III.

CHAP. As soon, however, as the rest of our party arrived, "calling all hands," we fell to work, and managed to make it hold ten of us. Here we kindled a fire; and, our stock of provisions being exhausted, were preparing to make a meal upon some warm milk, without bread, or even Swedish biscuit. At this moment, a fisherman, from the neighbouring lake, entered the hut, and asked if we would buy any fish. Being answered in the affirmative, we invited him in, and took possession of all his stock, which consisted of a kind of fish called Röe, pronounced Rua, looking very like Macharel, but having three vertical stripes on each side between the first dorsal fin and the gills. When boiled, the bellyfins, &c. became of a bright orange, and the flesh of a pale-pink colour. The flavour of this kind of fish is delicious. The peasants said that they are found only in the Alpine lakes.

Curious
Fish.

wind a free entrance. The furniture of this room afforded curious evi-
dence of the manner of life of its owners. From the roof were suspended
guns and cheese; from the sides, fishing nets and tackle, tow, bladders,
hemp, yarn, spinning-wheels, jackets, petticoats, shifts, rein-deer skins
and hay, socks, caps, garters, baskets, sheeps-hides, boat-paddles and
greasy leather bottles, ladles, saucepans, and kettles. In the corners
were sledges and millstones. The floor consisted of loose trunks of trees,
which, being rotten, were full of holes. In this place, where there was
hardly room to turn, we were to set up our beds, and lodge, besides eight
or ten other persons.
extremely handsome.

The young woman of this wretched hovel was She brought us milk. They had a number of cows, some goats, and sheep."-Cripps's MS. Journal.

to

CHAP.
III.

Extraor

Rencontre.

Cause of bition of

the Prohi

Coffee,

We had little reason, from his appearance, to suspect how great an individual stood before us, in the person of this fisherman. He was in the dinary garb of the common peasants, with an aspect venerable from his age and grey hairs. It turned out, that in this poor fisherman, and in this remote corner of Sweden, we beheld the cause of the prohibition of Coffee, of which the whole kingdom, at this time, rang from one extremity to the other. It was this man who gave the information to the King, in person, at Stockholm, respecting the affair of the gunpowder before alluded to. Having failed in his first journey, owing to the intrigues or negligence of his Majesty's Ministers, he set out the second time from the frontier of Norway, and, demanding an audience, delivered his memorial into the King's own hands. The case was this: A contraband traffic had long been carried on, unknown to the Swedish Government, of conveying gunpowder by this route into Norway, and bringing back, in lieu of it, smuggled coffee: the Governor of Herjeådalen, as it is supposed, and the proprietor of the iron-foundry in Ljusnadalen, being the principal persons concerned in conducting the trade. The fisherman whom we have now mentioned, and who did us the honour of a visit, probably to see what was

III.

CHAP. going on, took down an accurate account of the number of the barrels, with their several marks, and the names of the persons to whom they belonged. This memorial he presented to the King, who, having received him very graciously, promised to reward him; and within three weeks from the day of its presentation, an order was issued by the Government, prohibiting the use of coffee, under very severe penalties, throughout the Swedish dominions. Whether the old peasant ever received any reward or not, we did not learn. The particulars were related to us by those who knew him well, and were intimately acquainted with all the circumstances of the transaction. They regarded him with a degree of respect bordering on reverence, and not in the slightest degree with that feeling which would be excited towards an informer in England; believing, as was probably the case, that, in his conduct, he had been actuated only by motives of the purest patriotism; which had twice instigated him to undertake the immense journey from these mountains to the metropolis, and ultimately to penetrate the chambers of the royal palace, even to the presence of his sovereign.

Having finished our supper, and stopped several holes in the sides of the hut, we set up

III.

our beds, and betook ourselves to rest. The CHAP. scene which our bedchamber exhibited was somewhat singular. The stars glimmered through the yawning cavities of the roof above. us. Hides, furs, nets, boat-paddles, kettles, pans, sledges, spinning-wheels, &c. were piled or suspended around us. An old woman lay snoring close to our heads, wrapped in rein-deer skins. Our servants were stretched on benches

alongside of us. The fire-place, heaped with glowing embers, was surrounded by our guides and horsemen; and these, together with the old fisherman, and the Norwegian vagrants we had picked up in our way, sate smoking tobacco, and chattering over the remnants of the meagre diet they had helped to devour. Presently all were silent, and fast asleep; not a sound being heard, excepting the nasal bugles of the company, keeping time with the whistling of the Alpine blast through the crevices, which served as a lullaby, until the morning.

CHAP. IV.

FROM MALMAGEN, UPON THE NORWEGIAN ALPS, TO TRÖNŸEM.

Visit to the Laplanders-Further Observations respecting this People-Their mode of killing Rein-deer-Passage of the Norwegian Alps-Valedictory Retrospect of the North of Sweden-Descent from the Heights-Source of the Glommen River-Fish called Röe-Species of Ptarmigan-Difficulty of the Route-Brakken-Change observable in the Habits of the Natives-Oresund Lake -Beckåås-Storvartz-Arrival at Röråås-News of our former Companions-Library of a Learned Englishman-Visit to the Copper-Mines-Description of the

Ore,