The Germans do not acknowledge any command in the New Testament to render obligatory our own strict observance of the day. The same is the case in Norway and Sweden. They say of us, that while under grace we are determined to adhere to the law. With this view of the case, it is very natural that Sunday should become a day of relaxation; meantime the business of every-day life is carried on during certain hours of the day as usual, but discontinued during the hours of divine service, and again the evening becomes a time of general festivity. It is on Sunday evenings that the theaters, operas, and concerts present their best bills, and in summer every place of resort in the neighborhood of the different cities and towns is filled with a pleasure-seeking people.

It was twelve o'clock of a fine Sunday morning when I left my room and bent my steps toward Haga Park, a royal residence, situated about two English miles from the city. The shops were at this hour mostly closed, although a little earlier they were generally open. The streets were quite full of people, apparently seeking, in the numerous and attractive environs, their accustomed pleasures upon this universal holiday. Arrived at Haga, the groups were numerous, as it seemed, of all classes of people, who had come hither to enjoy its sylvan shades. A warm sun shone upon us-the first for several days-a light rain the night previous had settled the dust and given new freshness to the verdure; all nature seemed rejoicing in the genial warmth. The cuckoo and many others of the winged warblers had come forth to add their notes to the universal hymn of praise, which seemed to ascend from all nature. Truly the beneficent Creator seemed to be lavishly displaying his smiles to the children of this northern clime, and no latitude could have afforded more to delight the eye.

The rapid growth of the North secures great perfection in its verdure as well as flowers. No people more adore flowers than the Scandinavians. O! how happy seemed many of the groups whom I met that day, with their hands full of roses and lilacs; there was a certain something in their self-satisfied and rejoicing countenances which seemed to say, looking down upon their treasures, “We, too, have flowers." Several days of cold which

had preceded this appeared altogether to add to the enjoyment and appreciation of the occasion. It seems very sad in these northern regions, where the warmth of the summer can at best be expected but for a brief period, at the season of the year when all are looking for its smiles, that they should find themselves shivering with almost winter's cold. The sudden change to which I have alluded, and the brightness and uncommon beauty of the day, seemed to have brought all Stockholm forth to rejoice amid scenes of nature.

Haga Park is one of the numerous spots in the environs of the city which abound in a beautiful diversity of hill, dale, wood, and water, with here a rocky cliff and there a winding path, where nature seems only sufficiently subdued by art to add to her charms.

The villa in the park is occasionally resorted to by the royal family, who are at present staying here. This place was originally built by Gustavus III., and is really upon a very small scale for a royal residence, and scarcely as large altogether as many of our country houses at home along the borders of the North and East Rivers. Upon the right of the villa, in the illustration, is a picturesque suspension bridge of wire supported by two bronze figures. A short distance from the present residence are the foundations of a palace commenced by the same monarch upon a magnificent scale; but the sudden and melancholy decease of the king put an end to the completion of the structure.

Leaving the park, a shaded walk, occupying a few minutes, brought me to the cemetery, which may be considered the Père la Chaise of Stockholm. Here are some pretty monuments, with numerous beds of flowers, which may everywhere be seen in Scandinavia about the last resting places of the dead. Nothing struck me as very remarkable except some of the monuments formed of the native Swedish porphyry; these were very beautiful, and some of them exhibited exceedingly good taste in their models. There is a great variety of tint in this beautiful stone, and it is susceptible of a very fine polish.

A short distance from the cemetery is the Park and Chateau of Carlberg, a favorite residence of Charles XII. This place is now occupied as a military school, but the park is constantly thrown open to

the people, and embraces many charming points of view, although somewhat stiff in its general effect. There is here an attempt at the stately grandeur of the Versailles school of landscape gardening, but without the fountains, statues, and vases, which give such a classical effect to the grounds of Versailles. From Carlberg I wandered over to the Church of Solna, one of the most ancient buildings in Sweden. Its tower dates back to the days of paganism, and was originally a temple of pagan worship and sacrifice. The other portions of the building are more modern, but are said to belong to the early Christian period.

The curious in architecture, particularly those who believe that the structure which has excited so much speculation, known as the "Old Mill," at Newport, Rhode Island, is a genuine Norse edifice, will do well to examine the round tower, which is the ancient portion of Solna Church, and was undoubtedly erected for the purposes of a pagan temple. Its diameter does not differ materially from that of the ruin at Newport, and I am disposed to believe that the walls have formerly been perforated by arches of a similar character. At Gamle Upsala are the remains of the celebrated Temple of Odin. This edifice was originally of about the same dimensions, and was a simple square tower, with eight arched entrances of a similar character to those of the " Old Mill." Upon the borders of the Danube, in Hungary, I also discovered a very ancient stone church of circular form, and not unlike in appearance the tower of Solna Church. The German savans, always erudite, are strong in the belief that the ruin at Newport was a church or temple erected by the Norsemen. Among other great names concurring in this opinion, I would mention Professor Ritter, of Berlin.

