RAMBLES IN SWEDEN AND GOTTLAND.
THE middle-aged, graphic, but rather broad raconteur and describer, who writes under the title of Sylvanus, found himself in May 1846 on the quay at Havre in a state of doubt. The " Hamburg" bound for Rot- terdam and the " Havre" for Hamburg were before him, and he was undetermined which to choose ; so he tossed up, and the Havre won. A sea so calm as to be a rarity attended him all the way to Hamburg ; whence he proceeded by rail and steam-boat to Copenhagen, Gottenburg, and Stockholm. In Sweden he remained upwards of a twelvemonth; visiting Gottland, Upsala, and the iron-mines of Dannemora, besides making many trips by land and water, seeing numerous sights and show places, and assisting at various social gatherings—from the striking one of seeing the sun set about eleven o'clock on the night preceding the longest day, and rise by half past two, down to the public and private balls or other assemblies of the metropolis. Rambles in Sweden and Gottland displays the same clever but coarse- literary qualities as the author's former work. It is a better book, how- ever, from the greater novelty of subject. Hamburg, especially since the fire, and Copenhagen, have more novelty than Havre or any town in France ; and Sweden is almost untrodden ground. The long sojourn of the writer at Stockholm, and Charlottendal, a Swedish summer place—his numerous leisurely excursions to various other spots—with his shrewd observing eye, and his matured traveller's confidence in getting along and making himself at home—have produced better materials than could be obtained by a scampering tourist who merely ran through the country. These circumstances, by furnishing more matter, have partly removed the air of article-writing which too much pervaded the former work, and have imparted greater reality and spontaneity to the descriptions and remarks ; while the natural and national character of the writer—the experienced, shrewd, travelled, common-sense but prejudiced English- man—is as visible and racy as before. Sylvanus has, however, retained the mannerism that clings to men of his stamp ; and he introduces some chapters of English sketches, and personal effusions touching his opinions on books and men, which, had they been better than they are, had been better away, as being out of place. The want of complete or large truth, that we formerly noticed as cha- racteristic of the author's class of mind, is very visible in this book also. His particular facts upset his general conclusions, or his large affirmations are contradicted by the aggregate of the smaller. He strenuously recom- mends Sweden as a pleasure-trip to tourists, instead of the Rhine: and the recommendation is good as far as regards beauty and novelty of scenery, facility of communication by steam upon the lakes and through the archipelago of that portion of the Baltic where Stockholm is situated ; while the ruins of Wilk,. in Gottland, the mines of Dalecarlia, with the characteristics of the people, the country, and the high Northern climate, furnish material for observers of a more thoughtful cast. The first objects will be attractive enough to the common class of travellers : but tour- ists must be warned that the journey to Sweden is a very different affair in time, cost, and trouble, from what it is to Antwerp or Rotter- dam ; and when they get to Gottenburg or Stockholm, they must be per- sons who can really admire Nature for herself, and not require the help of fashion or the Handbook in the day and the comforts of a first-rate hotel at night. The inquiring traveller will be more alive to the objects on the journey to Sweden, and more prepared to rough it (according to modern English notions of "roughing") as he penetrates into the remoter dis- tricts ; but he will do well to remember that the summer heat of that high Northern latitude, arising from the short absence of the sun for many weeks together, generates flies, gnats, and other little tormenters, that only yield to the mosquito. Those who wish fora bed must carry one with them, or its substitute in a folding iron bedstead with blankets, unless they make their sea-wrappers do double duty. The national cook- ery is both sweet and greasy. The Swedish hotels are of the worst character: this is the account of those in the capital itself.
" In Stockholm they are all equally unfavourable at first sight, and infinitely i worse than they look in everything relating to bed and board. Nothing can be more wretched than the abominable abode I have managed to get locat.ed in; or more extravagantly high, considering the miserable fare and attendance, than the charges of the amiable little Swedish Jew whb keeps it. I sleep in a den without a morsel of carpet; in which I am also obliged to eat, there being nothing like a parlour or coffeeroom' in the house, or in any hotel in the place, in fact. I break my elbows nightly in the narrow, cribbed, confined' thing called a bed; and have fancied myself, in my tossing dozes, as forming the entrance-hall to one of the huge ant-hills that fill the woods of Sweden; for Morpheus either/ens away entirely, or otherwise drives me through imaginary realms of eternal wool and stifling fumes in his buggy; till Phcebus overtakes us in his phaeton, and kindly gives me an airing in the outer world.
