278 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



sailed down the Eskilstunaa for Thorshalla, one of the 

 quaintest and most delightful places in Sweden. It is 

 set nearly in the water, like the lake dwellings of old, 

 and is full of picturesque bits and bridges intermingled 

 with waterfalls and weirs. Some of the houses are 

 built on piles, but most of them stand on rude but 

 solid pedestals of stone, chiefly granite blocks, lichen- 

 grown, in all colours. One walks right through the 

 wooden-built red-painted town in changing from one 

 boat to another,* the way being stopped by waterfalls, 

 above which the lofty scaled tower of Thorshalla Church 

 is the centre of many charming pictures. The Swedes 

 are prouder of Eskilstuna, which has of late risen rapidly 

 into prominence, and strongly recommend it to strangers 

 in preference to Thorshalla, which was in Linngeus's 

 time much the more important place, and is unaltered 

 in its aspect. To the artist, however, there is no com- 

 parison between the two places. Eskilstuna has points 

 of interest certainly, but it is on the whole a flourishing 

 manufacturing town ; while Thorshalla has all the charm 

 and novelty of the real old world of ages long ago about 

 it, grouped in a way to make it unusually interesting 

 even among picturesque places. High, stately, full- 

 sailed vessels glide, seemingly, through the fields, moving 

 westward from Stockholm, saluted by the cheers of the 

 crowd gathered on a Sunday evening. From other direc- 

 tions come smaller boats, carrying crowds of pleasure- 

 seeking passengers from many parts of the Malar. 



Linnaeus took again another boat (one is constantly 



