.  She  purchased  his  freedom,  and  gave  him  one 
thousand  roubles.  The 

the  lights.  All  that  were  able  to  approach  the  Shrine,  kigsed  it ;  having  made,  pre- 
viously, several  prostrations  and  bows.  Every  body  around  appeared  very  devout :  I  lost, 
notwithstanding,  my  pocket-handkerchief.  After  a  short  time,  we  met  with  a  Russian 
Gentleman,  who  spoke  English,  and  took  us  under  his  protection  ;  and  by  his  assistance 
we  obtained  a  much  better  situation.  Before  the  Communion-table  were  folding-doors, 
having  open  work  of  gold,  and  ornamented  with  circular  paintings :  immediately  behind 
was  a  veil  or  curtain,  which,  when  the  Priests  retired  to  receive  the  Sacrament,  was 
drawn  across  the  open-work,  and  the  place  was  kept  sacred  from  the  eyes  and  observa- 
tion of  all.  After  the  usual  service  was  performed,  as  it  was  the  name-day  of  the  Grand- 
duke  Alexander,  the  Bishops,  six  in  number,  with  the  Metropolitan  at  their  head, 
walked  to  the  Shrine,  and  prayers  were  offered  up  for  all  the  Royal  Family,  and  for  the 
Grand-duke  in  particular.  The  Bible  presented  by  the  late  Empress,  the  covers  of 
which  were  of  gold,  and  on  one  side  most  richly  set  with  brilliants,  amethysts,  and  other 
precious  stones,  was  brought  to  the  Shrine ;  the  Metropolitan,  having  taken  his  mitre 
from  his  head,  read  from  it.  As  he  was  rather  infirm,  the  Bishop  ofCasan  had  performed 
the  greatest  part  of  the  service.  Six  Bishops  stood  before  the  Shrine,  most  splendidly 
arrayed,  their  mitres  covered  with  pearls  and  other  ornaments :  at  the  extremity  of  the 
line  was  the  Greek  Bishop,  Eugenius,  who  appeared  very  old,  and  scarcely  able  to  sup- 
port himself,  The  Abbots  who  assisted  in  the  ceremonies  were  dressed  in  robes  of 
crimson  velvet  embroidered  with  gold.  When  the  service  was  over,  the  Metropolitan, 
followed  by  the  other  Bishops,  returned  to  the  Communion-table.  He  was  supported 
by  two  of  the  Abbots  and  a  page  ;  and,  as  he  walked,  all  the  people  who  were  near, 

among 


512 


PETERSBURG. 


JVich$ln» 


Glass-house 
established  by 
Potemkin. 


The  style  and  manner  of  painting  adopted  in  the  pictures 
with  which  the  Russian  churches  are  frequently  ornamented 
have  heen  described  in  the  former  part  of  this  work.  In  the 
church  of  st.  Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  called  also  UEglise  des  Matelots,  are 
many  pictures  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin  Mary,  studded  with 
real  or  false  gems  :  the  glories  of  gold  have  the  appearance  of 
gilded  horse-shoes  ;  and  when  many  of  them  are  seen 
together,  in  the  same  piece,  produce  a  singular  effect.  The 
inside  of  the  building  is  roofed  quite  low ;  and  we  were  told 
that  there  was  another  church  above.  We  observed  the 
same  arrangement  in  that  of  St.  Vladimir ;  where  the  lower 
church  is  used  in  winter,  and  the  upper  in  summer. 

We  afterwards  went  to  the  Glass-house  established  by 
Prince  Potemkin ;  where  plate-glass  of  an  extraordinary 
size  is  cast.      The  person  who  superintended  the  business 

was 

among  whom  were  some  of  the  principal  Nobility,  crowded  round  him,  to  kiss  his  hands. 
The  Bishop  of  Casan  received  the  same  mark  of  homage;  but  less  respect  was  shewn 
to  the  rest  j  and  Eugenius,  the  most  venerable  of  all,  from  his  great  age,  had  no  Abbot  to 
support  him  in  his  tottering  walk,  nor  did  any  persons  offer  to  kiss  his  hand.  When  the 
Bishops  had  left  the  Shrine,  the  people  crowded  round  it  in  great  numbers,  to  pay  their 
devotions,  and  kiss  it.  We  were  happy  in  having  an  opportunity  of  seeing  all  the  country- 
people  in  their  best  apparel ;  and  were  quite  astonished  at  the  rich  dresses  of  some  of  the 
females,  who,  we  were  informed,  were  either  peasants  or  bourgeoises.  The  head-dress 
was,  in  general,  a  kind  of  turban,  with  a  deep  gold  lace  round  the  forehead  ;  and  a  very 
large  silk  handkerchief,  worked  with  gold  and  silver,  falling  from  the  top  of  the  turban 
down  to  the  waist  behind,  and  sometimes  brought  round  before,  like  a  cloak.  Under  this 
was  a  silk  vest,  meeting  over  the  breast,  and  reaching  some  way  below  the  waist ;  and 
under  that,  a  petticoat.  Many  of  the  vests  and  petticoats  were  of  the  richest  silk,  worked 
with  gold  and  silver.  The  upper  part  of  the  turban,  when  not  covered  by  an  handker- 
chief, was  generally  of  velvet,  flowered  with  gold.  These  dresses  reminded  me  very 
much  of  some  representations  of  those  worn  by  Greek  women,  and  were  certainly  not 
like  any  thing  we  had  seen  in  the  northern  parts  of  Europe.  The  bourgeoises  of  the  city 
appeared  generally  in  old-fashioned  silk  jackets  and  petticoats,  with  high  head-dresses  of 
silk  handkerchiefs  tied  in  the  shape  of  turbans.  All  the  peasants,  and  lower  classes  of 
citizens,  wore  their  beards." 


SPEC' 


PETERSBURG. 


513 


was  sent  by  PotemMn  to  England,  for  some  years,  to  learn  chap.  xv\ 
the  art.  Having  seen  the  different  houses  where  the  earlier 
parts  of  the  process  were  going  forwards,  we  were  taken  to 
that  part  of  the  building  where  the  quicksilver  is  laid  on,  and 
there  saw  a  glass  supposed  to  be  the  largest  that  was  ever 
made.  The  length  was  165  inches  ;  the  breadth,  eighty-nine  ; 
and  intended  for  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  Winter-Palace.  The 
breadth  occasions  the  greatest  difficulty  to  the  workmen. 
The  price  of  it  was  1 5, 000  roubles.  The  immense  copper- 
plate on  which  it  was  cast  was  made  at  Petersburg,  for  20,000 
roubles.  Prince  Potemkin  applied,  at  first,  to  the  manufactory 
at  Paris,  and  was  asked  20,000  roubles  for  the  work  alone, 
without  the  expense  of  the  copper.  The  weight  is  one 
thousand  pouds,  or  40, 000  pounds.  At  the  death  of  the 
Prince,  the  manufactory  was  taken  by  the  Crown,  but  is 
supposed  now  not  to  pay  much  more  than  the  expenses.  The 
workmen  had  all  a  clean  and  comfortable  appearance  :  they 
are  slaves  attached  to  the  manufactory,  which  is  the  case  in 
many  other  establishments  :  they  here,  however,  receive 
pay,  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of  work  executed.  We 
were  informed  that  the  Crown  seldom  takes  the  labour  of  its 
peasants  in  kind :  hired  labourers  are  engaged  in  most  of  the 
public-works. 

The  Foundling  Hospital,  established  by  Catherine  the  £°0us,,dli"8 
Second,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Convent  of  Voskrescnski,  but 
removed  afterwards  to  the  first  quarter  of  the  Admiralty,  is  a 
branch  of  the  great  institution  at  Moscow,  also  founded  by 
her.  The  house  is  a  handsome  extensive  building  by  the 
Moika  Canal,  which  had  belonged  to  a  nobleman.  The 
.  vol.  vi.  3  u  rooms 


jspital. 


514 


PETERSBURG. 


«uai.  xv.  rooms    are    large,    airy,    and  even   elegant;    and   are   kept 
apparently  with  great   neatness  and  cleanliness.     We  were 
iirst  introduced  to  that  part  where  the  boys  were  dining,  in 
number,  as  we  were  told,  about  180:  they  were  dressed  in 
red,  blue,  and  brown,  according  to  their  classes.     They  were 
eating  meat,  with  which  they  were  constantly  supplied,  except 
on  fast- days.     The  table-cloth  was  clean ;   and  each  had  a 
separate  napkin  :  there  was  no  disagreeable  smell  in  the  room ; 
and  the  provisions  appeared  to  be  so  good,  that  we  could  have 
sate  down,  and  partaken  of  their  fare  with  pleasure.     We 
then   walked  over  different  rooms,   in  which  we  saw  much 
machinery  ;  but   as  it  was  a  holiday,  no  one  was  at  work. 
The  boys  are  taught  all  kinds  of  trades  :  they  learn   to  be 
tailors,  to  weave,  to  make  shoes    and  stockings ;  and    each 
trade   had  a   separate  room  appropriated   to   it.     What  is 
not  used  in  the  house,  is  sold  ;  but  the  profits  do  not  go  far  in 
support  of  the  establishment.     In  the  magazine-rooms,  there 
were  some  tolerable  pieces  of  manufactured  goods,  but  not 
much  in  quantity.      We  were  next  introduced  to  the  Dormi- 
tory :    the  bedsteads  are  of  iron ;  the  beds  are  composed  of 
straw  paillasses,  but  have  no  testers  nor  curtains :  they  are  at 
four  or  five  feet  distance  from  each  other  ;  and  there  was  a 
separate  one  for  each  boy.     We  were  then  conducted  to  the 
apartments   appropriated  to  the  young  children,  where  we 
observed  the  same  neatness  we  had  remarked  in  the  dormi- 
tory.    All  women  who   present  themselves  to  the  Lying-in- 
Hospital  connected  with  this  institution,  for  the  purpose  of 
being  taken  into  the  house  and  delivered,  are  received,  and 
no  questions  are  asked  ;  but  they  cannot  take  their  children 

away, 


rVC-,  *Vj  !^i"i^^0:. 


oPE!fil 


PETERSBURG. 


515 


awav,  when  they  quit  it.  An  application  was  once  made  to  piAK  xr. 
the  Empress  in  favour  of  a  person  of  some  quality,  and 
granted.  The  children  that  are1  brought  to  the  door  in 
baskets  are,  after  three  days,  sent  into  the  country,  to  the 
wives  of  Intrrian  and  Finnish  peasants,  at  the  rate  of  two 
roubles  a  month  :  they  return  when  they  are  six  or  seven 
years  old,  and  are  then  fit  to  be  taught  some  trade.  The 
number  in  the  country  belonging  to  the  establishment  is  six 
or  seven  thousand.  All  the  children  that  are  brought  are 
received,  without  any  limit.  The  average  number  admitted  in 
the  day  is  about  ten.  We  were  there  at  noon-time,  and  saw 
four  who  had  just  been  received  :  one  of  them  appeared  to  be 
dying.  We  could  not  learn  the  average  number  of  infants  in 
the  house ;  but  thought,  from  our  conductor's  information, 
that  it  was  seven  or  eight  hundred.  W^e  were  surprised 
at  the  great  mortality  that  takes  place :  one  hundred  deaths 
in  a  month  form  the  common  average  of  the  whole  house  ; 
and  in  the  preceding  winter,  there  occurred,  not  unfrequently, 
eighteen  in  a  day.  The  mortality  chiefly  occurs,  it  may  be 
supposed,  among  very  young  children  ;  some  of  whom  are 
brought  when  they  are  actually  dying  :  but  there  is  a  consi- 
derable number  of  deaths  among  those  who  are  older. 
Having  quitted  these  apartments, we  went  over  those  allotted 

to 


(l)  Mr.  Forsyth  makes  an  ingenious  and  happy  application  of  a  passage  in  Juvenal  to 
the  Hospital  at  Florence,  in  which  legitimate  and  illegitimate  children  are  received.  As 
they  are  admitted  at  night,  he  proposes  that  the  following  words  should  be  written  over 
the  grate  : 


"  Stat  Fortuna  improba  noctu 

Arridens  nudis  infantibus  :  hos  fovet  omnes, 


Involvitque  sinu."- 


Remarks  on  Italy,  p.  443. 


516 


PETERSBURG. 


chap.  xv.  t0  the  girls.  The  dormitories  and  work-rooms  were  kept  in 
the  same  neat  manner.  There  are  five  classes :  the  two 
highest  make  lace,  and  embroider  very  well :  we  saw  a  saddle- 
cloth of  yellow  velvet  most  richly  embroidered  in  silver^ 
which  was  to  be  presented  to  the  Emperor  on  his  birth-day. 
The  Empress  interested  herself  particularly  in  the  institution  ; 
and,  when  she  was  in  the  city,  seldom  passed  a  week  without 
coming  twice  or  thrice,  and  looking  into  all  the  details  of 
the  management  of  it.  We  were  told  that  the  expenses 
of  the  establishment  amounted  to  100,000  roubles  a  month. 
The  regular  revenues  belonging  to  it  are  not  in  any  degree 
equal  to  that  sum  ;  but  the  Government  takes  upon  itself  the 
direction  of  the  whole,  and  consequently  bears  the  additional 
expenses. 

