perhaps the greatest curiosity is the clothes and hat worn by Charles
XII. when he was shot in the trenches before Frederickshall. The
coat is a plain blue uniform, with large brass buttons, dike that o f a
common soldier ; the gloves are of buff and reached almost up to the
elbow; the right hand glove is a good deal stained with blood, and so
is a buff belt which he wore round his body; the hat seems to have
been slightly grazed by the ball in that part which immediately covered
his temple. It is still a current opinion in Sweden, that the king was
assassinated by some of his own people. This was maintained to me
by several very intelligent Swedish gentlemen; but on questioning
them closely, I found that their opinion rested upon no positive
evidence. One gentleman said it was the character o f the Swedes
not to submit to those kings who had made themselves absolute. He
gave as examples Charles XII. Gustavus III. and Gustavus Adolphus
I V . ; but this is an argument not entitled to much attention. The
subject o f the death o f Charles XII. has been handled so minutely
by Mr. Coxe in his travels, that I cannot do better than refer
those readers who are interested in it to that entertaining writer
for satisfaction.
The house belonging to the Academy o f Sciences, and in which they
hold their meetings and keep their libraiy and collections of natural
curiosities, is situated in Stora Ny Gatan, and deserves to be visited by
every scientific foreigner who goes to Stockholm. This Academy was
founded on the 2d o f July 1739, by six private individuals, whose
names deserve to be mentioned: they were Jonas Alstrom, Baron
And. Joh. Von Hopken, Sten Bielke, Charles Linnseus, Marten Trievald,
and Baron Charles William Cederhjelm. Linnaeus was the first President,
and Baron Von Hopken the first Secretary. The President is
changed every six months, and he always concludes his duties with a
speech, which is published; these speeches are often very interesting;
they now constitute a considerable number o f volumes. The Secretary
being permanent, is in fact the person upon whom the burden o f the
society falls; on that account he has a salary. I shall here give a list
o f the different Secretaries since the foundation o f the Academy :
Baron Von Hopken till............................. 1741
Overdirector Faggot......................... ................. 1744
Pehr Elvius. ................................................. 1749
Pehr Wargentin....................................................1783
John C. Wilcke
with
Hindr. Nicander.
Melanderhielm
with
I. Svanberg.
The present Secretary is Olaus Swartz, a celebrated botanist, famous
over all Europe for his Account o f West India Plants, for his Treatises
on Ferns, &c. To this I may add, that he is a man of the most agreeable
manners and the most obliging politeness. To him I am indebted
for the visits which I was enabled to make to the house of the Swedish
Academy.
The Swedish Academy, like the Royal Society o f London, is quite
free, receiving no other mark o f favour from the crown than protection.
They have a considerable income, derived chiefly from presents
and legacies left them by the lovers o f science in Sweden; their
number is unlimited. At present it amounts to about loo Swedish,
and 6o foreign members ; they publish their Transactions quarterly in
the octavo form, and the four annual numbers make a thin volume;
they embrace all the diffèrent branches o f natural philosophy and
natural history; and their Transactions, written in the Swedish
language, constitute a splendid monument o f their genius and industry.
Natural history occupies a considerable part o f those volumes, which
I'have particularly examined. They have kept a very accurate journal
Of the weather at Stockholm ever since their institution in 1739, and
some curious meteorological papers have appeared in their Transactions.
The Royal Observatory at Stockholm is under their direction,
and the astronomical observations of Wargentin, and the skill with
which a degree of the meridian was measured by them within the
polar circle in 1802, testify the progress they have made in mathematics