The Mortal Remaixs of Swedenborg 81 



No. 7. 



Extract from the Minutes of the Church Council of the Swedish Congre- 

 gation in London for Nov. 10th, 1844, signed by Pastor G. W. Carlson, 

 concerning an examination of Swedenborg's coffin and skull. 



§ 4. In the above-mentioned vault are preserved the mortal remains of 

 a famous countryman, Herr Assessor Emanuel Swedenborg. As the members of 

 the Church Council, on a personal examination of the vault, found the casket re- 

 ferred to half open and in a highly dilapidated condition, the Pastor communicat- 

 ed that, according to the minutes of the Church Council, the casket had been 

 broken open about 30 years ago by some villains who stole the skull in order 

 to sell the same, but who did not, however, succeed in their speculation, so that 

 the then Pastor, Dr. Wahlin, received back the skull, which was again laid into 

 the casket, although it is much doubted whether it is the right one. It was, how- 

 ever, found to be of the greatest necessitj- to repair Swedenborg's casket, if 

 it Avere not to fall to pieces: and Baron Wetterstedt immediatelj^ offered to make, 

 without charge, a new covering for the casket in question of the marine-metal 

 (»marin-metallen») discovered by him, which offer was thankfully accepted. Ba- 

 ron Wetterstedt promised to oversee this work himself. 



§ 5. In connection with the question which had arisen as to whether 

 the skull in Swedenborg's casket could be the right one, Mr. In de Betou com- 

 municated that he, after a careful examination of the skull, very much doubted 

 this, for the following reasons: 1) because within the head is a quantity of dust 

 which would seem to show that the skull had lain in the earth: 2) because a 

 piece of wood is to be seen, driven into the head, which seems to indicate that 

 the dead man had lost his life in some violent manner: and 3) because there is 

 no mark to show that any cast had been taken of the face, as is stated in the 

 Minutes of the Church Council for July 4th, 1819, § 8. On account of these 

 remarks, the Pastor of the Congregation was requested to write to Dr. Wahlin, 

 in order to receive from him information as to these conditions. 



No. 8. 



Extract from the Minutes of the Church Council of the Swedish Congre- 

 gation in London for Oct. 26th, 1853, signed by Pastor G. W. Carlson, 

 concerning a new coffin for Swedenborg's remains. 



§ 8. On the proposal of Mr. Johnson it was decided that a new oaken 

 coffin should be made in order to preserve the remains of Emanuel Swedenborg, 

 as the old coffin, which is preserved in the vault, is nearly turned to dust. 



Nova Acta Reg. Soc. Sc. Ups. Ser. i. Vol. 2. N. 9. Impr. '=,11 1910. 11 