."Poor as is the public accommodation in Stockholm, I am compelled to recom- mend my countrymen to stick to 'native talent'; for I never encountered the amount of imposition, discourtesy, and stinginess, following a profusion of tele scope curtseyings and smirking dulcet vows of good treatment, as I endured for many months in a semi-Englishwoman's house in the Brunkerberg.' Once in the web of an agreement, and dire was the "change in my monthly computation and dietary: the former assumed a figure as ungracefully embonpoint as the latter be- came small by degrees and villanously less.' " We may therefore conclude that Sweden is only to be recommended to those who can willingly put up with discomforts like, this in considera- tion of out-of-door attractions; unless a person can take a room and furnish it after his own taste, as a sort of head-quarters when he is not on a journey. Sylvanus had an apartment at Charlottendal during the fine weather ; but this may militate against excursions by the steamers from Stockholm.
The writer is more contradictory in his sketches of the Swedish cha- racter. In general terms he speaks highly of it, and seems to fling at Laing for his dark pictures; yet he gives briefly the same account of morals as that which Laing fully deduced from statistics, and thus depicts some traits which cannot be exhibited tabularly.
" I cannot get at a Swede's heart, however mellow it may be, nor can his bro- ther or most intimate companion; and when he fancies he is amusing me by tales of disparagement of all alike, the moment their backs are turned, a trait as uni- versal as it is detestable, he makes a mistake, of which I now publicly tell him,
i one greater than enters into his philosophy to conceive. Every man and woman alike, in this country, have something to say against the reputation of their re- spective acquaintance, added to a jealous hatred of a successful competitor in any walk of life, too sad to relate—sadder still to witness. A Swedish gentleman told me his countrymen would willingly assist him in any matter, if they could without any great outlay or trouble; but that the instant he began to thrive, they would tumble his house and character about his ears, if they could possibly accomplish it. Jealousy in trade, he added, was carried on to a savage extent; and prevailed amongst bouquets of bows and squeezings of the hand, as if it was as far distant as the sincerity they falsely pretend to guarantee. • "In a bit of genuine, fresh-baked, household scandal, he is unrivalled. "The downright probing you will have to endure, in passing through the coun- try, exceeds even that well-known Transatlantic operation in severity.
"Inquisitiveness in Sweden absolutely amounts to a painful anxiety, and the desire to know how you do' to a usurious interest. "The amor peeunite is another thorough Swedish plant, and throws into shade nearly every other flower of the mind: it is watered morning and evening, and at- tended with such assiduous care, that it has struck its roots into many a Swede's inmost soul so deeply as to defy every attempt to eradicate it, were such ever made. They are anything but misers; nevertheless they desire the money—yea, as the hart panteth for the water-brook—that they may spend it on themselves. If you enter the country, you are measured as to your capacity for being turned to account, as carefully as if you were formed of gold-dust rather than of human ashes: if there is the most remote chance of it, look for being cherished accord- ingly; if not, go thy way, thou unprofitable acquaintance,' is the mental ejacula- tion, be assured. The Swedes say this of each other, and common politeness de- mands my full acquiescence, grievous as it is to relate it They look not for sincerity amongst themselves, nor are they ever agreeably surprised by its dis-
covery. * "For your personal grievances or any petty disaster, if you have a mind to enter upon such topics, the Swedes have a prompt and abundant display of sym- pathy. To so great an extent, indeed, do they carry it, that they appear to sufihr more keenly than the party concerned. If you tell an old woman that you have the tooth or ear ache, she will instantly elongate her face, stare in agony, and begin to clock' and rock herself to and fro till you leave the house, when, it is to be hoped, she recovers. This coin is current throughout Sweden with most classes, and would be an ample revenue to the numerous retailers of the ills of life. A man with tic doloureux or a 'returned bill' to descant on, can at any time secure an audience which cannot fail to relieve him,—if commiseration, served with intense action and dolorous facings, have any charm."
