and, drawing near to it, I was not forry to fee a female figure, though I had not, like Marguerite, been thinking of robberies, murders, or the other evil which inftantly, as the failors would have faid, runs foul of a woman's imagination.

On entering, I was ftill better pleafed to find a clean houfe, with fome degree of rural elegance. The beds were of muflin, coarse it is true, but dazzling white; and the floor was ftrewed over with little fprigs of juniper (the cuftom, as I afterwards found, of the country,) which formed a contraft with the curtains and produced an agreeable fenfation of freshness, to foften the ardour of noon. Still nothing was fo pleafing as the alacrity of hofpitality-all that the houfe afforded was quickly fpread on the whiteft linen.-Remember I had just left the veffel, where, without being faftidious, I had continually been difgufted. Fish, milk, butter, and cheese, and I am forry to add, brandy, the bane of this country, were spread on the board. After we had dined, hofpitality made them, with fome degree of mystery, bring us fome excellent coffee. I did not then know that it was prohibited.

The good man of the house apologized for coming in continually, but declared that he was fo glad to fpeak English, he could not stay out. He need not have apologized; I was equally glad of his company. With the wife I could only exchange fmiles; and the was employed obferving the make of our clothes. My hands, I found, had firft led her to difcover that I was the lady. I had, of courfe, my quantum of reverences; for the politenefs of the north feems to partake of the coldness of the climate, and the rigidity of its iron finewed rocks. Amongst the peasantry, there is, however, fo much of the fimplicity of the golden age in this land of flint-fo much overflowing of heart, and fellow-feeling, that only benevolence, and the honeft fympathy of nature, diffufed fmiles over my countenance when they kept me

standing,

tanding, regardles of my fatigue, whilst they dropt courtefy after courtesy.

The fituation of this houfe was beautiful, though chofen for convenience. The mafter being the offcer who commanded all the pilots on the coaft, and the perfon appointed to guard wrecks, it was neceffary for him to fix on a fpot that would overlook the whole bay. As he had feen fome fervice, he wore, not without a pride I thought becoming, a badge to prove that he had merited well of his country. It was happy, I thought, that he had been paid in honour; for the ftipend he received was little more than twelve pounds a year. I do not trouble myself or you with the calculation of Swedish ducats. Thus, my friend, you perceive the neceffity of perquifites. This fame narrow policy runs through every thing. I fhall have occafion further to animadvert on it.

Though my hoft amufed me with an account of himfelf, which gave me an idea of the manners of the people I was about to vifit, I was eager to climb the rocks to view the country, and fee whether the honeft tars had regained their fhip. With the help of the lieutenant's telescope I faw the veffel under-weigh with a fair though gentle gale. The fea was calm, playful even as the most thallow ftream, and on the vaft bafon I did not fee a dark fpeck to indicate the boat. My conductors were confequently arrived.

Straying further, my eye was attracted by the fight of fome heart's-cafe that peeped through the rocks. I caught at it as a good omen, and going to preferve it in a letter that had not conveyed balm to my heart, a cruel remembrance fuffufed my eyes; but it paffed away like an April fhower. If you are deep read in Shakspeare, you will recollect that this was the little weftern flower tinged by love's dart, which " maidens call love in idlenels." The gaiety of my babe was unmixed; regardlefs of omens or fentiments, fhe found a few wild straw. berries more grateful than flowers or fancies.

I iz

EVENING.

EVENING.

I retired to my apartment with regret. The night was fo fine, that I would gladly have rambled about much longer; yet recollecting that I must rise very early, I reluctantly went to bed: but my fenfes had been fo awake, and my imagination ftill continued fo bufy, that I fought for reft in vain. Rifing before fix, I fcented the fweet morning air; I had long before heard the birds twittering to hail the dawning day, though it could fcarcely have been allowed to have departed.

