g. T he fociety for the inftru&ion o f fellow-citizens at Stockholm.*
The academy o f fciences hold their meetings in the Obferva-
tory, which is a lofty and beautiful edifice, fituated on an eminence
at the extremity o f the city, and furnilhed wiljh a great number
o f excellent aftronomical inftruments o f all forts. There is nothing
by which the genius o f the S wedes is more diftinguiihed,
than a happy turn for mechanical improvement, which is called
forth and encouraged by their mines, It was by means o f inftruments
made at Stockholm, that the Swediih aftronomers detefted
certain inaccuracies in the obfervations made by Maupertuis.
There is at Stockholm, in an ancient palace where the courts o f
* On tbe fubject of the actual ftate of literature in Sweden I ought to take
notice of men of letters, of diftinguiihed talents and accomplifhments, who are
neither members of academies, nor profeliors in univerfities. Perhaps I ought
alfo to mention ftrangers who, from the circumftance of being eftabliihed in
fome of the public offices at Stockholm, have an opportunity of contributing
either directly , or indirectly to the advancement of literature and fcience. But
filch perfons, retired from the pomp and parade of learning, have a right to be
protected under the fhade of their philofophical retreat. As they are not ambitious
of public praife, fo neither ought they to be dragged forth into public cri-
ticifm and cenfure. I cannot, however, avoid naming Mr. Catteau, a minifter
of the calviniftic perfuafion at Stockholm, author of a book called Tableau de la
Suede, a Picture or a View of Sweden, which has been tranflated into Englifh.
Mr. Catteau has a true and genuine tafte and turn for literature. Avoiding the
noife of an oftentatious though lazy fociety, he divides his time and his cares
between his parochial duties and his ftudies, and has been employed for thefe
laft years in ftatiftical enquiries concerning Denmark and Sweden. His work
will be the moft complete that we have of the kind, and will ferve as a model
in that fpecies of compofition. It was printing at Paris, and one volume of it had
appeared when this was written.
juftice
juftice ^re now held, near the church o f Rideriholm, a cabinet o f
models, or repofitory o f machines, the moft complete colle&ion
o f the kind that I have ever feen or heard of. T h e models relate
either to new inventions, or to improvements in machinery ;
they are kept in a fpacious room, and arranged in a very proper-
and elegant manner. Among the models for rural eeconomy you
obferve different kinds o f mills, inftruments for fowing grain, fo r
ihearing or cutting, and gathering the crop, and alfo for threfhing
i t ; hydraulic machines, ftoves ufed in the mines, and pumps,,
with their apparatus and mode o f working them. It may feem
fcarcely credible, even almoft miraculous, yet it is neverthelefs
true, that the Swedes have invented a mechanical overfeer, one
who performs more faithfully, diligently, indefatigably, accurately,
and more equitably to both parties, the employers and employed,
the duties o f fuperintendant o f workmen. A confiderable part
o f the labour in the mines confifts in working the pumps, therefore
a clock has been invented for marking the number o f ftrokes
given by the pumpers ; hence the precife proportion o f work they
have performed is eafily afcertained. Here too are models o f
light-houfes, and various methods o f making fignals to navigators;
a ehair in which a perion may conveniently move himfelf from
one place to another; an inftrument which fhews the line o f direction
taken by a ball when difcharged from a cannon or mortar :•
but it would be endlefs to enumerate all the ingenious contrivances
that may be furveyed in this curious depofitory. They are many
of them the works o f the celebrated, engineer and mechanic Poltheim.