This inscription literally translated into English is as follows :
To
King Gustavus III.
legislator,
Conqueror,
Restorer of Peace;
by The Citizens of Stockholm.
1790.
The modeling o f this statue cost 10,000 rix dollars, the casting and
metal 20,000.
A little higher up, or upon the top of the hill, and in the open space
east o f the palace, there is a beautiful obelisk o f polished porphyry,’
erected by the late king to the memory of his father, Gustavus III.
The next house, in point o f magnificence and importance to the
palace, is the house o f the nobility, where they hold their sittings
during the meeting o f the Diet. It stands on the side o f a small
square at the extremity of Stora Ny Gatan, just by the bridge which
joins the island Ritterholm to Stockholm.
Before it stands a statue of Gustavus Yasa. It was erected by the
Order of Nobility in the year 1760, and has nothing about it very
striking. At the top of the pedestal is this inscription: Gustavo. Erid.
Patrice. Libertatis. Religionis. Vindici. ; and below, Ex. Nobili. Give.
Opt. Regi. Post. Bina- Secula. Posuit. Or do. Equestris.
The Mint is a large building, standing at the corner of a street not far
from the palace. It was repaired in 1790, so that its present front may be
considered as almost new. Though magnificent enough it has somewhat
o f an awkward appearance. The front is very short, and the whole of it
is occupied by four fluted stone columns without any base. Here is the
chemical laboratory, and here also is the collection of minerals belonging
to tbe College of Mines. This collection is under the care of Mr.
Hjelm, a man of 7 5 , and well known as the chemist to whom we are
indebted for the first reduction o f molybdenum to the metallic state,
and the first exact account of its properties: The whole of his long
life has been devoted to mineralogy, and he has been of considerable
service to Sweden, by pointing out thè nature of her minèrals/and
answering the questions of those country gentlèmen who conceived
they had found valuable minerals upon their property.
Stockholm was long without an Exchange. An attempt was made
to build one in 1667, but it failed; the present was begun in 1757,
and the expense was defrayed by a tax upon all the vessels that came
into the harbour of Stockholm. This tax continued till the year 1787.
It is situated in the great market place, a little to the south o f the palace.
It consists o f a room about,8a feet long, and about half as wide, with
a recess in the middle, opposite to the door. You enter it by a flight
o f stone steps on the outside. The room is a good one, but too small
-for the purpose. A t the hour o f full ’change, which is between one
and two o’clock, it is so crowded that it is with the utmost difficulty
yoil can squeeze through the tnasS, and walking through the room at
that time is out of the question. The . Exchange at Gottenburgis still
smaller, and still more crowded. It feels exactly like an oven, and to
one not accustomed to such situations is extremely unpleasant.
I visited most o f the churches in Stockholm ; but I do not consider
it as worth while to give a particular description of them. My object
was not to look at buildings, and I confess I consider it as a pity to fill
my pages with such matters, when I have abundance of other things
which I conceive to be more important to communicate. Most of the
churches are rather elegant. Above the altar was always a large picture,
and most commonly there were two others, one on each side o f
it. The subject o f these-pieces o f course is scriptural. There were
sepulchral monuments in all the churches ; but none o f them struck
me as particularly handsome, or deserving description. The pews are
all locked, and the Swedes never ask you into any o f them ; so that i f
you go into a church you must stand in the passage all the time. Indeed
there are seats in the passage for the accommodation o f those
who have no pews, and they are by far the most crowded part o f the
church, as a great proportion o f the pews, from their being locked, are
empty.
The Swedish church is the Lutheran, and the service, as far as I
o 2'