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T E A V E L S
VARIOUS COUNTRIES
SCAl^DIJ^AYIA:
INCLUDING
DENMARK, SWEDEN, NORAVAY,
LAPLAND, AND FINLAND.
E. D. CLARKE, LL.D.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES.
MDCCCXXXVIII.
LIST
OF
EMBELLISHMENTS AND VIGNETTES
IN VOLUME THE ELEVENTH.
TO SERVE AS DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.
CHAP. I.
Page
Tumuli or Mounds at Gamla Vpsala; said to be the
Sepulchres of Odin, Frigga, and Thor; — from a Draw-
ing by Dr. Fiott Lee . . . • 1
Fac-Simile of the Codej^ Argenteus, the celebrated MS.
of the Four Gospels in the Moeso-Gothic Language
and Character; now preserved in the University
Library at Upsala 15
Sketch of the Clipped Fir- Trees which form an Avenue
to the Greenhouse in the Botanic Garden at Upsala, 34
CHAP. II.
Curious Wheel-lock Musket • ... .50
CHAP. III.
Specimen o^ Igneous Basalt, from the bottom of a Copper
Furnace in Siberia 109
Portrait of Charles XIL from a Cast taken four hours
after he was shot .132
EMBELLISHMENTS AND VIGNETTES.
CHAP. IV.
Perilous Situation of the Author and his Companions, in
o
the Passage-Boat from Grissehamn to Aland . . . 1 56
o
General Chart of the whole Group of the Aland
Isles, in the Mouth of the Gulph of Bothnia ; 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 176
Ruins of Castleholm, in which Eric XIV. was confined, 183
Manner and Difficulty of conveying the Carriage &c. on
the Ice, over the Inlets of the Sea 193
CHAP. V.
Mode of crossing the Frozen Sea in a small Sledge drawn
by one Horse 212
Seal-Hunter on the Frozen Sea 220
CHAP. VI.
Extraordinary and interesting Congregation, returning
from Divine Service^ in Sledges drawn by Horses . 24'7
CHAP. VIT.
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 273
CHAP. VIII.
o
Finlander of Savolax in the Streets of Abo, with his
Sledge 330
Russian with his Sledge, in the streets of Abo . . .331
EMBELLISHMENTS AND VIGNETTES.
CHAP. IX.
Tomb of Count Ernsverd, the Engineer who planned the
Works of the Fortress of 5zfea^or^ 361
CHAP. X.
Representation of the Stone Theatre at St. Petersburg, as
it appeared in 1804-, with some of the PulUc Stoves . . 390
CHAP. XI.
Plan of St. Petersburg 4-24.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
PART THE THIRD.
VOLUME THE ELEVENTH.
CHAP. L
P. 1.
FROM SALA TO UPSALA.
Journey from Sala to Upsala — appearance of Upsala — Present
condition of the University — Afzelius— Thunberg — Botanic
Garden — Chemical Schools — Mineralogical Collection —
University Library — Typographical rarities — Manuscripts—
Codex Argenteus — Cabinet of Queen Christina — Myste-
rious gift of Gustavus the Third — Executive branch of the
University — Degrees — Theses — Cathedral — Burial-place of
Linnaeus — monument erected, by the inhabitant's — Image of
Thor — Bloody Coat of Eric — Shift of Margaret — New Bota-
nic Garden — Lecture Room — Conflicting opinions respecting
Gustavus the Third — Habits and manners of the Students —
Public Cellars — Conduct of the Students towards the Profes-
sors — total want of discipline — neglected state of science —
want of emulation — habits of intoxication — Character of the
Swedes — Uniform aspect of the country and its inhabitants.
CHAP. n.
p. 50,
UPSALA TO STOCKHOLM.
Specimens fr 0171 the Herbarium ofhlnnasus'^Curious IVheel-lock
MM5^e;— Gamla Upsala — Skocloster — State of Stockholm
upon
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
upon the Author s Return — Character of the young King —
Table-talk — Royal Ftte at the Opera House — Evening's Ad-
venture — Reflections on the Death of the former Monarch—'
Opening of the Sepulchre o/" Charles the Twelfth — Interrup-
tion of the amity between England anrf Sweden — Cluh 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 of Guslavus the
Third.
CHAP. III.
p. 109.
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 q/" Drottningholm — Lake Mcelar — Sudden
Change induced by the coming of Winter — Frozen Game-—
Population — State of Trade — Boot and Shoe Market — Cabi-
net of Models — College of Mines — Igneous Basalt— "Apparel
worn ly Charles the Twelfth when he was assassinated —
Cast of that Kings 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 Medi-
cal Colleges — Remarks on the Swedish Poetry — List of Poe-
tical Works'— 'Operas — Dramas — Comedies — Works in the
higher order of Literature.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
CHAP. IV.
p. 15ff.
STOCKHOLM TO ALAND.
Ckaracteristical Swedish Exclamation — Departure from Stock-
holm — Commencement of the Winter season — Grissehamn —
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 o/Castelholm — History of that fortress — Skarpans —
Change in the Manners of the People — Bomarsund — Vargatta
Sound — I Sledge-Travelling — Isle of Vardo — The Parly
embark across the Delen Jbr Kumlinge— T/ze 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 an Aland Dwelling — Breakfast of the
Natives — Extra Post — A turbulent sea fr oxen in one night —
Cause of the rapid change— 'The Author recrosses the Bomar-
sund — Southern Passage to Kumlinge— 5/a^e of the Delen —
. o o _
Geological features of Aland — Manners of the Alanders in
IVinter — Number of inhabitants — Means of subsistence-
Clergy — Land-measurers — their destructive influence and de-
predations.
CHAP. V.
P. 212.
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 — Sea- hunters — Safety -pikes — The Author deserted
by his Guides — arrives at Mushaga — Ravages of the Small'pox
— Mode
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
— Mode of forcing a passage through the Ice — Remarkable
effect of Snow falling in Sea-tvater— 'Natural Cave of Ice —
Sattunga — Description of the Inhabitants — Swedes o/" Aland
— Finlandei-s — Remains of antient and pure Swedish — its re-
semblance to English — Seal-skin Sandals — Winter occupa-
tions of the Alanders — Preparations for a journey on the ice to
YinmVmgQ — 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. VI.
p. 247.
KUMLINGE TO ABO.
The Party leave Kumlinge — Brief account of that island —
Bjorko — Brando — Extraordinary Congregation for Divine
Service — Yattaskifte]— Bursting of the /ce— Varssala — Revolt-
ing manners of the Natives — Valedictory remarks upon the
Swedes — Fahrenheit'^- Thermometer fifty -two degrees and a
half below freezing — Turvesi Passage — Accidefits from the
frost — Helsing — Himois — Vinkela — Action of atmospheric
air upon vapour — State of travelling in Finland— Laitis —
•— Tursanpare Niemenkyla — Nussis Nummis — Arrival at
Aho— -Narrow escape from suffocation.
CHAP. VII.
p. 273.
ABO.
O
State of Abo — its situation with regard to other Seminaries of
Learning — its Commerce — Visit to the different Professors —
Frantzi-n — his genius for poetry — Specimen of one of his
Odes — Voxi\\:xn — Account of the University — Difficulties
encountered
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
encountered by the Professors — Blasters to which Abo has leen
liable — Cathedral — Ludicrous mistake— Effect of an Organ
upon some Natives of Savo\a\ —'Interesting Cippus in the
Chorus Tottianus — Statues and Pictures ' — Inscription in
memory q/'Catherine, Widow of Eric XIV.' — Historical Docu-
ments concerning this remarkable woman — Swedish Legend
upon her Daughter's coffin — Manuscripts preserved in a
brazen coffer — Histories of Eric's Reign — Portraits of iMthcr
and Melancthon — - /mflo-e of Henry the Martyr — Chapel of
Olaus, Bishop of Kho -^'Monument of a Scotch Officer —
University Library — Manuscripts— Typographical Rarities
— Theatrum Knaiovcucnva— Auditory of Disputations — Pro-
fessor Gadolin — Collection of Minerals — Professor Hellenius
—'Botanic Garden — Hellenius'* private Collections —Covi-
o
parative Estimate of the two Universities, Upsala and Abo —
State of Society.
CHAP. VIII.
p. 330.
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 arti-
cles — Language and People of Y\n\ar\d — Finnish Poetry—-
o
Merchants of Abo — Maritime Commerce of Sweden awrf
Norway— -Singular customs— Courts of Judicature — Distant
Excursions of the Trading Finlanders — Foundation of the
University— Number of its Students and Professors— 'Impor-
tance of a travelling-carriage — State of the accommodations
for Travellers — Cursory reflections previously to the depar-
ture for Russia.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
CHAP. IX.
p. 361.
FROM ABO IN FINLAND, TO PETERSBURG IN RUSSIA.
Journey from Abo to Helsingfors — Description q/ Helsingfors
Fortress q/'Svveaborg — Tomh of Count Ernsverd — Strength,
size, and importance of Sweahorg— Route from Helsingfors
to Borgo aud Louisa—- ^/jproacA 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. X.
p. 390.
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 dif-
ferent Classes of Society — Ice-Hills — Fisit 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
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
Pirsi — defect of taste in the Artist — expense of the JVork—m
Hermitage— Pictures — Hall of St. George — Palace of Peter-
hof and Oranienbaum — State of the Peasantry — Mode of
managing the Estates of the Russian Nobility --'Checks to
Population.
CHAP. XI.
P. 424.
PETERSBURG.
Benediction of the JVaters of the Neva — Monastery of St. Alex-
ander 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 licen-
tiousness by the Institution — Character, temper, and disposi-
tion of Paul, before his accession to the throned—Disrespect
and insult shewn by him to the memory of Catherine, on
his becoming Emperor — Anecdotes illustrating his extra-
ordinary conduct— -Remarks on the character of the Empress
Catherine — Deposition and murder 0/ Peter the Third.
Appendix, No, I.
p. 459.
Sixty-three Academic Dissertations of Abo ; shewing the State
of Science in that University for the last Twenty Years.
No. II.
P. 465,
Index Prcelectionum, quas, bono cum Deo, in Regia Academia
Aboensi, omnium Facultatum Professores ceterique docentes,
a die Octobris An, mdccxcix, ad idem, tempus anni sequentis,
pullicG et privatim, habebunt.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.
Appendix, No. III.
p. 473.
Temperature of the Atmosphere, according to Diurnal Ohserva-
vation ; with a Corresponding Statement of Temperature in
England during the same period.
No. IV.
p. 483.
Names of Places visited in the Author's Route ^ with their Dis-
tances from each other.
CHAR i.
FROM SALA TO UPSALA.
Journey from Sala to Upsala — Appearance o/Upsal.n — Pre-
sent condition of the University — Afzelius — Thunberg —
Botanic Garden — Chemical Schools — Mineralogical Col-
lection — University Library — Typographical rarities- —
Manuscripts — Codex Ajgenteus — Cabinet of Queen
Christina — Mysterious gift of Gustavus the Third —
Executive branch of the University — Degrees — Theses —
Cathedral — Burial-place o/^Linnaeus — Moiniment erected
by the inhabitants— ^Image of Thor — Bloody coat of
Eric — Shift of Margaret — Neiv Botanic Garden — Lee-
ture Room — Conflictiyig opinions respecting Gustavus
the Third — Habits and mamiers of the Students —
Public Cellars — Conduct of the Students towards the
VOL. XI. B Professors
CHAP.
I.
^■- V- '
Journey
from Sola
to Upsala.
FROM SALA TO UPSALA.
Professors — total want of discipline — neglected state
of science — want of emulation — Habits of intoxication —
Character of the Swedes — Uniform aspect of the country
end its inhabitants.
In our journey from Sala to Upsala, upon the
thirteenth of November, we passed through a
cultivated country so much resembhng Cam-
bridgeshire, in its level corn-land and the ap-
pearance of its villages, that we were often
reminded of the approach to our own University,
as we drew nigh to the 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 employment, towards their own country.
From Tarnaby 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 Uingtora and Safva; the coun-
try 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 pic-
■ turesque beauty what it has gained by man's
industry ; for of those forests which almost
universally cover the Siveclish territories, not a
vestige, nor even a solitary tree, was to be seen.
After another stage of twelve English miles and
.UPSALA.
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 emi- Appearance
nence, as we entered the town : the Cathedral,
also, presents a superb figure, and is visible,
upon this road, a considerable distance from
Vpsala'. In a former Volume, the appearance
of Upsala, in the approach to it from Stockholm,
has been described ^ 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
(1) The resemblance between Upland and Cambridgeshire was noticed
in the preceding Chapter: but another traveller, also of the University of
Cambridge, affords, in his Manuscript Journal, a curions coincidence with
the foregoing observations, by saying that there is a resemblance also in
the external appearance of the two Universities.
" The tirst appearance of Upsal may be compared to that of the situa-
tion 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 see an extent of flat
country around. By the original plan of the Palace, it was intended to
occupy three sides of a square parallelogram ; but one side was never
finished. Atone ccrner 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 independent of the Univer-
sity." — Dr. Fiott Lee's MS. Journal.
{2) Vol. IX. p. 212. Octavo Edition.
B 2
UPS ALA.
CHAP.
I.
Present
condition
of the Uni-
versity.
Afzelius.
and present state'. The high expectations we
had formed, with regard to its flourishing con-
dition, 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 (TVbueTn^'er 14) we waited
upon Dr. y(fzelms, 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 curi^
osities, 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. Muller of Christiana.
As Dr. Afzelius had been in England, and was
in Cambridge but a short time before we set out
upon this expedition, he seemed to be well
aware of the striking contrast which a com-
parison 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 pre-
(1) This has been in some measure anticipated, by the very ample ac-
count published by Dr. Thomson, in his Travels in Swedeiu Loud. 1813.
UPS ALA. 5
sent at some of the public lectures, he told us chap.
that Professor Thunberg, the successor of Lin- v- '
ncEus in the Botanical chair, was at this moment Thunberg.
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 Botanic
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 Swedish language ; and with such animation
of manner, that we much regretted our incapa-
city to keep pace with the Professor in his ha-
rangue. Some of it we understood : it was
upon the interesting subject of the " superba
Palmarum familia " of Linnceus ; and immediately
brought to our recollection the observations
with which he terminates the Prolegomena of his
valuable Flora Lapponica\ But what was our
surprise, to find the Professor with only half-a-
dozen slovenly boys standing around him, as
(2) " Calidissimos orbis partes regit superba Palmarum familia; terras
calidas incolunt Frutescentes planlarum gentes; australes Europce
plagas numerosa ornat Herbarum corona ; Belgium, Daniamqiie, Gra-
MiNUM occupant copias; Sueciam, Muscorum agmina; ultimam vero
frigidissimamque Lapponiam pallidee Alg^, pra5sertim albi Licbenes.
En ultimum vegetationis gradum in terra ultima!" — Flor.Lapp.inJin,
Proleg.p.26. AmstAl^l-
6 UPSALA.
CHAP, his audience, — the eldest of whom could not be
^- ■ V- ' 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 pub-
lished in 1791, and translated into German. An
English edition of the same work has since ap-
peared in our own country.
His cabinet consisted of a large collection of
objects of natural history, shells, birds, quadru-
peds, 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 mag-
nificent 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 col-
upsALA. ;
lection of plants contained twenty thousand spe- chap.
cimens. We saw also specimens of the cameo *■ y
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. The Chinese camios are executed in ala-
baster and in trap, and sometimes exhibit layers
of three distinct colours. One in the possession
of Professor Thunherg, 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
Thunherg 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 Garden. We Botanic
Garden.
found a head-gardener employed, with two as-
sistants acting under his direction. The princi-
pal gardener obligingly presented to us a spe-
cimen 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 Millers Dictionary,
8 UPSALA.
cn\v. ixitliougli mentioned in the Cataloiiue of (rreen-
' s luuise and Stove Plants pretixeil to that work.
Me have since seen it in tln> (larilen at (\im-
I'ridi^r. YVnioni;- tlie I'oreed phmts, \vc were not a
little snrprised to tind the eonnnon Kui^lish yew-
tree {'J'a.viis baccala), lii'owini;- in pots. It is
native in one plaee only in all Sividoi, where it
appears dwindleil to a small shrnb. The green-
honses were small, but neat, and kejit in good
order. It was said that the old garden would
soon be destroyed : yet, as a spot saered to the
memory ot" Unrurus, this ought, surely, to be
preserved, lu the adjoining buildings there was
a small wje/i««fnV, where a tew live animals were
preserved; as an apo, a parroquet. .S:e.; but
there was nothing worth nune partieular notiee.
ciu>miMi At'terwards we saw the Cliemieal Schools in
the house ot' Prolessor Jo/ni ^•{tzc/ius, brother of
u4(lam ^-(fzelius the InUanist. whom we had belbre
visited. He was ilclivermg a leetuii'. at the time
ot'iun" arrival, to about twenty or tlnrty stuilents;
but in a voice so low and inaudible, as to be
scareelv intelligible, even to those who were his
constant hearers. We observed a tew among
them making notes; but the chiet' part ot" the
audience seemed to be very inattentive, anil to
be sitting rather as a matter of t'orm than tor any
UPSALA. 9
purpose of instruction. Their slovenly dress, and chap.
manner, were moreover so unlike that oi" the ' y >
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 mis-
taken for a company of workmen in a manufac-
tory. Around this chemical lecture-room was Mmeraio-
arranged the Professor s collection of minerals, — lecUon.
perhaps more worthy of notice than any thing
else in Upsala; for the Chemical Laboratory
scarcely merits attention. It was classed ac-
cording to the methodical distribution of Cro7i-
stedt, and has been in the possession of the
XJniversity ever since the middle of the eighteenth
century. The celebrated Bergmann added con-
siderably to this collection, which may be con-
sidered as one of the most complete in Europe ;
especially in specimens from the Swedish mines,
which have long produced the most remarkable
minerals in the world. One cabinet alone con-
tained 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 which
now belong rather to the study of geology than
of mineralogy. One small cabinet contained
10 U PSA LA.
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 acquired'.
The mineralogy of Cronstedt laid the true founda-
tion of the science, by making the chemical com-
position of minerals the foundation of the species
into which they are divided* : and whenever an
undue regard for the mere external characters
of these bodies causes an attention to their che-
mical constituents to be disregarded, it may be
regretted, as an effectual bar to the progress of
mineralogical knowledge.
We next visited the University Libkary. —
In ascending to it, we saw the Auditory, as it is
called, where the Academical 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. U[)on a bench below the Re-
spondent are placed the two Opponents, and
(1) Thomsons Trav. in Sweden, p. 173. Loud. 1813.
(2) Ibid.
UPSALA. II
behind them are several rows of seats for the chap
spectators. Voluntary opponents frequently ^ -^- .
rise among the spectators, who discuss argu-
ments with the Respondents. The degrees, or,
as they are here called, promotions, are conferred
once in three years. Neither the Professors
nor the Students have any distinction of dress ;
except upon these occasions, when the Pro-
fessors 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 parti-
cularly 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 under-
graduates 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 metropolis ; 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 University
•' Library.
contains fifty thousand volumes ; which are kept
12 UPSALA.
CHAP.
I.
in very excellent order, and in a handsome room '.
The Librarian, Peter Fabius Aurivillius, Professor
of Humanity, to whom we delivered our letters
of introduction, told us that he had published a
complete catalogue of the whole collection,
arranged alphabetically, according to the names
of the different authors. The alphabetical form
is perhaps the most convenient which any cata-
logue can have, for the use of persons frequent-
ing a public library ; provided only that it be
made sufficiently comprehensive, and be ex-
tended not only to the names of the authors,
but also to the subjects and titles of their seve-
ral works. In viewing this collection, we en-
deavoured to ascertain to what particular branch
of knowledge it was most indebted. The Pro-
fessor, to whom we applied for information,
told us that it was impossible to determine this
point ; affirming that the library was well pro-
(l) Dr Fiolt Lee, in his MS.Jotimal, stales the number of volumes at
65,000. The persons >^ho accomi)any strangers in their visits to public
libraries are not likely to be very accurate in the accounts which they
give in round numbers. Tlie number of tlie volumes in the University
Library of Ciiinhridgc liJs never been ascertained ; but Dr. Farmer,
Master of Emvmnud College, wlien Librarian, counted the number of
authors, and tlu-y amounted to 100,000. This number lias since been
greatly augmented ; and tliere are, besides, sixteen other Libraries in
Cambrutiic. belonging to the dilferent Colleges. This comparative state-
ment will serve to mark the striking diilcrence beivt-een the two establish-
ments.
UPSALA. 13
vided in all branches of learning. We found chap.
here Mr. Turner employed as the amanuensis % ■ ■■ y <>
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 collection of various authors pre-
sented 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 familiarly by the Swedes, Gustaf-Adolph.
Like Buonaparte, it was customary with that
monarch to reserve, for his share of the plunder,
all the books which were found in places cap-
tured by his troops : and he afterwards pre-
sented them to this University. Several of his
successors have, by similar donations, imitated
his munificent example.
Here is preserved the first book printed in Typogra-
Sweden ; namely, Dialogus Creaturarum moralisatus. Rarities.
It bears the date ' Stockholm, mcccclxxxiii.'
We saw also the only copy known of the Ma-
nuale EcclesiiV Linkopensis, printed at Sceuder-
kcpuping, in 1525. The first work printed at
(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
Torner,a{ter the Swedish manner, — See Trav.in Sweden, p.n4. Lond.1813,
14
UPSALA.
CHAP.
I.
Manu-
scripts.
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 century, without date; and a
Latin Bible, in folio, printed at Nuremberg in
1475. Also, the folio Roman editions of Pliny
and Suetonius; the first, of 1473; the second,
of 1470.
Among the Manuscripts, which are very nume-
rous, and kept in a room below the Library,
there are several of great value ; such as, the
Diarium PFadstenense, upon vellum, in small
quarto, written by various hands, from the year
1344 to 1544; — an Icelandic copy of the Edda
and Scalda, upon vellum; — and the Icelandic
Laws, written upon vellum ; a manuscript of
great antiquity. But all these are eclipsed, in
splendour and value, by the well-known and
beautiful Codex Ahgenteus of the Four Go-
spels ; considered, and with reason, by all
comers, as the most worthy notice of any thing
in the whole collection. We had the satisfac-
tion of carefully inspecting this precious manu-
script, if manuscript it may be called. The
characters seem rather painted than written;
every letter being executed in silver, with the
UPSALA. 15
exception of some of the initial letters, which chap.
are of gold : so that every page of the manu- ' ■ »■ ^
script 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 RE-
CEIVE 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 Tctiyiov. The passage occurs thus :
AH6N Ol'lJpA "teVDS. SA6D Ml
ANavNiHl<4^ <4^llindANrAKA9A
The history of this manuscript has been given
by so many authors, and set forth with so much
perspicuity by Mr. Coxe\ that we shall no
(1) See Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, vol. IV.
p. 151, &c. Mr. Coxe refers to the following works (ibid. p. 157, Note)
for the history of this manuscript. " The several editions of the Codex
Argcnteus,
16 UPSALA.
CHAP, further enter upon it, than by briefly stating-^,
V ■»■ ' 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 Moesia. In the year 1 648, when the city of
Prague was stormed by the Swedes, it was found
among the literary spoils, by a Swedish County
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; toge-
ther with Z/?/e s own observations, and a Gothic
Grammar.
The leaves of the Codex Argenteus are of
vellum, but prepared in a very particular man-
ner, and of a violet hue : the cover and back of
the volume are of silver, embossed. It is
related, that the celebrated Isaac Vossius stole
this manuscript, during the confusion which
preceded Queen Christinas abdication of the
jlrgenleus, by Junius, Slicrnhelm, and Lye. Hickes Granim. Mccso-'
Golhica, in his Thesaurus Ling. Sept. La Croze Diss. Philol. at the
end of C/iamberlajjne'a Oral. Dom. p. 1.36. Welsleins Proleg. in Nov.
Test. sect. 68 to 71. Bib. Up. Hist. p. 116 to 1*23. Le Long. Bib.
Sac. vol. II. p. 140, and 538."
UPS ALA. 17
throne of Sweden; and that after his death it
was purchased for 250/. by Count Magnus
Gabriel de la Gardie, who presented it to the
University of Upsala.
There are in this collection but few manu-
scripts 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 distin-
guished from printing. We saw a good manu-
script copy of Horace ; and one of Ovid's Meta-
morphosesy 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 principal curiosity in this library has Cabinet of
been mentioned by other authors, and some- Christina.
times inaccurately described. It is a cabinet of
the most curious and costly workmanship,
adorned with paintings, mosaic, and gems,
which was presented by the merchants of Ham-
burgh 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,
VOL. XI. c
18 UPSALA.
CHAP. QY 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 ima-
gine 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 tigure of Moses, and the expres-
sion 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 represen-
tation of the Day of Judgment ; but this has
been evidently borrowed from the famous pic-
ture by Michael Angela, in the Sestina Chapel at
Rome. It contains some of the same figures ;
and has, moreover, the same characteristic por-
traits ; such, for example, as those of the Car-
dinal, and the Mistress of the painter. The
artist, whose name we did not learn, has repre-
sented his own portrait among those of the
Blessed in heaven, and has decorated his head
with the Pope's tiara. Other parts of this
cabinet are adorned with antique gems, paint-
U P S A L A. 19
ings 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 work-
manship of Albert Durer, and certainly of his
time. But the most singular deposit in this Mysterious
gift of
Gustavus
the Third.
room is a donation of Gustavus the Third: it Gustavits
consists of two chests of manuscripts, 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 sup-
posed to contain his foreign correspondence, and
many papers relating to the principal transac-
tions 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 Swedes
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"" 8ic. will be found very applicable to the
event of the opening of these chests, when the
times arrives for their inspection,
c 2
20
U P S A L A.
CHAP.
I.
Executive
branch of
the Uni-
versity.
The number of the students in this University
has sometimes exceeded one thousand : at the
present time there were not above three hun-
dred'. The whole population, including the
students and other inhabitants of Upsala and its
neighbourhood, did not amount to four thousand
persons. The University consists of a Chan-
cellor, a Sub-Chancellor, who is always the
Archbishop of Upsala, and a President, who is
called Rector Magnificus, 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 fa-
culties, 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
100/. When a Professor has continued in office
for thirty years, he is allowed to retire with the
title o^ Emeritus, and enjoys his salary for life".
(1) When Dr. Fiatt Lee afterwards visited this University, the num-
l)er was greatly increased. According to a note in his MS. Journal, there.
wore about 800 students at that time.
(2) This fact is stated by Mr. Coxe, from whom it is here borrowed.
Sec Travds,\o\.lV. p. \A5. Lond. 1787.
UPSALA. 21
Students are sent to Upsala about the age of cfjap,
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 conferred, Degrees.
are those of Philosophice Candidatus, or Bachelor
of Arts ; Philosophice Magister, or Master of Arts ;
and in Divinity, Latv, and Physic, the different
gradations are styled Candidatus, Licenciatus,
Doctor^. Before receiving any degree, a student
must undergo several examinations from various
Professors, and must compose a Latin Thesis, Theses,
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, after-
wards, the same plan with regard to the Univer-
o
sity of Abo; and a list of the subjects upon
which the principal dissertations were written,
will be found in the Appendix*. Considering
(3) See Coxes Travels, ib.
(4) The Amoenitates Academical published in 1749, in 8vo. under the
auspices of Linnceus, contained a collection of these Theses, but not in
their
22 U P S A L A.
the manner in which the lectures are given, the
sort of people which attend as students, and the
total w^ant 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. Soou after sccing the Library, we visited the
Cathedral, which is hard by ; the finest eccle-
siastical structure in all Siueden\ The spire of
the Cathedral of Wdsteras is said to be loftier,
but in other respects there can be no comparison
between the two edifices. This of Upsala is a
brick building, in excellent order ; having been
lately repaired, at a great expense. The archi-
tecture of the interior is purely Gothic ; but the
outside of the building exhibits a strange mix-
ture, with pillars of the Doric order, in conse-
quence of work done in a later age, when addi-
tions were made to the original structure ; the
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 colleclion alluded to in the Appendix, was formed with a
view to shew simply what the subjects were of the Theses at Upsala and
Aho, as tliey wltl- sever;illy printed in their original form in those Uni-
versities during nearly lialf a century. This collection, presented by the
author of tliese Travels, is now in the Univcrsitij lAhrari/ at Cambridge,
in four volumes (juai to.
(I) " Cathedrale ornat tcmplum, inter omnia Suecorum pulcherri-
mum," Delicio! Rcgn.Sueci/c, turn, I, p. 380. L. Bat, 1706.
UPS A LA. 23
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 o{ Stephen Bonneville, a French
architect, who followed in its construction the
model of the Church of Notre Dame, at Paris^ ;
but this date does not agree with the chronology
of the accurate Messenius, who, in his " Epitome
Scondi^ illustrate^,'' assigns the year 1 1 64 for the
commencement of the cathedral^ which was not
completed for above two hundred years after-
wards, when its dedication took place with ex-
traordinary pomp and solemnity*. As we entered
this building, we were much struck by its ele-
gance 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 the western extremity is a magnificent organ,
the largest in Sweden. Near the altar, inclosed
(2) See Code's Travels, vol. IV. p. 131. Lond. 1786.
(3) " Carolus rex ibi prima basilicae jacit fuiidamenta ex marmore, et
post annos cc. fuit opus consummatum." Messen. Scond. Illust. torn. XV.
p. 27. Stockholm, 1705.
(4) This happened in the year 1435, (ibid. p. 74.) and the event is re-
corded in the third volume of the same work. " Archimysta etiam
Sueoniae Olaus, consummatam tandem Upsalensium basilicani, Thoma,
Stregnensi episcopo, collega adhibito, insigni admodum festivitate, Deo
Optimo, Maximo, Divisque, Lausentio, Qiao, ac Erico, inauguraverat,
dedicaveratque." Chronol. Scond. torn. III. p. 59. Stockholm. 1700.
24 UPS A LA.
CHAP, -jj jj.Qj^ net-work, is the silver coffin containing
" ^ ' the reliques of Saint Eric ; not of Eric the Four-
teenth, the eldest son of Gustavus Fasa, as has
been erroneously supposed, but of Eric the
Seventh, son of Jedvardus, who being captured in
battle by the Danes, was beheaded, and after-
wards canonized for his virtues. His remains
were originally interred in Old Upsala, but after-
wards transferred to this cathedral'. Eric the
Seventh cuts a brilliant figure in the early annals
of Siveden : it was this monarch who conquered
Finland, and first established Christianity among
the inhabitants of that country. He formed a
(1) 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. [ScondicB IHustrutcB, torn, 11. p. 5. Stockholm, 1700.) l^he Swedes
celebrate the Eighteenth of May as the day of his martyrdom. {Ibid.) His
reliques were removed to New Upsala in the year 1273. {Ibid. torn. XII.
J). 126.) This monarch is spoken of in terms of high eulogy in the
Swedish annuls. " Conunodis patri(S sedulus invigitat ; non paucasfundat
ecclesias } ipsas proventibus ornat ; liempublicam quoque insiiiiiiter erdi-
nat ; eequiisimas condit leges ; impias abrogat ; perversas Sticonum con-
sueludinis rudicitus evellil ; inde Jlagitiosos, sine respectu personarum,
animadvert it." {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 liad been accustomed to live by plunder and piracy ; conse-
quently 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 villiige, distant about five English miles from the modern
city, if we exctpt the three tumuli, said to be the Sepulchres of Odin,
Frigga, and Thor, which are neai- the vilhige church. Dr. Fiott Lee
visited Gaynla Ujisala in 1 S07, and made a drawing of those tumuli,
whence the Vignette to this Chapter is taken. Dr. Lee compares themjj
in size and appearance, to the Alounds near Bartlow in Essex,
UPSALA. 25
regular Code of the Stvedish Laws, which bore chap.
his name ; and he excluded from the benefit of ■_ -\- -
those laws all persons who adhered to their
antient heathen superstitions. In a small chapel
behind the altar is an oblong monument, the
tomb of the famous Gustaviis 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 afire,
which also did great damage to the cathedral.
There are many other tombs which deserve
notice, from their relationship to the Swedish
history^: but all our attention was taken up,
and wholly engrossed, by one ; namely, the
tomb, or rather grave, of Linrnpus. A simple Burial-
_ place of
entablature of stone, let into the pavement at Linnceus.
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 ! —
(2) For an account of which, the Reader may be referred to the valuable
information contained in the Travels of Mr. Co»e ; an author who lias
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 Po-
land, Russia, and Sweden, vol. IV. p. 132, &c. Land. 1787.
26 UP SAL A.
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 value' !
How powerful, in its effect upon the heart, will
ever be the simple inscription which marks the
place where he lies I
OSSA
CAROLI • A • LINNE'
Who will read these words unmoved ; or wish
to read more! for of the title that has been
added, every letter is superfluous ^ " His
NAME," as said his biographer', can never
DIE. It will be cherished in the memory
(1) " 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 metaphysical theorizing had too long prevailed,
to the exclusion of more useful science." — See PuUeney's LinncBUS, by
Mulon, ;). 496. Lo7id. 1805.
(2) This is the whole of the Inscription :
OSSA
CAROLI • A • LINNE'
E QV A V R.
MARITO • OPTIMO
FILIO VNICO
CAROLO • A • LINNE'
PATRIS • SVCCESSORI
ET
SIBI
SARA • ELISABETA • MORiEA
(2) See PuUeney's Linnwus, by Maton, ;». 506. Land. 1805.
UPS A LA. 27
OF EVERV LOVER OF NaTURE, AND REMAIN ON CHAP.
TFIE 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 investigation^ : and in the good-
ness 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 some-
thing not only to admire, but to venerate \ In
a small chapel near the place of his interment. Monument
GrsctGu bv
the students and other inhabitants ot Upsala have theinhabi-
erected a plain but beautiful monument to his
memory. It is executed in the fine porphyry
of Elfsdal; the letters of the inscription being
of bronze, gilded, and placed in full relief upon
the stone. As far as the workmanship is con-
cerned, 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:
(4) Witness the extraordinary remark in his Diary, " that he had never
seen rudera diluvii universalis, but successiva teviporis." The most ex-
perienced geologist of the present day will know how to appretiate the
value of this observation.
(5) " The habit of scrutinizing and contemplating the wonderful ener-
gies 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
PaUenej/'s Linnceusy by Maton, ji. 497.
I.
28 UPSALA.
CHAP, but it should be observed, that this title, and the
very words of it, were those which LinrnEus had
chosen to appropriate to himself : and although
the inscription would have been much better
without any such addition, yet this fact may
always be urged in its justification. In its pre-
sent 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 ex-
pended 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 Upsala, 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 upon his Bihlia
(1) " He was bty led, by all Botanists, PiuNCEi's BoTANicoRUM." See
Liunecus'i Diary, p. 566. PuUcney's Linn, by Maton, Lond. 1805.
UPSALA. 29
Fennica, receiving the homage of a Groiipe of chap.
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 travellers. Fore-
most in the list of these, is the wooden image of
the God Thor, who may justly be styled ** the image of
loggerhead 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
Dlis Lapponum Paganicis," has figured, with a
worshipper before it in the act of adoration ^
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
trunks 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
(2) Joannis Schefferi Lapponia, p. 105. Franco/. 1673.
(3) " Haec idola faciunt ex betula, et ex radice quidem caput, ex
Irunco sen caudice partem reliquam." Jbid,
(4) •' In capite infigunt clavum ferreum, cum silicis particiila, iit si
videatur, ignem Thor cxcutiat." Ibid.
30 UPSALA.
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 an-
tient superstitions, as they refer to the customs
of mankind in its rudest state, so they may be
still found, in their prototypes, among the simple
observances, habits, and manners, of a savage
people. The Yule Clog still retains a degree of
reverence in the northern parts oi England ; the
origin of which may have been of the same
nature with that in which the Swedish idol was
held by its vvorshippers. The log itself, as a
symbol of the fire for which it was used, became
an object of worship'. Whatever 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 Thor as
one of the most curious antiquities that any
country has preserved ; as connected not only
(1) See Brand's Popular Antiquities, pp. I !).'>, 157. Newcastle upon
Tyne, 1777. Also Brady's Clavis Calendaria, vol. I. p. 1 24. Land. 1812.
(2) Seethe observations of //cj^/it', in his ii'jc«r.s(t», upon \\\c rcilla-
diiim and tlie Penates.
UPSALA. 31
with the early history of Sweden, but with the ch^ap.
most antient mythology in the world ' ; and as ^ — v — '
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 san-
guinary testimony of the deeds of murder com-
mitted in this country; namely, the coat worn ciat'lff
by Eric 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 Siuedes, in battle, stand in need of any
artificial trophies to call their bravery into
action ; being, by nature, warlike. It is nothing
. (3) According to Mr. Coxe, a correct delineation of this image occurs
in the Mojiuvienta Ullarekarensia oi Perinskiold.
(4) See Coxe's Travels, vol. IV. p. 137. Loud. 178G. for the description
of the monument of the illustrious family of the Sturcs, and for the inter-
esting inscription upon their tomb, which is in a small chapel of this
Cathedral.
32
UPSALA.
Shift of
Margaret,
Xew Bota-
nic Garden.
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 North'.
Lastly, we were shewn the magnificent robes
worn by the Archbishop and other Clergy upon
great festivals : they are principally of velvet,
embroidered with gold. This collection is kept
in a sacristy, up a small flight of stone steps,
near the Gothic window of the 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 Garden and Green-houses; in
which latter are apartments for Professor ^fze-
lius, the Demonstrator of Botany, as he is here
(1) See Coxe's Travels, vol. IV. p. lAX.Lond. 17S6.— " How this shift,"
•bscrves the same author, " was first procured by the inhabitants of Nu-
remberg, why it was there considered as a reliquc, and the exact period when
It was imported into Stvcdcn, I nnist leave to be ascertained by those who
arc disposed to trace its history and adventures. I did not learn, how-
ever, that it has ever had the honour of giving a name to any particular
colour, like the shift of Isabella, Queen of Castile."
UPS ALA. 33
J.
called, and also for Professor Thunherg. To chap.
this place all the collection formed by Professor
Thunherg, in his extensive 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 cer-
tainly 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 Bo-
tanic 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 be-
hind the cathedral is a bust of Linnceus, 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 win-
dows of the Palace, and on its western side.
But it contains nothing remarkable; and the
VOL. XI. D
34 UPSALA.
CHAP, wretched taste which has been shewn in laying
^' ' '■»■ ' it out may be conceived, when it is mentioned,
that an avenue of clipped fir-trees, barbarously
cut into more artificial and formal shapes than
ever characterized a Dutchman's garden, lead
from the entrance to the Green-house.
Setting aside the ugly formality of this appear-
ance \ 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
Lapmarh, an addition of this kind was not re-
quired for the Botanic garden of its principal
University. The whole of this new establish-
ment, including the Green-house, Museum,
Lecture Lccturc Room, Garden, &c. may be considered
(1) Whicli is nevertheless a rcliqije of Itoman taste, as appears from a
passage of riini/s Letters before cited. See Vol. IX. of these Travels,
p. 58. Note (2.) Octavo Kdition.
U P S A L A. 35
as one of the splendid monuments of the reign chap.
of Gustavus the Third, to whom it is entirely ■>■ y ^
due; and of whom, in the present conflicting
state of party and opinion in Sweden, it is almost
impossible to speak with truth and accuracy.
According to one set of men, his memory should conflicting
be held as deservedly glorious. When his con- respecting
duct in public affairs is censured, as having f,^eTllrd.
proved ruinous to the Swedish finances, '* let
the works he left behind him," say they, " at
least be properly estimated, to prove that his
lavish expenditure of the pubUc 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 calcu-
lated for the Swedes ; that his polished manners
and enlightened mind were too refined for them;
that not a single work exists in Siveden calcu-
lated to promote public honours, to give en-
couragement to the arts and sciences, to improve
the manufactures, or to afford patronage to learn-
ing, 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 distinguished
tnonarch, will drop a tear in viewing the splendid
monuments of his taste and patriotism, and will
D 2
36 UPS ALA.
CHAP, shudder in the recollection of his fate : and
y. y " ' when the prejudices of party, the interests of
selfish politicians, and the suggestions of private
resentment, shall be done away, future genera-
tions will read his history, and place him with
Augustus and Hadrian. Having heard this eulo-
gium, as it is frequently pronounced in Sweden,
the whole of it will be contradicted by an oppo-
site 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 intimately acquainted with the
man, that nothing can be more unjust than the
aspersions cast upon his private character'.
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 inha-
(l) In this number was the late Professor /'(///«.?, and other distin-
guishul men of letters, with wliom Gusluvus associated.
UPSALA. 37
bitant?. When an Englishman speaks of the chap.
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 Habits and
^ manners of
forms his notion of a Swedish University from the stu-
'' dents.
any thing he has seen of similar establishments
in his own country, associating ideas of Cam-
bridge and Oxford with his imaginary concep-
tions of Upsala, Lund, and Ibo, he will be egre-
giously 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 something to
compare with it in the Universities of Scotland ;
but even in the last there is nothing so low as
in Sweden. Let the Reader figure to himself a
few dirty-looking lackeys out of place, lounging
about in slouched white hats, with a loose sur-
tout thrown over their shoulders, one arm of
which hangs empty and dangling by their side,
and long military boots rising above the knees ;
their hair uncut, uncombed, and undressed,
hanging as long in front as in the rear, but
parted over the middle of the forehead, so as to
fiia
2iCG58
{J8 UPSALA.
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
Faivkes upon a Fifth of November. This descrip-
tion 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
tradesmen 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 per-
haps 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 identi-
cal 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 Volume, as a student of Upsala,
UPSALA. 39
who presented to us some Runic Calendars', chap.
By his means we obtained an introduction to
many of his fellow-students, and became ac-
quainted 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, '' d, la cave" as it is
termed ; that is to say, to a public cellar for ^^^l^^
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 manufactured 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 hilarity ; so
that a merry drunkard is hardly ever seen.
The luine, though called French wine, is also from
the breweries of Stockholm ; and the brandy is of
the worst quality. Swedish brandy, in whatever
part of the country it is found, is everywhere
alike; a weak spirit, flavoured with aniseed,
(I) See p. 122 of the Xth Volume of these Travels.
40 UPS A LA.
CHAP, and, when diluted with water, causing a preci-
pitation, as if milk had been added to the mix-
ture. 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 unfre-
quently attended by blows ; their disputes,
especially when they are of a political 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 University of Upsala.'' A young
American student, who was one of the company
present, did not seem to relish the sort of wel-
U P S A L A. 41
come they were disposed to give us : and at the chap.
same time being eager to make known the prin- - .,/ -
ciples 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 our glasses ; having no
other use for them than to testify our washes for
the success of a University so celebrated as that
of Upsala. However, having 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 conduct of
^ ^ , the Stu-
they all sally forth ; and woe betide the unpo- dents to-
pular Professor who may happen to be in their professors,
way, when the convives (\\\\t their sudatories!
They have two different watch- words ; one of
which controuls or animates their fury upon
42 UPSAI.A.
these occasions. If the Professor be a favourite,
the cry of ' vivatf is heard, and he is suffered
to proceed without molestation; but if other-
wise, a shout of 'pereatf is the signal for
attack; when the Professor either makes his
escape as rapidly as he can, or is very roughly
Total want handled. There is no account taken, as in our
of disci-
pline Universities, of the hours when they return to
among the i i • i
Students, their lodgings. Every 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 Stilling-
JLeety ** that great and hitherto unrivalled School
of Natural History," together with the Empire
it no longer adorn-ed, were hastening to their
dissolution. The number of students has been
said to vary annually from six hundred to a
thousand, which is a gross 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 Jecture,
UPSALA. 43
It may be urged, and with truth, that public chap.
drinking-cellars are not the places in which to '
look for the reading class of the students : men SoT''
seriously disposed 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 Want of
public examinations, and those trials of ability,
with distribution of honours and rewards, which
powerfully call emulation into action ; stimu-
lating 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 disregard 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
44 UPSALA.
CHAP, of heart, generosity, assiduity, 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 the natural characteristics of the
generality of the Swedes. 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;
Habits of bccausc their chief vice consists in habits of
intoxica-
tion, intoxication : and it is a vice not easily to be
exterminated, in a country where examples of
sobriety are so much wanted. If parents con-
sider it no degradation to 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 wnth 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 expecto-
ration ; and at the age of five-and-twenty having
UPSALA. 45
anticipated, by their excesses, the decrepitude chap.
and infirmities of fourscore. Perhaps it will * — v — '
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 descrip-
tion 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 traveller must see many things in haste,
and perhaps form many of his conclusions too
rapidly. He may also, from the very circum-
stance of his transitory intercourse with the
inhabitants, view some things in a more advan-
tageous light that would be admitted by those
who reside for a long time in the country.
Sometimes, in conversing with those of his own character
countrymen who have remained long in Sweden^ "stve/es.
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 man-
ner of caresses and favours ; but that when this
wears off, the disposition to confer acts of kind-
46 UPSALA.
ness 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
diminution. Some of the French emigrants, as
it is well known, did make remarks of this
nature ; and their natural peevishness of temper
led them to vilify their benefactors. Sweden is
not the only country where they evinced a
similar disposition — cursing, rather than bless-
ing the hand that fed them. De Latochnaye was
an emigrant, and a writer of this description ;
little disposed to acknowledge the extent of his
obligation to those by whom he was so hospi-
tably entertained, both in Sweden and Nonvay *
and surely, if any one ever put the Sivedish
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;
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 him-
self to acknowledge the hospitality he expe-
rienced, during his long residence in the house
<«.
UPSALA. 47
of Nordenfalk, in terms of gratitude'. What char
becomes then of the observation, 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 Siuedes, 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 Latochnaye, 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-hand-
kerchief is applied by the female peasants of
Dalecarlia; and it is also applied to other female
peasants throughout the country: — " Le mou-
choir, en SuMe, est diversemerit employe par les gens
de differens rangs: en se rendant a teglise, les
paysanneSf qui sont communement proprement vetuesy
out un livre et un mouchoir hlanc d, la main., ce qui
ne les empeche pas cependant de se moucher avec les
(1) " Je quittai enfin la maison hospitaliere de Holm, le cceur p^netre
des attentions qu'on y avait eus pour moi." Promenade d'un Fran^ais'
en Suede, ^-c. tom.ll. p. 47. a Brunswick, ISOl.
48 UPSALA.
CHAP. doigts\'\ Add to this the abominable practice,
< V as in Germany, which is confined neither to rank
nor sex, of spitting upon the floors of all the
apartments. The sooner such habits are ba-
nished, the better ; even the subject being, to
an English ear, very revolting. We may there-
fore 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 Sivede, 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
Swedes 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 neces-
sity 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 Stock-
Jiolm ; while he ruminated upon the long tract of
(l) Promenade d'uti Fian^ais en Suede, <^c. torn. I. ;;. 211.
UPSALA. 49
Sivedish territory over which he had journeyed, chap.
and called to mind the people he had scon. ■■■. - y « <'
From the Arctic Circle to the entrance into the Uniform
Baltic Sea, the Swedes are, with little variation, tiie coun-
the same. A remarkable uniformity may be laLbltantl
considered as distinguishing not only the aspect
of the country, but also tho minds and persons
of the inhabitants. A traveller who has been
accustomed to remark the sudden change, in
Itafy, in passing the most insignificant natural or
artificial boundary ; who sees the people on one
side of abridge quite 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.