There is probably some exaggeration in all this. The Swedish manner may exhibit old-fashioned politeness in excess ; but to suppose that em- pressement of manner or words of compliment should be sustained by actual performance, argues more ignorance of life than might be expected from Sylvanus. There is a similar partial untruth in his remarks on Swedish custom-duties.
" We have no friend in Sweden commercially speaking, and but a poor chance of ever beholding her one, in my opinion. We may take her corn, copper, iron, wood, and other produce; but shall have to pay her in hard cash in return; barter being quite out of the question with the prohibitory duties put upon all English manufactures to an almost incredible amount, and laid on the different articles in a most unfair, nay, unjust spirit, though so deceptively as to induce the suffering Swedes to believe they are reasonable, if not extremely light, and that their own inferior articles are consequently the cheapest of the two; for which they may truly be termed sufferers, being compelled to pay a higherprice for worse com- modities than they otherwise would, did anything like a fair give-and-take' principle prevail, especially towards a country that both gives and takes to and from Sweden to an immense extent. This comes from a false value being put upon imports from England, and then the unfair duty, without there being power or opportunity of investigation or resistance. For instance, corduroys, fustians, beaverteens, and such stout stuffs, fitted entirely for the clothing of working peo- ple, and greatly wanted by the ill-clad artisans, are worth in England at most one shilling the pound weight; in Sweden, the tariff places five shillings and sixpence per pound on these articles as their value; and then a duty of twenty per cent; therefore, supposing the value placed by the Swedish Government to exceed the true one five times over, we have to pay in fact one hundred per cent duty, or
have the article excluded. Great as this injury is to ourselves, it is nothing coin- nared what the Swedish labourers salter, in being obliged to wear the thin, dear, miserable stuffs made at home, in lieu of any of these serviceable cheap articles enumerated.
"Common bed quiltings are valued at ten shillings per pound, when their real value is under one shilling; so that, with a nominal duty of 161 percent, the real one is 160. In this cold, cheerless country, a warm English quilt or two would be a boon indeed; but it is not permitted. Cutlery and broad cloths are pro- hibited; yet every customhouse-officer has his eurtout made of West of England fabric, and nibs his pen with a knife from Sheffield: but this is only an instance of favouritism, and not by any means general; though smuggling, in consequence of the corrupt policy adopted, is in full swing, and rather fashionable than other- wise, if you can run ' and keep clear—if found out, you are a sad scoundrel in Sweden. Scythes and farming implements are charged five shillings the pound weight, on which value they let them in at 25 per cent. Pilot cloths are valued at 4s. 3d. the pound, with a nominal duty of 25 per cent, so that we may calcu- late it in reality at 75."
The true question here, we apprehend, is not as to the value of articles in England, but in Sweden ; or what becomes of the ad valorem levying- law, that the officer, suspecting the valuation to be too low, may take them himself at the value put upon them ?—which must obviously apply to the importing, not the producing country. We do not dispute that the Swedish value may be too high; we only deny the justness of the data.
A similar untruth pervades one of this writer's rambling discussions on the Continental prejudices against free trade. The prejudice may exist as a fact; but his predicted results, of Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, and Spain, pouring in their products under our new system, and taking nothing in return, are mere nonsense notions. In the first place, if they got the gold, they could not eat it, and would not keep it : but a glut would follow such an European inpouring of their commodities ; money prices would fall ruinously low, and the enu- merated nations soon find out, that under the plan proposed they might give away their commodities at a loss but could not carry on a profitable trade.
With a like narrowness Sylvanus recommends Sweden as a place for English agriculturists to emigrate to ; notwithstanding the picture he has drawn of the Swedes, and the high latitude, which must render the wheat crop uncertain, and all crops very doubtful for profitable export—to say nothing of the difference in language, customs, and laws.
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