The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-06 00:00:00

dews, commanding a view over Lake Maelar and the
adjoining country; the walls are panelled after the
fashion of the day, the ceiling is paintel in fresco,
and the woodwork carved with bunt les of fruits
and flowers. The King, for such he wee, had his
bed in one of the deep recesses of to rndows, and
the Queen, refusing to leave his side, tl ough offered
palaces and revenues if she would consent to do so,
gave birth here to her son Sigismund—a name that
figured in later years so prominently in the history
of Poland. In another and smaller recess, imme-
diately opposite the King's bed, the cot of the child
appears to have been prepared. When John obtained
his liberty, and Eric was in turn incarcerated in the
same building, his treatment was by no means as
lenient. In a higher story of the captives' tower this
unfortunate ex-King was placed in an inner chamber
of circular form, with a low roof, lighted by three
small apertures and secured by a double door, the
outer one of iron, the inner one of wood, with a
small triangular slit to pass his food. The three
apertures looked out into the open air, but into an
outer gallery, and round this the sentinel paced
incessantly to and fro. Watching for the sig-
nals with which his wife came to comfort him,
and waiting for the deliverance that never came, a
hole was worn in the bricks at one particular wins
dow by the elbows of the unhappy King, and a
spot in the flooring is shown that was hollowed by
his feet. This is the description, in his own words,
of the condition to which he was reduced, " No day
has passed without some insult or injury—suffering
from cold, hunger, stench, and drunkenness—fol-
lowed about with drawn swords, intruded upon
during the night," After a miserable imprison-
ment at Gripsholm and elsewhere for eight years,
his life was terminated by poisoning in the year
1577. Many nations would have levelled with the
ground the castle, or, at any rate, the tower con-
nected with which there are these deplorable asso.
ciations. Sweden, however, has such a glorious
past that she can afford to let the truth be known
with regard to this melancholy passage of her his.
tory. The pictures in this castle would require at
least a week to examine them carefully. They are
about 2,000 in number, the gems of the collection
being the likeness of Marie Antoinette and her
children, one of the only two undoubted portraits of
that unhappy Queen ; the lifessize painting of Gus-
tavus 111. and his three brothers; and the picture
by Velasquez of Philip IV. on horseback, These
three are works of art of such undoubted merit that
it is contemplated and almost decided to remove
them to the Museum at Stockholm. Two or three of
those Salles des contemporains of which the Swedish
monarchs were so fond are met with at this Palace.
The most interesting is the collection made in the
lifetime of Gustavus 111. His contemporaries in-
cluded, by a curious coincidence, George Hi. of
England and Charles 111. of Spain, and in his time
also the two female Sovereigns who have written
their names so plainly on the page of history,
Maria Theresa of Austria and Catherine of
Russia, were in the plenitude of their power.
Among the pictures to which Swedish visitors
attach greatest interest, are those of Linnaeus, and
of an artist orator in the house of peasants, who is
represented in the costume which he wore habitu-
ally. English eyes will be attracted by some excel-
lent pictures illustative of their own history ; among
others, by likenesses of Cromwell and of Charles 1.,
in both of which there is probably greater cha-
racter than in any which have become established
favourites at home.
There is also a painting of Queen Elizabeth, sent
by herself to the Swedish Court in one of her mo-
ments of tenderness, as to the authenticity of which
no doubt can be entertained, for the correspon-
dence to which it gave rise was instrumental in
discovering that the Swedish monarch had two
strings to his bow. The Swedish version of Anna
Boleyn's features is so opposed to all preconceived
ideas that it must be received with a considerable
amount of caution, In addition to the collection
of pictures, some cf which connect themselves with
the very earliest times of Swedish history, the State
apartments are filled with objt eta of traditional in-
terest—chests in which the dowry of Queens has
found its way to Sweden, tapestries whose colours
call to mind some of the tiros of Rubens, The very
sconces upen the stairs are of repousse silver, The
Royal party which reached Gripsholm at 4 o'clock,
spent two hours and a half in going over the
building, and shortly before 7 proceeded to the
dinner-room, a fine antique apartment, with walls
and ceiling of pine, without other ornaments than
the pictures on the walls, and a few gilt crowns
dotted in here and there to lighten what would
otherwise have been the sombre effect of the weed-
work. Oa the way to the dinner-room, in ac-
cordance with the Swedish custom, trays con-
taining bread, butter, caviare, and other provoca-
tives to appetite were handed round with the in-
dispensable accompaniment of little glasses of
brandy. All Swedish dinners commence after this
fashion ; at the hotels even,-side tables are laid out
and cartes drawn up with a view- to these prelimia
naries, and it would have been an offence to the
genius loci to omit such an observance at Gripsholm.
After dinner the Prince and Princess of Wales pro-
ceeded to apartments prepared for their acconamo.
dation, where, with the members of the Royal
family whose guests they were, they bold a species
of friendly reception, and shortly before 9 o'clock
the whole party re-embarked in the Arboga with
a view of returning to Stockholm. Red lights had
been fixed to the walls of the Castle, which showed
the outlines of the towers wonderfully well, and, as
the surrounding darkness was intensified by this
illumination, blue lights were burnt to point out the
way on board the vessel. In compliment to the
illustrious excursionists two or three of the largest
chateaux on the edge of Lake Maelar were bril-
liantly lighted by their proprietors about the time
at which it was known that the steamer would re-
turn. This facility in handling torches is charac-
teristic of the Northern people, and appears to run
through all their important proceedings. ANr
dusk, whenever the King or Prince Oscar drives
abroad, a horseman with a flaming brand rides in
advance of the cortege, and it would be difficult for
one. who has not actually seen the effect produced
by this simple arrangement to form to himself a
just conception of the dignity and authority implied
in the display.
The Royal party reached Stockholm shortly after
half-past 11 o'clock p.m., and driving straight to the
Palace, the King of Sweden, Prince Oscar, and his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, with the gene
tlemen of their suite, proceeded, after a delay of not
more than an hour, to the railway station, where a
special train was in readiness to convey them to one
of the northern forests, where, it is hoped, they will
succeed in hunting some elks. A number of these
animals to boerweinthoirnmotuhae
size; llmis of the
enclosure,are knownbutthis is
speaks of something like an extent of 12 leagues.
About six hours will be required for the journey,
and sleeping accommodation was therefore provided
in the carriages. After the whichfatigupet
y
nob
d outheyt
must undergo in the forest, the Royal party
will again gladly avail themselves of these conches
on their way back. They are looked for again in
Stockholm on to-morrow (Saturday) morning, upon
which day a review may possibly take place, to be
followed by a dinner at the Chateau of Haga, the
residence of the Prince Augustus and the Princess
Theresa. In the evening there is to be a grand
representation of Faust at the theatre, and after the
conclusion of the opera, which their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales will honour
with a visit, they will be present for a short time
at a soiree given by the Count de Schecl-Plessen,
Minister for Denmark, and the Countess Plesseu,
Sunday will be passed in the family circle, and early
on Monday morning their Royal Highnesses will
leave for Gottenberg by special train and embark on
hoard the Osborne for Denmark the same evening.
Prince 03ear of Sweden will accompany the Prince
and Princess of Wales as far as Gottenburg, and
before their final departure from Fredensborg it is
expected that he will join their family circle in
Denmark for a few days.
Yesterday while the Royal party and the members
of the diplomatic corps were enjoying themselves in
one direction at Gripsholm, the heads of the Swedish
Naval Department went on board the Aurora to
invite the officers of the British fleet to en ex.
cursion to the Djurgard, or Deer-park, one of the
great objects of
.attraction at Stockholm, They