480 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



and balls at stated times ; the 

 Amaranth, the Innocence, the 

 Narcissus, &c. The Amarantli is 

 by far the most fashionable, and 

 the best attended, and includes 

 several associated establishments 

 in the larger towns of Sweden. 

 There was formerly an order of 

 knighthood, instituted by Queen 

 Christina, under this title, to per- 

 petuate the memory of her lover, 

 Pontus de la Gardie ; but having 

 afterwards fallen into disuse, it 

 was nominally revived in this 

 spurious shape about 70 years 

 since by a piivate association. 



The ceremonials of inauguration 

 are conducted with all the due forms 

 of chivalry. On the ballot for a 

 new member being declared, the 

 elect is introduced by a lady, and 

 a procession arrayed to the strains 

 of solemn music : when this is 

 concluded, she decorates him with 

 the libbon and insignia of the 

 Amaranth, and he receives on his 

 shoulder tha. sword of the presi- 

 dent, who is usually one of the 

 first officers of the state. The 

 grand cordons, and grand crosses 

 and collars, are distributed in pro- 

 fusion — mock honours, that give, 

 neve:theless, a strikingly gay air 

 to the whole assembly. In the 

 midst (not the least conspicuous) 

 shone the Marechalls of a late 

 noble marriage, wearing, in si- 



milar knightly 



.5.1 w, guise, the garters 

 of the bride ; which, according to 

 custom, are the prize of those who 

 light the bridegroom to his cham- 

 ber on the nuptial night. But 

 ceremonious decorations, so uni- 

 versal on the continent in general, 

 are objects of a nature particularly 

 captivating to the ostentatious 

 mind of a Swede. At a meeting 

 even of this description the full 



dress is ordinarily worn by all 

 that are entitled to it ; and excep- 

 tions can only be few, w hen the 

 members of every rank and pro- 

 fession, from the highest civil 

 officers of the crown to the Royal 

 Academy of artists, have their 

 distinctive and ajipropriate uni- 

 form. The citizens, too, have 

 their regular gala habit ; a Spanish 

 cloak and hose of black, being 

 the same in colour, and not dif- 

 fering much in shape from the 

 connnon dress of the court. It is 

 but fair to add that, among other 

 accomplishments, the young of 

 both sexes all dance extremely 

 well, and in a style inferioj- per- 

 haps only to the beau monde of 

 Faris. 



Among the lower classes the 

 first indication of the approach of 

 winter gives them the hint to lay 

 up their stock of eatables for the 

 frozen market ; the provisions 

 lasting, in a congealed state, un- 

 hurt during the whole season. 

 They next pile their stocks of 

 wood for firing, and light up the 

 stove of their wooden cabin, that 

 is never suffered to grow cool, or 

 even to undergo \entilation, from 

 this day till the arrival of the 

 genial month of May. 



One of the most pleasing sights 

 of this time was the return of the 

 seamen, discharged for the winter, 

 to their bostellars, or apportion- 

 ments of land. We saw a division 

 of them on their march, carrying 

 their families, with all their little 

 store, in light Swedish waggons 

 from the port to their homes : 

 heie they were housed, each with 

 his hut and plot of ground, in se- 

 parate ranges, according to the 

 gradation of their lespective ranks ; 

 the habitation of the commander 



of 