Nothing, in fact, can equal the beauty of the northern fummer's evening and night; if night it may be called that only wants the glare of day, the full light, which frequently feems fo impertinent; for I could write at midnight very well without a candle. I contemplated all nature at reft; the rocks, even grown darker in their appearance, looked as if they partook of the general repofe, and reclined more heavily on their foundation.-What, I exclaimed, is this active principle which keeps me ftill awake?-Why fly my thoughts abroad when every thing around me appears at home? My child was fleeping with equal calmness-innocent and fweet as the clofing flowers.-Some recollections, attached to the idea of home mingled with reflections refpecting the ftate of fociety I had been contemplating that evening, made a tear drop on the rofy cheek I had juft kiffed; and emotions that trembled on the brink of extacy and agony gave a poignancy to my fenfations, which made me feel more alive than ufual.

What are these imperious fympathies? How frequently has melancholy and even mifanthropy taken poffeffion of me, when the world has disgusted me, and friends have proved unkind. I have then confidered myself as a particle broken off from the grand mass of mankind;--I was alone, till fome involuntary sympathetic emotion, like the attraction of adhesion, made me feel that I was still a part of a mighty whole, from

2

which I could not fever myself-not, perhaps, for the reflection has been carried very far, by fnapping the thread of an exiftence which lofes its charms in proportion as the cruel experience of life stops or poisons the current of the heart. Futurity, what haft thou not to give to thofe who know that there is fuch a thing as happiness! I fpeak not of philofophical contentment, though pain has afforded me the strongest conviction of it.

CIVILIZATION.

The more I fee of the world, the more I am convinced that civilization is a bleffing not fufficiently eftimated by thofe who have not traced its progrefs; for it not only refines our enjoyments, but produces a variety which enables us to retain the primitive delicacy of our fenfations. Without the aid of the imagination all the pleafures of the fenfes muft fink into groffnefs, unless, continual novelty ferve as a fubftitute for the imagination, which being impoffible, it was to this weariness, I fuppofe, that Solomon alluded when he declared that there was nothing new under the fun !-nothing for the common fenfations excited by the fenfes. Yet who will deny that the imagination and understanding have made many, very many difcoveries fince thofe days, which only feem harbingers of others ftill more noble and beDeficial. I never met with much imagination amongst people who had not acquired a habit of reflection; and in that state of fociety in which the judgment and taste are not called forth, and formed by the cultivation of the arts and sciences, little of that delicacy of feeling and thinking is to be found characterized by the word fentiment. The want of fcientific pursuits perhaps accounts for the hofpitality, as well as for the cordial reception which strangers receive from the inhabitants of fmall towns.

SWEDES.

The Swedes pique themfelves on their politeness; but far from being the polifh of a cultivated mind, it confifts merely of tirefome forms and ceremonies. So far indeed from entering immediately into your character, and making you feel inftantly at your cafe, like the well-bred French, their over-acted civility is à continual reftraint on all your actions. The fort of fuperiority which a fortune gives when there is no fuperiority of education, excepting what confifts in the obfervance of fenfelefs forms, has a contrary effect than what is intended; fo that I could not help reckoning the peasantry the politeft people of Sweden, who only aiming at pleafing you, never thing of being admired for their behaviour.

Their tables, like their compliments, feem equally a caricature of the French. The difhes are compofed, as well as theirs, of a variety of mixtures to destroy the native taste of the food without being as relishing.Spices and fugar are put into every thing, even into the bread; and the only way I can account for their partiality to high-feafoned difhes, is the conftant ufe of falted provifions. Neceffity obliges them to lay up a ftore of dried fish, and falted meat, for the winter; and in fummer, fresh meat and fish taste infipid after them. To which may be added the conftant ufe of fpirits.Every day, before dinner and fupper, even whilft the dishes are cooling on the table, men and women repair to a fide-table, and to obtain an appetite, eat bread and butter, cheese, raw faimon, or anchovies, drinking a glafs of brandy. Salt fish or meat then immediately follows, to give a further whet to the ftomach. As the dinner advances, pardon me for taking up a few minutes to defcribe what, alas! has detained me two or three hours on the ftretch, obferving, dish after difh is changed, in endless rotation, and handed round with folemn pace to each gueft: but should you happen not

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