w ® .
P o l it ic a l
I m p o r t - .
S W E D E N .
ficent fway of Charles XI. Prior. ,to/; the jate revplutiqn, in France
Sweden had remained a faithful ally of that kingdom, which ; excited
her againft, any enëmies in Germany, as'^ Scotland „^ra3 fori^^-ly involved
in the wars between France and England. Qf l|t^'-tliis alliance
feems to be %crificedf|q a moré tifeful connexion, with Denmark, and
Pruffia, which can alonaguard the north of ,Europe from the pfogtefs
of the Ruffian preponderance. The disorder of the finances >^nites
with’many caufes of difcontent, both amoijg th*è tófkotï4èy’aüii*‘^mbrig
the peafantry, to render the power of Sweden little apparent in the
. political balance of Europe, .
■ H i CHAP. III. C;I V IL G EOGR A P HY . 533
C H A P T E R i IIICyVi
n r.GXooB&trH'rJ,
Manners and —rLang^age^dLi^e^ture.—Education.^ XJniverfèt es. —
, 4pities.— towns.— Edtjffes.— Rfags.— Inland Ndvigationl— Manüfdflares'
.' .andCoffinpèrded- ,,
THE maimers and'Cimopasj’pf'the- fugepofclafles in Sweden are ffi:
UUich, tinged witlh thofé pf'the~ French,,^ thêrr allies^rhat n a
ftrikingt.peculiarity ,can,be pbiêrved; and'even the.peafantry navel fo.
much vivacity,and addrefs,. that they hayAbgen ftyledJfre French of
the north. complexion, which in .the nofthermlatitudes is generally
fair,, is here much dive^fiecm^^^ in^'mme proNyHces extremely
broWn. The men are commonly- robgft, and well-formed; aha the,
women {lender and, elegant* - Then: ..a^achipent .to.duxurV
meafure,. coinperifated, by • their love of hofpitaktyf; The peafants in
general m^k>e >tljpir'.jawn furniture and, cl,q|hes ;'trade ann'raartufadtures-
having made very lijttlp pr-ogrefs. The natives,of the;wëftërn, province
, pf Da,lecarfia ret^n many ancient cuftqnas, and havb been .diffitngiiifhed'
fpr their idburage and .probity, fince -the time that|Guftar, Wafë iffued3
from ,the mines of that .country to break the yoke, o f Denmark. The;
Finlanders, ,on thé eaft of IhèPothnic.^ülphl, are now.KttMjgiftii^uifli-
afile .from the Swedes; and'any VèmarkaBleiXppcÜhamWföf manners,
aftjd ciufl'omA muff bo. fought in (Swedjflf ’Lapland, which has long
fmce been ,deferibed by, Scheffer, whqfe work ’was tranflated into.
Englilh, and rendered more .familiar by an eitradt in.' the Spéthafot.1
Danifh Lapland being itiore remote, lefs known4 and momipcSfitly
Afefcribed, anfaétount of fmguTar péopiê is'giirehl. under the article?
of Denmark.
1 See,alio the defciSptions by Maupertuis, Kalm, Coxe, Confctt,. &c.
■i I
M ah k b r s -
j. .AÉ'B'p,’’;:
C u s t o m s .
The.-