516 fctrtia^s travels in Sweden .

“ We pafs over feveral other memorable things related by M. de Voltaire , probablycommunicated to him by Siquier, of which however the perfons in attendance b ; theKing ought to have better information, notwithftanding their narratives differ from thatof M. de Voltaire . Another circumftance as memorable as it is unaccountable. Airofficer O'f high rank in the neighbourhood of Fredericfhall foretold that the King woulddie on the 30th November. The report of this prediction was very extenfiveiy fpread,and no fecret of it was made. It is not known whether it ever reached the ear of HisMajefty, but as we have before remarked, he was noticed the morning before to havedeftroyed fome papers, and had nothing in his pockets but a prayer book'and a minia-ture of Guftavus Adolphus. If the death of the King had not happened, the prophecywould only have been laughed at, but as it was confirmed by the event, it was thoughtto have fome fignification.

“ To judge from appearances, the King died at a very unfortunate time for Sweden ;but the death of Kings is decided by powerful motives, which are not always thofethat fuit the intereft of man.”

The foregoing is an exaCl tranflatidn as afforded us by a learned Swede ; he furtheradded, that the time would come when the death of Charles would be fpoken of as atprefent we do of that of Guftavus Adolphus, and we are very much of his opinion:We ftiall now proceed to difcufs the opinion of Mr. Coxe, expofe our own, and leaveour readers to determine which is the beft founded in argument and affertions.

Mr. Coxe, in his Travels in the North, publilhed in 1791, enters largely into thefubjeCt of this death; he pretends that Lamotraye and Voltaire have given falfe ac-counts of this event; this is true, it is certain, from the verbal procefs before cited, and.from the malk moulded over the face of the King, of which Mr. Coxe fpeaks, that hiseyes were not found out of his head, that the ball did not weigh half a pound, and thatthe orifice was confiderably fmaller than reported. Mr. Coxe cites the fame verbalprocefs as we do, with fome flight difference. His tranflator has miftook him grofly inputting depth for length , and penetrated for went out. Mr. Coxe could have feen noother mark than fuch as we have defcribed: his conclufion from it is Amply that thewound was made by a fmall bullet, which is incontrovertible: but he perfifts in believ-ing that it came from the fortrefs, and principally fupports his opinion by the accountafforded by the old Norwegian Elkenfon , a cannoneer in the Danilh garrifon during the

Lis face was a cloth. The head was uncovered without any cap, but in lieu was furroundsd by a laurelwreath. His hair was in good prefervation, of a very light brown colour, and the length of a little fingercombed upwards on the fides, but the top of his head was bald. On the right fide juft beneath the templewas a plafter, which ftuck fo fail that with great difficulty we could remove it; when removed, we per-ceived and felt an oblong orifice flanting in a direftion towards the back of the head feven lines in lengthand two in breadth; on the left fide which was covered with a plafter of the fame fize, the whole o! thetemple was torn away, and the fragments of the bones evidently denoted the paflage of the ball from thatpart. His face was much wafted, his mouth rather open, and fome of his teeth were vifible. Under hishead were feveral pillows of white linen full of fragrant herbs. Along his fides and on his arms a numberof fmall white bags were laid filled with the fame materials. His arms were ftretched by the fide of thobody, and his hands covered with white gloves were^placed oppofite each other. His ffiirt was of linen of &fmaller degree of finenefs, and his winding fheet of cambric.

EH. HARLEMAN.

EL. EKEBLAD.

ANDREW JOHN, of Hcepken.The original of this atteftation is fn the King’s library at Stockholm . It was communicated to the authorby the Royal Librarian Gjaurwell, and may be feen in a work written by him, entitled Swedijh Anecdotes,part 3.

Baron Harleman was fuperintendant of the King’s fhip3. Counts Ekeblad and. Hcepken were after-wards made Senators.

fiege