The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-29 00:00:00

VTR PRESS IN SWEDEN AND NORWAY.

(Prom, the Morning A dvertiser o f this day.)
Amongst the many points of striking contrast between
the two kingdoms— united, indeed, under one Sovereign,
bat in laws, manners, and social constitution, perfectly
independent and distinct—there is none more remark-
able than the different condition of the Press in each ;
its crippled prerogatives in the one, and its perfect free-
dom in the other. In Sweden the censorship is strict
and vigilant ; and it happens not unfrequently that a
newspaper is suppressed, and a publisher ruined, for the
very same article which has gone the round of the Nor-
wegian paper=, without producing any ill effects to the
publisher, on the one hand, or to the Government on the
other.

But in Norway the liberty of the press is one of the
fund imental laws of the constitution, and is justly re-
garded as a protection to the guarantee of liberty-fur-
nished by the Storthing. There is no limit to the free-
dom of writing, printing, and publishing; and such
thea
question. But at the same time that the Wit". and
,c
thing as the suppression of a publication is out of ,
thev P apub_ publisher have this freedom of appeal to
mind, they must be able to defend what they ha Pe
env, or
pub-
lished against charges either of treason, 1140
ofof the press
of civil and religious liberty, the agents e, . no ne-
aref public m ~t,
libel. Regarding themselves in the lighttbl a
watchful over the conduct 0
Qom= committed by
glect or abuse passes unexposed, whether
..
innuence of this sort
clergymen or civil officers ; and the
highest offioers feel
of public discussion is such that the
dvaa _,
oed and to defend
bound to notice complaints thus publica functionaries are
themselves from them ; so
tbsetrvants, and not the m is,
made to feel themselves
the
of this high prerogative
tern of the public.
One
is, temperate and dignified
I and freedom of the Press its,
their controversies. And it
that in the buelowuarr course
appeared in one of the journals
ehyi,gh consideration which
may be cited as a.
proof
the Norwegian j.ouu
the Storthing some years ago,
of a discussion
question connected with the Na.
tional Bank, there.
t d'splayin co •
the
subjec , i
sou anon
ability,
an article on
resolved to po pon
st e the discussion for a week, in
it was
spirit manifest throughout
hers should have
that the mem an opportunity of
order .
by the aid of the additional light thus
considering it,
thrown upon it.
Apart -
from these high prerogatives, the Norwegian
Press is
• intimately connected with the daily wants
of the people, and conducive to their interests. There
is no duty on newspapers, no tax on advertisements,
upon an import+►°t
having
no restriction of any kind. They are, therefore, Fro-
g° bf
°oaf theen i
pro-
duced cheaply—the price per annum of a daily paper
being 28s. The most trifling matter is advertised, as
well as the most important, from the official notices of
the province or town in which they are published, to the
sale tif a cow, or a calf, or a turkey. The paper and
type are superior to those of the French and German
journals, and their foreign and editorial articles are, for
tke most part, written with very great ability.
In
nother
resemblance to our own free condition we 6nd
.ant
ground for jealous guardianship of the interr Ygand
in the
freedom of Norway, and another motive fo.rad?
thei present
co-operation of its brave and free people I.__.
gloriou4 otruggle against a barbarclui 5107"111-
- .,_ ___