The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-11 00:00:00

'he Prince and Princess of Wales in

Sweden.

(Fiona Me limes' Special Col respondent)

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 4.
At the hour at which the Royal party returned
from the elk shooting expedition last night it was
not possible to do more than record the fact that its
mission had been accomplished—a result affording
an amount of satisfaction that it was difficult to
suppose a mere hunting party could yield. The
fact was that the Prince of Wales, ardently attached
to sporting pursuits, had fastened on the idea of
shooting an elk or seeing one shot as soon as it was
mentioned, while the King and people of Sweden
were as anxious to find oue of these animals as his
Royal Highness could be to encounter it. With
becoming national pride they said, "The Prince
may be as warmly welcomed wherever he goes, but
it is not everywhere that he can shoot an elk."
The first attempt, in spite of excellent arrange-
ments and of the fact that an elk was actually seen
by Prince Oscar, proved unsuccessful. Both the
Court and residents of Stockholm, though knowing
well the difficulties of this chase, took the indispos
sition of the elks to be slaughtered almost as a re.
faction upon Swedish hospitality. The Prince was
urged not to leave till he had made one more trial,
Proprietors in various parts of the country sent in
haste to say that upon their land elks were known
to be, and that the country side should be turned
out if necessary, rather than allow the beasts to
escape. When the second expedition was actually
organised, though it was even more limited as to
numbers than the first, there seemed to be scarcely
a person in the capital who was not cognizant of the
fact, and filled with good wishes for its success. The
an ardent follower of the chase, entered into
the matter with such energy, that in addition to the
beaters, whose duty it was to watch the outlets of
the forest, a force of soldiers, several hundreds—
by some said to be a thousand—strong, was sent to
traverse the peninsula into which the animals had
retreated, and regularly to drive them towards the
point where it was agreed that the shooting party
should be posted. Elks, it must be borne in mind,
though they are protected in Sweden for 10
months out of 12, are, as specimens of their race,
which once was common in North America, the
North of Europe, and Northern Asia, becoming
rapidly extinct. In olden times they ranged the
forests of England, Ireland, and the isle of Man,
and giant remains are contained in many of our
museums, proving that in those days hunting must
have been truly a Royal sport. The elk of modern
times has been dwarfed by exposure to centuries o
rigorous winters, but still
." The stag at bay 's a dangerous foe."

The male, with his ashy gray coat and flat. wide
horns, stands more than sft. high ; the doe, distine
guished by hair of yellowish brown, in front white,
and the absence of horns, is probably a little shorter
in the fore legs. These are of great length, throwing
up the shoulder to such a pitch that along the back
there is a rapid slope towards the tail. This tapers
away so nearly to a point that it may be considered
the apex of a triangle, in which the antlers form the
base, Nevertheless, virtues are supposed to reside
in the elk. The feet are by many regarded as pre.
servatives against sickness, and Indians especially
like to dream about meeting herds of these animals,
regarding the omen as particularly favourable, and
one insuring health and long life to the sleeper. In
his own case the elk is certainly a skilful physician,
though his knowledge of medical treatment does
not extend beyond the old Sangrado remedy. The
instant that illness makes itself felt he scratches his
ear with his hind foot, and keeps on scraping till
the bloods flows freely, which, in ordinary cases,
instinct tells him will work a recovery. The Royal
party, which started yesterday morning with the ob-
ject of procuring one of these interesting specimens,
left Stockholm by a small steamer, or enlarged ferry-
boat, about half-past 6 o'clock a.m.
The greater number of those composing the expe-
dition, as on the former occasion, wore the costume
of the Societe de Chasse, and the Prince of Wales,
in recognition of the exertions made by the mem-
bers of this club for his amusement, wore a hat and
feather and hunting boots similar to theirs,
preserving in other respects the ordinary English