The  common  hours  of  working  are  from  six  to  twelve, 
and  from  two  to  four.  There  was  a  large  garden,  for  the  girls 
to  walk  in ;  and  a  separate  piece  of  ground  for  the  boys, 
where  they  went  after  dinner  to  play,  as  it  was  a  Jeter  the 
girls  amused  themselves  with  sewing  and  embroidery.  Not- 
withstanding the  advantages  possessed  by  the  place,  and  the 
cleanliness  that  appeared  to  prevail  in  general,  the  children  had 
not  a  healthy  appearance  ;  and  we  were  quite  surprised  at  the 
very  small  number  of  good-looking  boys  and  girls  which  wc 
saw.  The  greater  part  were  absolutely  ugly ;  and  all  had  sore 
eyes.  This  complaint  arises,  probably,  from  the  strong  light 
and  white  walls,  added  to  the  offensive  heat  of  the  rooms 
and  the  reflexion  from  the  snow:  it  originally  begins  in  the 
smoky  cottages  where  the  children  are  sent  to  be  nursed. 
One  of  the  governesses  complained  to  us  of  the  frequency  of 

holidays 


iSPECl 


PETERSBURG. 


517 


holidays,  as  a  great  interruption  to  the  employments  of  the  chap,  xv. 
children.  The  girls  leave  the  house  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
and  the  boys  at  that  of  twenty  or  twenty-one.  Sometimes 
those  children  who  were  sent  into  the  country  did  not  return  : 
this  depended  on  the  room  there  was  in  the  house,  and  on  the 
will  of  theEmpress.  There  is  a  large  hall,  with  a  railing,  where 
the  parents  come  and  see  their  children  ;  to  whom  they  affix 
a  mark  when  they  deliver  them  ;  giving,  at  the  same  time,  a 
note,  stating  whether  the  child  has  been  baptized  or  not, 
and  what  is,  or  what  should  be,  the  name.  Parents,  in 
proving  themselves  able  to  support  their  children,  and,  we 
believe,  on  paying  the  past  expenses,  may  demand  them,  and 
take  them  away,  if  they  have  not  been  born  in  the  house. 
They  may  always  find  the  children,  by  asking  for  the 
particular  number,  received  on  placing  them  in  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  greatest  praise  has  been  bestowed  by  some  Writers 
on  the  institution  of  the  Foundling  Hospitals  of  Petersburg 
and  Moscow.  "  The  genius  of  Catherine  made  even  the 
vices  of  a  portion  of  her  subjects  contribute  to  the  wisdom 
of  her  views.  Those  unfortunate  children,  whom  their 
fathers  disowned — whom  their  mothers  did  not  dare  to 
acknowledge — were  abandoned  to  public  compassion,  and 
often  to  death.  Equally  rejected  by  nature  and  by  the  law, 
they  have  been  adopted  by  the  Sovereign.  No  establishment 
of  the  kind  can  be  compared  with  the  Hospital  at  Moscow. 
All  who  present  themselves  there,  or  are  brought  from  the 
different  depdts   of  the   empire,   are   received.     Their   first 

years 


518                                                         PETERSBURG, 

ih.u'.  xv.  vrars  are  watched  with  the  utmost  attention;    and  this,  if 

possible,    is    increased    in    the    superintendence    of    their 

education.  They  are  instructed,  according  to  their  incli- 
nations or  natural  dispositions,  in  different  trades  and 
different  arts.  When  the  term  of  their  education  has 
expired,  they  receive  the  greatest  of  all  blessings — liberty, 
ilestored  to  their  country,  they  are  dependent  only  on  the 
laws ;  and  in  consecrating  to  their  country  the  talents  which 
she  has  bestowed  upon  them,  they  give  back  even  more  than 
they  have  received."  Such  is  the  eulogy  pronounced  on 
these  institutions  by  one  of  the  historians1  of  the  Russian 
empire  i  nor  can  it  be  denied  that  many  useful  and  indus- 
trious citizens  have  been  formed  in  them.  It  may  however  be 
questioned,  whether  they  really  increase  the  population  of 
the  empire  to  the  extent  which  some  have  supposed.  No 
doubt  can  be  entertained  as  to  the  encouragement  of 
immorality  and  licentiousness  which  they  afford  ;  since  to 
have  an  illegitimate  child,  is  considered  as  the  least  fault 
which  a  female-servant  can  commit2. 

The  conduct  of  the  Emperor  was,  at  this  time,  the  chief 
subject  of  conversation  at  all  the  tables  to  which  we  were 
invited,  during   our  stay  at  Petersburg;  both  in  the  houses 

of 


"(l)  Histoire  de  Russie,  par  Levesque,  tome  VI.  p.  55. 

(2)  A  female  servant  belonging  to  a  mistress  of  rather  strict  character  sent  six  children 
to  the  Foundling  Hospital,  without  losing  her  place.  Her  accouchement,  we  were 
informed,  seldom  obliged  her  to  absent  herself  more  than  three  days. 


SGIJ 


PETERSBURG. 


5V9 


of  strangers,  and  of  the  Russians  themselves.  We  had  not, 
indeed,  been  long  in  the  city,  before  we  heard,  from 
undoubted  authority,  numerous  examples,  many  of  which 
were  confirmed  by  our  own  observation,  of  the  folly  and 
inconsistency,  cruelty  and  obstinacy,  caprice  and  idiotism, 
not  to  say  insanity,  of  Paul.  Before  his  accession  to  the 
throne,  he  had  frequently  displayed  great  eccentricity  and 
absurdity  in  his  conduct.  A  mania  for  every  thing  military 
particularly  possessed  him  :  he  would  harass  the  soldiers  of 
his  regiment  with  the  most  vexatious  discipline,  the  most 
minute  and  frivolous  attention  to  every  part  of  their  dress, 
even  to  the  shouldering  of  a  musket,  and  to  the  buttoning  of 
a  coat.  He  once  shut  his  wife  up  in  a  fortified  place ; 
and  ordered  a  mock-battle  to  be  fought,  pretending  to  take 
on  himself  the  defence  of  it  against  the  attack  of  the  sup- 
posed enemy.  Nothing  offended  him  more  than  the  refusal 
of  Catherine  to  allow  him  to  command  the  Russian  army,  in 
the  campaign  against  the  Porte  in  1787.  In  visiting  diffe- 
rent parts  of  the  Continent  in  1781,  in  company  with  the 
Grand-duchess,  he  was  everywhere  received  with  the 
greatest  attention  and  honour ;  but  nothing  could  remove 
the  gravity,  silence,  and  reserve  of  his  manner.  lie 
frequently  shewed  great  distrust  and  suspicion  of  those 
around  him:  this  was  particularly  observable  during  a  a 
illness  with  which  he  was  attacked  in  Italy.  His  conduct 
on  that  occasion  has  been  explained,  by  the  circumstance  of 
his  being  impressed  with  a  notion  that  Catherine  wished  to 
make  an  attempt  upon  his  life.  On  becoming  Emperor,  he 
was  at  liberty  to  indulge,  to  any  excess,  and  in  any  manner 

he 


CHAP.  XV. 


Anecdotes  of 
the  Emperor 

Paul. 


520 


CHAT.  XV. 


PETERSBURG. 

he  pleased,  his  military  folly1.     Every  morning  was  devoted 
to  reviews,   to   the  parade,  and  to  the  practice  of  various 
manoeuvres.      As  Frederick   the    Great  was    the    principal 
object   of    his   admiration,   he  ordered   the   national    dress 
of  the   Russians   to   be  exchanged   for   the   Prussian    uni- 
form.    He  soon  began  to  shew  disrespect  and  aversion  to 
the  memory  of  his  mother.     The  plans  she  had  formed  were 
altered;    the   ministers,  whom    she  had  selected    for   their 
talents,  were  disgraced ;    the  buildings  she  had  commenced 
were  completed   in  any  manner  but  that   which    accorded 
with  her  ideas.     The  Church  of  St.  Isaac  had  been  raised  to 
a  considerable  height:  marble,  jasper,  porphyry,  and  granite, 
were  the  materials  employed  in  the  construction  of  it :  Paul 
finished  it  with  brick.     The  Taurida  Palace  was  converted 
by  him    into  barracks.      Peter  the   Third,   his  father,  had 
been  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Alexander  Nevshy :    Paul 
ordered  the  body  to  be  removed,  and  deposited  in  that  of  the 
Fortress,  where  all  his  ancestors  are  entombed.     The  assas- 
sins of  Peter  were  dead,  with  the  exception  of  two, — Orlqf 
and  Boriatinsky :    they  were  commanded  to  be  present  at  the 
ceremony,  to   attend   the  body   as  chief-mourners,    and  to 
remain  near  it  for  the  space  of  three  weeks.     This   act  of 

Paul 


( I )  He  ordered  some  models  of  tails  to  be  made,  which  he  intended  should  be 
worn  by  the  officers  and  soldiers ;  and  despatched  them  to  different  corps  of  the  army. 
Souwarof,  on  receiving  a  packet  of  these  tails,  shook  his  head,  and  exclaimed, 
"  These  tails  are  not  bayonets;  and  no  fire  will  come  from  this  powder."  A  transla- 
tion cannot  give  the  spirit  of  the  original,  which  has  a  rhythm,  and  metrical  cadence, 
often  used  by  Souwarof  in  his  conversation.  "  Kacoi  nekalot,  bouklai  nepalit,  poudrei 
ne  streliat." — M.  Depping  quotes  this,  from  an  historical  memoir  relating  to  Souwarof. 


oPECIl 


PETERSBURG. 


521 


Paul  was   viewed   in    different    lights:    by   some  he    was  chap. xv. 
considered  as  influenced  by  motives  of  respect  and  affection  to 
the  memory  of  his  father ;    by  others,  the  whole  transaction 
was  considered  as  a  censure  and  reproach  of  the  conduct  of 
his  mother. 

At  the  time  of  our  residence  in  Petersburg,  the  chief 
favourite  of  Paul  was  Koutizqf2,  originally  a  Greek  slave,  and 
latterly  his  valet   de  chambre.      This   man  had  a  mistress, 

Madame 


(2)  Since  the  period  when  Dr.  Clarke's  Manuscript  Journals  were  written,  an 
edition  of  Levesques  History  of  Russia  has  been  published,  with  Notes  by  MM.  Malte* 
Brun  and  Depping.  The  latter  has  added  an  account  of  the  reign  of  Paul  ;  and  has 
related  in  it  many  anecdotes,  marking  in  a  striking  manner  the  absurdity  and  folly  of 
his  conduct,  precisely  of  a  similar  nature  to  those  which  Dr.  Clarke  had  already 
noted  in  his  Journal.  This  coincidence  confirms  the  accuracy  of  the  statements  both 
of  the  English  Traveller  and  the  French  Historian. 

M.  Depping  says,  that  Koutizqf  was  originally  a  Turk :  but  the  passage  is  suffered 
to  stand  in  the  text,  as  it  occurs  in  Dr.  Clarke's  manuscript.  M.  Depping  gives 
an  anecdote  very  characteristic  of  Souwarof  which  illustrates  at  the  same  time  the 
history  of  the  rise  of  Koutizof.  "  From  valet  de  chambre,  he  became  the  confidant 
and  minister  of  Paul;  and  although  he  was  detested  by  the  nobles,  they  all  sought 
his  favour.  Souwarof  alone,  more  accustomed  to  the  language  of  camps  than  to  that 
of  Courts,  refused  to  bend  the  knee  before  the  second  master  of  the  empire,-  and 
humbled  him,  on  one  occasion,  in  the  most  marked  manner.  On  his  return  from  exile, 
Paw/sent  his  favourite  to  him.  "  Count  Koutizof"  was  announced.  "Koutizof!"  cried 
the  General :  "  I  do  not  know  any  Russian  family  of  that  name."  The  Count  answered, 
that  he  was  from  Turkey,  and  that  the  favour  of  the  Emperor  had  raised  him  to  his 
present  dignity. — "  You  have  then  doubtless  distinguished  yourself  in  arms  V  " I  have 
never  served." — "  Or  in  the  ministry  ?"  "  I  have  never  been  in  any  civil  office.  I 
have  always  been  about  the  person  of  the  Emperor." — "  In  what  capacity?" — Koutizof 
wished  to  turn  the  conversation ;  but  Souwarof  mercilessly  pursued  him  with  ques- 
tions ;  until  he  confessed  that  he  had  been  valet  de  chambre.  Souivarof  on  this, 
turning  to  his  servant,  said  :  "  You  see,  Ivan,  what  it  is  to  conduct  yourself  well. 
This  gentleman  was,  once,  what  you  are :  behold  him  Count  now,  with  the  blue 
ribband  !" 


