84 TEN YEARS IN SWEDEN. 



murder, and if the public papers speak the feelings of the 

 people, in all probability this will be about the last capital 

 punishment in Sweden. At the last meeting of the " diet/' 

 a very great attempt was made to do away with capital 

 punishment, and, singular to say, the priests stood alone as 

 champions of the system. 



Formerly a master could take the law into his own hands, 

 and chastise his own servants, this, however, is not the 

 case now, and an assault, especially on a policeman, is a 

 very serious offence in Sweden. 



I should certainly recommend the adoption of the 

 Swedish prison discipline for our garotters. I have 

 been told that they do not clip the prisoner close here, 

 but as soon as he enters the prison they shave clean 

 the one half of his head, leaving the hair on the other. 

 This sort of head-dress must have an imposing and striking 

 effect. 



No one can be executed without first confessing the 

 crime, even after having been condemned ; but the prisoner 

 is kept in prison till the confesson is made ; and solitary con- 

 finement and the exhortations of the priest generally force 

 the prisoner to confess sooner or later. Whether there is 

 either justice or mercy in such a law I leave wiser heads 

 than mine to determine. 



The constables in the country are about on a par with 

 our old parish constables at home, only, of course, fewer 

 and further between. The new police in Gothenburg are a 

 poor imitation of the London police ; but it is a very heavy 

 offence to interfere with them when on duty. 



In the country towns, the night-watchmen cry the hours 

 with loud sonorous voices, and one watchman, in Carlstad, 

 was perched all night upon the top of the church tower 

 to cry the hours through a loud horn, and give notice if a 

 fire broke out in the night. I used to think a Swedish 

 postillion must have roughish work of it during the winter, 

 but his life would be a bed of roses compared to that of one 

 of these steeple watchmen, on a cold January night, in the 

 middle of Sweden. 



