New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-18
Bsvard Tayler in Northern Easpe.
NO \.
FIRST STAGE OF TaE NORTHERN
JOURNEY.

srypsyAII. m NorrAsd Dee 20, 1856.
v. ,en our conf, rtabIe quarters in Stockholm 0a
u.,a.v morning last, and commenced our hoos
northern Journey. The diligence was 0'mP'e'
little vehicle, carrying four persons, boz We Two
vsrs 90 burdereI with our guns. sword, money-oas'
field. gl..s. oyer.boots and swo-fsssom-locg sSnes'
that We found the space allotted to ne nail enough
Va .,.rt.d a, o'coct, and bad not gone hundred
yard. before We discovered that the IN ~ lmPorsa'
put Of our ou,6t-,he msps-had beeo eH behind
I, WAS too late to return, Md We were oolSed 10
content ourselves with the hope Of supplying them
1t Upsaa or G.fe.
We rolled BY twilight through the Northern
suburb. The morning was sharp and cold, and the
roads, which had been muddy and cut up the day
before, were frozen terribly hard and rough. Our
fellow passengers were two Swedes, an unpre-
possessing young fellow who spoke few words OF
English, and silent old gentleman; we did not
derive much advantage from her society, and
bu,ied myself with observing the country through
which We passed. A mile or two, past handsome
country. seats and some cemeteries, brought us
into the region Of forests. The pines were tall
and picturesque in their forms, and the grassy
meadows between them, entirely clear Of snow,
were wonderfully green for the season. During
the first stage We passed some lnets OF the Baltic,
highly picturesque with their irregular WOODED
shores. They had oil been frozen over during the
hight. Wewere surpri,ed to see, on southern
hill side, four peasants at work, ploSins. Ho"
they got their shares through the frozen sod, uness
the soil was remarkably dry and sandy, was more
than could imagine. We noticed occasionally
large manor. house, with IFS dependent out-ouId.
inss and ITS avenue Of clipped beeches or lindens
locking grand and luxurious in the midst of the
cold dark fields. Here aud there we're patches OF
wheat. which the early STOW had Kept green, and
the grass in the damp holows was still bright yet
il was The 18th of December, and We were almost
in lat. 60 deg. n.
The hou,es were mostly one-ssory wooden cot
tsges, of dull red color with red roofs. Ia con.
ntction with the black-green of the pine and fir
woods they gave the country singusrly somber
aspect. There vas little variation in the scenery
all the way to Upsals. Ia some places, the soil
appeared 10 be rich and under good cultivation;
SQUAT church-towers showed themselves 10 the
distance In other place., we had but the rough
hils, or rather knobs Of gray gneiss whose masses
were covered with yellow moss, and the struggling
fir forests. We met but few country teams on the
road: nobody was to be seen abo1t the houses, and
the land seemed to be asleep or desolated. Even at
noon, WHEN the sun came out fairly, be was loS on
the honzcn, and gave but an eclpsed light, which
vas more cherries than complete darkness.
The sun set about O'Clock, bat we had a long,
speI did twilight, flush Of orange, rose and amber
green, worthy Of Mediterranean heaven. Two
hours afterward, the lights Of Upsals appeared, and
We drove III der the imposing front of the old
palace through clean streets, over the Upssls
Ryer and hnsly stopped at the door Of court
yard. Here We were instantly hailed By some
y,urg fellows, who inquired If We did not went
rooms. The place did not appear to be an inn, but
IS the silent old gentleman got out and went in, l
Judged it best to follow his example, and the dill
gence drove off with our baggage. We were right,
after slI: rosy, handsome, gcod.humored landlAdy
appeared promised to furnish us with beds and a
supper 10 wake US betimes, and give US coffee
before leaving.
The old gentleman kindly put on his coat and &C.
companied US 10 bookstore on the public square,
where found Akrell's map of Northern Sweden,
and thus partially replaced our loss. He sat awhile
in our room trying to converse, but inside little
headway. On learning that We were bound fol
Tonnes, he s.ked Are you going TO buy lumber y
"No," answered; "we are merely going to see
the country" He laughed long and heartily at such
On absurd idea, got up in hurry and went TO bed
without saying another word. We had supper OF
various kinds of sausage, tough rye bread, and q
bowl of mix, followed by excellent beis-a thing
which you are sure to End everywhere in Sweden.
We drove of again at "a o'clock in the morning
| moonlight, with 9 temperature Of zero. Two OF
three miles from the town We passed the mounds
of Old Upsala, the graves of Odip, Thor and Freya
rising boldly against the first glimmerngs Of day
light. The landscape was broad, dark and silent
the woods and fields confa,edly blended together,
ard emily the sepulcbres Of the ancient gods broke
the level line Of the horizon. could readily have
believed in them at that hour.
Passing over the broad rich plain of UpsaA, We
entered gently undulatiDg country, richer and
better cultivated Than the district we had traversed
the previous day 1t was splendidIy wooded with
thick fir forests, aoOred with bright green moss,
Some of the views toward the north and west were
really fire from their extent though seen in the
faded light and hong shadows Of the low northern
SUP. In the afternoon, We passed . large white
church, with four little towers at the corners
standing IN the midst of village Of low red stables
in which the country people shelter their horses