The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-12-20
From the Foreign Files of the New World
REMARKABLE VISION OF CHARLES XXI. OF
SNEEDFN

sThce are moro things in heaven and earth,
Than are dreampt Of in your philosophy"
Should you, gentle reader, be magnnnimous enough
pardon the familiarity Of application beg to
offer you the following singular narrative, the authcn-
ITCHY of which rests upon process verbal drawn out
form, and attcsted by the signatures Of four credible
witnesses. 1t mny be added that the remarkable
waking dream which are about to relate for your
edfcation had been generally known, and familiary
quoted, long before its forebodings verified by
subsequent events.
Charles XII, the father of the celebrated Charles
XII, was of the despotic, and, at the
time, Of the abest monarchs that ruled the
destnics of Sweden. He restrained within proper
limits the overgrown limits of the nobility, abolished
the power OF the senate and Of his special au-
thory enacted new code of laws. In word, he
changed the entire constitution of the country which,
before his reign, had been governed by oligarchy
and forced the state to invest him with absolute and
unlimited authority. History represents him
brave and enlightened monarch, attached to the re-
gon of Luther, but of harsh, inAexibo dispositions
regulating his opinions by positive and tangible facts
and wholly ungifted with imagination.
At the period of which we are writing, death had
beraaved him of his queen. UIrica Eleonora Not
wthstnndins the harshness which had marked his
conduct to that princess, during her lifetime and
which, in the opinion Of his subjects, had precpated
her into the grave, Charles rcvered her memory, and
appeared more affected by her loss than might have
been imagined from tho natural stenness of his char
acter. subsequently to this event, he became more
gloomy and tacturn than before, and devoted himself
to study with intensity of application that evinced
his anxiety to escape the tortures Of his painful
reflections.
Toward the close of a dreary autumnal evening,
the king, in slippers and robe de chamb,e, seated
before large fire. in private cabinet Of his palace
at Stockholm. Near him were his grand chamberlain,
the Count de Rrahe, who was honored with the ia
vorable estimation of his sovereign and the principal
state physician, Baumgartcn, learned disciple of
ippocates, who aimed at the reputation of an esprit
fort, and who would have pardoned disbelief in
anything, except in tho efficacy of his own prescrp-
tons The last mentioned parsonage had, on that
evening" been hastily summoned to the presence of
the monarch who felt, ianced himself, in need of
his professional skill
The evening was already far advanced, and the
King, contrary his word delayed bidding the Gus
tomary ssgood night TO all,"-the well-understood
sjrnal at which his guests always retired. with MS
head bent downwards, and his eyes fixed upon the
decaying embers, that gradually withdrew even their
mockery of warmth from the spacious FIREPLACE ne
maintained strict silence, evidently iatgued win
his company, yet dreadng, though he scarce khe"
WHY, TO be left alone. The grand chamberlain VINO
perceived that even his profound remarks failed 10 ex
cite the attention of the monarch ventured to MN
that his Majesty would do well to seek repose ages-
,ure of the King retained him in his place Inc hy
stefan, inhis turn hazarded casual observation on
the injurious tendency Of late hours These s'gni-
cant inuendoes were, however, thrown away OH
Charles, who replied to them by muttcring between