POULTEY TAXES. 163 



properly timed, which there is no reason to doubt, and 

 allowing 5,416 feet Swedish to be equal to an English mile, 

 and the Norwegian foot is not much longer, we shall 

 find that "Erick Milvold," going the rate of 1800 feet 

 in sixty-two seconds, even if he had kept up the same 

 pace for a mile, would not have covered more than the 

 English mile in about three minutes; so he could hardly 

 have held a candle to the American cracks " Peerless," 

 ' ' Flying Cloud," or ( ' Lady Flora," or even to some English 

 cracks, which I am not too old to have forgotten, and among 

 them my own little favourite "Miss Kitty." But in a 

 country where no prizes are given for competition, it is 

 hardly worth while one man trying to have a better horse 

 than another. Still Norwegian horses are much thought of 

 in Sweden, and " Oh he's of Norsk race " is a wonderful 

 recommendation from a Swedish dealer. 



Domestic poultry is hardly so much looked after in the 

 country as it should be, when we consider that a score 

 of eggs at Christmas will, in many towns, fetch Is. 6d. 

 Peacocks, turkeys, geese, ducks, and fowls, pigeons and 

 tame rabbits, will all thrive in South Wermland. 



The taxes on the farmer appear to be very moderate ; 

 I, however, did not pay them, and I have heard the 

 men who did so, complain bitterly. All the relief of the 

 poor in the country is out- door, and the poor-rates are 

 levied in grain in our district, after this fashion : Early 

 in spring an auction is held, to which all aged and helpless 

 paupers are brought, in order to be let for the year : each 

 pauper is put up to bidding, after the manner of a Dutch 

 auction, to see who will take and keep him or her for a 

 year, at the lowest price, and a good deal of speculation 

 often goes on among the assembled farmers. A helpless 

 old pauper, out of whom they can get no work, will probably 

 let out for eight tunna of oats for the year, while one who 

 appears to have some little work left in him, will be taken 

 for much less. The man who hires him of course has to 

 keep and clothe him for the year. I have heard that the 

 best speculation is in helpless old women, because they 



