Sweden can boast of two universities, those of Upsal and Lund. Of 1426 students who were at tending the former in 1827-8, 126 are of noble rank; 332 are sons of clergymen; 227 sons of burghers; 226 of civil officers, not noble; 87 of military offi cers, not noble; and 207 of other persons of rank. The university of Lund is attended by 631 students in nearly the same proportions. In addition to these more dignified seminaries, there are twelve gym nasia, which latter are meant as intermediate be tween schools and colleges. The number of acade mies for the promotion of sciences amounts to twelve, all of which publish transactions, and of which those of Stockholm, Gottenburg, and Upsal are the most celebrated. A society of antiquaries was founded so far back as the year 1668; a medical society twenty years afterwards; the royal society of Upsal in 1720; and the royal academy of sci ences in 1739. In 1753, an academy was instituted for the investigation of the language, history, and poetry of Sweden. Sweden can boast of some names that have obtained an eminent place in the literary, but particularly the scientific history of Europe. Queen Christina, in the 17th century, en couraged Grotius, Descartes, and other celebrated writers, to reside in her dominions. And though some of these distinguished persons did not remain long in Sweden; yet continued so long as to sow the seeds of science and literature, and to diffuse a taste for intellectual pursuits. The impulse thus given to the cause of letters, has since, though with some exceptions, been steadily promoted by gov ernment. In natural history, Sweden can exhibit the names of Linnaeus, Scheele, Tilas, \Vallering, Quist, Cronstedt, Bergman. In history, Dalin and Laderbring have highly distinguished themselves. In remote times, John and Olaus Magnus rose to eminence as writers in the same department; but their works are too fabulous to be deserving of much attention. In leXicography, the name of Oehrling is well known. Baron Swedenborg, though emi nent both in science and general literature, is better known as a theological writer, and as the founder of a sect that bears his name. The study of the Belles-Lettres has not been neglected, particularly in recent times, and it promises ere long to be very successfully cultivated. New publications amount to between 300 and 400 annually, of which one fourth are translations.
The native language of Sweden, which superse ded that of the Fins, the original inhabitants, is a a dialect of the Gothic. "The Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians," says Dr. Murray, " are the posterity of the Teutonic or German tribes. They all speak varieties of one original dialect, of which the purest specimen is found in the Edda, a collection of mytho logical poems made in Iceland about the year 1120. The general character of this dialect is great purity of terms as to signification, certain peculiarities of inflection, which have arisen from the operation of time on a language long separated from the.cognate dialects of Germany, and a curtailed or abbreviated form of many words. As to the figure of the words and their inflections, it is much more corrupted than the Saxon, the Alamannic, or even the modern German. The Scandinavian appears to have been a distinct dialect long separated from the German, so far back as the time ofJornandes, in the year 540." Hist. of European Language, ii. 479.) Thislan guage is spoken in its greatest purity in Dalecarlia. In the southern parts of the kingdom, several Ger man and French words and expressions have been incorporated with the vernacular tongue; while in Lapland, the Finnist, or the language of the origi nal inhabitants, still predominates.
The national character of the Swedes is highly respectable and interesting. They are remarkable for great simplicity both in manner, in dress, and in feeling. They are eminently hospitable, honest, contented, industrious, brave. The population being thinly scattered, and communication with strangers not being very frequent, they, like the Scottish High landers and the Welch, are attached to ancient usages, and traditionary legends; and their ten dency in this respect is found to be considerably in veterate, not being easily removed or modified by recent improvement. The weakest point in their character, however, is an immoderate indulgence in the use of ardent spirits. This indulgence is confined chiefly to the lower orders: a considerable quantity of corn is made use of every year for the purpose of distillation. But with this trifling ex ception the character of the Swedes is entitled to the highest commendation. The following extracts contain much interesting matter respecting both the character and condition of this people, and though long, would lose much of their value by being abridged or changed. " Upon entering a cot tage," says Mr. Coxe, "I usually found all the fam ily employed in carding flax, spinning thread, and in weaving coarse linen, and sometimes cloth. The peasants are excellent contrivers, and apply the coarsest materials to some useful purpose. They twist ropes from swine's bristles, horses' manes, and bark of trees, and use eel skins for bridles. Their food principally consists of salted flesh and fish, eggs, milk, and hard bread. At Michaelmas they usually kill their cattle, and salt them for the ensuing winter and spring. Twice in the year they
bake their bread in large round cakes, which are strung upon files of sticks, and suspended close to the ceilings of the cottage. They are so hard as to be occasionally broken with a hatchet, but are not unpleasant. The peasants use beer for their com mon drink, and are much addicted to malt spirits. In the districts towards the western coast, and at no great distance inland, tea and coffee are not un usually found, which are procured in great plenty, and at a cheap rate, from Gottenburg.