VOL. XI.
Curious Wheel-lock Musket.
CHAP. 11.
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 F^te at the Opera
House — Evening's 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 con-
dition of the Country — Places of Public Amusement —
Academies — Riots at Upsala — Royal Palace — Chapel —
State
U P S A L A. 51
State Apartments — Picture Gallery — Private Cabinets
of Gustavus the Third.
1 HE young Student, who, by his attentions
here, had so amply made amends for his former
rudeness to us in IJelsingland\ possessed, not-
withstanding his Gothic manner and appearance,
a heart open and liberal, and somewhat of a
taste for science, especially in forming collec-
tions of natural history and the antiquities of
his country. We before noticed this circum-
stance '^j when mention was made of his Herba-
rium and Runic Calendars. In the single chamber
which he occupied at Upsala, and which consti-
tuted 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 Sweden he could pick up.
Among his plants, he had a few specimens that specimens
belonged to Linnceus, which that illustrious man Herbarium
had himself pasted upon papers, and, at the nceu^^'
back of each specimen, had marked by his own
autograph names : he presented no less than
five of these to us'. With the exception only
(1) See die former Volume of these Travels, p. 121.
(2) Ibid. p. 122.
(3) They have been since presented to tlie Filxwilliam Museum, m
Cambridge, where they are now preserved.
E 2
52
UPSALA.
Curious
•wheel-lock
Musket.
CHAP, of the first, they are all described in the Flora
y ' Lapponica and Flora Svecica\
But the most singular rarity of his apartment
was an old wheel-lock musket which stood in
one corner of the room, and which he told us
one of his ancestors had formerly 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
(1) The first, as the autograph states at the back of it, grew in the
Botanic Garden at Upsala.
1. BiscuTELLA Apula — a native of Italy, vulgarly called " Spear-
leaved Buckler-mustard." — The plant is too well known to
need further description.
2. Aeabis Alpina. (Flor. Lapp. 257. p. 213. Amst. 1737.) com-
monly cMei Alpine Wall- Cress. It is a native of the Alps, and
other mountains of £!tro/)e; being found on rocks, in caverns,
and in woods. We found it often in the higher parts of Lap-
land. It was cultivated at Oxford m 1658; and is now become
very common in gardens §•
3. Gnaphalium sYLVATicuM. {Flor..Svec. 61 5. p. 245. Stockh.1745.)
The " Wood Everlasting, or English upright Cudweed." — It
grows in several parts of England.
4. LicuEN PHYsoDEs. {Flor. Svec. 951. p.546. Stocfch, 1745.) The
well-known Moss of the Birch-tree.
5. Lichen vkixkus. This was found by Linnecus upon the Lapland
rocks. {Flor. Lapp. 454. p. 545. Amst. 1137.) In his Flora
Svccica [vid. 9G8. p. 353. Stockh. 1745.) he says it is common
near Upsala.
§ Seo Miller'i Diet, by Martyn, Vol. L (Arabis.)
UPSALA. 53
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 require 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 master*. In 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 side^ : yet there are parts of
(2) Beginning 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; the Ex-
pulsion of the Human Race from Paradise ; their Agricultural Labours ;
the Death of Abel ; the History of Noah ; the Deluge ; &c. &c. — the
whole being censidered, in all probability, as a connected series of power-
ful amulets, calculated to protect the bearer of this musket from all dan-
gers " ghostly and bodily,"
(3) See the account of a splendid MS. in the Mostyn Library in
Flintshire, as communicated by the Author to the celebrated Pennant, for
his " History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holywell ," p. 74. Land.
1796.
CHAP.
IL
54 UPSALA.
^^^^- the workmanship equal to the performances of
' '-y- ' ' Albert Durer, and which exhibit characteristic
marks of the age in which he lived'.
Before we left Upsala, we should have visited
Gamia the viUasfe of Gamla Ubsala, distant about five
Upsala. ° / • r ^
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 Ge/le, 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 by confounding the Teutonic
with the Celtic nations, which were, ah origine,
two distinct people*. Conical heaps raised over
(1) A Vignette picfixcd to tliis Chapter will serve to shew the form of
this curious weapon, and also one of the nutnerous representations upon
tiie stock.
(2) See Mallet's Nortlierii Antiquities, Trcf-to Vol.1. Edinh. 1809.
U P S A L A. 55
the dead are generally Ce/^zc sepulchres; but in the
rarity of Celtic monuments in Siveden and Norivay,
added to other circumstances conspicuous 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 here-
after 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 Stuedes, who in the period when such mounds
were raised over the dead in the north of Europe
were not inhabitants of Sweden. At a much
later period in history, when Mithradates sought
for refuge in those deserts of Russia now inha-
bited 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 country \
(3) Mallet makes their principal city, at that time, Asgard, between the
Biuick Sea and the Caspian ,- considering them as the jlses, a race of Sct/-
thians ;
CHAP.
II.
56 RETURN TO STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. We now took our last leave of Upsala, and set
^— N ' out again for Stockholm, through an open, flat,
sicocioswr. and fertile country. We passed Skocloster, as in
our former journey, on the right, the seats of
the Counts of Bi-ahe, one of the oldest families
in Sweden. In the house there is a curious col-
lection of antiquities and other rarities, which
are esteemed worth seeing. It lies out of the
main route. In this part of our journey 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 re-
turn 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 Swedish
history, we shall not entirely omit the mention
of them. A number of express couriers, passing
us upon the road, had already apprised us of
the birth of the young Prince, which had just
taken place ; messages being despatched with
thian.% ; and thinks tlicre is reason to believe that AznJ", or, as he writes
it, yln-of, derived its name from this nation. But who will venture into
an inquiry where, as lie juditiously observes, " the most profound re-
searches, the most ingenious conjectures, discover nothing to us but our
own ignorance?"
STOCKHOLM. 5/
the intelligence to all parts of the kingdom. He chap.
was born on Friday, November 8th ; and after- '^
wards christened by Troil archbishop of Upsala. state of
We arrived upon the i6th. Some slight dis- ontheAu-
turbances had taken place, which were very Jurl*'*"
generally the subject of conversation. Upon
the day appointed for the celebration of the birth
of his Majesty Gmtavus the Fourth, the shop-
keepers of Stockholm had given a dinner to the
French Consul. Among other ceremonies at this
fite, two busts had been prepared, and publickly
exhibited ; the one of Buonaparte, and the other
of Field-Marshal General Suivarof. The com-
pany drank pumpers of wine to the health of
Buonaparte, but filled their glasses with water
when Suwarof's health was proposed, and dis-
charged their contents in the face of his bust.
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 or-
dered to quit the country; together with Robinhof,
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
58 STOCKHOLM.
^Yj^^- the comedian here alluded to, in the part he
' — • — ' acted, held a dialogue with an actress as a cham-
bermaid, 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 3 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 Ma-
jesty 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
Character had frcqucnt opportunities of hearing the King's
of the
young character discussed. He was said not to have
any private intimacies, nor to have been influ-
enced by any of those creatures c^Wed. favourites,
because he never had one. He superintended and
directed every thing himself; consequently every
STOCKHOLM. 59
thing was mismanaged. The state of the public chap.
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 was. 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
befall them, if the public credit were not re-
trieved : 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 Sweden, the King, the
Duchess of Sudermania, and other exalted per-
sonages, amounting in all to twenty persons
(among whom were some unmarried men), were
stationed about her person, to become the spec-
tators of her pains and delivery. It was said, that,
with a view to avoid the indecency of such an
60 STOCKHOLM.
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 Stochholmy who affected to be
versed in State secrets, or who, from their
situation, might be supposed to possess accu-
rate knowledge 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 Siveden' was peculiarly conspi-
cuous 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 oppro-
brious anecdotes which were everywhere in
circulation respecting these august personages :
but as the similitude which the reigning monarch
(1) It maybe 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, tj-c. vol.W. p. 372. ionrf. 1784.)
But the same author acknowledges (p. 369) that " the whole of the
executive power is virtually vested in the King : for though it is said to
be entrusted to hira conjointly with the Senate, yet, as his Majesty
appoints and removes all the members of that council, and, in tlie admi-
nistration of afl'airs, asks only their advice, without being bound to follow
it, he is absolute master of the Senate." Sheridan {Hist, of the laic Revo-
lut.in Sweden, <Jfc. /). 301) considered the King of Sweden, after the Re-
volution in lll'J, as " no less absolute at Slockfiolm, than the Grand
Signior at Conslantinople."
STOCKHOLM. 61
was supposed to bear to General Monk, a friend chap.
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 relation-
ship in which he stood to this officer, it would
not be consistent with that freedom of commu-
nication 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 resem-
blance, having never seen the officer to whom
allusion is made. The generality of the Swedes
considered the features of Gustavus the Fourth as
a striking resemblance of the portraits of Charles
the Tivelfth: and, after examining the cast^ made
of the face of Charles, we were struck by an
evident family likeness ; which, at least, goes to
prove, that if such indications 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
(2) This will be further described in the sequel.
(3) 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
Tfiomson's Travels in Sweden, p. 115. Lnnd. 1815.) See also the Por-
trait of Gustavus the Fourth, engraved for Dr. Thomson's work, which is
a striking likeness of him.
62 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, apparently feeble, with a pale countenance.
•*— V He looked most advantageously when dressed
in regimentals ; and worst of all when he ap-
peared 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!
Royal Upon the 21st of November, the entertain-
Opera mcuts of the evening at the Opera House 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 dCoeil, upon entering the
theatre, was very brilliant. The boxes con-
sisted of five tiers of seats ; the ladies being
ranged in the front rows. The stage was lighted
by two large cut glass chandeliers, which were
drawn up when the 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 fState officers
were stationed waiting for his arrival, when we
entered the theatre. At each side of the en-
trance to the pit were placed the King's Guards,
in pompous theatrical suits of blue cloth, with'
STOCKHOLM.
63
polished coats of mail^ and enormous helmets chap.
surmounted by tall plumes; producing alto- -
gether the most grotesque effect, by combining
somewhat of the manly chivalrous aspect of the
warriors of antient days with the wretched effemi-
nacy and scenic taste of the modern Court. It
was enough to rouse the ghost of Gustavus Vasa,
to view the heroes of Siveden in this deplorable
disguise^ wanting only their cheeks painted, to
fit them for a booth at Bartholomew Fair.
While we were thus intent upon the motley Evenings
figures of the soldiers, a bustle in the orchestra, turJs!""
and a general movement among the Guards,
announced his Majesty's approach; who en-
tered, followed by the Duchess of Sudermania,
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 strik-
ing 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 of whose helmet, towering aloft, threat-
ened to bury the diminutive and meagre figure
of the King. The audience immediately rose.
64 STOCKHOLM.
^^^^- 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 chapeau 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 no-
ticed 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 even-
ing's entertainment, an adventure occurred which
will afford a specimen of the national manners.
Two Italian gentlemen, with whom we were
intimately acquainted — Signer Acerbi, author of
Travels in Sweden, Lapland, and Finland, and his
young companion, Signer Bellotti — were seated
STOCKHOLM. 55
in the box of the Prussian Minister. These chap.
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 thereby obtain a better view of the
King and of the 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 disquiet 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 ac-
quainted with them, went up, and represented
to them his Majesty's disapprobation of their
appearance in the front rank, without having on
the full Court dress; desiring them, at the
same time, not to retire from the theatre, but to
sit backward, so as to escape further observa-
VOL. Xf. F
66 STOCKHOLM.
tion from below. Some of the audience, wit-
nessing this transaction, thought proper to
insinuate that his Majesty mistook the two
Italian gentlemen for Englishmen — tliere being
at this time a slight misunderstanding between
our Court and that of Siveden, in consequence of
the neglect which it was said his Britannic
Majesty had shewn to a Letter written by the
Siuedish Sovereign respecting the capture of a
Swedish convoy. This circumstance had ren-
dered it difficult for our countrymen to obtain a
presentation at the Swedish Court; as our Mi-
nister had ceased to make his appearance there,
•and had been omitted in the invitations recently
sent 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 dif-
ferent circles : meanwhile, we experienced every-
where the same kindness and hospitality which
we had invariably met with since our first arri-
val in the country.
Little needs be said of the style of the per-
formance at a Swedish opera. The singers and
dancers are equally below mediocrity. The
STOCKHOLM. 67
band is generally good, and the music well chap.
given. The management also of the scenery, ■
owing to the great pains bestowed upon the
most trifling theatrical concerns during the reign
of the late King, still reflects credit upon the
mechanist who is employed. For our parts, Reflections
during the whole of this evening's represen- death of
the late
tation, neither the splendours of the Court gala, monarch,
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 atrocities, dwelt full
upon our minds ; — and who could say how soon,
or how late, the same sanguinary scene might
not be renewed ? The young Gustavus, 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 circum-
stances of his situation and character, marked
to become another victim of the plots and con-
spiracies that were going on : and wonderful to
us appeared the calm and placid indifference
with which the young monarch sate occu-
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
F 2
68 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, his father. — But we had not yet visited
V ■>—■■* Russia !!!
Desmaisons, the celebrated author of an Essay
on the Revolutions of Sweden, in developing
from national character and foreign political
interests the true sources of those changes
which have successively agitated the Swedish
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'. Can it be supposed that an
event of such immense political importance,
reflecting such a distinguished lustre on the
character of Gustavics the Third-, and such dismay
upon his adversaries, would be speedily for-
gotten; or that the hatred towards him, in-
creased by the annihilation of the self-interested
projects of a party, ever slept, so long as any
,of that party continued to exist in Siveden, 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
(1) See " Hislnire de la dernierc Revolution de Suede," par Jacques
Le Scene Desmaisons. Amst. 11S2.
(y) Guslavus the Third was twenty-five years old when he was pro-
claimed King, the year before the Revolution of 1772.
STOCKHOLM. 69
hitherto been m executing their former projects, chap.
In our long journey through Sweden, we often
endeavoured to procure accurate information
relative to the real authors and abettors of the
conspiracy which ended in his assassination by
the hand of Ankarstrom ; but the circumstances
respecting it were either told with the most
evident exaggeration, or with an air of studied
and stupid mystery, which, bordering upon
affectation, prevented further inquiry. 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 accom-
phshed 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 dis-
affected was so numerous, a secret of such
moment could so long remain concealed. Some
of the Swedish gentry maintain that the num-
ber of the conspirators exceeded a thousand.
Judging only from the facts which have tran-
spired ; 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
of the
Sepulchre
of Charles
tkeTwelfth
70 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, 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.
Opening A fcw days after this/e^e at the Opera House,
we went to Ridderholm Church, to see the
sepulchre of Charles the Tivelfth, 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, mean-
while, was exposed to view : it was covered
STOCKHOLM. 71
with crimson velvet, and adorned with gold chap.
fringe. We observed that it was still in as per- < — /—'
feet 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 com-
plained 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 internip-
retum to the Capital, and received from him amity sub-
the intelligence of the unpleasant state of affairs twee'tfE>fg.
between our country and Sweden, which seemed ^^wtLl^
likely to end in a war. This, of course, pre-
vented our appearance at Court ; but, in lieu of
a presentation to his Majesty, he proposed
taking us to the Society, and introducing us ciub called
there to the different ambassadors, nobles, and
officers of distinction, which constitute its mem-
bers. This Club is the greatest resource a
stranger in this country can possibly enjoy : it
is regulated upon the best principles, and kept
H STOCKHOLM.
^^^^' in the most perfect order. Its meetings arc
^— V ' 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 everywhere displayed. One room
is appropriated to reading: and here all the
principal Gazettes published in Europe, together
with all sorts of periodical works, French, Ger-
man, 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 apartments are lighted up with wax can-
dles. 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 tlie privi-
leges 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
II.
STOCKHOLM. 73
twelve rix-dollars annually to the fund. The chat
dinners and suppers here are excellent, every
thing being cheap and good, and the expense
small. A dinner, without wine, costs only six-
teen-pence ^w^/w/i; 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, morever,
always in waiting, a Directeur, or Maitre 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.
(1) In this number were, the celebrated Brougham ; Acerbi, the Lap'
land traveller ; Mr. now Sir Charles Stewart ; the Rev. Mr. £ent, and
Mr. Jarrett, whom we had before seen in Norway ,• and Mr. Bellotti,
II.
74 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. The most perfect order prevails in all the apart-
ments ; every one being at liberty to enter, or
retire without form, as he pleases'. Some per-
sons belonging to the Court, who were proposed
as members, had been rejected in 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 kingdom^; 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
(1) An establishment of this nature, under the name of •' The United
Service Club," lias been lately founded in London, which seems to be
conducted upon a similar plan.
(2) " Plus on s'approche de la capitate, moins on apercoit cette respec-
table bonhomie, qui caracterise generalcment le paysan Suedois des pro-
vinces." rromcnade en Suede, par De Lalochnaye, torn. I. p. 62.
Brunswick, 1801.
STOCKHOLM. 75
between the Court and our Minister. Neither chap.
is there much in the place itself to afford > r—-^-
instruction or amusement. Excepting the great
square of Nordermalm, the streets, though of very-
considerable length, are neither broad nor hand-
some. There is no foot pavement ; and the
shops are everywhere wretched. The houses
are lofty, and they are all white-washed. The Resem-
T<Y» r» •!• • • 1 blance to
different families, as in Jtabjy reside upon sepa- Italian
i-ate floors, or stories, one above another ; the
ground-floor being appropriated to shops, and
the upper stories to private families. There is,
moreover, a resemblance between the customs
of the two countries. 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 lost. At mid-day, every body is
at dinner : the merchants have then left their
counters, and the shops are shut. Afterwards
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
76 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, private affairs, it is in vain that he endea-
V ' V '' vours afterwards to get any thing done in the
town.
One of the first things it is natural to seek
for, in arriving at any place upon the Continent,
Book- is a bookseller's shop : but the booksellers here
sellers*
have no catalogues ; or if any thing of this kind
be produced, it is written wholly in the Siuedisk
language. And with regard to the dealers
themselves, never were persons of their pro-
fession 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 in 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.
PubUc When Englishmen are invited to dine with the
inhabitants, it is a constant practice to prepare
a quantity of what is called roast-beef for their
reception at table : and the opinion which all
foreigners have, that we cannot dine without a
copious allowance of animal food, especially of
beef, is very diverting. The host gathers con-
sequence to himself in having provided this
Dinners.
STOCKHOLM. 77
kind of diet, and, smiling at his guests, calls chap.
out, in an emphatical tone, ^ RoshifT (for so it ^'■■.■ y ■'
is generally written and pronounced) as the
mangled heap of flesh which bears this name is
handed round ; not having the smallest resem-
blance to any thing so called in England, but
consisting 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 quali-
fication, worthy not only of a warrior, but of a
78 STOCKHOLM.
God'. — "We met with an instance of the dissa-
tisfaction given by the want of this quaUfication,
where we least expected it; namely, in the
Directeur of the Societf. We might have sup-
posed 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 determined
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
(1) " 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
^f combat. — ' It must indeed be owned,' replied the King, ' that you are
not wanting in dexterity, if you are able to perform 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 {\.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 Anlicnt Icelandic Mylhulogy. Sec Mallet's Norlhern AntiquUiet.,
vol. U. p. 90. Edin. 1800.
f^9H.'
STOCKHOLM. 79
alluded to in a former volume'; and tlie subject chap.
would be deemed too trivial for repetition, were » i«s>- »
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 Norway; for in this
respect there is not much difference between
the two countries. No person, on any account,
is permitted to 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 entertain-
ment. 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 inter-
rupted 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
(2) See Vol. X. of these Travels, p. 109. Octavo Edit,
80
STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
II.
Interior
of the
Houses.
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 offish-oil, for the same purpose. 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 com-
pany 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 cus-
toms and 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
STOCKHOLM. 81
so as to represent the pedestal of a column, and chap.
then they often support a statue ; or if not so '- . >
ornamented, they reach to the ceiling 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 perfumes, 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, uncomfortable,
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.
VOL. xr. G
82 STOCKHOLM.
^fri^^' "^^^ prohibition respecting the use of coffee
was at this time so strictly observed in Stockholm,
Coffee pro- , . , p .,. . -
hibited. that in genteel lamilies 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 Siuedes re-
fuse to drink it, when invited by a company of
foreigners who have had it before them. The
use of tea had been substituted in its place.
This beverage the Sivedes call Te-JVatn, or Tea-
IVater ; a very appropriate name for the infu-
sion, 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.
Anecdotes Soou after the prohibition respectinoj coffee
of the . ^ . r o
King. had been issued, his Majesty's own valet de
chamhre, a man of tried fidelity and very amiable
character, either through some inadvertence on
the part of his servants, or a momentary thought-
lessness in himself, having invited a party to
visit him at Drottningholm, 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 super-
sede 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
STOCKHOLM. 83
II.
when his valet came to undress him, he said, chap.
" 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 Intendantof the Pohce,
and tell him what you have done, and pay the
penalty ' ; and then come back to me." — When
the valet returned, and the King 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 pro-
perty. Some time after, a lottery was set on
foot by his friends, to reimburse him. In the
(1) One rix-doUar for every cup of coffee used.
G 1
84 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, 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 " broke7i 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. Gustavus 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 undertake any lottery, without pre-
vious 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
STOCKHOLM. 85
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 character 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 inca-
pable of guiding him, it was not easy to pene-
trate the reserve that shrouded his private life
from observation. The few things that had
transpired afforded a favourable view of his dis-
position. From his earliest boyhood he was
little disposed to familiarity 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 re-
peated, 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 1"
With regard to other stories circulated in
Stockholm, respecting either the young Sovereign
CHAP.
II.
86 ' STOCKHOLM.
^^j^^* 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, impe-
rious, but benevolent man, destitute 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 ex-
ample : and the Queen, as a giddy cheerful romp,
more disposed towards laughter than serious
reflection, who would prefer a game at blind-
man's buff to any State ceremony, however
splendid the situation she might be called upon
to fill.
Probable Wc met with a bookseller in Stockholm who
contents of , ,
the Chests assurcd US — and we saw no reason to doubt the
^" "' truth of what he said — 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 con-
taining them '. He seemed well acquainted with
the nature of these manuscripts; and, as his
character is highly respectable, and the informa-
(l) See the former Chapter, p. 19.
STOCKHOLM. 87
tion he afforded was given without the least chap.
solicitation on our part, it may perhaps be worth '- y *
attending to. The most important part of these
papers, he said, as written by Gustavus the Third,
contains the History of his own Times ; com-
posed with a depth of political knowledge, and
most profound reflection, such as might be ex-
pected from his uncommon talents and observa-
tion. 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 state of
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 pro-
gress, and all the patronage essential to its en-
couragement, has made rapid advances". The
chemical discoveries of the Swedes, in all their
Universities % redound greatly to their honour.
(2) Witness the surprising talents of ^crxf/mjf; 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 discove-
ries made by his pupil, Arfuedson. Not to omit a tribute due to the
names of Eheberg of Uj)sala, Gahn of Fahlun, Hisinger, Hielm of Stock'
holm, and many others.
(3) The name of the University oi Abo would hardly have been known
in the rest of Europe, but for the chemical discoveries of Gadolin.
88 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
II.
V.
Yet the science of Mineralogy y connected as it is
with Chemistry, is hardly anywhere at a lower
ebb than in Sweden : and Geology may be con-
sidered 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, more-
over, 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, Me-
taphysics, Laws, Languages, Music, the Belles
Lettres, were only known as so many appella-
tions to which there was nothing applicable.
Deplorable Thc Fiuc Arts, oucc flourishing in this metropolis,
orthV°° languished for want of encouragement. Add to
Country. ^^ ^^^^ ^ gloomy prospect 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 ac-
cumulating ; agriculture neglected ; manufac-
tures ruined ; insurrections ripe in every quar-
ter ; 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
STOCKHOLM. 89
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 mate-
rials 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 evi-
dently gathering force in every quarter of his
kingdom. Such was the abject state of the
paper currency, that Bank-notes were in circu-
lation of the nominal value of eight-pence,
English ; but which were considered as literally
worth nothing ; no one being willing to take
them. The commerce of the country, of course,
experienced a lamentable check; and corn, of
which the importation annually cost three mil-
lions of dollars, became woefully scarce. In
this deplorable condition of things, the State
candle was burning at both ends. The regula-
tions made to prevent the consumption of coffee
and of spirits were wholly ineffectual, and con-
90 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
II.
v^
stantly evaded. There seemed to be no police
whatever ; nor any assize of bread ; the diffe-
rence of one half prevailing in the price of the
same article in different parts of the same town.
One hundred rix-doUars 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 satisfac-
tion of taking off our hats, whenever he ap-
proached ; and, notwithstanding what was before
urged with regard to his conduct towards our
countrymen, it was pleasing to observe that
ment.
STOCKHOLM. 91
upon these occasions he always returned our chap.
salute in the most gracious manner. *■ - y '
The places of Public Amusement in this city i''^"^ o^
are not numerous : the prmcipal are, the Opera Amuse-
HousE, already noticed ; the Theatre, or, as it
is here called, Dramatis ka ; 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
Sivedish 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 pilas-
ters of the Corinthian order. It constitutes the
chief ornament of the Nordermalm Square, being
opposite 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 Frangaise, which was taken down in the
alterations made to lay open the front of the
Royal Palace'. In this theatre are represented
the Sivedish tragedies, comedies, and farces ; the
best of which are quite below mediocrity. In
comedy, however, the Swedes have some excel-
lent actors. We saw one, whose name we do
not recollect, but he reminded us forcibly of our
(1) The old French Theatre is now changed into a set of ante-rooms
belonging to this building.
92 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, own matchless comedian, John Bannister, whose
II.
talents will never be forgotten, if unaffected sim-
plicity 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 the whole time he re-
mained upon the stage. Siveden is not destitute
of eminent theatrical writers ; but the principal
part of the dramatic works brought forward in
this country are translations from the English
and French languages : 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 con-
versation 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 Socictics instituted in Stockholm for the
encouragement of Literature, there are five which
bear the name of Academies, without including
ihe, Patriotic Society ; viz. T\\Q Academy of Sciences ;
that of the Belles Lettres, History, and Antiquities ;
the Swedish Academy ; the Academy of Painting
and Sculpture ; and the Royal Academy of Music.
STOCKHOLM. 93
II.
Among these, the Academy of Sciences holds chap.
the highest rank. It was founded in 1739, by
several learned patriots, among whom it is suffi-
cient to mention the senator Count Hoepken,
Linncsus, and Alstroemer. It has continually in-
creased and prospered since its first establish-
ment ; having published more than one hundred
volumes of Memoirs, Discourses, Eulogies, and
Dissertations, all in the Sivedish language. It
was not until it had attained the summit of its
reputation that it was received under the pro-
tection of Government ; which has since al-
lowed to it great advantages ; among others, the
exclusive right of publishing and distributing
almanacks throughout the kingdom, a privilege
from which it derives a revenue annually of
two thousand rix-dollars. The sciences which
chiefly occupy this Academy are, Natural His-
tory, Physic, Anatomy, Chemistry, Astronomy,
&c. It has a Library, a Cabinet of Natural
History, an Observatory, and a Botanic Garden
bequeathed to it by Mr, Berguis, the direction
of which is entrusted to Mr. Swartz. The Ca-
binet 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 Presi-
dent and two Secretaries. The President is
STOCKHOLM.
renewed every three months: the two Secre-
; taries are perpetual. The first, Mr. Melander-
hielm, 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 Hoepken. The other secretary
is Astronomer 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. Pilas, De Geer, Wargen-
tin, Baech, Berguis, Scheele, &c. : but it still
possesses Mr. Acrel, chief physician ; its Presi-
dent, Rosenadler, who has bequeathed to it all
his Stvedish books; Admiral Chapman; Baron
Alstroemer ; Mr. Engcstroem. ; Baron Hermelin ;
Messrs. Geyer and Hjelm, excellent minera-
logists and chemists, the latter of whom first
obtained Molybdenum in the metallic state ; De
Carlson, Paykull, Oedmann, &c. Among the mem-
bers of this Academy, it boasts of many cele-
brated foreigners: — in Fuj^nce, Lalande, Ex-
pilly, Monnct, Keralio, Le Sage, De Morveau^
BoufflerSf &c. — in Spain, Muds; — in Italy,
STOCKHOLM. 95
Spallanzani, Verri, Morozzo, Fontaria, &c. — ia chap.
Germany, K'dstner, Kolpin, Richter, Forster,
M'dller, Achardy Jacquin, Schreber, fVeigel, &c. —
in Russia, j/Epinas, Euler, Rumoiuski, Pallas,
Kourahin, Raziimoivski, Gallitzin, &c. — in Eng-
land, Banks, Pennant, Kiriuan, and Smith; —
in Denmark, Niehuhr, Suhm, and Fahl ; — in
America, Priestley. The Memoirs of the Aca-
demy 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 Up-
sala in 1541; the New Testament, in quarto,
with wood-cuts, printed at Stockholm in 1549;
the first New Testament printed in Siveden,
dated Stockholm 1521. Also a rare work (be-
cause prohibited), called " The Battles of Duke
Charles," or Charles IX. That the proceed-
ings 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 Linnee
avoit ecrit dans sa langue, il auroit eu, sans doute,
autant de merite ; mais, a coup sur, pas autant de
96 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. celehrid\'' Sparmann added greatly to the
■■y- ' Cabinet of this Academy. He classed it accord-
ing to the system of LinncBus ; giving to the
Academy, at their sittings, his own descriptions
of every thing that was new. Notwithstanding
these additions, there is not much in this cabi-
net 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 selection and manner of dis-
playing 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 re-
el) Voyage de deux Fran9ais, torn. II. p. 74 (Note). Paris, 1796.
STOCKHOLM. 97
markable rarities, we were shewn the gene- chap.
rative organs of the Ostrich and Rhinoceros; the * y '
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 Jlm-
hoinensis, 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 ; fVorins, 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 magni-
tude; as, the heads of the Cape Buffalo; the
Hippopotamus, believed to be the Behemoth of
sacred 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 mem-
bers 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, D'lhre, Potberg, and De Berch,
VOL, XI. H
II.
98 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, 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 culti-
vation of the Swedish language, by Gustavus the
Third, in 1786. Its particular aim is to culti-
vate, to purify, and to enrich the Swedish lan-
guage. 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
nealected nothino^ that misfht 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 de-
liver 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 the
members of the Hoyal Family, the Nobles and
Gentry of Stockholm, and Foreigners admitted
with tickets distributed by the members of the
Academy. We were present upon one of these
STOCKHOLM. 99
occasions, Saturday, November 23, when the sitting chap.
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 Academy 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 oppo-
site 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
business of the sitting opened with a Congratu-
latory Poem addressed to the King, by Mr.
Leopold, the most celebrated of the Siuedish
Poets, upon the birth of the young Prince;
containing, as may be easily supposed, little
more than the most extravagant adulation, dis-
posed into metre and rhyme. After this had
been read, a new member, Count Flemings was
H 1
100 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, introduced, to fill the vacancy caused by the
' , ' death of Stenhammar, and to pronounce the funeral
oration'. This was read by the Count, from a
manuscript, in the Swedish, 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 con-
siderable 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 Sculp-
ture was founded in 1735, by Count Tessin. It
was particularly protected by Gusiavus 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
(I) Acerbi has mentioned a Swedish bon-mot, upon the occasion of
Count Fleming' i 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 )70.' — See Acerbi s Travels, vol. I. p. 170.
Lond. 1802.
STOCKHOLM. 101
Mr. Pasch Director ; the first, Intendant of the chap.
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. Tempkman, the
Secretary, and Architect to the King; Mr. Mas-
relier, Painter to the King ; the famous Despres,
scene-painter, &c. ; the two Martins, one a land-
scape painter, the other an engraver and painter
in water-colours. It has lost Mr. Gillberg, who
produced the medals which compose the me-
dalUc history of Gustavus the Third.
The Royal Academy of Music was founded
in 1772, by Gustavus the Third. The Opera is
annexed to its establishment. It has produced
works of great merit, in poetry, music, and
scenery : for example, the famous opera of Gus-
tavus Fasa, which was brought out with un-
equalled splendour and perfection. The music
of its pieces is principally composed by Uttini,
an Italian ; and by Fbgler 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
102 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP
jj * 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 peti-
tion he received, as Chancellor of the Univer-
sity, from the Students, remonstrating against
the conduct of the Rector Magnificus, and demand-
ing a legal inquiry into the propriety of the mea-
Riots at sures he had thoudit proper to pursue. These
Upsala. Oil r
young men had celebrated Buonapartes return
to Paris ' ; and exhibited an ideot, in solemn pro-
cession, dressed and decorated with the uniform,
orders, and insignia of Suwarof. The principal
magistrate of the University had therefore as-
sembled the students, and publickly reproved
tJiem 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 imme-
diately 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
(1) After landing at Frejus, from his Egi/plian expedition.
STOCKHOLM. 103
CHAP.
II.
longer worthy either of his patronage or protec-
tion, and accordingly resigned the Chancellor-
ship. 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 by-
stander, 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 in-
fluencing his actions, it was made a sufficient
ground for their immediate dismissal.
We availed ourselves of his absence, upon Royal
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 spa-
cious 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 stucco after the Italian manner.
104 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, and adorned with Grecian pillars and pilas-
^ . y ■■ ters. 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 Gustuvus 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
success ; 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 Stock-
holm, afflicted, as it was said, with an incurable
melancholy : the one is a statue of JpuIIo, the
other of Venus; the head of the latter being a
portrait of the Countess Hoepken\ Passing on,
(1) Voyage dc Deux Francais, torn. II. p. 54.
STOCKHOLM. 105
we entered another grand chamber, furnished chap.
with rich French velvet ; in which were six mar- ' r—
ble busts, also by Sergell, representing the Family
of Gustovus the Third. After this occurred a
small Cabinet, serving as a kind of vestibule to
the Picture Gallery, containing an antique marble
bason, supported by a tripod of lion's feet, and
three antient marble statues — Juno, Ptscennius
Niger, and ^ Youth with a Swan holding in its
beak a serpent. The Picture Gallery contains Picture
,, . , . , . . c y • Gallery.
some nne pieces ; but in the examination ot 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 recognise
the decisive marks of a system of imposition,
and some articles of manufacture, which have
continued for many years to exercise the inge-
nuity of the Italian artists, and to dupe the
106 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, credulous foreigners by whom they are visited. —
w-v^ — ■ In this gallery is a picture of The Death of
Adonis, attributed to Vandyke, which is assuredly
a copy'. 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 Sweden and Poland,
on horseback, with a dog, in the manner of Vandyke,
is shewn as a picture painted by Rubens, Vandyke,
and Sneyders : it was bought at a common post-
house, for a single ducat. Of this picture it is
usually said, that the figure of Sigismund is by
Vandyke, the horse by Rubens, and the dog by
Sneyders. Here are many pleasing and highly-
finished Flemish pictures; and among others,
some of PFouvermans : also a masterly picture by
Rembrandt, of A Philosopher reading. A Butcher
cutting up an ox j said to be by Teniers ; doubt-
ful. The Family of Rubens, by Vandyke. Be-
sides these, are works attributed to Poussin,
Berghem, Holbein, Titian, Laifranc, 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
(l) The Authors of the Voyage de Deux Francais ascribe this picture
to Le Maine. See torn. II. \). 55.
STOCKHOLM. 107
art. In other parts of this stately palace are chap.
many other pictures and statues : among the ^. — , — '
latter, a small statue of j4 cumbent Fmvn, one of
the finest works of SergelL We were con- Private Ca-
binet of
ducted from this Gallery to the private apart- cusiavus
r , TP-- -, 1 • , T • • ^''^ Third.
ments oi the Kmg, and much mterested m view-
ing the elegant suite of small rooms in which
Gustavus the Third 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 accommodate
all the Sovereigns in Europe, he would creep
into closets, in order to convince his friends
how snug, convenient, and withal how elegant,
a room might be made, in which the head of a
tall man would touch the ceiling, 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 Hadrians Villa, to
dwell in Diogenes tub. At the end of a series
of such small cabinets which were once occu-
pied by him in this palace, we were shewn an
elegant boudoir, or closet for writing ; the table
being raised, and adapted to a rich couch sur-
rounding the apartment. The doors of all the
rooms leading to this boudoir being placed in a
108 STOCKHOLM.
straight line, and glazed, enabled the King, as
he sat, to view the whole extent of these cham-
bers, and the persons of all who might be in
them, even when the doors were shut.
Igneous Basalt, from the hottom of a Copper Furnace in Siberia.
The original Specimen in the possession of the King of Srceden.
CHAP. III.
STOCKHOLM.
Public Women — Mildness of the Season — Vauxhall —
JVatclimen — Balls of the Society — Manners of the
Inhabitants — Public Executions — Artists — Royal Pa-
laces — Views of Stockholm — Description of Drott-
ningholm — Lake Moelar — Sudden Change induced by
the coming of Winter — Frozen Game— Population-—
State
110
8 T O C K H O L M.
Mildness
of the
Season,
Vftuxhall.
State of Trade — Boot and Shoe Market — Cabinet of
Models — College of Mines — Igneous Basalt — yJpparel
worn by Charles the Twelfth when he luas assassinated
— Cast of that King's face after death — Royal Library
— Codex Aureus — Codex Giganteus — Curious Manu-
script 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 Col-
leges' — Remarks on the Swedish Poetry — List of Poetical
Works — Operas — Dramas — Comedies — Works in the
higher order of Literature.
T. HE streets of Stockholm are not paved for foot-
passengers ; neither do they swarm with prosti-
tutes, like the public streets of London. Women
of this description are, however, not the les&
numerous here, for being less public in their
appearance. During the month of November we
were surprised at the mildness of the tempe-
rature ; the thermometer 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
fauxhall Gardens, upon Sunday, November 3 7,
after visiting the Theatre, which we found more
than usually dull. These gardens have but
little resemblance to those in England, whence
STOCKHOLM. Ill
their name has been borrowed : a few rows of ^?jj^-
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 were a good deal amused by the grotesque Watchmen,
appearance of the watchmen, in the streets at
night. Their dress consists entirely of the
skins of animals ; and they walk in pairs, carry-
ing 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
112 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, the police of our metropolis : and we are quite
J sure, that it is more wanted in London than in
■V—
Stockholm, where all the watchmen 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 Sweden^ —
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, however, there is nothing of
rudeness or disorder — a stranger finds in the
Balls of balls of the Society the utmost degree of ele-
gance and the most polished manners. We
accompanied Baron Oxenstierna, with Messrs.
jicerbi and Bellotti, and our friends Messrs. Kent
and Jarrett, to one of those balls. The pre-
ceding day, November 25, had been a great day
at Court, and most of the principal personages
(1) The author finds this preserved in the MS. Journal of his frienP
Dr. Fiott Lee. It is thus, when literally translated :
The clock has struck ten ! —
From fire, and burning [fire-brand],
And from the enemies' hand,
Save, O God ! this town and land ! —
Tlie clock has struck ten !
the Society.
STOCKHOLM. 113
were present upon this occasion. We were chap,
much struck with the magnificence of the ' r— '
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 fav^ourite 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 Siveden, we
found much more to admire than to disapprove,
and very little to censure : the generality of
Englishmen visiting the country will probably
coincide in this opinion. The more we became Mannersof
acquainted with the inhabitants, the better we biJant"^^'
were pleased with them. There are few places
where the traveller will find a greater facility of
intimate intercourse with the different famihes
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 receiving
VOL. XI. I
ecutions.
114 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, visits is in the eveninsj : it bearins about five
III. .
o'clock. Having been once introduced, no invi-
tation is afterwards necessary. As no visits are
made in a morning, every one makes his appear-
ance 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 generally remarkable for
the good humour and mirth which is excited.
Public Ex- Public executions, always rare in the pro-
vinces, are not common in the capital. During
our residence in Stockholm, an event of this kind
took place. Two malefactors, condemned 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 morninar the two
STOCKHOLM. 115
culprits were conducted from their prison to chap.
this place. The rocks and hills around were -
covered with spectators, and the throng in the
road was so great that carriages could not ap-
proach. 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 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 secre-
tary 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 appear-
ance, 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 attaclied 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
I 2
IH) STOCKHOLM.
^m^* b^'o^^"- 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 : —
" Gud bevara min sjal ! min sjal !"
" God save my soul ! my soul !"
We remained in Stockholm during a conside-
rable part of the months of November and De-
cembery 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.
ArUbts. In a former volume we mentioned some of
the artists 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 Reynokls, was engaged in painting a
whole-length ])ortrait of the King, who sate to
III.
STOCKHOLM. ., l\y
him every day. This portrait was a very fine chap.
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 mentioned, 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, Despres, 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 cele-
brated Sergell, we saw the colossal bronze statue
of Gusiavus 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 con-
sidered 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 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 collec-
tion of designs, books, and casts, at the house
118
STOCKHOLM.
CHAR
III.
Royal
Palaces.
Views of
Stockholm.
oiMasrelier, whose own drawings are deservedly
in high estimation. Upon the 28th of November
we were invited by Baron Oocenstierna to a
dinner, at which we met all our English friends.
In the evening. Signer 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 6th of December, we set out
to visit Drottningholm, one of the royal palaces
in the neighbourhood. The name of this place,
when translated, signifies The Queens Island : it
is situate in an island upon the borders of the
Lake Moelar, about six English miles from Stock-
holm. As a place of summer residence, nothing
can be more delightful. There are two other
palaces belonging to the King in the environs —
Gripsholm and Stromsholm ; but this by far ex-
ceeds the others in beauty, and has generally
been preferred by the Royal Family. The view
of Stockholm from the bridge, in going to Drdtt-
ningholm, is the best : and if external appear-
ance alone were to be relied on, this might be
deemed the most magnificent city in the world.
But the efiect produced is not to be described
STOCKHOLM. 119
in words : the aid of the painter is here wanted ' . chap.
"White edifices, consisting of public and private -^ .- v ->
palaces, churches, and other buildings, rising
from an expanse of waters, produce an eifect of
incomparable grandeur. The approach to Drutt- pescrip-
7iingholm is by a floating-bridge, seven hundred nrbtming-
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, sur-
mounted 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
(1) Tliere 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 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 o{ St. Ca-
therine's 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.
120 STOCKHOLM.
taste, by means of avenues. We soon saw
enough to convince us that nature had done
every thing for Druttningholm, and man worse
than nothing. In the reign of Gustavus the Third
this place partook largely of the splendour that
characterized his reign : the sum of money ex-
pended in its decorations v^^as enormous. Its
interior exhibits a very different aspect now,
from its appearance then. The Library and some
of the rooms are worth 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 dol-
phins, and dancing Cupids; but the appearance
of this fine statue, extending its arm over waters
connected 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 bo 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 con-
STOCKHOLM. 121
ducted to the Xz^mn/. Upon the tables we saw ^jV^^*
a number of small specimens of sculpture, exe- *" — v — '
cuted 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 Swedish
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 be-
longed to the late Queen, and was described by
Limu^us. H^ere we saw, among many other
curious animals preserved in alcohol, the em-
bryo 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, prin-
cipally in the time oi Charles the Eleventh, painted
by Ehrenstrale. The Gallery contains a series
Mcelar.
122 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, of large pictures, representing the battles of
'«— V — Charles the Tenth. The grand staircase is orna-
mented with marble statues, all of which are
modern. We saw, above stairs, a most excel-
lent portrait of Charles the Twelfth; and some
good pictures of his most celebrated Generals,
by P^aft. Opposite the palace is the Theatre ;
and there are several adjoining houses, for the
members of the Court in attendance upon the
Royal Family.
Lake The Lake Mcelar, with its irregular shores
and numerous 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 consequently 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. BlomJield\ as
affording no idea of the entrance to a great
capital : but if it be approached from the side
of Dr'uttningholm, or from the Glass-ivorks, no city
(1) See Vol. IX. p. \S5. of these Travels.
STOCKHOLM. 123
in Europe can pretend to vie with it :— it seems ^"/i^'
a Cyclopean heap of the most nobl6 structures ;
palaces and churches all piled one above ano-
ther ; 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 an-
chorage 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 Norwegians, 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
124 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, point. After the I2th, however, it was observed
v- — V ' every day to fall gradually lower : the air
was then clear and dry, and we felt none
of that chilliness which arises from a damp
atmosphere when freezing is about to take place.
Frozen ^g goon as thc frost had fairly set in, Game of all
Game. "^
sorts became abundant, and was seen upon stalls
in the principal streets. This being frozen, the
poulterers are under no apprehension of its be-
coming 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 (Telrao Urogallus) - - U dollar.
Grouse the bi'ace 1 3 ditto.
A bird called Hjarpe (Tetrao Bonasia) - - - \s. Sd. Erig.
The beautiful Snow-Riupa (Tetrao Lagopus) each 2^. ditto.
'i'urkeys _.-_. each 4 rixdollars.
A Goose 2 ditto.
Hares - each 1^. 4d. Eng.
Tullets each 2^. 8f/f. ditto.
STOCKHOLM. 125
Other wild-fowl, &c. were in proportion. These ^^j^^'
prices appeared to us to be very high, considering ' -' v *
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 price
is half-a-doUar 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 arti-
ficers in Stockholm^ a stranger might hastily con-
clude that a greal deal of business and many
manufactures were going on. The same opinion
might be formed by visiting the ^arcAaTz^e, 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 Population,
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,
(1) See also Thomson's Travels in Sweden, p. 94. Lond. 1813.
126 STOCKHOLM.
at this time, thirty-six wig-makers, and only one
cutler ! forty-seven vintners, and not a single
Trade" chimney-sweepcr ! nineteen coffee-roasters, al-
though 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 ;
cloth, leather, &c. &c. : yet one of the most sin-
Boot and gular sights in Stockholm is the boot and shoe
Shoe Mar. j^^^j-j^g^ . ^\^ jg ^ buildiug ucar 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 nowhere better made. The astonish-
ing 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
STOCKHOLM. 127
women. With regard to other articles of trade, chap.
the inferiority of the Siuedish workmanship, and "— v '
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, origi-
nally 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 manu-
factures with the inventive genius shewn by the
Siuedes in one of the most pleasing of the public
exhibitions of their capital — that of the Cabinet cabinet of
of Models. This cabinet is preserved in an an- ^^°*^^ ^*
tient palace, where the courts of justice are now
held, near Riddarholm Church. As a repository
of the models of all kinds of mechanical con-
trivances, it is the most complete collection that
12S STOCKHOLM.
is known. We went several times to view it ;
and would gladly have brought to England speci-
mens 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 illustrate the art of agriculture in
Siveden 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 apart-
ments, and for drying all sorts of fruit; ma-
chines for threshing corn; corn-racks; wind-
mills ; 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
(1) Mr. Cripps succctdeil in inircliasing copies of sonic of them ; smli
as, a machine upon an improved phm for denclicring land ; and nioJtls
of some of the Swcdisli stoves for healing apartments.
STOCKHOLM. 120
granted for inventions that were borrowed from ^Sf ^*
the models in this chamber. Among them are '' -,- .'
models for light-houses, telegraphs, and other
methods of making signals.
