SWEDEN. 93 



which in some countries are considered as capital, are chiefly punish- 

 ed by whipping, condemnation to live upon bread and water, imprison- 

 ment and hard labour, either for life or a stated time, according to 

 the nature of the crime. Criminals were tortured to extort confes- 

 sion, till the reign of the late king: but in 1773 his Swedish majesty 

 abolished this cruel and absurd practice. 



Revenue. ...The revenue, of Sweden, arising from the rents of 

 crownlands, capitation taxes, customs, and various other articles, 

 amounts to about 1,450,000/. The annual expenditure generally ra- 

 ther exceeds the revenue, and the debt of the crown amounted some 

 years ago to 7,000,000/. Sweden, until lately, laboured under a very 

 great scarcity of specie, the country being overwhelmed with paper- 

 money ; but this inconvenience has been in some degree remedied by 

 a coinage of silver. 



Army and navy. ...No country in the world has produced greater 

 heroes, or braver troops, than the Swedes ; and yet they cannot be said 

 to maintain a standing army, as their forces principally consist of a 

 regulated militia. The cavalry is clothed, armed, and maintained, by 

 a rate raised upon the nobility and gentry, according to their estates ; 

 and the infantry by the peasants. Each province is obliged to find its 

 proportion of soldiers, according to the number of farms it contains. 

 Every farm of 60 or 70^. per annum is charged with a foot soldier, fur- 

 nishing him with diet, lodging, and ordinary clothes, and about 20s. a 

 year in money ; or else a little wooden house is built him by the farmer, 

 who allows him hay and pasturage for a cow, and ploughs and sows 

 land enough to supply him with bread. When embodied, they are 

 subject to military law, but otherwise to the civil law of the country. 

 It may therefore literally be said that every Swedish soldier has a 

 property in the country he defends. In 1791 the standing regiments 

 amounted to 13,500 infantry and 1,000 cavalry ; and the national troops 

 to 22,500 infantry, 7,000 cavalry, and 3,500 dragoons.* In 1 808 the 

 regular troops were 18,425, and the national 34,614. In 1813 the 

 Crown Prince had a regular army of 30,000 men in the field. Swe- 

 den formerly could have fitted out 40 ships of the line ; at present she 

 has not more than 25, and 10 or 15 frigates. 



Royal title, orders of knighthood.. ..The king takes the title 

 of King of Sweden and of the Goths and Vandals ; Grand-duke of 

 Finland, Hereditary Lord of Norway ; Duke of Sleswick, Stormarn, 

 and Ditmarsen ; Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. 



The orders of knighthood are that of the Seraphim, or blue ribbon ; 

 of the Sword, or yellow ribbon ; of the Polar Star, or black ribbon ; 

 and of Vasa, or the green ribbon. The order of the Sword is bestowed 

 for military merit ; and that of the Polar Star for civil services. 



Religion. ...Christianity was introduced into Sweden in the ninth 

 century, and Lutheranism established by Gustavus Vasa. The na- 

 tional church is governed by the archbishop of Upsal and thirteen 

 bishops. The bishoprics are those of Linkceping, Skara, Stregnaes-, 

 Westeros, Vexjoe, Abo, Lund, Borgo, Gotheburg, Calmar, Carls-tadt, 

 Hernsesand, and Gothland. The Swedes, were till of late years, very 

 intolerent to those of other religious professions, and extremely severe 

 laws were in force against the catholic priests. But they have now 

 greatly relaxed from this bigotry : various sects are tolerated in Swe- 

 den, and Jews were permitted to settle there, and open synagogues 



* Boisgdin's Travels through Sweden.- 



