The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-18 00:00:00

A Plea for Sweden.

(No. 4.)
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—In addition to the cathedral, where the
coffins of numerous dead royal personages are to be
seen, the attention of the antiquary should be given
with respect to a singular church, distant about two
miles N.W. of the Observatory, at Stockholm,
which, placed in a picturesque position, consists
chiefly of a large round granite tower, and is sup-
posed by some persons to have been originally a
heathen temple.
It is near the new railway from Stockholm to Up-
sala, which will open on the 19th inst., and well de-
serves a visit, being one of the oldest churches in
Sweden.

Before leaving Stockholm I desired to see the
Royal Library, but at present it is open by special
permission to particular persons. It contains many
books and manuscripts, including a copy of " Spe-
culum Humatne Salvationis," printed in wood-cut,
before the invention of movable type, and " Cicero
de Officiis," printed on parchment in the year 1465.
Amongst the manuscripts is the Codex Aureus, being
a Latin translation of the four Gospels, written upon
white and violet-coloured parchment leaves. It ap-
pears, by a note in the Anglo-Saxon, that this
"Codex," was bought from heathen pirates.
Another valuable manuscript here is the Devil's
Bible, taken by Konigsmark, during the Thirty
Years' War in Prague.' It is a large book, and
receives its title from a legend that a monk, sen-
tenced to death, saved himself by copying the whole
book, with Satanic assistance, in one night. Biblio-
graphers assert it was written from time extending
from the 9th to the 13th century.
The voyage from Stockholm to the port of Malmce,
opposite Copenhagen, occupied several days, as
stoppages occurred at Wisby, in the Isle of Goth-
land, at Kalmar, opposite Oland Island, at Cards-
crona, Ystad, and several minor ports.
At Wisby there are good specimens of architec-
ture remaining. A large part of the ancient wall,
with several lofty towers and the remains of several
churches, deserve more attention than time allowed
me to bestow upon them. This place is most inte-
resting, and it can be easily reached by steamer
from Stockholm. It has a good hotel and harbour,
and there are two ancient gateways in a complete
state of preservation, also shady walks.
Kalmar is a busy seaport, with an old castle and
cathedral, and it has a terrace walk close to the sea,
well planted. Carlscrona has a good harbour, and
is well fortified. It contains a very wide street and
square, with several curiously-built churches. Also
a pretty cemetery, with a long row of poplars, ter-
minating by a temple, used as a church. The town
was especially interesting to me as the birthplace of
the late John Diderick Holm, of Highgate, the friend
of Coleridge, and of Spurzheim, and also the literary
executor of the latter gentleman.

Ystad contains some singularly-built bathing-
houses, built out into the sea, like small plans of
Noah's Ark. These communicate with the land by
means of raised wooden platform, and are a decided
improvement upon the old movable arks called
bathing-machines.

The weather, until recently, has been summerlike
and pleasant ; but Sweden should be visited befere

the end of August. Some one in each town capable
of speaking English can generally be found, and the
people are civil and obliging, also cleanly. The
coinage is simple, consisting of one dollar notes or
bills, valued at 13 pence each, and composedof 100
parts, called ore.

_
Copenhagen is distant from Malmce about three
hours' sail by steam, and amongst its numerous
sights perhaps the plain grave of Thorwaldsen is the
most interesting. It is placed in the garden, which
is surrounded by the building containing his works.
These, as well as the picture-gallery in the palace,
which contains more than one portrait of this blue-
eyed son of genius, may be seen on Sundays at
certain hours, apparently without detriment to the
morals or happiness of the Lutheran population.
Three hours by sail or steam will carry the tra-
veller on to Elsinore, containing a large fortress
bristling with cannon, and filled with soldiers appa-
rently able to man them effectually. It is five
miles from the opposite coast of Sweden. In the
pleasure-grounds of Marienbyst, distant half a mile
eastward of this town, I visited the grave and
garden of Hamlet. The latter is simply a low
circular mound of earth, some six yards in
diameter, with a plain granite column about
four feet high standing in the centre. From
this spot are seen the Swedish coast and inter-
vening sea through the trees below. The grounds
contain walks and terraces, and a large modern
building now used as a tavern. This is in the lower
part of the grounds, beneath the part where the
grave of Hamlet is ; and a row of lime trees, form-
ing three sides of a square, is seen opposite this
house also—rooms for " Roulette and Tombold."

Before leaving Denmark I may relate a curious
tradition connected with the Danes and my native
town of New Alresford, Hampshire, which forms,
with its ancient church, where I was baptised, a
slanting cross exactly. The legend is that a battle
occurred at Tisted, near Alresford, when the Saxons
defeated the Danes, and granted them quarter upon
the understanding that they should be baptised in
the river Alder, near Alresford pond. They assented,
and afterwards worshipped at a shrine built in the
Old Alresford Church-yard, and the foundations of
which are believed to have been found there during
the last century.

This shrine was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin,
and the tradition is to the effect that so many
devotees hastened to the shrine that it was deter-

mined to build the town of New Alresford, which
was subsequently joined to Old Alresford by means
of a causeway, in order to accommodate the
worshippers. A curious legend—and still more
curious is it that one of the olde3t Roman Catholic
families now in Britain should have resided in the
immediate vicinity of New Alesford for some 200
years before the conquest at least !

Denmark coinage is composed also of dollars, in
specie or notes—one dollar being equal to 2s. 3d.,
and composed of 6 marks or 96 skillings. Neither
in Sweden nor in Denmark is any passport now re-
quired. The expense of travelling and of board is
reasonable, and the Custom-house inspection is
nominal.—l am, sir, yours obediently,

CIIR. COOKE.
Gothenburg, Sweden, Sept. 13, 1866.

The operative cloth dressers of Leeds, numbering
about 1,000, struck work on Saturday morning for an ad-
vance of 15 per cent. on their present rate of wages. Six of
the employers have complied with the request, but in four
of the mills the men decline to enforce their demand by

leaving work.
THE BRADFORD WORKING MEN ON EX-GOVER-
NOR EYRE.—The Bradford Working Men's Con-
servative Association held a meeting on Thursday evening
last, Mr. Walters in the chair. The meeting was a very
good one, and several now members joined the association.
The secretary read a correspondence between himself and
Mr. Hamilton Hume, hon. secretary of the Eyre Defence
and Aid Fund Committee, London, and also a report of the
meetings of the committee, several copies of which report
had been received from the hon. secretary; after which the
following address to Mr. Eyre, late Governor of Jamaica,
was unanimously adopted :