Upon this our second visit to Stockholm, we College of
again examined the collection of minerals be-
longing to the Crown ; and were much indebted
to the celebrated chemist Hjelm, for the readi-
ness he always shewed to gratify our curiosity;
allowing us to inspect all the produce of the
Sivedish mines. The refractory nature of some
of the richest iron ores of this country and of
Lapland is owing to the presence of several re-
markable extraneous bodies ; among which may
be mentioned titanium, zircon, and phosphate of
lime^. We had made a large collection of these
ores, and the nature of them is now well ascer-
tained. In the account we gave of our first visit
to this collection, a specimen was slightly alluded
to, exhibiting a remarkable prismatic configura-
tion, taken from the bottom of a furnace in
Siberia'. How it was brought to Stockholm we
did not learn. Some of the Swedish mineralo-
(2) The last was discovered by Dr. Wollaslon, in some of the iron ore
which was brought from Lapland. Zircon was discovered in iron ore by
Mr. Swadenstierna of Stockholm. {SeeT/iomson's Trav.in Sweden, p. 105.
Lund. 1813.) In some of the iron ore of Gellivara, crystals of xircov.
might be discerned.
(5) See p. 204 of Vol. TX. of these Travels.
VOL. XI. K
130
STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
III.
Igneous
Basalt.
gists 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 an accurate
drawing to be made of it, by Martin, which has
been engraved as a Vignette to this Chapter.
By this it will appear, that the prismatic form
which the mass assumed in cooling after fusion,
can hardly be considered as 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 exhibiting a prismatic structure, and the
proofs urged to demonstrate that basalt has sus-
tained the igneous fusion \ Persons who main-
(1) Some of these proofs, it must be owned, have been strangely de-
fective. A very principal one was this — that coal, lying in contact with
basalt, had, by the heat of the melted basalt, been converted into coke. It
happened to the author to be permitted to examine a series of specimens
of this supposed coke : they were preserved in a very celebrated collec-
tion, and arranged in a regular order, from the state of the natural and
unaltered ;n7-cr)((/, through all the changes which the mineral had been
said to have sustained, of incipient and more perfect calcination, until it
appeared as a scoriaccous body, deprived, it was maintained, of its bitu-
minous and volatile ingredients, ju which stale it w.is denominated coke.
To
STOCKHOLM. 13l
tain this opinion, will find, in this solitary ex- ^Yn^*
ample, something calculated to support their ^ ->- ^
favourite hypothesis.
The hat and clothes worn by Charles the Twelfth Apparei
when he was shot in the trenches before Fre- ^cZ!rieIthe
derickshall are preserved in the Arsenal in the wiTen^lfe
north suburb, precisely in the state in which ^^ated^^"
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 to the fact ; and yet,
with a view to ascertain the truth as to the man-
ner of his death, every succeeding sovereign has
thought it right to open his sepulchre, and to
inspect his embalmed remains. The other cu-
riosities 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, takep 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
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 under-
gone 710 calcinalioit : it effervesced in acids, as usual ; and lime was pre^
cipitated from its solution.
K 1
132 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, the dress worn by Gustavus the Third at the time
III. *'
of his assassination, and his image in wax, which
we before noticed'. 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 events 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 buff leather, and reached almost up to the
elbow ; the right-hand glove is a good deal
stained with bloody 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 immediately 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, whe-
ther it had been thus grazed by a ball entering
in, or going out. The appearance of the scull,
after the King's death, satisfactorily proved
that the wound in the temple was made by a
(1) See "Vol. IX. p. 191.
(2) Mr. Coxc, 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. 1184.
■j-TWirJa/
n,j,7,\-f,^ri r,-,„j' 7^, . />)y-i h„ rr^r/^jT CAr-^r,^ r^nrinr,
STOCKHOLM. 133
ball going out. Was it to be believed that a ball chap.
from the enemies' works, at the distance the ..
King stood, would have either taken the direc-
tion of that by which he was shot, or that it
would have passed entirely through the scull on
both sides ? Mr. Fredenheim, Knight of the Polar
Star, President of the Academy of Painting and
Sculpture, distinguished by his travels and his-
torical 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 ob-
tained for us to have a Cast taken from this Cast of the
matrice : it is now deposited in the University charies the
Library at Cambridge. From the appearance of afwr death.
this Cast, all dispute must cease as to the na-
ture of the shot which caused the King's death ;
which, in the account of that event published by
order of the Swedish Government, was said to
have been a ball from a falconet ^ Foltaire,
also, in his anxiety to do away the imputation
that had fallen upon his countryman, Siguier, in-
sists upon it that the ball was too large for the ;
(:?) See Cuie's Travels into Sweden, p. 557. Land. 1784.—^" A ball
from a falconet usually weighs one pound and one eighth, at the le:i5t.'
134 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
III.
calibre of a pistol ' ; whereas it is plain that the
^ real shot was a pistol bullet. The 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
by 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 scab-
bard, in the agonies of death, to immolate his
assassin*. Who can read the conversation
which passed between Count Liewen, the King's
Page, then upon the spot, and Mr. JVraxally
without being convinced that the King was as-
sassinated ^ even if this evidence were wanted :
(1) " Que Ton considere que la balle qui frappa Charles XII. iie
pouvait entrer dans 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 I'avait atteint a
la temple droit." (Euvres de Voltaire, tome VII. Histoirc de Cliarles XII.
pp. 280, 285. Geneve, 1 768.
(2) " 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; one-and-
twenty soldiers standing around with wax tapers in their iiands. We
observed that t!ie King, in the agonies of death, had drawn his sword half
out of the S(ahl)ard ; and that tlio hilt was so tightly grasped by the right-
hand, as no' to he disengaged witliout difficulty." — See the Account taken
from the Xairaliue of Philgren, a Page to the Prince of Hesse, ruho was
thnl day in waiting. Coxc's Trav. into Sweden, p. 35'i. Land. 1784.
(3) " There are now very few men alive who can speak with so much
certainty ai; myself. I was in the camp before Frcdericfcskall j and had
the
STOCKHOLM. 135
but as it is so nearly connected with a very ^^j^^*
important event in history, and serves to confirm ' '-v- >
Count Liewens testimony, we have caused an
accurate drawing of this Cast to be engraved,
in which the nature of the wound in the right
temple may be as plainly discerned as if the
original had been exposed to view. The same
engraving will also serve to exhibit the counte-
nance 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 haughti-
ness of character for which this hero was so
remarkably distinguished.
We shall now close our account of Stockholm
with some remarks upon the Royal or Public Li-
brary, and the actual state of literature in Siveden.
For the substance of our information upon the
latter subject, we are indebted to the commu-
nications made to us by the King's Librarian,
Mr. Giorwell. We are the more anxious to
oppose Mr. Giorwelts statement to the observa-
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 BY A PISTOL-BULLET." — Count Liewcii's Cotiversation
with Mr. IVraxall. See Coxa's Travels, c^c.p.357.
136 STOCKHOLM.
^m^" ^^^"^ ^^ before introduced upon the state of
^ ■ - y '' Sweden and Swedish literature, because, coming
from a Sivede, it will shew what their opinions
are respecting their own country. This gentle-
man drew up for us a Memoir upon the progress
and state of Letters and of the Arts, during the
reigns of Gustavus the Third and Gustavus 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 Sagor ; 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, cf which we have hardly now
any remnants We shall therefore pass imme-
diately to the rest of his observations ; beginning
Royal with the Royal Library, from 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 col-
(l) " Entre autres ouv rages de cette periode," observes Mr. Giorwell,
" nous en avons un qui a pour litre ' Le Miroir des Rois et des R^gens.'
<3'est un vrai tresor de sagesse et politique. II a ete traduit en Latin, et
publier par Jean Schrffrrux, h Stockholm, 1669, in folio."
STOCKHOLM. 137
III.
lection is open to the public, and was formed chap.
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 Sweden. It was first appro-
priated to public use during the reign of Gustavus
^dolphus. This Library was plundered at the
departure of Queen Christiana in l654% and suf-
fered from fire during the conflagration of the
Palace in 1797. In the reign of Gustavus the
Third, it was greatly enriched ; and after his
death augmented, by the addition of all his pri-
vate library, which was very select, and con-
sisted of 14,000 volumes, forming a most valua-
ble collection of works in history, politics, and
general literature. His library was moreover
(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 llie literary losses which the Rnual
Library then sustained, it is said that the Codex ^irgenteus, now at
Upsala, was one; and that this valuable manuscript was embezzled and
carried out of Sweden by I.taac 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 ; for it seems, from what Puffendorf
has related, that the ornaments of the Coronation of Charles Gustavus
were afterwards borrowed. "La Suede se Irouvoit Spuisee ; et la Reinc
avoit Jail emballer et transporter en Allemagne la plus grande parlie de$
meubles de la couronne, de sorte qite presque tout ce qui parut dans cette
cSrimonie avoit iti emprunte!' — Histoi're de Siiede par Puffendorf,
tome II. p. 420. Amst. 1743.
138
STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
III.
Codex
Aureus,
Codex Gi-
santeiis.
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 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 XI. who travelled, at the expense of
that monarch, all over Europe, in search of manu-
scripts. His autograph appears upon this
manuscript in the following words : *' Pretiosissi-
mum hunc Evangeliorum Codicem emi ex famosa
ilia Bibliothecd ill"" Marchionis de Liche Mantuce
carpent. a. l6gO, d. 8. Jan. Ego Joannes Gabriel
Sparvenfeldt nob. SiiecusJ'
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 Konigsmark. 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
STOCKHOLM. 139
of writings upon the Jewish Antiquities, by chap.
Josepkus, Isidorus, &c. Also the Cosines Pragensis ^ . m^m. .
Chronicon Bohemia. A learned Hungarian of
the name of Dobrowski made a journey to
Sweden in 17^1, expressly to examine this codex.
Because the volume is terminated by a treatise
on magic, 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 illu-
mination, have agreed in calling it " La Bible du
Diable^ and Codex Diaboli."" There is also a
most curious manuscript, entitled " Magistri
Johannis j4rderum de Slewark, de Arte Physicali et
de Cirurgid, quas ego prcedictus Johannes fervente
pestilentid, qucp fuit anno .Domino inillesimo
cccxLTX. usque annum Domini m. ccccxii.
Morem (aut moram) egi apud Newerk, in comitatu
Slothingui, et ibidem quamplures de infirmitatibus
subscriptis curavi." This manuscript is upon a
(1) This manuscript, for particular reasons, is not often shewn to
strangers. The Authors of the Voyage de Deux Francois were not
allowed to examine it; 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 diffe-
rent cause : it may have been so called from the confession, " en lettres
rouges sur iin fond brun " at the end of the manuscript, of its former
diabolical owner. — See the work, above cited, tome II. p. 84. Paris,
J796.
140 STOCKHOLM.
^?ri^* 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 disorder, 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
w^ords " Pro morho 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.
Typogra- Amouo: the tvDOo^raphical rarities of this
phicRari- ^., ^ -^^ ^ \ , . ,
ties. Library, we saw one, m large quarto, with
wood-cuts, which would hold a distinguished
place in any collection : it has this title —
" Speculum Humance Salvationis ;"" being without
date or printer's name, or any indication of the
place where it was printed. Some have sup-
posed that it proceeded from the press of John
Coster, ^t Harlem, in 1440: others, that it was
printed by John Faust, at Mayence, in 1459.
Also, Cicero de Officiis, upon vellum, by Faust
and Schoeffer, at Mayence, 1466. The first edi-
tion of //omer, at i'7orewce', 1488, 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 Vul-
gate which belonged to Luther — Bihlia Vet, et
STOCKHOLM. 141
Nov. Testmenti; 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, dit Lyons, 1521. It was found
by the Swedes at the capture of JVittenherg. The
curious commentaries which Luther has here
added, seem to make known the progress of his
ideas upon subjects of divinity and ecclesias-
tical discipline. By trophies such as these^
taken by the Swedes during the Thirty-years'
war, in consequence of the victories won by
Gustavus Ad,olj}hus, and by Charles Gustavus, the
libraries of Sweden became enriched, as those of
Germany, Prussia, and Denmark became impo-
verished. But the most precious part of the
whole collection is preserved in a small chamber
adjoining the Library ; namely, fourteen large Collection
of Original
volumes, in folio, of Original Designs by the Designs.
old Masters, and of every School'. This col-
lection was bought by the Senator Count Charles
Gustavus de Tessin, during his embassy at Paris,
and was presented by that nobleman to King
jidolphus 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
(1) This valuable collection contains 3025 Designs, distributed accord-
ing to the different Schools, in the following order:
Florentine
142
STOCKHOLM.
^?ii^" ^^ Historical Catalogue by the Grand-Chan-
- y -' cellor. 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, founded by the Duke Regent, in
1792. It contains all the Greek, Roman, and
Swedish antiquities which were formerly scat-
tered over the kingdom. Some of the finest
paintings belonging to the Royal Collection
have been added to the Museum ' ; it occupies
Royal
Museum
Florentine School 183
School of Sienna 43
Roman School 406
School of Lombardy 29
Bologna ..517
Milan, Cremona, and other Italian Towns . . 1 <)
Venice 15"
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 56(i
Various Designs of Antient Masters . . . 138
3025
(I) Among many other remarkable pictures in the Museum, there is
one, a Portrait of a IVoman, with n 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
liave appeared as a Mulatto, but for the contrast thus aflbrded.
STOCKHOLM. 14
two grand galleries below the Library. The chap.
immediate care of the Library was entrusted to < y *
Professor Malmstroem ; and the management of
the Museum to the Grand Chamberlain, or In-
tendant of the Court, Mr. Fredenheim. Besides
this library at Stockholm, and that of Drottning-
holm, there is also another, belonging to the
Crown, at Haga^ extremely select, and com-
posed chiefly of scarce books, collected by
Count De Creutz, when he was Minister in
Spain and afterwards in France. The two libra-
ries 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 dawnina: of any national spirit of Observa-
^ '' /■ tions on
literature in Siveden does not date earlier than the Litera-
the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, in the beginning Sweden.
of the seventeenth century : for although Gus-
tavus Vasa, in new modelling the State and the
Church, had burst the fetters of that liberty of
opinion which is essential to the very being of
knowledge, yet the religious controversies in
which the State was involved arrested the pro-
gress of letters almost an entire century. To
Gustavus Adolphus it was owing that the Swedes,
as a people, first began to feel an emulation of
being distinguished in the world of Letters.
144 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. The examples set by this monarch, iu reserving,
^ ■' . as his own share of plunder, all the hterary
spoils taken in war, and afterwards presenting
them to the literary establishments of his
country', was followed by his successors : and
it has greatly tended to add to the literary
wealth and character of the nation. His ex-
tensive 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 0/aus 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 distin-
guished 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 Swedes consider as
(1) IngcnteiiJ auri argentiquc prajdain militibus reliquisset rex; sibi
solos reservavit libros, quos sine mora in patriam misit, Upsaliensi Biblio*
thecac inserendos." — 01. Cclsii, Hist. Bib. Upsal. p. -1.
(2) Ibid.
STOCKHOLM. 145
the greatest genius which their country has chap.
produced ; namely, Stiernhielm ; known among > -^-' ,^
them as a poet and philosopher of such emi-
nence, that they have bestowed upon him the
name of Polyhistou.
During the wars of Charles the Tenth, Eleventh^
and Twelfth, learning made but little progress
in Siueden. Nevertheless, under the special
protection of Charles the Eleventh, tlie study of
Northern Antiquities and of Natural History
became a favourite pursuit among the scholars
of the country. Under Frederic the First, a long
period of tranquillity and peace with foreign
powers afforded opportunities to the national
genius to direct its inquiries towards other
branches of knowledge. At this time, the pre-
vailing taste inclined towards the sciences of
Natural History, especially to Mineralogy ; and
towards the study of Political Economy. But it
was reserved for Adolphus Frederic, or rather for
his enlightened spouse, Queen Louisa Ulrica, to
protect, encourage, and gather round the throne,
philosophers and artists, in all the branches of
learning and the Fine Arts. Sweden herself has
never produced so many distinguished literary
men as beneath the sway of this princess. As
the greater part of them were still living under
Gustavus the Third, and during his reign some
VOL. XI. L
J46 STOCKHOLM.
c^^P' distinguished dramatic writers, together with
V .y ■' several artists, were added to the list, it has
been usual to consider them under one point of
view, as forming a single epocha, which has been
denominated THE Golden Age of THES^yEDISH
Augustus.
Gustavus the Third inherited from his mother,
Louisa Ulrica, that refined taste, and that gene-
rosity of soul, which had given life, energy, and
capacity to the Swedish genius. Equally illus-
trious in political talents and in warlike achieve-
ments ; distinguished by his passion for litera-
ture and the arts ; by the care which he took
to maintain and foster all the establishments
necessary for their culture ; by the talents
which he displayed in many of his own compo-
sitions ; by his seducing eloquence, in which he
surpassed all other princes of his time ; he was
eminently fitted for the conspicuous station he
held, and for becoming the ornament of that
age of intellectual improvement in Sweden which
his own genius and example had consummated.
But, in speaking of the Golden Age of Gustavus
the Third, it ought also to be stated, that Siveden
had among its nobles many patrons of literature,
men of the highest talents, whose zeal and abi-
lities greatly tended to accelerate its progress ;
to mention in this number only two — Count
STOCKHOLM. 147
De Tessin and Count De Hopken ; the first of ^"i\^''
whom combined within himself almost every '^— ^ '
mental accomplishment.
In the present state of literature in Sweden,
the sciences most cultivated (exclusive of Divi-
nity and Law) are, the History of the Kingdom,
and the Statistics of its different Provinces ;
Natural History, especially Mineralogy, Botany,
and Chemistry; also Astronomy, Rural Economy,
and Surgery. The field of Belles Lettres has
afforded two epic poems, pastorals, satires,
some anacreontics, operas, and dramas. With
regard to the arts, in Architecture , in Sculpture,
Painting, Engraving, and in the art of striking
Medals, very considerable progress has been
made of late years. The Literary Establish-
ments of Sweden have been before meationed :
it will not, therefore, be necessary to enumerate
them : they consist of Universities, Academies,
Societies, public and private Libraries, Cabinets
of Natural History, Antiquities, Coins, and
other useful institutions. Besides the Univer-
sities, there are Literary Societies established
in some of the towns of Sweden ; as, for example,
the Society of Sciences and Belles Lettres at
Gothenburg, founded in 1773. Sweden has also
twelve colleges, called Gymnasia; one in each
episcopal city : and in all the towns there are
L 2
14S STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. Public Schools. Some of the Gymnasia have
_. their own libraries : and in this number, the
library of Linhoeping deserves to be particularly
noticed, on account of its valuable manuscripts
relating to the history of Siueden. A MiUtary
Academy, established in the Koyal 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 esta-
blished : it was charged with the general and
immediate inspection of all places and establish-
ments for the instruction of youth. It conti-
nued in force for about twenty years, when, in
1771, it was suppressed by order oi Gustavus
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.
\n 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 mem-
bers of this College give public lectures in
STOCKHOLM. 149
Anatomy, Botany, and Pharmacy. In the limits chap.
of a work of this kind, it is impossible to enter — v
fully into the detail of all the minor establish-
ments affecting the general state of knowledge
in Sweden. For this reason we have omitted to
notice many private cabinets in different parts
of the country, although some of them be of
considerable importance ; as the collection be-
longing to Baron De Sparre, Senator Baron De
Ridderstolfe, to the Count Brake, and General
Count Horn ; in all of which there are valuable
manuscripts.
With the slight knowledge that we had of the Remarks
Swedish language, we could nevertheless discern Swedish
the beauty of the Swedish poetry ; and we shall ^^^^^'
add a short account of some poetical and other
works : but the poetry is of a peculiar cast.
The Sivedish Poets are fond of rhyming in trochaic
dissyllables, and of introducing Alexandrines into
their compositions. The language is exceedingly
soft and harmonious, 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
150 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, accompaniments of the dance. It is very easy
III.
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 !
Some of our old English ballads were com-
posed exactly in the same style. The old song
of " Barbara Aliens Cruelty'' is quite in the cha-
racter of Siuedisli poetry ' :
" In Scarlet towne, where I was borne,
There was a fair maid dwellin,
Made every youth crye, Well-avvaye !
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 sub-
jects, with long stanzas and Alexandrine lines ;
(1) The Reader may compare with it the first stanza of a poem by
Professor Franzen of ^Ibo, given in the Appendix :
Unga Flicka i din var
Bind dig Myrtenkransen
D^iisa medaii Dii forniar
Siiart ar Dii ur dansen.
STOCKHOLM. 151
and of this kind of metre there are many exam- chap.
pies among the specimens of early English •
poetry. The following list will serve to shew
the subjects of the most-admired native com-
positions in Sweden.
POEMS.
1. " The Passage of the Belt by Charles Gus- List of
TAVus (Xaget ofucv 3?crt) :" an heroic poem in twelve ^^^s!^
cantos, by Count De Gyllenborg : also author of '' The
Seasons (5lv»tii)ente),'* and of a satire called " My
Friends (2)iina 2?anner) ;" works of great merit.
2. "The Harvest (©forbame)," by the nephew of
the preceding, Count Oxenstierna ; a pastoral poem, in
nine cantos. — This poem is much admired in Stveden.
3. " Swedish Liberty (@t>ett^fa ^i|)Cten) ;" an epic
poem, by the late Mr. Daliuf author of the best History
of Sweden.
4. " Atis and Camilla (9lti^ oc^ ^amilfa)," by the
late Count Creufz. — The object of this poem is to re-
present 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. Liljesirule ; a didactic poem.
6. " The Dalecarlians (25alfavtanie)," by the late
Mr. Engzell ; a political poem, in praise of the fidelity
and courage of the Dalecarlians^ ready to sacrifice them-
selves in defence of their Country and for their King.
152
STOCKHOLM.
CHAP.
III.
' — . —
Tragedies.
TRAGEDIES.
1. " Obcn," (founder of the kingdom of Sweden), by
Mr. Leopold : — beyond all contradiction, the finest work
of the kind which the Swedes have. — Leopold is called
the Voltaire of Sweden.
2. " (gmie jav(," Grand-Mayor of the Kingdom ; by
the Count De Gyllenhorg.
3. " ^liciiatD iUabc," King of Sweden ; who burns,
at a festival, the minor kings his vassals, to render him-
self despotic ; — by Mr. Adlerbetn.
GRAND OPERAS.
Operas. 1. " ©UstatJU:^ J^a^a," by the late Mr. Kellgren; con-
sidered, not only by the Swedes, but by all the Foreign
Ministers resident in the Country, as surpassing, iu
magnificence and in the style of its composition, every
theatrical work of the kind in Europe.
2. " The Holiday of Sweden (3uea^ •J3c5tib) ;"
composed upon the occasion of the erection of the
statue of Gustavus Vasa in the Place des Nobles; by
Count De Gyllenhorg.
MINOR OPERAS.
1. " Opportunity makes the Thief" (Swedish pro-
verb — 2ilfallc qiov JjuftJCn) ; by Baron D'Armfeldt,
distinguished by the high favour in which he was held
by Gustavus the Third, and by the disgrace into M'hich he
fell when Duke Charles became Regent. — His having
enjoyed the confidence of the former, would sufficient
STOCKHOLM. 153
account for the hatred entertained towards him by the CHAP.
^ III.
latter. . ^
2. " The Extravagant Musician (3^ili^if:5Pimnen) ;"
a very popular piece ; by Mr. Emvullson ,• also author
of another, which has had great success, called " .^V0J10=
DRAMAS.
1. " ^\xi ^va()C;" by Gustavus the Third-, who also Dramas.
composed another piece, called " 3iatalie Otariefm." —
These are much extolled by the Swedes, but have never
been printed.
2. " .0efmfclbt ;" by Gustavus the Third. — Helmfeldt
was son of a Burgomaster of S/oc^/zo/w, who, after many
extraordinary adventures, became one of the greatest
Generals of Charles XI. ; and in that state was recognised
by his aged father, who believed him dishonoured and
dead.
3. " Q^irgCV jatl," Regent of the Kingdom ; by Count
De Gyllenhorg.
4. " The Father reconciled {^m ^ov^onabc
^a&ren) ;" by Mr. Lindegren.
COMEDIES.
1. *'The New Master (9?i;a ^en'^fapct) ;" by Count Comedies.
De Gyllenhorg.
2. "The Officious (^ja^fcn);" by the late Mr.
Schroederheim.
3. *' The Boaster" {Captain Puff, or ©tovpvatarcn) ;
by the late Mr. Kexel.— This is the best piece belonging
to the Sivedish Theatre, in the style of low comedy.
154 STOCKHOLM.
CHAP. These are the principal productions of the
V V- ■ Swedish Muse, and they are all original compo-
sitions. To this list may be added an heroic
Drama in prose, composed by Gustavus the Third,
entitled " Gustavus Adolphus and Ebba
Brahe (@u^taf=^lborp{) od; g66a 23ta^c)." It was
performing at Drottningholm, the 11th of Sep-
tember 1783, by the Duke Charles, the Princess
Royal, and other persons of the highest distinc-
tion about the Court. The story upon which
this piece turns is founded upon the love felt by
the young King, Gustavus jidolphus, for the beau-
tiful Ebba Brahe, 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 Siueden, ac-
cording to the haughty notions of his Court,
especially of his mother the Queen Dowager.
The piece, characterized by the genius and poli-
tical talents of Gustavus the Third, was afterwards
put into Swedish verse by Mr. Kellgren, and per-
formed for the first time in Stockholm upon the
14th oi January 1788. It may be found printed
in the collection of Mr. Kellgrens works.
Works in In the higher walks of Literature we should
ouier of*"^ now vainly seek for works of much importance.
Literature. ^^^^^-^^^ Bishop of jLwwf/, is the author of a History
of Gustavus Vasa, and his son Eric XIV. The
STOCKHOLM. 155
historical work of Mr. Dalin has been already ^f,f^^'
noticed. Tacitus has been translated by Mr. " — '
Steenpiper. The master of the Cathedral School
of Stockholm may be considered as an historian
of merit : his name is Murrberg : he wrote an
account of Christians residence in Stockholm in
1520. Biography has also found an advocate
in Mr. Nor din, who has written the Lives of
Illustrious Smedes. There are some distinguished
men at the University of Abo ; but of these we
may speak hereafter. Much may yet be ex-
pected 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 — and Russia, like one of
those moving bogs, of which we read, in Ireland,
comes slowly but surely on, threatening to over-
whelm the country', 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.
(l) The University of Abo, together with all Finland, has already
fallen under the dominion of Russia.
CHAP. IV.
STOCKHOLM TO ALAND.
Characteristical Swedish Exclmnatlon — Departure Jrom
Stockholm — Commencement of' the Winter season —
Gfisselhamn — Telegraph — Passage-hoat — Geographical
Nomenclature — Dangerous situation of the Author and
his Companions — Providential escape — Aspect of affairs
in landing upon Aland — Fiebbenby — State Messenger of
the Court of Russia — Ruins of Castelholm — History of
that Fortress — Skuipans — Change in the Manners of
the People- — Boriiarsund — Vargatta Sound — Sledge-
Travelling — Lie of Vardo — The Party embark across
the
STOCKHOLM. 157
the Delen for Kumlinge — The Author induced to return
to Skarpans — Festivities of Christrnas Eve — Attempt to
convey the carriage upon the ice — Sudden storm — Village
of Vardo — Interior of an Aland Divelling — Breakfast
of the Natives — Extra Post — A turlulent sea frozen in
one night — Cause of the rapid change — The Author re-
crosses the Bomarsund — Southern Passage to Kumlinge
— State of the Delen — Geological features of Aland —
■ Manners of the Alanders in Winter — Number of in-
habitants — Means of subsistence — Clerg7/ — Land-
measurers — their destructive influence and deprcda-
t'fOTlS.
Among the peculiarities of national habits which
cannot fail to be remarked by a stranger in
Siveden, is the universal prevalence of an expres-
sion constantly in use, although adapted to a
great variety of feelings and circumstances.
This expression consists of two monosyllables, charac-
Ja sa I pronounced with a strong aspiration upon ^swedul
the first, and a lengthened tone upon the second; tiot!""^"
varying, however, according to the passion that
is to be expressed — Yah so ! It is impossible
to give 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 re-
marks made by the Sivedes 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 encourage-
I5S DEPARTURE FROM STOCKHOLM.
CHAP, ment for him to proceed — Yah so! Yah
IV.
so
And then it is given in a subdued and whining
tone : at others, upon suddenly comprehending
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 corresponding
swing of the head. Again in rejoinder ; as for
example : Quest. Who are they ? Answ. Eng-
lishmen. Rejoind. Yah so ! If a .S?f;e6?e 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 Siueden\ before they
should have left Petersburg, we had waited only
for the coming of the frost to set out for Russia.
(1) Professor ^fa^thus and the Rev. W. Otter,
DEPARTURE FROM STOCKHOLM. 159
We left Stockholniy upon wheels, before the snow chap.
had fallen, u^^on Saturday, Dec. 14. The mer- ^^— -v— ^
cury in Fahrenheit's thermometer fell this day, from ''""^^
at noon, only four degrees below the freezing ^'''^*^"''"'-
point, and it had not been so low during all the
month of November. Soon afterwards, how-
ever, its descent was, with little variation, pro-
gressive. At seven in the evening it fell 21"
below freezing.
We had bought of Signor Acerhi a very ex-
cellent German Bckarde, which that traveller had
caused to be constructed in Vienna according to
his own directions, and it was provided with
many conveniences for travelling. We have
given an account of such a vehicle in a former
volume ^ We passed the first night at Kragsta.
In our way thither, through Ensta Oshy, 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 Siueden and
Rmsiay our postillion drove four horses abreast.
We passed several lakes, which were frozen.
The next day we journeyed through Svanherga,
Stabhy or Staba, and Tresta, to Grissehamn, The
cold was now become so piercing, that we could
(2) SeeVol. I. p, 16.
100 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, see little of the country. At Stala we estimated
> — y—^ the temperature at noon : the mercury, by
Fahrenheit^ 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
conmence. ^oat of icc UDOU the fflass. Tlic wiutcr had
ment of 1 c
the Winter now cvidcutly sct 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 heyday of the year. 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 provisions.
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,
and with looks of joy, " Yes, bravely cold —
beautiful weather ! Now you may travel as fast
as you please!" — Indeed the roads were ren-
TO ALAND. 161
dered 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 Grisse-
hamn, it is only necessary to state, that some
Madeira wine, in bottles, in the well of the car-
riage, 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 wea-
ther. The Sivedes told us, and we had reason
afterwards to believe the truth of what they said,
VOL, XI. M
162 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, 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 admission of external air. The win-
dows 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 belong-
ing to the carriage snapped like a piece of glass
and was broken. This compelled us to proceed
to an iron-foundry belonging to a M.x,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 England, 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 to
Gru.c. Gr'mehamn. This place consists of nothing
'""""■ more than a single post-house, built by Govern-
TO ALAND. 163
ment about twenty years ago ; near which is ^^^^•
stationed a Telegraph. It serves also to tra- v ,,- *
Tellers as an inn, although the worst in all
Siveden. There is no situation better adapted
for a house of accommodation; but a place
more poverty-struck, dirty, cold, or in all
respects more wretched, can hardly be con-
ceived. 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 pas-
sengers over to Ekero would not put off from
the shore. During this delay, our situation was
rather awkward ; for while the excessive cold-
ness 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 Telegraph.
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
M 1
164 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^^^- they may require— what boats will be wanted.
^ V -- The Director, who is the Postmaster, was per-
fectly 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 other 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, accord-
ing to his own statement, to work 1024 changes ;
and conveys intelligence to the distance of five
Sivedish miles and a half — nearly forty English.
He said that this Telegraph was constructed
after an English model. We were quite sur-
prised at the facility and speed with which
intercourse is carried on. Any message what-
ever may be sent by it, and in a few seconds.
His book contained the ranks and professions of
all travellers likely to arrive ; and among others,
the lofty title of "Paul, Emperor of all the
Russias,'"' whose coming we thought no Swede
would wish 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
TO ALAND.
165
of communication were all figures, ranged ^^v^*
beneath a letter, in this order : <■ -v^
A
1
1
J
2
2
2
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 with 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 17 th, as soon
^
166 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^Y^' as daylight appeared, we set sail. The wind
" — v^ — ' had been gathering- strength the whole of the
preceding night ; and we endeavoured, but in
BMt!^^' vain, to prevail upon our boatmen to take in a
few reefs in the enormous sail with which they
ventured forth in their small and rude bark.
The carriage had been put on board soon after
smiset; and we seated ourselves wirhin it, to
avoid as much as possible the piercing nature
of the blast. Scarcely had we cleared the
rocks around the bay of Gri.ssehamn, when the
vessel — gunnelling on her lee-side from the
pressure of so much canvas, neither propor-
tioned 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 confu-
sion, 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
tf'
TO ALAND. 167
the tempest seemed to govern every thing, the ^"^ ^•
man at the hehn, by a daring but dextrous ' — r-^
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 Grissehamn.
The tempest continued all that day, and
throughout the entire night. On the following
morning, December 18th, it was still more vio-
lent, with a contrary wind. The thermometer
oi Fahrenheit^ 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 therefore sent our Interpreter, Peter, upon
a sledge, along the smaller bays, which were
now covered with ice, to search for and purchase
(1) We used a thermometer with the centigrade, scale of Celsius ; but
as Fahrenhcifs scale, absurd and inconvenient as it is, still obtains a pre-
ference in England, we have always adapted our observations to Fahren-
keit's scale.
168 FROM STOCKHOLM
^fv ^' pi"ovisions, which were plentiful enough inland.
•^ — V — ' 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 those which were in the lanterns of
our carriage, we obviated this inconvenience,
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 pas-
o
sage to j4Iand^ in a gale of wind ; and one of the
o
richest farmers in Aland, together with the rest
of the crew, were lost. In the year 1791, a
Grissehamn boat, returning from Ekero with the
mail, but without passengers, was driven, by a
a strong westerly wind, into the Baltic, and
never heard of afterwards. With these excep-
tions, 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
TO ALAND. 169
few large and loose stones, and reflecting upon chap.
the boisterous weather to which they must be
liable in these straits, would think there was
much probability 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 uninterrupted frost to render it prac-
ticable 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 contri-
bute 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 Siveden and
Finland, it will be seen how necessary a know-
ledge 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. Among the innumerable islets
170 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^^^- with which the mouth of the Gulph of Bothnia is
* »■ ' studded, appear as many names terminated
phicai No- by u, as in the north of the same Gulph are
" terminated by a, pronounced Hke our o ; yet
these terminations have very different significa-
tions. 0, pronounced hke 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 eauy
sisfnifies luater. Thus, in the names of the little
islands in question, Aspd means the Isle of Asp-
trees ; 2X^0 Korpo, the Croiv-island ; and Brando,
either the Burnt-island, or the island whose
shores repel the waves ; for brdnd has two signi-
fications, 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 Ward'6, pronounced Fardb, means the Island
of the Spring; and U to, the Out -is land, 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
(1) A curious circumstance was mentioned to us in Norway, by
Bernard Anker of Christianin, which is foreign to the present subject,
but may be here noticed without interrupting the narrative. He told us
that (rreiU Brilain holds the Orkney Islands only in paivn. Looking
over some old deeds and records belonging to the Danisli Crown at
C'fjien-
IV.
TO ALAND. 171
occurs thus written. Faro, in the Chart of a ^^l^^-
groupe of Isles south-west of ^bo. In the
north of Ireland, Fair Head has doubtless the
same signification, being so called from the
sheep there pastured.
Dec. 19. — This morning the Gulph was still
impassable, 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 Fahrenheifs thermometer 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 advantageously in
Stockholm, without delaying our progress. Early
in the morning, before day-light appeared, our
mariners, who belonged to Aland, and were
impatient to return, came to summon us on
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 dtlit, for which they were pledged, should be dis-
charged. Therefore, as the price of land, and value of money, have
undergone such considerable alteration since this happened, it is in the
power of Denmarhy for a very small sura, to claim possession of the
Orkneys.
172 FROM STOCKHOLM ^
CHAP, 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 carriage to
be conveyed in the same boat. The Grissehamn
o
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 us 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.
Dangerous We sct Sail. The morning was dark ; and
situation of
the Author thc shorc hcrc is so formed, that the appearance
compa- of the horizon and of the sea cannot be discerned
until the land has been cleared. The sky
looked fearfully red towards the east, and as
fearfully black towards the ivest, 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
V—
TO ALAND. 173
wind would not increase within that time. chap.
IV.
Scarcely had we cleared the land, when we v«.
o
beheld a sea at which even our Glanders 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, pre-
sented 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 to windward, in the
hope of making one of the Jfland 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 dispensed with, as we were falling
174 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, fagt to leeward ; and without bearing to wind-
ward we must inevitably perish. We continued
to hifFfrom time to time ; but when " the rising
world of waters," in mountain-breakers, threat-
ened to overwhelm us, the yells of all our boat-
men 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
waves \ Half drowned and gasping, we saw
far behind us, when we were lifted upon the
tops of the billows, another boat in equal dis-
tress ; and this occasionally disappeared so
completely from our view, as to make us beheve
she had foundered : but when she hove again in
sisfht, 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 attri-
buted, by the boatmen, to the having our car-
riage on board ; and they reproached us on this
(l) Sec the VigvcUc to this Chapter.
TO ALAND. 175
account. Every time the vessel heeled, the chap.
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 Avas attempted ; but they
assured us we should sink the vessel in so doing,
and abandoned the undertaking. By cutting
away, however, the props upon which the car-
riage was supported, we contrived to lower it
upon the ballast, and the vessel laboured less in
consequence. Still, however, the storm in-
creased ; 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
undaimted helmsman. After all, we knew not ProviJen-
how our escape was effected, being quite stu-
pified 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 vessel's lee-way,
the island on which the Aland Telegraph is sta-
tioned appeared at a great distance to leeward,
under the boom of the mainsail. Soon after-
wards, getting another island to windward, the
sea was thereby rendered somewhat more
176
CHAP.
IV.
Aspect of
affairs in
landing
upon
yllanil.
FROM STOCKHOLM
tranquil, and the boatmen set up a shout,
saying, " Bra ! Bra ! — Ingen fara ! Det har
ingen fara ' ! " After this we sailed through the
Sound ^, and close to the shore; but could not
land on account of the surf. Having passed
these islands, we steered for Eker'o, 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 Siue-
dish naval officer, who told us he had no expec-
tation that we should have weathered the storm,
seeing the manner in which our vessel laboured.
His own boat had encountered considerable
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.
o
We had no sooner landed in Aland than
every thing wore a new face. The winter had
set in, and with great rigour ; the ground was
covered with snow, and sledges were already
in general use. As our carriage was still upon
(1) lira ! 18 an interjection answering to hravi} ! The literal meaninj:
fliercfore is, " Jiraio ! Jirtiro ! — No danger ! There is ini danger /"
(2) Sec the Char I oC tlic Aland Isles.
^4
GO
'^^'i
On
rim.
^ ^D^-^
is
40
TO ALAND. 177
wheels, we were compelled to take six horses,
and with these we proceeded at a tolerable
rate. We reached Frehhenby 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 sym-
ptoms 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 Poniac 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 Siuedes for corn : they also pasture a
very considerable quantity of cattle. The land
is level, and inclosed in many parts. The trees
are small and low, and, at this time, were almost
buried in the snow, which covered every thing.
VOL. XI. N
178 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, jn t}jj3 evening, our inn at Frebbenhy was filled
* /■ — with travellers, wrapped in pelisses, and smoking
Frebbenhy. ■ -t n \
tobacco. Among others, there arrived irom the
State Mes- Finland side a Russian. Colonel Rebinin. with
senger of
the Court express despatches from the Emperor of Russia
of Russia.
to the Court of Stockholm. He spent the evenmg
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 Go-
vernment to which he belonged. " I bear,"
said he, " the commands of the Emperor, my
Master, to the King of Siveden.'" He seemed to
consider obedience to those commands, of what-
ever nature they might be, as a matter of course.
As we had not then undergone any Russian dis-
cipline, 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 Go-
vernments ; 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
TO ALAND. 179
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 alhes,
the Russians, were roughly handled ; all of which
he imputed (to use one of his mildest expres-
sions) ** to the imbeciUity of our Commander-in-
Chief." The only English officer of whom he
spoke in terms of any approbation, was General
Abercromhie. 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 fol-
lowing morning ; and were told that the English
in the right wing were to second this operation.
The attack was made, and the French were re-
pulsed ; the Russians afterwards waiting the
promised aid of the English troops, which did
not arrive. Couriers were accordingly des-
patched, right and left, to bring up the English
army. At this juncture, the French, having
received reinforcements, renewed the engage-
N2
180 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, 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 Ahercromhie 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 messengers brought
me the intelligence."
We have inserted this as a specimen, because
it came fresh from the Russian Cabinet ; sup-
pressing other equally /<7fr and candid represen-
tations, which we also heard, and which were
bandied about, to the disadvantage of our coun-
trymen at the Court of Paul. The want of
success in Holland was imputed by all the Rus-
sian staff, who were present, to the inefficiency
of the English in military tactics. They affirmed
that England had no land troops ; that the dis-
play of English infantry was a wretched farce ;
and that the officers were worse than children.
Colonel Rehinin, in whom this language and
these sentiments were but the echoes of the
IV.
TO ALAND. 181
Russia7i Government, considered the truth of chap,
his assertions as proved by the very different
success of the Russians vv^hen in Italy. *' In
Holland" 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 lialy 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 treat-
ment she experienced in Holland will, at least,
make her cautiousM"
The next day, Saturday, Dec. 2 1 , after our
carriage had passed the ice piece-meal, it was
put together again ; and we set out with six
horses from Frehbenby, about ten o'clock. The
roads were well tracked, but our wheels could
hardly be 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
(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 loolcers-on ; not having contributed, in the smallest degree, to
Ihe glorious issue of our contest with Prance.
182 FROM STOCKHOLM
CasleUiolm.
CHAP, rooms clean, and comfortable in their accommo-
- — , — • dations, we halted. Our host brought some
excellent Po7z<fac 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 Haraldshy on Sunday morning, Dec. 22,
Ruins of at ten o'clock, and soon after arrived at Castelr
holm ; so called from the little insular rock
whereon the ruins of a fortress are situate, in
which Eric XIV. was confined. We approached
it by a bridge. It is a building of considerable
grandeur, and marvellous, considering the age
in which it was erected, when even the palaces
of Siveden 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 Iiabj 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,
TO ALAND.
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
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 pas-
sages, leading no one knows v/here, are of course
connected with the narrative related to every
stranger who visits these Ruins.
183
CHAP.
IV.
Some Gentlemen, instigated by the curiosity
thus excited, were at this time digging in the
184 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^v^' court of the castle ; and had discovered a sub-
»— N — ' terraneous duct, somewhat like a passage, the
course of which they were endeavouring to ex-
plore ; but hitherto it had led to nothing. This
famous fortress has been several times con-
sumed by fire, and as often rebuilt. Notwith-
standing its importance in Swedish History, it is
seldom mentioned by any author; and it is now
sinking fast into a state of oblivion. The granite
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 sur-
rounded 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 appearance. It was built by Birger Jarl,
father of TValdemar, in the thirteenth century.
Afterwards it became the residence of the Go-
o
vernors of Aland, and contmued their place of
habitation until the year i634. During the
reign oi Henry of Pomerania, called Eric, in com-
pliment 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
<jonsequence of his orders, reduced by John
(1) Acnhis TravcK. ^ol. I. p. J 89. Lond. I80'2.
TO ALAND. 185
Folkensen. According to Puffendorf, that prince ^^^^'
laid siege to it when Otio Pogivisch was Governor
o
of Aland, who yielded up the fortress upon the
King's approach ^ The year when this event
happened (J434) 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 pro-
nounce the Swedish language ^ In 1505, Castel-
holm was given by the Regent, Suante-Nilson-Sture,
to Eric, son of John Vasa, and father of Gustavus
the First ; and in this year it was burned by the
Danes'* : but being rebuilt, it became the prison
of jGncXIV. in 1571. In 1556, it was granted,
with all the Isles of Aland, in fief, to Duke John,
Afterwards, in l603, it devolved to Catherine,
wife of Gustavus Vasa. In 1 644, it was again
desolatc^d 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
(2) Hist, de Swedt', torn. I. p. 186. AmsLllA^.
(5) " Engelhrecht donna a ses gens deux niots pour pouvoir distinguer
les etrangers, des originaires du Pais. Ces mots etoient, Huid-hest et
KoRNGULFT;" dc sorte quc Ton faisoit maiii-basse sans aucun quartier,
sur ceux qui ne prononcoient pas distinctement ces mots-la." Ibid. p. 1S7.
(4) " lis entrerent dans la Finland, ou ils brulerent Aboo : ils firent
Ic meme traitement a la Ville de Castelholm dans la rrovince d' Aland."
Hist, de Suede, p. 296.
180
FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP.
IV.
Skarpans.
Change in
the Man-
ners of the
People.
and decay. The only use now made of it, is as
a magazine for containing corn belonging to
Government ; for which a tax is levied upon
o
the Glanders, and collected in kind.
After we had gratified our curiosity by seeing
these Ruins, we continued our journey to Skar-
pans, distant only about nine English miles from
Frehbenby, 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 Bomarsimd:
we therefore entrusted it to the care of the Com-
missary ; and hired what is here called a Racky
viz. an open sledge with two seats. The inn
at Skarpans, like almost all we have seen in
o
Aland, was clean and good ; but we were grieved
to remark, that in 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
° . . .
uiland all aim at imposition ; and the practice
of cheating strangers is 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
TO ALAND. 187
this female to her cottage, and there they mur- ^^v ^'
dered him, burying his body under the floor. A *— v — '
century would elapse in Sweden without any
similar stain upon the annals of the country. The
mode adopted in this country to extort confes-
sion from criminals — torture being never prac-
tised — 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
Bomarsund in the Rack; being drawn across the Somar-
sund.
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 througl
the forests. Whenever the inlets of the sea oc
curred, as the ice was not yet strong enough t(
bear horses, the peasants harnessed themselves
to our sledge, and drew us over the water. In
this manner we at lens^th reached the Varmtta yargatta
^ ° Sound.
Sound and the Isle of Fardo, and came to a little
village, consisting of wretched wooden huts,
a number of small windmills, and a church. In
passing the F'argatta 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 at Frebbenby. Being told.
188 FROM STOCKHOLM ^
CHAP, upon his arrival at Fard'6, that the Fargatta Sound
V. ,- ^ 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 Cabi-
net : 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 sin-
gle individual. These men obeyed his orders :
being well paid for their work, and well supplied
with brandy, they actually effected the under-
taking; 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.
sied-e- The first day of our sledge-travelling con-
vinced us of the folly and mconvenience of bemg
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 tem-
perature : in the sledge, although exposed to
the open air, we found no inconvenience from
the utmost severity of the frost. The atmo-
ijpherc was so clear and dry, that, being well
IV.
TO ALAND. 189
clothed, the effect of it was charming. An in- ^^\^^'
tensity 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.
Festival-days, with unclouded suns ; nights of
inconceivable splendour and ineffable bright-
ness; the glorious firmament displaying one un-
interrupted 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 ^Quoii ;" — 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 conden-
sed vapours were frozen into particles so minute.
190 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, that, without adhering together and forming
v«.
Jlakes, they passed imperceptibly through the
clear serene atmosphere, in the state of an invi-
sible .v/ee^ ; 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.