VOL.  VI. 


3  X 


5Vi 


PETERSBURG. 


chap.  xv.  Madame  Chevalier,  the  wife  of  a  hair-dresser,  and  principal 
actress  at  the  French  Theatre.  Her  uncommon  beauty  had 
subdued  Koutizof ;  and,  as  he  governed  Paul,  Madame 
Chevalier  &  influence  was  unbounded.  Whoever  became  the 
object  of  her  hatred,  or  of  that  of  the  favourite,  was  imme- 
diately sent  into  exile.  Within  a  few  days  after  our 
arrival,  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  were 
banished,  and  not  one  under  the  smallest  pretence  of  justice. 
We  found,  in  consequence  of  the  tyranny  and  caprice  of  the 
Emperor,  that  many  noblemen  were  leaving  the  city,  and 
retiring  to  Moscow.  As  Paul  had  a  particular  aversion  to  all 
strangers,  every  one  who  shewed  them  any  kindness,  or  treated 
them  with  hospitality,  became  immediately  offensive  to  him. 
The  Emperor  rose  every  morning  at  five  :  Koutizqf,  whose 
apartments  were  under  his,  saw  him  first :  the  report  of  the 
head-officer  of  the  Police  was  received  shortly  afterwards. 
Paul's  chief  vanity  was,  to  shew  his  insensibility  to  cold:  for 
this  purpose,  he  drove  about  in  an  open  sledge,  or  rode  on 
horseback  without  a  pelisse,  parading  before  his  soldiers, 
and  through  the  streets,  with  his  hat  off,  for  twenty  minutes 
together.  When  he  passed,  every  person  must  stop,  and 
stand  bare-headed ;  every  one  descended  from  his  carriage, 
however  thinly  he  might  be  clothed,  and  whatever  might  be  the 
state  of  the  weather.  Ladies,  old  women,  infirm  and  sickly 
persons,  were  obliged  to  suffer  these  indignities.  The  same 
marks  of  respect  were  shewn  to  every  part  of  the  Royal 
Family,  even  to  the  Infants ;  but  when  the  Grand-duke 
Alexander  passed,  he  always  hurried  by,  and  waved  his  hand, 
to  prevent  this  painful  homage.     His  amiable  character  and 

conde- 


PETERSBURG. 


ft  -<i»J 


condescension  rendered  him  the  idol  of  the  people;    and  he  chap.xv 
was  as  much  loved,  as  Paul  was  detested. 

We  passed  an  evening  at  the  hospitable  and  elegant  man- 
sion of  Baron  Strogonof;  who  informed  us,  that  his  coachman, 
one  morning,    when  the  Emperor  was   riding   through   the 
streets,  did  not  stop  the  horses  so  quickly  as  he  ought  to 
have  done  :  on  this,  the  attendant  officer  went  up,  demanded 
who  was  in  the  carriage,  and  took  down   the  name  of  the 
servants.     Fortunately,   the   Baron  was  going  to  his  uncle, 
a  favourite  of  the  Emperor,  and  no  more  notice  was  taken 
of  the  matter;  but   he   told   us  he  passed  a  day  of  painful 
anxiety,     The  slightest  punishment  inflicted  for  neglecting 
to  take  off  immediately  your  hat,  great  coat,  cloak,  gloves, 
or  pelisse,  as  the  Emperor  passed  by,  or  for  not  descending 
instantly  from  your  carriage,  in  the  snow,  mud,  or  rain,  was, 
that  the  servants  were  bound  and  sent  to  the  army,  the  horses 
to  the  artillery,   the   carriage    confiscated,   and    the    master 
ordered  into  confinement.     The  attention  of  the  police  was 
directed  to  things  of  the  most  insignificant  kind :  if  a  man 
had  his  hair  short  on  the  top  of  his  head,   if  it  fell  over  his 
forehead,  if  he  had  any  below  his  temples  or  on  his  cheeks, 
a  soldier  was  sent  to  shave  him,  or  cut  his  hair,  according  to 
the  whim  or  taste  of  the  police-officer.     As  every  thing  was 
regulated  by  the  caprice  and  insolence  of  this  class  of  persons, 
it  was  impossible  in  any  way  to  escape  their  notice  and  inter- 
ference.     Friends  met    with   suspicious  and   fearful    looks, 
asking  for  news,  or  mentioning  the  misfortunes  which  had 
happened  to  their  relatives,  who  had  been  exiled1  or  ruined 
by 

(1)  La  colere  de  Paul  frappait  indistinctement  toutes  les  classes  de  lasociete; — les 
eourtisans,  les  gens  de  lettres,  les  militaires,  les  marchands,  les  femmes,  tous  encou- 

raient 


524 


PETERSBURG. 


chap. xv.  by  the  Emperor  and  his  minion.  While  we  were  at  Baron 
Strogonofs,  a  Princess  came  to  take  leave  of  her  friends  : — 
she  was  ordered  to  leave  Petersburg  by  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

An  Englishman,  accustomed  from  his  infancy  to  the  bless- 
ings of  a  free  constitution,  is  in  the  practice  of  declaring  his 
sentiments  openly  and  loudly.  In  Petersburg,  if  he  opened 
his  mouth,  though  for  the  sake  of  asking  a  question  of 
the  most  indifferent  kind,  his  Russia??,  friend  trembled  while 
he  was  addressed. — "  What  architect  designed  that  palace  ?'' 
"  Speak  lower,  for  God's  sake  !" — "  What !  is  it  prohibited 
to  ask  questions  relating  to  architecture  ?"  "  Every  thing  is 
prohibited." — "Is  it  prohibited  to  speak,  to  breathe,  to  exist?" 
"  It  is  dangerous  to  speak  at  all :  whatever  you  say,  may  be 
misinterpreted ;  and,  surrounded  as  you  are,  the  less  consci- 
ousness you  afford  even  of  your  respiration  or  existence,  the 
better." — This  is  a  real  statement  of  a  conversation  which 
took  place.  It  was  an  offence  to  be  loud  in  talking,  laughing, 
or  singing.  Peace  and  comfort,  innocent  mirth,  and  domes- 
tic happiness,  were  constantly  interrupted  ;  and  the  effect  of  a 
baneful  and  malignant  tyranny  was  everywhere  experienced  ; 
adempto  per  i??quisitio?ies,  et  loquendi  audiendique  commercio. 

The  Emperor  ordered  a  person  to  be  flogged  by  the 
soldiers,  because  he  wore  his  cravat  a  little  too  near  his  chin, 

and 


raient  la  peine  de  l'exil,  ou  du  knout,  pour  des  fautes  legeres Les  exils  et  les 

arrestations  continuaient  toujours  :  on  voyait  sur  les  routes  de  nombreux  kibitkas,  qui 
transportaient  les  prisonniers  en  Siberie.  Ces  transports  se  faisaient  avec  la  plus 
grande  precipitation ;  on  ne  laissait  souvent  a  1' exile  qu'une  heure  pour  arranger  ses 
affaires  ;  et  puis  on  l'envoyait  sous  le  climat  rigoureux  de  la  Siberie,  sans  lui  accorder 
les  moyens  de  se  premunir  contre  la  rigueur  du  froid." 

Depping.—Histoirede  Russie,  par  Levesoue.     Tome  VI.  p.  1 14. 


jSPECIJ 


PETERSBURG. 


525 


and  had  not  placed  the  cock  of  his  hat  straight  over  his  fore-  chapxv. 
head.  The  punishment  was  inflicted  with  severity.  On  one 
occasion  he  had  the  audacity  to  cane  an  officer  :  the  unfortu- 
nate victim  of  his  cowardice  retired  to  his  house,  and  shot  him- 
self, leaving  a  note  for  the  Emperor,  containing  these  words  : 
' '  He  who  has  the  courage  to  lose  his  own  life  for  an  insult, 
might  take  away  the  life  of  him  who  caused  it.  Let  this  be 
a  warning  to  you."  His  conduct  towards  strangers  was  as 
extraordinary  as  that  which  he  displayed  towards  his  own  sub- 
jects. The  German  ambassador,  Count  Cobentzel,  applied 
for  a  passport  to  send  a  courier  to  his  Court.  The  Emperor 
gave  for  answer,  that  he  could  have  nothing  to  say  to  his 
Court,  and  that  he  should  have  ,  none.  Paul  had  been 
induced  to  join  the  Coalition  against  France  :  he  repented  of 
the  measure,  and  shewed  his  aversion  to  it,  by  ill-treating  the 
Representatives  of  the  Courts  of  England  and  Austria,  and 
by  ordering  many  French  emigrants  to  quit  his  dominions. 
He  had,  however,  a  great  horror  of  Revolutionary  principles. 
Two  servants,  who  had  been  discharged  by  two  English 
gentlemen,  laid  an  information  against  their  masters,  of  being 
Jacobins :  these  gentlemen  were  obliged,  in  consequence,  to 
leave  Russia;  and  would  have  experienced  harsher  treatment,  if 
Lord  IVhitivorth  had  not  discovered  the  plot,  and  the  falsehood 
of  the  charge,  and  made  himself  responsible  for  their  conduct. 
It  is  well  known,  that,  among  other  instances  of  folly,  he 
ordered,  by  a  special  Ukase,  many  of  the  buildings  in  the 
empire  to  be  painted  in  a  particular  manner,  according  to 
his  directions.  A  lady,  whom  he  admired,  appeared  one 
evening  at  a  ball  with  a  pair  of  gloves  of  a  red  colour  :  the 
next  morning,  his  palace  was  painted  red.      The  absurdities, 

of 


->:><* 


PETERSBURG. 


chap.  xv.  of  which  he  was  guilty  every  day,  almost  exceed  belief.  Some 
excellent  paintings  in  the  palace  had  been  removed,  by  his 
orders,  for  the  purpose  of  being  varnished  ;  and  a  few  com- 
mon sea-pieces,  executed  in  the  very  worst  manner,  were 
hung,  in  the  mean  time,  in  room  of  them,  to  cover  the  wall : 
he  noticed  one,  as  he  passed  through  the  apartments,  declared 
it  to  be  the  finest  thing  he  had  ever  seen  in  his  life,  and 
angrily  asked  why  such  excellent  paintings  were  placed  so 
high,  and  out  of  sight.  Presently,  twenty  soldiers  entered 
with  ladders,  to  take  down  the  picture,  that  he  might  have 
it  near  him  while  he  was  at  dinner,  though  it  hung  in  the 
adjoining  room. 

In  the  course  of  his  morning  ride,  he  observed,  at  a  little 
distance,  a  person  in  a  sledge,  who  did  not  take  off  his  pelisse. 
When  he  reached  the  palace,  he  said  to  an  officer,  "  In  such 
a  street  I  saw  a  man  who  did  not  take  off  his  pelisse ;  it  was 
green,  with  dark  fur  :  go,  find  out  who  he  is."  The  officer 
was  in  utter  despair  of  ever  being  able  to  execute  such  a 
mad  commission ;  but,  from  the  situation  of  the  street,  he 
suspected  that  the  person  might,  perhaps,  be  an  Englishman. 
Hastening,  therefore,  to  the  English  Club,  where  the  mer- 
chants were  at  dinner,  he  examined  all  the  pelisses ;  and 
having  found  one  which  corresponded  with  the  description 
given  by  the  Emperor,  he  inquired  to  whom  it  belonged : 
the  waiter  mentioned  the  name  of  the  owner,  and  the  police- 
officer  desired  that  he  might  be  called  out  of  the  room. — "  Is 
this  pelisse  yours?'*  "Yes." — The  officer  departed,  leaving 
the  Englishman  in  doubt  as  to  what  steps  he  should  take. 
His  friends  advised  him  to  go  home ;  but  when  he  left  the 
room,  the  pelisse  was  not  to  be  found  :  it  had  been  taken  to 

the 


dPEiClJ 


PETERSBURG. 


527 


the  Emperor,  who,  when  he  saw  it,  embraced  the  officer  in  a  chap.xv. 
transport  of  joy,  at  the  same  time  declaring  his  surprise  that  he 
returned  with  it  so  soon. — The  pelisse  was  sent  back  to  the 
owner,  in  about  an  hour's  time. 

