440 



LITEKATUiE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1878. 



under the pseudonym of Lnrminp, baa issued 

 volume, "Mugeras del Evangelio," of reli- 

 gions poetry, full of inspiration, simplicity, aod 

 elevation; in wliich the author docs his best 

 to oppose the revolutionary ideas of the pres- 

 ent day. 



Dramatic literature, so popular in Spain, 

 counts as usual a great many additions. In- 

 deed, they are extremely numerous, although 

 few can be said to have met with success in 

 the present year. 



Spanish novel* continue to be infinitely less 

 numerous tlrm those of other countries. Yi-t 

 the historical novels of Gald6s are interesting 

 and worthy of notice: his " Trafalgar " and 

 "La Corte de Carlos IV. "give an excellent 

 idea of the period which they describe. Sefioru 

 Ooronado's "Jarilla," Senora Sinne's " Una 

 Hiju del Siglo and several more by Blasco, 

 Guerrero, Moya, and others, are not without 

 interest. 



Books of travels are not common in Spain. 

 Mentaberry, however, 1ms written " Viage a 

 Oriente de Madrid a Constantino," anintere-.t- 

 ing volume. ''Do Madrid al Vesubio," by 

 Lasa, and " Viage al Rededor de una Cartera," 

 are both entertaining productions. 



Like books of travels, books of an entertain- 

 ing kind expensively got up are extremely 

 scarce in Spain ; the only one which can bo 

 mentioned this year is "Las Mugueres Es- 

 paflolas," a description of the characteristic 

 female types of the different provinces. The 

 text is written by the best authors, and the 

 book is handsomely illustrated. 



SWEDES. The new system of "people 

 schools," dating from 1842, the self-govern- 

 ment of communities dating from 1862, and 

 the new form of political representation dating 

 from 1865, have contributed to elevate the in- 

 tellectual level of the people, and the literary 

 consequences appear in a continually-increasing 

 demand for books and journals. In this re- 

 spect it may, perhaps, be worth noticing that 

 tin' thin population of Sweden (amounting to 

 little more than four millions) already supports 

 a periodical literature of not less than 240 

 weekly and daily papers, one of which, the 

 S*tdith Weekly (ffctntta Veelobladet), pub- 

 lishes 60,000 copies of each number (one for 

 every eighty inhabitants); that during tho 

 last ten years more than fifteen million copies 

 of religions books, tracU, and papers havo 

 been spread among the people; and that in 

 1878 alone the stock of printing-presses has 

 nearly doubled. 



Among the literary productions of this year, 

 the most Important, from several point 

 view, is undoubtedly the last translation of 

 the New Testament, issued by the "Royal 

 Bit.le Commission." which, established 1 

 dcr of Gustavo. III., has this year nr 

 at the respectable age of a full century. 

 The many previous trannlations have n 

 been accepted, nor has this last essay 

 OMded in gaining the necessary majority in 



our "Kyrkomote," but the principles laid 

 down in it have met with a full approbation, 

 nt least, us regards the critical treatment ol 

 the text. They involve un entire rejeetion of 

 the authorized version, " The Bible of Charles 

 XII.," lia-ed upon codices of the fourteenth 

 and fifteen tli centuries, the acceptance of the 

 Sinaitie, Vatican, and Alexandrine rod ices as 

 standard authorities, and a strict attention to 

 the researches of Tischendorf and others on 

 the field of criticism. 



Next to this publication, of paramount in- 

 terest, I may call attention to a most impor- 

 tant work by Prof. Nyblajns, on the "his- 

 tory ot' Swedish Philosophy." As, very prob- 

 ably, most English readers are not aware 

 of the existence of a Swedish philosophy really 

 deserving that name, it may be stated 

 that Sweden boasts of a native philo.-ophieul 

 school, whose author, the Into Prof. Bos- 

 troin (I860), in the course of twenty years' 

 lectures, delineated and developed the most 

 purely idealistic system that has appeared. 

 Th'- volume, in which Mr. Nybla-us explains 

 the system of his master, is worthy of perusal. 



Though the religious movements in Uwi 

 are both strong and deep, yet the thcol. 

 literature is rather poor. A popular and ! 

 ly-esteemed writer is Mr. Vikner, whose " Tan- 

 kor och fragor inftr Menniskoues Boo " is 

 peculiarly attractive from the union of' can. lor, 

 faith, and dialectical power. A decided ra- 

 tionalist, Mr. Rydberg, has brought out a lit- 

 tle study on the genealogy of the "Patriarchs 

 in Genesis." Among the theological literature 

 may also be reckoned the elaborate, work of 

 the late curate Beckmon, " Forsok till Svensk 

 Psalmhistorin." 



Tho part of our history that stands in preat- 

 cd of a scientific treatment, the period 

 after IHO'.I. has now, in Mr. llcllstenius. found a 

 diligent and impartial investigator, who- 

 searelies, principally founded upon the papers 

 and ineinoirsof Colonel Schinkel, aide-de-camp 

 to Kin;.' Charles XIV., have in the last volume 

 of "Minneii ur Nyasto Ilintoria," 



reached the year 1828. 



Our political literature is chiefly devoted to 

 questions of internal government, and its most 

 prominent work is a study on "The Swedish 

 Parliament" ("Den Svcnka Riksdagen '), by 

 Prof. Rydin. 



The Nestor of Swedish botanists, E. Fries, 

 has issued the seventh mid eighth parts of his 

 great illustrated work, " Icoiie* Seh-.-ta hyme- 

 nomycetum iiondiim delim atorum.'' Of the 

 valuable work, " The Geological lies, arch of 

 Sweden," edited by the Geological < Mlice, tho 

 forty-eighth and forty-ninth leaves have ap- 

 peared, accompanied by explanatory t 

 The curious and learned work of Mr. Tliorcll, 

 " K'-markson Synonyms of European Spiders," 

 is throughout written in English. A publica- 

 tion thnt assuredly will be received with some 

 interest is " Carol! I.innici Flora Paleenrlica," 

 edited by Mr. Ahrling, after the author's 



