5^^^ An Account of the Kingdom of Swede Book IL 
liaviour of the Soldiers, who have not hitherto broke out 
into any Enormities, nor given the common People any 
great Occafion of Complaint. To keep them in Difci- 
pline, each Company meets, and is exercifed once a 
Month, and every Regiment once or twice a Year *, at 
which time only they wear the King’s Cloaths, which, at 
their Return, are carefully laid up in the Churches. For 
their Government in Time of War, the King hath lately 
caufedthe Artiqles of War to be reviewed and printed, to- 
gether with a new Eftablifliment of Courts Martial, and 
Inftrudlions for the Auditors, Governors, and other Of- 
ficers concerned in the Miniftration of Juftice •, and for 
his Majefty’s Information on all Occafions, a Book hath 
been lately made, fpecifying the Names of every Military 
Officer in the King’s Army, the Time when they firlt 
came into the Service, and by what Steps they have rifen*, 
by which Means, at one View, his Majefty knows the 
Merit and Service of any Officer. The whole Body of 
the King of Sweden^ Forces, according to the befl and 
moft exadl Accounts are as follow : 
The ejlablijhed Militia in Sweden, Finland, and 
Liefland or Livonia, are 
Men 
Cavalry, fifteen Regiments, is - - - - 17,000 
Infantry, twenty-eight Regiments, is - - - 35,000 
Foot- Guards, one Regiment, is - - - - - 2,000 
Forces in Pomoren and Bremen^ fix Rcgim. (now loft) 6,000 
In all fifty Regiments, is ------ 60,000 
10. Sweden has in all Times furniffied Europe with 
thofe Commodities it abounds with, yet either the War- 
like Temj 5 er, Idlenefs, or Ignorance of - the Inhabitants 
formerly, kept them from being much concerned in 
Trade, and gave Strangers the Management and Advan- 
tage of it ; which for a long time the Hanfe-Towns fituate 
on the Baltic Sea monopolized, till the feven Provinces 
of the Netherlands were eredted into a Republic, and be- 
came Sharers with them. Before that Time very little 
Iron was made in Sweden •, but the Ore being run into 
Pigs, was carried into Pantzick^ and other Parts of 
Prujfia, and there forged into Bars ; for which Reafon 
the Country Smiths, in England^ call foreign L on Bant- 
zick or Spruce Iron. This Nation owes the greateft Im- 
provements it has made in Trade, to the Art and Indu- 
ftry of fome ingenious Mechanics that the Cruelty of 
the Duke of Alva drove into thofe Parts. Their Succefs 
invited great Numbers of reformed Walloons to tranfplant 
themfelves thither, whofe Language and Religion remain in 
the Places they fettled in ; where they eredled Forges and 
other Conveniencies for making of Iron Guns, Wire, and 
all other Manufadlures of Copper, Brafs, and Iron ^ which 
for the moft part are ftill carried on by their Pofterity. 
The Swedijh Navigation was very inconfiderable till 
Queen Chrifiiana^ at the Conclufion of the Wars in 
1644, obtained from Benmark a Freedom from Cuftoms 
for all Ships and Goods belonging to Swedijh Subjedts in 
their Paflage through the Sound, and eftabliffied m her 
own Dominions that Difference in Cuftoms that ftill fub- 
fifts between and foreign Ships, and is in Propor- 
tion of four, five, fix j the firft called Whole Free ; the 
fecond, Plalf ; and the laft. Unfree: So that where a 
Whole Free Swedijh Ship pays four hundred Crowns, 
■Half Free pays five hundred, and a foreign Veffel fix 
hundred. But as great as this Advantage was it had but 
little Effedt, till the Englijh Ad of Navigation bridled 
the Hollanders, and opened the Intercourfe between Eng- 
land and Sweden. Since that Time, their Commerce has 
been much augmented as well as ours, that Way *, and 
Goods tranfported by both, or either Party, according to 
the various Jundlures of Affairs. 
