122 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



Church are two rose windows; in the middle of each, says 

 tradition, there once sparkled a brilliant carbuncle. These 

 precious stones were carried off by Waldemar, king of 

 Denmark, when he captured the town and plundered the 

 place, carrying off his booty to Denmark ; but the largest 

 of his vessels foundered near the Carlsoer, where it is said 

 still to lie, laden with rich treasures. 1 We cast anchor 

 at 2 P.M. at Wisby, the only town in Gothland, lying 

 in the centre of its western coast. This town looked to 

 us like a model of Rome, so splendid is it, with its many 

 great roofless churches, which time has ruined, and its 

 strong and lofty walls of hewn stone. 



'The town occupies a half-circle on the slope of 

 a steep hill. It is not very large, being enclosed 

 and fortified on the land side with a high wall and 

 many strong towers.' These walls of Wisby, now 

 standing, enclose 1 70 acres of c townland.' 2 They were 

 built in 1228. The thirty-six towers were erected by 

 the inhabitants of the island, each parish building one. 

 They are sixty or seventy feet high. The walls are 

 loopholed, and two towers guard each gate. ' The 

 streets are generally uneven, small and narrow, with 

 irregular alleys. The houses are built in German style, 

 some of stone, some of crossbar-work, some of wood. 

 Most of them are roofed with tiles brought from Ger- 

 many. The inhabitants are pleasant and friendly ; they 

 speak Swedish with a somewhat Norwegian accent. 

 The water, which comes from the land side, is clear, and 

 1 Baedeker. 2 Tunnland. 