^vardl When we arrived at Fargatta, in the Isle of
Fardo, we were informed that, at the distance
of half a Swedish 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 other means for our conveyance, we were
under the necessity of returning to P^argatta,
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 Lap-
land could be worse : yet the poor owners of the
hut called it a "J5m Kammare ;" and we did
not wish to make them believe that we were dis-
contented with our accommodations. The even-
ing of the following day, Dec. 24, being Christ-
mas Eve, which in ^land ushers in a night of
great festivity and rejoicing, our boatmen, who
TO ALAND. 191
were to conduct us in the morning to Kumlinge,
came to beg that they might start before day-
light, lest they should not be able to get back to
Vardb, to share with their families in the Christ-
mas 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.
To their disappointment, the wind was directly ^Jj^^^^^'*-''
adverse ; and thev were forced to pull with oars across the
•^ _ ^ , Dtlen for
the whole way, which threatened to delay their Kumim^e.
return. About two Swedish miles, however,
from Fardu, 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 ! Osiero-Post T and, waiting
its coming with great eagerness, asked our per-
mission 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 boatmen that the Lappvesi Channel,
in the passage towards Abo, was open — which
had been reported as frozen over, and the wind
being fair for Fard'6, determined to leave his com-
panion with the English servant to proceed to
19'i FROM STOCKHOLM
Kumlinge, and return with the Fcirdo boatmen
and the Swedish interpreter for the carriage
h!duc^d^'*o which had been left, with almost all our effects,
ItirpaTs. beyond the Bomarsund. With this view he set
sail again for Fardu ; where, taking guides, he
crossed again the Fargatta Sound, and the Bo-
marsund. 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 com-
plaint so often repeated, the author asked what
it was that they were to enjoy, which they
deemed so desirable ; and was answered, " A
Festivities bclly-full of braudv 1" Christmas Eve, however,
of Christ. -^ -^ • 1 T
mas Eve. is kept all ovcr Sweden and Finland with peculiar
circumstances of festivity. The people, even
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 difficul-
ties we expected to encounter seemed to vanish
as a dream : by half after ten, a.m. the carriage.
TO ALAND.
193
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 Far-
gatta, the largest field of ice we had to go over.
Here we diminished the number of peasants at-
tending 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 ;
CHAP.
IV.
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 any danger to be apprehended — and taking
each of us a rope, to animate the men — we set out.
VOL. XI. o
]94 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP. Sometimes we were forced to deviate a little
IV.
^ ^. ) 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 Kum/inge, where
the water was open. By one o'clock the whole
retinue had reached Vargatta; whence we set
out again ; and, after crossing a small lake, con-
tinued 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
V.
TO ALAND. 19i
upon this man, and consigned him to his post, ^^y.^'
than, as if at one explosion of a tempest, a strong
north-east wind, accompanied by the first snow
we had seen falUng, came on to blow with stormy
violence. We felt very indifferent, little think-
ing that this gale would put a stop to our pro-
jects for the next day ; and getting into a sledge,
were conducted back to Vargatia, rejoicing in
having, as we imagined, so completely secured
the conveyance of the carriage to Kumlinge ;
whence we might proceed, without further in-
terruption, to ^bo, 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 pea-
sants conveying it also refused to put to sea,
we became satisfied that nothing could be done.
The whole of this day, Dec. lQ, and the follow-
ing night, the same tempest continued with un-
abated fury : but about six o'clock on the morn-
ing 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
o 2
196 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^^^' 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 diffi-
cult matter to cut through it.
Village of Before daylight appeared we proceeded to the
Vardii.
little village of Far do; 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
Interior of of Seeing a little of the interior economy of one
j" ,,." of these dwellins^s, in its most undisguised state.
dwelling. ^ o
A more curious sight could hardly be imagined.
At our entrance, nobody was up. The members
of the family held a conversation with our boat-
men, 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 Christ-
mas, and once a practice, even in Kings' houses,
in England. Peeping from behind their hiding-
places, as soon as they perceived that strangers
TO ALAND. 197
had entered this apartment, they were all stir- chap.
ring : and presently there fell out from every
side of the room the naked figures of men, wo-
men, 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 mid-
dle of the chamber, and began altogether the
business of their brief toilette. The 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 kin-
dled their tobacco-pipes ; and a universal hawk-
ing 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
ofirl now handed round their breakfast: it con- oftheNa-
Breakfast
sisted 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
tives.
198 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, order, each where and with whom he pleased,
V — .V— ' chatting and laughing in groupes, apparently
contented and happy. It was rather new, to
see mothers with children at their breasts dis-
engage 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-
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 ex-
plain the frequency of dwarfs in the Northern
countries of Europe; as in Poland^ Russia, and
Sweden. But the author, venturing a mild re-
monstrance upon seeing an affectionate mother
pouring brandy down her child's throat, ,was
told, ** 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 to such an
o
appeal ; for of the Glanders, 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
TO ALAND. 199
conviction of the relative nature of human hap-
piness ; that it belongs to no rank or situation
in life as a peculiar possession ; but that in all
stations, gifted v^ith health and virtue and just
government, Providence has vouchsafed an
equal portion of this blessing. As certainly 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 home', although
transported into a land of luxury and abun-
dance ; so would every individual of the groupe
here assembled refuse to exchange his morning
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 dagenf God morgoii!^" 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?
(1) " He longed to see his native country again." — Martin s (Account
oJ[a St. Kildian brought to Glasgow) Western Islands of Scotland, p. 298,
Land. 1703.
(2) " Good day ! Good morning !"
200 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP. Impossible!" — "Come alonsf with us, Sir! we
' — ,—— / shall quickly learn the truth." And with this
we all hastened out of the hut, got into our
A turbu- sledges, and made towards the shore. What
lent sea
frozen in was our dlsmav and astonishment, as our sledge
one night. i i r i i • i
cleared the lorest through which we were
driving, and the view 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 exclama-
tions of all our boatmen, crying out, in equal
amazement. " Gud bevara ! Gud bevara!'' an-
nounced that every hope of getting to Kumlinge
was at an 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
has been given to it by a subsequent freezing of
the water below the surface. This, of course,
happens sooner or later, according to circum-
stances. In the passage between Grissehamn
and Eker'o, 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
(1) " God save us ! God save us !"
TO ALAND. 2Ul
even the roughest parts of the surface yielding chap.
to our feet, like a soft sop. All this had been w— y — -
occasioned by the fall of snow upon the evening
of our arrival v^ith 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-water °. 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
Vardo 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, pos-
sessed much greater solidity and firmness.
What the temperature had been this night, we
did not ascertain ; but the visible effect of such
(2) A more particular description of this effect, as produced by the
mixture of snow with xea-water, will be given in the sequel. The well-
known freezing-mixture of snow with common salt acts upon the same
principle.
202 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP,
a frost, in the sudden change it had wrought
upon a turbulent sea, is sufficient 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 con-
veying the Extra-post ; — men who have under-
taken a charge of this nature being compelled
to proceed at all hazards, if there be a possi-
bility 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 accom-
modations at Vargatta, the consciousness that his
friend and companion was left, by his manage-
ment, 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 au-
thor's arrival, the people of the place, anxious to
TO ALAND. 203
render every kind office which it was in their ^^^^•
power to bestow, crowded about him^ proffering ^— -% — '
their services in any way they might be useful.
They assured him, that, if the frost held un-
broken, it would not be long before they might
all walk to Kumlinge : adding, that in the pre-
ceding winter the ice first began to spread over
upon 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 southern
Kumlinge, sometimes attempted when the ice is ^m^I^^'"
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
IV.
201 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, 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 pea-
sants attempted this passage, with a party of
travellers going to Kwnlinge ; 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 hunger at length emboldened them
to venture forth, 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. 18, the author sent the Swedish in-
terpreter to VargattGy and to the eastern coast of
Fard'6, to examine the state of the sea. He re-
turned in four hours, having ordered a sledge to
be constructed in Fargatta 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
TO ALAND. 205
reaching, in one unbroken field, the whole way chap.
to Kumlinge; distant from the Isle of Vard'6 '— v —
twenty-one English miles. He also added, that,
upon the following day, a peasant would en-
deavour 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 na-
ture: they consisted of a beautiful g-rc!rzz7e; but Geological
all the component parts of granite may be found ^f ^"""^^ ^^
o ... Aland'
in Aland ; either as simple minerals in a de-
tached state, or combined in an aggregate rock :
of this there are many examples. Detached
masses oimica and oi hornblende may be observed
among the building materials in the Ruins of
206 FROM STOCKHOLM.
^^y^' Castelholm. The beautiful clay of which the
^ V- * bricks in that fortress were manufactured, may
have originated in decomposed ye/c^/jar. Masses
of pure quartz, o^ 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 feld-
sapr. 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 un-
able to proceed. — Determined therefore, at all
events, to attempt a passage on the following
day, by the circuitous southern route.
Manners Thc manucrs of the people in Aland, during
^[^^'' the increasing severity of the winter season,
Alandera , ,
in wintLT. shew what erroneous notions we arc apt to en-
tertain of the lives and customs of the natives of
these Northern regions; where imagination pic-
TO ALAND. 207
tures a dreary scene, with all its inhabitants close chap.
pent in their dwellings, like hibernating animals, ■- y- /
sleeping throughout the winter, and anxious only
to guard against the rigours of the 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 mar-
kets. The roads are full of passengers of all
sorts and ranks, from the itinerant shoemaker and
tailor, to the diplomatical agents and messen-
gers 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 im_
portance. These men travel from house to
house ; staying as long as they find employ-
ment, and then sallying forth in search of more
work : consequently they are the bearers of all
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
208 FROM STOCKHOLM
CHAP, they remain in a house, they become members
^— ^ — ' of the family, who entertain a regard for them
as friends always welcome, and generally dis-
miss them with regret.
o
Number of The inhabitants of the Aland Isles amount to
taiits. between five and six thousand. There are nine
hundred families : and allowing, upon an aver-
age, 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 offish, which are carried in well-vessels, and
fatted in reservoirs at Stockholm. The first dish
at table, in almost all Swedish families at Stock-
holm, is a small fish called stroemling, which is
reckoned a great delicacy : it is eaten generally
with vinegar. Abundance of the stroemling are
o
taken by the Alanders 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 de-
testable and unwholesome composition : the
other, a more simple beverage, has a fault com-
mon to all the Sivedish beer, that of not being
boiled enough when it is brewed. The land in
o
Aland presents to the eye a gently-undulating
TO ALAND. 209
surface, full of rocks, intersected by numerous chap.
bays, sounds, and inlets of the sea, which seem '... y .^
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
Skarpnns 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 air, is so great,
that they disregarded even their food, for 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, be- Land-mea-
surer s —
sides the Clergy, there are a set of men called their de-
Land-measurej's, found all over Sweden, depriving influence
the natives of their property, and creating more dationsr^'
VOL. XI. p
210 FROM STOCKHOLM
^^^P- mischief among the people than twice the same
" number of Country Attorneys would do in Eng-
land. 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 op-
pressive. The land of the peasants, although
inclosed, is frequently so divided, that a num-
ber 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 will often
happen that these marks disappear; and en-
croachments 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 rapa-
cious Land-measurer is a man of luxury, of pro-
fligate 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 absolutely neces-
sary. To obtain this, therefore, he hints to a
TO ALAND. 211
peasant that his land has not been fairly laid chap.
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 pro-
perty to satisfy the vengeance thus excited ; the
property of the one being encroached upon ex-
actly in the proportion that the other is able to
feed the avarice of the pretended mediator;
who carries on his schemes, until he has ex-
hausted, and perhaps ruined, one or both of
the disputants. In the interior provinces of
Siveden, 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-mea-
mrer. Prowling about, like wolves seeking whom
they may devour, the very coming of these men
among the Swedish farmers always prognosti-
cates calamity : and it is surprising, that, in a
country so prone to revolution and change of
system, these injurious plunderers and dis-
turbers of the public peace should have been so
long allowed to carry on their depredations.
p 2
CHAP. V.
CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA, TO
KUMLINGE.
The Author determi?ies to undertake the Southern Cir-
cuitous 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 — Swedes of Aland —
Finlanders — Remains ofantient and pure Swedish — its
resemblance to English — Seal-skin Sa?idals — Winter
o
occupations of the Alanders — Preparations for a journey
on the ice to Kumlinge — Description of the Procession
on
CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY TO KUMLINGE. 213
mi leaving Sattunga — Encounter with the Seal-hunters
— Change of route — Scene exhibited at mid-day — Arri-
val at Kumlinge — The Author terminates his Personal
Narrative.
After various inquiries among the peasants
and messengers who had been sent to ascertain
the state of the sea in what is called the Sjon
Delen, between the Isle of Vardo and Kumlinge,
it was determined to attempt the southern
passage by the circuitous route of Sattunga. As
in this undertaking, the most hazardous in which
the author was ever engaged, he was of neces-
sity 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
214 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
mounted behind, in the hope of getting the same
night as far as Vargatta\ We passed the doubt-
ful surface of the three Sounds which constitute
the Bomarsunds Fjerd, upon the ice, by starlight;
and arrived safe at Fargatta". There was a
dance in the village, at which Peter attended' :
and upon his return, he brought me word that
a farmer from the Isle of Sand'6 had been present
at the dance, who had crossed the ice to Var-
gatta, and who gave it out that the Sjon Delen
was frozen over. Upon this intelligence, 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 Fin-
land, came to the resolution of venturing on foot
by the northern passage, and asked me to accom-
pany them. Fortunately, I refused their invita-
tion : 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
(1) Sec 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 Swe(/c?i are ; the jra/^«, with various modi-
fications; the J'ols/ca, or rolish Dance, differing from that of Norway in
having slower movements ; also Minuets, which arc practised in Dale-
curlia, and are frequent among the lower orders.
Grund-
siinda.
TO KUMLINGE. 215
southern way ; and getting into a sledge, drove chap.
to the little village of Grundsunda, where 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 Swedish 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 mar-
vellous 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, 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
216 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, superstition, and consequent timidity, among
V ,- v ..'' the natives of these islands, had occurred be-
fore, 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 considered 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
Sergo. 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 ivolves, 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.
Simplicity At Bei'go we had an example of the remark-
Natives. *^^^^ 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
TO KUMLINGE. 217
of the guides, excited fear as well as wonder, chaf.
The little village of the island consists of half-a- '^— v
dozen wooden huts, perched, in a very irregular
manner, amidst a cluster of naked rocks. The
few male inhabitants belonging to this settle-
ment were out upon the sea, dragging their nets
under the ice; which is their usual mode of
lishing at this season of the year. In the dwell-
ing that we entered, an old woman and her
daughters were spinning ; and a boy was feed-
ing 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.
Petery 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 deli-
218 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP. cacy. One of the girls now stepped forward,
, offering to act as a guide in our way to Foglo ;
to which island, I learned with amazement, it
was necessary that we should penetrate, although
lying so far to the south', before we should be
able to alter our course, and bear up for Sat-
tunga. 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 it from the girl
and devour it. Five of these ferocious animals,
they said, had prowled about their dwelling for
Increase of two uights succcssivcly. Tlic great increase of
7volves 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 Linnc^us ; who, in his Fauna Suecica^,
having mentioned the ivolf 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 destruc-
tion'. In the north of Sweden, they make their
(1) See the Chart annexed of ihe^/w/u/ Isles.
('2) Fauna Succica, p. 5. I,. Ihil. 1746.
(o) At the very moment in which this chiipter was printing, Mr.
Michuelson from Stockholm, visiting Cambridge, informed the author that a
general
V.
TO KUMLINGE. 219
attacks in such formidable numbers, as to drive chap.
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 de-
viations 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 Bergo\ quite
general hunt for the destruction of wolves is to take place next year, by
order of the Swedish Government. In the provinces oi Jeviteland, Her-
jeddalen, and G'dstrikeland, the number of wolues 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, south-
ward, so as to make their incursions within the very neighbourhood of
Stockholm.
o
(4) See the Chart of the Aland Isles.
220 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, in an opposite direction from that which I wished
i^— V — ' 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 ex-
pected 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 recog-
hunters. '' ^
nised 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 Mushaga ' without
making the long deviation towards Fogl'o ; 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 be placed upon the very best guides among
o
(1) See tlie Chart of the ^/unrf Isles.
A h^Bard saJf'
SEAL SHOOTEK. 0;ff THE FK.D2;ErT SEA.
LondoTvfublisTied Aug G^lSZl.hy T. CadeU.in Ou Strrvz.
TOKUMLINGE. 221
the Alandersy when the ice is in a doubtful state ; chap.
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 enable
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 southern
course ,- our seal-hunters taking the lead with
their iron-shod pikes, and often leading us a
weary circuit, to avoid the openings and hazard-
ous places of thin ice, by which we were com-
pelled to deviate from the direct line of our
march. The pikes used to ascertain the safety Safety-
01 a passenger are about six feet m 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 con-
222 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, sidered as fit to support a man. The hook
ym ii.y- > attached to this spike is for the purpose of
dragging out the bodies of those who are un-
fortunate enough to shp through the crevices,
or fall into the holes, which are deceitfully
covered with a thin icy superficies. These ac-
cidents are generally owing to the snow, which,
by covering such places, prevents a person from
being aware of the sudden danger he may
encounter from a neglect of sounding pften with
his pike. Every individual of our party was
provided with one of these safety-pikes; al-
though 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 compelled to make, in order
to obtain a footing. About half after two o'clock
P.M. we were within sight of Mushaga ,- but the
TO KUMLINGE. 223
difficulty of reaching the shore increased as we chap.
approached. Presently we could discern the ■„, ^. <
figures of several of the natives, standing upon a
high coast among the rocks, regarding our move-
ments with an earnest attention. We soon
found the reason of the interest we had excited :
the ice, as we advanced, appeared almost every-
where 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 The au-
, , . , ... , ^_ thor de-
back w]tn precipitation, the yargatta peasants senedby
dispersed also, followed 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 bewildered. To
turn back again, and retrace our former foot-
steps, 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 persevering, at all
hazards, another quarter of a mile ; and slowly
ventured on towards Mushaga, sometimes work-
ing my way nearly a mile in order to gain an
approach of twenty yards. At every stroke of
224 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, my pike, the water gushed through the orifice
'^— s ' it made ; until the ice beginning to bend with
my weight, I was afraid to use it. By perse-
verance, 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 dXMushaga.
Here we found the sea quite open ; the ice only
extending an English mile from the shore :
some other expedient, therefore, to reach the
open water with a boat was now become ne-
cessary.
We entered a miserable cottage. The scene
of human woe which was here presented, per-
haps never had its equal. We found within, a
wretched family ; amongst whom were seven
Ravages of childrcu afHictcd with the putrid small-pox, in
pox. ""* ' one close hovel ; — the eldest, a daughter, dead of
the disorder; and the forlorn parents weeping for
the inevitable fate of those, their little ones, who-
Arrival at
Mushaga.
TO KUMLINGE. 225
still survived. The diet of these poor creatures chap.
consisted of raw salted fish, first steeped in sea- '.. y .^
water, and then frozen. To heighten the cala-
mity 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 dis-
tance 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 — that of
forcing a passage for this boat through the mile Mode of
of ice, into the open sea. It seemed to require pasTag^e*
nothing less than the labours of Hercules to effect IheTc?
this ; but the promise of high reward, and the
sight of two bottles of vile SwedishhvdiUdiY , which
the Interpreter took care to display to great ad-
vantage, 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,
VOL. XI. Q
226 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
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 at the prow, the other
at the stern. Now began a part of the opera-
tion, 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 suc-
ceeded in breaking a way through it ; and pene-
trated 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 mea
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
TO KUMLINGE. 227
got clear of it, was nearl}'' six inches thick ; and chap.
it was to our little stock of brandy that we at- < — ,«— /
tributed our success. The poor men engaged
in working 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 last, we reached the open sea : and here Remart-
. , n • -I 1 ^^'^ effect
a violent tempest oi wmd and snow came upon of snow
us : and the sudden effect of the snow mingling sea-water.
with the sea-water, now cooled 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 exclamation 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 Saltunga, 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^
Q 2
228 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, ^yg^g \[^Q ii^Q sound of a hundred drums beating :
^ — V — ' 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 par-
ticles 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 ad-
mitted us within 250 yards of the Island of
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
me as an object of great curiosity : it was a
Natural bcautiful cavc of ice, hung with pendent icicles
cave of ice.
and spangling crystal gems — the palace of the
se(tls, 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
TO KUMLINGE. 229
sides of this natural wonder, I followed them, chap.
V.
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 JVestern 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 pas-
sage we had forced through the ice on the
Mushaga shore, to get to that island : what suc-
cess 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 cham-
ber, 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 my house as if
you were in Stockholm : we have no such 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
230 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
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
accommodation and excellent fare, and for this
purpose offered money to the mistress of the
house ; who, with great simplicity, but earnest-
ness of manner, said, " Alas, Sir ! give me some-
thing 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 charm ov not, was uncertain; but so com-
pletely 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
\yhich almost fill the mouth of the Gulph of
Bothnia. It lies to the south of the Delen, or
Delet, between Fard'6 and Kumlinge, and exactly
midway between the coast of Sweden and ^bo
uoTofxhc ^"^ Finland^ The natives are fishermen and seal-
tmm''' hunters : they arc the best-looking, and most
robust, of all the islanders. During the summer
o
fl) Si'c the Cliart. Sec also iTermd'uis " Charia cifvcr Abo och
lijorncborgs Ilofdingcdouie." titockhohn, 1799.
TO KUMLINGE. 231
they carry on a trade with Stockholm in fish. My chap.
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, " Mrill 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 Fargatta 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 Sivedes ; as
are, properly speaking, the inhabitants of all the
Jlland Isles, and of the islands upon the coast of
Finland. Formerly, these islands were inhabi-
ted 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 Pe^er^^wro-, and northward
as far as -Gamla Carlehy. The country at this mo-
ment, from Gamla Carlehy to Bjorneborg, was en-
tirely inhabited by Sivedes; speaking, of course, the
Swedish language. From Bjorneborg, as far as
Abo, the people are a mixed race of Sivedes 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.
Finlanders, that is to say, the genuine remnant
232 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
of the original colony, which yet preserves its
antient customs and language in their pure and
unmixed state, dwell in the interior eastern dis-
trict of Finland: they inhabit the province of
Tavaslehus ^ndi Savolax,^. wild and watery region,
covered with numberless lakes and most exten-
sive forests, and peopled by a race of men who
are considered by all their neighbours as the
hardiest of all the Northern tribes. In the
severest winters, these men perform astonishing
journeys ; 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. *' Illis," said
Tacitus, speaking of the Fenni, ** ne votq
QUI DEM OPUS ESSEX." Unaltered in all the ages
that have elapsed since he gave that eloquent
description' which no paraphrase can express,
we may still say of them, **fennis mira feiii-
TAS, FCEDA PAUPERTAS: NON ARMA, NON EQUI,
NON PENATES : VICTUI HERBA, VESTITUI PEL-
LEs, cuBiLE HUMUS." For all that conccms their
early history, and the origin of the Finns, we
may in vain ransack the libraries of the world.
(1) De Mor. Germ. torn. II. p. 592. Ed. Ernesti. Lips. 1801.
V.
TO KU ML INGE. 2:yS
The Scrictofinni, mentioned by Paulus Diaconus", chap
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 observations', be rather appli-
cable. The true Finns live in houses without
chimneys, which are always 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 in-
crease 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.
(2) " Huic loco Scrictofenni (sic enim gens ilia nominatur) vicitii
sunt. Qui etiam aestatis tempore nivibus non carent: nee aliter fieri
potest, quam ut crudis agrestium animantium carnibus vescantur : de
quorum etiam hirsuiis pellibus sibi indumenta coaptant. li a saliendo
juxta linguam barbaram etyraologiam 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
Langohardorum. lib. i. c. 71. p. 354. Basil. Froben. 1532.
(3) '• Sola in sagittis spes, quas, inopia ferri, ossibus asperant. Idem-
que venatus viros pariter ac feminas alit. Passim enim comitantur,
partemque prsedae petunt. Nee aliud ivfantibus ferarum imbriumque
suffugium, quam ut in aliquo ramosum nexu contegantur : hue redeunt
juvenes, hoc senum receptaculum. Sed beatius arbitrantur, quam inge-
mere 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 accurately have described their tents made of boughs, their
habits, and disposition.
blance to
Enslish
234 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, women and children, find a lodging beneath
*< - V ^ the same roof. With regard to mosqui-
toes, they may almost be said to breathe
these insects; so completely, during sum-
mer, is the atmosphere possessed by their
swarms.
^lknt"and Amoug thcsc islauds, the Sivedish language is
Sr ^^^' ^^^^ ^^ exist in its most antient and pure state :
Its resem. ^^^^ ^^ hcrc approachcs so near to the English,
that a servant of our own country, who travelled
with us, was able to understand and sometimes
to converse with the natives. It is like the old
Scottish-English ; the word in^CtiH occurring for
meifele', to signify much ; V^tU for tfiiltt, mean-
ing the which; firatttie for burnt; ^laqixt for slain;
glatitr(0 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 Sivedish : they will readily translate
the following lines of an old Sivedish ballad, as
o
they are preserved by Professor Porthari of Aboy
among the annotations to the *' Chronicon Episco-
o
porum Finlandensium" printed at Abo :
(I) " %])t hins, tfjat IjearD all W carping,
J^e tJjankeD \)tt in meikle tl)(nff«"
Barbour's Life of Robert Bruce, p. 85. Edin. 1758.
TO KUMLINGE. 235
Of feciom, oc() ?tocr ciiabe ;
X^c fore ofwcv baftvct cc(; in i ^'iam,
^It t|)e tn'mttc opp ©ifminx:
Iccm ^}(vfic6i^fop ivavt tl)cv ^ragin,
THE SAME ENGLISHED.
Sweden had much danger
Of Carelians, and great disgrace ;
They passed over the sea and into the Malar^
Arid they burnt up Sigluna :
John Archbishop was there slain,
The which gladdened Carelis 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 mixture of
the German has intervened and occasioned mo-
dern corruptions in the language, ^pci^cn is sub-
stituted for dta* Again, a bush is called buska;-
and a decoy-duck, a lure, as in England. The
instances of similarity in the two languages
which occur among the names of domestic uten-
sils, as ^ot, %aw, .*5amnier, and in the appellations
bestowed upon the implements of husbandry,
are too numerous to mention.
The manners and customs of the Alanders
brins: to mind those of the natives of the isles
CHAP.
V.
236 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
^^^' of Scotland. Every man manufactures for him-
'' V -' self. They pique themselves much upon their
Seai-skin saudals of seal-skiu, in which may be seen the
sandals. *'
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 difierent mate-
rials, are worn by the natives of the southern
provinces in Italy, especially those of Ahruzzo ;
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 called (fjuccvrsg^. Among the Alanders,
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 inha-
bitants, 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
(1) See Vignette to Chap. X. of the First Volume of these Travels.
(2) Mark i. 7. Luke iii. 16. Perizon. ad jElian. ix. 11.
TO KUMLINGE. 237
CHAP.
V.
penetrating, and are at the same time exceed-
ingly light and comfortable to the feet.
During the winter, the Alanders are chiefly ^vimer oc-
^ cupations.
occupied m fishing, by dragging their nets under
the ice, or in hunting for and killing seals by
shooting them. Few people are such expert
marksmen ^ When the sea is frozen over, they
creep about among the rocks, with their rifle-
barrelled guns, 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-shooter 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 extraor-
dinary. They leave them upon the naked sur-
face of the ice, in frozen caverns among the
(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 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. Fintt Lre's MS. Journal.
238 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CRAP, 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, carry-
ing 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 generally go in pairs, in
search of their game. I met several of these
intrepid sportsmen, braving the severity of the
atmosphere, 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
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-
staff.
As I was going to bed, a crowd of other tra-
vellers arrived, all adventurers, like myself;
who, from some of the neighbouring isles, had
effected a passage to Saiiunga, and wished to
TO KUMLINGE. 239
get to Kumlijige. These were all mariners ; the chap.
masters and crews of merchant-ships locked in v ^ , >
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 P^epara-
. . J o ri tionsfora
on the followmg mornmg, the court-yard of the joumey on
house where I had slept was crowded with per- Kumiinge.
sons 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 inhabitant of Sat-
tunga 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 ; and the proudest General in Europe
might have rejoiced to number such men among
his troops. We had some little distance to
march by land, until we came to the sea-shore
240 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, opposite Kumlinge ; when all of them were
formed into a procession upon the ice, exhibiting
V,
Descrip- ^ scene alt02:ether new to me. First went a
tion of the
Procession partv of scouts, as pioneers, proving the ice
on leaving . _, .. ^
sfittunga. with their safety-pikes. Then came the iSiveaisn
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 whatever 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 tra-
vellers, without much order or caution, pre-
ceding 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
TO KUMLINGE. 241
had walked in this manner thirty-five miles on chap.
the preceding day, in a state of such constant ' — v — '
alarm, that little leisure was allowed for calmly
viewing the scene around us ; and the guides
were of opinion, 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 render
our journey quite equal to that of the preceding
day.
We had not long quitted the shore of Shttunga,
and were advancing towards an island in front
of our route, when two seal-hunters suddenly Encounter
made their appearance from behind some rocks, seai.
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 keep of !" in the Sivedish
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, accord-
ing to their own expression, *' too rotten to he
trusted" Accordingly we fell back with as
much caution as possible, retracing our former
footsteps ; and afterwards altered our course, Change of
ft '111- Route.
proceedmg about nme English miles to the south
VOL. XT. R
242 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP. oiSattunga before we could bear up again towards
« — , the Island of Kimlinge. 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 this circumstance —
that when we were farther from land, we found
the surface, which had been hitherto smooth,
and sometimes glassy, fixed in a variety of irre-
gular and fantastic shapes, rough and indented,
but hard as adamant, and evidently shewing to
us those broken masses which appear only when
the v.'aves of the sea have been suddenly fixed
and rendered solid during their turbulent state.
One can hardly conceive any thing more extra-
ordinary, than a frost capable of producing such
an effect; nor would it have been produced
■without a heavy fall of snow, at the time, min-
gling 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 consequence, ren-
dered painful and tedious — a work of difficulty.
TO KUMLINGE. 243
and often of alarm ; apertures and chasms among chap.
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 over
an opening in the ice covered only by a thin
surface of frozen snow. Presently our pikemen
approached 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 sufficiently frozen to
II -2
244 CIRCUITOUS JOURNEY, ON THE SEA,
CHAP, 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 off every 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 extra-
ordinary 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 inhos-
pitable 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 of " thick-ribbed ice," wherein hardly
a single object relieved the wandering eye. The
TO KUMLINGE. 245
sun, scarce elevated above the horizon, put forth chap.
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 thermo-
meter, when exposed to his full beams, scarcely
acknowledged his presence. The mercury, ac-
cording to Fahrenheit'^ 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
o
fill the Aland Sea, being here collected into in-
numerable clusters.
We set out once more : and presently the
Island of Kumlinge was hailed by our party, as
being visible at the distance of fourteen English
miles towards the North. It was immediately
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
V.
246 ARRIVAL AT KUMLINGE.
CHAP, 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 sea-side were
very visible in the snow^ : and as these served
me for excellent land-marks in tracing the road
thither, I set 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 @actqifjtJare=gavb, or
Inn, in Sweden. I hastened towards it ; and en-
tering, found my long-lost Friend and Compa-
nion — as much rejoiced to see me as I was to
see him — sitting in a black and miserable dun-
geon, 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 —
thailkfiil to Providence for the dangers I have
escaped ; and reserving for another Chapter, in
the opening of a new century, the style of narra-
tive which, being less personal, I had before,
adopted.
CHAP. VI.
KUMLINGE TO ABO.
The Party leave KmnWuge — Brief account of that island —
Bjorko — Brando — Extraordinary Congregation for
Divine Service — Vattuskiftei — Bursting of the Ice—
Varssala — Revolting manners of the Natives — Vale-
dictory remarks upon the Swedes — Fahrenheit'^ Ther-
mometer 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 — Arrival at Abo — Nar-
row escape from suffocation.
248 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
^ yj^' The next day, Wednesday^ Jan. 1, 1800, we left
^j^^p^^j ' Kumlinge, crossing part of the Lappvesi Passage
leave with horses to our sledges : but we afterwards
Kumlinge. _ ^
found that the ice would not bear their weight
the whole way : our guides therefore left these
poor animals exposed upon a bleak island, from
which they said they would not attempt to stray ;
and themselves drew our sledge to Bjorko, 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 we
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 dan-
gerous 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 sta-
tues, upon the rock; closing their eyes, and scarce
shewing signs of animal life.
Account of Of Kumlinge, sometimes written Kumlinga,
urn inge. ^^^ ij^jand wc had now quitted, a very short
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 249
description will suffice. It is larger than any chap.
of the neighbouring isles, and has a population ■ ^yl ..^
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) The following extracts from Mr. Crijips's MS. Journal, written
during liis solitary confinennent in JTumlinge, will not be read without in-
terest. He describes bis lodging as a chamber about four yards square,
with two beds in it; one of which was 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 lamentations
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 twelvepence of our money. Fox-skins
sell for a much higher price.— —The people of this island do not grow
rye enough for their own consumption ; 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 in-
toxication. Even the gentry of Sweden are discontented, and quite out
of their element, without brandy ; especially if they have it not with their
whet
250 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
CHAP. Bjork'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 Siueden ; the peasants being particu-
larly attentive to their religious duties. Here we
whet before dinner. All the peasants wear fur-caps ; and each man two
pairs of gloves, one of worsted next to 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.
" Thursdai/, Dec. 26. — My host and all his family are again gone to
church. The Alanders, 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 manner 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 ; stripping them-
selves, even before strangers, without appearing conscious of any in-
decency.
" At nine this morning, Celsius's thermometer, in my room, was two
degrees below 0. Having placed it in the open air, it fell fourteen
degrees below 0. I then exposed some Sivedish brandy in the open air:
it did not freeze ; but the bottle being brought into the room, was in.
stantly covered witli ice. The greatest heat that I could produce in my
miserable chamber did not raise the mercury above the freezing-point.
The sun rose thia 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 i3Ult3nU ' '
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 con-
sumption ; and buy malt and rye, from which they make tlieir 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
VI.
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 20 I
observed the near resemblance between the ^^'/}^-
names of things in these islands and in our own ^
country. The fire was low, and they said they
would throw on a bush (6u5!fa) to raise it, and
brought in some juniper-boughs for that purpose.
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* \o the Clergyman ; and two Pliits 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 liair 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, wliither 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 beg.m to survey all the surrounding district. After a
few minutes' attentive observation, '' Ah !" said he, " there is an Crra"—
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 o*" (heir mark ; and they never
attempt to siioot flying. 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. 'I'he people here retire to rest as early as seven o'clock
in the evening.
" Suii'lai/, Dec. 29. — 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
o
* A PIH is sixteen shillings, or eight-pence sterling of our money.
VI
Brando
252 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
CHAP. From Bjork'o, we proceeded, chiefly by land,
to Brando, or the Burnt Island. Where we had
to pass the inlets and passages 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 Burntisland:" but we
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 Rzissians with strong marks of aversion.
" Monday, Dec. 30. — A great deal of snow fell to-day, towaixls even-
ing.— — I have before said, that the natives were all their own tailors,
weavers, shoemakers, Sec. ; but I now observe that they are also their own
tanners and carpenters. They procure aWer-bark, and chop it into very
small pieces; boiling it in water, in which they first put their skins j
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 extraordinary 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.
o
" 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 their floor, frequently kindle the straw ; by which means not only
houses, but whole villages, are burned."
Crippts MS. Journal.
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 253
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 geolo-
gical 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 Brand'u, a sight was presented which we
may vainly attempt to set before the reader in
all its novel varieties and livino^ colours. The Extraordr-
'^ _ nary Con-
church service had just ended : and at this gregation
for Divine
season of the year the congregations are so service.
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. Up-
wards of an hundred sledges, to which wild and
beautiful horses were harnessed, were seen pre-
sently in motion ; and they might be said, like
so many vessels, to be literally " getting under
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 sight*.
(l) Seethe Vignette to this Chapter.
254 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
CHAP. 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 families, were
drawn by those fleet and beautiful little Finland
horses, of which mention has been already made,
in a former part of this work. We overtook
them upon the ice, in fidl 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 contesting speed
against their male companions; sledges over-
turned ; 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, liaving gained the
van, flying off* as fast as their fiery, snorting
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 2^5
steeds could fly with them — laughing, shouting,
and bidding: defiance to those behind. In this
manner we began the passage of the FattmhfieU /'"".'"''
a channel of 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 cir-
cuitous route, that nearly doubled the distance
to Varssala (pronounced Fartsala). As we pro-
ceeded, 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 coming from the Finland shore, loud in
their murmurs about the state of the ice, which ^f"he'i?e
they said had opened upon them near the land.
We presently found this to be true : upon com-
ing 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, Avas now
below the level of the other ; and the continual
vibratory motion of that upon which we tra-
velled, yielding to the pressure of the horses'
266 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
^^^j^' feet, convinced us that it was not frozen to any
»■■ ^ v -i/ 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 immi-
nent. 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 Saitunga, 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, be-
came alarmed, and crowded together round
the sledge containing all his effects, which
presently fell through the surface, and sunk
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 25/
to the bottom of the sea. Fortunately, no lives ^y^^'
were lost. ^*-"v— '
It was dark when we arrived at Farssala, and varssaia.
enterea a dirty wretched hovel, without any
accommodation for travellers ; and yet this is
almost the only place marked for their 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 Laplanders ' . The natives
here began to speak to us only in the Finnish
(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. 1809.) " I entered," 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 Varssaia ;
— " 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, com-
posed of beads, bugles, &c. of various colours ; which ornament completes
the coiffure; the whole having the air of a Greek head-dress, more like a
nymph of Paplios than of Warsala."' Ibid. ;;. 93.
VOL. XT. S
258 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
^ vi.^' language. There was but one man who could
^ converse with our Swedish interpreter, or com-
Revoiting prchcnd any thing of what he said. The man-
manners
of the ners 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 France, or that to which a
traveller is exposed in the North of Europe P
an answer would not readily be made. In warm
climates, it is as difl[icult to avoid vermin as it is
to escape from villainy. In Northern regions,
there is more of honesty; but sometimes the bar-
barous 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 Itali/ ; although they
be not destitute : but the climate is unfavourable
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 269
both to their increase and activity. These chaI'.
VI,
nameless insects, in Sweden and Finland, like the
inhabitants themselves, are few in number, but
heavy and gigantic in their size'. Oh England!
decent abode of comfort and cleanliness, and
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 esti-
mated! — May thy sons, who have "fought the
good fight," but know and guard what they pos-
sess 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,-" the bulwark of private security and
of public honour!
" where'er I ROAM, WHATEVER REALMS TO SEE,
MY HEART, UNTRATELL'D, FONDLY TURNS TO THEE !"
(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 a.v\d jumping species would be
drowned in the flood, than ever filled the waters at the general deluge."
Ibid. p. 92.
(2) Sermon by H. V. Bayley, A.M. Fellow of Trinity College, Cam,'
bridge, p. 14. Manchester, 1S03.
s 2
upon the
Swedes.
260 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
In this miserable place, Varssala, we may be
considered as having entered Finland once
more ; and, what is worse, of bidding a final
remarks adicu to SwEDEN. In the coursc of our long
account of the country and its inhabitants, it
will be seen, that, with a strong predilection for
the comforts and advantages of England, we
have spoken favourably of the Swedes — and per-
haps for this reason, that they so strongly re-
semble 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, 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 over-
balanced 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 apart-
ment, unbidden, and unknown, upon the mo-
ment of your arrival, without any form of intro-
duction or ceremony ; to seat himself at your
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 261
table ; spit all over your floor ; fill your chamber ^"'^^•
with tobacco-smoke ; ask your name, your rank, > • • u- >
your profession, your age, your country, your
character, 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 ser-
vants, 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 fact, and not in morality, that the Sivedes
are deficient. Often, when they have travelled
and learned more of what is called * refinement,'
they lose something of their more estimable
qualities.
Our journey from Varssala the next morning
{January i) was one of extreme suffering; and
perhaps few English travellers ever encountered
one of greater trial. The reports made by the
262 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
^ vi.^' 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
exposed to a north-east wind, which blew with
violence, to 52l° 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 incle-
mency 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 mo-
ment exposed to the atmosphere, a sensation in
our cheeks like that of being scorched imme-
diately took place. We covered our faces with
silk handkerchiefs, drawn over them in such a
manner as to leave the smallest possible aper-
ture 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
Turvesi of thc sca, callcd the Turvesi Passage ; a narrow
Fatiage.
strait ; but being open towards the north-east,
we were exposed to all the fury of the blast. In
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 263
Frost.
31 short time the author found that his left-eye ^hap.
was so frozen that he could not by any effort ' y >
separate the eyelids, and he began to be fearful
that the right-eye would also close. At this
moment 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. It was fromthV
followed by a cry from our Swedish interpreter,
that 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 com-
panion to witness the spot and give the alarm ;
as the person attacked is insensible of what lias
261 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
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 behind'.
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 as
possible, had one of his hind-legs frozen so 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 cham-
ber where there was a heated stove. The con-
sequence was, that his face almost instantly
became blistered and very painful ; and in a
(I) Tlie 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 dis-
figured by the black scars, for the rest of iheir lives.
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 2G5
CHAP.
VI.
few hours, a thin purulent ichor flowed from the
wound. Every one of the party who had been ■ " ' v
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 the
skin.
At ten o'clock a.m. this day, we placed our
thermometer in the yard before the house, ex-
posed to a north aspect. The mercury fell to
49° below the freezing-point ; and we afterwards
o
found that, at the same hour in Jlbo, it had fallen
to 30° below O, of Celsius; which is equiva-
lent to 22 J*^ below zero oi Fahrenheit, or 5 2 J° 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 delays prevented all possibility of our
reaching Abo before the next day ; but we con-
tinued our journey over the ice ; and came to
Helsing, which is upon terra firma ; where we ^^'^ising.
were once more landed in Finland. After-
wards, we passed through Himois ; and put up Himoi^.
Vinkila,
266 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
^^ri^' for the night in the village of Vinkila. Between
Varssala and Abo there is nothing that may be
called an inn ; nor, indeed, any place of rest and
accommodation for travellers. At Finkila, want-
ing 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 ©a^tgifn^are^^avb." 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
Action of extraordinary manner. Whenever the door of
our apartment was opened, the rushing in of the
cold air caused a very remarkable phaenomenon,
by converting 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 spicule in the particles of snow — as likely to
illustrate the crystallization of water — by
placing sheets of dark-coloured paper, on which
the snow, thus formed, might fall. The beautiful
(J) The Swedish name of an tnn.
Btmosphe
ric air upon
vapour.
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 267
appearance of the ice, collected as it fell, ^"j^*
resembled, although upon a smaller scale, that '■ -' -v" '
which is presented by a number of the seeds of
the common carduus or thistle, when they are sur-
rounded by diverging fibres of the egret or down ;
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 calm' ;
or we might have been convinced that we had
in these less-perfect forms a decisive proof of
the crystallization of ivater ; and that Aj/fZroo-ew
oxide, which is only another name for water,
obeys the same laws to which all other oxides are
liable'.
In this house we found a Mr. Elmgreen, from fraJein^g
^bo, who agreed to accompany us, upon our '" ^^^'
journey thither on the following day. From him
we learned, what indeed we already found to be
the case, that, in travelling this route, beds are
(2) See Vol. p. 12.
(5) See a complete confirmation of this truth, in the account given of
regular rhombi subsequently exhibited by crystals of ice, in the *' Trans-
actions of the Cambridge Fhilosophicnl Society,^' Part II.
2(38 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
CHAP, a species of accommodation never found. The
/- ^ traveller must put together such things as he can
collect ; and lie dov^^n 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 Clergyman's
house near Himois, in our journey this day, to
see if it 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 com-
plain ; 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 one shilling English the pair, which were
of an excellent quality.
The next morning, January 3, we set out for
o
Abo ; first estimating the state of the thermome-
ter 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 de-
grees and a half below the freezing-point. Our
Laiiis. first place of relay was a village called Laitis,
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 269
which we soon reached, as the distance was not chap.
VI.
more than three Eno^lish miles and a half. Our < .■>■ »
next stage, to Tursanpare, was performed with Tursan-
difficulty, the road being blocked up by the ^'"'*^*
snow ; in consequence of which we were com-
pelled 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 our journey to Nie- Niemen-
menkyla and Nussis-Nummis, distant only four-
teen English miles from Aho. Our Swedish com-
panion, 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 cover-
ing his ears and cheeks, rallied us upon our dis-
regard of the cold weather, seeing that we had
less clothing, and sometimes cast oiF even our
cloaks ; saying, " It was so like Englishmeny to
go about naked." But the fact is, that when
there is no wind, and the sky is perfectly clear.
Abo.
270 KUMLINGE TO ABO.
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.
xussis- At Nussis-Nummis we were detained a short
time for horses. We afterwards set out once
more ; and proceeded to Abo, where we arrived
Arrival at 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 pub-
lic 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 apart-
ment, 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 the chimneys by means of an iron
suflbcation.
KUMLINGE TO ABO. 271
slider there placed for this purpose. It' the inha- chap.
bitants 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 be dangerous
to shut the sliders. Unfortunately, not being ^cIpeTrom
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 chim-
neys as soon as we could do so without filling the
room with smoke ; and the 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 itine-
rant Lecturer in Natural Philosophy : as soon
as he came into the room, in which many were
272 KUMLhNGE TO ABO.
CHAP, now assembled, he perceived the cause of the
' — ^»— ( accident, and immediately 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 fre-
quently, in winter, among the peasants; the
chimneys in all their houses being constructed
with a sliding-board, to close over the embers
of burning wood : but as the severity of the cli-
mate 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 at-
tacks 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. VII.
ABO.
State of Aho — its situation with regard to other Seminaries
of Learning — its Commerce — Visit to the different Pro-
fessors — 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 — Eff'ect of an Organ upon some Natives of Sa-
volax — Interesting Cippus in the Chorus Tottianus —
Statues and Pictures — inscription in memory of Cathe-
rine, Widow of Eric XIV. — Historical Documents con-
cerning this remarkable Woman — Sivedish Legend upon
her Daughter s coffin — Manuscripts preserved in a
brazen coffer — Histories of Eric',? Reign — Portraits of
VOL. XI. T Luther
274 ABO.
Luther and Melancthon — Image of Henry the Martyr —
Chapel of Olaus, Bishop of Aho — Monument of a Scotch
Officer — Universiti/ Library — Manuscripts — Typogra-
phical Rarities — Theatrum Anatomicum — Auditory of
Disputations — Professor Gadolin — Collection of Mine-
rals — Professor Hellenius — Botanic Garden — Hellenius'i
private Collections — Comparative Estimate of the two
Universities, Upsala and Abo — State of Society.
o
Abo ranks next to Stockholm and Gothenburg,
in point of grandeur; and, if we except the two
last, is the largest town 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 distinguished 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 ^l-o to Tornea, are
magnificent, when compared with those on its
western shore; although they enter into no com-
A R C). 275
parison with the towns of England, France, Italy^
Germany, and Holland: therefore the term mag-
nificent can only be applied, to any of them, in
the comparative manner here specified. The
country on the Finland side of the Gulph is bet-
ter 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 flourish-
o
nig. The merchants ofyJbo, JVasa, Gamla Carlehy,
and Uleahorg, 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 Yavely, 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 make
ourselves well acquainted with the University
o
of Abo, its Professors, discipline, and state of
science — we sent our interpreter, the day after
our arrival, to hire lodgings ; and were soon
T 2
CHAP.
