New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-23

H.. n,esented o fine, venerable appearance bus
~ =. da,k ri p courng aud gliding are now buried
nader thick coat Of whtew"sb'
We had already prophecy If the long Summer
DAYS Of the North in the perpetual twilight which
fingered in the sky. moving around from sunset to
s,n,i,e. During the second night, we crossed che
W.t,er Lake, which did not see; for when
caue % deeh We Nere already on the Vixen, the
most beautiful sheet Of water between StockhoIG
and Gottenburg Its irregular shores, covered with
forests Of fir and birch, thrust out hong, narrow
besdlards which divide it into deep bays, studded
with wild wooded iklsn5s. But the scenery was
still that of Winter, except in the absence Of ice
ard snow. We had not made much southing but
We expected to find the western side Of Sweden
much warmer than the eastern The highest part
of the canal more than 800 feet above the ses, was
now passed, however. and as we descended the
long, barren hills toward the Wiener Lake found
few early wild flowers in the woods. In the af-
teInoon, we came upon the Wiener, the third lake
in Europe, being 100 miles in extent by about fifty
in breadth To the west, it spread away to level
line egaDtt the sky; but, as looked southwark,
perceived two opposite promOntories, with scat
tered Islands between, dividing the body Of water
into almost equal portions. The scenery Of the
Wiener has great resemblance to that Of the northern
portion of Lake Michigan. Further down On the
eastern .here, the hill of Knnekule, the highest
lard in Southern Sweden, rises to the hight of
nearly thousand feet above the water with a
graceful and very gradual sweep; but otherwise the
scenery is rather tame, and, suspect depends for
most of its beauty upon the Summer foliage.
There were two or three intelligent and agree
able passengers on board, who showed more than
usual knowledge Of America and her institu-
tions. The captain, however, as we walked
the deck together, betrayed the same general
impression which prevails throughout the Cont
nent Germany in particular, that we are thor
ouehy material people, having little taste for, or
appreciation of, anything which is not practical and
distinctly unitarian. Nothing can be further from
the truths yet have the greatest difficulty 10 max.
ing people comprehend that true feeling for Sci
ence, Art and Literature can cOexst with our great
practical genius. There is more Intellectual ac-
tivty in the Free States than in any other part of
the wOrld-a more general cultivation, and, taking
the collective population, venture to say, more
enlightened taste. Nowhere are greater sums spent
for books and works of art or for the promotion of
scientific objects. Yet this cry Of "Materalism"
has become the cant and slang Of European talk
concerning America, and is obtruded SO frequently
and 70 Extensively that must place the standard Of
good bree ding lower here than with us. 1t is some
what better in England, owing to the growth of
our Literature; but in Germany the ignorance Oh
this point is astonishing. am fortunately armed
with sufficient amount of statistics to justify ny
assertions, but never dare TO tell the whole truth
lest my veracity should be suspected.
While on the steamer, heard an interesting story
Of Swedish nObeman, who is attempting Prac-
teal protest against the absurd and foslized ideas
by which his class is governed. The nobility Of
Sweden are as proud as they are poor, and, as the
fathers title is inherited by each Of his SONS, the
country is Overrun by Counts and BarOns, who, re-
pudiating any means Of support that is not some
how connected with the service Of the Government
live in continual state Of debt and diapidation.
Count R, however, has sense enough to know
that honest labor is always honorable, and has
brought up his eldest son to earn his living By the
work of his own hands. For the past thres years.
the latter has been in the United States, working
as day -laberer on farms and on Western railroads
His experiences, ! learn, have not been agree
able, but he is young man Of too much spirit and
courage to give up the attempt, and has hitherto
refused to listen to the entreaties Of his family, that
he shall come home and take charge of one of Ills
fathers estates. The second son is now clerk in
mercantile house in GOttenburg while the Csunt
has given his daughter in marriage to q radical and
untitled editor, whose acquaintance was afterward
60 fortunate as to make, and who confirmed the
entire truth of the stOry.
We were to pass the locks at TrOllhatta in the
middle of the night, but determined to visit the
celebrated falls Of the GOtha River, even at such
time and gave orders that We should be called
The stupid boy, however, woke up the wrong pas
sepger and the last locks were reached before the
mistake was discovered. BY sunrise we had
reached Lila Edet on the Gotha River, where the
buds were swelling Oh the early trees, aud the
grass, in sunny places, showed little sprOut;ne
greenness. We shot rapidly Down the swift, brown
stream, between brown, bald, stony hills, whose
forests have all been stripped of to feed the hostile
camp fires Of past centuries. Bits of bottom land
held in the curves Of the river, looked rich and
promising, and where the hills fell back little
there were groves and country houses-but the
scenery, in general, was bleak and unfrendly until
we drew near GOttenburg. Two round, detached
forts, built according to vaubun's ideas (Which the
Swedef say he stole frem Sweden, where they were
already in practice), announced our approach, and
before noon we were alongside the pier. Here, to