The peasants are well clad, in strong cloth of their own weaving. Their cottages, though built of wood, and only of one story, are comfortable and commodious. The room in which the family sleep is provided with ranges of beds in tiers, one above the other: upon the wooden testers of the beds in which the women lie, are placed others for the re ception of the men, to which they ascend by means of ladders. To a person who has just quitted Ger many and been accustomed to tolerable inns, the Swedish cottages may perhaps appear miserable hovels: to me, who had been long used to places of far inferior accommodation, they seemed almost palaces. The traveller is able to procure many conveniences, and particularly a separate room from that inhabited by the family, which could seldom be obtained in the Pnlish and Russian villages. During my course through those two countries, a bed was a phenomenon which seldom occurred, ex cepting in the large towns, and even then not always completely equipped: but the poorest huts of Sweden were never deficient in this article of comfort,—an evident proof that the Swedish peasants are more civilized than those of Poland and Russia." (Tra vels, iv. 333-5.) My journey from Undevalla," says Mr. Conway, " was made on a Sunday; and judging from the con course of people who thronged the road, and par ticularly from the multitude assembled in a church yard, which lay close to it, I had every reason to conclude that the Swedes are a church-going peo ple. # * * I was exceedingly pleased with the respectable appearance of the peasantry. I know they are poor, wretchedly poor, but they had neith er forgotten the way to the house of God, nor omit ted in their poverty to provide decent apparel for their appearance there. # # From a height over which the road passed in the course of this day's journey, I counted no fewer than eleven churches in sight at the same time. From other specimens than that which I have mentioned, I have no reason to doubt of their being all well filled." (Personal Narrative, The following extract, which shall he the last, is still more interesting. " In passing along the Swe dish roads," continues the same sensible writer, " the traveller frequently sees a charity-box fixed at the way side; and it is a beautiful trait in the character of that nation, worth all their records of glory and deeds of arms, that there is no instance of one of these boxes being plundered. The poor in Sweden are well provided for, both by these re ceptacles for casual alms-offerings, and by a regular parish provision; but to recur to the honesty of the Swedes. I think it may safely be averred that Sweden is the most remarkable of any of the Euro pean nations. On account of this virtue, doors are constantly left upon the latch. Horse stealing and sheep stealing are utterly unknown. Of sacrilege there is no example upon record; and indeed, ex cepting at Stockholm and Gottenburg, where a taint of foieign manners may be expected to obtain, every description of property may be considered as safe from dishonesty. (lb. ib.) With regard to the condition of the Laplanders Mr. Coxe observes, " the people are partly settled, and in part wild and roving; the latter live in tents made with coarse cloth; the former are fixed in small villages near the lakes, and chiefly follow fish ing.* They build their cottages somewhat in the shape of a cone; and they are all constructed of wood. In summer their clothes are made of coarse cloth; in winter of the skins of rein-deer. In spring their food consists principally of the eggs of water fowl, which are extremely plentiful in those parts; in summer and autumn, of the birds themselves, and of various others of the partridge tribe; and in winter, of the milk and flesh of the rein-deer and dried fish. Bread, which till lately was totally un known to them, now makes a part of their usual diet. The Laplanders before their conversion to Christianity, possessed no books or MSS. though they knew many traditional histories and songs of ancient heroes and princes who once ruled over them, involved, however, in great uncertainty, and mixed with the most fabulous accounts." (iv. 61-4.) The revenue of Sweden, though comparatively small in regard to that of other countries, is equal to the expenditure. It is little more than one mil lion sterling. In England every individual is cal culated to contribute to the revenue of the country L.3, 13s. 4d.; whereas in Sweden so small a sum as 9s. is the average individual contribution. The national debt, some years ago, amounted to L.6,000, 000, clue chiefly to bankers and merchants in Ham burg; it has since been gradually reduced to L.1,380,000, owing entirely to Swedish subjects, and, it is thought, may be paid off by the operation of a sinking fund in fourteen years.