New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-18

E
ventilation. find nothing yet equal to the Old
fashioned fireplace in this respect, though l nust
confess prefer the Russian stove 10 our hot-ai
furnaces. Carpets are very common in Sweden,
in the houses Of the poor as well as the rich and
thus the dwellings have an air Of warmth and con-
fort which is not found in Germany and other parts
Of the Continent. The arrangements for sleeping
and washing are tolersble though scAnty, as com
pared with England, but the great cleanliness of
Swedish houses makes amends for many deGcen-
cies.
The manner Of living here, nevertheless, is not
very agreeable to the stranger. There is no hotel,
except Kahn's, where one can obtain both beds and
meals The practice is to hire rooms, generally
with the privilege of having your coffee in the
morning and to get your meals at a restaurant, Of
which there are many, tolerably cheap and not par
ticularly good. Even Davison'p, the best and most
fashionable has but an ordinary cuisine. Rooms
are quite GEOGRAPHICALLY, at present, when the
Diet is in session and the city crowded with coun-
try visitors-and the inclusive expenses of living
are equal to Berlin and greater than in Paris. /
find that it costs just about much to be stationary
here, as to travel with post-hores in the Northern
provinces. The Swedes generally have cup of
coffee on getting out Of bed or BEFORE asubstantial
breakfast at 9 OF 10, dinner at 3, and tea in the
evening. The weather. fimes dine an hour or
two later, but the crowds at the restaurants ind-
cate the prevailing time. Dinner and frequently
breakfast, is prefaced with sm6rgaas Gutter.
goose), consisting Of anchovies picked behring's,
cheese and brady. Soup, which is generally
sweet, comes in the middle and sometimes at the
end of dinner, and the universal dessert is pre-
served fruit covered with whipped cream. have
had occasion to notice the fondness of the Swedes
for sugar, which some persons seem to apply to al
most every dish, except fsh and oysters. have
often seen them season crab-soup with powdered
sugar. A favOrite dish is raw salmon, very slightly
salted-a great delcacy, they say, but have not
yet been hungry enough to eat it, Meat, which is
abundant, is rarely properly cooked, and game, of
which Sweden has great variety, is injured BY
being swanped in sauces. He must be very fas-
tdious, however, who cannot live passably well in
Stockholm, especially he has frequent invitations
to dine with private families, many of whom have
very excellent cooks
As people the Swedes are very hospitable, and
particularly so toward foreigners. There is per-
baps no country in Europe where travellers are
treated with so much kindness and allowed so
many social privileges. This is fortunate, as the
cOnyentionalities of the country are more rigid
than the laws of the Modes and Persans. Nothing
exctes greater scandal than an infraction of the
numberless little fonnalities with which the de-
scendants of the honest, spontaneous, impusive
old Scandnavians have, somehow or other, allowed
themselves to be fettered, and were not all possible
allowance made for the stranger, he would have
but dismal time of it, Notwithstanding these
habits have become second nature they are still
false nature, and give painfully stiff and con-
strained air to society. The Swedes pride them
selves ON being the poltest people in Europe.
Voltaire called them the "Frenchmen of the
North" and they are greatly Battered by the
epithet. But how much better, to call themselves
Sned,s to preserve the fine, manly character
istics Of their ancient stock rather than initiate
people so alien to them in blood, in character and
in antecedents. Those meaningless social cOur-
tesies which sit well enough upon the gay, volatile,
mercurial Frenchman, seem absurd afectations
when practiced by the tall, grave, sedate Scandi-
navian Tie intelligent Swedes feel this, but they
are powerless to make Roadway against the infu-
ence Of Court which was wholly French, even
before Bernadotte's time. awe are race of
apes" said one Of them to me bitterly Gus
tavus ILL., was wholly French in his tastes, but the
ruin Of Swedish nationality in Stockholm was al
ready commenced when he ascended the throne.
Stockholm manners, at present, are a curious
mixture of English and French, the latter element,
of course, being predominant. In costume, the
gentlemen are Ensliah, with eIaggeration. No.
where are to be seen such enormously tall and stiff
black chimney. pots (misnamed hats), nowh-re such
straightcut overcoats, descending to the very heels
You might stick al the men you seeinto pasteboard
cards, like row of pins SO precisely are they
clothed upon the same model. But when you meet
one of these GRIM funereal figures, he pulls OF bis
bat:: with politeness which is more than French;
be keeps it of, perhaps, while be is speaking; you
shake hands and accept his invitation to enter bis
house. After you are within he greets you second
time with the same ceremonies, as if you had then
first met; be says, "TakJor sist equivalent
to: ..thank you for the pleasure of your company
the last time we metz and, aaer your visit Is
over you part with equal Formally. Atdinner the
guests stand gravely around the table with clasped
hands, before sitting down. This is repeated on
rising, after which they bow to each other and
shake hands with the host and hostess. Formerly
they used to say 81 thank you for the meal"
custom still retained in Denmark and Norway
Not long ago the guests were obliged to make
subsequent visit of ceremony to thank the host TOR