VII.
27d
ABO.
CHAP.
VII.
Professor
Frantxen*
provided with a very neat set of apartments,
having three rooms en suite, besides accommo-
dation for the servants, at the price of two rix-
dollars, 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 chambers, when we
received a visit from our former companion, Mr.
Eimgreen ; who told us that the different Profes-
sors, to whom we had letters of recommenda-
tion, 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 celebrated
Poet of Sweden and Finland, Professor Francis
Michael Frantzen; of whose beautiful Finnish
Ode, called Pojharne, both a Swedish and a Latin
translation were given in a former volume ' .
Frantzen was Professor of History and the Belles
Lettres. We had before seen him at Gamla
Carlehy, during our journey in the North of Fin-
land, when he was in search of a wife, as we
have before mentioned ^. Upon the occasion of
our present visit, we found him in his little study,
(I) See Vol. X. p. 97.
(2) Ibid. p. 78.
ABO. 277
surrounded by his books ; among which, to our chap.
surprise, we observed Addison^ Spectator, the ..
works of our Poet Grayy Coivpers 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 ask-
ing him for a specimen of his poetry ^ It has
all the characteristic pathos of English poetry ;
being, in fact, composed in the style, and nearly
in the metre, adopted by some of our own Poets;
such, for example, as Gray, in one of his Odes*;
also Mernc^*, Cotton^, Burns'^', and also by Miss
(3) The " ^gtOCf^Olm^ ^Oj^en, (No. 214,)" for Thursday, Sept.
19, 1793— " XlJor^&a^en, ben 19 @eptcm6ct, i793." it had,
for signature, the initial and terminal letters of his name, thus written
" F «."
(4) See Gray's Ode, " 'Twas on a lofty vase's side," &c. Vol. I. p. 6.
edit, by Mnthias.
(5) See his Paraphrase of the 122d Psalm —
" The festal morn, my God, is come."
Also on the 65th Psahn —
«' 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.
278 ABO.
CHAP. Carter\ and by Mrs. Barbauld\ in their odes
VII. ^
' — , — ' 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 recol-
lected, and will suffice to shew the analogy.
One of the most striking beauties of the Siuedish
poetry will not, however, be found in any of
these examples, although occurring in Professor
Franlzens, Ode ; namely, the dissyllabic rhyme :
of this we before introduced a striking instance
in Pojkarne ; where, for want of an analogous
specimen in our own language, the author intro-
duced his own imitation of it, in an Ode to En-
terprise % modelled after tlie Swedish taste. The
subject of Professor Frantzens Ode, which we
shall insert in the original language, accompanied
by as literal a translation as possible, is this : —
2)Mimiffjan5i %Ucte (" The Human Face or Coun-
tenance"). It is addressed to Selma ; and con-
(1) See particularly Miss Carter's beautiful " Ode to IVisdom ," from
which the following stanza may be selected as an instance: —
" To inu 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,
All empire o'er my mind."
(2) See Mrs. Barhauld's " Hymn to Content :"
" O Tiiou, the Nymph with placid eye !
O seldom found, yet ever nigh !
Receive my temperate vow !" Sec.
(3) See p. 105 of the former Volume.
A B (). 279
sists of eleven stanzas, written in the manner chap.
VII.
already noticed, but with the dissyllabic rhyme .. ^. -
at the end of every line, except where the
rhj'^thm alternates. A literal translation of it in
analogous English metre would be difficult, if
not impossible. We must therefore be contented
with a correct translation in English prose ;
being sensible, at the same time, of the utter im-
practicability of giving any idea of the poetry
by such a version. The Ode, when converted
into English prose, loses all its beauty, and be-
comes almost as grotesque as the French prose
translation of the Odes of Grai/. The original,
therefore, is inserted in a Note*.
" THE HUMAN COUNTENANCE. specimen
" ODE TO SELMA. o*' ""^^ "^
Professor
I. J<'rant%'cn'^
" The sixth day of time had spread its purple veil I'oems.
over the cedar forests: the butterfly, on its golden
wings, wafted over murmuring brooks, kissed the rose
in its bower.
(4) 2)?dmiiffian^ 9hitetc»
Obe tir @e(ma»
I.
JKcban |)min, fin purjjurfTojIa
6fn?er (Jeberffo.qcn |)6)a,
Xiben^ fjette ^ag*
(SulbBenjingab/ ofirer bdcfen,
^jdritn ffc^ tit tofent^dcf en ,
2S() ABO.
(IIAP. II.
VII.
^ _ . " 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 in-
nocent, wantoned in the groves of Eden.
III.
" 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
Frantzens simple and expressive SOJotijonvobnan,
would be forlorn indeed. So also the words
©noil pd fjatten are but feebly rendered by Alpine
Snows; the word ^^idl applying to those lofty
ridges upon the summits of the highest moun-
II.
*;pdrtan f f en i wattttct^ fpe.gcl ;
.0n?ita, ^Idnflc @tt»ancn^ fcgct,
i ct ffu^qgtift funb ;
Simt gtobbe rott i brufwan ;
Dm oc^ menlo^/ (efte bufwan,
uti (gben^ Umb*
III.
3)?cn ben f)6.9Jla ffonl)ct felted
i naturen— fronan fcltcj^
ann i ffapclfcn ;
til bej? 3)?dnniffian ur qrufct
i)of fit anlcte i rjufct ,
hof cpp c.qoncn*
ABO. 281
tains, where, as upon Lebanon, the unmeltmg ^yj^^''
snow exhibits a splendid whiteness, that can '*— v —
only be conceived in the mind of persons by
whom it has actually been beheld.]
IV.
" The snow of the Fjals was outwhitened : the morn-
ing, outreddened, 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.
IV.
@ncn pa fjdacii ^6a ej fdvgcn
3)?oi'^ont'obnan 6afom 6cv^en
f6nf forbimftab mt :
@tjenian, fom i ba^cn^ panna
fattfaffott, ejt witte flanna
bfiver iorben mer*
V.
■Diiiven t)i;Uanbe fi<^ bojbc
for be p^on, fom jt^ bojbe
ifvdn floftct opp ;
bcr 6e|)a5 oct) f drtef mt)f?c ;
bcv 6lanb fovqcn^ tdvat lt)|le
ct obobtigt ()opp»
282 ABO.
CHAP. VI.
VI I.
V- 'v— '' " All the angelic choir saw with amazement the
speaking beauty of the new creation, and looked at the
Creator ; who impressed it with His own image, beheld
His work, and ' saw that it was good'.'
vir.
" 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.
VI.
^In^laffatan flat Betaken,
fer be taranbc bd)agix\ ,
od) pa ©fapatTt fer*
©fapam trprfte jit mfe^el
pa jit mvf; od) i bcf fpe^el
fcr jin hilt , 06) Ur»
VII.
3 font ffrifen : " tiX'ax in^cn
fom ^ett otbnin^en at tinmen ;
, ©Uimpen fldlbe beni ;"
^amv! erott tU fdttan fti^cii :
feencit antete, ocj) ti^^ett,
robnen, oc^sait ^em*
(1) ** And smiled" would be nearer to the original: but this slight
deviation, as appropriated to the language of Scripture, without altering
the sense, may pot haps be tolerated.
ABC). 283
VIII. CHAP.
VII.
" 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, be-
nignity ! Lift my Selma's morning veil from her bloom-
ing cheek ! See the tender and bashful expression of
her eyes ! Behold the dark ringlets of her hair, flying
careless in the wind.
VIII.
6e ten gamle 20ife^ pamn :
fe en tajTa af bet fmina,
a'Ola, m)nlQCi*
6e en 6licf m .^jclten^ o^a :
@e et elbbm^ af bet ^'oQa,
jlom, btifli^a*
IX.
Od) bet ffona, mitba, Ijufwa?—
£pft min 6etma^ motgonliufwa
fmn be^ jjurputfinb*
@e be^ o^on : omnia , hl^ga I
@e bef morlfa tocfat fTijga,
for^loli, for en winb*
284 ABO.
CHAP.
VII.
X.
* " "V -'' " O master-pieee 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 !"
X.
3}id|ler)f eif uti tiaturen,
Idiif ftdii ^Ingtame x\\ bjurcii,
©ubaBcldte !
©jdteti^ Xox^i tobii^^etcn;
Qox tu ej tit m'\Q\)iXiw,
^idiiff jomnete ?
XI.
5ldb ! ja : ^'hi^tai* dim ffal rova
@e(mfl^ iipfpn ; t>d be l^6m
()cmic^ vof! 6latib jig*
6etma ! dmi i iym\mi famr
^'(nn i (f li;fecii^ Wax,
fdv lag^ fe pd big !
% n*
(1) In tho originul, " j (jinUcll^ fft(rtV ;" >" which expression we
may perhaps recognise, as it were, an involuntary allusion, on the part of
a Scandinnvian poet, to the old Gothic mythology of his ancestors, the
Valiiai.i.a, m Hall nf Odin.
ABO. 285
Many other poems of Professor Fran^^ew lie ^yj^^'"
scattered among the almost-forgotten News- '■ »■■ *
o
papers of j4bo and Stockholm: for the expense
of printmg 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 ^bo Gazette, called 5l6o Xibning, pub-
lished while we were in ^bo, there appeared a
long poem, which he also acknoAvledged as his
composition^ 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 Sivedes 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 ©uonii^.
After this visit to the Professor of History, we
went to the house of the most learned scholar
in the University, Henry Gabriel Porthan, one of Ponhnn.
(2) The 5lbO ^ibninCJ 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
•^inlanb^ Upobfing; m which, speaking of i-'m^nnrf, he says—
mina fdbcv^ Bt^gb ! o <^mlanb! ffal omfibcr
^w afu\'n lufta bii^ btaiib jorbctii? Idiibcv opp*
286 A B O.
^^^* the Professors belonging to the Faculty of Philo-
^— y • sophy, and styled, in the Index Prcelectionum of
the University, the Regius Professor of Eloquence.
o
Account of The University of Aho consists of a Chancellor ;
tlie Univcr- ^^ in j i • j
sity. a Fice- Chancellor ; the Professors, and their ad-
juncts ; Magistri Docentes ; and teachers of mo-
dern languages, fencing, and music. The Chan-
cellor, at this time, was the Count Charles Adam
fVachtmeister ; its Vice-Chancellor, Doctor James
Gadolin, Bishop of Abo: and the names and
titles of all the Professors are given in the Appen-
dix to this Volume'. It is usual here, as in
other Universities, for those who hold public
disputations in the Schools, to read, in Latin, a
o
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, en-
ables the Professor, if he choose, thus to pub-
lish one of his own Dissertations. We found
Professor Porthan engaged in carrying on a work
of this kind : and the manner in which he ac-
complished it will serve to shew the nature of
the obstacles which all the Professors here have
to encounter ; wanting those facilities of com-
(\) Sep tlio Index Pretlectionum, in the Appendi.r,
ABO. 287
munication with the literary world, which are yjj
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 Episcoporum Firi'
landensium,'' illustrated by his own valuable
notes ; in which there are frequent 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 owing
to his kindness that the author was able to
collect also a series of the Academic Dissertations
of the University of Abo, for nearly half a cen-
tury". 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
Ql) This work is thus mentioned in a Note to the "■Specimen
Historiee Litterarice Fennicce" one of the Theses printed at Abo, in
1793. " Paulus Juusten auctor est Chronici Episcoporum Finlanden-
sium, quod primus vulgavit ill'. Nettelbladt ( Ut ©CvWCDifcpC
^ibliOti^ef , @t^te^ @tUCf » No. 2. p. 62—90.) jam vero iterum cum
Annotationibus uberrimis editum a eel. Prof. Porthak, cujus operis xxx
Particulffi hucusque 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 it to Edinburgh, to be depo-
sited in the I.ibrari/ of Advocates there. It is perhaps the only copy of
it extant in Great Britain.
(2) See the List of the principal Dissertations, given in the Appendix.
288 ABO.
CHAP. Qf education for the youth of Finland and Sweden,
VII. ''
' — - — ' 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 accomplished 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 pro-
nunciation belonging to all foreigners, and with
a degree of volubility which rendered it some-
times 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 of apprecia-
ting his various acquirements. Abo, interdicted
(1) "Nulla enim Illarum, aiit in lapidibus, cippisqiie sepulcralilms,
aut in aliis vetustatis monutnciuis, reperiii poUiciunt vestigia." Por-
than. Hist. Biblioth. Acad. Ahmhmi.i, p. .3.
ABO. 289
from all communication with Petersburg, and chap.
VII.
having little intercourse even with Stockholm^ ^ — ,- ■*
owing to the peculiar circumstances of its situa-
tion, cannot be considered as a favourable spot
for the interests of literature ; yet such has
l)een 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
o
science. The history of j4bo is of considerable
antiquity ; but few places have been more liable
to vicissitudes, or exposed to greater devasta-
tions. During the wars of Sweden and Russia, Disasters
it has often been sacked and laid waste : we are ?," ."*^
Abo has
not, therefore, to wonder that few monuments ^een liable.
of its antient state of dignity are now in exist-
ence. 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
o
taken from the houses in j4bo. Its bridge, con-
II
structed over the small river Aeura"^ (which
flows through the city, and falls into the Gulph,
at the distance of half a Sivedish mile from the
place), was once a single arch of stone: but
(2) We have written the name of this river correctly : it is pronounced
Aura 1 and as jocki, pronounced yocky, signifies ' a small river,* it is
called Atira-yucky.
YOU XI. U
^
290 ABO.
^\u^' ^^^^ ^^^ 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.
o
The earliest account of Abo is contained in the
work of Professor Porthan, before mentioned ' ;
which, however, it is almost useless to cite, as
one copy only of the work exists in Great Bri-
tain. It is there stated, that, about the year
1198 of our eera, during the episcopacy of Fol~
quinius, the third in order of the Finland Bishops,
Abo was consumed by fire, in consequence of
the devastations made by the Rutheni, or Rus-
sians; 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 pre-
datory warfare * ; by this means forcing the in-
habitants to quit their hiding-places, and come
(1) His edition of Juusten's " Chronicon Episcoporum Finlanden-
sium." See a former Note.
(2) " His jam allatis accedit, quod variaD hostium, prevcipue Russorum
crudeles in Fennia populationes, non mode multa qua; a privatis hotni-
nibus in notitiam posterorum annotata fortassis csscnt, nobis sustulcrint,
sed varias etiam coUectioncs veterum documentorum publicas dissipa-
verint ac destruxerint." — Specimen Historice Lilteraria; Fennica;, p. 4.
Aboa, Tt/pis Frcnckellianis,
ABO. 291
forth with their effects '. Notwithstanding its ^^jj^'
frequent losses, and the injuries to which it was ' y '
continually exposed, it began to be considered
among the chief cities of Sweden so early as the
fifteenth century ; carrying on its commerce
chiefliy with the Germans'^. But from the year
1198, down to this period, the history of Abo
is nothing more than a catalogue of disasters,
conflagrations, and catastrophes of every de-
scription. Heaven and earth seemed to com-
bine 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
1509, it was sacked and burned by the Danes\
Three successive conflagrations followed, in the
(3) In this manner they burnt the city of Moscow, in the moment of
its capture by the French army: and it has aflforded 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
turning of Moscoiv was a sublime example of loyalty and patriotism
on the part of the Russians, Loyalty and Patriotism among slaves
AND THIEVES ! ! ! Mention this act of Loyalty and Fairiolism, Reader ! in
Moscow, and see how the Russians themselves will laugh at thy credulity !
(4) PoRTHAN, in Annotationibus ad ChronicoJi Ju:<ti7iirtnum, p. 528.
(5) " Anno 1509, exercitus Regis Danorum Johannis I. Abi>am er
improvise occuparet, totamque urbem hostiliter dissiperet, Ecclesiam
Cathedralem multis pretiosis rebus et clinodiis quam pluiiuiis spoliando,
et quod hie prajcipue nominandum, libros meliores auferrent Duii ; qua
clade funesta, magnam quoque partem conquisitorum hinc inde littera-
riorum moniinentorum res patrias illustrantium periisse, dubio caret."
Specimen Hist. Litt. Fenniccc, p,4. Aboce, Typis Frenckelltanis.
U 2
292 ABO.
CHAP, years 1546, I54g, and 1552; and as often re-
V .y- ' duced the city to ashes.
After such a series of calamities, we may in
vain looii for traces of the magnificent ornaments
Cathedral, oncc lavished upon its Cathedral. These have
entirely disappeared : but the structure itself,
" PER TOT DISCRIMINA KERUM," marVclloUsly
remains, and still constitutes the principal ob-
ject of curiosity in the place. The style of ar-
chitecture 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 intri-
cate combinations and traces of the florid Gothic;
but plain, elegant, light, and lofty. The man-
ner 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 sha-
dow, 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 remarkable, as the notion prevalent
o
in ^bo is, that this cathedral was built by an
English architect '. The altar, the principal
(1) Tliib was also afterwards noticed by another traveller, Mr, Robert
Ki'r
ABO. 293
ais e, and various parts of the building, were S^rf *^'
crowded with wretched paintings; most <jf them, ' • v " ■ ■ ■'
^t 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 re-
ligion was even now professed in Abo. Even
the reliques once venerated here are still pre-
served 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 magnifi-
cence*: it stands at the western extremity of
the nave opposite to the altar.
A mistake of ours occasioned much mirth Ludicrous
during the first visit that we paid to this Cathe-
dral. As it was our wish to attend Divine
Xer 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, yo\. II. p. 84. Lond. IH09.
(2) The organ may be ranked amongst the best in Europe : its tones,
ndeed, equalled any I had ever heard." Ibid.
294 ABO.
^vn^ Service, we repaired thither, Sunday, January 5,
the second day after our arrival, and found a
very crowded 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 inadver-
tently 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 congregation ; and the two sexes occu-
pying 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 perceived
that we were conscious of the mistake we had
made.
After the Service ended, we repaired to the
organ-loft, with a view of conducting thither
ABO. 295
some of the Finland peasants, whom we had chap.
observed expressing their astonishment, which "^ — v-— '
amounted almost to fear, whenever the organ an organ
was heard. They were some of the wild race Xdves™f
of the Finns of Savoiax, who had been attracted ^'"'"'«*-
by curiosity into the Cathedral. Having con-
ducted them into the organ-gallery, we pre-
vailed upon the organist to allow them to touch
the keys with their fingers ; but the moment
any sounds were produced, they started back
and were evidently alarmed. The 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 appre-
hensions 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 produced 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
296 ABO.
CHAP, 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 ages'. This organ, togetherwith many other
donations of more importance to the inhabitants
of Jtbo, were the gifts of a Mr. Whitefoot, a
native of Luheck, 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 munifi-
cence do not seem to have met with much
(1) " Atqui ut omnes fere antiqui populi, anteqiiam artis scribendi
notitJam sibi compararent, Pocsin tamen, Miisicain(\ue cum ea con-
junctam, excoluerunt ; ita sua Fenni quoque nostri semper liabuerunt
carmine, qujE suo idiomate ilunoot adpellavere, neque musicam variis
instrumentis adbibiti«, tractare neglexerunt : quae tamen iiec fabricam
valde artificiosam prodidisse, nee teretibus nostri cevi Musicorum auribus
placuisse, facile intelligitur." Specimen Historia; Lilterario Fennicee,
J). 9. Aboee, Ti/pis Frenckellianis.
jlcerbi speaks of the antient melody of the Finlatiders, called Buna.
" It consists of two periods," he says, "or bars of five crotches each,
which make two periods of eight notes." See Acerbi's Travels, vol. I.
p. 284. Loud. 1802.
We have figured and described a kind of dulcimer, or lyre, with five
strings, in the Ninth Volume, p. 547, wliich the Finns make use of, and
which Ihey call A'endclr, or A'enlelel. " Nomina ejusmodi instrumen-
t«rum Fcnnis vcrnacula, ucc a vicinis gentibus mutata, hocdemonstrant :
e. q. £lanDelC, nablium, 'QEottUI," &t- Annot, Specimen Hist. Lift.
FcHti. i>. 9.
ABO. 297
gratitude. Another public benefactor to the city
died, as it is said, in such extreme poverty in
Jlbo, 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, interesting
Cippus, in
There is no building in all Scandinavia more the ckorus
'Totlianus.
worth seeing. The best 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 monument,
erected to the memory of Count Achatiiis Tott,
grandson 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
289 ABO.
CHAP, cenotaph ; the bodies being in oak coffins
> — v—^-' 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 Eric XIV., 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 Fandykes 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
statuesand holds a plumc of fcathcrs. In viewing these
statues and pictures, we seemed to be admitted
into the midst of Eric^ 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
ABO. 299
was erected in 1688 ; and we found one of the chap.
. , . . . VII.
four columns belonging to it thus inscribed with <„, «,— ^
the artist's name: " Peiruz Schuliz, S.R. Sculptor ,
invent t et fecit T In the figure of Achatius Tott
we recognised the genuine costume of the
country; ?i Scandinavian 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 head. This practice may be observed
over all Sweden and Finland. There is a regi-
ment of cavalry in the Sivedish 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 Tcher-
nomorski 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 becom-
ing 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 antient Britons, and other
barbarous tribes, adopted the same practice.
300 ABO.
CHAP.
VII.
Over the cenotaph are placed the armorial
ensii^jns of the two families of To// and Brake;
and above all appears the image of our Saviour,
with the cross, between the figures of two
angels'.
But that which possesses a greater degree of
(1) This is the Inscription upon the Monument of Achalius Tott : it
is in capital gilded letters : —
" Illustrissimi Herois ac Domini, D : ni Achatii Toll, Comitis de
Carleborg, Liberi Baronis de Sjundeby, Domini in Ekholmsuiul, 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 Nylandia fuit. Mortalitatemque
rursus post vitara. rebus domi atque foris, in aula et bello praeclare gestis,
"Gdstavo Magno, Rcgum exemplari, magna ex parte consecratam, A:o
■M.DC.XL. die XV Julii, Eetatis ultra quadragesium biennio in aula sua
Lafwila Parochise Euraminne exuit. Facta non vicini solum, et quos
arma Patria attigere stupent, sed Italus pariter et Iberus atque Galli
loquntur. Ita post annorum a prima eetate complurium militiam in
insigni Com\Us> Jacobi de la Gardie, Regni Mar'schi per Moscoviam expe-
ditione incepta, et inde Regis contra Polonuni in Borussia auspiciis
continuatam, ac denique interjecta in castra exterorum peregre transcur-
sione etiam sub Augusto Bello Sveco-Germanico probatam, dignus, cui
primarium in militia Campi-Mareschalli munus, et cum exercitu delecto
a^endi plena daretur potestas, quam in Saxonia inferiori exerceret, a
Maximo Rege habitus, in Poraerania; Ducatibus, Gryphisvalda, Wismaria,
et Rostochio, in Bremensi, Stada, et Boxtahuda, locis munitissimis occu-
patis, cxercitum Ctesareum eis partibus penitus profligavit. Hrec inter
Equitis aurati splendor ipsi a summo virtutum fpstimatore tributus, hinc
Senatoria in victrici Regno dignitas, et post fata quoque Comitatus honos
additus. Genus ipsi Paternum ex familia Svecia; Daniacque a multis
retro sxculis inulto celeberrima, Regibiisque cognata. Matorno pariter
Filia Erici XIV. Regis Svecia; legitiina, Gonetrice clarus. Bis
maritus ; primas cum illustrissima Domina Sisride Jijelkc, contraxit
nuptias, atque ex ea filii, Comitis Claudii Tott, virtutibus, qua toga, qua
sago inclyti parens; secundis, illustrissimai Domimv, T) : nx C/iristin<T
Bralie, Comitissa; de Wisingsborg &c. scse junxit, quse superstes hoc
manibus piissimis vovit monumentum."
ABO. 301
interest in this Choir, although a monument of chap.
much less splendour, is a plain marble tablet,
placed against the wall, which appears upon the in'memory
of Ciillid-
left, to one entering ; erected, as was before w„,," wi
dow of
Eric XIV.
Stated, to the memory of Catharine the Wife *^"''°''
of Eric XIV. She was the Grandmother of
j4chatius Tott, by his mother Sigrid's side. It
has this Inscription, in capital letters : —
CONDUNTUR
HOC BUSTO
CINERES
NATALIBUS, VIRTUTE, FORTUNA QUONDAM INCLYTiE IM-
PRIMIS KATHARINE, DOMINtE DE LIUXALA QUAM ERICUS
xiv. suec. goth. que rex, thori regii socirtate
dignam habuit ; eademque post viduitatem ad annum
usque .t.tatis lxiii. summa vit^ morumque pietate
et innocentia transactam, placide in aula liuxala
anno restaurat^ salutis mdcxu. obiit. dehinc
fili^ ejusdem ex thoro regio legitime concepts
domine sigridis, qu^ conjunx perillustris domini
henrici tott, permagno heroi achatio tott geni-
trix exstitit : quem tabula ex adversio posita
fusius demonstrat. anno domini m dc lxxviii.
illustrissimus r. s. drotzetus comes petrus brake,
curavit hoc epitaphium fieri nomine ac sumptibus
illustrissimie comitiss^, dominie christina brake,
nat^ comitiss^ de wisingsborg, comitissje de
carleborg, lib. baron. de sjundeby, dominie de
SKOFTEBY, EKHOLMSUND ET LEHALS LaNH. SIMUL
DONAVIT HUIC ECCLESI^ CATKEDRALI ABOENSI MILLE5
IMPERIALES.
inarkable
woman.
302 A B O.
CHAP. By this inscription, which really becomes a
'*— ^ — ' curious historical document, we learn some par-
Documents ticulars respecting Catharine, of which history is
th/s"e"'"" silent — That after the imprisonment of her
husband, and probably after his death, she
withdrew, far from the Swedish 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 Euic XIV., married
Henry Tolt, from which union descended Count
Achatius Tott, whose monument we have de-
scribed. Liuxala, mentioned as the place of her
residence and death, is a large farm or manorial
seat in the parish of Kangasala, 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 passionately loved.
The ceremony of her marriage to the king took
place upon the sixth day of July 1568, the year
after his cruel murder of the whole family of
the Stures; and that of her coronation, which
was celebrated with the utmost pomp, followed
ABO. 303
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 re-
mains, 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 ex-
ample, we shall give the legend which appears
in capital letters upon the coffin of Sigrid, 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 MDCXXXIIL
We had some hope of discovering other his-
torical information connected with the state of
304 ABO.
^y^^' Stveden during the period of Erics> sufferings
**— ^^ ' after his deposition, upon being permitted to
scripts pre- cxamiue the contents of a brazen chest which
served in a , ^ • .1 • i
brazen was shcwn to US, withiu a wooden covering,
'^° ^'' and which contains several manuscripts written
upon parchment. They consisted, however, of
documents which perhaps will only interest the
Sivedish 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 church o{ Randamaltensi 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,
1638. The fourth gives an account of the heroic
deeds of Achatius Tott; and the solemnities
observed at his funeral, September 29, l640.
The fifth is the patent of nobility granted to his
son Claudius Tott, by Queen Christina, March
20, 1652. The sixth, with thirteen signets
annexed to it, dated Ekholmsund, November 6,
1639, is nothing less than tlie dowry granted
by Achatius Tott to his second wife, Christina
Brahe.
Few persons perhaps would have bestowed
ABO. 305
the same pains that we did, in ransacking the ^^^/'
chambers of the dead for historical information '. .■>- »
connected with the history of such a gloomy otEHc'^
superstitious tyrant as Eric XIV. ; for whose "'^"*
bad character some writers seem anxious to
apologise, by pointing 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 con-
duct of his brothers, by whom he was dethroned
and imprisoned '. 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 our 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 Seventh'",
(1) " II y a neanmoins beaucoup d'Ecrivaiiis qui font passer ces accu-
sations pour des calomnies. lis pretendent qu'elles ont ete en partie
inventees pour justifier la conduite des Dues ses freres, et en partie
repandues par les parens de Joran Peerson, afin de rejeter sur la per-
sonne du Roi les crimes de ce Ministre." — Hist, de Suede, par Puffendorf,
tome II. p. 3. Amst. 1743.
(2) 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 Seusnth's grand-daughter, Elizabeth. Setting aside
all the arguments adduced by Buck, whom Ilapin charges with partiality,
there is one observation concerning Richard the Third, which has escaped
VOL. XI. X ^"""'
306 ABO.
CHAP, and the members of that family. But, in view-
VII. . , . . .
' _■ •' ing the annals of Erics reign, a sensation of in-
dignant 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 character, Eric XIV. seems most to have re-
sembled Paul of Russia — a wretched compound
of superstition, perfidy, lust, and cruelty ; and,
with all these vices, occasionally irritated by
flights of insanity ^ But the story of Erics career
Sacon, in the beginning of his Life of Henry the Seventh ,- speaking, as
it were, volumes : — " Quanquum autem FrincepsJ'uisset in militari virtute
probatus, atque honoris Anglici assertor strentius, legislator item bonus,
in levamen et solatium vulgi." Vid. Histor. Regni Regis Henricl Sept.
vol.V. p. 6. Amst. 1662. And with regard to the contrast exhibited in
Richard's successor, how admirably is it displayed by llapin's 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.
(1) See the 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 wea-
pon from tlie wound, kissed it, and presented it to his murderer : — and
all the rest were cruelly massacred. " Carcerem invadens Nicolai Sture,
in lecto jacentera, et sibi reverenter assurgentem, proprio sauciavitpugione.
Quern Nicolaus ex gravi pectoris vulnere protiniis extractum, et osculo
humiliter tactum, percussori obtulit, indeque furens Princeps nonnihil
mitigatus abiit."' Chronol. Scond. apud Messenium, torn. VI. p. 44.
Stockholm, 1700.
(2) " Non diffiteor rcgem Ericum quandoque parum sani fuisse
cerebri ; sed istud per intervalla delirium quidain alii, velut hajreditariam
a matre, simili mentis vitio nonnimquam laborante, contractam reputant
labeculam." Ibid. p. 56.
ABO. 307
has never been either fully or fairly told ' : and it chap.
is rather remarkable, that our knowledge should
be so imperfect of the life of a sovereign Prince,
the v^^ooer at once both of Queen Elizabeth and
ofikfan/ Queen of /5co^**. Piiffendorf h?LS collected
very little upon the subject ; and the more ori-
ginal sources, to which we have referred, do not
supply the deficiency. At least a dozen romances
might be written upon the subjects of Erics
amorous adventures. His amours with Catha-
rine, 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 Stockholm^ Here Eric first saw her ;
and, being struck by her beauty, had her brought
to the palace ; where she was taken into the ser-
vice, and brought up under the auspices, of his
(3) There is a History of Ekic XIV. by (Haf Celsius ; and the works
of Loccenius and Messenius may be referred to ; but the accounts of the
Swedish history, at this period, are, for the most part, jejune.
(4) Puffendorf ascribes the chief part of Eric's bad conduct to the
evil counsels of one Peersnn, 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. 1745.
(5) "Erat Catharina humili admodum genere propagata, utpote filia
cujusdam Magni, agricolis nati parentibus, in Medelpadia, qui decurionis
nactus officium, inter praesidiarios castri Stockholmensis milites, eo migra-
vit, ubi filia tenuem parentum sustentationem quopiam simul lucello
alleviatura, in fbro nuces escario habuit venales."— CArrmo/. Scond. apiid
Messenium, torn. VI, p. 56. Stockh. 1700.
x2
308 ABO.
VII
CHAP, sister, the Princess Elizabeth'. As she grew u|),
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-potion'^. 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
oifences. Among the different dungeons in
which he was confined, he was for some time
o
incarcerated in Abo-hus, a fortress at the mouth
of the river upon which Abo is situate^ : and
o
there is a record of her death and burial at Abo,
A.D. l6l2j in the valuable work of Messenius* ;
the only allusion, perhaps, made to her in his-
(1) "In GynecsBO deinceps principis ElizabethcB liberaliter profecto
^ducabatur." Chron. Scond. apud Messenium, ibid,
(2) " Quamquam nonnulli existiment, quodam regem Ericum philtro
a Catharind propinato, imprimis usque amantem ipsius evasisse, etpostea
redditum inde amentem." Ibid.
o
(5) " The castle, in the language of the country called Abo-hus, 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 Albre€ht, 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. ylbo-hUs was the residence of Duke John, and the prison
of Eric XIV. in the sixteenth century." — Acerbi's Travels, vol. I.;). 214.
Lond. 1802.
(4) " MBCxn. Callturina, regis Erici vidua, hoc tempore clausit vit«
periodum, Abogije sepulta." — Epitome Chronol. Scond. apud Messen. ed^i
FeringskiUd, torn. XV. ;;. 156. Stockholm, 1703.
ABO. 309
tory, after her husband's dethronement, which chap.
happened forty-four years before, on the 28th <■ y -'
of September 1568.
In a room adjoining the Sacristy are huddled
together all the images and symbols of supersti-
tious mummery, which belonged to the Cathe-
dral when it was a place of Roman-Catholic
worship; — doubtless, therefore, before the
whole-length portraits of Luther and Melancthon Portraits
adorned this building, which are now seen in and ^J*^
the principal aisle. That 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 PHILIPPUS MELANCTHON.
ROM. VIII. 31 SI DEUS PRO NOBIS, QUIS CONTRA NOS ?
ANNO 1684.
Over one of the doors is a dlded wooden image of
"-" Henry the
image of St. Henry the Martyr; which the re- Martyr.
forming Iconoclasts have suffered to remain in its
original position, as being the effigy of the Patron
Saint of Finland, the first preacher of the Gospel
310 ABO.
CHAP.
VII.
in this country. In former times, such was the
reverence 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 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 possession 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
ABO. 311
Cathedral, and to copy their inscriptions. Some ^yj^^'
of them, however, are well worthy of notice ; ' r— '
especially one of black marble, representing,
upon a triclinium, the sculptured cumbent effigies
of a warrior and his wife'. The most antient chapeiof
monument in the Cathedral is the Sepulchral Bishop of
Chapel, erected, as the inscription tells, by ^^°'
o
Olaus, a Bishop of Abo, in 1425 ; who lies
buried here with the members of his family.
This is the inscription : —
%mo S> : ni mct^^tj 2)?a3nu^ O\0ii c : ^>u^ 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
o
D. G. EPISCOPUS ABOENSIS, HUJUS CAPELL^E FUNDATOR,
QUI SEDIT ANNOS QUADRAGINTA.
Then, upon the same plate, follows ;
ANNO DOMINI M.C.D.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.
(l) Thorsten StShlhnndsk, and Christina Horn.
312 ABO.
^y/t^' All these had the addition Tavast to their
" — V— ' names, as a surname ; the first being called
Magnus Olaus Tavast; and the second, Olaus
Henricus Tavast, who is mentioned in the
Chronicle of Juustenius as having instituted an
altar and mass in the Cathedral of j4bo, in
honour of the Eleven Thousand Virgins. We
were also shewn an inscription commemorating
a warrior of the same family, by the name simply
of Olaus Tavast, who was also buried here : '
AlSfllO DOMINI M.CCCC.LXI. CRASTINO Ft I PETRI DE
CATHEDRA NOBIL. VIR OLAVUS TAVAST, MILES
HOC OBIIT : ORATE PRO EO.
Monument ^j^j formerly were seen here the marble effisrv
of a Scotch '' ^''
Officer. and cenotaph of Samuel Cockburne, a Scotch officer
in the Swedish service, who fought under Charles
the Ninth and Gustavus jidolphus ; 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 concealed by another tomb.
The inscription however remains.
(I) This Inscription is no longer in tlie Cathedral. A copy of it was
given to me by Professor Porthan.
ABO. 313
D. SAMUELI COCKBURNO SCOTO, DUCI FORTISSIMO,
DUORUM EXERCITUUM CHILIARCH/E PRZESTANTISSIMO,
TOTIUSQUE SVECICI EXERCITUS SUMMO MAJORI, QUI POST-
QUAM MUSARUM CASTRA CUM LAUDE SECUTUS ESSET, IN
PELLO SUB AUGUSTISSIMIS CAROLO ET GUSTAVO ADOLPHO
SVEC. GOTH. VANDAL. REGIBUS FCELICITER VIXIT ANNOS
XXIII, ET PIE IN PACE MORTUUS EST ANN. iETATIS SU^
XLVII. CHRISTI MDCXXI. JOAN. FRATER MCERENS POSUIT.
" COCKBURNE VIXTI FORTIS, AST OBIS FERUS, MARTEM
ET MINERVAM TECUM QUI CONDIS UNO IN SEPULCHRO,
QUO NON SCOTl TRISTIUS, 6VECI AUT VIDEBUNT, NEC
POLONI LyETIUS."
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 warriors, 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 University
the University ; to which our attention will now ' ^^^'
be entirely directed. An account of it, written by
Professor PoriAaw, was printed at Abo, in the form
and manner we have before mentioned, as
314 ABO.
CHAP, adopted by him for the publication of his works '.
s — , — ' The 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 1 640,
under the minority of Christina, daughter of
Gustavus jidolphus, who succeeded to the throne
of Sweden at the age of six years, upon the death
of her father at the battle of Lutzen^. The whole
(1) " Historia BibliotheccE R. Academice Aboensis, disputationibus
publicis XXIII. A. 1771 — 1787. proposita, ab Henrico Gabriel Portkan,
Eloqu. Prof. R. et 0. Aboee, 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 Franqais, have 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 Reginse, Litterarum amantissimae,
&c. celebri Christinaea Academia (confer, ut cceteros multos taceam
o . . o '
Wexionii Nalciles Academice Aboensis, et Bilmark, Hist. Acad. Aboensis
1. c. § 3.) mox desiderabatur, Musis recens hue translatis, voluptatem,
usum, suppetiasque praebitura Bibliotheca bene instructa j" &c. observes
Professor Portkan ; but he afterwards adds, " Tradunt viri de Historia
Patriae summis meritis clarissimi, Reginam idcirco statim post conditam
Academiam, Bibliothecam quoque hie fundasse regalique mactasse muni-
ficentia : sed haec verba stricte nimis non sunt interpretanda ; nihil enim
primis sex annis nova Academia accepit, liberalitate Regia, librorum," &c.
Vide Hist. Biblioth. Acad. ^c. p. 10.
(5) Upon the 26th o( November, 1632, Puffendorf suspected that this
great and good king was assassinated by Franqois Albert, Duke of Saxe-
Lauwenbourg ; an opinion warmly contested by his French Editor {see
torn. II. ;). 259, Note (l). Amst. 1743). The words of Puffendorf are :
*' On parte fort divcrsement de la manicre dont il fut tud. Cejiendant,
par les circnnstanccs on pent juger avec beaucoup de vraiscmblance, que
dans la confusion le mime Due de Saxe-Lauwenbourg lui donna le coup
par derriire."
ABO. 315
collection of books amounts to 10,000 volumes, chap.
VII.
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 when
we consider the situation in which they are placed,
we cannot pass by the notice of those Codices
which the ^bo 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 doubt-
ful whether any traces of them may long remain.
A Catalogue raisonnS of the Manuscripts will be
found in Professor Porthans History of this
Library*. We shall, of course, notice only the
most remarkable.
1 . The first is a Greek MS., in folio, of Melius, Manu-
scriDts*
a Greek physician \ It is fairly written upon
paper; and contains the 8th, gth, loth, nth,
12th, and 13 th 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.
(4) See Hist, Bihlioth. Acad. Aboeyisis, as before cited.
(5) AETIOT 'Ayr;a;^£a;j larfiou trt^i ^laynuiritu; Kctl h^a'Ttiies tudi voirn-
ftdravy Xoyoi s^, urori v?v ai? wen ixriTv-zsa/ftevoi,
316 ABO.
^vn^* ^' ^ ^*°^^° '^^' o^^^^^^'^ ^^ Oratore, elegantly
V — V — but inaccurately written upon paper, at Bologna,
in the year 1451.
4. A folio MS. of Cicero's Ora^/on^, 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 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 Manu-
scripts : 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
^Iric Schejffer, which Porthan calls *' rarum Bib-
liothecce nostrce cimelium\'' The authors of the
Fbyage de Deux Francais, by whom none of these
Codices were noticed, mention only one manu-
script, in their short account of this Library :
and although we give them full credit for their
(1) Hist. Biblioth.'p.2l4.
ABO. 317
statement, it so happened that we did not see chap.
the work to which they allude ^ ' — , — -
Among the Typographical rarities, we saw ^^^If^'
only the following as worthy of the smallest Rarities,
notice :
1. Terentius. Argent. 1496. folio, cum fig.
2. Cicero, Queest. Tuscul. cum comment. Phil.
Beroaldi. Venet. fol. 1499.
3. Horatii Flacci Opera, cum annotat. imagini-
busque. Argent, fol. 1498.
4. Persius. Venet. fol. 1495.
5. Juvenalis Satyrce. Venet. fol. 1494.
6. Seneca. Venet. fol. 1492.
7. M. Fab a Quintiliani Oral. Institut. Libri Xll.
sine anno et loco editionis. Fol. Literse initiales
adpictee sunt, et quaedam auro ornatafc.
8. JulH Firmici j4stronomicorum Libri XIII. &c.
Venet. fol. in asdibus Aldi,l499.
9. Boethius. Colon, fol. 1482.
10. Ploiinus. Florent. fol. 1492,
(2) "On nous y a montre un Manuscrit [in folio, de 1341 pages j
intitule: Proce s-verbal d''une commission nommSe in 1676, et sentences
qui ont eti prononcees sur lies male/ices et des mngiciennes, ecrit en
Su^dois, de la main d'Andr^ Engman, notaire de la dite commission : il
manque quelques feuilles au commencement." — Voyage de Deux Franqais
dans le Nord de V Europe. Tome II. p. 510. a Paris, 1796.
318 ABO.
^y^' 11' Dialogus Creaturarum Moralizatus, 4to.'
**— V ' 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 JSsop, in
large octavo, with the date l4go; but no men-
tion made 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 1519,
and in the Italian language. This Library is
(1) 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 : " Quoniara laesum
est hoc exemplum (figuris rudissimis, coloribus etiam allinitis, ornare opus
editor voluit), ct ultima imprimis folia desunt, non possumus certoquidem
hactenus detinire, (quod alias editiones cum hac comparand! non fuit
potestas,) utrum editio sit Stoclcholmensis a Joh. Snell impressa, an ea
antiquior Coloniensis a. 1481, industria et impensis Conradi de Hom-
broch e prelo emissa : sed pro Stockholmcnsi tamen potius habendam
putamus." At the end of the volume, however, we found this manu-
script note : *' In pagina ultima ha;c leguntur verba. Prses. (Prsesensv
liber. Dialogus Creaturarum appellatus jocundis fabulis plenus ; im-
pressus per Johannem Snell, artis impressoria; magistrum — in Stock/iolm
inceptus, et munere Dei finitus est. Anno Domini 1.4.8.3. ]\Iensis
Decembris."
* Hist. Bibliolh. p. 226. Note (d).
ABO. 319
VII.
well stocked with good editions of the Greek and ^^,^^*
Latin Classics, with the Writings of the Fathers,
books of Jurisprudence, books of Natural History
(including the famous Dariish work on Shells,
the Flora Danica, and most of our best Writers
upon this subject), Medicine, the Mathematics,
Geography, History, Antiquities, Voyages, and
Boohs 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 Bacons History of Henry
VII.; Camden s Queen Elizabeth; Rapins History
of England; Carringtons Life and Death of Oliver
Cromwell; History of Charles the Second, by a
person of quality; Wallace" s Account of the Orkney
Isles; Martins Western Islands of Scotland; &c. &c.
A volume of Sacred Songs, prepared for the use
of the Churches in Lapland, and printed in the
Siuedish language, in octavo, at Stockholm, in
1619, 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 mav be
afforded him, by reference to a quarto volume,
320
ABO.
CHAP.
VII.
Public
Edifices.
Theatrum
Anatomi-
cum.
Auditory
of Dispu-
tations.
written upon this subject alone, by the celebrated
Professor who so kindly assisted us in our own
researches'.
The principal public edifices of the Univer-
sity are most curiously made a part of the
Cathedral; being situate within its walls. Be-
sides the Library now described, pursuing the
same wall, we came to the Anatomical Schools
{Theatrum Anatomicum,) and the Public Auditory,
or Chamber, in which the Disputations are held. It
was intended that, in the ensuing spring, a hand-
some 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 paral-
lelogram, in this manner :
Front fiiT the Library.
in the side wings were to be Public Lecture-
(1) See Professor Porthan't Work, as before cited.
ABO. 321
rooms, and Repositories for Cabinets of Natural chap.
History, &c. * v— '
Being afterwards introduced to the celebrated
Professor of Chemistry, John Gadolin, he had ^'fj^Sr
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
Siveden; and there is nothing in this to exempt
it from the remarks we then made. The Pro- S'Se"
fessor who has the care of it, a man of 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 collection, were, a mass of
the famous Siberian Iron, supposed to be meteoric,
discovered by Pallas near the banks of the river
Jenisei; and some fine examples of the curious
mineral which bears Professor Gadolins own
name, and in which he discovered the remark-
able substance called Yttria. Some specimens
of the Gadolinite were said by him to contain as
much as forty per cent, of Yttria'^. Perhaps
there may have been, in this collection, other
(2) Professor Gadolin, at this time, estimated the proportion of Yttria
as equal to two-fifths of the mass; but, according to E/ceberg's analysis
of Gadolinite, some varieties of it contain 55.5 of Yttria, besides 4.5 of
Glucina.
VOL. XI. Y
322
A BO.
Professor
Hellenius,
Botanic
Garden.
minerals worth notice ; but the quantity of use-
less lumber with which we found it encumbered,
and the want of a proper arrangement, prevented
our further examination of its contents.
The collection of Botany^ under the care and
superintendence of Professor Hellenius, was very
differently characterized. It is by far the most
perfect thing of its kind in Sweden, not excepting
that at JJpsala, 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 were sur-
prised to find an addition made to every genus ;
containing, in some instances, twenty or thirty
non-descript plants, hitherto undetermined^ and
therefore anonymous. The Professor himself
conducted us 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, especially in
ABO. 323
CHAP.
VII.
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 miaccomitable ; namely, the diffi-
culty 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 fur-
ther 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 climate and soil may explain the
cause '.
After this visit to the Botanic Garden, Pro- iMiemus's
Private
fessor Hellenius shewed to us his Library, and Collection.
private collection of Natural History. His orni-
thological cabinet afforded us a very gratifying
sight, as it contained all the rarer birds of Scan-
(1) All the attempts made to rear the different species of La;j/anrf
Fedicularis, in the Botanic Garden at Cambridge, were without success.
The seed of the Fedicularis Sceptrum Carolinum, which we collected in
a mature state, and forwarded, for greater expedition, in letters to Eng-
land, 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 dif-
ferent species.
V 2
324 ABO.
CHAP, dinavia, 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 oc-
casionally visits Lapland and Finmark. The
Corvus Lapponicus, resembling a small Magpie,
is also a rare bird. There is an account of it by
Thimbergy in the Transactions of the Academy
of Stockholm. 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 KieUinen, 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
ABO. 325
other small insects and worms. There are chap.
above an hundred different species of birds r-^
a
found in the neighbourhood of Abo, and in the
o
Aland Isles. Many of these, of course, are sea-
fowl. They have four different kinds of Gulls,
together with the Colymhus 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
o
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 accomplish-
ments, which made us consider him as one of
the best-informed scholars of his country. In-
deed, we saw enough in this University to be
convinced that Upsala, although more cele-
brated, could not justly be compared with it.
