RELIGION. 77 



of their Christian duties than their neighbours/ in fact, 

 rather more religious ; and consequently, instead of being 

 respected, as undoubtedly they ought to be, for setting a 

 better example to their neighbours, they are universally 

 sneered at, and { c Oh, he's a Lasare " is used as a term of 

 reproach. 



The priests, take them as a class, are an exemplary, well- 

 educated body of men, often over-worked but certainly not 

 overpaid; zealous and indefatigable in their duties, and 

 with perhaps as few pretensions as the clergy of any 

 country in the world. 



Their income, especially that of the curates, is small. A 

 curate will probably not receive more than about 10 a year 

 and his keep, and the first living to which he may be 

 appointed will perhaps not exceed 40 a year. There are, 

 however, some large livings ; the largest I ever heard of, in 

 Wermland, was about 800 a year, and I do not think there 

 are any larger. The income of a Swedish priest is generally 

 derived from a small farm, and often besides from a yearly 

 payment of butter, corn, etc., by his parishioners. 



One thing I much like as regards the appointing of the 

 Swedish clergy. The priests are chosen by the voice of the 

 parishioners (at least in certain cases) and the bishops by 

 the vote of the clergy of the diocese. 



The whole kingdom is divided into 12 stifts or dioceses, 

 each under the rule of a bishop and consistorium. 



The archbishop of Upsala is over all, and his income is 

 about 1200 yearly, or less than that of the Bishop of Lund. 

 The income of the Bishop of Lund is at present above 2000 

 a year, but a considerable reduction is about to take place, 

 and in future he will receive scarcely 1000 a year, and the 

 Bishop of Carlstad about 600. 



These 12 dioceses are divided into 174 provostships, or 

 contracts, of which the bishop of the diocese names the con- 

 tract priest, who is the head of all the others in his provost- 

 ship. The number of territorial " pastorats" is 1261, most 

 of them including more than one parish. The number of 

 all the clergy in Sweden, of every grade, appears to be 3406, 



