feet were watered by the Motala, forming a fucceflion of lakes.
The plain is open, and the ields large; frequent churches, villages,
and country feats occuredj and the fcene was enlivened by
the hay-harveft.
In the midft of this plain Hands the imall but neat town of
Linkioping. It contains the epifcopal palace, the cathedral, and
the palace in which refides the governor of Eaft Gothland.
The axle-tree of one of our carriages breaking, we were
detained here for two hours; and the night coming on, we
were prevented from enjoying the beauties of the country,
which appeared from the dim light of the ilars more rocky
and hilly as we approached Nordkioping, where we did not
arrive before one in the morning.
Nordkioping is one of the largeft and moil commercial inland
provincial towns in Sweden. It covers a large fpace of
ground, being ten miles in circumference; but the houfes are
fmall and fcattered, and the inhabitants do not exceed 10,000.
Its fituation on the Motala is exceedingly pifturefque. That
river flows through the town, forms a feries of cataradls, and
is divided into four principal itreams, which encircle feveral
rocky iilands, covered with houfes and manufactories. At the
extremity of the town it is navigable for fmall veflels.
Several manufactories are eilabliihed in the town; fifty-five
fabrics of cloth, which employ 1500,men ; three fugar-houfes;
one of fnuff; fifty mills for grinding corn, which is exported in
large quantities; and a brafs foundery.
The
The fabric of arms mentioned by Mr. Wraxall no longer CHAP.
. a . 1.
exiils, the proprietor being a bankrupt. c__,__
A falmon fiihery gives employment and riches to many of the
inhabitants.
A few miles from Nordkioping we alcended a high chain of
granite mountains, which run from eaft to weft; the ftupendous
mafles of rocks impending over the road, highly pidlurefque, re-
femble the firft Alpine pafles in Switzerland. From the fummit
we looked down upon the rich plains we had palled the preceding
day, and the Motala winding and flowing into the Bay of
Brunick. On defcending this chain, we traverfed a fucceflion of
plains and rocks which ftretch from north to fouth. The plains
are exceedingly fertile in grain and pafture, and watered by numerous
rivers and lakes. The villages are numerous, chiefly
icattered at fmall diftances from each other; groupes of two
or three cottages placed on rocky eminences, and many churches
Handing fingly, in the moll pidturefque fituations, diverfified
the fcenery.
At Filtja, the laft poll previous to our arrival at Stockholm,
we admired a beautiful bay of the lake Maeler, bounded
by perpendicular, rocky, and woody banks. The nearer
we approached the capital, the more defolate the country
appeared. It was almoll entirely covered with rocks or
forefts, exhibiting fcarcely any traces of human induftry,
excepting a few patches of corn and pafture in the midft
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