The whole effect of Solna Church is exceedingly picturesque. It is inclosed by massive walls of stone, and embowered in trees, which extend their branches over the numerous graves which surround the edifice. The interior of the structure is no less striking than its exterior. All is simple and in keeping. It is ornamented by a few paintings, among them that subject so often repeated in the churches and galleries of Italy, a martyrdom of St. Sebastian. The numerous heraldic designs which are suspended at intervals along the church would seem to

indicate that here are moldering back to dust men of noble birth. How vain and unmeaning seems the pride of heraldry over remains that the worm is gnawing upon. For a considerable time I lingered in this ancient temple. Here where sacrifices were once offered to Odin and Thor, and doubtless human victims, to appease the wrath of these bloodthirsty deities-now the blood of the Lamb of God is offered unto all men as the propitiation for their sins. I have rarely visited a spot which left a deeper impression upon my mind.

It was after six o'clock when I turned my steps toward the city, and yet the sun was high in the heavens. A walk of perhaps a mile brought me to one of the numerous Tivoli gardens of the suburbs. The sound of a fine orchestra, playing various light airs, arrested my attention; many carriages were standing about the gateway, and a numerous throng was crowding to the place of attraction. I entered with the multitude, and found a beautiful garden tastefully laid out, with a variety of walks, now winding through the trees, and then opening into flower gardens, with seats and tables scattered here and there. In the center of the grounds stood an immense dancing saloon inclosed with glass; in other portions were small houses for the sale of coffee and other refreshments. At the extreme end of the grounds from the gate at which I entered was a scene of great animation : here were revolving swings, circular railways, and swinging boats, rigged with sails and flags. Near this point was a large music-stand, from which the orchestra were pouring forth some fine overtures, interspersed with waltzes, gallopades, &c. The concourse of all ages, and apparently of all classes of people, was numerous. The circular railway was in motion with a crowd of merry faces, fathers and mothers with their children, all seemingly enjoying to the fullest possible extent the sport. The swinging boats were not wanting in happy faces. But what more particularly attracted my attention was the revolving swing. Every variety of age was here represented, from the joyous face of the happy child, to others who, if not in the sere and yellow leaf, were, at all events, but a short distance removed from it. One face struck me more forcibly than perhaps any other as

the turn in the wheel occasionally brought | him in view, now at the top, then rapidly dropping to the bottom like the chances and turns of fortune. Monsieur was at least (and I speak with due consideration upon this important matter) on the shady side of fifty. I had met him often, and remarked his singularly joyous expression of countenance. His laughing gray eyes looked out from under heavy gray eyebrows, and a ferocious gray beard literally covered a face which exhibited strong evidences of a fondness for good cheer. He was one of those characters which one occasionally falls in with in life, whose equilibrium seemed never disturbed, except by scarcity in the larder, and even then, if the wine held out, he could still be jolly. Here, then, was my stout friend culling the flowers apparently from everything that came in his way, with the same merry face which I had seen him wear wherever I had chanced to meet him.

But soon there was a balloon to be sent up with a paper man attached to it; the children were in ecstasies, and with a zest equal to that of the little ones, Monsieur rushed with the crowd to see the ascension. Soon after a crowd in another quarter attracted me, and here again Mon

sieur was one of the first on the ground. The drawing of a lottery was about to take place with, I believe, only one prize to the whole number of tickets. Monsieur was not the winning party, but he still laughed and relighted his cigar, which he put in its accustomed place in a small meerschaum tube. The band soon after played the last overture, or rather a final gallopade, and the crowd were dispersed for a little time, some promenading about the grounds, others taking refreshments. Monsieur had his refreshments, of course, and was soon on the qui vive for something new. The dance was about to commence. "Il faut voir tout," says he, with a shrug of the shoulder, and his never-failing chuckling laugh, as he recognized in me a compagnon de voyage. Said I, "Monsieur, you are a most happy man." "Ah, oui; la vie est courte," replied he, and again that peculiar laugh. At this moment the music in the grand saloon commenced. Monsieur had laid aside his meerschaum for this new pleasure, and was soon threading the mazes of the giddy dance with a fair one whose acquaintance he had just chanced to make. Bowing to me as I left the ball-room, he again repeated what seemed to be his fa

It was ten o'clock when I left the garden, but still crowds were flocking in to join in the dance. There are no less than three other places of this description about Stockholm, where entertainments of a similar character are given on Sunday; besides, all the numerous parks in the vicinity of the city are resorted to by crowds of people. The theaters also attract great numbers on Sunday evening; in addition to these, there are during the summer months theatrical representations given in the different parks. Such is a Sunday in Stockholm.

THE BOURSE.

