1822.] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HOULD you think the following 
account of the actual state of the 
periodical press in Sweden worthy of 
a place in your valuable miscellany, I 
shall take the earliest opportunity of 
furnishing you also with an account 
of the state of the general literature 
of that country, of which so little is 
known in England. B. 
The oldest newspaper in Sweden, 
and that which is most read, is the 
Post och Inrikes Tidning (the Post 
and Domestic Gazette), established 
nearly a century ago. It is edited by 
the Secretary of the Swedish Academy, 
and forms the principal branch of re- 
venue of this Society. At the same 
time it is considered as the official 
paper of the court, supplying the pub- 
lie with foreign news, official accounts 
concerning the court and the country, 
decrees, promotions, distributions of 
orders, &c. 
Next-to this paper, the Stockholms 
Posten (Stockholm Post) used to be 
the greatestfavourite. Itwas founded 
by Kelgern, one of the greatest poets 
of the country in 1778. In this paper 
literary reviews and scientific intelli- 
gence were mixed with foreign news. 
But upon the death of its founder it 
fell off, and only kept part of its repu- 
tation, for some time after, by the oc- 
casional insertion of the songs of the 
favourite poetess, Mrs. Lingern, which 
were soon sung throughout the whole 
nation. Now it is very little read. 
The decay of this journal induced 
Counsellor Wallmark, in the year 
1809, to begin another daily paper, 
under the title of the Literary and 
Theatrical Journal, but which was soon 
changed into that of Allmanna Jour- 
nalen (Universal Journal); the former 
having been suppressed on account of 
an article upon Norway. Of all the 
non-official papers in Sweden, this is 
most read. In its literary department 
it vehemently opposes what is termed 
“the New School,” that is, that party 
which since 1810 have endeavoured to 
free the nation from the French tram- 
mels imposed upon it by the Aca- 
demy. Mr. W. is the champion of the 
“ correct taste party ;” all literary arti- 
cles in his journal have, therefore, but 
one tendency, viz. that of refuting the 
writings of the new party. Sometimes 
he also treats his readers with short 
essays against (what he terms) ‘the 
State of the Periodical Press in Sweden. 7 
errors of the age,” such as nationality 
in poetry, romance, magnetism, &c. 
Sometimes he gives larger articles, 
mostly drawn from the liberal French 
newspapers, statistical accounts, and 
sundry informations on domestic mat- 
ters. 
Immediately after the establishment 
of the liberty of the press in Sweden in 
1809, a spirit of freedom began to stir 
in the nation, and innumerable periodi- 
cals appeared in Stockholm, and again 
vanished. Most of them died from 
want; others were wrecked against the 
quicksands of politics. One however, 
the Polyfem, which was began in 1810, 
closed in 1812, merely because the 
time previously fixed for its continua- 
tion had expired. This paper was the 
first that opened the contest against the 
the French school, in which it employ- 
ed parody and satire with brilliant 
success; and in its pages, which are 
still much read, a fund of humour and 
wit (although occasionally rather wan- 
ton,) is treasured up, such as is perhaps 
not equalled by any other nation. After 
this a paper of a very different de- 
scription was started, it was called 
Anmarkaren (Observer), and was pro- 
hibited in November last, on account 
of a satirical allegory on the burial of 
General Cardell. The editor’s name 
was Cederborgh, author of several no- 
vels. He pretended to write on the 
opposition side, but he ultimately at- 
tacked every institution and person 
with vulgar coarseness, so that the 
paper at Jast became a public terror 
and nuisance; and, after having once 
before been restored to life by the 
king’s special favour, its career is now 
finally closed. 
As a mediator between the demago- 
gical fierceness of the Observer, and 
the servile partiality of the Universal 
Journal, by which every act of, and 
every person in, authority is as much 
over-praised as they were degraded by 
the other, a new journal was began in 
1820, by two former assistants to the 
editor of the Observer. They named 
it the Argus, and its principal object 
was the publication of inland accounts, 
remarkable trials, (of which the Ob- 
server used to give only such as re- 
flected upon the character of some 
public functionary,) notices of little 
incidents, public amusements, &c. The 
plan of this publication was so much 
approved of, that they obtained 1,100 
subscribers, which in Sweden is a 
considerable number; the Imperial 
Gazette 