shooting dress. The course taken by the steamer
was along the Lake Mmlar, through Brockholm's
Sand, and round the promontory of .lungfrulund
as far as Hogtorp, where the King and Prince of
IV-ales were landed, the remainder of the party
being distributed somewhere lower down the same
inlet between Wiksberg and K iggeboda. The cha-
racter of the scenery was pretty much the same in
every direction, There were open spaces in suffi•
cient number to prevent this district from being
characterised as forest, and acclivities occurring
often enough to give a rolling outline to the ground
traversed, otherwise there was considerable same-
ness in the views offering themselves to the pedes-
trians; tracts of pine and birch trees inclosing and
alternating with grassy surfaces, strewn with boul-
ders or pierced from below by prominent strata,
jutting up into these fields like great white ewel.
lings of stone. Cottages, or rather shooting-boxes,
were encountered at intervals, into which, when
members of the party strayed, they found that the
owners, at whose hands they sought nothing be-
yond the means of slaking thirst, had got scent of
the expedition, and prepared appetising little ban.
quets in hopes that the King or his guests might
pass that way. The principal entertainer of the
Royal party, at whose hou3e they breakfasted by
arrangement, was Mr. Strombom. About 11 o'clock
the day's prcceedings may be said to have fairly
commenced. A cordon was thrown out, extending
in every direction that it was likely as elk would
seek to escape; and posted in the best positions and
at proper intervals, were the members of the hunt-
ing party, rifla in hand. All their weapons were
tried serviceable guns, but many of them looked
wonderful pieces of ordnance by the side of the
light modern Westley-Richards. When every one
was stationed came the interval during which ex-
pectation was strained to discover what success
attended, or was likely to attend, the arrangements.
All listened intently for the bark of a dog, indicating
that the game was on foot, for the crack of a distant
rifle, announcing, at least, that something had been
teen, or, better still, for the rustle and crash of
leaves and boughs in the path of the elk himself,
when, having passed through his first stage of as-
toniehed immobility, he lays his horns flit upon
his neck, and with head in air and outstretched nos-
tril he thunders along, only half seeing the obstacles
that he clears at a bound. But for hours and hours
not any of these welcome sounds gladdened the ears
of the watchers. The noonday sun declined, and
its shadow sank on the dial to 3, to 4, to 5 o'clock.
Still not a sight nor sound; nothing but the natural
stillness of the forest, intensified by the silence of all
these men. At last, at the:moment when evening is
closing in, and a belief is spreading that there may
be points of resemblance between the elk and the
dodo, a rumble is heard as of thunder in the dis-
tance, then a crashing of boughs as if 50 woodmen
were at work, and, with a lightning rush, the ob-
ject of all this expectation is in the midst of a circle
of courtiers. Unfortunately it is at a point remote
from the King and Prince of Wales, but there are
plenty of other eyes and hands keen and quick
enough to prevent his getting away. The fatal shot
is fired by Count Wrede, one of the King's cham-
berlains, a nobleman who follows the chase with a
zest not inferior to that of Swedish royalty itself.
The elk is struck somewhere in the region of the
heart, but his strength impels him for a distance of
100 yards farther, and when he drops at last, the
shadows of the forest are so deep that he is sought
inthevain for fully half an hour. During this interval
members of the hunt flock in from every quar-
ter, tae
Prince of Wales in his eagerness running
half •
anle, and ultimately in one of the glades or
open spaces already described, the great chief of the
forest is found,er,Tgeheetil3l.e.acfe is, semicircular in form,
andstraugelyn
of stone dot the enclosurei
obeatn amphitheatre. Lumps
wereentan I around which
is a tangled growth of fern forest
grass;e
y ngroves e
these
birch and larch are the nearest trees, h
is a rising background of rocks crowned with the
dark and pointed fir trees. In the centre lies the
prize, large as an og, and with outstretched limbs
already stiff, that kings and princes have come
there to slay—a noble beast, with a pedigree
more famous than any of theirs, extending back