The  truth  of  the  following  fact  can  be  attested  by  the 
whole  city  of  Petersburg. — A  carriage,  as  the  Emperor  was 
passing  through  the  streets,  was  observed  not  to  stop  quite  so 
soon  as  was  thought  proper ;  nor  did  any  one  descend  when 
it  stopped.  The  officers  rode  up,  took  the  name  of  the  owner, 
and  again  followed  Paul.  About  noon,  the  lady,  to  whom  it 
belonged,  was  informed  that  one  of  the  police-officers 
desired  to  see  her.  The  visits  of  these  persons  oc- 
casioned as  much  horror  and  alarm  at  Petersburg,  as  those 
of  the  agents  of  Robespierre  produced  at  Paris,  The  lady, 
much  distressed,  was  no  sooner  informed  of  the  cause  of  his 
coming,  than  she  burst  into  tears,  clasping  her  hands 
together,  and  protesting  that  she  had  not  been  out  of  the  house 
for  three  days.  She  ordered  inquiry  to  be  made,  in  order  to 
know  who  had  been  in  the  carriage ;  and  was  informed,  that 
the  person  was  a  poor  miserable  cripple,  deformed,  an  ideot 
from  his  birth,  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  limbs,  maintained  in 
the  family  from  charity,  and  allowed,  by  his  humane  protec- 
tress, the  use  of  the  carriage,  for  air,  when  the  weather  was 
fine.  Will  it  be  believed,  that  this  wretched  object  was  drag- 
ged before  the  Governor ;  who,  when  he  saw  him,  shuddered 
with  horror?  "  I  have  orders,"  he  said,  "  to  feed  you  upon 
bread  and  water  :  but  I  will  add  a  little  butter  to  the  one,  and 
a  little  tea  to  the  other ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  go  to  the  Em- 
peror."    Paul,  whether  from  a  feeling  of  compassion  not  very 

common 


528 


PETERSBURG. 


chap.  xy.  common  to  him,  or  from  not  wishing  to  trouble  himself  any 
further  in  the  business,  ordered  the  ideot  to  be  taken  back  to 
the  house  of  the  lady.  But  the  carriage  and  servants  were 
gone  ; — the  former  was  seized  by  the  Government ;  the  latter 
were  sent  to  the  army. 

The  melancholy  effects  of  his  short  reign  were  perceptible  in 
every  thing.  Science,  art,  and  literature,  withered  under  the 
blighting  influence  of  his  tyranny.  Books  of  almost  every 
description  were  prohibited.  French  works  of  the  most  costly 
and  expensive  kind,  if  they  shewed,  by  their  title-page,  that  they 
had  been  printed  during  the  time  of  the  Republic,  were  not 
allowed  to  be  sold.  We  took  up,  in  a  bookseller's  shop, 
a  beautiful  copy  of  Buffons  Natural  History,  and  the 
marks  of  the  police  wTere  visible  in  the  title-page  of  every 
volume.  Foreign  Journals  were  reprinted  with  the  alterations 
which  the  Government  thought  proper  to  introduce.  Censors 
were  appointed  to  superintend  every  publication,  to  open  and 
read  letters,  to  suppress  and  destroy  whatever  they  did  not 
approve  or  could  not  comprehend.  In  the  scrutiny  which  took 
place,  amidst  this  darkness  of  intellect  and  ignorance,  we 
have  no  reason  to  wonder  at  the  ludicrous  and  contemptible 
blunders  that  were  daily  committed1. 

The  character  and  conduct  of  Paul  are  sufficiently  illus- 
trated by  the  statements  we  have  given :  and  more,  if  it 
were  necessary,  might  be  added,   to  mark  his  imbecility  and 

ideotcy. 

(1)  M.  Depping  gives  the  following  instance. — The  censors  had  no  list  of  prohibited 
books  :  they,  therefore,  adopted  the  Index  in  use  at  Vienna.  In  this,  there  was  a  pro- 
hibition of  books  relating  to  the  Greek  Church :  the  same  were  also  rejected  by  the 
Russian  censors ! 


PETERSBURG. 

ideotcy.  The  strong  feeling  of  hatred  which  he  bore  to  the 
memory  of  Catherine  led  him  to  counteract  and  defeat,  in 
every  possible  manner,  the  plans  which  she  had  formed  for 
the  improvement  of  the  empire.  The  private  and  public 
life  of  this  extraordinary  woman  formed  the  subject  of 
conversation  one  evening,  when  we  were  present,  at  the 
house  of  Baroness  Strogonof,  who  had  been  one  of  her 
Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber :  she  related  to  us  many  anec- 
dotes respecting  her ;  speaking  the  whole  time  as  one 
of  her  enthusiastic  admirers,  though  discriminating  parts  of 
her  conduct  with  penetration  and  shrewdness  of  remark. 
Certainly  many  traits,  which  were  mentioned,  shewed  a 
great  strength  of  intellect,  and  often  a  feeling  heart.  She 
had  a  power  and  command  over  herself,  which  enabled  her 
to  retire  when  in  anger,  and  never  to  give  a  decision  until  her 
mind  was  calm  and  tranquil :  she  had  the  talent  of  rendering 
every  one  at  ease,  when  in  her  presence ;  and  her  clemency 
was  shewn  on  various  occasions.  When  the  name  of  a  person 
who  was  convicted  of  high-treason,  of  even  plotting  against  her, 
was  given  in  for  condemnation,  she  would  frequently  desire 
i  nquiry  to  be  made,  if  he  had  not  some  cause  of  vexation ;  if  his 
mind  had  not  been  irritated  by  some  fancied  injury  or  neglect : 
— at  last,  the  astonished  culprit  was  presented  with  a  sum  of 
money,  and  ordered  to  retire  to  a  distant  province.  Impressed, 
at  first,  with  a  favourable  feeling  occasioned  by  the  enumera- 
tion of  many  good  qualities  which  were  attributed  to  her,  we 
were  disposed  to  join  the  list  of  her  panegyrists  :  but  it  is  im- 
possible, on  reflection,  to  admit  any  apology  for  the  crimes 
which  tarnish  all  her  glories,  if  they  do  not  entirely  obscure 
vol.  vi.  3  y  them. 


Remarks  on 
the  character 
of  the  Em- 
press Cathe- 
rine. 


530 


PETERSBURG. 


chap. xv.  them.  It  will  readily  be  allowed,  that  her  reign  has  been 
marked  by  great  events,  and  that  her  measures  were  often 
directed  by  sound  wisdom  and  policy.  Her  apparent  virtues 
also  relieve  the  attention  from  the  horrors  and  dark  shades  of 
infamy,  with  which  they  are  surrounded  ;  but  the  mind  soon 
turns  from  the  contemplation  of  them,  with  suspicion  and 
distrust :  they  seem  to  be  more  the  result  of  an  artful  policy, 
than  the  offspring  of  beneficence  : — so  difficult  is  it  to  con- 
ceive, that  a  woman  engaged  during  one  part  of  her  life  in 
murder,  and  the  other  in  lust  and  ambition,  could  be  capable 
of  any  thing  lovely  or  of  good  report — any  thing  noble  or 
amiable — any  thing  which  could  adorn  or  dignify  the  human 
mind  ! 

Deposition  Whenever  the  circumstances  attending  the  death  of  Peter 

and  murder  of 

Peter  the  THE  Third  are  introduced,  they  are  always  accompanied  with 
the  assertions,  that  Catherine,  by  the  murder  of  her  husband, 
averted  a  similar  fate,  which  would  have  speedily  overtaken 
her.  This  plausible  tale,  easily  related,  as  easily  prevailed. 
The  multitude,  who  seldom  trouble  themselves  to  reflect, 
when  they  find  others  ready  to  think  for  them,  are  hardly  yet 
awakened  from  their  delusion.  It  is  wonderful  that  a  repre- 
sentation so  totally  groundless  should  have  met  with  such 
implicit  belief!  What  reason  have  we  for  supposing  that 
Peter  intended  the  murder  or  the  imprisonment  of  his  wife  ? 
He  built,  it  is  said,  a  set  of  apartments  in  the  Fortress  of 
Schlusscnburg ;  they  were  erected  with  unusual  expedition; 
he  himself  superintended  the  work  ; — insinuations,  which 
really  prove  nothing.  As  persons  have  not  been  wanting  to 
defend    the    conduct    of  Catherine    throughout    the    whole 

course 


r 


SP 


PETERSBURG.  ,53 1 

course  of  the  events  which  occurred  in  the  Revolution  of  chap.xv. 
1762,  it  is  proper  to  advert  to  what  has  been  urged  by  those 
who  have  advocated  the  cause  of  Peter.  They  state,  that  he 
was  acquainted  with  the  plans  she  had  formed,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  her  favourite  Orlqf,  for  taking  possession  of  the 
reins  of  government  ; — that  when  the  consequences  of  her 
licentious  conduct- and  intimacy  with  that  officer  were  too 
evident,  Peter  proposed  to  punish  her  in  some  public  man- 
ner;— that,  to  avoid  this  disgrace,  Catherine  completed  and 
hastened  the  conspiracy  which  ended  in  his  dethronement 
and  murder.  That  the  indolence,  and  want  of  resolution, 
and  pusillanimity  of  Pdcr  contributed  to  his  own  ruin, 
cannot  be  doubted  :  there  was  a  period,  during  the  revolt, 
when  the  soldiers  expressed  their  regret  at  having  been  so 
easily  persuaded,  by  Or lof  and  Razoumofshj  and  others,  to 
abjure  their  allegiance  to  him;  and  would  have  marched, 
under  his  command,  against  the  rebels.  The  circumstances 
connected  with  the  seizure  and  imprisonment  of  Peter  at 
Robscha  have  been  variously  related1.  Ismaelqf,  whom  he 
sent  to  express  his  readiness  to  enter  into  negotiation  with 
the  Empress,  is  supposed  to  have  betrayed  him  to  Orlqf, 
He  was  then  conveyed  to  Robscha.  But  even  after  his  confine- 
ment, the  soldiers  did  not  cease  to  express  their  disapprobation 
of  what  had  taken  place  ;  and  a  strong  feeling  of  commi- 
seration for  their  deposed  monarch  was  excited  among 
various  classes  of  the  people.     The  conspirators  found  that 

their 


(1)  The  annexed  Plate  represents  a  view  of  the  Palace  and  Apartment  at  Robscha,  in 
which  Peter  the  Third  was  murdered. 


532 


PETERSBURG. 


chap.  xv.  their  only  security  was  in  his  death. — The  rest  of  the  history 
of  Peter  the  Third  is  well  known.  An  unsuccessful  attempt 
was  made  to  administer  poison  to  him  :  as  this  failed,  he 
was,  after  a  violent  resistance,  strangled,  by  Alexis  Orlof 
Boriatinshy  who  was  the  officer  on  guard,  and  an  obscure 
individual  of  the  name  of  Tdpelhof1.  His  body  was  publickly 
exposed,  habited  in  the  Holstein  uniform ;  the  collar  of  the 
dress  being  so  arranged  as  to  conceal  the  mode  of  his  death, 
which,  however,  was  very  visible  in  the  features  of  the  face. 
The  following  night  he  was  buried  in  the  church  of  the 
Monastery  of  St.  Alexander  Nevshy. 


(1)  The  account  in  the  text  is  confirmed  by  a  remarkable  extract  from  Mr. 
Gibbon's  Common-Place  Book,  given  in  Lord  Sheffield's  late  edition  of  the 
Miscellaneous  Works  of  that  writer  ;  which  may  be  properly  inserted  in  this  place. 

"  Peter  III.  was  poisoned  in  a  glass  of  brandy.  On  his  refusing  a  second  glass, 
''  he  was  forcibly  thrown  down,  and  strangled  with  a  handkerchief,  by  Orlof,  Tepelhof, 
"  Potemkin,  and  the  youngest  of  the  Princes  Boriatinski.  When  the  body  was  ex- 
"  posed,  the  marks  of  violence  on  the  neck,  &c.  were  evident.  Orlof  instantly 
"  returned  to  Petersburg,  and  appeared  at  the  Empress's  dinner,  in  the  disorder  of  a 
"  murderer.  She  caught  his  eye,  rose  from  the  table,  called  him  into  her  closet ; 
"  sent  for  Count  Punin,  to  whom  she  imparted  the  news ;  and  returned  to  dinner  with 
"  her  usual  ease  and  cheerfulness," 

"  These  particulars  (Mr.  Gibbon  says)  are  taken  from  a  History  of  the  Revolution 
in  1762,  composed  by  M.  Rulhierc,  a  French  Officer,  who  was  an  attentive  spectator,, 
and  who  afterwards  conversed  with  the  principal  actors.  Prudence  prevents  him 
from  publishing:  but  he  reads  his  Narrative  to  large  companies;  and  I  have  already 
heard  it  twice."  Gibbon's  Miscellaneous  Works,  Vol.V.  p.  528.  181k 


[For  a  Continuation  of  the  Author  s  Narrative,  of  his  departure 

from  Petersburg  to  Moscow,  of  his  interesting  description  of 

tJie  latter  city,    and  his  journey  to   the  Southern    Provinces 

of  the  Russian  Empire,   tire.  fyc.  the  Reader  is  referred  to  the 

First  Volume  of  these  Travels.— — Eoitor.] 


APPENDIX. 


3PECI 


APPENDIX. 


No.  I. 


AMCENITATES  ACADEMIAE  ABOENSIS. 

I  collected,  by  favour  of  Professor  Porthan,  Seventy  of  the 
Academic  Disputations  of  Abo.  And,  as  a  Catalogue  of  their 
subjects,  with  their  respective  dates,  will  afford  a  tolerable  idea  of 
the  line  of  study  pursued  in  that  University,  a  time  in 

which  any  particular  study  was  the  most  favoured,  sixty-one  of 
them  are  here  added. 

