triits do not now produce the lame grain, or quantity o f grain, as
formerly. Traces o f furrows, now overgrown with heath or mols,
are every where found on moors and the brows o f hills, in Scotland,
Wales, and the North o f England; and alio in Sweden,
Norway, and even in Iceland. It appeared remarkable that the
wildeft ipots- through which we palled in our way from Helling-
burg to Gothenburg, and from thence to the capital, were not
covered with heath, but mofs, or a coarfe kind o f grafs commonly
called bent grafs. The lliocks o f corn and what hay there is in
Sweden are all placed oil wooden frames, raifed feveral feet above
the ground. T he Iheaves o f corn fet up to dry in the fields are
not placed in two parallel rows, inclining towards and meeting
each other at the top, with two cap or hooding-lheaves, but in
a circular form, and covered with one hooding-lheaf expanded at
the end, for warding off the rain.
T he Ihepherds in Sweden, as well as in Iceland, have horns
made o f birch-Wood. T w o excavated pieces o f birch-wood are
clapped clofe together, and bound tightly round with the bark o f
the fame tree; fo that one circular pipe is'formed. T he found
made with this horn is Ihrill and woodland, but not unpleafant.
The iheep and cattle will come together at certain places and
times, obedient to this call. It is in the fame manner that the
cattle are colledted by the herdfmen o f the Alps. Wh at I faw
o f the fouth o f Sweden affords certainly nothing very ftriking to
the eye, yet as the country is altogether agreeably varied, and in
•other refpedts offers much novelty o f obfervation, it makes an interefting
terefting route for a traveller. T he paradife o f all Sweden is Scania,
where many o f the nobility and people o f fortune fix their
refidence in fummer. You meet there with fine avenues o f trees
and other improvements o f art. But as it is not my intention to
defcribe the fouthern provinces, I lhall proceed no farther in my
account, nor do I mean to enter into a detail o f the different
towns in this part o f my journey. Lidkoping, Marieftadt, Örebro,
and Arboga, might pafs for fourth rate towns in France or Italy.
The laft ftage, or poft-houfe, called Fithia, is remarkable for nothing
fo much as its double meaning in the Swedilh language,
when it is pronounced by ftrangers. I was told by different persons
that this ambiguity frequently ferved as a fubjeit o f great
amulement to-Guftavus III. who would ibmetimes at his table,
in a very audible voice, alk any ftranger that might happen to be
prefent, the queftion, how he liked the laft poft-houfe he had
palled in coming to-StockhoIm, viz. Fithia. T he ftranger, ignorant
o f the equivocation, perhaps faid that he liked the houfe very w e ll;
or that he thought i it but a contemptible little place. On which
the king would, with little regard to delicacy, fall a laughing,
and, looking fignificantly at the ladies, obferve, that Mr. Such-
a-one was in the right; that Fithia was indeed but a paltry little
place. This anecdote is introduced here, folely for the purpofe o f
warning ftrangers againft mentioning this poft-houfe in the company
o f Swedilh ladies.
W e arrived at Stockholm on the 1 Qth o f September, 1 7QQ, at
nine o clock at night. As we had not ufed the precaution o f previoully