lA 
Weft, and China in the eaft. The prin- 
cipal articles of export’are planks, beams, 
matts, tar, pitch, potafh, iron, fteel, cop- 
per, tin, fulphur, vitriol, alum, faltpetre, 
herrings, &c. The chief commodities im- 
ported are wines, oils, raifins, and other 
fruits, fugar, tea, coffee, falt, corn, and 
raw materials for manufacture. Many 
Swedith fhips fucceflively vifit the different 
ports onthe fhores of the Mediterranean, 
and return large profits to their owners, 
The moft lucrative part of the Swedifh 
commerce is that carried on with Great 
Britain, which takes off the greateft part 
of the iron; and next in importance to 
this is the trade with France. From the 
towns on the Baltic, which are the richeft 
depofitories of corn, namely, Dantzick, 
Koningiberg, &c. the Swedes import that 
commodity, as well as thofe naval ftores 
which they want, fuch as hemp, tallow, 
&c. Their only commerce with the Weft 
Indian ilaads is carried on by an exclu- 
five company with the ifland of St. Bar- 
tholomew. Their Chinefe connections 
centre in the India Company eftablifhed at 
‘Gottenburg, who confine themfelves to the 
equipment of two or three annual flips. 
‘This branch of trade, in the itock of 
which many foreigners had fhares, and 
which was formerly fo lucrative, ceafed to 
be fo about twelve years ago. The 
Swedes have alfo the benefit of the com- 
anon infurance companies, and they have 
even cftablithed two companies, whofe ob- 
ject it ista fave wrecked fhips and cargoes. 
‘Lhefe companies pay perfons accuftomed 
to dive and bring up goods, anti whofe ex- 
ertion and zeal is rewarded by fums pro- 
portioned to the yalue of the vefleis and 
goods they retrieve. Canzler, in his Me- 
moirs on Sweden, adopts the following 
proportions between the commercial im_ 
portance of the towns in that country : 
Suppeting the whole export trade of Swe- 
dei divided into thirteen parts, he flates 
the exports of Stockholm at feven of thofe 
parts, thofe of Gottenburg at two, and 
thofe of all the other towhs in the king- 
dom at four. Of the imports, he alfizns 
to Stockholm one-half, to Gottenbu rg one- 
fourth, and to all the other towns the rée 
maining fourth. : 
Sweden, which has hitherto preferved 
neutrality in the prefent war, Has been als 
ways the faithful ally of France,a connec. 
tion which has procured her more than 
one honourable peace, but which has alfo 
frequently dragged her into very trouble. 
jome wars. She feems at prefent inclined 
to depart from her old alliance, and to 
form a new one witha neighbouring em- 
pire. It would doubtlefs be prefumptuous 
in us to pretend to decide which of the 
fro alliances would be the moft agreeable 
‘ 
7 
A Defcription of Modern Saweden. 
[ fan. I, 
to her interefts; but we may at leaft be 
permitted to give it as our opinion, that 
the moft intimate conne@ion with Den- 
mark and Pruffia-would appear to be the 
fureft palladium of hér independence and 
happinefs. The balance of the North hath 
been fo violently deranged by the partition 
of Poland, that no precaution fhould be 
negle&ted, which promifes to reftore its 
ftability. 
If the finances of Sweden be in a fate of 
fuchnotorious derangement, that ftrangers, 
who only fee the continuation of her neu- 
trality, can fearcely form any idea of it; 
if the courfe of exchange has been extreme- 
ly unfavourable to her for the two laft 
years; thefe calamities muft be chiefly at- 
tributed to the different misfortunes the 
has experienced, and which fhe has moft 
deeply felt, and to the loffes which fhe fuf= 
fered under a king fo quarrelfome and 
magnificent as Guftavus II. and which: 
fhe has not yet been able to repair. And 
even in the prefent war, fhe has loft fome 
very confiderable convoys, not to mention 
a number of feparate fhips. ‘The two laft 
years produced but very indifferent crops; 
and the herring-fifhery on the Swedith 
coafts almoft entirely failed in the laft fea- 
fon. We fhall fay nothing of a certaia 
fluctuation in political principles, even 
with regard to internal affairs, which is at 
leaft apparent, and which is fuppofed to 
have been obfervable for the laft fifteen 
years; and it is well known that fuch 
fluctuation never failsto produce the mofk 
fatal confequences. It is eafy to fee that 
this caufe muft have had its influence on 
fo many unfertunate events, ina country 
whofe refources are byno means abundant, 
and which is already infected with the ha~ 
bits of indulgence in foreign luxuries. 
‘The government has been obliged to pro- 
hibit the diftillation of {pirits, to prevent 
a famine; but this meafure, impofed by 
neceflity (like the prohibition of coffee), 
deprives the peafant of his beloved drams, 
which he fwallows as a charm for his 
wretchednefs, and even as the fupport 
oi his life, which, on the contrary, ts 
abridged by the immoderate ufe of that low 
poiion*. The government has ftored up the 
ace ee cone 
* This fentence, like a former one, 
applies’ with too great propriety to 
Scotland, where the diftillery alfo ex- 
tracts a poifon from the ftaff of life, 
and the health and morals of a people, 
once famous for both, are facrificed to 
a mo! polluted fource of revenue. Aa 
abundance of grain, in the prefent 
{tate of things, 1s, in fa&t, no blefling _ 
to Scotland. The diftillery converts it 
into a curfe; anda {carcity, if not ex- 
ane es 
ony 