It  will  appear,  that  under  the  Presidency  of  Porthan  themosl 
interesting  topics  were  discussed. 

o 

They   form  a  complete   History  of  Science    in    Abo,   for  tUe 
last  twenty  years  of  the  eighteenth  century. 


1782.     Dissertatio     Botanica,    dc    Calla. Praeside,    C.  N.   Hellenic — 

J.  F.  Sacklen,  Satacundensis. 
1785.     Dissertatio  Mathematica,    de    Quadratura   Parabola1. — Praes.    *.  'i. 

Lindquist. — J.  J.  Lagerstrom,  Satacinulensis. 
178i>.     Dissertatio  Astronomica,  Methodum  sistens  invenieruii    Tempus  Ve- 

rum,  ex  observatis  a:qualibus  diversarum  Stellanmi  Altitudiniblifi. 

— Praes.  J.H.  Lindquist. — A.  J.  Tammklandek,  Tavdstensis. 


^;}(}  APPENDIX,   No  I. 

1786.     Specimen  Academician,  de  invenienda  Sectione  Conica  circa   focum 

datum  per  data  tria  puncta  transeunte. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. 

— J.  Wegelius,  Qstro-Botnicnsis. 
1786.     Dissertatio   Gradualis,    Observationes    quasdam  circa    Reductionem 

Angulorum  ad  Horizontem  continens. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — 

J.  Rikstrom. 

1786.     Dissertatio  Astronomica,  de  Parallaxi  Annua  PlanetarumPrimariorum 

ac  Cometarum. Praes.   J.  H.  Lindquist.  —  S.  Castren,  Ostro- 

Botniensis. 

1786.  Diss.  Botanica,  de  Evonymo. — Praes.  C.N.  Hellenio. — C.Ascholin, 
Satacundensis. 

1786.  Diss.  Botanica,  de  Hippuride. — Praes.  C.  N.  Hellenic — C.  R.  Bran- 
der,  Satacundensis. 

1786.  Specimen  Calendarii  Florae  et  Faunae  Aboensis. — Praes.  C.  N.  Hel- 
lenio.  J.  G.  JUSTANDER. 

1 786.  Dissertatio,  de  Origine  Literarum  Latinarum. — Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. 
— G.  J.  Cajander,  Nylandus. 

1786.  Dissertatio  Academica,  de  Bircarlis.— Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — F.  M. 

Frantzen,  Ostro-Botniensis. 

1 787.  Prospectus  Methodi  Rem  Pecuariam  scientifice  pertractandi. — Praes. 

G.  Bonsdorff. — A.  BoxstrOm,  Nylandus. 

1788.  Animadversion.es    in    novam   Nomenclaturae  Chemicae  Methodum. — 

Publico  Examini  subjicit  J.  Gapomn, — Respondents  N,  Avellan, 
Tavaslensis. 
1788.     Diss.  Academica,  de  Asparago. — Praes.  C.N.  Hellenius. — U.  Pryss. 

1 788.  Diss.  Acad,  de  Observationibus  Barometricis  ope  Thermometri  corri- 

gendis. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — J.  Wegelius,  Ostro-Botniensis. 

1789.  Meletema  Academicum,  de  Favorino,  Philosopho  Academico. — Praes. 

H.  G.  Porthan. — Z.  Forsman,  Ostro-Boiniensis. 
1789.     Diss.  Astronomica,  de  invenienda  apparente  Lunas  Diametro  ex  data 

ejus  Parallaxi. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — A.  Sander,  Borea-Fenno. 
1789.     Diss.  Academica,    de    Interpolatione    pro  inveniendo  loco  Lunae  ex 

Ephemeridibus. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — J.  ./Ejmel^eus. 
1789.     Diss.  Academica,   sistens  Theoriam   Linearum   Parallelarum. — Praes. 

J.  H.  Lindquist.— E.  Rosenback,  Satacundensis. 
i  789.     Diss.  Botanica,  de  Tropaeolo.— Praes.  C.N.  Hellenio. — A.  F.  L aurell, 

Wiburgensis. 


KuKuJ 


SPEQL 


APPENDIX,   N°I. 

1789.     Diss.  Acad,  de  FamaMagiae  Fennis  attributa. — Prae's.  H.  G.  Porthan. 

— F.J.  Rosen  bom,  Ostro-Botniensis. 
1789.     Diss.  Acad,  de  Hippophae. — Praes.  C.  N.  Hellenic  — P.  Stenberg, 

Westro-Botniensis. 

1791.     Animadvevsiones  de   Libris  raris. — Praes.   H.  G.  Porthan. P.  J. 

Alop^eus,  Wiburgensis. 

1791.  De  vario   Usu   Litteraturae  Orientalis. Praes.   P.  Malmstrom.— 

G.  Krogius,  Wilurgensis. 

1792.  Diss.  Acad,  sistens  Specimina  quaedam  instinctus,  quo  Animalia  sua* 

prospiciunt  Soboli. — Praes.  C.  N.  Hellenic — F.  Juvelius,    Ostro- 
Botniensis. 

1792.     Diss.  Botanica,  de   Cichoric— Praes.   C.  N.  Hellenio. — H.  Nelly, 

Svio-Gothus. 

1792.     Diss.  Academica,  de   Imperio  Hermanrici  Ostro-Gothorum  Regis.— 

Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — C.  Rein,  Ostro-Botniensis. 
1792.     Cogitationes  de  Poemate  Prosaico. — Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — A.  Kel- 

lander,  Satacundensis. 
1 792.     Diss.  Astronomica,  de  computando  Effectu  Aberrationis  Luminis  in 

Eclipsibus. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — M.  J.  Tolpo,  Borea-Fenno. 
1792.     Diss.  Astronom.  de  Methodo  inveniendi  Latitudinem  Loci  ex  obser- 

vatis  duabus  Solis  vel  Stellae  cujusdam  Altitudinibus. — Praes.  J.  H. 

Lindquist. — A.J.  Mether,  Tavastensis. 

1792.  Diss.  Gradualis,   de    Loxodromiis  in   Superficie  Ellipsoidica. — Praes. 

J.  H.  Lindquist. — N.  M.  Tolpo,  Borea-Fenno. 

1793.  Diss.  Acad,  de  invenienda  Longitudine  Loci  ex  observata  Distantia 

Lunae  a  Stella  quadam. — Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — M.  Avellan. 

1794.  Diss.  Medica,  sistens  Casum  Haemorrhoidum   suppressarum. — Praes. 

G.  E.  Haartman. — S.  Bjorklund. 
1794.     Diss.  Acad.  Cogitationes  sistens  de  Libertate  Graecis  callide  a  Roma- 

nis  oblata. — Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — M.  JLxegrek ,Ostro-Botniensis. 
1794.     Diss.  Acad.  Animadversiones  sistens  de  Studio  novitatis  in  Philosophia. 

— Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — S.  Bohm,  Ostro-Botniensis. 

1794.  Diss.   Acad,  de  Imperio  Hermanrici  Ostro-Gothorum  Regis. — Praes. 

H.  G.  Porthan. — E.  Hildeen,  Borea-Fenno. 

1795.  Diss.  Acad,  sistens  Cogitationes  quasdam  de  Linguarum  Usu  Historico. 

— Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — J.  H.  Avellan,  Tavastensis. 
1795.     Diss.  Acad,   de   Libertate  Philosophandi. — Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan.1— 
P.  Walllenius,  Wiburgensis. 
vol.  vi.  3  z 


•5-57 


KQg  APPENDIX,    N°I. 

1795.  Diss.  Acad,  sistens  Cogitationes  quasdam  de  Pandora  Hesiodea.- — 
Praes.  H.G.  Porthan. — J.  H.  Fattenborg,  Nylandus. 

1795.  Diss.  Acad,  de  Theoria  Solutionis  Chemicae. — Praes.  J.  Gadolin. — 
M.  Harfvelin,  Aboensls. 

1795.     De  Natura  SaliumSimplicium. — Praes.  J.  Gadolin. — J.  G.  Haartman. 

1795.  De  computando  Effectu  Convexitatis  Superficiei  in  Arte  Libellandi, 

posita  Figura  Telluris    Ellipsoidica.  —  Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — 
C.  G.  Utter,  Salacundensis. 

1796.  De  Invenienda  Parallaxi  Altitudinis,  ex  datis  Parallaxi  Sideris  Hori- 

zontali,  et  vera  ejus  a  Zenith  Distantia.— Praes.  J.  H.  Lindquist. — 
T.  T.  Kriander,  Sataciaidensis. 

1797.  De   corrigendis   Erroribus    Instrumenti   Culminatorii. — Praes.  J.  H. 

Lindquist. — G.  Laurell. 
1797.     De  Declinatione  Nominum   in  primis  Fennicorum. — E.  Hildeen   et 

G.  Laurell. 
1797.     Animadversiones  nonnullae  circa  Quasstionem,  "  Quid  Moses  de  Diis 

Gentium  senserit?" — Praes.  G.  Gadolin. — J.  Avellan,  Tavastensis. 
1797.     Dissertatio  Inauguralis  Medica,  sistens  Toxicologiae  primas  Lineas. — 

Praes.  G.  E.  Haartman. — B.  Holmudd,  Uleaburg. 
1797.     De    Tussilagine  Commentarii    Botanici. — J.  G.  Haartman,  et  A.  J. 

Orrstrom,  Aboensis. 

1797.  De  Speciebus  Solutionis  Chemicae. — Praes.  J.  Gadolin. — M.  Sylvex, 

Satacnndensis. 

1798.  Examen   Methodi  ^quationes  Algebraicas  resolvendi  ;   a  C.  L.  Ben- 

david,  nuper  propositae. — Praes.  J. H.  Lindquist. — J.  F.  Aiilstedt, 

Satacundensis. 
1798.     De  Natura  Carbonis  Vegetabilis. — Praes.  J.  Gadolin. — T.  T.  Krian- 
der, Satacunda-Fenno. 
1798.     De  Silica  ex  Solutione  Alkalina  per  Calcem  praecipitata. — Praes.  J. 

Gadolin. — J.  Holstius,  Ostro-Botniensis. 
1798.     De  Variationibus  Avium  quoad  ipsarum  Colorem. — Praes.  C.  N.  Hel- 

lenio. — A.  Cajan,  Ostro-Botniensis. 
1798.     De    Philosophia   Populari    complexa. Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — 

G.  Palander,  Tavastensis. 
1798.     De  Pancratio  Gymnici  apud  Veteres  Graecos  Ludi  Genere. — Praes. 

G.  Gadolin. — G.  Domander,  Tavastensis. 
1798.     De    Dignitate   Jarlorum   in    Suecia. — Praes.  H.  G.  Porthan. — E.  J. 

Frostenes,  Ostro-Butniensis. 


APPENDIX,    N°I. 

1798.     Specimen   Descriptionis    Organicae    Linearum    Curvarum. — Auctor, 
G.  G.  Hallstrom  ;  et  Respondens,  C.  II.  Stranberg,  Nylandus. 

1798.  Specimina  quaedam  Geometriae  Curvilineae. — Press.  A.  J.  Mether,  et 

N.  J.  Bergh^ell,  Tavaslensis. 

1799.  De  Methodo  Superficies  Solidorum  duplici  Integratione  investigandi. 

— Auctor,  G.  Palander  ;   et  Respondens,  C.  Astrom,  Tavastemis. 
1799.     De  Fide  Revelationi  Divinae  habenda. — Praes.  J.  Tengstrom. — E.J. 

Frosterus,  Oslro-Botniensis. 
1799.     De  inveniendis  Lineis   Curvis  ex  datis  Radii  Curvaturae  Proprietati- 

bus,    Problemata. — Auctore,   G.  G.  Hallstrom  ;  et  Respondente, 

C.  H.  Hollberg,  Borea-Fenno. 


539 


In  the  year  1766,  Professor  Porthan,  then  Student  in  the  Uni- 
versity, produced  his  learned  Dissertation  De  Poesi  Fennica;  one 
of  the  most  erudite  and  interesting  Essays  that  have  appeared 

o 

among  the  Academic  Dissertations  of  Abo. 


540 


APPENDIX,    N°II. 


No.  II. 


INDEX  PRJELECTIONUM, 

QUAS,  BONO  CUM  DEO, 

IN   REGIA  ACADEMIA  ABOENSI, 

OMNIUM  FACULTATUM 

PROFESSORES,  CETERIQUE  DOCENTES, 

A  DIE  I.  OCTOBRIS  AN.  MDCCXCIX.  AD  IDEM  TEMPUS  ANNI  SEQUENTIS, 
PUBLICE  ET  PRIVATIM  HABEBUNT 


IMPERANTE  AUGUSTISSIMO  ET  POTENTISSIMO, 

GUSTAVO  ADOLPHO, 

SVECORUM,  GOTIIORUM,  VANDALORUMQUE  REGE  &c=  &c.  &c- 
DOM1NO  NOSTRO  CLEMENTISSIMO. 


