Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-21
SCANDINAVIAN Sessions.

Sweden and Norway. like the well-known
)Siamese twins of other days. have never
IL lived happily together from
An Old the time of their enforced
hrouhIe union by the treaty of kiel.
+ January II, 1914.
The present session, due ostensibly to
| unwillingness of Sweden to accord to Nor
way separate consular representation. dates
| for fact back to the battle of Leipsig
QS13), when Denmark was forced to aban-
don all rights to Norway, and when Rus
STA. England and Prussia by a secret con-
vention promised Norway to Sweden. Old
| griefs. therefore, and not new ones. are
the cause of the present troubles which
| threaten to eliminate in an armed conflict
between Sweden and Norway.
The heir apparent to the throne of
Sweden, Christian Auguste. having died
suddenly. May %, 1910. Charles XIII chose
| as his successor Marshal Bernadotte. This
choice, which may appear from this dis
lance of time as unconventional and
| strange. was not SO in fact, for the Swedes
! had already created presidents of like char
acter in the preceding century. There were
other reasons besides, the popularity of
| the French, certain sympathy with the
French revolution, hut more than all, a
desire to please Napoleon. Moreover the
other candidates, Frederik VI of Denmark
and Frederik Christian, younger brother of
Christian Auguste, were very unpopular.
Thus Charles XIII adopted Bernadotte,
who entered Stockholm November. 1910, and
took the name Charles Jean or Charles
XIV.
Strange episode, this debut of a French
marshal into the destiny of Scandinavian
| nation. great transformation. however
had been effected in these Northmen who
from the Scandinavian pirates who had
overrun France and settled in Normandy
were now become refined and civilized
people.
Under Gustavus Adolphus, 1611-1632
Sweden took rank among the important
| states of Europe Gustavus played an i'm
portant role in the thirty years war. which
inaugurated in Sweden period of marked
progression. The capital Of Sweden, the
court of Gustavus Adolphus, became
center of learning to which were attracted
such spirits as Grotius Pufendorf, Des-
cartes, Comenius, Forstenson and Dahl
berg. The defeat and death of Gustavus
Adolphus at LutZen 1882 closed the mill
| tary ascendancy of Sweden. From this
period down to the disaster to Charles XII
(beaten by sPeter the Great at Pultawa in
1900, Sweden became the foyer of litera-
ture art and science, and produced such
men as Lime, with disciples like Celsius,
Swedenborg etc. Gustav III, known as
the brilliant despot' and the philosopher
king" concluded peace with Russia after
the French revolution, but was assassinated
at ball. March Is, 1892. His court was
modelled after that of Versailles and the
literature and art after those of the French
academy.
Gustavus Adolphus w became involved in
continental strifes with the result that
Pomerania was taken by the French and
Finland by Russia, while Denmark ana
Norway, allies of Napoleon since the bonn
bardment of Copenhagen by England in
1907 without declaration Of war;. threat
ened the western frontiers of Sweden Gus
tavus was deposed in 1909, and his uncle,
the Duke Of Sudermanie, was proclaimed
ri he Charles
Bernadotte. the successor of Charles XIII.
became King of Sweden In 1918 under the
title of Charles XIV. He died In Stock
holm in 1874.
The United States contracted treaty of
amity and commerce with Sweden April -,
1888, the text Of which COM
American mences: 1.-The King of Swe-
p1.+;. den of the Goths and Van
dals," etc. The treaty was
signed at Paris April 3, 1888. by Benjamin
Franklin minister plenipotentiary of the
United States and Count Gustavus Philip
de Crentz. ambass of Sweden.
President Washington about this time ap-
pointed Commodore John Paul Jones com
missioner to negotiate treaty with the
Barbary States. Two American ships their
masters, two mates and ten sailors had
been captured by pirates and held In Al
giers for ransom. Commodore John Paul
Jones and Barclay, his substitute, died sud
denly and Colonel David Humphreys, then
minister of the United States at Lisbon,
was appointed in their place, with the sum
of 100000 placed at his disposal.
A Swede named Skjoldebrand brother or
the Swedish consul at Algiers, interested
himself in the captves and informed Hum
phreys that peace could be obtained on the
following conditions: For the treasury,
$50 900; for the officers and relatives of the
Dey 500 900: consular present. $4,000: re-
demption of slaves, about 100000 to $780,
600 plus an annual tribute of $4,000 to
$50, 900, plus consular present every two
years of about So 200. Humphreys sub
mtted the proposition to the Washington
government which replied that: Skjolde-
brands terms are to be acceded, If better
cannot be obtained.
The sum paid the pirates appears to have
been concluded on this basis. which shows
that the BarbarosSas of those days were
more exacting in their ideas of ransom
than Raissouli of recent date. whom Perdi-
carts, returned, would now have US believe
was modest and conservative and more a
patriot and perhaps chief Of national
party
The Swedish consul and his brother were
influential with the dey and certainly COM
manded the esteem of the United States
representatives, or else the Skjoldebrand
would not have been employed to negotiate
with the pirates of 1897. Besides. among
the United States vessels of war in tee
Mediterranean at that time commanded by
Commodore Barron there appears brig
named the Skjoldebrand, doubtless In honor
of the Swedish consul.
Oscar II was on the throne of Sweden In
1852 when there occurred in Egypt the mas