THE Bourse (Exchange) of Stockholm, of which I present a view, is more interesting from its situation than for anything remarkable in itself; although it may be considered one of the finest buildings of the capital. It is a comparatively modern structure, and was completed in 1776, but it occupies the ground of the old Hotel de Ville, from the windows of which Christian II. looked down upon one of the most sanguinary and revolting scenes of modern history. Its façade is upon a small square called Stortorget, the scene of the frightful massacre of 1520. Four stones, marked

indicated the precise spot of the massacre, which have since been removed, and have given place to a fountain. There is not, perhaps, in all Europe a square, the memory of which is fraught with a more disgusting scene of bloodshed. It was in the year 1520, that Christian II., surnamed the "Ungentle," but more generally "the Tyrant," collected by invitation to his palace, the greater portion of the heads of the noble families, as well as many of the most prominent of the clergy of Sweden. After having treated his visitors with the most marked attentions, lavishing the strongest expressions of regard upon some, and kisses upon others, suddenly the guests discovered that they were prisoners, the gates of the palace having been barred. The morning following, at an early hour, a proclamation was issued to the effect that the inhabitants of Stockholm should not leave their houses before a certain signal was given. At twelve o'clock they were summoned to this square to witness the revolting sight which was to follow. The people stood aghast as they saw one after another of the noblest and best of the land, led here to perish under the ax of the executioner; nobles, bishops, and priests alike, until the work of death was finished. Some

of the bystanders who were moved by this revolting scene of carnage, particularly such as exhibited their sympathy in tears, were dragged to the spot by the brutal officials of the tyrant, and were alike beheaded. Handicraftsmen were dragged from their labor to the slaughter; and it was not until the third day that the work of death paused. Meantime proclamations had been issued to assure the people that the carnage was now ended. This served to entice new victims from their hiding-places, only to perish through the murderous orders of the king. For three days the bodies of the victims were left unburied upon this square, and were then taken out of the city and burned; meanwhile the houses of the deceased nobles were plundered, and their wives and daughters violated. The whole number of persons who perished during this short period was six hundred. Few countries can present so dark a page of history as this.

The history of Sweden in modern times is, if I may be permitted the comparison, of the Rembrandt school of light and shade. If the picture which comes down to us from the past, oppresses us with its weight of shadow, yet the light is no less striking in effect. We shudder when we bring to mind a scene like that of which I have endeavored to give a faint outline. But when we remember that it was this very scene which roused the energies and developed the powers of the great Liberator of Swden, and behold in him that glorious light of Swedish history which shines so preeminently, not only in the great founder of the Wasa dynasty, but in his descendant, Gustavus Adolphus; it is then that we are enabled to appreciate the truth of the above comparison.

THE SWEDISH WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

PERHAPS the title which I have given this article may be out of place, as the Riddarholm's Kyrkan differs in some respects from the character of Westminster Abbey. But it struck me that the title would convey a more clear impression of the character of the place which I was about to describe, than the literal and hard-sounding name of Riddarholm's Kyrkan. Here is no " poet's corner." It is, indeed, almost, strictly speaking, appropriated to the use of the royal family as a place of sepulture. No order of genius

seems to have found its resting-place here with the exception of the military. A few officers, who distinguished themselves in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, and some few nobles of high grade, are interred here.

Although this church is in reality of very considerable antiquity, yet its exterior would strike the stranger as comparatively modern. This is, in part, owing to a spire of a light iron tracery, which has been erected within the last few years, to supply the place of a more ancient one, which was destroyed by lightning.

This interesting structure is full of inscriptions upon its tombs, which awaken recollections of the past. Among its chapels, that set apart for the mausoleum of Charles XII. is not the least interesting. Suspended from the ceiling above his tomb, are numerous banners, the trophies of many hard-fought battles. The sword of the warrior, which was formerly preserved here, is now removed.

From my first arrival in the Swedish capital, the portraits, costumes, &c., of this monarch, have possessed for me a strange interest; and here, standing at last by the narrow sarcophagus which contains, within so small a compass, the mortal remains of this remarkable man, I was deeply impressed. He is quiet here. A man, for whose ambition all Europe presented scarcely sufficient field, finds now but little space, but all that he requires. On either side of this sovereign, in two sarcophagi, precisely alike, repose his brother-in-law, and Ulrika Eleonora, his sister and successor. I thought, when I looked at these silent tombs, of a picture which I had seen of the youthful king and his sister at play. And then came to my mind the dark surmises which have attached themselves to the memory of this queen in connection with the assassination of her brother; and yet, what a holy relationship is that of brother and sister!

The tombs of Magnus Ladulus, the Magnificent, and of Carl VIII., next arrested my attention. They are in the ordinary style of the tombs of the knights of the middle ages, of tabular form, and surmounted by reclining figures in armor.

Near these, and close to the altar, is a stone divided into twelve equal parts, which tells a fearful story. In the year 1382, Senator Carl Nilsson Farla was pursued to this spot by Bo Johnson Grip, actuated by motives of jealousy. But