JET. 22.] AND SCANDINAVIA. l8l 



The revenues of Sweden amount to about two 

 millions sterling, but are rather on the decrease, from 

 the expension of the mines ; and they are burdened 

 with about eight millions national debt, the interest 

 of which they find it difficult to pay. The commerce, 

 particularly up the gulf, is greatly increasing : several 

 ports have been opened of late. 



Stockholm is situated very advantageously for ship- 

 ping, not only from the excellence of the harbour, but 

 its distance (six or eight miles) from the sea, so that 

 ships have to be warped up between narrow channels 

 almost all this way. The staple articles are flax, 

 hemp, iron, and deals ; and chiefly flax and iron, of 

 which last particularly there is a magnificent depot 

 at Stockholm. 



Gefle is a large trading town up the gulf, and is 

 reckoned the fourth in Sweden ; it fits out ships of 

 seven or eight hundred tons burden. Sundsvall, 

 Hudiksvall, Havosund, Lulea, and Tornea, and se- 

 veral large places up the gulf, have lately been 

 made free towns, and have added very considerably 

 to the commerce of the country. In the West 

 Indies, Sweden has some small trade from the posses- 

 sion of St Bartholomew, ceded by France. It is a 

 barren rock, and now literally a depot for smuggling. 

 The governor had behaved so ill to the inhabitants, 

 that deputies were arrived in Stockholm, while we 

 were there, to complain of his conduct. 



Their trade in the East Indies used to be very con- 

 siderable, and Gottenborg the headquarters, though 



