62 TEN YEARS IX SWEDEN. 



possible that even to this day, we must continue to have re- 

 course to a practice so costly and yet so often repeated/' 

 But I shall have occasion, in my chapter on the agricul- 

 ture of the country, to enter more fully into this subject. 



Commerce and manufactures are both yearly increasing. 

 Since 1854, a much freer system of trade has been introduced 

 into the country, and the free-traders say, and they are 

 probably right, that this has had a very beneficial effect upon 

 commerce. In fact, I believe that now no foreign articles are 

 forbidden to be imported. The Customs duties have also 

 been greatly lessened. 



In 1840, the value of articles manufactured in Sweden was 

 estimated by the Customs at 21,000,000 rqr. ; in 1850, at 

 37,000,000 rqr. ; in i860, at 59,000,000 rqr. 



The workpeople employed in the various manufactories in 

 1840, amounted to 15,410; in 1850, to 23,427; and in 1860, 

 to 30,757. Before the American war broke out, the cotton 

 spinneries held the first rank among Swedish manufactories ; 

 the value of their manufactured cotton goods being in 1 860, 

 12, 18 2, 000 rqr., in which 4021 hands were employed. The 

 value of cloth manufactured in the country in that year was 

 9,190,000 rqr. which employed 2981 hands. The value of 

 the sugar refined in the country was 11,925,000 rqr. 



It is only since 1861 that the distillery of " Branvin," the 

 common brandy of the country, from rye and potatoes, has 

 been taken under the control of government. Formerly any 

 private person could distil. Brandy was much cheaper and 

 easier to procure, and the consumption, among the lower classes 

 especially, was something frightful. Twenty years ago Branvin 

 was used in the country like money as a circulating medium 

 among the peasants. In fact, at that time they had little 

 or no money, for the whole produce of their farms, rye and 

 potatoes, was consumed in the distilleries, and but little went 

 to market. Branvin was indeed the staff of life. The 

 English reader will be surprised to hear that at that time 

 landed proprietors (most of whom owned private distilleries) 

 have been known to pay their servants' wages in brandy. 

 The consumption of brandy has certainly, of late years; 