But the opinion which foreigners entertain of
the merits of the Swedish Universities is e-ene- Compara-
^ tive esti-
rally formed from conversing with the Siuedes in mate of the
o. Ti **^o Uni-
Stochholm, where Abo is almost as little known versities,
as it is in London. Consequently, if in the j^^''""^'^
literary circles of Stockholm any mention is made
o
of Abo, the Swedes 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 pre-
326 ABO.
VII
CHAP, judice and imagination : in point of real science,
Abo is as much superior to Upsala, as the latter
is before the University of Lund. But if this
declaration were made among the Swedes of the
metropolis, it would give rise to considerable
opposition and w^armth of debate ; because in
Stockholm, the same notions are entertained with
regard to the Finland University, that Englishmen
entertain respecting the Universities of Dublin
and Edi?ibiirgh, when compared with Cambridge
and Oxford: they will not suffer them to be
weighed together in the same scale. Travellers,
however, viewing with impartial eyes their com-
parative merits, soon learn to disregard local pre-
judices. 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
o
that, at this time, Abo had the superiority.
At Upsala, science was made a matter of con-
o
versation ; at Abo, it was a subject of real and
industrious research : but Upsala possessed th-e
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 literary
world were wholly denied to Abo. The former,
jt is true, boasted the names of Thunberg ', and
{X) Author of Travels in Japan, &c. &c. ; successor of Linnecus.
VII.
A B O. 327
of the two brothers ylfzelius'^; to which has chap.
since been added that of an illustrious chemist,
o
in Berzelius : but jibo was at this time honoured
by its historian Porthauy by its poet Frantzen^
by its chemist Gadolin, and by its botanist Hel-
lenius ; 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 conspicuous in the two Universities
o
of Upsala and j4bo. In Upsala, drunkenness
and riot pervaded her streets ; and licentious-
ness and Jacobinism had found their way into
her cellars, which were nightly the resort, and
indeed the only public place of meeting, for her
o
students. In ^bo, although a town of greater
magnitude, containing a more numerous popu-
lation, peace and decent order everywhere pre-
vailed. We saw no symptoms oi that looseness
of discipline and contempt of decorum which
are so common in Upsala. Among its inhabi-
tants, a milder disposition seemed to prevail ;
chiefly, perhaps, owing to the absence of those
French principles, which had been disseminated
with fatal success, to poison and debase the
(2) John Jfzelius, Professor of ChemisLry ; and his brother, Adam
Afzelius, celebrated for his foreign travels, and talents in Natural His-
tory, especially in Botany.
328 ABO.
minds both of Students and Professors in Upsala,
as among persons of all ages in Stockholm. In
^bo, the older Swedish manners and customs
were prevalent, not having been yet liable to
such mischievous innovations: a love cf 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 coun-
try, might be deemed, as doubtless it was, the
most fashionable seminary of education ; but a
parent, who had the opportunities of information
and choice respecting both, would not long he-
sitate in which to place his son. Not, however,
that there is any thing of austerity in the man-
ners 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 pos-
sessed an excellent library ; and had, moreover,
a small but good collection of pictures and en-
gravings. 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 into Abo, and passing and
repassing amidst houses and public buildings
ABO. 329
half buried in snow, we had invitations to balls ^^j'^^'
and routs, in which a very striking contrast was ' , — '
exhibited to 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 even-
ing, 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.
Finlander of Savolax in the Streets of Abo, with his Sledge.
CHAP. VIII.
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 o/" Abo — Booksellers
— Price of articles — Language a7id People o/' Finland —
Finnish Poetry — Merchants of Abo — Maritime Com-
merce 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 travellings
carriage — State of the accommodations for Travellers —
Cursory refections previously to the departure for
Russia.
dis-
tricts.
ABO. 331
We arrived in that season of the year which, of ^y\f^'
all other, is best suited to gratify a stranger's >- — « — '
, 1 . r- r- 1 • Concourse
curiosity ; when the rigorous Irost oi the winter of Natives
enables the natives of all the neighbouring dis- neighbour-
o
tricts to resort to ^bo for merchandize. It
wanted only a fortnight to the annual fair ; but
the inhabitants of all the Finland, and even the
more distant Lapland provinces, 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 ena-
bled, 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 constantly in the streets,
dragging after them hand-sledges : — while the
Finns, with their shorn features, long dark un-
bending 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-
332 ABO.
CHAP, bones, and pinched mouth ; plainly shewed the
"^ — ^--w life they led : add to this, large, high, and pro-
minent ears ; a small head ; thin scanty eye-
brows, turned upwards at their extremities, like
those of the Chinese ; high shoulders ; short and
small lingers ; knees bent, and projecting for-
wards ; and you have the genuine portrait of a
jP/?2?2, 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 lan-
guage, and who have the same dark locks and
swarthy complexion : but the red-haired and
raw-boned tribes of the Lowlands in Scotland are
indisputably a Teutonic tribe, and perhaps ori-
ginally Danes. It will be recollected, that, in
former instances, we had been indebted to the
annual fair for the insight we 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 Tromjem. To the
same cause we were now indebted for a familiar
acquaintance with the natives of Tavastehiis and
Savolax ; perhaps the only remaining branch of
that antient race of Finjis who succeeded to the
ABO. 333
Lapps in this part of Scandinavia^ and drove the ^^Jt^'
latter from their settlements among the Aland ' r— '
IsleSy 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 diminutive 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 dif-
fered materially from the Lapps, in having*,
besides their more athletic form, light yellow
hair. But we had there seen a mixed race, pro-
duced by the intermarriages of Swedish and Fin-
land families ; producing a comely and healthy
race, who are constantly engaged in the whole-
some 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 their
sledges, with the horses yet standing in the shafts,
filling the court-yards of all the shopkeepers Manners
and merchants during the entire day ; and Finns.
where they went afterwards we could not learn.
334 ABO.
^vin^' ^poi"^ t^^^ii' fi'^st 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 pro-
visions 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 Peters-
burg; and are themselves Icthyophagitcs, inha-
biting 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 taber-
nacles OF MOLOCII, AND THE STvVR OF THEIR
GOD REMPHAN." Their first business, after
their arrival, is to swallow the drams with which
they are freely supplied by the tradesmen in
o
Abo, who are to traffic with them, and with which
they become immediately intoxicated : but no
people upon earth are more harmless " in
ABO. 335
their cups" than these simple Finns; their
drunkenness being- only manifested in the most
ludicrous grimaces, and in more than usual kind-
ness and attention to their female companions,
who can hardly be called by the name of '* the
fair sex," lovely as they may appear to a drunken
Finn. Sometimes, in these moments of intoxica-
tion, 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 i which, however,
is a matter of importance to them. At these
interviews 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 Aho, the native simplicity and un-
suspecting disposition of both render them an
easy prey to the more artful dealers.
CHAP.
VIII.
336 ABO.
CHAP. We have said that the trade carried on with
VIII.
' ,' I these tribes from the interior of the country con-
stitutes a very principal part of the commerce
of ^bo ; and hence it follows that the chief part
of the articles exposed for sale in the shops are
thino^s calculated for their use : in fact, the best
trade which any dealer can exercise in ^bo, is
that of supplying the natives of the interior dis-
tricts with the different commodities they may
require. Of all their wants, the principal are
constantly the same ; viz. tobacco and brand?/ —
drugs universally requisite, where mental re-
sources are at a low ebb, for steeping in forget-
fulness the tc^dium vitcu. The desire of obtaining
them 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,
o
for which a Finn has made a journey 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,
ABO.
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 any-
where, and cheerfully do whatever he required
of them ; wishing for no better payment for their
labour than a cutting from the roll of tobacco.
o
In one of the principal streets of Abo, we saw a
porter passing through the market with a con-
siderable 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 P"""^ °^
*^ the 2' inns.
of all the Finns seemed to be universally the
same ; indeed, it is nearly the habit worn over
all Finland, Lapland, and a considerable part 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 pan-
taloons reach below the calf of the leg, and are
bound about the instep. The feet are covered
VOL. XI. z
338 ABO.
vin^ either with fur boots, or socks made of skins ;
' over which are worn, what tlie Russians call
Lahkas, or sandals made of the bark of trees'.
Upontheir heads they wearacap 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 win-
ter-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 of whom were now
o
in Aho, with their necks and bosoms open to
the atmosphere, when the mercury in Fahren-
heit'^ thermometer was forty-six degrees below
the freezing-point, or thirteen degrees and a
half below Zero ; a degree of temperature 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
(1) See the Vignette to Chap. X. of the First Volume of these Travels.
ABO. 339
to penetrate through the square where the mar- chap.
ket is held, or any of the streets leading to it, w— v— -'
owing to the many thousands of Finns, and other
tribes, present upon the occasion ; bringing
frozen Jishes and corn for sale ; and bartering
these commodities against salt, brandy, tobacco,
domestic utensils, and sometimes silver vessels ;
with which, and 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 com-
modities exposed for sale ? Yet distances of expeduion^
this kind, and much greater, are traversed by l^J'^thT'^^"
the natives of Scandinavia, who visit the towns -^"'"*-
of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, journeying for
a little tobacco, or brandy, or for an iron-pot, or
any trifling articles of hardware, from one end
of this extensive region to the other. In proof Anecdote
.of one of
of this, one anecdote will be sufficient, which them.
afforded us as much surprise as it can possibly
excite in the Reader's mind. Being one day in the
market-place of J^bo, engaged in surveying the
crowd of peasants from all parts that were there
assembled, one of the Finns, whom w^e had
noticed on account of the wildness of his aspect,
z 2
340 ABO.
his savage look, and uncouth appearance, sud-
denly sprang forward from the multitude, seizing
us by turns by the hand, and evidently recog-
nising 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 Siuedish language, said —
" What, have the Gentlemen forgotten the poor
Finn who ferried them to and fro, in their visits
to Kiemi Fair ?" And now we recollected 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 northern^ to ^bo\ on
its southern extremity : and this amazing journey
had been performed for the sole purpose of buy-
ing a little salt and tobacco, with which he was
preparing to return !
TT O
and"stteets ^^^ cluefly cousists of woodcu houses, although
of Abo. 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 appear-
ance. A street leading from the former site of
o
the old Monastery of ^bo, towards Tavastehus,
is as long as the Strada Toledo in Naples, or the
Corso at Rome. There are three or four book-
ABO. 341
sellers' shops, but they are worse than those of ^^^f'
Stockholm. The owners of these shops are only
to be found in attendance during one hour in the sellers
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 Swedish language, is
put into his hand, which is all he is permitted to
see : and when he has been at the pains of exa-
mining the list, he finds it to consist entirely of
Swedish publications ; few of which are worthy
of notice. There are, however, some which one
is glad to meet with ; as, for example, the Dic-
tionarium Anglo- Svethico Latinum of Bishop Sere-
nius, with the curious preface of Eric Benzelius,
printed at Hamburg, in 1734; also Widegrens
Lexicon, Svensktoch Engelskt, printed at Stockholm,
in 1788 ; which are almost essential to a travel-
ler's journey through the country. For the
rest, it is hardly possible to conceive a greater
quantity of trash than it is usual to meet with in
such places. The works of the Swedish 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
Articles.
342 ABO.
CHAP, avoid the inns, the very best of which is bad.
VIII. o
' ^ • The lodgings let to strangers visiting Abo are
remarkably neat and clean : for a sum not ex-
Priceof cccding four shillings English per week, a good
set of apartments may be hired ; and no addi-
tional 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
Port, for twenty-four shillings. Other Portuguese
and French wines might be had in abundance ;
especially the different sorts of Claret; one of
which^ La Fite, is always called Long-cork in
Sweden, 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 and experienced in all
that related to his own countrymen. He often
ABO. 343
visited us ; and we passed whole evenings in ^^f/*'
conversing with him upon this subject. From all '- ^ *
that we could collect, it was evident that the
Ian2:ua2:e of the Finns is a dialect of that which language
^ ^ and People
is spoken by the Lapps^\ by many of the Russian oi Finland.
d) Tills opinion is connbateil by the Authors of the Universal
History, [see uoi. sxxv. pj^. 10, II. Lond. 1762.) 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. " Olaics,
(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 Laplander's life depend upon the comforts of his rein-deer ;
for which animal nothing can be better suited than the productions and cli-
mate 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 :
ENGLISH.
LAPP.
FINN.
Nose.
Njuone.
Nena.
Shoulder.
Alice.
Olka.
Spine.
Nidtje.
Nisa.
Hand.
Kat.
Kasi.
Finger.
Suorm.
Sormi.
Thumb.
Pelge.
Peukalo.
Knee.
Puolw.
Polvi.
Foot.
Juolke,
Jalka .
Blood.
Warr.
Weri.
344
ABO.
CHAP, nations ; and, what is much more remarkable, it
VIII.
has also been identified with the language of the
ENGLISH.
LAPP.
FINN.
Sinew.
Suona.
Suoni.
To hear.
Kullet.
KuuUa.
To mourn .
Surgot.
Sureta.
To lament.
Valot.
Valittaa.
To fear.
Pallet.
Peljata.
To answer.
Vaslatet.
Vaslata.
To travel.
Mannet.
Menna.
To drink.
Jiikket.
Juoda.
Hunger.
Nelget.
Nelka.
To swallow.
Njalot.
Nuolla.
To freeze.
Kalmet,
Kylmettya.
To fly away.
Pateret.
Pacta.
Brother.
Valja,
Veil.
Young.
Nuor.
J^uort.
Old.
IVuoras.
Wanka,
Sun.
Peive.
Pdiva.
Evening.
Ekked.
Ehto.
Cloud.
Palw.
PilvL
Ice.
Jagna,
Jaa.
Fire.
Toll.
Tuli.
Bay.
Lukt.
Laaxi.
Smoke.
Suowa.
Sauwu.
River.
Jock.
Joki.
Isle.
Suolo.
Salo-sari.
Mountain.
Ware.
Wuori.
Stone.
Kedke.
Kivi.
Bog.
Suis.
Suo.
Leaves.
Muorje.
Marja.
Alder.
Leipe.
Leppa.
Pine-tree.
Kuosa.
Kuusi.
Marten.
Nete.
Neta.
Louse.
Matok.
Mato.
Serpent.
Kerbma,
Karme.
Birch.
Ladde.
Lindu.
White.
Velkas.
Walkia.
All these, and many more, are enumerated in the Appendix to a printed
Thesis, " Dc Bicarlis," written by Portlian, for an Act kept in the
Schools at Abo by Fnintzcn, yi\>on the 20th of Dec. 1786, upon which
occasion Porihan himself presided.
ABO. 345
Hungarians\ According to Professor Porthan,
the Finns are the second colony of Tatars who
settled in Scandinavia ; the old and original co-
lony, 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
(1) The Reader will find this fact satisfactorily established by consulting
the work of I. Sajnovics, "• DeTnonstratio Idiema Ungarorum et Lapponum
idem esse," 4to. Hafnice, 1770. Also another very curious treatise,
printed at Gottingen, in 1799, entitled " Affinitas Lingua HungariccE
cum Linguis Fennicce originis, auctore S. Gyaumathi." But the prin-
cipal 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 Strallen-
beeg's " Descriptio Imperii Ruisici," printed at Stockholm in 1730,
p. 32. there is the following quotation from Sajnovics : — "Sciendum est,
in Europa et Asia, qua septcntrionem et orientcm respiciunt, sex classes
populorum inveniri, quos passim sub uno Tartarorum nomine complectimur.
Sunt hi
1. MORDUINI. 3. PERJltCKII. 5. WoOULITZII.
2. SCHEREMISS^. 4. WoTYACKII. 6. OsTIAKI.
Omnes hi olim cum Finnis, Lapponibus, Esthiis, et Ungaris unum
eundemque populum constiluerunt. Alque ad sic diclos Hunnos, vel
Vaijos, qui nonerant Taktaki pertinebnnt." — Nothing has ever puzzled
philologists more than the extraordinary discrepancy of the Hungarian
language, when compared with all others in its neighbourhood. Mol-
NARius, a Hungarian, in the preface to his Hungarian Grammar, says,
" Si quis ex me qucerat, ad quam originalem linguam Ungarica referenda
sit, vel cum quibus habeat 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.
Cam EuropcEis nullam connexionem habere hanc nostrum certum est.
Ativeroin Scythicis AsicB finibus, supersint Qentes aliquce nostra lingua
Hunnica utentes,juxta cum ignarissimis scio."
346 ABO.
CHAP.
VIII.
and southern parts of Russia, as far as the
^— V ' 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 Hun-
gary/, 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 /Are, 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." Thc
Finns 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
(1) This work was printed at Upsala in 1769. After speaking of the
Lapland and Finnish race, and attributing to them a common origin
with the Hungarians, in his preface the author says — " Non enim arbi-
Iror alia ralione facile explicari 2}osse, unde exstiterit insignis ilia, quce
inter linguam Ungaricam et Fennicam observalur affinitas, quccque tanta
est, ut cerld fide relatum mihi sit, in nupero hello, quod in Germania
gessimus, milites quosdam, Fcnniccc nationis, in Ungariam translates,
intra itercttiguum tcmpus cum regionis ejus incolis coUoquia miscere
jiotuisse."
ABO. 347
the whole race of Goths. In this poetry, the ^^J^f'
Finns are what the Italians call Improvisatoris ; ^ » " i'
composing extempore rhapsodies. Their poetical poeuy.'
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 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
348
ABO.
^YifL* ^^^ dactyls. We shall now insert the whole of
-' it, accompanied by a literal translation.
Native Song of a Finnish Maiden. Literal Translalion.
Jos mun tuttuni tulisi,
JEnne nahti/ini nnalcysi,
Sillen suuta ssuihnjaisin,
Jos oil's sun suden veressa :
■>■ ■#■ <^^ •#•_
Sillen katla kaapajaitin,
Jos olis karme kammen paassa.
If my well-known should come,
Dly 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.
Oliskn tiiuli mielelissa,
Ahavainen kiletissa,
Sanan toisi, sanun veisi,
Aauden rakkahan vallila.
If the wind had a mind,
If the breeze had a tongue,
To bear and bring back the vows
Which two lovers exchange !
Ennensa heitan kerkurnat,
Paislit papj)ilaii unohdan,
Ennerko heitan kertaiseni
Kesan kestyteldyani,
Talven taivutelduani.
All dainties would I disregard,
Even the vicar's savoury meat ;
Rather than forsake the friend of my heart.
The wild game of my summer's hunting.
The darling of my winter's taming.
This language is full of vowels, and perhaps
better adapted to Poetry than any other lan-
guage known. Their words never begin with
two consonants : if a word begins with a vowel,
it almost always ends with one ; at least, gene-
rally this happens ; although there be, of course,
exceptions. Acerbi, who was himself a skilful
ABO. 349
musician, has published, in the Appendix to the chap.
second volume of his Travels, the curious <*— v — '
variations given by the Finlanders to the five
notes of which alone all their music consists.
He has preserved their famous Run a, beginning
" Niiko, Nuko, pico Unto,
Veni, Veni, Veslereki,"
as it is played upon the Harpu. He also men-
tions their dances ; but this is an error, as they
have no dance of their own. The dance to
v^hich he alludes, and which he witnessed on
the banks of Leivaniemi, is not a Finnish dance,
but one borrowed from their neighbours.
The merchants of ^bo have no regular place Merchants
of Exchange ; but they meet in the Square, and "^ ^^'"''
there transact their business. Indeed, the
number of the wholesale dealers is very re-
stricted. 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 Brun; a very good
picture, representing the Crucijixion; 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 trade between
Abo and England, at this time, was very much
restricted ; and there was a report of its being
Maritime
Commerce
360 Abo.
CHAP, 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
of Sweden forcisfn commcrcc of all the maritime towns of
and Nor- °
^^v- Sweden and Norivay might be afforded in very
few words. All the country, from Louisa, on
o
the Gulph of Finland, to Aho, 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 some-
times exports to England its commodities, of
tar, deals, Jish, and peltry. All the south of
Sweden 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, west-
ward, the inhabitants supply the ports of Den-
m,ark, Holland, and England, with. Jish and peltry;
and also send the same commodities into Sweden,
by the way of Tornea. Ships from Trdnijem sail
to Ireland, Scotland, and Holland. The trade of
Bergen is confined chiefly to Holland; and that
ABO. 351
of Christiania, as we have before mentioned, to chap.
1^
VIII.
Judicature.
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 ruined'.
In Abo there are some customs rather of a singular
customs.
singular nature. They ring their church- bells
at a funeral, as we do in England at a wedding.
When a robbery has been committed, 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 Courts of
offences 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
o
merchants. Abo is surrounded on all sides by
rocky hills, which have a very naked appearance,
and consist, for the most part, oi granite.
(1) This remark of course applies to the political changes that have
taken place since the period of these Travels. Korway 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.
352 ABO.
CHAP. In ^iig questions which we put to the nume-
' V ' rous families of Finns who were now daily flock-
Distant ex- . . o , . .
peditionsof mg into Aboy respecting the particular articles
Finu^de^s. of commcrce for which they had made such
marvellous journeys, we were answered, that
they came to buy salt and tobacco ; bringing at
the same time, in exchange for these commodi-
ties, 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 indivi-
dual from Kiemi. What would be thought, in
England, of a labouring peasant, or the occupier
of a small farm, making a journey of nearly 7 00
miles * to a fair, for the articles of their home
consumption ? Except in this annual journey
o
to Abo, the true Finns have little intercourse
with the inhabitants of the maritime district :
they inhabit the eastern provinces of Savolarjc
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
(1) The distance from Tornc^'- to Aho, by the Sivedis/i Vdgviaure, Stock-
holm 1776, p. 41, is 97 S«;e<ZisA miles ; which, at the rate of seven
Enj^lish miles to one Swedish, is 679 miles : but many of the Finlandersr
who resort to Abo fair perform journeys of far greater distance.
ABO. 353
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 i of which nature are the inhabitants of
the country from ^bo to the north, as far as
Bjorneborg.
o
The Literary establishment of ^ho, as a Uni- Founda-
tion of the
versity, is of very recent date, compared with University.
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 after-
wards, Queen Christina, or, as the Swedes call
her, Stina ^, converted the Gymnasium into a Uni-
versity, endowing it with the same privileges
(2) " 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 Stinn ? And who would guess that
Greta was the same as Marcuerita ; Pekr, as Peter ; or Jun, as Johan?
Yet I think that these alterations are improvements j and I am much de-
lighted with my female acquaintance under the abbreviations of j\[aia,
Karin, and Pkia, for IMary, Catherine, and Sophia; and which ap.
pear to be preferable to the abbreviations which are used oi Bet, Kale, or
Sophy." — J)r, FiOTT Lek's MS. Journal.
VOL. XI. A A
354 ABO.
as Upsala ; and she appointed the bishop of the
diocese Vice-Chancellor. The number of resi-
Number of (Jent Students did not, at the time of our visit.
Students.
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 one Adjunct: in Law, one: in the faculty
of Medicine, two ordinary, and one extraor-
dinary, as Professors ; 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 Di-
vinity, 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 Siuedish Interpreter
o
the whole way from Abo to the village of Var-
gatta, near which place our travelling-carriage
had been left upon a rock'. 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 Stvedes are used ta
such expeditions, and think notliing of them.
(1) See |i. 1S6 of this volume.
ABO. 366
He undertook it, in an open sledge, with the chap.
greatest readiness ; and returned as soon as the ^ ..y ■^>
ice was strong enough to bear the weight of
such a vehicle the whole way, and brought it
safe to ^bo. 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 journey-
ing which every one would adopt who seeks
only to perform a given distance with the greatest
expedition : but what is to become of a traveller importance
1 • 1 • IT ofatravel-
m the night, m such a country and climate, iing-car-
where there are not only no 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 seems as if the na- stateofthe
accommo-
tives of the dreary district between ^bo and dationsfor
Petersburg had exerted their utmost ingenuity,
and with fatal 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
A A 2
356 DEPARTURE FROM ABO.
^\'in^" "P ^^ ^ 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 pro-
gress. 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'.
Cursory As soou as the carriage arrived, we took leave
refleciions _ °
previous to of our frlcuds, and prepared for our journey
departure . „ xr • i • r i
ioviiussia. mto Russia. Knowmg nothmg oi that country,
or of its inhabitants, we set out full of hope
that our gratification would be at least equal to
(1) Such, too, is the expedition with which voyages among the M'nul
Jsles are then performed, that Professor Malthus and the Rev. W. Otter,
who passed this way, from Stockholm to Petersburg, in August, came in
&\)OaX.irom Skarpans to Abo, a distance equal to 117 miles, in a single
day. In the course of this voyage, whici) they describe as resembling a
passage across a beautiful lake sprinkled with islands, they were only once
outof 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 tlie morning of August 7, and reached the Custom-
o
house at yyfti) a quarter before six in the evening. They had, therefore,
))erformed tlieir delij^hlful voyage in eleven hours and a half, at the rate
of Uii miles an lioia' the whole way. They did not keep a direct course ;
but
REFLECTIONS ON LEAVING ABO. 357
VIII.
that we had received in visiting Sweden, and ^^^f/*
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 some-
thing imposing in the mere name of such a
mighty empire. Extending from the Caspian
to the Icy Sea, and from the Baltic to the Pacijic
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, what his fate
will be, if hereafter, pursuing the same route,
he should venture to traverse the Russian domi-
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; and sometimes, but not often, cultivated lands, with
farms upon them." The villages and little towns are " built of small
Avooden 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 nowhere very high. The woods were generally of fir-trees,
but sometimes mixed with alders, birch, Sec. The entrance of the river
"... °
Aeura, 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.
358 REFLECTIONS ON LEAVING ABO.
^viii*" ^^^^^> ^^^ especially Russian Finland, in his
V i y I > 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 Eng-
land 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 do-
minion, it is, perhaps, buried in the breasts of
those victims of tyranny who have been con-
demned, 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
REFLECTIONS ON LEAVING ABO. 359
walls is carefully guarded by Despotism, that chap.
unnatural monster, who can only thrive where <„ ,y.- »
virtue is oppressed. At this time, Siveden 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, therefore, of the people we were
about to visit, 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 Rus-
sians to be carried on unmolested. A great
national animosity had always subsisted be-
tween Siveden 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 ter-
ritories 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
360 REFLECTIONS ON LEAVING ABO.
^vui' ^^^^ ^^^ viewing with longing eyes the rich
' — , ' fields of Finland, which intercepted the progress
of her boundaries towards the Gulf of Bothnia :
and Sweden and Norwai/ 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 !
Tomb of Count Ernsverd.
CHAP. IX.
FROM ABO IN FINLAND, TO PETERSBURG IN
RUSSIA.
o
Journey from Abo to Helsingfors — Description of Hel-
singfors — Fortress of Sweaborg — Tomb of Count Erns-
verd — 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 letween 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 — Ar-
rival at Frederickshamm — Appearance of that place —
Regulation relating to Posting in Russia — Description
of the Post-houses in Russian Finland — Intense cold of
the
362 FROM ABO TO HELSINGFORS.
the weather during the night — Arrival at Wibourg —
Appearance of the Soldiers of the Garrison — Mode of
inflicting punishment on Deserters — Inhabitants of Wi-
bourg — Arrival at Petersburg.
The journey from Abo to Helsingfors, in the
summer time, affords a series of prospects,
Journey i: i ^
from Abo which, iu their character, cannot be equalled in
fort! ""^' the Sivedish dominions ; but in the winter season,
it is performed under circumstances of so much
dreary 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 accommo-
dations 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 Nonvay in
miniature : and the extraordinary novelty to an
English traveller, of seeing vessels gliding out,
FROM ABO TO HELSINGFORS. 363
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 cata-
racts, lakes, majestic rivers, and forests — are
combined, may there be seen.
o
The road from Aho to Peike, the first stage,
one Siuedish mile and a half, is broader than the
generality of roads in Siueden, and very good.
Here we found the people speaking Finnish, of
which we understood very little. Our next
stage, to Visfu, was through a tract of land sur-
rounded by hills sprinkled with firs, calling 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
CHAP.
IX.
364 HELSINGFORS.
CHAP, respecting the face and nature of the country.
' — V — ' 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, presented, frequently, scenery of a most
beautiful and picturesque 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 LfArmfeklt, upon
our arrival at Helsingfors, we were conducted to
the famous fortress of Sweaborg; 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 com-
mand 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,
permitted 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.
Descrip- It is a Small but handsome town, containino;
Uonof Hel- / ^
iingfors. many stone houses ; and, considering the size
of it, carries on a very active trade : the shop-
keepers deal with the neighbouring farmers, and,
o
as at Abo, with the Finns, who descend in num-
HELSINGFORS. 36iy.
bers in the winter. The town was crowded with ^^J^^-
them, when we were there. The foreign com- > — , — *
merce, as well as that of the south oi Finland, is
exclusively with Spain, to which country it con-
veys 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 shil-
lings 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 Siuedish 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 ex-
ported 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 inhabitants, we were informed, lived in
perfect harmony and good-will among each
other. We experienced great attention and
36& SWEABORG.
CHAP, politeness from many of them. Nothing can be
V y ^' more gay and pleasing than the scene, exhibited
on the ice, from Helsingfors to the fortress of
Sweahorg, which is situate on an island, distant
two English miles. The road is marked on 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 plea-
sure, 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.
Fortress of Thc entrance to the fortress of Siveaborg is by
Sweaborg.
a long and narrow arched way. Every thmg
around us — the massive walls, numerous bat-
teries, 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 passporfs and
persons underwent, as we entered, a very rigid
examination. The house of the Commandant
and principal officers is a lofty white edifice,
coITnV^ placed on an eminence, over the gateway. On
Ernsverii. .-^^^ ,^^,^^ Immediately before it, stands the simple
SWEABORG. 367
but characteristic Tomb of Count Ernsverd, the *^^^^'
engineer who planned the works'. The chastity ^— v — '
and purity of taste which are shewn in this tomb,
at once bespeak the Augustan age of Sweden, and
the genius of Gustavus the Third. Whatever is
elegant in art, whatever is great and correct in
design, whatever is magnificent, all came from
him ; and to the same source the Tomb of Erns-
verd owes its origin. It is worthy of the finest
age of Greece ; and has, at the same time, an
Etrurian character of durability and massiveness.
It is raised upon an ascending 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 strength,
, . „ . ^ . . f . size, and
relating to lortmcation, we can give only an nn- importance
perfect account of the interior wonders of this lor^""
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
(1) Seethe Fignetic lo this Chapter.
368 SWEABORG.
CHAP, magazines are covered with copper. Strong
* — , — ' ladders reach from the basins to the tops of the
buildings, which, in case of fire, must be parti-
cularly 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,
appearing 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 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'.
(1) A* tlie Fortress of SweaOorg has been seldom visited or described,
some additional information h here annexed, from Fortiu's Travels in
Sweden,
S W E A B O R G. 369
The garrison, at present, consists of three re- chap.
IX.
giments, one of marines and two of infantry.
There are besides, in Hehingfors and Sweaborg,
twelve hundred artillery soldiers ; but only two
hundred in the fortress. In time of war, the
garrison 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 SuMe, that
in Lisle J and other fortresses of that country, the
accommodations were far superior ; a captain
being lodged better there, than a colonel in
Sweaborg. The inhabitants of the garrison live
Sweden, in 17 90 — 1792, The fortress is composed of seven small
islands, or rather rocks, three of which are joined to each other by brid»^es.
It requires half an hour to pass over from Hehingfors to the principal
island (^Gustnfholm), on which the Governor's house is situate. No
communication 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 1748 ; 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 altoge-
ther, including the land batteries, in the different forts. Many of the
works are cut out of the solid rock. There is an eighth island, conti-
guous to thai in which the fortress is situated ; whence, in case of the
enemy getting a station, it might be successfully attarked. — See Pinker-
ton * Voyages and Travels, vol, VI.
VOL. XI. B B
370 BORGO.
CHAP, in the most pleasant and social manner : they
V ..y- ' have their assemblies and balls, at which more
than forty ladies, many of them of great beauty,
make their appearance.
Siveaborg is much larger than Portsmouth;
and, according to the opinion of Swedish 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 efl^ects — 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 Siveaborg.
Route From Helsingfors we came to Borgo, where
^•in^f"r!'to we stopped at a good but extravagant inn. The
f omIL'""^ town is small ; though, for Finland, it is a con-
siderable 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 inha-
bitants arc chiefly Swedes. As we proceeded to
Forsbijy the road became more rocky. We passed
LOUISA. 371
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, 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 drunken-
ness. The town is rather pretty, and the prin-
cipal 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 schillings Swedish. In going to Tesjo, we
passed a forest of firs, growing in the interstices
B B 2
372 RUSSIAN FRONTIER.
of large loose rocks of granite. We slept at
this place, within half a mile of the Swedish and
Russian frontiers, in order that we might be
ready to undergo the examination of the Custom-
honse officers early the next morning.
Approach ^^Q know not how to paint the extreme con-
to the ^
Russian trast whicli appears in the short distance of an
Frontier.
English mile — from the Sivedish 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 the
Tavasthuus militia, stationed at a small distance
from the Sivedish Doiiane, 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 inhabitants of Siveden,
They were a sturdy and athletic troop : and as
it gave us a melancholy satisfaction to prolong
the few moments of our farewell, by conver-
sation with them, the officer on duty politely
accompanied us as far as the Russian guard.
Boiinaaries Jn passin": the little island which lies between
of the ^ '^
swc-fiisii the Swedish and the Russian bridge, we expressed
and Has- . . i r i i
sian doii.i- a curiosity to know what lormed the precise
niniis.
RUSSIAN FRONTIER. 373
boundary of the two countries. The Swedish ^^^'
officer shewed us a stone of about two tons < — /—^
weight, which is the only object that is sup-
posed to break the neutrahty 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 demarcation'.
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 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 a land of hospitality
(l) " Siveden 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 Sivedes ; 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, 1815. p. 417.
When Dr. Thomson visited Svjeden, Norway had not been annexed to
that country.
lives of the
two couU'
tries.
374 RUSSIAN FRONTIER.
^?x^" ^^^ virtue, to a den of thieves. We suffered
' V " ■ 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 experience the truth of the
information which we had received respecting
this part of the Russian character.
Contrast Wc havc alludcd to the guard of soldiers who
the Na- are sent from the interior of the country, to be
stationed on the Russian frontier. In this, we
see a remarkable contrast in the manners of the
two nations. The Sivedish frontier is guarded
by the Tavasthuus militia, natives of the districts
they are stationed to defend. Siueden carries on
no war against its own subjects ; it transacts no
deeds of darkness on its own frontier ; the
defence of them is entrusted to armed natives.
Mode of But with Russia, the case is very different : her
recruiting .
iheiiiisshm Govcmment was employed, at the time we
'"^'"^ entered the country, in kidnapping, 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 Sivedish side, that they may
experience the influence of a milder govern-
RUSSIAN FRONTIER. 375
ment, it is necessary to have piquets stationed chap.
along the line, and roving Cossacks, to prevent ^.^ — ^— ^
desertion. Strangers are evidently 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 com-
plexion 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
necessary 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 communication, 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 and Swedish Sove-
reigns, and expressly mentioned in that of our
376 RUSSIAN FRONTIER.
^?x ^* ^^^ ^^ Government, they had not been included
' — » — ' in the Russian. Our passports were, however,
signed and delivered to us^ with an assurance
that we were at liberty to proceed. As we
Iniquitous advanced to the carriage, an inspector of the
conduct of . ^ , .
a liussian Customs, a renegado Finriy informed us, m
jspeaor ^^^ Stvedish language, that he had two hand-
some pipes to sell. We thanked him, but
informed him that we did not use tobacco.
" Yah so^V he replied; "but you have some
Stvedish money, 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 Sivedish 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 pro-
ceed 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 Fredericks-
(1) For tlic ditterent import and meaning of this cxprcbbion, bcc p. 157
of thi> volume.
RUSSIAN FRONTIER. 377
hamm, where we miofht state our situation to chap.
° _ IX.
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 lan-
guage, would subject us to the greatest hard-
ships, and perhaps to the loss of all our trunks.
But our attempts to persuade him were fruit-
less : his honour had been wounded by the
detection of his villainy ; 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 Swedish officer,
with the politeness and hospitality of his nation,
and justly indignant 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:.
The author has frequently avoided, in the Difficulties
course of the account of these Travels, the un- pede the
necessary insertion of circumstances and adven- pJslia! '^
tures, the narrative of which might have the
IX.
378 RUSSIAN FRONTIER.
CHAP, 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
frequently in debt : it is his interest, therefore,
to detain the traveller : and the officer on guard,
or even his superior, has little difficulty in dis-
covering some method by which this object may
be accomplished.
The tract of land between Aherfors and Fre-
derickshamm 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 offi-
cers, would have received a more splendid crown
of victory within the city of Petersburg. The
spot, where the contest between the armies was
most severe, is about three Swedish miles from
FREDEIIICKSHAMM. 379
Jlberfors, at jinjala. In this route, wherever chap.
the Russians appeared, a striking difference was v . »v >
visible between their figure, features, manners
and dress, and those of the Finns. The hair
and complexion of the latter were lighter : the
Russians wore long beards, with their necks
bare. At a short distance before we arrived at
Frederickshamm^ we passed round a Russian sta- Arrival at
Fredericks.
tion, the fortifications of which had been lately hamm.
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, parti-
cularly the Town-house, a large building in the
centre, painted white and green, gave to Fre-
derickshamm a lively appearance. The fortifica--
tions were very regular ; and the street, by
which we entered, was straight, and terminated
in the Town-house. We were suffered to pro-
ceed through the exterior parts of the fortifica-
tions without interruption ; 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 tl^e soldiers on
guard ; and they ran to arms. We found, on
380 FREDEKICKSHAMM.
CHAP, looking round, that the appearance of the Go-
< .^, — -' vernor, 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 sol-
diers 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
Reguia- to US the ucxt morniug. We were informed,
iaiin/J that it was necessary to obtain from the Governor
Rvl'si^. '" ^ paper, called poderosnoy, to shew at every
post-house; as without it we could not procure
horses. For this paper we were to pay one
copeek a verst, for each horse. The Com-
mandant 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 re-
ceived our passports, 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.
Frederichshamm had once a little trade ; but
since the exportation of timber has been for-
RUSSIAN FINLAND. 381
bidden, and the town has been filled with sol- chap.
IX
diers, 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 Reguia-
•^ ^ ■ tion re-
asked for horses, twelve or fifteen peasants laUngto
1 1 • rvi. Posting in
generally made their appearance. They were iiussia.
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 regulation 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 the houses
themselves were of smaller size, and of a more
miserable appearance than those we had re-
marked in Swedish Finland. The peasants whom
we saw in this journey bore a strong resemblance
to the Laplanders. It is almost impossible for
the Reader, from any thing he has either seen
382 RUSSIAN FINLAND.
CHAP. QY heard, to form any idea of the inside of these
" ^^ — ' post-houses. That at Ursa/a was nothing but a
Descrin-
tian of t!ic dark hole : a partition with something like a bed
in "hu.-.ici 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 infe-
riority, both in looks and apparent condition,
of the Russian Finlanders, in comparison with
the Swedish.
The distance between Frederickshamm and
Wihourg is one hundred and ten versts; and
there is not a single house in which it is possible
^"/f"f for a traveller to sleep. The thermometer fell,
cold of the ^
weather duriuo" the nisht, to fifteen and twenty degrees
during the ®
"'«''»'• below O of Celsius: and we were sometimes com-
pelled 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 ski a 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
RUSSIAN FINLAND. 383
into their houses, which are as hot as a vapour- chap.
bath, we found the air within, on opening the
door, instantly converted to snow', which is
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
resemblance. 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-
(1) Maupertuis and the French Academicians, in their journey to
Tornea to measure a degree for ascertaining the figure of the eartli, made
a similar remark: " On opening the d«or of a warm room, the external
air, rusiiing in, instantly converted the vapour into a fit ece of snow."
384 WIBOURG.
CHAP, a-dozen peasants, in the midst of a crowd which
" one would have imagined would only have con-
IVibuuri
fused them, formed a braided work of ropes in
a few moments, which lasted the whole of the
way from Frederic kshamm 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, 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.
Arrival at Whcu wc arovcd at the gates of JVihourg, our
drivers suddenly withdrew ; and, huddling to-
gether under the gate, remained for two hoars
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 situa-
tion. As soon as we arrived, the Commandant
and General-in-chief of the forces at JVibourg,
General Fon Frangel, sent for us, by one of his
oliicers; received us with great pohteness; in-
vited 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
W I B O U R G. 385
Petersburg, ever since the month of May. This ^!l^^-
was information of great importance to us ; for an ' y >
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 performed all
their manoeuvres. The soldiers, when collected
together, seemed a fine set of men ; but when
we examined them individually, we were disap-
pointed in their appearance. 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 oif
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
VOL. XI. c c
386 WIBOURG.
CHAP, also a Lieutenant-colonel. He informed us, in
' French, that the troops commanded by General
Von Frangel 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 Kutusof, the General-in-chief of the
forces in Fijiland; 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 Emperor's prohibition of the exportation of
timber, in which their trade principally con-
sisted. Applications have been made, to ex-
port what has been already cut; but without
success.
The day after our arrival at JVibourgy our
W I B O U R G. 387
CHAP,
IX.
curiosity got the better of our feeling;s, and we
went to see the mode in which the Russians in- ^— v '
/T •. 1- IT r ^ • Russian
flict punishment on their soldiers, tor desertion, mode of
Five hundred men were drawn up, in three Hne?, punkh.^
forming two alleys, through which the deserter Seslr°ers.
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 Fin/and; but they
are frequently apprehended, in their attempts to
reach the frontier, by the peasants ; who are
exasperated against them, on account of the rob-
beries 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 Wibours: are partly Russians inhabitants
™ oUribourg.
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 to-
gether, 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
c c 2
388 RUSSIAN FINLAND.
^?x^' ^^^'^^^ ^^ luxuries, are, French brandy, sugar,
V — V- — wine, and coffee, all of which are very dear.
The Finns, who bring corn and planks to
JVibourg, return with salt. Here, and at
Frederic kshamm, we found the finest bread we
had ever tasted. On inquiring the price of
provisions, we were 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 Wibourg, we proceeded, through Konuta
and Roriver, 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
APPROACH TO PETERSBURG. 389
as we might have expected from the extreme chap,
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
oiFered 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 Drasnicof, we passed through the
same land of country as before; but the firs
were of larger size. The 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 extremely rough and un-
pleasant.
The view of Petersburg presented itself to us Arrival at
, Petersburg.
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 terminated
by the domes and palaces of the city.
CHAP. X.
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 Indivi-
duals — 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
' PETERSBJIRG. 391
r)fthe Work — Hermitage — Pictures — Hall of St. George
— Palaces of' Peterhof and Oranienbaum — State of the
Peasantry — Mode of managing the estates of the Russian
Nobility — Checks to Population.
We reached the first gate of Petersburg about chap.
eleven o'clock ; and were ordered by the sentinel >— y —
to stop, and descend from our carriage. Our
passports were presented, as usual; 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 oppo-
site to the Marble Palace.
The united magnificence of all the cities of General
appearanc e
Europe could but equal Petersburg. There is of the city,
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 ap-
pears 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 clear;
and in such excellent order, and has an appear-
392 PETERSBURG.
ance 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 your
attention — quays, piers, ramparts — are all com-
posed of masses of solid granite^, calculated to
endure for ages. It seems as if the antient
Etruscans or Egyptians — stimulated by emulation
to surpass their prodigious works, aided by
despotic power, and instructed by Grecian taste
— had arisen, to astonish the modern world.
Such is the metropolis which Catharine has left!
Much had been done by her predecessors ; but
her labours surpassed them all : and our admi-
ration is increased, while we behold the magni-
ficence 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 lanjifuage and see the manners of England;
(1) " IjCS (jiiais de \a. Neva et dii magnifique Canal de Catharine sont
construits de ce granit: les remparts de la fortresse en sont revutus."
Palr/'n. ITiiloire Nalurclle des MinSrcaux, tome I. p. 96. The gra-
nite he alludes to is called Granit de I'lngrie, which he describes, p. 95.
lie there states, that a colonnade in the Summer Garden is composed of
more than sixty pillars of granite ; each column being of one piece,
twenty feet in length, and three feet in diameter.
PETERSBURG. 393
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,
they could not be distinguished from English-
men: 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, perceptible in
Moscow and Petersburg, will probably decrease,
in proportion to the intercourse of the Russians
with other parts of Europe. The style of dress
in the seventeenth century was more Oriental
than it is at present : a robe was then in use
called Fereclja, which is a Turkish word-. 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 the matted bark
of trees.
(2) In parts of Petersburg, the shops which sell the same articles
adjoin each other, as in the Bazars of Cointanlinople and other cities of
the East.
394 PETERSBURG.
CHAP. With respect to magnificence, Petersburg is as
» -V / much superior to London, as London is to any
Expense ia provincial citj ill England ; and the style and
of living mode of living adopted by the Nobles exceeds
hi^hef * ^ all belief. The most distant provinces of the
'*"^^* empire are explored, to furnish some delicacy
for their entertainments : two, three, or even
four hundred roubles are expended on parti-
cular dishes. At no season of the year are
their tables without fruits of the rarest and most
exquisite kind. Immense revenues are neces-
sary, to support the prodigality and profusion
exhibited by many of the Rmsians 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 masters'. The
love and admiration of what is foreign, encou-
rage 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.
The Collections of Art in the possession of
(1) " I never put my hands into my purse for any thing," said a
liussinn Nohleman to a friend of the writer of tliis note, " but to pur-
chase foreign wines, and articles for my wife's dress." — He was provided
with every thing ho wanted from his estate and his slaves.
PETERSBURG. 395
individuals at Petersburg, as well as in London, c^^-
were enriched by very valuable works, which,
individuals.
. . Collections
in consequence ol the revolutions m parts of of An in
Europe, were disposed over the Continent. sessfoTof
Some of these we were allowed, by the kind-
ness 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 Strogonof is a long room termi-
nated by an enormous mirror, which, sliding on
one side, opens to the Library ; and beyond that
is the Museum. Among the most remarkable
paintings, we shall mention ; i . The Flight into
Egypt, by Nicolas Poussin, the most brilliant
work of that master. 2. A Centaur fighting
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. J. The famous Claude, originally be-
longing to the Duchess of Kingston. It is sin-
gular, 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. Vernet, standing
396 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, for some time opposite to it, at Faris, at
' — » ' length exclaimed, "Parle done!'' There are
also many good pictures by Spagnolet, Kuyp,
and Bershami. 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, ' INRI.' The Cabinet of Mineralogy
contains very magnificent specimens, but with-
out 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 there'.
Count Besherodko 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
(1) " Lainine de Goumechefski est a douze ou quinze lieues au sud-
ouest d'Ekaterinbourg, dans la partie centrale dc la cliaine des Monts
Oural ; c'est de toutcs les mines connues cellc qui a fourni les plus beaux
morceaux en ce genre. Cette mine est dans une espece de plaine, au
bord d'un lac, et tout entouree de montagncs primitives." — Patrin,
Hiftoire Xalurelle de.t Mincmux, tome Y, p. 97.
