fortia’s travels in Sweden . 3 %$

Herring Fijhery. This important branch of commerce, which for a while was anni-hilated, owing to the difappearance of the herrings, has now refumed its wonted brifk-hefs ; the fale amounts at prefertt to fix hundred thoufand barrels of halted herrings,and thirty thoufand barrels of oil. Ten or twelve barrels of herrings yield about onebarrel of oil. The price of a barrel of frelh herrings is generally four filver dollars \the expence of halting them, calk inclufive, (which colts about * 16 or 20 Ikillings), isfive or fix dollars : the price of a barrel of halted herrings is from twelve to thirteendollars, thus leaving a profit of from a dollar and a half to two filver dollars per barrelfor the curing. The barrel of oil fells for 12 rix-dollars, it contains an awm f ; that isto fay, about one hundred and eighty common bottles. All the calks are gauged, anduniformly contain from a thoufand to twelve hundred herrings. The filhery begins inOctober, and lads till February, and even March, according to the feafon. The greaterpart of its produce is exported to different places in the country, the coalls of the Bal-tic, and the Mediterranean; they export alfo (particularly to the fouthern nations),dried and fmoaked herrings; thefe are of higher price than the former. Some adven-turers at this place have attempted the whale filhery, but without fuccefs.

Generally, if alked to dine, it is an invitation for the day, and fupper as well: this isthe cuftom throughout all Sweden, and even at Stockholm , but there it is confined tothe fecondary ranks in fociety. Grace before and after meat, and a bow to the mailerof the houfe, are cuftomary every where: at times indeed, the length of this ceremony,and the ferious countenance alfumed by the Swedes, would incline us to laughter butfor the intervention of reflection. At ceremonial dinners, healths are drunk in anenormous goblet full of Rhenilh wine or Champagne ; the goblet is handed round, andeach takes a fip : there are certain formalities to be obferved, in which you are inftrudtedon the fpot, and the penalty, in cafe of omiffion, is to empty the goblet; to our mindsrather an arduous undertaking: we were prefent at this ceremony for the firft time atthe houfe of the Bilhop of Gottenburg, a well informed, and very amiable perfon : heis confidered the belt preacher in Sweden , and is indebted to himfelf alone for his emi-nent ftation in life, being the fon of a peafant. Apothecaries at Gottenburg are menof better information than in other countries, and what is lingular, they are held inhigher elteem than either furgeons or phyficians.

It is cuftomary for the band of the regiment in garrifon to come and play under thewindows, or even at the door of ftrangers who arrive : you difmifs them at the expenceof a trifle, or without giving them any thing, (as we were recommended to do,) by de-firing them on their beginning to go about their bufinefs. There is no other than yel-low bougies at Gottenburg, and it ftruck us as fomewhat lingular, that at a grand fup-per, to which eighteen or a fcore perfons were invited, given by the richeft merchantin the town, who is reputedly worth 400,000 rix-dollars, and who in 1791 - built aWooden houfe which coll a fourth of that amount, there was none but tallow candles°n the table. Many articles are dear in this town, if compared with their price intowns of fimilar dimenfions in France .

Handing of the Dans in 1788 . The Prince of Hefle came to Gottenburg in 1788 ,Portly before the landing : on this occafion he was received with the greateft demon-firations of civility by the governor, and the Duke of Sudermania, who was there atthe time : he took advantage of this to acquire fuch information refpe&ing the place,as ought be ufeful to him. He could eafily have plundered the whole of the Eaft In-

* Vide table of Sw»dilh money. f See table of meafures.

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VOL. VI.

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