road for sledging, and we therefore got on something better. A little before we arrived at that place, we passed Haga, a summer residence of the King.

Though I was not much delayed for horses, and though I made the most expedition I was able, owing to the state of the roads, it was six o'clock in the evening before I reached the capital.

During this little journey from Wermeland, I did not see a single head of game of any sort or kind. I thought it very probable I might have fallen in with some wolves, but I had not the good fortune to meet with any of those ravenous brutes. If that had been the case, I might probably have given a good account of them, as I had two guns lying ready loaded in my sledge.

It was dark when I reached Stockholm, and as I had no time to look out for other quarters, I took up my abode at the Franska Wärdshus, or, in other words, the Hôtel de France. Here, though I did not meet with the best accommodations possible, I found the charges very reasonable, as I had two tolerably good rooms at the rate of something less that two shillings the day; every thing else was moderate in proportion.

Captain Brooke gives a sorry though humourous description of this hotel. That officer, who was then on his way from exploring Lapland,

says

"We hardly knew whither to direct our course, Stockholm not abounding in places of accommodation for the traveller. Lunsted the Swede, however, recommended so warmly the Franska Wärdshus, otherwise the French Hotel, that we determined upon repairing to it. He boasted of the magnificent reception we should meet with, the splendid rooms, and, above all, the good cheer. This was comfortable news to us, who had fared but meagerly for some time past; and proceeding without delay to the Regerings gatan (Regency street), we soon found ourselves at the door of a lofty, dirty-looking house, the interior of which I did not doubt would very much belie its outward semblance. A large pair of folding-gates admitted our sledges into a small court-yard; and a dirty old woman, coming out with an end of lighted candle, conducted us up a staircase, which, from its filthy state, had almost the appearance of leading to a hen-roost; and throwing open a door, we were all ushered into a small apartment, unincumbered with furniture, and corresponding, in every point, so admirably with the staircase, that we began to suspect the statement of the good qualities of the Hôtel de France had been rather too highly coloured. The Swedish language varies somewhat from the Norwegian; and the pronunciation is so different, that I was not the only one of the party who found a difficulty in making out what was said. I had expected to have found, at least in a

French hotel, the language of France spoken by the whole of the servants. This was so far from being the case, that not a soul understood a word of it, with the exception of a porter, who spoke what, on inquiry, I was told was French. However the Franska Wärdshus may be undeserving of its title in some respects, in others it fully merited it; since its total want of cleanliness, I am bold to affirm, might have placed it on a level with any hotel in Paris."

CHAPTER XV.

Stockholm.-Public edifices.- Salubrity.- English place of Worship.-Game in Markets.-Provisions.-Hotels.-Lodgings.- Clubs.- Society.- Balls.-Sledging Parties. - The King and Royal Family.-Count Wetterstedt.-The Court. -Orders of Knighthood, &c.-The Army and Navy.

STOCKHOLM is built on seven small rocky islands, at the junction of the waters of the Mälarn with an inlet of the Baltic; the communications between the different parts of the city being kept up, as may be supposed, by numerous bridges. It is singularly and romantically situated, and contains about eighty thousand inhabitants. The streets are in general narrow, and the pavement is not the best possible: there are no flag-stones for foot-passengers.

From being the capital, Stockholm possesses considerable trade: it exports, annually, about thirty-one thousand tons of bar iron, and a proportionate quantity of other products common to Sweden. The harbour, which is land-locked, is large and capacious, and usually contains many vessels from distant parts.

Stockholm boasts of many handsome public edifices the palace, which is situated in the centre of the city, is said to be among the finest buildings of its kind in Europe. Here there is an Armoury, Museum of Natural History, &c.; it also contains some good paintings.

The Military Academy, the Senate-house, the Arsenal, the Ridderholm Church, where several of the kings of Sweden are interred, and among the rest the Lion of the North, Charles the Twelfth, together with many other things too numerous to particularize, are all deserving the attention of the stranger.

Several of the squares in Stockholm are decorated with remarkably fine bronze statues of some of the most distinguished monarchs who have wielded the Swedish sceptre. More than one of these are executed in a superior style, and they are said to have cost very large sums of money.

The royal palaces of Ulricsdahl, Rosersberg, Haga, Rosendahl, and Drottningholm, all situated in the vicinity of Stockholm, are, either from the natural beauty of the situation or their internal magnificence, well worth a visit.

From the rocky nature of the soil, and from there being few marshes in the vicinity, one would be inclined to imagine Stockholm must be a healthy place: but I have more than my doubts as to this being the case. Indeed, I am inclined to think fevers, and other disorders are usually