to prehistoric times, and written even in the
stone tables of the antediluvian era. To look upon
an elk newly killed is a privilege that in these days
is given to very few. And preceded as the spectacle
had been by days of preparation, travelling, ardent
toil on the part of all who now were eat,' ered at the
spot, it was a natural impulse that made them
cluster round the body and signalise their triumph
by a succession of cheers that the netonished rocks
and forests gave back again, not clearly knowing
what to do with. For any one looking upon that
group itself, and carrying in his glance historic
memories, there were reflections not less striking or
exceptional than those occurring to the spectators
making up the circle. Here, in one of the sombre
woods of Northern Europe, was the heir to the throne
of England enjoying a spectacle, one only among
many items in the brilliant reception accorded by
the Court of Sweden, and while, to all appearance,
pursuing only his individual gratification, in reality
strengthening the alliance and promoting the inter-
course between the two nations. At his side stood a
Prince, brother of another King, to whose country
we are bound by strong international ties of mar.
riage and of sympathy. In the present day England
feels delighted when royal marriages are as free from
State fetters as those of private citizens; and any
opportunity of eultivating good relations with the
Scandinavian race is equally adopted. But what a
contrast to the staysat-home days of George lll—of
hatred to Napoleon's marshals, and of battles of the
Baltic ! The reflections might be pushed even fur-
ther into the former relations of Sweden and of Den.
mark. But in these late times of trouble the sym-
pathies of one have been so heartily and cordially
given to the other that old rivalries must be well
nigh extinct, and tears " wiped away from off all
faces." Much time was spent in discussing the size
and weight of the prize, which was eventually taken
on board the steamer and carried to Stockholm, the
Prince expressing his intention of having the head
cut off and preserved as a memento of a day so
highly remarkable.
The party did not reach Stockholm till 9 o'clock,
but his Royal Highness, far from feeling fatigued
by the day's sport, changed his dress and proceeded
to Ulriksdal, where a large party had assembled on
the occasion of the farewell dinner given by the
Queen of Sweden, returning again to the Palace at
Stockholm the same night.
This morning the visit to the King of Sweden
came to an end, and, as the special train left at ten
o'clock, the Royal party were astir betimes. There
was no public ceremonial of departure, but the King
and Queen accompanied their Royal Highnesses to
the railway terminus, sad there, as well as all along
the thoroughfares, they were met by cordial mani-
festations of popular opinion. The parting between
the Royal families was, one might even say, affec-
tionate, the members respectively during the inter.
val covered by the visit having been thrown so
constantly together that they learnt to esteem and
appreciate each other even more than at the outset
they might have been prepared to do. Prince
Oscar, with several Swedish officers in his suite,
accompanied the Prince and Princess of Wales to
Gottenburg in the special train.
GOTTENBURG, Tuesday Night.
The shades of evening had fallen before the special
train conveying their Royal Highnesses the Prince
and Princess of Wales and Prince Oscar of Sweden
from Stockholm to Gottenburg reached its destina-
tion. The full enjoyment of the exquisite scenery
in the vicinity of Gottenburg was consequently
diminished to some extent; enough, however, was
seen to give to their Royal Highnesses, who in pro,
ceeding to the capital made their was' round by
long sea, an admirable notion of the character of
Swedish scenery. Internally, except when some of
the charming lakes are encountered, the country
exhibits few traits calling for special observation.
As the coast line is neared on either side, however,
the level rises rapidly, and a combination of lake
and hill scenery is obtained which is truly charm.
ing. The Royal party were as much favoured by
weather upon the return journey as they had been
exposed to its evil influences when en route to
stay at the Swedish Court. Then the weather
was so deplorable that at one time the
whole of Royalty's retinue was struck down,
the female attendants', who lay prostrate at
one end of the vessel, being balanced and
kept in countenance by a dozen men, who ought to
have been able seamen, at the other. Toselay, on
the contrary, there was bright sunshine lighting
up the landscape in every part, and bringing into
full view the wonderful tints upon those trees in
many of the plantations that have put on the lustre
of an American autumn. Shortly before 7 o'clock
the Gottenburg station was reached, and the safe
arrival of the train was hailed by a salute of 21
guns, fired by the Swedish artillery from some pieces
of cannon near the railway. Gotten burg is a town
possessing a considerable and very influential Eng-
lish population. The daughtersof some of the leading
English residents attended within the building to
welcome their Royal Highnesses, and contrived to
introduce into their attire a delicate compliment to
the Princess, being dressed uniformly in white
muslin with scarlet scarves of silk, together making
up the Danish colours. Many of the principal
houses in the town were also lighted up for the
occasion, that of Sir Robert Dixon, immediately
opposite the station, exhibiting a brilliant array of
wax lights from the very fine frontage of his house
extending across some eight or nine windows. Un-
fortunately, just before the arrive], an open door or
some similar cause drew the curtains on one of these
windows across the flame, and for a few moments it
seemed as if the house was likely to be enveloped in
fire. it was fortunately extinguished before much
mischief had been done ; but during the remainder
of the evening those two windows, instead of being
radiant with light like the rest, became by contrast
suggestive of the residence of that sulky tenant
who on the occasion of a general illumination in-
vites the destruction of his household property. A
guard of honour furnished by an Hussar regiment,
in which the picturesque sling jacket is still re-
tained and worn after the Russian fashion, from
shoulder to shoulder, was drawn up immediately
outside the terminus. The crowd there was so
numerous that the assistance of those troops was
advantageous, and indeed necessary, in clearing a
way for the carriages conveying the Royal party
to the steamers. Unfortunately, in executing this
duty, one poor man was knocked down and trampled
upon before he could be removed. When lifted up
he was able to walk, but with great difficulty and
evident suffering. In the general desire to see the
Prince and Princess this occurrence attracted very
little attention. When their Royal Highnesses took
their seats in the carriage they were very warmly
cheered, and along the whole of their route to the
pier, which was thronged with spectators, they were
equally well received. The landing place in front
of the yacht Osborne was kept by a very strong
detachment of Swedish artillery, dressed exactly
like a regiment of Dragoons in the old time—that
is to say, with brass helmets, having a stiff rolled
black plume, with blue uniforms, and yellow, or,
in the case of officers, gold shoulder belts, The
local authorities also erected stands with braziers
in them to show light to the approaching procession.
On its part the yacht contributed some very strik-
ing elements to this animated night scene. Two of
its best looking seamen, mounted in the ship's boats
as they swung from the davits, burnt the lights
continuously, which made everything in their im-
mediate vicinity as bright as day, and threw over
the upturned faces on the quay, and on the forms
with which masts and rigging in all surrounding
directions were crowded as thickly as in pictures of
sinking ships, a blue glare from which the scarlet
uniforms of the narrow line of marines on the poop
deck shone out all the more remarkably by contrast.
Every face could be distinctly seen as it passed up
the gangway, and when by and by the band advanced
to play on board during dinner time, the glitter of
the helmets and swords, added to the cocked hats
and uniform already upon deck, made up a very
pretty piece of ship effect. The blue lights were
burning for nearly an hcur, so that in the distance,
when one looked back upon the Osborne, she was
surrounded by a blue phosphoric blaze, giving to
her spars and rigging a most peculiar look, with
just a suspicion of the supernatural. The Prince
and Princess having gained the deck stood for some
time outside the round-house enjoying the scene,