REGIME  ACADEMIC  ABOENSIS 
CANCELLARIO, 

ILLUSTRISS1MO  ATQUE  EXCELLENTISS1MO  COMITE, 

DOMINO  CAROLO  ADAMO  WACHTMEISTER, 

EX  IMPERII  SVIOGOTHICI  PROCERIBUS  UNO, 
SUPREMO  AD  AULAM  REGIN^E  VIDU.E  MARESCHALLO,  EDUCATIONS  REGLE 
ANTEHAC  GUBERNATORE  VICARIO, 
ORDINUM  REGIORUM  EQU1TE  AC  COMMENDATORE. 


PRO-CANCELLARIO, 
REVERENDISSIMO  DOMINO,  JACOBO  GADOL1N, 

S.S.  THEOL.  DOCTORE,  DIOCESEOS  ABOENSIS  EPISCOPO,  ORDINIS    REGII 
DE  STELLA  POLARI  COMMENDATORE. 


-aSGLAJ 


*M 


APPENDIX,    N°II. 


541 


PROFESSORES. 

In  Facilitate  Theologica  : 

Christianus  Cavander,  S.S.  Theol.  Prof.  Prim,  et  Archi-Prcep.  in  iis  Capi- 
tibus,  quae  ex  Evangelio  Lucae  adhuc  supersunt,  publice  interpretandis, 
primum  b.  c.  D.  versabitur,  in  Auditorio  Majori  h.  a.  m.  IX,  deinde  Jo- 
hannis  Evang.  suscepturus.  Privatim  futuris  Auditoribus,  in  primis  S. 
Ministerii  Candidatis,  fidelia  saltern  consilia  monitaque  ad  praxin  muneris 
et  vitae  spectantia  suppeditare  studebit. 

Laurentius  O.  Lefren,  S.  S.  Theol.  Professor  Reg.  et  Ordin.  hoc  anno  Aca- 
demico  Esaiae  Prophetiam  publice  explicare  constituit,  idque  h.  III.  post 
meridiem;  privatas  Scholas  desideriis  expetentium  adcommodaturus. 

Jacobus  Tengstrom,  S.S.  Theol.  Prof.  Reg.  et  Ord.  nee  non  R.  Acad.  h.a. 
Rector.  Doctrinam  morum  e  Christianae  Theologiae  fontibus  haustam, 
praeeunte  Cel.  J.  C.  Doderlein,  publice  legendo  tradere  et  absolvere  cona- 
bitur  ;  Dogmaticam  non  minus  quam  Homileticam  Religionis  proponendae 
rationem  privatis  lectionibus  alternis  persecuturus. 

In  Facilitate  Juridica  : 

Matthias  Calonius,  Juris  Prof.  Reg.  et  Ord.  Eques  Ord.  Reg.  de  Stella 
Polari,  Supremi  Reg.  Tribunalis  Revisorii  p.  t.  Memhrum,  Holmiae  munere 
clementissime  sibi  delato  detentus  adhuc  versatur.  Partes  vero  ejus, 
donee  ad  nos  redierit,  R.  Acad.  Secretarius  interim  administrabit. 


In  Facilitate  Medica  : 

ORDINARII  : 

Gabriel  Ericus  Haartman,  M.D.  Med.  Pract.  Prof  Reg.  et  Ord.  Com- 
mentaria  in  Pharmacopceam  Svecanam  proxime  praeterlapso  anno  Acade- 
mico  incepta  continuabit;  docebit  autem  publice  h.a.  m.  XI.  in  Audito- 
rio Mathematico ;  privatamque  operam  ad  desiderium  Alumnorum  Medi- 
corum  lubenter  accommodabit. 

Gabriel  Bonsdorff,  Phil,  et  Med.  Doct.,  Anat.  Chirurg.  et  Art,  Veter.  Prof. 
Reg.et  Ord.  Facult.  Med.  h.a.  Dfcaw^,  historiam  Actionum  corporis,  quas 
Animales  vocant,  publicis  lectionibus  h.  a.  m.  IXa  in  Audit.  Anatom. 
habendis,  succincte  tradet ;  Demonstrationibus  et  exercitiis  anatomicis 
atque   medico-legalibus  privatis  horis  sedulo  inserviturus. 


542 


APPENDIX,    N°II. 

EXTRAORDINARTUS  : 

Josephus  G.  Pipping,  M.D.  Med.  Prof.  Reg.  et  Extraord.  atque  Membrum 
Fac.  Med.  Ordinarhim,  absoluta  morborum  Oculorum  expositione,  mor- 
bos  ossium  corporis  humani  pertractabit,  idque  publice  in  Auditorio 
Anatomico  bora  decima  antemeridiana.  Exercitationes  autem  privatas 
desideriis  Artis  Sfudiosorum  salutaris  accommodabit. 

In  Facilitate  Philosophical 

Johannes  Bilmark,  Hisloriar.  ac  Philosoph.   Pract.   Professor  Reg.  et  Ordin. 
Jurisprudential!!  Naturalem  et  Politicam  Septemtrionalium  Europae  Reg- 
norum  Notitiam  publicis  Lectionibus,  in  Auditorio  Majori  hora  XI.  a.m. 
Deo  Volente,  habendis,  alternis   vicibus  explicabit ;  Privatam  institutio- 
nem  desiderio  suorum  Auditorum  accommodaturus. 
Andreas  Planman,  Phy sices  Prof.  Reg.  et  Ord.     Elementa  Mecbanices,  in 
Auditorio  Superiori,  bora  IIda  pomeridiana,  publice    proponet ;  privatim 
vero  ea  tradet,  quae  Honoratissimi  Commilitones  desideraverint. 
Henricus  Gabriel  Porthan,  Eloquentice  Professor  Reg.  et  Ord.      Orationes 
Ciceronis  selectas  et  Virgilium,  diebus  alternis,  in  Auditorio  Minori  bora 
antemerid.  X,  publice  interpretabitur.     Privatam  vero  diligentiam  exerci- 
tiis  styli  utriusque,  more  solito  moderandis,  aliisque  muneris  sui  partibus, 
in  quibus  Auditores  suam  potissimum  exposcere  operam  intellexerit,  pro 
virili  implendis,  dicabit. 
Olavus  Schalberg,    Phil.  Mag.  nee  non  Metaplnjs.  et  Logices  Profess.  Reg. 
atque  Ordin.     Lectionibus  publicis,   Psycbologiam  Empiricam,  D.V.,  ex- 
plicabit, privatis  ea  traditurus,  quae    sui    Auditores    ipsi    desideraverint. 
Publice  leget  bora  a.m.  octava. 
Carolus  Nicolaus  Hellenius,    CEcon.   Profess.  Reg.  et   Ord.  absolutis  iis, 
quae  ex  cultura  olerum  proponenda  restant,  praecepta   cultus  arborum  fru- 
giferarum   tradet,    idque  publice   in    Auditorio    Matbematico    bora    Xma 
antemeridiana.     Privatim  in  omnibus,   quae  ad    se  pertineant,  Juventutis 
Academicae  commodis  pro  virili  parte  consulet. 
Johannes  Gadolin,  Chemice  Prof.  Reg.  et  Ord.  praelectionibus  publicis  hoc 
anno  Na/.uram  Aquce  et  Salium,   duce  libro  a  se  edito,  explicabit,   in  Au- 
ditorio Mathematico   hora  p.  m.  III,ia.     Privatam    operam  ad   desideria 
Auditorum  lubens  accommodabit. 
Gustavus  Gadolin,    Lingg.  Orient,  et  Gr.  Prof  Reg.   et  Ord.  nee  non   Fac. 
Philos.  h.a.  Decanus,  publicis  lectionibus  hora  a.m.  IX.  in  Auditorio  Ma- 
thematico habendis  Iliados  Homericce   explicationem    continuabit.     Priva- 
tam operam  literis  Hebraeis  tradendis  impendet,  neque  ceteroquin  Hono- 
rat.  Commilitonum  desideriis  defuturus. 


SPECS 


^m 


APPENDIX,    N°  II. 

Franciscus  Michael  Franzen,  Hist.  Litter.  Prof,  et  Reg.  Acad.  Bibliothc- 
carius,  lectiones  quas  semestri  vcrnali  proxime  praeterlapso  instituit,  hoc 
anno  Academico  persecuturus,  literarum  humaniorum  apiul  Romanos 
aliasque  et  antiquas  et  hodiernas  Europae  Occidentals  et  Borealis  gentes 
Historiam  publice  in  Audit.  Mathematico  hora  a.  m.  VIII.  pertractabit. 
Ceterum  ut  ad  R.  Acad.  Bibliothecam  Academicis  aditus  diebus  Mercu- 
rii  et  Saturni  horis  p.  m.  II.  &  III.  pateat,  curabit,  etprivatim  sedulam  in 
iis,  quas  suae  sunt  interpretationis,  partibus,  operam  studiosae  juventuti 
ministrabit. 

Andreas  Johannes  Mether,  Mathem.  Prof.  Reg.  et  Ord.  Semestri  autum- 
nali  utramque  Trigonometriam,  sequente  autem  anni  hujus  Academici 
intervallo  Doctrinam  Sectionum  Conicarum  praelectionibus  publicis,  in 
Auditorio  Minori  h.a.  m.  XI.  habendis,  explicabit.  Lectiones  privatas 
desiderio  Honor.  Commilitonum  accommodabit. 


543 


ADJUNCTI. 

In  Facilitate  Theologica  : 

Jacobus  Bonsdorff,  S.  S.  Theol.  Licent.  et  Adjunct.  Ord'm.  in  praelegendis, 
quae  restant  ex  Epitome  Theol.  Dogm.  S.  Vener.  Mori,  capitibus  versa- 
bitur,  cetera  quoque  et  Hermeneutices  et  Pastoralis  Doctrinae  momenta 
haud  neglecturus. 

In  Facilitate  Medica  : 

Nicolaus  Avelan,  Medic.  Doct.  Anal.  Prosector  et  Facult.  Med.  Adjunct. 
Ord.,  Dissectionibus  Anatomicis  publice  inserviet ;  privatim,  quae  de 
Lectionibus  Osteologicis,  feriis  Academicis  interrupts,  explicanda  re- 
stant, persecuturus. 

Botanices  Demonstratoris  munus  vacat. 

In  Facultate  Philosophica  : 
ordinarii: 
Henricus  Alanus,  Reg.  Acad.  Secrelarius,  cceptam  proxime  praeterlapso  se- 
mestri Tituli  Codicis  Fridericiani  de  Jure  Hccreditatis  interpretationem, 
per  illud  hujus  Anni  Academici  spatium,  quo  Holmiae  adhuc  commorabi- 
tur  Ordinarius  Juris  Professor,  publicis  Lectionibus  ejus  loco  continua- 
bit,  quam  simulac  absolverit,  sequentem  ejusdem  Codicis  Titulum  pro 
ratione  temporis  adgredietur  explicandum.  Privatim  Elementa  trade t 
Jurisprudential  Civilis. 


APPENDIX,    N°II. 

Johannes  Sundwall,  Fac.  Philos.  Adj.  Ord.  disciplinas  morales  Auditoribus 
suis  explicare  continuabit. 

EXTRAORDINARIUS  : 

Michael  Holmberg,  Professor,  Adjunctus  Chemxce Ext  r  aor  dinar  ius,  Elementa 
Halurgiae  et  Pharmaceutices  experiments  instituendis  Auditoribus  de- 
monstrabit. 


MAGISTRI     DOCENTES. 

In  Facilitate  Theologica  : 

Nicolaus  Gustavus  Brander,  S.  Theologies  Docens,  desideriis  Honoratissi- 

morum  Dom.  Commilitonum,  omni,   qua  potest  diligentia,  operam  suam 

accommodare  conabitur. 
Ericus  Johannes  Frosterus,  Joh.  Fil,  S.  S.  Theologies  Docens,  in  iis,  quse 

suarum  sunt  partium,  praestandis,  Honoratissimis  Dominis  Commilitonibus 

pro  viribus  inservire  conabitur. 

In  Facilitate  Philosophica  : 

Johannes  Bonsdorff,  Linguar,  Sacrar,  Docens  et  Amanuens.  Consist.  Acad. 
operam  suam  desideriis  Honoratissimorum  Commilitonum  lubens  accom- 
modabit. 

Laurentius  Wadell,  Philos.  Pract.  et  Polit.  Docens,  Philosophiam  Moralem 
hoc  anno  tractabit,  in  exercitiis  consuetis,  si  volupe  fuerit,  desideriis  Ho- 
nor. Dom.  Commilitonum  non  defuturus. 

Nicolaus  Magnus  Tolpo,  Metaphy sices  Docens,  in  exhibendaet  pro  virili  ex- 
plicanda  Terminologia  Philosophiae  Criticae,  vel  et  in  aliis  quae  ad  se  per- 
tinent, operam  suam  Honoratissimis  Dom.  Commilitonibus  ofFert. 

