CHAP. notes of this boasted songster'.

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State of
Natural

Sweden.

Generally. speaking, however, respecting the Natural History of Sweden, there is no want of accurate inHistory in formation in the country; because this branch of science is more particularly studied than any other. There is hardly an apothecary or physi-cian who has not either a collection of stuffed birds or of insects, or of other living or dead animals, according as his knowledge and means of acquiring and preserving them is more or less extensive. A remarkable instance of the zeal shewn by this class of men, in such studies, occurred upon our return to Torneå. We had sent to the apothecary of the place for a few jars of conserved berries of the Rubus Arcticus, which it was said he prepared better than any one else; with a view of sending them to our friends in England. They were brought by a boy without either shoes or stockings, who, having

(1) Acerbi mentions the Motacilla Svecica as superior to the Nightingale, and "far better calculated for a companion in a room;" but he does not say that he ever himself heard it sing; and certainly no one, as yet, ever succeeded in making it sing in a captive state. "It lives," he says, "in the bushes of marshy places, and particularly likes to perch on the dwarf-birch (Betula nana): its flight is generally low: it makes its nest in the moss, and lays between five and seven eggs, of a greenish colour, nearly resembling that of the moss with which they are surrounded. It feeds on insects and worms; and I have seen several of them with caterpillars in their beaks, which were destined for their young." Acerbi's Travels, Vol. II. p. 224. Lond. 1802.

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example of

executed his master's orders, by their delivery, CHAP. began to cast a longing eye towards the books of plants which we were engaged in turning Curious over, being then busied in arranging our speci- the power of genius. mens; when, to our astonishment, he named every one of them as fast as they appeared; giving to each of them, with great accuracy, its Linnæan appellation. This extraordinary youth, with whom we soon became better acquainted, was the dutiful son of a poor widow of the name of Pyppon, living at Uleåborg, who, having bestowed upon her child the best education her circumstances would afford, had placed him as an apprentice under this apothecary. The apothecary himself had a turn for Natural History, but did not choose that his little pupil should quit the pestle and mortar for the pursuits of botany and entomology: "it interrupted," as he said, and perhaps very truly, "the business of his shop." The consequence was, that this young Linnæus carried on his studies unknown to his master; concealing his books and his plants; and rising every morning before three o'clock, that he might snatch a few stolen hours from the duties of his profession, and dedicate them to inquiries which had already qualified him to become his master's instructor. If he found, in his barefooted ram

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CHAP bles, a new plant, or a new insect, he was com→ pelled to hide it in his hat, and thus bear it to his hidden museum. It fell out, however, that his master discovered his boxes of insects; and these he afterwards allowed him to place in the shop, because they attracted the notice of customers, and gratified his master's vanity, who always exhibited them as of his own collecting. They had been thus exhibited to us, at our first coming to Torneå. This curious example of the power of genius, rising superior to all circumstances, and overwhelming every obstacle in one so young and friendless, induced us to take some pains in prevailing upon his master to allow a free scope to the bent of his inclination; and many were the pretences upon which we sent to the shop, that our young philosopher might be made happy in bringing what was required. Upon one of these occasions, we told him that a plant, rather rare, the Sonchus Sibiricus, was said to grow in the neighbourhood of Tornå, but that we had failed in our endeavours to find it. The words were scarcely uttered, when he ran off, as fast as his legs could carry him; and soon returned, bearing in his hands two or three specimens of this plant.

Dinner given to the Torneå Merchants.

Upon one of the days after our return, we invited the Merchants of Torneå to dine with

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ús; and our room not being large enough to CHAP. hold them, we had borrowed the apartment of a Danish gentleman for their accommodation'. This gave rise to rather a ludicrous embarrassment. After the dinner ended, we sat waiting, in vain, to have coffee served, as usual: at last, the mistress of the house entered; and a good deal of whispering taking place, we asked the cause of it; when it came out, that she did not dare to serve coffee in any room but that which we had ourselves hired :--and why? because coffee, being a prohibited beverage, there ought to be at least ground for a pretext that we had brought this article with us to Torneå. We then adjourned to our own apartment; but some of the elder merchants were so scrupulous in observing the prohibition, that they would not touch a drop of the coffee, when it was brought in. One respectable old gentleman said, that "no Swede who loved his country would ever taste or encourage the exportation of an article which had contributed so largely to its ruin." Tea, or tea-water, as they call it, is generally

rooms.

(1) "For ten rix-dollars a year, a man may have two very comfortable The wages of servants are very low. At Enontekis, we were told by Mr. Grape, that he hired his maid-servants for five rix-dollars a year. At this time, the exchange with England was so much against us, that English bills could not be discounted, but with a loss of ten per cent." Cripps's MS. Journal.

CHAP used as a substitute. The Swedes do not sit, as

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we do, after dinner: the custom is, to rise from table, and walk about the room, smoking a pipe of tobacco. In the north of Sweden, as in Norway, they smoke tobacco lying in their beds; and during the whole day, carry about with them a huge tobacco-pipe, the bowl of which is as big as a man's fist, while the tube is seen sticking out of the pocket, or swinging about in the Prevalence hand. Intoxication is not less frequent, in consequence of the short time they remain at their meals: it is, in fact, the prevalent and almost the only vice of the inhabitants of Torneå. Drunkenness seems to pervade all ranks of people in the place;-but here the story of their vices begins and ends; it goes no further;

of Intoxi

cation.

ན

no thefts, no rapine, no murders. Great crimes are unknown among them. There had not been an instance of punishment for any capital offence, for a great number of years. Examples had occurred, in past times, of women destroying their infants, through utter incapacity to provide them with the means of subsistence, and to prevent their being starved to death; presenting an idea of poverty which we could hardly credit, from any thing we saw in the country: but we were told, that the last public punishment was for a crime of this nature; at