PETER8BUKG. 397
in the same style : it possesses, instead of his chap.
laboured and finished manner, the wildness and
boldness, oi Saivato?' Rosa. — 'Judith with the
HEAD OF HoLOFERNEs,' I had Seen at Fe72zce .*
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 Avhole cabinet of the best
works of Vernet, containing views of the prin-
cipal towns and harbours of Europe. The col-
lection of antiquities is very great ; and there
is a magnificent room, planned by Guarenghi,
and finished under his direction, furnished in
the most splendid and costly manner. The
Library of Baron 6'/;ro^o72o/" 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 diflferent copies of the French
Encyclopedie.
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 17 degrees
398 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, there will be no representation at the Theatre'.
' — sr«— ' The observations are made on the scale of
Reaumur; and there is hardly a house, whatever
be the rank of its owner, without a thermo-
Amuse- meter. The masquerades form part of the
merits of ^ ■*■
the differ- amusements at this season. The first took place
ent classes . , .
of Society, 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 her-
self. 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 diver-
sions 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 pedlars, mountebanks, and
(1) The Vignette to this Chapter represents the Stone Theatre;' as h
appeared in 1801 ; with some of the Public Stoves.
PETERSBURG. 399
jugglers, and the pastimes of Bartholomew 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 amusement to the popu- ice-hiiis.
lace, 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 scaf-
folding to the top, are decorated with fir-trees.
The low sledge, resembling, in 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 oppo-
site scaffolding, 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 per-
son is placed before him, and between his legs,
in a similar position^. The sledges, horses, and
(2) 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 pea elev^e; une seule personne peut s'y tenir, encore
n'e«t
400 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, carriages, moving about in various directions,
'■ y > and the crowds of spectators who assemble to
behold this amusement, present a very striking
and animated scene.
Visit to j^|g scarcely necessary to observe, that a city
some of the J J ■) j
Public In- lii^e Petershurs: must possess many public Insti-
stitutions. _ o I J L
tutions — 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.
of 'sciences. '^^^ Academy of Sciences, founded by Peter the
Greai in 1724, has received donations and en-
couragement from all the succeeding Sovereigns,
and particularly Catharine the Second. The pre-
sent revenue is from seventy to eighty thousand
roubles. The Academicians are called Profes-
sors, and have salaries varying from eight
hundred to fifteen hundred roubles. Some of
them derive an income, in addition to their
n'est elle point a son aise. Le conducteur du traineau est assis, les
jambes ouvertes, entre lesquelles se place celui qui veut descendre. L'un
et I'autrc ont Tattention de tenir les jambes fort elevees, et le corps tres en
arriere: ainsi places, et le traineau etant parfaitement droit, on le con-
duit 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 ter-
rain plat, parcourt unc assez grnndc ctendue. Dans le premier moment
la respiration est fort genee; il faut avoir Taltcntion de ne faire aucun
mouvement d'un cote ou d'un autre; onscroit culbute."
PETERSBURG. 401
stipends, from places or offices connected with the chap.
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, in-
sufficient to maintain them, become tutors and
ushers in difi^erent seminaries. The four classes
are those of Mathematics, Physics, Natural
History, comprehending Chemistry and Ana-
tomy, 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, are
found the names of Bayer, Gmelin, Euler, Millkr,
and Pallas.
The books of the Library amount, in number, Library.
to fifty thousand. We cannot expect to find in
it the literary treasures 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 coun-
try, 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
VOL. XI. D D
402
PETERSBURG.
CHAP.
X.
Museum.
Worksliop
of Piter
the First.
form — " long and round heads, flat and snub
noses, hogs' eyes and calves' eyes, bearded and
unbearded chins, succeed each other, in gro-
tesque 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 successors,
and by many of the nobles of the empire. Addi-
tions 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, rela-
ting 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 alcohol :
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
PETERSBURG. 403
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 Manu-
script of Catharine, 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 a thin folio. In a
small chamber within, is a figure 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 mine-
rals, placed over the sides and ceilings, in the
form of a grotto. Here we saw the immense
piece of native iron' found in Siberia by Professor
(1) " Une masse de fer natif, pesant environ 60 myriagrammes, a ete
trouvee en Siberie, pres des Monts Kemir, cntre Krasnoiarsk et
D Y> <2 Abakansk :
40 i
PETERSBURG.
CHAP.
X.
Academy
of Fine
Arts.
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 Tahtarian sepulchres.
In our visit to the Academy of the Fine Arts,
we were accompanied by one of the eleves of the
first class. He informed us, that the pupils are
divided into five classes : in the three lowest,
Reading, Writing, German, French, and Geo-
graphy, are taught ; and in the other two, in
which they remain six years, the arts of Engra-
ving, 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 contain-
ing 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
Abakansk : elle ctoit entierement composee de fur motalliqiic tics blanc et
tres inalli;al)lc, reniplie de cavitcs Kphcriqucs, qui renfermoient une ma-
ticre vitreusc, jauiiatre ct transparcnte Lcs Tartares regardoient
ce ft-r coiTimc une pierre sacrce et tombee du del." — Pallas.
" Ellc contient 0,9li^ dc fi r sur 0,01 ^- de nickel." — Kalproth.
PETERSBURG. 405
some casts of statues, a few Italian paintings, chap.
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-duke, lie 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 repre-
sented Mars and Venus entangled in the 7iet hy
Vulcan; but we could not learn the name of the
artist.
We next entered a long gallery, filled with
casts from themost 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 ; with some which were the
works of the Members of the Academy who had
studied in Italy at the expense of the Society ;
and with prize-pictures of the elSves, previous to
their quitting the Institution. There was an
406 PETERSBURG.
^^^^- excellent cartoon by Mengs, from a HoIt/ Family
0^ 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 representa-
tion 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 plas-
ter. 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 hand-
some, with columns in the middle and at the
two extremities; but the upper part is disfigured
by a green cupola. Notwithstanding the sup-
port which is so liberally given to this Institu-
tion 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 en-
couraging native talent. But it is impossible
that the numbers who quit the Academy can all
PETERSBURG. 407
find sufficient employment in these capitals. It ^hap.
is not from want of genius that so little has been ' — v — '
done ; but the Russian painters, finding no mo-
tive to urge them to proceed in their profession,
no stimulus to exertion, become indolent, and
neglect the instructions which they have re-
ceived. Many of the inferior artists are obliged
to seek the means of a scanty livelihood by
painting pictures' for the Churches.
We visited the Fortress, one of the most an- Fortress.
cient 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 grace-
ful and lofty, being two hundred and fifty feet in
height ; but the inside of the church is distin-
guished by no peculiar architectural beauty.
Nothing can be more simple, more devoid of all
splendour, than the Tombs : they are of plain
uhornamented marble, with only an inscription
containing the name of the person and the time
of birth and death ; a mode of burial which we
(I) Some of the artists of Brance dispose of their works in a similar
manner. In visiting the public exhibition of paintings in the Louvre, in
1822, 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 Hie Cliurclies.
408
PETERSBURG.
CHAP, niiist allow to be more suited than any other to
■ y - > 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. Catharine herself lies not in
in greater state than any of her predecessors,
nor in a manner different from that which be-
longs to any private gentleman in an English
church-yard. The Tombs are on the right side
of the altar, and arranged in the following
manner :
Tombs of
the Impe-
rial Family.
6 5 4
3
1
1. Peter I.
4. Anne.
2. Catharine I.
5. Peter III.
3. Elizabeth.
6. Catharine IF.
Mint.
The Mint, established in part of the Fortress,
is worked by steam-engines. Ten thousand
ponds of silver, and seventy-three of gold, in
ducats, had been coined this year for the Em-
peror's private use. A piece of mechanism.
PETERSBURG. 40i^
worked by the steam-engine, counted the number chap.
which were struck.
We have, in a former Part of these Travels,
had occasion to mention circumstances illus-
trating 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 mean-
ness 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 be-
held a great part of the city extended before
us ; a series of noble^buildings, domes, houses,
reaching to the distance of four miles ; the Ad-
miralty, its Church, the Marble and Winter
Palaces, and the Hermitage.
In the quarter of St. Petersburg, we saw the House of
PctCT the
House of Peter the First; a small wooden build- First.
ing, 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
410 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, colossal Statue erected by Catharine to the
»>— .y — ' memory of the Founder of the Russian Empire.
piteri. The merit of transporting the enormous 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 Carhuri.
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
CATHARINA SECUNDA
1782.
The Russian Inscription, on the side facing the
Admiralty, 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
PETERSBURG. 411
sculptor. The Tsar, dressed simply, according"
to the national costume, is seated on horseback :
his left-hand holds the reins ; the right is ex-
tended 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 t*he whole
was complete, the day of exhibiting it was com-
memorated 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 ; dis-
charges of cannon were the signal for the re-
moval of the scaffolding; medals of gold and
silver were distributed on the occasion ; and an
CHAP.
X.
412 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, ukase was issued, proclaiming pardon to all
v— y ' 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 gar-
nished, what, in the present state, does the
whole exhibit ? — a colossal figure of a man and
horse, and a miniature representation of a moun-
tain ! A contradiction of this kind is absurd : it
is the greatest violation of proportion that can
exist. But the rock in its original state pre-
tended to nothing : it was simply a rock, rude,
and fashioned by the hand of Nature : and if it
had been suffered to remain as Catharine cer-
tainly wished it should, untouched and unmu-
tilated, 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 calculation made by the Office for super-
intending 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
PETERSBURG. 413
person who cast the statue, and to others who ^^x.^*
assisted in the inferior departments of the work ' » — '
— amounted to 4'24,6oo roubles.
Proceeding, in an easterly direction, from Hermi-
the spot where the statue is erected, we arrive **^^'
at the Hermitage, a large pile of building con-
nected with the JVinter 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 semicir-
cular part, where the audience sate, appeared to
us to be of fine marble. After passing through
three rooms, two of which are filled with pic-
tures, we entered a most beautiful Gallery, said
to be an exact representation of the Fatican.
The copies of the Cartoons of Raphael were well
executed. From this gallery we were led into
various suites of apartments almost all orna-
mented with pictures. Those which formed
part of the Houghton Collection, purchased by
Catharine, 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
George,
414 PETERSBURG.
by Salvator Rosa, and the Holy Doctors of the
Church\ 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 TVouvermanns : the collection is also adorned
by some works of Nicolas and Gasper Poussin,
Claude Lorraine, Teniers, and Rembrandt, and a
few portraits by Vandyke, executed in his best
manner. In one of the glass cabinets we ob-
served an aigrette of diamonds, presented to the
late Empress by the Grand Signior.
Hall or St. The Hall of St. George, in a part of the palace
adjoining the Hermitage, is a very magnificent
room, about one 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 cor-
respond to them. At one end is the throne, of
(1) "In this picture, which is by Guido, in his brightest manner,
and perfectly preserved, there are six old men as large as life ; the ex-
pression, drawing, design, and colouring, wonderfully fine. The Doctors
of the Cliurch are consulting on the immaculateness of the Virgin, who
is above in the clouds. After Sir Robert Walpole had bouglit 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; but on hearing who had bought it, he gave permission for
its being sent away again." — Account of the Pictures at Houghton Hall,
liy Horace Walpole.
PETERSBURG. 41^5
crimson velvet and gold ; the back and canopy chap.
ornamented with the Imperial arms : at the v y *
other end are two groupes of sculpture, by
Falconet ; one represents " Pygmalion admiring
his own work ;" the other, " Prometheus com-
municating fire to the image which he had
formed." The figure of the woman in the first
groupe, and the countenace and attitude of
Pygmalion, are particularly excellent.
On the southern shore of the Gulf of Cronstadt, Palace of
Feterhof.
and at twenty-five versts distance from the ca-
pital, 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, conse-
quently, presents 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 exter-
nally 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 ;
416 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, and near it, on a golden stand, was the glass-
« — ,«-> case for the crown, which the Emperor always
takes with him. The first room into which we
entered was fitted up with ?L profusion of portraits
of Russian Peasants, male and female, in their
diflferent costumes : many of them were exceed,
ingly well executed, and represented some
beautiful faces. Of the other apartments, those
destined for the masquerades were the most
remarkable for their size.
Palace of Thc palace of Oranienhaum, distant a few
Oranien-
baunt. versts further, had been presented by Paul to
the Grand-duke j4lexander: 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 Catharine the Second: some of the
apartments were furnished with tables of beau-
tiful 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 accom-
panied us, and who had the superintendence of
PETERSBURG. 41/
them, informed us, that they were sometimes chap.
rather idle, and required a little beating. This «-— y— »
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 slaves': these unfortunate stateofthe'
1 1 Ti 1 • 1 Peasantry.'
people are sold, like cattle m 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 advertised 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, ac-
cording to circumstances : 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.
(1) A peasant may obtain his liberty, either by manumission, as in
the instance of domestics ; or by purchase ; or by serving in the arm;^
or navy.
VOL. XI. E E
418 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, in Petersburg, the pain to witness, in the public
< .y I streets, the punishment which a meagre effemi-
nate 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 op-
pressor seemed to think he distinguished him-
self 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 species of iniquity pro-
tected 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 us, in French,
*' of this people : you have been so short a 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 Rtcssia
PETERSBURG. 419
whose general conduct to their peasants is di- chap.
X..
rected by feelings of benevolence and kindness. ^ .y <
The family of Prince Sheremetof have been re-
markable, 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 the peasants
of the Crown. The Prince has 1 50,000 ; 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 w^ere
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 neigh-
hood are desirous of ridding themselves of some
man of bad character.
The peasants on the estates of the Russian
E E 2
420 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, noblemen are allowed to manage the lands as
» — , ' they please, provided they pay the Capitation-
managing tax. This is different in different places ; as
oftheli^Ms! much depends on the wants of the proprietor.
s^an Nobi. rpj^^ higher the rank, and the greater the wealth,
the happier, for the most part, are hiis peasants.
Few of the Russian noblemen farm their own
estates : when they do, their lands produce
more ; but the situation of their peasants is ren-
dered at once miserable. This is the case in
Livonia and Poland, where some of the noble-
men suffer their slaves to work for themselves
only on Sunday,
There are some estates appropriated to parti-
cular branches of the Royal Family ; and the
peasants attached to them are considered to be
in a better condition than those belonsrino: to in-
dividuals. 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
PETERSBURG. 421
during the interval pays for them until the next chap.
enumeration. Forty acres is the common por- '- -v -*
tion 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 arrange-
ments, relating to the division of the lands and
internal regulations, are settled by the peasants
themselves, the Elders of the village. When
an estate is overpeopled, 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 Stro-
gonof had an estate where the population was
too great for the quantity of land ; but no incon-
venience 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 ^gal : cela me fait ni bien,
ni 7nal ! "
422 PETERSBURG.
CHAP. Early marriages are encouraged by the
« — ,— ' Seigneurs. The principal checks to population
Population, are, the recruiting service — the numbers lost
before they join the army — the debauchery of
the large villages — the custom of drinking great
quantities of brandy ' — the small-pox, and other
epidemic diseases. Scarcities 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 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, ac-
cording to a recent census, amounted to 200,000
persons, including the strangers ; a calculation
(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 observations 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, H, 752 men, and 973 women. — Starch
slates the mortality between the ages of twenty and sixty to be very great;
" Neither by the bodily frame, nor tlie climate, is this to be explained ;
since both are favourable to life, as Hie periods till the fifteenth year suf-
ficiently prove. Nothing, therefore, but the mode of living can account
for this political calamity." He then mentions the cause, whicli was
stated to us, among otiier circumstances, as afFeciing the population.
" No other cause remains that we can atcusc of this terrible effect, than
brandy." j). 94 — See also Tooke's Uussian Empire, vol. II. p. 156.
PETERSBURG. 423
which places Petersburg after London, Paris,
Vienna, and Naples. It was difficult, however,
to obtain an accurate estimate; 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 milli-
ners.
CHAP. XL
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 ivorks carried on
there — Foundling Hospital — description of it — state of
the Children — mortality tuhich 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 Catharine, on his becoming
Emperor — Anecdotes illustrating his extraordinary
conduct — Remarks on the character of the Empress
Catharine
PETERSBURG. 425
Catharine — Deposition and murder of Peter the chap.
Third. . ^]l .
So much has been said in other works respecting
tlie religious rites and usages of the Greek Church,
that little need be introduced in this place on
the subject. We shall only mention those ob-
jects worthy of attention, noticed by us in the
course of our visits to some of the churches ;
and the annual ceremony of the Benediction of Benedk-
tion of tJie
the waters of the Neva. The last takes place on waters of
the sixth of January (O.S.), and was formerly
celebrated, with great splendour and magni-
ficence, on the river. At present, a small Tem-
ple, of an octagon form, made of wood, painted
and adorned with crosses and pictures repre-
senting 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
recited ^ : after which, the Archbishop descends
(1) The prayers used on this occasion are given by Dr. King, in his
account of the Greek Church, p. 584.
426 PETERSBURG.
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, was 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 dis-
order, and in a short time brought on his death.
At the celebration of a ceremony of the same
kind, which was instituted in the 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 ' with it.
Monastery Xhc Monastcrv of ^t. Alexander Nevsky is
o1S,i. Alex- "^ -^
under situatc ou thc left bank of the Neva, at the dis-
Ncviky.
(2) " Toule la jouriice on se rendait alors sur la glace : on y faisait
dcs trous : le Patriaiclic benissait I'eau pour toutu I'annee, y enfonrait
I'image de la Sainte Vicrge, et aspergt-ait le Tsar et les Courtisans." —
Hiatoirc de Russie, par I.cvetrjue, fovi. IV. N'otc par Dipping, p. 150.
PETERSBURG. 427
tance of four versts from the Admiraltyj in a chap.
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 Con-
vent of Godoretch 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 stiifF or camlet,
with a high cap, and a black crape veil over it.
After the service, we went into the great
Church ; were 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 and
the hand of the priest, paid his devotions to the
shrine, gave a certain number of copeeks, and
retired. We observed others, afterwards, ap-
428 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, parently negotiating for a mass at a certain
V V -' price, and sometimes unsuccessfully. A gentle-
man with a cockade, accompanied by a servant
in a silver-laced hat, seemed to be more fortu-
nate, and had a mass said, and some water
blessed for him. The latter part of the cere-
mony 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 forehead 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 pall
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 pounds '.
n) Wo were not in Petersburg at tliu time of the year when the great
Festival occurs in honour of tlie Saint to whom tlie Monastery is dedi-
cated. The author is indebted to a friend for permission to transcribe
from
PETERSBURG. 429
We afterwards went into another church be- chap.
longing to the Convent, in which were some fine *■ — ^ — '
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 hand,
some. Many waxen tapers were burning before it : some were brought
by the devotees themselves, who also handed up money, which, we under-
stood, was for the purpose of contributing to the expense of the lights. All
that were able to approach the Shrine, kissed it ; having made, previously,
several prostrations and bows. Every body 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 mucli 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 observation of all. After the usual service was performed, as it
was the name-day of the Grand-duke Alexander, the Bishops, six in num-
ber, 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 par-
ticular. 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 of Casan 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 tho line was the Greek Bishop, Eugenius, who appeared very old, and
scarcely able to support 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 whom were some of the principal Nobility, crowded
round him, to kiss his hands. The Bishop of Casa7i received the same
itiark of homage ; but less respect was shewn to the rest; and Eugenhis,
the
4.30 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, monuments : we observed particularly those
,.- — ' of Count Panin, Prince Galitzin, Count Beshe-
rodko ; and a very handsome one of Narishkin.
Over the tomb of Besherodko, 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 Hermi-
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 handkerchief, 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 bour-
geoises of the city appeared generally in old-fashioned silk jackets and
petticoats, with high head-dresser, of silk handkerchiefs tied in the shape
of turbans. All the peasants, and lower classes of citizens, wore their
beards."
PETERSBURG. 43I
tage. She purchased his freedom, and gave
him one thousand roubles.
The style and manner of painting adopted in
the pictures with which the Russian churches are
frequently ornamented have been described in
the former part of this work. In the Church of
St. Nicholas, called also LEglise des Matelots, are church of
many pictures of Christ and the Virgin Mary, hi
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 esta- Giass-
blished by Prince Potemhin ; where plate-glass eStabUshed
of an extraordinary size is cast. The person ^^""!^«
who superintended the business was sent by
Potemkin to England, for some years, to learn
the art. Having seen the different houses where
the earlier parts of the process were going for-
wards, we were taken to that part of the build-
ing where the quicksilver is laid on, and there
saw a glass supposed to be the largest that was
ever made. The length was 1 65 inches ; the
432 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, 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 15,000 roubles. The im-
mense 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 manu-
factory was taken by the Crown, but is sup-
posed now not to pay much more than the ex-
penses. The workmen had all a clean and
comfortable appearance : they are slaves at-
tached 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,
foundling The Foundling Hospital, established by Catha-
Hospital.
vine the Second, in the vicinity of the Convent of
Fbskresenski, but removed afterwards to the first
quarter of the Admiralty, is a branch of the
great institution at Moscoiu, also founded by her.
The house is a handsome extensive building by
PETERSBURG. 433
the Moika Canal, which had belonged to a noble- ^ "t^
man. The rooms are large, airy, and even ele- '^— v '
gant ; and are kept apparently with great neat-
ness and cleanliness. We were first introduced
to that part where the boys were dining, in
number, as we were told, about ] 80 : 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 establish-
ment. In the magazine-rooms, there were some
tolerable pieces of manufactured goods, but
not much in quantity. We were next intro-
duced to the Dormitory : the bedsteads are of
iron ; the beds are composed of straw paillasses,
but they have no testers nor curtains : they are
VOL. XI. F F
434 PETERSBURG.
^^^ 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 appro-
priated to the young children, where we ob-
served the same neatness we had remarked in
the dormitory. All women who present them-
selves 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, when they quit it. An
application was once made to the Empress in
favour of a person of some quality, and granted.
The children that are ' brought to the door in
baskets are, after three days, sent into the
country, to the wives of Ingrian 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
(1) Islr. Forsyth makes an ingenious and happy application of a pas-
sage in Juvenal to the Hospital at Florence, in which legitimate and ille-
gitimale children are received. As they are admitted at niglit, be proposes
that tlic following words should be written over the grate :
" Stat Fortuna improba noctu
Arridens nudis infantibus : hos fovet omnes,
Involvitque sinu."— — Remarks on ICali/, p. 443.
PETERSBURG. 435
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 in-
formation, that it was seven or eight hundred.
We 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
considerable number of deaths among those who
are older.
Having quitted these apartments, we went
over those allotted to 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
F F 2
436 PETERSBURG.
XI.
CHAP, 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 conse-
quently 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 fete:
the girls amused themselves with sewing and
embroidery. Notwithstanding 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 we 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, as a great
PETERSBURG. 437
interruption to the employments of the 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 the Empress. 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 bap-
tized 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 institution.
The greatest praise has been bestowed by
some Writers on the institution of the Foundling
Hospitals of Petersburg and Moscow. " The
genius of Catharine 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
438 PETERSBURG.
^xt^ 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 Moscuiu. All who present
themselves there, or are brought from the dif-
ferent depots' o^ i\iQ empire, are received. Their
first years are watched with the utmost atten-
tion ; and this, if possible, is increased in the
superintendence of their education. They are
instructed, according to their inclinations or
natural dispositions, in different trades and dif-
ferent arts. When the term of their education
has expired, they receive the greatest of all
blessings — liberty. Restored 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 tlian they have received." Such is
the eulogy pronounced on these institutions by
one of the historians ' of the Russian empire : 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 encourage-
(1) Ilistoire dc Russie, par Lcvesque, tome VI. p. 55.
PETERSBURG. 439
ment of immorality and licentiousness which ^^^^•
they afford ; since to have an illegitimate child, ' — . — '
is considered as the least fault which a female-
servant can commits
The conduct of the Emperor was, at this time. Anecdotes
• ^ of the Em-
the chief subject of conversation at all the tables peror paui.
to which we were invited during our stay at
Petersburg; both in the houses of strangers, and
of the Russians themselves. We had not, in-
deed, been long in the city, before we heard,
from undoubted authority, numerous examples,
many of which were confirmed by our own ob-
servation, 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 ec-
centricity 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 dis-
cipline, the most minute and frivolous attention
to every part of their dress, even to the shoul-
dering 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,
(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 !icr-
self more than three days.
440 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, pretending to take on himself the defence of it
^— V — ^ against the attack of the supposed enemy.
Nothing offended him more than the refusal of
Catharine to allow him to command the Russian
army, in the campaign against the Porte in 1787-
In visiting different 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.
He frequently shewed great distrust and suspi-
cion of those around him : this was particularly
observable during an 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 Catharine
wished to make an attempt upon his life. On
becoming Emperor, he was at liberty to in-
dulge, to any excess, and in any manner he
pleased, his military folly'. Every morning
was devoted to reviews, to the parade, and to
the practice of various manoeuvres. As Frederick
( 1 ) He ordered some models of tails to be made, which he intended
should be worn by the officers and soldiers ; and despatched them to dif.
ferent corps of the army. Souwamf, 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 translation cannot give the spirit of
the original, which has a rhythm, and metrical cadence, often used by
HuuwdTof \\\ his conversation. " Kafoi ne kalot, bouklai ne palit, poudrci
ne streliat." — M. Dcpping quotes this, from an historical memoir relatin;^
to Suawaraf.
PETERSBURG. 441
xu
the Great was the principal object of his admira- ^^-^^•
tion, he ordered the national dress of the Russians ">
to be exchanged for the Prussian uniform. 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 com-
pleted 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 ma-
terials 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 ben 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 assassins of Peter were dead, with the ex-
ception of two — Orlof and Boriatinsky : they
were commanded to be present at the ceremony,
to attend the body as chief-mourners, and to re-
main near it for the space of three weeks. This
act of Paul was viewed in different lights : by
some he was considered as influenced by mo-
tives of respect and affection to the memory of
his father ; by others, the whole transaction was
442 PETERSBURG.
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 Koutizof\ originally a
Greek slave, and latterly his valet de chamhre. This
man had a mistress, Madame Chevalier, the wife
of a hair-dresser, and principal actress at the
French Theatre. Her uncommon beauty had
(1) Since the period when Dr. Clarke's Manuscript Journals were
written, an edition of Levesque^s History of Russia has been published,
with Notes by MM. Malte-Brun and Depping. The latter had 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, pre-
cisely of a similar nature to those which Dr. Clarke has already noted
in his Journal. This coincidence confirms the accuracy of the statements
both of the Eiit-lisli Traveller and the French Historian.
M. Depping says, that Koutizof was originally a Turk : but the pas-
sage is suffered to stand in the text, as it occurs in Dr. Clarke's manu-
script. M. Depping gives an anecdote very characteristic of Souwarof, which
illustrates at the same time the history of the rise o( 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. Souiuarof 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, Paul sent his favourite to him. ' Count Xout/zof was announced.
^Koutizof/' cried the General: 'I do not know any Ritssia^i family
of that name.' The Count answered, that he was from Turke;/, and that
the favour of the Emperor liad raised him to his present dignity. — ' You
have then doubtless distinguished yourself in arms ?' ' 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?' — Koulizif v/hheA to turn the conversation; hut Souwnr of
mercilessly pursued him with questions; until he confessed he had been
valet de chambre. Suuwarof, on this, turning to his scrv.nnf, said: • You
see, Ivan, what it is to conduct yourself well. Tliis gentleman was, once,
what you are : behold him Count now, with the blue ribband !' "
PETERSBURG. 443
subdued Koutizof; and, as he governed Paul,
Madame Chevaliers influence was unbounded.
Whoever became the object of her hatred^or that
of the favourite, was immediately 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 jus-
tice. 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 stran-
gers, every one who shewed them any kindness,
or treated them with hospitality, became imme-
diately offensive to him.
The Emperor rose every morning at five :
Koutizof, whose apartments were under his, saw
him first : the report of the head-officer of the
Police was received shortly afterwards. Paufs
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 de-
scended from his carriage, however thinly he
might be clothed, and whatever might be the
state of the weather. Ladies, old women, infirm
444 PETERSBURG.
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 condescension ren-
dered him the idol of the people ; and he was
as much loved, as Paul was detested.
We passed an evening at the hospitable and
elegant mansion of Baron Strogonqf; who in-
formed 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 in-
flicted for neglecting to take oif 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
XI,
PETERSBURG. 44,")
into confinement. The attention of the police chap
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 impos-
sible in any way to escape their notice and inter-
ference. Friends met with suspicious and fearful
looks, asking for news, or mentioning the misfor-
tunes which had happened to their relatives,
who had been exiled ' or ruined by the Emperor
and his minion. While we were at Baron
Strogojiof's, 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 blessings of a free constitution, is in the
(1) La colere de Paul frappait indistinctement toutes les classes dela
societe — les courtisans, les gens de lettres, les militaires, les marchands^
les femmes, tous encouraient la peine de I'exil, ou du knout, pour des
fautes legeres Les exils et les arrestations continuaient tou-
jours : on voyait sur les routes de nombreux kibitkas, qui transportaient
les prisonniers en Siberie. Ces transports se faisaient avcc la plus grande
precipitation ; on ne laissait souvent a I'exile qu'une beure pour arranger
ses affaires; et puis on I'envoyait sous le climat rigoureux de la Siberie,
sanslui accorder les moyens de se premunir contre la regueur du froid."
Depping. — Hhtoire de Russie, par Levexque. Tome VL ;>. 114,
446 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, 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 Russian friend trembled
while he was addressed. — " What architect de-
signed that palace ?" " Speak lower, for God's
sake!" — " What ! is it prohibited to ask ques-
tions 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 conscious-
ness you afford even of your respiration or exist-
ence, 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 domestic
happiness, were constantly interrupted ; and the
effect of a baneful and malignant tyranny was
everywhere experienced, — adempto per inquisi-
tiones, 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 had not placed the
cock of his hat straight over his forehead. The
punishment was inflicted with severity. On one
occasion he had the audacity to cane an officer :
the unfortunate victim of his cowardice retired
PETERSBURG. 447
to his house, and shot himself, 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 subjects.
The German ambassador, Count Cohentzel,
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 dis-
charged by two English gentlemen, laid an infor-
mation against their masters, of being Jacobins :
these gentlemen were obliged, in consequence,
to leave Russia; and would have experienced
harsher treatment, if Lord JVJiitiuorth had not
discovered the plot, and the falsehood of the
charge, and made himself responsible for their
conduct.
It is well known, that, aniong other instances
CHAP.
IX.
448 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, of folly, he ordered, by a special Ukase, many of
A. la
V ■».. / the buildings in the empire to be painted in a
particular manner, according to his directions.
A lady, whom he admired, appeared one even-
ing at a ball with a pair of gloves of a red
colom' : the next morning, his palace was painted
red. The absurdities, of which he was guilty
every day, almost exceed belief. Some excel-
lent paintings in the palace had been removed,
by his orders, for the purpose of being var-
nished ; and a few common 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 apart-
ments, 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 en-
tered 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
PETERSBURG. 449
ever being able to execute such a mad com-
mission ; 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 merchants were at
dinner, he examined all the pelisses ; and having
found one which corresponded with the de-
scription 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 de-
parted, 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 Emperor, who, when he saw it,
embraced the officer in a transport of joy, at the
same time declaring his surprise that he re-
turned with it so soon. — The pelisse was
sent back to the ownc , in about an hour's
time.
The truth of the following fact can be at-
tested by the whole city of Petersburg. — A car-
riage, as the Emperor was passing through the
streets, was observed not to stop quite so soon
as was thought proper ; nor did any one
VOL. XI. G G
XI
450 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, 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 be-
longed, was informed that one of the police-
officers desired to see her. The visits of these
persons occasioned as much horror and alarm
at Petersburg, as those of the agents of Robes-
pierre produced at Paris. The lady, much dis-
tressed, 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 in-
formed, that the person was a poor miserable
cripple, deformed, an ideot from his birth, de-
prived of the use of his limbs, maintained in the
family from charity, and allowed, by his hu-
mane protectress, the use of the carriage, for
air, when the weather was fine. Will it be
believed, that this wretched object was dragged
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 Emperor," Paul, whether from a feeling of
compassion not very common to him, or from
PETERSBURG. 451
not wishing to trouble himself any farther in the chap.
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 descrip-
tion 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 book-
seller's shop, a beautiful copy of Buffon^ Na-
tural History, and the marks of the police were
visible in the title-page of every volume. Fo-
reign Journals were reprinted with the altera-
tions 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 compre-
hend. In the scrutiny which took place, amidst
this darkness of intellect and ignorance, we
have no reason to wonder at the ludicrous and
G G 2
452
PETERSBURG.
CHAP.
XI.
Remarks
on the cha-
racter of
the Em-
press Ca-
tharine.
contemptible blunders that were daily com-
mitted'.
The character and conduct of Paul are suffi-
ciently illustrated by the statements we have
given : and more, if it were necessary, might be
added, to mark his imbecility and ideotcy.
The strong feeling of hatred which he bore to
the memory of Catharine 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 con-
versation 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 anecdotes respecting her ;
speaking the whole time as one of her enthu-
siastic 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 deci-
(l) 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, tlierc was a prohibition of books relating to the Greek Church:
the same were also rejected by the linsnian censors !
PETERSBURG. 45 J
sion 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 in-
quiry 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 pro-
vince. Impressed, at first, with a favourable
feeling occasioned by the enumeration of many
good qualities which were attributed to her, we
were disposed to join the list of her panegyrists :
but it is impossible, on reflection, to admit any
apology for the crimes which tarnish all her
glories, if they do not entirely obscure them.
It will readily be allowed, that her reign has
been marked by great events, and that her mea-
sures 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
of Peter
the Third.
454 PETERSBURG.
CHAP, the offspring of beneficence : — so difficult is it
^ ■ > ■ ' to conceive, 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 !
anTraurder Whencvcr the circumstauccs attending the
death of Peter the Third are introduced, they
are always accompanied with the assertions, that
Catharine, by the murder of her husband, averted
a similar fate, which would have speedily over-
taken her. This plausible tale, easily related,
as easily prevailed. The multitude, who sel-
dom trouble themselves to reflect, when they
find others ready to think for them, are hardly
yet awakened from their delusion. It is won-
derful that a representation so totally ground-
less 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 Schlussenburg; 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 Catharine
throughout the whole course of the events which
PETERSBURG. 455
occurred in the Revolution of 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 conjunction with her favourite Orlof,
for taking possession of the reins of govern-
ment — that when the consequences of her
licentious conduct and intimacy with that officer
were too evident, Pe^er proposed to punish her in
some public manner — that, to avoid this disgrace,
Catharine completed and hastened the conspi-
racy which ended in his dethronement and
murder. That the indolence, and want of reso-
lution, and pusillanimity of Peter contributed to
his own ruin, cannot be doubted : there was a
period, during the revolt, when the soldiers ex-
pressed their regret at having been so easily per-
suaded, by Or/o/' and Razoumofsky 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 related. Ismaelof, whom he sent to
express his readiness to enter into negotiation
with the Empress, is supposed to have betrayed
him to Orlof. He was then conveyed to Robscha.
But even after his confinement, the soldiers did
not cease to express their disapprobation of
456 PETERSBURG.
what had taken place ; and a strong feeling of
commiseration for their deposed monarch was
excited among various classes of the people.
The conspirators found that 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 Te/je/Ao/'. His body was pub-
lickly exposed, habited in the Holstein uniform ;
the collar of the dress being so arranged
(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 pro-
perly 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 hand-
" kerchief, by Orlof, Tipelliof, Potemkin, and the youngest of the Princes
•' Boriatinski. When the body was exposed, 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 Panin, 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. liul/iiere, a French Officer, who
" was an attentive spectator, and who afterwards conversed with the prin-
*' cipal actors. Prudence prevents him from publishing : but he reads his
'* Narrative to large companies ; and I have already heard it twice."
GiBBON'i Miscellaneous Works, Vol. V.p. 528. 1814.
PETERSBURG. 457
as to conceal the mode of his death, which, chap.
however, was very visible in the features <., .y~ -»
of the face. The following night he was buried
in the church of the Monastery oi '^i. Alexander
Nevshy .
\For a Continuation of the Author's Narrative^ of his
departure from Petersburg to Moscow, of his inter-
esting desaiption of the latter city, and his journey to the
Southern Provinces of the Russian Empire, &c. &c.
the Reader is referred to the First Volume of these
Travels.]
APPENDIX.
No. I .
AMCENITATES ACADEMIiE 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 tolera-
ble idea of the line of study pursued in that
University, and of the time in which any par-
ticular study was the most favoured, sixty-one
of them are here added.
It will appear, that under the Presidency of
PoiiTHAN the most interesting topics were dis-
cussed.
They form a complete History of Science in
Abo, for the last twenty years of the eighteenth
century.
1782. Dissertatio Botanica, de Calla. — Praeside, C.N.
Hellenio. — J. F. Sacklen, Satacundensis.
1785. Dissertatio Mathematica, de Quadratura Para-
bolae. — Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — J. J. Lager-
STROM, Satacundensis.
1785. Dissertatio Astronomica, Metliodum sistens inve-
niendi Tempus Verum, ex observatis sequalibus
diversarum Stellarum Altitudinibus. — Praes. J.H.
Lindquist. — A. J. Tammelander> Tavastensis.
460 APPENDIX, N" I.
17S6. Specimen Academicum, de invenienda Sectione
Conica circa focum datum per data tria puncta
transeunte. — Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — J. We-
GELius, Ostro-Botniensis.
1786. Dissertatio Gradualis, Observationes quasdam
circa Reductionem Angulorum ad Horizontem
continens. — Praes. J.H.Lin dquist. — J.Rikstrom.
1786. Dissertatio Astronomica, de Parallaxi Annua Pla-
netarum Primariorum ac Cometarum. — Prses.
J. H. Lindquist. — S. Castren, Ostro-Botniensis.
1786. Diss. Botanica, de Evonymo. — Praes. C.N. Hel-
lenic. — C. AscHOLiN, Satacundensis.
1786. Diss. Botanica, de Hippuride.^Praes. C. N. Hel-
lenic. — C. R. Brander, Satacundensis.
1786. Specimen Calendarii Florae et Faunae Aboensis. —
Praes. C. N. Hellenic. — J. G. Justander.
1 786. Dissertatio, de Origine Literarum Latinarum. —
Prses. H. G. Porthan. — G. J. Cajander, Ny-
landus.
1786. Dissertatio Academica, deBircarlis. — Praes. H.G.
Porthan. — F. M. Frantzen, Ostro-Botniensis.
1787. Prospectus Methodi Rem Pecuariam scientifice
pertractandi. — Prees. G. Bonsdorff. — A Box-
STROM, Nylandus.
1 788. Animadversiones in novam Nomenclaturae Che-
micae Methodum. — Publico Examini subjicit J.
Gadolin. Respondente, N. Avellan, Ta-
vastensis.
1788. Diss. Academica, deAsparago.— Praes. C. N. Hel-
lenius. — U. Pryss.
1788. Diss. Acad, de Observationibus Barometricis ope
Thermometri corrigendis. — Praes. J. H. Lind-
quist.— J. Wegelius, Ostro-Botniensis,
APPENDIX, NO I. 461
1789. Meletema Academicum, de Favorino, Philosopho
Academico.— -Praes. H. G. Portiian. — Z. Fors-
MAN, Oitro-Botnieiis'is.
1789. Diss.Astronomica, deinvenienda apparente Lunae
Diametro ex data ejus Parallaxi. — Praes. J. H.
LiNDQUisT. — A. Sander, Borea-Ferino.
1789. Diss. Academica, de Interpolatione pro inveniendo
loco Lunge ex Ephemeridibus. — Prass. J.H.Lind-
QUIST. J. /EjMELJEVS.
1789. Diss. Academica, sistens Theoriam Linearum
Parallelarum. — Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — E. Ro-
sen back, Satacundensis.
1789. Diss. Botanica, de Tropaeolo. — Pra^s. C. N. Hel-
lenic. — A. F. Laurell, PViburgensis.
1789. Diss. Acad, de Fama Magise Fennis attributa. —
Praes. H. G. Porthan. — F. J. Rosenbom, Oslro-
Bolniensis.
1789. Diss. Acad, de Hippophae. — Praes. C.N. Hel-
LENio. — P. Stenberg, JVestro-Botniensis,
1791. Animadversiones de Libris raris. — Praes. H. G.
Porthan. — P. J. Alop;eus, Wiburgensis.
1791. De vario Usu Litteraturae Orientalis. — Prsss. P.
Malmstrom. — G. Krogius, IViburgensis.
1792. Diss. Acad, sistens Specimina quaedam instinctus,
quo Animalia suae prospiciunt Soboli. — Praes.
C. N. Hellenio. — F. JuvELius, Ostro-Botniensis,
1792. Diss. Botanica, de Cichorio. — Praes. C. N. Hel-
lenic. — H. Nelly, Svio-Gothus.
1792. Diss. Academica, de Imperio Hermanrici Ostro-
Gotliorum Regis. — Prses. H. G. Porthan. —
C. Rein, Ostro-Botniensis.
1792. Cogitationes de Poemate Prosaico. — Pra3s. H.G.
Porthan. — A. Kellandek. Satacundensis.
462 APPENDIX, N° J.
1792. Diss. Astronomica, de computando Effect u Aber-
rationis Luminis in Eclipsibus. — ^Praes. J. H.
LiNDQUiST. — M. J. ToLPO, Borea-Fcjino.
1792. Diss. Astronom. de Methodo inveniendi Latitu-
dinem Loci ex observatis duabus Solis vel Stellae
cujusdam Altitudinibus. — Prees. J. H. Lindquist.
— A. J. Mether, Tavastensls.
1792. Diss. Gradualis, de Loxodromiis in Superficie
Ellipsoidica. — Prees. J. H. Lindquist. — N. M.
ToLPOj 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 Haemorrho'idum sup-
pressarum. — Praes. G. E. Haartman. — S. Bjork-
LUND.
1794. Diss. Acad. Cogitationes sistens de Libertate
Graecis callide a Romanis oblata. — Prses. H. G.
Porthan. — M. Enegren, Ostro-Botn'iensis.
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-Gotho-
riun Regis. — Prtes. H. G. Porthan. — E. Hil-
deen, Borea-Fenno.
1795. Diss. Acad, sistens Cogitationes quasdam de Lin-
guarum Usu Historico. — Praes. H. G. Porthan.
— J. H. Avellan, Tavastensls.
1795. Diss. Acad, de Libertate Philosophandi. — Praes.
H. G. Porthan. — P. Wallenius, IVibiirgensis.
1795, Diss. Acad, sistens Cogitationes quasdam de Pan-
dora Hesiodea. — Praes. H. G. Porthan. — J. H.
Fattenkorg, Nylandus.
APPENDIX, N" I. 463
1795. Diss. Acad, de Theoria Solutionis Chemicae. —
Praes. J. Gadolin. — M. Harfvelin, Aboensis.
1795. De Natnra Salium Simplicium. — Prses. J. Ga-
dolin. — J. G. Haartman.
1795. De computando Effectu Convexitatis Superficiei
in Arte Libellandi, posita Figura Telluris EUip-
soidica. — Praes. J.H.Lindquist. — C.G. Utter,
Satacundensis.
1796. De Invenienda Parallaxi Altitudinis, ex datis Pa-
rallaxi Sideris Horizontali, et vera ejus a Zenith
Distantia. — Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — T. T. Kri-
ANDER, Satacundensis.
1797. De corrigendis Erroribus Instrument! Culmina-
torii. — Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — G. Laurell.
1797. De Declinatione Nominum in primis Fennicorum.
— E. HiLDEEN et G. Laurell.
1797 Animadversiones nonnullae circa Queestionem,
" Quid Moses de Diis Gentium senserit?" —
Prffis. G. Gadolin. — J. Avellan, Tavastensis.
1797. Dissertatio Inauguralis Medica, sistens Toxico-
logias primas Lineas. — Prses. G. E. Haartman,
B. HoLMUDD, Uleaburg.
1797. De Tussilagine Commentarii Botanici. — J. G.
Haartman, et A. J. Orrstrom, Aboensis,
1797. De Speciebus Solutionis Chemicae. — Prass. J.
Gadolin. — M. Sylvex, Satacundensis,
1798. Examen Methodi iEquationes Algebraicas resol-
vendi ; a C. L. Bendavid, nuper propositjB. —
Praes. J. H. Lindquist. — J. F. Ahlstedt, Sata-
cundensis.
1798. De Natura Carbonis VegetabiHs. — Praes. J. Ga-
dolin, — T. T. Kriander, Satacnnda-Fenno.
464 APPENDIX, N° I.
1 798. De Silica ex Solutione Alkalina per Calcem prae-
cipitata. — Praes. J.Gadolin. — J. Holstius, Ostro-
Botniensis.
1798. De Variationibus Avium quoad ipsarum Colorem.
— Praes. C. N. Hellenic. — A. Cajan, Ostro-
Botniensis.
1798. De Philosophia Populari complexa. — Praes. H. G.
PoRTHAN. — G. Palander, Tavustensis.
1798. De Pancratio Gymnici apud Veteres Graecos
Ludi Genere. — Praes. G. Gadolin. — G. Do-
MANDER, Tavastensis.
1798. De Dignitate Jarlorum in Suecia. — Praes. H. G.
PoRTHAN. — E. J. Frostenes, Ostro-Botiiiensis.
1798. Specimen Descriptionis Organicae Linearum Cur-
varum. — Auctor, G. G. Hallstrom; et Re-
spondens, C, H. Stranberg, Nylandus.
1798. Specimina qusedam Geometriae Curvilineae. — Praes.
A. J. Mether, et N. J. BERGHiELL, Tavastensis.
1799. De Methodo Superficies Solidorum duplici Inte-
gratione investigandi. — Auctor, G. Palander;
et Respondens, C. Astrom, Tavastensis.
1799. De Fide Revelationi Divinae habenda. — Praes. J.
Tenostrom. — E.J. Frosterus, Ostro-Botn'iensis.
1799. De inveniendis Lineis Curvis ex datis Radii Cur-
vaturae Proprietatibus, Problemata. — Auctore,
G.G. Hallstrom; et Respondente, C.H.Holl-
BERG, Borea-Fenno.
Tn the year 1766, Professor Porthan, then
Student in the University, produced his learned
Dissertation De Poesi Fennica; one of the most
erudite and interesting Essays that have appear-
o
ed among the Academic Dissertations of Abo.
APPENDIX, N° II. 465
No. II.
INDEX PR^LECTIONUM,
QUAS, BONO CUM DEO,
IN REGIA ACADEMIA ABOENSI,
OMNIUM FACULTATUM
PROFESSORES, CETERIQUE DOCENTES,
A DIE I. OCTOBRIS AN. MDCCXCIX. AD IDEM TEMPUS ANNI SEQUENTIS,
PUB LICE ET PllIVATIM HABEBUNT.
IMPERANTE AUGtJSTISSIMO ET POTENTISSIMO,
GUSTAVO ADOLPHO,
SVECORUM, GOTHORUM, VANDALORUMQUE REGE &C. &C. &:C.
DOMINO NOSTRO CLEMENTISSIMO.
