ighted (which is quite necessary in the
dark streets), and supplied with double windows against the cold. The
air-tight Russian stove is universal. It has the advantage of keeping up
sufficient warmth with a very small supply of fuel, but at the expense
of ventilation. I find nothing yet equal to the old-fashioned fireplace
in this respect, though I must confess I prefer the Russian stove to our
hot-air furnaces. Carpets are very common in Sweden, and thus the
dwellings have an air of warmth and comfort which is not found in
Germany and other parts of the Continent. The arrangements for sleeping
and washing are tolerable, though scanty, as compared with England, but
the cleanliness of Swedish houses makes amends for many deficiencies.

The manner of living in Stockholm, nevertheless, is not very agreeable
to the stranger. There is no hotel, except Kahn's, where one can obtain
both beds and meals. The practice is to hire rooms, generally with the
privilege of having your coffee in the morning, and to get your meals at
a restaurant, of which there are many, tolerably cheap and not
particularly good. Even Davison's, the best and most fashionable, has
but an ordinary _cuisine_. Rooms are quite dear--particularly during our
sojourn, when the Diet was in session and the city crowded with country
visitors--and the inclusive expenses of living were equal to Berlin and
greater than in Paris. I found that it cost just about as much to be
stationary here, as to travel with post-horses in the Northern
provinces. The Swedes generally have a cup of coffee on getting out of
bed, or before, a substantial breakfast at nine, dinner at three, and
tea in the evening. The wealthier families dine an hour or two later,
but the crowds at the restaurants indicate the prevailing time. Dinner,
and frequently breakfast, is prefaced with a _smorgas_ (butter-goose),
consisting of anchovies, pickled herrings, cheese and brandy. Soup which
is generally sweet, comes in the middle and sometimes at the end of
dinner, and the universal dessert is preserved fruit covered with
whipped cream. I have had occasion to notice the fondness of the Swedes
for sugar, which some persons seem to apply to almost every dish, except
fish and oysters. I have often seen them season crab soup with powdered
sugar. A favourite dish is raw salmon, buried in the earth until it is
quite sodden--a great delicacy, they say, but I have not yet been hungry
enough to eat it. Meat, whi