Gustavus  Gabriel  Hallstrom,  Phy sices  Docens  et  Amanuensis  Biblioth. 
Reg.  Acad.,  Elementa  Hydrostaticae  Auditoribus  proponere  constituit. 
Aliis  quoque  tradendis  Scientiis  Physicis,  si  id  desideraverint  Honoratis- 
simi  Commilitones,  operam  suam  omni,  qua  potest,  diligentia  impendet. 

Andreas  Johannes  Lagus,  Grcec.  Litt,  Docens  et  R.  Acad.  Biblioth.  Aman. 
Ord.  futuris  suis  Auditoribus  Anthologiam  GrcccamBrunckianam  explicare 
constituit. 

Johannes  Henricus  Fattenborg,  Litt.  Orient.  Docens,  in  Libro  Psalmorum 
explicando  desiderio  Honorat.  Commilitonum  satisfacere  conabitur. 

Johannes  Petrus  Winge,  (Economice  Docens,  in  tradendis,  quae  ad  suam 
spectant  scientiam,  usui  ac  desiderio  Honoratissimorum  Commilitonum 
lubenter  satisfacere  conabitur. 


APPENDIX,    N°1I. 

Magnus  Alop^us,  Math.  Docens,  Algebram  tradet,  de  cetero  desideriis  Ho- 

norat.  Dom.  Commilitonum  sese  accommodaturus. 
Joannes  Wide,  Historiarum  Docens,  ad   desideria   Honor.    Commilitonum 

lubens  respondere  conabitur. 
Michael  Chor^eus,  Eloquentice  Docens,  in  Auctore  quovis  explicando,  atque 

stylo  formando,  suam  Honorat.  Commiliton.  operam  offert. 
Gabriel  Palander,    Matheseos  Adplkatcc   Docens   et  Biblioth.  Reg.   Acad. 

Amanuensis,  Elementa  Astronomiae  Sphaericae,  aut  si  quam  aliam  Honor. 

Domini  Commilitones  praeoptaverint  ex  genere  Mathematico  disciplinam, 

tradere  constituit. 

ARTIUM  CULTIORUM  MAGISTRI. 

Georgius  Danet,  Linguae  Gallicce  Magister,  diebus  Mercurii  et  Saturni  hora 
indicanda  Librum,  cui  Titulus :  Les  Aventures  de  Telemaque,  publice  in- 
terpretabitur  ;.  Studiosis  privatam  in  Lingua  Gallica  institutionem  deside- 
rantibus  haud  defuturus. 

Johannes  Baptista  Meijer,  Palcestrcs  Athleticce  Prcefectus,  artem  arma  dex- 
tre  tractandi  et  strenue  vibrandi  eos  docebit,  qui  suam  expetunt  manu- 
ductionem. 

Johannes  Thorenberg,  Director  Musices  et  Organ,  ad  Templum  Cathedral. 
Aboe'nse,  Musicam  publicis  concentibus,  diebus  Mercurii  et  Saturni  hora 
III.  p.m.  habendis  docebit.  Privatam  quoque  institutionem  expetentibus, 
suam  haud  denegabit  operam. 


545 


VOL    VI. 


4  A 


54t> 


APPENDIX,    N°III. 


No.  III. 


An  Explanation,  in  the  Swedish  Language,  of  the  Plan  of  the  Great  Mine  at  Fahlun 
in  Dalecarlia  was  found  among  Dr.  Clarke's  Manuscripts. — The  Editor  is  indebted 
to  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Fiott  Lee  (with  whose  name  the  Reader  is  already  acquainted, 
from  the  mention  made  of  it  in  different  parts  of  the  present  and  preceding  Volume), 
for  a  translation  of  that  Paper. 


A. 
13. 
C. 
D. 

E. 
F. 
G. 

II. 


I. 

K. 
L. 
M. 
N. 
O. 
P. 


Q. 
It. 

S. 
T. 
U. 


PLAN 

OF  THK 

Situation  of  the  MINES  at  the  GREAT  COPPER  MOUNTAIN. 


The  Great  Mine. 

The  Mine  of  Maus  Nils  (pronounced  Mons). 

The  Long  Mine. 

The  Mardskinns  Mine,  or  The  mine  of  the 
skins  of  martens. 

The  Mine  of  John  {qucere,  of  King  John). 

The  Mine  of  the  Queen. 

The  Mine  of  Meyenholtz,  or  The  mine  of 
Expectation. 

The  Drapp  Mine.  (The  mine  of  murder, 
cosies.,  or  manslaughter,  or  of  misadven- 
ture ;  probably  the  last :  a  mine  where  ex- 
pectations had  been  formed,  and  had 
failed.) 

The  Mine  of  Queen  Louisa  Ulrica. 

Tunkarls  Mine. 

The  Mine  of  Eric  Mall. 

The  Mine  of  Fahlstrom. 

The  Mine  of  Krak  (pronounced  Krokj. 

Fahlstrom's  Ditch  or  Dyke. 

The  Experiment  or  attempt  of  Calmare.  (1 
do  not  think  that  it  is  named  after  the 
town  of  Calmar,  but  alter  some  person.) 

The  Shaft  of  the  Queen's  Mine. 

The  Shaft  of  Ralamb  (the  name  of  a  no- 
ble family  in  Sweden). 

The  Shaft  of  Creutz  (a  noble  family). 

The  Shaft  of  Wrangel  (a  Baron's  family). 

The  Shaft  of  King  Adolph  Frederic. 


W. 

V. 
X. 
Y. 

z. 

c 

A. 
A. 


Fri-shaft  (or  a  free,  or  privileged,  or  noble 

shaft). 
The  Shaft  of  Wrede  (a  noble  family). 
The  Shaft  of  King  Frederic. 
The  Shaft  of  Queen  Louisa  Ulrica's  Mine. 
The  Shaft  of  Ambrus  (qucere,  Ambrose). 
The  Scaffold  of  Kistwind. 
The  Scaffold  of  Blankstol. 

(These  are  piles  of  timber  built  over  the 

precipices   of  the  mine,   and  from   which 

the  ore  is  drawn  up  from  below.) 
The  Red-ochre  Work. 
The  Work  of  Evaporation. 
The  Vitriol-boiling  Factory. 
The  House  for  burning  the  Red-ochre. 
The  Woik  for  precipitating  Copper. 
The  Machinery  of  the  shaft  of  Creutz. 
The  House  of  the  Wheel- machinery  of  the 

shaft  of  Wrede. 
The  Machinery  of  the  shaft  of  the   Queen's 

Mine. 
The    New   Machinery   of  King   Frederics 

shaft. 
The  building  containing  the  new  machinery. 
The  Old  Machinery  of  King  Frederic's  shaft. 
Garden-tail-backe  (literally,  The  yard  of  the 

Pine  Hill.) 
The  House  of  the  wheel  machinery  of  King 

Frederic. 


oPECLllj 


FLAK    OF 

THE 

GREAT      COPPER     ft 
j/bewmp"£be  sctuaZum  of  6 

^ 


bder 


BJtuOnir.rc. 


ME      OF     EAEIILUE'     IE"     BATLECAKvILIA., 
the  ozdworAs.  ftuzldim  ■ :  ■  "■' 


ojrtseiAil 


APPENDIX,    N°III. 


547 


n. 
o. 

P- 

q- 

r. 

s. 

ss. 

t. 

u. 


The  House  of  the  Dam. 

The  Ditch  or  Dyke  of  the  Crown. 

The  Pipstole  of  Adolph  Frederic. 

The  Dam  of  Tall-backe. 

The  Dyke  of  Queen  Margaret. 

The  Machinery  of  King  Adolph  Frederic. 

The  Machinery  of  Queen  Louisa  Ulrica. 

A  Magazine  for  sundries. 

"  Bok  "  means  beech- tree,  or  a  book;  and 
"  Wastewiirk  "  means  washing  -  works, 
where  probably  the  ore  is  washed.  (The 
word  Bok  may  have  been  perhaps  in- 
serted by  mistake.) 

The  House  and  Premises  of  the  Manager  of 
the  mine. 

Yard  or  Buildings  for  the  Planks  or  Timber 
of  the  Crown  (for  the  use  of  the  machi- 
nery, or  of  the  mine  in  general). 

Public-house,  or  Tavern  of  the  mine. 

Lazaretto  of  the  mine. 


a.     The  House  of  the  Ammunition  (nuccre,  of 

the  gunpowder  used  in  the  mines), 
a.     Blacksmith's  Shop. 

5.     The  Room  of  the  mine  (probably  for  public 
business), 
ac.     The   Public-office   of  the    Master    of  the 

mine, 
oe.     The  Out-houses  of  the  Master  of  the  mine 

(stables,  barns,  &c.) 
au.     The  Old  Timber-yard, 
ou.     The  New  ditto, 
aa.     The  Machinery  of  Blankstbl. 
bb.     Wood  plank  or  board, 
cc.     Rivulet  or  bason  of  water  from  the  mine, 
dd.     Yard  for  charcoal, 
ee.     The  Boundary  of  the   Great  Mine  in  the 

year  1703. 
ff.     The  Boundary  of  the  Mine  of  Queen  Louisa 
Ulrica  in  1794. 


548 


APPENDIX,    N°IV. 


No.  IV. 

TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  ATMOSPHERE, 

ACCORDING    TO 

DIURNAL    OBSERVATION, 

Made  at  Noon,  unless  otherwise  expressed ; 

WITH 

A  CORRESPONDING  STATEMENT  OF  TEMPERATURE  IN  ENGLAND 

DURING    THE    SAME    PERIOD  : 

The  latter  being  extracted  from  a  Register  kept  in  the  Apartments  of  the  Royal  Societv 
in  London,  by  Order  of  the  President  and  Council. 


Observation  on  the 


on  on  mr 
ahreuheit 

Where  made. 

40 

Christiania, 

<11 

Christiania, 

39 

Christiania, 

42 

Christiania, 

48 

Christiania, 

41 

Romsaas, 

4S 

Kiolstad, 

43 

Edsbroen, 

47 

Leerhol,  Sweden, 

47 

Carlstad, 

51 

Molkem, 

48 

Philipstad,  1  p.  m. 

39 

Onshytta, 

39 

Hjulsio, 

44 

Ostanbo, 

— 

Place  omitted, 

38 

Fahlun,  2  p.  m. 

38 

Hornas, 

34 

Grad6 

36 

Broddebo,  2  p.  m 

When  made. 

Observation  in  London 
on  the  same  day,  by  the 
Scale  of  Fahrenheit. 

October  24, 

1799-         49 

October  25. 

50 

October  26 

49 

October  27. 

44 

October  28 

52 

October  29. 

53 

October  30 

55 

October  31 

57 

November 

1. 

58 

November 

2. 

55 

November 

3. 

57 

November 

4. 

51 

November 

5. 

48 

November 

6. 

55 

November 

7. 

49 

November 

8. 

46 

November 

9. 

44 

November 

10. 

49 

November 

11. 

48 

November 

12. 

57 

®&m 


^.c'iLi'U  JAT.  | 


APPENDIX,   N°IV. 


54.9 


Observation  on  the 
Scale  of  Fahrenheit. 

Where  made. 

When  mad 

Observation  in  Londoi 
on  the  same  day,  by  th 
Scale  of  Fahrenheit. 

42 

Between  Langtora  andSafva, 

2.  P.M.November  13. 

54 

— 

Upsala,  not  estimated, 

November 

14. 

51 

44 

Upsala, 

November 

15. 

50 

44 

Rotebro, 

November 

16. 

46 

44 

Stockholm, 

November 

17. 

44 

40 

Stockholm, 

November 

18. 

47 

39 

Stockholm, 

November 

19. 

48 

38 

Stockholm, 

November  20. 

47 

39 

Stockholm, 

November 

21. 

41 

3S 

Stockholm, 

November  22. 

45 

40 

Stockholm, 

November 

23. 

43 

42 

Stockholm, 

November 

24. 

40 

42 

Stockholm, 

November  25. 

46 

44 

Stockholm, 

November  26. 

46 

38 

Stockholm, 

November  27. 

47 

37 

Stockholm, 

November 

28. 

44 

40 

Stockholm, 

November  29. 

40 

40 

Stockholm, 

November  30. 

49 

38 

Stockholm, 

December 

1. 

50 

28 

Stockholm, 

December 

2. 

45 

34 

Stockholm, 

December 

3. 

48 

34 

Stockholm, 

December 

4. 

42 

32 

Stockholm, 

December 

5. 

43 

32 

Stockholm, 

December 

6. 

45 

32 

Stockholm, 

December 

7. 

41 

30 

Stockholm, 

December 

8. 

40 

28 

Stockholm, 

December 

9. 

44 

28 

Stockholm, 

December 

to. 

4H 

28 

Stockholm, 

December 

11. 