REGI7E ACADEMIiE ABOENSIS
CANCELLARIO,
ILLUSTRISSIMO ATQUE EXCELLEN TISSIMO COMITE,
DOMINO CAROLO ADAMO WACHTMEISTER,
EX IMPERII SVIOGOTHICI I'ROCERIBUS UNO,
SUPREMO AD AULAM REGINjE VIDU^ MARESCHALLO, EDUCATIONIS REgIjE
ANTEHAC GUBERNATORE VICARIO,
ORDINUM REGIORUM EQUITE AC COMMENDATORE.
PRO CANCELLARIO,
REVERENDISSIMO DOMINO, JACOBO GADOLIN,
S S. THEOL. DOCTORE, DIOCESEOS ABOENSIS EPISCOPO, ORDINIS REGH
DE STELLA POLAUI COMMENDATORE.
VOL. XI. H H
4C6 APPENDIX, N" II.
PROFESSORES.
hi Facilitate Theological
Christianus Cavander, S.S. Theol, Prof. Prim, et
Archi-PrcBp. iniis Capitibus, quasex Evangelio Liicae
adhuc supersunt, publice interpretandis, primum
b.c. D. versabitur, in Auditorio Majori h. a. m. IX,
deinde Johannis 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 Academico Esaiee Prophetiam pub-
lice explicare constituit, idque h. III. post meridiem ;
privatas Scholas desideriis expetentium adcom-
modaturus.
Jacobus Tengstrom, S. S. Theol. Prof. Reg. et Ord. nee
noil R. Acad. h. a. Rector. Doctrinam morura e
Christianae Theologiae fontibus haustam, praeeunte
Cel. J. C. Doderlein, publice legendo tradere et absol-
vere conabitur; Dogmaticam non minus quam
Homileticam Religionis proponendas rationem pri-
vatis lectionibus alternis persecuturus.
hi Facultate Juridica:
Matthias Calonius, Juris Prof Reg. et Ord. Eques
Ord. Reg. de Stella Polar?, Supremi Reg. Trihunalis
Revisoriip. t. Memhrum, Holmiae munere clementissime
sibi delato detentus adhuc versatur. Partes vero
ejus, donee ad nos redierit, R. Acad. Secretarius
interim administrabit.
APPENDIX, N° II. 467
In Facultate 3Iedica :
ORDINARIi:
Gabriel Ericus Haartman, M.D. Med. Pract. Prof.
Reg. et Ord. Commentaria in Pharmacopanam Sveca-
nam proxime praeterlf^pso anno Academico incepta
continuabit; docebitautempiiblice h.a.m. XI.inAudi-
torio Mathematico ; privatamque operam ad deside-
rium Alumnorum Medicoium lubenter accommodabit.
Gabriel Bonsdorff, Phil, et Med. Doct., Anot. Cfiirii.rg.
et Art. Veter. Prof. Reg. et Ord. Facult. Med. h. a.
Decanus, historiam Actionum corporis, quas Animales
vocant, publicis lectionibus h. a.m. IX* in Audit.
Anatom. habendis, succincte tradet ; Demonstrationi-
bus et exercitiis anatomicis atqiie medico-legalibus
privatis horis sedulo inserviturus.
EXTRAORDINARIUS :
JosEPHus G. Pipping, M.D. Med. Prof. Reg. et
,_ Extraord. atque Membrum Fac. Med. Ordinarium,
absoluta morborum Oculorum expositions, morbos
Gssium corporis humani pertractabit, idque publice in
Auditorio Anatomico hora decima antemeridiana.
Exercitationes autem privatas desideriis Artis Stu-
diosorum salutaris accommodabit.
In Facultate Philosophica:
Johannes Bilmark, Historiar. ac Philosoph. Pract. Pro-
fessor Reg. et Ordin. Jurispriidentiam Naturalem et
Politicam Septemtrionalium Europse Regnorum
Notitiam publicis Lectionibus, in Auditorio Majori
hora XI. a. m. Deo Volente, habendis, alternis vici-
bus explicabit; Privatam institutionem desiderio
suorum Auditor um accommodaturus.
n \\ '2
^^8 APPENDIX, N" II.
■ AsiiRF.As VhA^UA-!!^, Phy sices Prof. Reg. et Ord. Ele-
menta Mechanices, in Auditorio Superior!, hora IP*
pomeridiana, publice proponet ; privatim vero ea tra-
det, quae Honoratissimi Commilitones desideraverint.
Henricus Gabriel Porthan, EloguenticB Professor
Reg. et Ord. Orationes Ciceronis selectas et Virgi-
lium, diebus alternis, in Auditorio Minori hora ante-
merid. X, publice interpretabitur. Privatam vero
diligentiam exercitiis styli utriusque, more solito
moderandis, aliisque muneris sui partibus, in quibus
Auditores suam potissimum exposcere operam intel-
lexerit, pro virili implendis, dicabit.
Olavus Schalberg, Phil. Mag. nee non Metaphys.
et Logices Profess. Reg. atque Ordin. Lectiojiibus
puhlicis, Psychologiam Empiricam, D.V., explicabit,
privatis ea traditurus, quae sui Auditores ipsi desidera-
verint. Publice legethora a.m. octava.
Carolus Nicolaus Hellenius, CEcon. Profess. Reg. et
Ord. absolutis iis, quae ex cullura olerum proponenda
restant, praecepta cultus arborum frugiferarum tradet,
idque publice in Auditorio Mathematico hora X'"*
antemeridiana. Privatim in omnibus, quee ad se per-
tineant, Juventutis Academicae commodis pro virili
parte consulet.
Johannes Gadolin, Chemice Prof. Reg. et Ord. prte-
lectionibus publicis hoc anno Naturam. Aquci^ctSaUum,
duce libro a se cdito, explicabit, in Auditorio Mathe-
matico hora p. m. Ill"^ Privatam operam ad
desideria Auditorum lubens accommodabit.
Gustavus Gadolin, Lingg. Orient, et Gr. Prof Reg. et
Ord. nee noii Fae. Philos. h. a. Dccanus, publicis lec-
tionibus hora a. m. IX. in Auditorio Mathematico
APPENDIX, N° II, 469
habendis Iliados Homericcc explicationem continuabit.
Privatam operam Uteris Hebrfeis tradendis impendet,
neque ceteroquin Honorat. Commilitonum desideriis
defutarus.
Franciscus Michael Franzen, Hist. Litter. Prof, et
Reg. Acad. Bibliothecarius, lectiones quas semestri ver-
nali proxime prseterlapso instituit, hoc anno Acade-
mico persecuturus, literarum humaniorum apud Ro-
manos aliasque et antiquas et hodiernas Euiopse
Occidentalis et Borealis gentes Historiam publice in
Audit. Mathematico hora a. m. VIII. pertractabit.
Ceterum ut ad R. Acad. Bibliothecam Academicis
aditus diebus Mercurii et Saturni horis p. m. II. &
III. pateat, curabit, et privatim sedulam in iis, quae
SUES sunt interpretationis, partibus, operam studiosae
juventuti ministrabit.
Andreas Johannes Mether, Mathem. Prof. Reg. et
Ord. Semestri autumnali utramque Trigonometriam,
sequente autera anni hujus Academici intervallo
Doctrinam Sectionum Conicarum prselectionibus pub-
licis, in Auditorio Minori h. a. m. XL habendis,
explicabit. Lectiones privatas desiderio Honor. Com-
militonum accommodabit.
ADJUNCTI.
In Facilitate Tlieologica :
Jacobus Bonsdorff, S. S. Theol. Licent. et Adjunct.
Ordiyi. in praelegendis, quae restant ex Epitome Theol.
Dogm. S. Vener. Mori, capitibus versabitur, cetera
quoque et Hermeneutices et Pastoralis Doctrinas
momenta baud neglecturus.
470 APPENDIX, N" II.
hi FacuUate Medica :
NicoLAus AvELAN, Medic. Doct. Anat. Prosector et
Facult. Med. Adjunct. Ord., Dissectionibus Anato-
micis publice inserviet ; privatim, quae de Lectionibus
Osteologicis, feriis Academicis interruptis, explicanda
restant, persecuturus.
Botan'ices Dcjnonstratoris muiius vacat.
In FacuUate Philosopliica :
ORDINARII :
Henricus Alanus, Reg. Acad. Sec7-etarius, coeptam
proxime praeterlapso semestri Tituli Codicis Frideri-
c'tayii de Jure Hcereditatis interpretationem, per illud
hujus Anni Academici spatium, quo Holmias adhuc
commorabitur Ordinarius Juris Professor, publicis
Lectionibus ejus loco continuabit, quam simulac
absolverit, sequentem ejusdem Codicis Titulum pro
ratione temporis adgredietm* explicandum. Privatim
Elementa ti-adet Jurisprudentiae Civilis.
Johannes Sundwall, Fac. Philos. Adj. Ord. disciplinas
morales Auditoribus sius explicare continuabit.
EXTRAORDINARIUS :
Michael Holmberg, Professor, Adjunctus ChemicB Ex-
traordinariiis, Elementa Halurgiag et Pharmaceutices
experimentis instituendis Auditoribus demonstrabit.
MAGISTRI DOCENTES.
In FacuUate Tkeologica :
Nicolaus Gustavus Brander, S. Theologicc Docens,
desideriis Honoratissimorum Dom. Commilitonum,
omni, qua potest diligentia, operam suam accommo-
daro conabilur.
APPENDIX, N° II. 471
Ericus Johannes Frosterus, Joh. Fil.j S. S. Theologice
Docens, in iis, quae suarum sunt partium, praestandis,
Honoratissimis Dominis Commilitonibus pro viribus
inservire conabitur.
hi Facultate Philosophica :
Johannes Bonsdorff, Linguar. Sacrar. Docens et Ama-
nuens. Consist. Acad, operam suam desideriis Honora-
tissimorum Commilitonum lubens accommodabit.
Laurentius Wadell, Philos. Pract. et Polit. Docens^
Philosophiam Moralem hoc anno tractabit, in exer-
citiis consuetis, si volupe fuerit, desideriis Honor.
Dom. Commilitonum non defuturus.
Nicolaus Magnus Tolpo, Metaphysices Docens, in ex-
hibenda et pro virili explicanda Terminologia Philo-
sophise Criticae, vel et in aliis quae ad se pertinent, ope-
ram suam Honoratissimis Dom. Commilitonibus ofFert.
GusTAVus Gabriel Hallstrom, Physices Docens et
Amanuensis Bihlioth. Reg. Acad., Elementa Hydro-
staticae Auditoribus proponere constituit. Aliis quo-
que tradendis Scientiis Physicis, si id desideraverint
Honoratissimi Coramilitones, operam suam omni, qua
potest, diligentia impendet.
Andreas Johannes Lagus, Gtcbc. Litt. Docens et
R. Acad. Biblioth. Aman. Ord.. futuris suis Auditoribus
AnthologiamGrcBcam Brunckianam explicare constituit.
Johannes Henricus Fattenborg, Litt. Orient. Docens,
in Libro Psalmorum explicando desiderio Honorat.
Commilitonum satisfacere conabitur.
Johannes Petrus Winge, CEconomice Docens, in tra-
dendis, quae ad suam spectant scientiam, usui ac de-
siderio Honoratissimorum Commilitonum lubenter
satisfacere conabitur.
472 APPENDIX, NO II.
Magnus Alop^us, Math. Docens, Algebram tradet, de
cetero desideriis Honorat. Dom. Commilitonum sese
accommodaturus.
Joannes Wide, Historiaruni Docens, ad desideria Ho-
nor. Commilitonum lubens respondere conabitur.
Michael Chor^eus, Eloguentice Docens, in Auctore
quovis explicando, atque stylo formando, suam Ho-
norat. Commiliton. operam ofFert.
Gabriel Palander, Matheseos AdplicatcB Docens et
Biblioth. Reg. Acad. Amanuensis, Elementa Astronomiae
Sphasricae, aut si quam aliam Honor. Domini Com-
militones praeoptaverint ex genere Mathematico dis-
ciplinam, tradere constituit.
ARTIUM CULTIORUM MAGISTRI.
Georgius Danet, Linguce Gallicce Magister, diebus
Mercurii et Saturni bora indicanda Librum, cui Ti-
tulus : Les Aventures de TeUmaque, publice interpre-
tabitur; Studiosis privatam in Lingua Gallica insti-
tutionem desiderantibus baud defuturus.
Johannes Baptista Meijer, Palcestrce Athletic<B Prce-
fectus, artem arma dextre tractandi et strenue vibrandi
eos docebit, qui suam expetunt manuductionem.
Johannes Thorenberg, Director Musices et Organ, ad
Templam Cathedral. Aboense, Musicam publicis con-
centibus, diebus Mercurii et Saturni bora III. p. m.
babendis docebit. Privatam quoque institutionem
expetentibus, suam baud denegabit operam.
APPENDIX, N° 111.
473
No. III.
TEMPERATURE of the ATMOSPHERE,
ACCORDING TO
DIURNAL OBSERVATION;
WITH
A CORRESPONDING STATEMENT OF TEMPERATURE IN ENGLAND
DURING THE SAME PERIOD :
XHE LATTER BEING EXTRACTED FROM A BEGISTER KEPT IN THE APARTMENTS OF THE
KOTAL SOCIETY IN LONDON, BT ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL.
N.B. The Observations during the Journey were made at Noon, unless otherwise ex-
pressed, and in the most shaded situation that could be found : those oj' the Royal
Society at Two p.m.; a7id both on the Scale of Fahrenheit.
Observation on the
Scale of Fahrenheit.
59
52
52
60
65
68
74
61
72
68
69
62
62
62
64
Where made.
Copenhagen, 2 p.m.
Copenhagen^ '6 p.m.
Elsineur,
Karup, 1 P.M.
Kongsbacka, 1 p.m.
Gothenburg, 2 p.m.
Edet, 2 P.M.
Trollhaetta, 2 p.m.
Hunneberg, 2 p.m.
Malby, 2 p.m.
Bodarne, 3 p.m.
Fellingsbro, 2 p.m.
Gran, 2 p.m.
Stockholm, 2 p.m.
Stockholm, 1 p.m.
When made.
June 13,1799
June 14.
June 15.
June l6.
June 17.
June 18.
June 19.
June 20.
June 21.
June 22.
June 23.
June 24.
June 25.
June 26.
June 27.
Observation in LondoB
on the same Day,
61
64
60
59
61
64
67
62
65
71
72
67
63
59
66
474 APPENDIX, N« III.
Observation on the
Scale of Falirenheit.
62
64
64
65
68
65
69
72
75
73
75
75
72
70
68
62
73
68
62
68
71
70
73
69
70
76
71
59
59
48
the
Bit. Where made.
Vfhen made.
Observation in London
on the same Day,
Rotcbro, 1 P.M.
June 28,
1799- 67
Yfre, 1 P.M.
June 29.
67
Skog, 2 P.M.
June 30.
77
Bringsta, 2 p.m.
July 1.
72
Fjal, 3 P.M.
July 2.
72
Spjute, 2 P.M.
July 3.
72
Lefvar, 2 p.m.
July 4,
73
Umea, 2 p.m.
July 5.
74
Sunnani, 2 p.m.
July 6.
77
Lulea, 2 p.m.
July 7.
74
Tore,
July 8.
77
Londtjerf, 1 p.m.
July 9.
65
Tornel, 2 p.m.
July 10.
70
Tornea, 2 p.m.
July 11.
70
Wajakala,
July 12.
73
Korpikyla,
July 13.
69
Njemis, 1 p.m.
July 14.
70
Maajosaari, 1 p.m.
July 15.
65
Pello, 1 P.M.
July 16.
57
Kolare, 1 p.m.
July 17.
69
Kolare, 3 p.m.
July 18.
68
Kiklargi, 2 p.m.
July 19.
63
Near Muonioniska, 2
P.M.
July 20.
68
/- Forest near Muonioniska
1 4 P.M.
'}july 21.
66
Ofre Muonioniska, 2
P.M.
July 22.
68
[- Upon the Muonio,
L Enontekis,
nea.
}july 23.
71
Enontekis,
July 24.
63
Enontekis, 4 p.m.
July 25.
67
Enontekis, 4 p.m.
July 26.
67
|- Enontekis, from 1 1
L to 2 P.M.
A.M.
'jjuly 27.
65
APPENDIX, N° III.
475
ObservatioB on the
Scale of Fahrenheit. Where made.
When tsade.
Observation in London
on the same Day.
46
Enontekis, 1 p.m.
July 28, :
1799- 62
47
Enontekis, 2 p.m.
July 29.
65
54
Enontekis, ] p.m.
July 30.
67
59
Enontekis, 1 p.m.
July 31.
70
54
Palojoensu, 1 p.m.
Aug. 1.
72
59
Muotkajerfvi, 3 p.m.
Aug. 2.
68
59
r Between Hetta and Kuru
I 2 P.M.
'}Aug. 3.
69
60
Between Kuru and Tepasto, Aug. 4.
71
62
Between Tepasto and Kittila, Aug. 5.
68
61
r Between Kittila & Ilijasko.
I 2 P.M.
' ]■ Aug. 6.
60
64
Aliajasko, 5 p.m.
Aug, 7.
64
67
Pirtakoski, I p.m.
Aug. 8.
58
CO
Rautiola, 5 p.m.
Aug. 9.
59
64
Tervola, 1 p.m.
Aug. 10.
69
67
Kiemi,
Aug. 11.
70
67
Tornea, 1 p.m.
Aug. 12.
68
68
Tornea, 2 p.m.
Aug. 13,
70
70
Tornea, 1 p.m.
Aug. 14.
70
68
Tornea, 1 p.m.
Aug, 15.
66
67
Rautiola, 1 p.m.
Aug. 16.
61
68
Ijo,
Aug. 17.
60
62
Ulea,
Aug. 18.
65
62
Ulea, 1 P.M.
Aug. 19.
66
62
Karingango, 2 p.m.
Aug, 20.
68
60
Brahestad, 1 p.m.
Aug. 21.
67
62
Brahestad, 1 p.m.
Aug. 22.
64
68
Heusala,
Aug. 23.
68
61
Gamla Carleby, 1 p.m.
Aug. 24.
67
62
Aravais
Aug. 25.
6G
59
Wasa, 1 p.m.
Aug. 26.
65
59
Wasa, 1 p.m.
Aug. 27.
65
476 APPENDIX, N° iir.
Observation on the
Scale o; Fahrenheit. Where made.
When made.
Observation in London
on the same Day.
62
Wasa, 1 P.M.
Aug. 28,1799-
68
59
Iskmo, 3 P.M.
Aug. 29.
67
58
Isle of Bjorko, 3 p.m.
Aug. 30.
63
62
Isle of Bjorko, 1 p.m.
Aug. 31'.
64
56
Quarken
Sept. 1.
63
61
Umea, 1 p.m.
Sept. 2.
G6
54
Umel, 1 P.M.
Sept. 3.
66
59
Roeback, 2 p.m.
Sept. 4.
68
60
Onske,
Sept. 5.
71
58
Spjute, 1 P.M.
Sept. 6.
GQ
60
Angermanna Ferry, 1
p.m.
Sept, 7.
63
6G
Forest near Fjal,
Sept. 8.
63
58
Sundswallj
Sept. 9.
69
58
Maj, 1 P.M.
Sept. 10.
64
64
Afliolm,
Sept. 11.
62
56
Grafven,
Sept. 12.
64
55
Kalsatt,
Sept. 13.
62
51
Glissebergen,
Sept. 14.
61
51
Wiken,
Sept. 15.
61
51
r Alps between Langos
I Ttinniis,
and
jSept. 16.
61
51
Funnesdalen,
Sept. 17.
62
46
Alps above Funnesdalen,
Sept. 18.
65
4-5
r Alps near the Nonvegian
\ Frontier,
j-Sept. 19.
62
41
Tamnas,
Sept. 20.
59
46
RdraaSj
Sept. 21.
62
44
Roraas, 1 p.m.
Sept. 22.
65
48
Forest near Riiraas, 1
P.M.
Sept. 23.
57
49
J- Forest between Gaare and
\ Churchwall,
}Sept. 24.
61
47
Malhuus,
Sept. 25.
64
47
Tronyem,
Sept. 26.
62
APPENDIX,
NMII.
Ohsfirvation on
Scale of Fahrcn
51
thp
lint. Whnre made.
Tronyem,
When made.
Sept. 27,
Observation
on the sal
1799- 59
51
Tronyem,
Sept. 28.
51
45
46
Tronyem,
Tronyem,
Sept. 2Q.
Sept. 30.
50
57
38
Tronyem,
Oct. J.
55
37
Tronyem,
Oct. 2.
57
34.
Tronyem,
Oct. 3.
60
45
Sognaes,
Oct. 4.
54
51
Stuca,
Oct. 5.
56
41
Drivstuen,
Oct. 6.
60
27
Duovre Fjal,
Oct. 7.
63
37
Vug,
Oct. 8.
59
39
Place omitted.
Oct, Q.
55
47
Moshuus,
Oct. 10.
55
46
Svennes,
Oct. I].
58
49
Glassworks near Bandelie,
Oct. 12.
59
53
Dragsvold,
Oct. 13.
57
49
Christiania,
Oct. 14.
54
JO
Christiania,
Oct. 24.
49
41
Christiania,
Oct. 25.
50
39
Christiania,
Oct. 26.
49
42
Christiania,
Oct. 27.
44
48
Christiania,
Oct. 28.
52
41
Romsaas,
Oct. 2g.
53
48
Kiolstad,
Oct. 30,
55
43
Edsbroen,
Oct. 31.
57
47
Leerhol, Sweden,
Nov. I .
58
■47
Carlstad,
Nov. 2.
55
51
Molkem,
Nov. 3.
57
48
Philipstad, 1 p.m.
Nov. 4.
54
39
Onshytta,
Nov. 5.
48
39
Hjulsio,
Nov. 6.
55
44
Ostanbo,
Nov. 7.
49
477
478
APPENDIX, N" III.
Observation on the
Scale of Fahrenheit. Where made.
— Place omitted,
38 Fahlun, 2 p.m.
38 Hornas,
34 Grado
36 Broddebo, 2 p.m,
r Between Langtora and
t- Safva, 2 p. M.
— Upsala, not estimated,
44 Upsala,
44 Rotebro,
44 Stockholm,
40 Stockholm,
39 Stockholm,
38 Stockholm,
39 Stockholm,
38 Stockholm,
40 Stockholm,
42 Stockholm,
42 Stockholm,
44 Stockholm,
38 Stockholm,
37 Stockholm,
40 Stockholm,
40 Stockholm,
38 Stockholm,
28 Stockholm,
34 Stockholm,
34 Stockholm,
32 Stockholm,
32 Stockholm,
32 Stockholm,
30 Stockholm,
28 Stockholm,
Ohservation in London
on ilie same Day.
Wlien made.
Nov. 8, 1799- 46
Nov. 9. 44
Nov. 10. 49
Nov. 11. 48
Nov. 12. 57
j-Nov.
13.
54
Nov, 14. 51
Nov. 15. 50
Nov. 16. 46
Nov. 17. 44
Nov. 18. 47
Nov. 19. 48
Nov. 20. 47
Nov. 21. 41
Nov. 22. 45
Nov. 23. 43
Nov. 24. 40
Nov. 25. 46
Nov. 26. 46
Nov. 27. 47
Nov. 28. 44
Nov. 29. 40
Nov. 30. 49
Dec. 1. 50
Dec. 2. 45
Dec. 3. 48
Dec. 4. 42
Dec. 5. 43
Dec. (5. 45
Dec. 7. 41
Dec. 8. 40
Dec. 9. 4.4.
Observation on
Scale of FahrenI
ti.p
icit, Wbrre made.
28
Stockholm,
28
Stockholm,
20
Stockholm,
Scale of CeUiiis.
1
Stockholm,
2
Ensta,
8
Staba,
3
Grissehamn,
3
Grissehamn,
10
Grissehamn,
10
Grissehamn,
4
Ekero,
10
Frebbenby,
4
Skarpans, 1 p.m.
31
Vardo,
3
Kumlinge,
2
Kumlinge,
14
Kumlinge,
18
Kumlinge,
8
Kumlinge,
11
Kumlinge,
6
Kumlinge,
11
Kumlinge,
6
Bjorko,
24
Vinkela, 4 p.m.
23
Tursanpare,
20
Abo,
21
O
Abo,
25
O
Abo,
20
O
Abo,
20
O
Abo,
20
Abo,
18
Abo,
APPENDIX, N" III. 479
Observation in London
Wlien made. on the same Day.
Dec. 10,1799. 43
Dec. 11. 42
Dec. 12. 40
Dec. 13. 35
Dec. 14. 36
Dec. 15. 34
Dec. 16. 35
Dec. 1;. 33
Dec. 18. 85
Dec. 19. 27
Dec. 20. 26
Dec. 21. 31
Dec. 22. 33
Dec. 23. 31
Dec. 24. 33
Dec. 25. 34
Dec. 26. 36
Dec. 27. 32
Dec. 28. 26
Dec. 29. 32
Dec. 30. 31
Dec. 31. 23
Jan. 1, 1800. 25
Jan. 2. 38
Jan. 3. 47
Jan. 4. 47
Jan. 5. 45
Jan. 6. 41
Jan. 7. 41
Jan. 8. 41
Jan. 9. 43
Jan. 10. 40
4«U
APPENDIX,
N"!!!
•
Observation on
Scale of Celsius.
the
Wliere made.
When made.
observation in London
on the same Day,
16
Abo,
Jan.
11, 1800.
42
16h
Abo,
Jan.
12.
43
nh
o
Abo,
Jan.
13.
45
H
Abo,
Jan.
14.
44
10^
Abo,
Jan.
14.
43
111
O
Near Abo,
Jan.
16.
39
91
Sapla, '
Jan.
17-
39
Bjorsby,
Jan.
18.
45
—
Omitted,
Jan.
19.
45
—
Omitted,
Jan.
20.
35
+ U
Sibbo,
Jan.
21.
34
3
Parno, 1 p.m.
Jan.
22.
37
sh
Frontier of Russia near Pyl
tis,Jan.
23.
39
13
Frederickshamm, 1 p.m.
Jan.
24.
40
—
Omitted,
Jan.
25.
44
2
Wibourg,
Jan.
20.
51
Petersburg,
Jan.
27.
45
+ 2
Petersburg,
Jan.
28.
46
+ '2h
Petersburg,
Jan.
29.
44
+5h
Petersburg,
Jan.
30.
42
+5
Petersburg,
Jan.
31.
41
+ 1
Petersburg,
Feb.
1.
46
+ 2^
Petersburg,
Feb.
2.
44
+3i
Petersburg,
Feb.
3.
47
+2i
Petersburg,
Feb.
4.
45
+ 2i
Petersburg,
Feb.
5.
38
~- 2
Petersburg,
Feb.
6.
35
+3
Petersburg,
Feb.
7.
36
-3
Petersburg, 1 p.m.
Feb.
8.
34
-7
Petersburg,
Feb.
9-
36
-IG
Petersburg,
Feb.
10.
36
-7
Petersburg,
Feb.
11.
36
-9i
Petersburg,
Feb.
12.
32
APPENDIX, N° III. 481
Observation on th
le
Obscr\';ttion in London
Scale of Celsius.
Where made.
When made.
on the same Day.
-lOi
Petersburg,
Feb. 13.
32
-6h
Petersburg,
Feb. 14.
32
~4|
Petersburg,
Feb. 15.
35
-12
Petersburg,
Feb. 1(5.
41
-11
Petersburg,
Feb. 17.
40
-13
Petersburg,
Feb. 18.
41
-5
Petersburg,
Feb. 19.
40
-41
Petersburg,
Feb. 20.
44
~lh
Petersburg,
Feb. 21.
51
-1
Petersburg,
Feb. 22.
53
-15
Petersburg,
Feb. 23.
49
-26
Petersburg,
Feb. 24.
38
-24
Petersburg,
Feb. 25.
40
-26
Petersburg,
Feb. 26.
33
-15
Petersburg,
Feb. 27.
32
10
Petersburg,
Feb. 28.
34
-11
Petersburg,
Mar. 1.
38
-10
Petersburg,
Mar. 2.
41
-13
Petersburg,
Mar. 3.
40
-14
Petersburg,
Mar. 4.
39
-lOl
Petersburg,
Mar. 5.
35
-121
Petersburg,
Mar. 6.
32
-7
Petersburg,
Mar. 7.
32
+3
Petersburg,
Mar. 8.
35
+ 2
Petersburg,
Mar. 9.
36
+ 2
Petersburg,
Mar. 10.
38
+ 2
Petersburg,
Mar. 11,
53
+ 1
Petersburg,
Mar. 12.
42
+ 2j
Petersburg,
Mar. 13.
40
+ 2
Petersburg,
Mar. 14.
42
+ 2
Petersburg,
Mar. 15.
46
-15
Petersburg,
Mar. 16.
47
-15
Petersburg,
Mar. 17.
39
VOL.
XI.
I I
482 APPENDIX, N'^ TIT.
Observation on the
e ot Celsius.
Wbere made.
-5
Petersburg,
-6
Petersburg,
-15
Petersburg,
-15
Petersburg,
-15
Petersburg,
-8
Petersburg,
-5
Petersburg,
+ 2
Petersburg,
-10
Petersburg,
-14
Petersburg,
-12
Petersburg,
-5^
Petersburg,
+ 1
Petersburg,
+4
Petersburg,
-n
Petersburg,
Petersburg,
When made.
ObservRtion in London
on tlie same Bay.
Mar. 18.
39
Mar. 19.
41
Mar. 20.
45
Mar. 21.
49
Mar. 22.
46
Mar. 23.
51
Mar. 24.
53
Mar. 25.
52
Mar. 26.
54
Mar. 27.
55
Mar. 28.
49
Mar. 29.
52
Mar. 30.
57
Mar. 31,
50
April 1.
53
April 2.
49
APPENDIX, N» IV
4 S3
No. IV.
NAMES OF PLACES
VISITED IN THE AUTHOR'S ROUTE,
WITH
THEIR DISTANCES FROM EACH OTHER.
N.B. Thii List commences upon the Author's lending in Sweden. — The
whole of the Journey and Voyage from Cambridge to Hamburgh
{amounting in Histance to about Five Hundred Miles); and from
Hamburgh, through Denmark, to Copenhagen (Sixty-four German
Miles) ; and to Helsingborg; has been omitted. — The Orthography here
given, is corrected from the Vagvisare ;>rj«fec/ at Stockholm in 1776.
Helsingborg to Stockholm, hy the Wener Lake.
Hejlsingborg, to
Engelholm
Margaretstorp
Karup . . .
Laholra . .
Halmstad
Quibole . ,
Backegard
Falkenberg .
Morup
Warberg . .
Baha . . .
Kongsbacka .
Kjarra
Swed.
Miles.
1
1
2 .
If
H
li
2 •
Eng.
Miles.
16|
7
7
8|
14
8|
8|
111
14
17i
12i
Swed. Eng.
Miles. Miles.
Gothenburg . . . ■ <)\— i^\
Steken 1—7
Lahall 1| _ 7f
Katteberg . . . . JA _ 8|
Edet 1| — 12i
Forss 1 — 7
Grednem 1 — 7
{Trollhatta)
Wenersbourg . . . 1\ — 10^
Halby li — 10^
Ferry -1 — 7
Cross the Ferry, to
Sjoryd . .
Tang \\~ lOJ
'} Oi- If
484
APPENDIX, N° IV.
Swed.
Miles.
Ens.
Miles.
Malby 2—14
Lidkoping . ... 1 — 7
Kaltingen . . . . U — 8|
Enebacka IJ — f'|
Bjorsatter . . . . IJ — 10^
Mariaestad . . . . li — 8|
Plasselrdr . . . . 0| — 5 J
Hofva 2|: — 15|
Bodarne 2J — 15f
Wretstorp 2 — 14
Blackstad 2—14
Mosas 1 — 7
Orebro . . . ' . . 1 — 7
Glandshammer . . . IJ — lOi
Swed. Eiig.
Miles. Miles.
Fallingsbro . . . . 1| — 12^
Arboga 1^ — 8|
Koping 1^ — 12J
Kalback l> _ 10^
Westeriis 2 — 14
Nygvarn 2^ — 14|
Enkoping 1 — 7
Lislena 1 — 7
Gran If — 12i
Tible 2—14
Barkarby l-» — lOJ
Stockholm . . . . I3 — 10^
Total . 74f . 522f
Stockholm to Tornea.
Swed. En^.
Miles. Miles.
Stockholm, to
Rotebro 2 — 14
Marstad If — ISJ
Alsike If — 12i
Upsala i| _ 101
Hogsta 1|:— 8J
Laby U— 8|
Yfre 2—14
Mehede 2| — J4|
Elfcarleby . . . . 1^ — 10^
Gefle 2i — 17J
Troje IJ— 12i
Hamrange . . . .If — 12^
Skog 2| — 20J
Soderahla . . . . 2J — 1^|
Nor rah la 1 — 7
Bro 2,1 — 15|
Swed. Eng.
Miles. Miles.
Iggsund H — lOj^
Sanna l| _ 9f
Valsta Of — 5i
Bringsta If — 12^
Bcihle . . .
Mai . . .
Sundsvall . .
Fjal . . .
Norrmark
o
Aland
To the Ferry
Ferry
Fantskog . .
Assja . . .
Dogsta
Spjute
Ilorniis . .
n — m
2—14
2i — 15|
1—7
2—14
1 — 7
1|— 12i
Oi_ If
H — m
li — lOi
1 — 7
lis— 111
If- 91
APPENDIX, N" IV.
485
Swed.
Miles.
Brosta H
Tafre H
Onske 1^
Afva 2
Lefva IJ
Angersjci 1|
Sormjcile If
Robiick 2
Ferrj to Umea . . . OJ
Tafle H
Safvar If
Djekneboda • . • . Ig
Riklea If
Gudboda If
Grimsmark
Sele . .
Daglosfen
Burea . .
Innerick .
Sunnana .
Frastkagea
Byskea
Abyn . .
Jafre . •
H
H
H
H
U
1
H
n
Iff
2
Eng.
Miles.
7 T
' 8
7 7-
• 8
— 10^
— 14
_10J
-111
— lit
— 14
— Of
-111
— 9f
— 13i
— 12^
-12i
— 8|
— 8f
-llf
— 10-i
~ 8f
— 7
-n-i-
— 8|
— 9f
— 14
Swed.
Miles.
Ens.
Miles.
Chinbiick, to Pitholm ^
Ferry . . . i
Ferry Oi — OJ
Pitea Oi — 3.1
Ojebyn Of — 5|:
Piilsnas U — 8f
Rosvik ..... 1 — 7
Ersnas li — 8|
Gjaddvik li — 10^
Ferry Of — 0-J
Lulea OJ — Si
Person If — 12i
Rane If — ISi
Vitan . . . . . . IJ — lOi
Tore If — 12i
Miinsbyn 2| — 145
Grotnas 1—7
Landtjerf . . . . 1| — 7|
Sangis li — 7^
Seivis li— 7J
Nickala If — lei
ToRNEi U— 81
Total . 1131 . 7951
TORNEA
486
APPENDIX, N« IV.
ToRNEA, to Enontekis at the
Swfd.
Miles.
ToHNEA, by the Tornea
lliver, to
Wojakala 1 -
Kuckula 1^ -
Korpikyla . . . • li -
Hjetaniemi . . . • li -
Njemis 1 -
Ofre Tornea . . • • li -
Marjosari . . , • li -
Jouxange 7
Svansten 3
PeUo ....
Jarlionnen
Kirkeden OJ
Kieksis . . . . - Si
Eug*.
Allies.
7
lOi
lOi
7
lOJ
81
n — \n
2—14
2 — 14
22|
Source of the Muonio River.
Swed. Eng.
Miles. Miles.
Kolare ..;... 3 — 21
Huukis li— 8|
Kihlangi . .- . . .3—21
Park;ijoansuu • . .3 — 21
Muonioniska . . . .4—28
Visit to Nomade Lap- T
^ 5.2 —14
landers ....->
Upper Muonioniska .1 — 7
Katkessuando . . .3 — 14
Palojoansuu . . . .3 — 21
Kuttanen 2 — 14
Kaaresuando • . . .2 — 14
Enontekis . . . .1 — 7
Total . 461 . 327 i
Enontekis
Swed.
Miles.
Enontekis, by water, to
Kaaresuando
Kuttanen
Palojoansuu
Muotkajerf
Aunisjerf .
Kuru . .
Tepasto .
Kittila .
Ylijasco
Alajasco .
Pahta-koski
Pirti-koski
Nikkila .
1
2
2
n
li
6
4 '
6
6
5 .
3
2
n
Eng.
Miles.
• 7
• 14
■ 14
• lOi
. 10^
42
28
4-2
42
35
21
14
lOi
/o Tornea.
Swed.
Miles
Korkila, in the parish l
of Ravaniemi . J
Rautio H •
Koifva Kyla .... 1 ■
Kuika 1
Yatila .... "'. Oi •
Koifva Kyla, Parish ^
House, Kilpala . J
Tervola 1
Alaparkyla . . • . IJ
Kiemi IJ
By land to Kylajocki . IJ
Tornea 1
Total . 55
'Bag.
Miles.
— lOi
— 10^
— 7
— 7
— 03
— 10^
— 7
— lOi
— lOi
— lOi
— 7
385
APPENDIX, N" IV.
487
Finland. — Tornea to Wasa.
Tornea, to
Kylajocki
Kiemi • .
Rautiola .
Maxaniemi
Simo . .
Kjanfraniemi
Alafva
Ijo . . .
' Haukebodas
Jiikuri
UleSborg .
Kambala .
Limmiga .
Lumijocki
Karingaiigo
Sikajocki .
Oljocki
Brahestad
Jufvola
Hannila .
Luoto . .
Swed.
Miles.
1 ■
1 ■
n
n
ii
2 •
n
If
n
n
n
n
1
OS
En?.
Miles.
7
lOJ
7
13i
12i
7f
U\
14
lOi
n
Hi
lOA
lOJ
n
n
n
101
7
3i
i-J — 10 J
Swed. £n?.
Miles. Miles.
Karialuoto .... 1 — 7
lufvala li— 7|
Heusala . ... . . li — 7f
Roukala li — Sf
Hihnala 1§ — lOJ
Juntila li — 8|
Peitza H — 10^
WiUick li— 71
Gamla Carleby . . .1 — 7
Stora 1^ — lOJ
Abbors Of — 6|
Karknas Of — 6|-
Sundby U — 7|
Nya Carleby . . . IJ — 8J
Munsela li — 8|
Aravais 1| — 12i
Koujocki 1 J _ 8|
Murka Of ~ 6i
Sattila Of — 6i
Weikas li— 8|
Wasa Of — 6*
Total . 52f . 3631
Wasa, across the Gulph of Bothnia, hy the Passage of the
QUARKEN to UmeA.
Wasa, to
Swed. Ensr.
Miles. Miles.
Iskmo
.2 — 14
Isle of Bjoiko
.3 — 21
UmeS . . .
.10 — 70
Total
15
105
48vS
APPENDIX, N" IV.
UmEa to SUNDSWALL.
Swed.
Miles.
Knf.
Miles.
Joi —
Umea, to
Rtibiick, including the
Ferry . . .
Sormjole 2
Angersjo If
Lefvar If
Afva li
Onske 2
Tafre ^
Brosta 1|-
HornUs . . . . . I5
14
111
111
lOi
14
lOi
• 8
< a
Swed.
Miles.
1* _
Spjute
Dogsta
Assja 1
Fantskog 1^
Angermanna Ferry . . 1 2
Aland 1|
Norrmark
Fjal . .
Websta .
SuNDSWALL
1 —
U
Kng.
Miles.
- n
-111
- 7
- lOJ
- lOi
- 12i
7
14
7
81
Total . 27
189
SuNDSWALL, through Helsin
and over the Alpine Frontier ^
in Norway.
GLAND and Herjeadalen,
to RoRAAS, and Tronyem,
Swed. Eng.
Miles. Miles.
SuNDSWALL, to
Mai 2i — 15|
Gnarp 2—14
Bergsio If— l-2i
Afholm 3i — 22f
Delsbo H— ^i
Norvanna . • . .0^ — S^
Ljusdal 2 J- — 17 »
Grafven U — 10^
Karbole 4—28
Kalsatt
Nilsvallen
Glasseberg
Han si (i
2 — 14
2i~15|
H — lOi
Wiken 2^ — 19i
llcde .
Laiigosby
1 — 7
1\ - lOi
Swed. En?.
Milts. Miles.
Tannas 3| — 24-J
Funnesdalen • . . IJ — 10^
Malmagen . . . .2 — 14
Briikken, in N'orway .2 — 14
Riiraas 3—21
HofF 2—21
Magornu 1^ — lOJ
Gaare 0^ — 3^
Cliurchwall . . . . 2^ — 17J
Bogen lA _ 10 J
Sognses 1| — 10*
Foss 1 — 7
Loir 1 — 7
Melhuus 0| — 5J
Oust 1—7
Tronyem . . . • IJ — 8f
Total . (il . 4.i? '
APPENDIX, N« TV-
489
Tronyem to Christiania.
N.B. The Norwegian Miles are here made equivalent to the Swedish
Miles, being much greater than the Danish ; although perhaps
not quite equal each to Seven Miles English.
Norway
Miles.
Tronyem, to
Oust U -
Melhuus . i . . • Of -
Leir 1 -
Foss 1 -
Sognaes 1 -
Hoff 2 -
Birkager 1 -
Sundset 1 -
Stuen li -
Ofnet U -
RUsen 1 -
Drivstuen . . . . 1 -
Kongswold .... 2 -
Jerkin 1^ -
Fogstuen 2 -
Tofte li -
Olstad ; . . . . IJ -
Formoe 1^ -
Breiden IJ -
Viig If -
Moen 1 _
Eng.
Miles.
8|
0^
7
7
7
14
7
7
8f
8f
7
7
14
10 J
14
10-i
«f
10^
81
12}
7
Norway Eng.
Miles. Miles.
Oden 1 — 7
Elstad ]^. _ loj^
Losnes . .... 1 — 7
Stav 1' _ lOi
Moshuus . . . . 1} — 8|
Jorstad 1^ — 10^
Rone 1A — lOJ
Svennis 1| — 10^
Svee 1—7
Hanne 1 — 7
Brelie Of _ 5}
Lunden of — 5|
Gronna IJ- — 8f
Garsjoe If — 12J
Bandelie 1 — 7
Roholt J — 14
Dragsvold . ... 2 — 14
Moe 1 — 7
Schesmoe 1 — 7
Romsaas 1| — 10^
Christiania . . .1 — 7
Total . 54 . 378
VOL. XI.
K K
490
APPENDIX, N« IV.
Christiania to Stockholm.
Danish
Miles.
Christiania, to
Romsaas ....
. 1
Schesmoe • . .
. n
"^Joe
. 1
Holen
. 1
Kiolstad ....
. n
Hieberg ....
. 1
Ous
. 15
Sindby ....
. 1
Kongswinger
. H
Edsbroen . . .
■ U
Magnor (Enter the
Swedish territory)
14
Swed.
Miles. ]
Enst.
Vliles.
Magnor to Morast .
. 1 —
7
Haga
. 1 —
7
Strand ....
. 1 —
7
Hogvalla
. If —
12i
Leerhol ....
. n —
lOJ
Skamniis ....
. 1 —
7
Hogboda ....
. oi _
H
Prestbol ....
. n-
10*
Ilberg
. 1 —
7
Carlstad ....
. if-
m
Brastegard . . .
■ u-
8|
Molkem ....
• H-
12i
Bfiittcfors .
. 2 —
14
Philipstad . . .
. H —
8f
Onshvtta
. Of-
5i 1
Swed. Ell?.
Miles. Miles.
Saxan . . ... 1 — 7
Nytorp 2i — 14|
Hjulsio n — lOi
Laxbro 2 — 14
Hogforss . . . . 1^ — lOi
Hellsion IJ — lOJ
Ostanbo 1 — 7
Smedbacka . . . . 1^ — 10^
Bommarsbo . . • . JJ — IO3
Russ-garden . . . .1 — 7
Naglarby . . . . 1^ _ 8J
Fahlun . . . . . 2^ — 15f
Naglarby 2i — 15|
Sater If— 12;^
Grado 2—14
Avestad ^ — 10^
Broddebo . . . . 2| — 19i
Sala U— oj
To the Mine, and ■)
return .... J
Tarnaby U — Sf
Gastre IJ — 12i
Langtora U — 8f
Safva U — 10,1
Upsala Ij — 12i
Alsike 11 — lOi
Marsta H — l^i
Rotebro l^- — 12^
Stockholm . - . .2 — 14
Total . f'3| i 4 7r
APPENDIX, N" IV.
491
From Stockholm to Abo.
Swed. Eng.
Wiles. Miles.
Stockholm,
to
Eustad .
•
. 1| - 12i
Osby . .
. . .
.2-1-1
Hall . •
.1 — 7
.1—7
Hilanda
Kragstu
. . •
Svanberg
. .
.1—7
Staby . .
. . .
. U— 8|
Tresta .
• •
. li — lOi
Grissehamn
. . .
.Of - 5i
JBy water to Ekero .
.7—49
By land to Frebbenby
. n- H
Enkerby
. .
' n— 8|
Haroldsby
. . .
• u — 8i
Skarpans .
. . .
. U— 8|
Swed.
Miles.
Vardci 1^
By water to Kuiulinge, 3
Over ice to Bjorkci . . J;^
Brando, by land . . . 1 :i
Over ice to Varssala . 24
Over ice and land to
Helsing . . .
By land to Himois . . 1|
Vjnkela Of
Laitis Oj
Tursanpare . . . . 1|
Nussis-Nummis . . . 1^
o
Abo Iff
.MiU>.
-lUi
- 21
- of
- H
- in
h-
14
3i
lOi
10^
lU
Total . 42 J . 297^
From Abo to the Frontier of Russia.
.Swed.
Miles,
o
Abo, to
Peike IJ
Vistu li
Handela If
Sahla 1
Haila 2
Savankby . . . .If
Bjorsby . . . . .2
F.ns.
Miles.
— 10 J
Miolbaltstad
Kockis
BoUsU .
Quis
. , 2
. . II
• . U
. . 2
Bembole 1 1
7
14
IH
14
U
12i
8^
14
12i
Helsingfors
Sw-d. Kii;,
Miles. Miles.
2 — 14
Haxbole . . . . . IJ
Sibbo 1^
11 —
1 —
10^
H
8J
7
Forsby U — 8f
7
8J
7
34
Wakkaski
Borgo .
Illby .
Paruo .
Louisa
Tesjo .
Abersfors
1 —
H —
1 —
Oi —
Total . 33 f . 230 i
492
APPENDIX, N" IV.
From Aberfors to Petersburg.
Russian Eng.
Versts. Miles.
Aberfors, to
Kymene . • •
. 22^ — 15
Frederickshamm .
. 22^ — 15
Kouxis . . . .
. 16 — lOf
Puterlace • . •
.18 — 12
Ursala ....
. 16 — lOf
Villiouxis . . .
. 23 — 15J
Tevrouxis . . .
. 17 — Hi
Wibourg . . .
.20 — IS
Russian Eng.
Versts. Miles.
Konuta 22 — 14J
Suenoya 22 — 14^
Pampola 18 — 12
LindoUa 20—13
Bulostrof 18—12
Drasnicof 15 — 10
Petersburg . . . - 25 — 16^
Total . 293 . 195§
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