.EORTIa’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN.

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paffage to the light. All thefe ftones afford ftrong ground for prelumption, that the feaat fome period overflowed this fpot. The whole of this road is beautiful ; it conftantlywinds, and frequently affords moll charming profpefls. In 1790, even at the clofe ofDecember, there were no fledges ufed for loaded carriages, yet the road was not lefsexcellent. This province contains mines of coal, alum manufactories, and yellow am-ber ; but the fpots where they are found are at a difiance from the courfe of the road.At Rang , near to Skanor, in the fouthern part of the province, yellow amber is foundin large pieces. Andrarum and Rajlunda adjoin each other on the road from Chriftan-ftadt to Yftadt (where you embark to go to Stralfund). At the former of thefe twoplaces is a quarry and manufactory of alum; at the latter yellow amber is met with.At Boferup , near Lund , is a coal-mine.

At a fhort diftance from the boundaries of Scania, on the road to Carlfcroon, thereare many afcents and defcents, down which the peafants drive with great hardihood at aviolent rate. You cannot be deceived as to diftance on the high roads in Sweden , therebeing polls or ftones to mark it at every half and quarter of a mile. Villages in Blek-ing are more numerous and large, but for the moft part make but a wretched appear-ance. In this quarter you fee a number of lone houfes fpread about the country, butvery few of brick, as afferted by many travellers.

Carlfcroon was a pretty well-built town before the fire which happened in 1790,when it contained from fourteen to fifteen thoufand inhabitants. At prefent it is almoftwholly ruined, not one houfein eight remaining. The naval arfenals, being feparated bya wall from the town, were luckily preferved; a high wind fpread the fire fo as tomake it general, and almoft all the men who might have rendered afiiftance were atfea on board the fleet; add to which, (for what reafon is unknown,) there was in manyhoufes a quantity of gunpowder, the explofion of which confequently increafed thediforder inevitable on fuch an occafion. This town is fituated on an ifland, and builton the rock itfelf, which has rendered unnecefiary the paving of many of its ftreets,but which at the fame time makes it very unpleafant, as well for thofe in carriages asfuch as go on foot. The port is an excellent one, defended by two forts, as well as byits pofition; there is held the department of the royal navy. The old dock is cut outof the rock, and would certainly be worthy of notice, were it not for the excellence ofthe new one, which is above all praife, and which the Romans at the height of their ce-lebrity would not have blufhed to acknowledge : it is compofed of thirty-one bafons,calculated to contain twenty fail of the line and eleven frigates ; the bafons are cut in thefolid rock, and are covered fo as to fhelterthe veffels completely : only one of thefe ba-fons are completed; fome of the reft are however began, but it feems doubtful whe-ther a work of fuch immenfity will ever be completed, the advantage of fuch an eftab-bflunent not being likely to compenfate its vaft expence; for it does not yet appear evi-dent that veffels are better preferved by being under cover than expofed, or at leaftthat their duration is likely to be fo far prolonged as to make the difference counterba-lance the coft of the undertaking. A foreigner travelling to Carlfcroon will find it ne-ceffary to write to fome correfpondent to procure him lodgings, as otherwife he mullput up with fuch as the poft-houfe affords, which are wretched in extreme. Luckily thenaval department, which cannot be removed, will fecure the fpeedy re-edification of thetown. The fleet-is very confpicuoufly difcernible as you pafs along a wooden bridge,°n both fides of which are the fhips of the line and frigates. We counted fixteen ofthe former (their number being diminilhed by more than a third part in courfe of theWar). The frigates fuffered lefs. Independent of thefe, three or four are always ftation-ed at Gottenburg, and feveral at Sweaburg.vol vi. 3 c At