f f - . TRAVELS
had been feme foreign ambaffador. A t the public iupper he mult
have ftood with other diftinguiihed foreigners among the fpedta-
tors, i f a fudden and well-timed indilpoiition had not furnilhed
an excufe for his abfonce. The queen dowager, however, fet
Jifide thefe troublefome niceties, which fettered the reft o f the
royal family, and treated the bilhop in the moft cordial manner,
as the nephew o f her late confort, and with thofe marks o f efteem
which were due to his perfonal character. In order to give him
what Ihe Confidered as his right, without infringing that o f any
one elfe, llie ordered the places at her table to be diftributéd by
fealed tickets. Every one that was invited drew luch a ticket,
and placed himfelf at table according to the number written
upon it ; but lhe had privately given diredions that the number
o f the place between her and the princefs Ihould be referved for
her kinlman, and put into the hat in which the tickets were col-
leéted, after all the others were drawn out.
There is one advantage attending the Swediih court : the
drels is not half lo expenlive as that required at other courts o f
Europe. W ith three or four fuits o f clothes you may appear at
every drawing-room for as many years. The colour and form
being once fixed, there is no admiffion o f variation. The drefs
o f the ladies differs but little from the prefent falhion in England,
except that the lleeves o f their gowns are cut -in the Spanilh man-
ner* The colour muft be always black, except on gala days,
when it is white. T he head-drels, ribbands, and thé fmaller
articles o f the toilette, are left to the fancy o f the fex. The drels
o f
o f the men is a compound o f the Spanilh falhion, and the national
coftume, which is followed by the peafantry in the fouthern
parts o f Sweden. T heir fmall-clothes are cut in the common
manner, as in other countries, but made o f the fame colour with
the coat and cloak. T he coat fits clofe to the body and is very
ihort, buttoned quite down, and befides this, fattened about the
waift with a falh. T he cloak reaches below the knee and hangs
loofely on the back, though it be commonly wide enough to
wrap the body up in it, as in a Spanilh cloak. T h e ufual colour
is black. T h e cloak is lined with fcarlet coloured filk, made o f
the fame ftuff with the falh and waiftco at; and with the fame
-the feams o f the coat are alfo covered. There is a particular
ornament belonging to the coat upon the Ihoulder, which con-
fifts o f narrow pieces o f the fame filk, fattened upon the feam
that joins the lleeve to the body o f the coat. This addition
makes the ihoulders look broader, and often improves the appearance.
I hope I ihall not be blamed for introducing thefe re-
arks, as being only worthy the attention o f taylors and milliners :
painters, and thofe who are curious in whatever relates to that
charming art, are alfo interefted in th em ; for the drefs which
I have been defcribing, is the coftume adopted by the Flemilh
-fchool, and for this reafon deferves to be mentioned. T he Swediih
government has thought proper to fix the manner o f dreffmg,
which -in other countries, under the influence o f commercial
fpeculation, national volatility, and the caprice o f individuals, has
experienced fo many changes, that i t has eonfounded variety itfelf.
V o l . I. L * wiU