mean to say that blue is the only colour which they wear, but it is by
far the.most common. They have all round hats,; and mostly wear
silk handkerchiefs about their necks. The women are dressed somewhat
like the common people in the north o f Scotland; but they are
all distinguished by a white handkerchief doubled into a triangular
shape, which is thrown over their head, and tied under their chin,
while one of the corners hangs between the shoulders behind.
They have one fault common to them with most nations where the
communication'is not very frequent. T h ey . have no fixed prices, and
are always inclined to take advantage o f the necessities of strangers to
get a greater sum o f money than is consistent with strict honour and
generosity. In this respect they resemble the inhabitants of, Sutherland
and Caithness, in Scotland, who have the same fault in a degree i f
possible still greater. It would be easy to mention numerous instances
in which advantage was taken of my situation by the,Swedish peasants.
I shall give an example or two, that my readers may understand what
I mean. During the time that I was travelling over the fourth stage
from Stockholm, on my way to Nykoping, or between Pilkrog and
Oby, a foolish fellow o f a postillion drove at such a rate as to frighten
the horses: they dragged the carriage with prodigious velocity down
a steep descent, and then over a very rough wooden bridge, composed
of whole trees, laid side by side. The consequence was, that one of
the small fore-wheels of the carriage gave way, and before the horses
could be stopt, a piece of the rim of the wheel, iron and all, had fallen
off. We were obliged to alight and consult what was to be done.
We were told by our coachman that a blacksmith lived at a distance
not greater than an English mile. We tied the wheel with ropes, and
made the horses drag the carriage slowly to the place of his residence.
We found his house without inhabitants-, but he himself was mowing
barley in an adjoining field: we went to him, pointed out our situation,
and implored his assistance: he absolutely refused to leave his
field, though I offered to pay him instantly whatever he should demand,
alleging as a reason, that he had not a bit of iron in his possession.
A t last he told us o f another blacksmith, about another English
mile farther o n : to him we were obliged to go. W e found him likewise
mowing barley, and he was equally resolute in his refusal to
assist us: but he told us o f a cart-wheel maker, who lived at the distance
o f another English; mile, and who would be sure to set us to
rights. This man lived at a place called Lilia Oby (Little Oby) about
half way between Pilkrog and Oby; his name was Olof Essen. He
was not at home when we called at his house ; but we found his son,
who went in quest o f his father, and soon brought him. He told us
on inspecting the wheel, that he would make it as good as ever, but
that we must spend the night with him. To this I agreed, and dismissed
my Pilkrog driver and his horses. He had been the cause of our
misfortune by his stupidity, and he had driven us only half-way: yet
he demanded his full fare, as i f he had taken us all the way to Oby.
As I knew that: by the Swedish posting regulations, he was intitled to
make this demand, I paid it, though with reluctance. Had the same
thing happened in England, I would have resisted the demand without
any hesitation. I spent that day, the next night, and till about eleven
o’clock next day, by which time the fractured wheel was set to
rights.
Olof Essen had promised us his own horses, to carry us to O b y :
he appeared to be in good circumstances: he was not only a wheel-
spoke maker, but likewise a farmer, and had a great number of houses
round his dwelling-house, appropriated to the purposes of his farm.
His house contained two rooms on the ground floor, a kitchen and
parlour, into which I was shown. It was a very neat room, square,
with a wooden roof white-washed: it might be about 16 feet long,
-nearly as wide, and about seven feet high. The walls above the
cornice were covered with paper, painted red, below it with paper
painted white. There were three windows, one in the centre o f each
outside wall, and in the centre of the fourth wall was the stove. The
furniture o f this room consisted o f sixteen fir chairs painted blue, three
•tables,; one at each window, a small bed, a looking-glass', and a wooden
press near the door. The floor, as usual in all the houses of the peasantry,
was wood without any carpet, and seemed to be new laid. I