42 

30 

Stockholm, 

December 

12. 

40 

L«caie  of  Celsius. 

1 

Stockholm, 

December 

13. 

35 

2 

Ensta, 

December 

14. 

36 

8 

Staba, 

December 

15. 

34 

3 

Grissehamn, 

December 

16. 

35 

3 

Grissehamn, 

December 

17. 

33 

550 


APPENDIX, 

N°IV. 

Scale  of  Celsius. 

Where  made. 

Obset  \ 

When  made.               on  the 

Scale 

atlon  in  London 
same  day.  by  the 
of  Fahrenheit. 

10 

Grissehamn, 

December 

18. 

35 

10 

Grissehamn, 

December  19. 

27 

4- 

Ekero, 

December  20. 

26 

10 

Frebbenby, 

Decembe 

r  21. 

31 

4 

Skarpans,   1  p.  M. 

December  22. 

33 

3^ 

Vardo, 

Decembei 

•  23. 

31 

3 

Kumlinge, 

December  24*. 

33 

2 

Kumlinge, 

December 

25. 

34 

11 

Kumlinge, 

December  26. 

36 

18 

Kumlinge, 

December  27. 

32 

8 

Kumlinge, 

December  28. 

26 

11 

Kumlinge, 

December  29. 

32 

6 

Kumlinge, 

December  30. 

31 

11 

Kumlinge, 

December  31. 

23 

6 

Bjorko, 

January 

1,  1800. 

25 

24 

Vinkela,  4  p.  M. 

January 

2. 

38 

23 

Tursanpare, 

January 

3. 

47 

20 

O 

Abo, 

January 

4. 

47 

21 

o 

Abo, 

January 

5. 

45 

25 

o 

Abo, 

January 

6. 

41 

20 

o 

Abo, 

January 

7- 

41 

20 

o 

Abo, 

January 

8. 

41 

20 

o 

Abo, 

January 

9. 

43 

18 

o 

Abo, 

January 

10. 

40 

16 

o 

Abo, 

January 

11. 

42 

16| 

o 

Abo, 

January 

12. 

43 

iii 

Abo, 

January 

13. 

45 

8i 

o 

Abo, 

January 

14. 

44 

io£ 

0 

Abo, 

January 

15. 

43 

ni 

Q 

Near  Abo, 

January 

16. 

39 

91 

Sapla, 

January 

17. 

39 

0 

Bjorsby, 

January 

18. 

45 

— 

Omitted, 

January 

19. 

45 

— 

Omitted, 

January 

20. 

35 

+  li 

Sibbo, 

January 

21. 

34 

3 

Parno,  1  p.  m. 

January 

22. 

37 

ECIALil 


■m 


APPENDIX,   N°IV. 

Scale  of  Celsius.                Where  made.  When  made. 

3^  Frontier  of  Russia  near  Pyltis  January  23. 

13             Frederickshamm,  1  p.  m.  January  24. 

—             Omitted,  January  25. 

2  Wibourg,  January  26. 

0  Petersburg,  January  27. 

+  2  Petersburg,  January  28. 

+  2£  Petersburg,  January  29. 

+  5|  Petersburg,  January  30. 

-j-5  Petersburg,  January  3 J. 

+  §  Petersburg,  February     1. 

+2^  Petersburg.  February     2. 

+  Sh  Petersburg,  February     3. 

-j-2^  Petersburg,  February     4. 

+2\  Petersburg,  February     5. 

—  2  Petersburg,  February  6. 
+  3  Petersburg,  February  7. 
—3  Petersburg,  1  P.  m.  February  8. 
—7  Petersburg,  February     9. 

— 16  Petersburg,  February  10. 

~7  Petersburg,  February  11. 

—$\  Petersburg,  February  12. 

—  lOj  Petersburg,  February  13. 

—  (\k  Petersburg,  February  14. 
— 4|  Petersburg,  February  15. 

—  12  Petersburg,  February  16. 

—  11  Petersburg,  February   17. 

—  13  Petersburg,  February  18. 

—  5  Petersburg,  February  19. 
— 4 1  Petersburg,  February  20. 
— 1|  Petersburg,  February  21. 
~  1  Petersburg,  February  22. 

—  15  Petersburg,  February  23. 

—  26'  Petersburg,  February  24. 

—  24  Petersburg,  February  25. 
—26  Petersburg,  February  26. 

—  15  Petersburg,  February  27. 


5ol 


Observation  in  London 

on  the  same  day,  by  tht 

Stale  of  Fahrenheit. 

39 

40 

44 

51 

45 

46 

44 

42 

41 

46 

44 

47 

45 

3S 

35 

36 

34 

36 

36 

36 

32 

32 

32 

35 

41 

40 

41 

40 

44 

51 

53 

49 

38 

40 

33 

32 


552 


APPENDIX.  N°IV. 


Scale  of  Celsius. 

Where  made, 

10 

Petersburg, 

-11 

Petersburg, 

-10 

Petersburg, 

-13 

Petersburg, 

-14 

Petersburg, 

-10| 

Petersburg, 

-12| 

Petersburg, 

-7 

Petersburg, 

+  3 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

+  1 

Petersburg. 

+  2h 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

-15 

Petersburg, 

-15 

Petersburg, 

-5 

Petersburg, 

-6 

Petersburg, 

-15 

Petersburg, 

-15 

Petersburg,, 

-15 

Petersburg, 

-8 

Petersburg, 

-5 

Petersburg, 

+  2 

Petersburg, 

-10 

Petersburg, 

-14 

Petersburg, 

-12 

Petersburg, 

-5h 

Petersburg, 

+  1 

Petersburg, 

+  4 

Petersburg, 

-li 

Petersburg, 

0 

Petersburg, 

When  made. 

February  28. 
March  1. 
March  2. 
March  3. 
March  4. 
March  5. 
March  6. 
March  7. 
March  8. 
March  9. 
March  10. 
March  11. 
March  12. 
March  13. 
March  14. 
March  15. 
March  16. 
March  17. 
March  18. 
March  19. 
March  20. 
March  21. 
March  22. 
March  23. 
March  24. 
March  25. 
March  26. 
March  27. 
March  28. 
March  29. 
March  30. 
March  31. 
April  1. 
April     2. 


Observation  in  London 

on  the  same  day,  by  tl\r 

Scale  of  Fahrenheit. 

34 
38 
41 
40 
39 
35 
32 
32 
35 
36 
38 
53 
42 
40 
42 
46 
47 
39 
39 
41 
45 
49 
46 
51 
53 
52 
54 
55 
49 
52 
57 
50 
53 
49 


IAL 


APPENDIX,    No  V. 


553 


No.  V. 


NAMES  OF  PLACES  VISITED  IN  THE  AUTHORS  ROUTE, 

WITH  THEIR  DISTANCES  FROM  EACH  OTHER. 

Christiania  to  Stockholm. 


Christiania,  to 

Romsaas      ... 
Schesmoe         - 
Moe         - 
Holen  - 

Kiolstad         - 

Hseberg  ... 

Ous 
Sindby 
Kongswinger 

Edsbroen  ... 

Magnor  (Enter  the  Swedish 
territory)        - 


Danish 
Miles. 


\h 


1* 

1 

H 

i 

»i 


Magnor  to  Morast 

Haga 

Strand 

Hogvalla 

Leerhol 

Skamnas 

Hogboda 

Prestbol 

II  berg 

Cailstad 

Brastegard 

Molkem 

Brattefors 

Philipstad 

Onshytta 


14 

Miles. 


Fnglish 
Miles. 


1     .. 

7 

1 

7 

1     .. 

7 

If  •• 

12i 

u  .. 

ioi 

1 

7 

ol  .. 

■*i 

i*  .. 

10J 

i 

7 

i*  •• 

12* 

H  .. 

N 

ij  .. 

124 

2      .. 

14 

1*    •• 

8| 

Of    .. 

5* 

Swedish 
Miles. 

Englisk 
Miles. 

Saxan         - 

-       1         . 

•       7 

Nytorp 
Hjulsio 

-     24-    • 

-  1J  • 

.    14£ 

.  \o\ 

Laxbro         - 

-     2      . 

.   14 

Hogforss 

-      li    • 

.  ioi 

Hellsion 

-      1)    • 

.  io| 

Ostahbo 

-      1 

•    7 

Smedbacka      - 

-     l£    • 

.   lOh 

Bomniarsbo 

-  n  ■ 

.  \0\ 

Russ-garden 

-  i 

•     7 

Naglarby 
Fahlun 

-  u  • 

-     2i   •• 

■     H 
.   \5£ 

Naglarby 
Safer          - 

-  2*    • 

-  11    • 

.    \5i 
.   lOf 

Grado 

-     2      • 

.   14 

Avestad 

-      ]}    - 

.    \0\ 

Broddebo 

-     1%    .. 

.  194 

Sala        -        -         - 

-    i|  .. 

.     8g 

To  the  Mine,  and  return 

-    o^  .. 

.     81 

Tarnaby 
Gastre 

-  n  ■■ 

.     8% 
124 

Langtora 
Safva        - 

-  i*  •• 

10$ 

Upsala       - 

Alsike       -          -       - 

-  if  •• 

.  124 
.  10J 

Marsta    -       - 

-    if  - 

.  124 

Rotebro 

-   ii  .. 

124 

Stockholm 

-     2      .. 

.   14 

Total  -    -    63|  I  44/ 


VOL.  VI. 


4   B 


554 


APPENDIX,    N°  V. 


From  Stockholm  to  Abo. 


Stockholm,  to 
Eustad 
Osby 

Hall        -         -      - 
Rilanda 
Kragstu     - 
Svanberg 
Staby 
Tresta 
Grissehamn 
By  water  to  Ekero 
By  land  to  Frebbenby 
Enkerby 
Haroldsby 
Skarpans 


Swedish 
Miles. 

-  2      , 

-  1 

"      li 

-  1 

-  1 

-  n 

-  n 


i5 


English 
Miles. 


14 

7 


n 

7 
7 

8f 
10£ 

4 

8| 

8i 
8| 
83 


Swedish 
Miles. 

li    . 


English 
Miles. 


Vardo 

By  water  to  Kumlinge 

Over  ice  to  Bjorko 

Brando,  by  land 

Over  ice  to  Varssala     - 

Over  ice  and  land  toHelsing, 

By  land  to  Himois 

Vinkela 

Laitis 

Tursanpare 

Nussis-Nummis 

Abo 

Total     -     -     42|  ...  2973 


2 
1* 


2 
li 


21 

si 

m 

14 


03 

10J 

10± 

111 


From  Abo  to  the  Frontier  op  Russia. 


Abo,  to 

Peike 

Vistu    - 

Handela    - 

Sahla 

Haila 

Savankby 

Bjorsby 

Miolbaltstad 

Kockis     - 

Bollsta 

Quis 

Bembole 


Swedish 
Miles. 

li     . 

English 
Miles. 

•  10$ 

Helsingfors 
Haxbole    - 

1| 

Sibbo 

-       1 

•    7 

Wakkaski 

-  2      . 

"      If   • 

-  2      . 

-  2      . 

.   14 
.    ll\ 
.   14 
..   14 

Borgo 
Illby 
Forsby 
Parno 

-      14   • 

..   12i 

Louisa 

-  li  . 

-  2     . 

..     8| 
..    14 

Tesjo 
Aberfors 

-      If  ■ 

..   124 

Total 


Swedish 
Miles. 

English 
Miles. 

-     2      . 

..    14 

\]   1|    • 
-      \h    ■ 

•      li   • 
"      li   • 

..   12| 
..   10$ 

..     8| 
..     8| 

-  1      . 

"      U   • 

-  1      . 

••    7 

..     8| 
••    7 

"      li   • 

..     8f 

-      1 

••    7 
..     3$ 

33£  . 

.    236^ 

-iC:CIAL 


APPENDIX,  N°  V. 


555 


From  Aberfors  to  Petersburg. 


Aberfors,  to 

Kymene         '  - 

Frederickshamm 

Kouxis 

Puterlace 

Ursala 

Villiouxis 

Tevrouxis 

Wibourg 


Etussian 
Versts. 

English 
Miles. 

22J 

..    15 

22| 

...   15 

16 

...   lOf 

18 

...   12 

16 

...    lOf 

23 

...    15j 

17 

...   llj 

20 

...   13 

Konuta 

Sueno'ya 

Pampola 

Lindolla 

Bulostrof 

Drasnicof 

Petersburg 


Total 


Russian 
Versts. 

-  22 

-  22 

-  18 

-  20 

-  18 

-  15 

-  25 

293 


English 

Miles. 

14i 

14| 

12 

13 

12 

10 

16| 

195* 


ADDITION  lo  the  Note  in  p.  467,  from  Dr.  Thomsons  Travels. 


When  Dr.  Thomson  visited  Sweden,  Norway  had  not  been  annexed  to  that  Country. 


LONDON 


POINTED   BY   R.  WATTS, 
Crown  Court,  Temple  Bar. 


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