When Sweden has been engaged in a War, the Englijh 
Ships have had the whole Employ *, but in Times of 
Peace, the Advantage is fo great on the Swedijh Side, 
and Merchants fo much encouraged by Freedom in 
Cuftoms to employ their Ships, that Englipo Bottoms can- 
not be tiled in that Trade, but while Sweden is unpro- 
vided with a Number of Ships fufficient for the Tranf- 
portation of their own Commodities. The chief Com-^ 
modifies of Sweden are Copper, Iron, Pitch, Tar, 
Mafts, Deals, and wooden Ware, to the Value of about 
feven hundred thoufand Pounds a Year. In Return of 
which they receive from Abroad, Salt, Wines, and 
Brandy, Cloths, Shifts, Tobacco, Sugar, Spices, Paper, 
Linnen, and feveral other Sorts of Goods ; which are 
fuppofed commonly to balance their Importations, and 
fomerimes exceed them. Their to Portugal ios: 
Salt is accounted moft neceffary, as without great Quan- 
tities of which they cannot fubfift. That with England is 
more beneficial, becaufe it takes off almoft half their own 
Commodities, and brings in near two thirds of Money 
for one of Goods. The worft is their French Trade, as 
it rather fupplies their Vanities than their Neceffities, and 
gives little or no Vent to the Commodities of the 
Country. 
The general Diredlion of their Trade belongs to the Col- 
lege of Commerce ; which confifts of the Prefident of the 
Treafury, and four Counfellors; who hear Caufes of that 
Nature, and redrefs any Diforders that happen. The 
Bank at Stockholm is of great Benefit to Trade, as well in 
regard that the King’s Cuftoms for that City are paid in 
there ; as alfo that the Merchants ordinarily ^make Pay- 
ments to each other by Bills drawn upon it, which eafes 
them of a great deal of Trouble in tranfporting their 
Money from Place to Place, that would otherwife be very 
difficult and chargeable. The Management of the Trade 
of Sweden has always been in the Hands of Strangers, 
moft of the Natives wanting either Capacity or Applica- 
tion, and all of them Stocks to drive it: For without Cre- 
dit from Abroad, they are not able to keep their Iron 
Works going ; and therefore at the beginning of Win- 
ter they ufually made Contradts with the Englijh, and 
other Foreigners, who then advance confiderable Sums, 
and receive Iron in Summer. 
Were it not for this Neceffity foreign Merchants 
would have but little Encouragement, or fcarce Per- 
miffion, to live and trade amongft them •, and even, as 
the Cafe ftands, the Treatment of them is as rigorous as 
in any Country, occafioned chiefly by the Burghers ; who 
cannot, with any Patience, fee a Stranger live among 
them. This is the lefs fenfible to the Butch and others, 
who fome become Burghers, and the reft by their near way 
of Living are lefs fubjeft to Envy ; but is more cfpecially 
the Cafe of x\\t Englijh Merchants, who find it not their In- 
tereft to becomeBurghers,and ufuallylive fomewhat too high. 
The Intereft of England in the Trade of Sweden, may be 
computed by the Neceffaries to us, and the Vent of ours 
there : Their Copper, Iron, Tar, Pitch, Mafts, lAc, 
cannot be had elfewhere, except from America, whence 
it has been, fuppofed fuch Supplies were furniffied ; and, 
if fo, thisConfideration ought in reafon to have an Influ- 
ence on the Swedijh Counfels, and engage them to make 
the Englijlo Trade with them as eafy as poffible, that the 
Merchants be not driven upon new Defigns. As to our 
Importations thither, it has already been faid that they fcarce 
amount to one third of what we export from thence, and 
confift chiefly of Cloth, Stuffs, and other woollen Manu- 
fadures, of which there have been formerly vended yearly 
there, to theValue of about fifty thoufand Pounds. Befides 
thofe. Tobacco, Newcajile Coals, Pewter, Lead, Tin, 
Fruits, and Sugar, with feveral other of our Commodi- 
ties, are fold at the Market ; as alfo good Quantities of 
Herrings ixom. Scotland, with other of their Wares: That 
in all, we are fuppofed to vend Goods to about one 
hundred thoufand Pounds a Year. If any rnore than Half 
be paid for it is looked on as very extraordinary. 
But the making of Cloth in Sweden to fupply the 
Army, C?c. which has been formerly endeavoured with- 
out Succefs, being now encouraged anQ affifted by the 
Public, and undertaken, has of late, and does now, prove 
a great Hindrance to the Vent of our Cloth tnere. And 
to favour this Undertaking, Englif^ Cloth now (unlefs 
it be fuch finer Cloths as cannot be made there) is clogged 
with fuch exceffive Duties as render the Importation im- 
practicable. Tbefc Undertakers have gotM orkmen from 
Germany, and fome from England •, and befides the 
German Wool they ufe, they receive great Quantities from 
Scotland 
