y this time contained only
two shirts, an old pair of stockings, and some few flowers and stones
from celebrated places, and, thus accoutred for the journey, made my
way down to Riddarholm Quay. In a dingy old office, abounding in
cobwebs, a dingy old gentleman, who spoke English, sold me a
second-class ticket for Gottenburg. The little steamer upon which I
had the good fortune to secure a passage was called the Admiral Von
Platten, a name famous in the history of Swedish enterprise. It was
Von Platten who, in 1808, took charge of the great work of internal
improvement known as the West Gotha Canal, and by the aid of Telford,
the celebrated English engineer, carried it into successful operation
in 1822. The project of connecting the lakes of Wenern and Wettern,
and forming a water communication all the way between Stockholm and
Gottenburg, was entertained at a very early day by the different
sovereigns and scientific men of Sweden. Bishop Brask in 1516,
Gustavus I., Charles IX., Swedenborg, Gustavus Adolphus, and others,
took particular interest in it, and some progress was made in the
building of locks and opening of short passages up to the beginning of
the present century. Daniel Thunberg contributed materially to the
opening of the route between Wenern and the Baltic; and Colonel N.
Eriksson, the celebrated engineer whose reputation stands so high in
the United States, had the direction of the work for many years. It
was not, however, till 1844 that the entire work was fully completed,
although some years prior to that time the two seas were connected and
open to navigation. The immense expense of this enterprise; the
extraordinary natural obstacles that have been overcome; the patience
and perseverance with which it has been carried into practical
operation; the magnitude and durability of the work, can only be
appreciated by one who has made the trip through Sweden by this route.
It is certainly the grandest triumph recorded in Swedish history. It
will exist and benefit generations to come, when the names of her
kings, warriors, and statesmen shall be known only to antiquarians.

The steamers now plying on this route are small, but well arranged for
the accommodation of passengers. There is a first and second cabin,
and a restaurant at which the traveler can call for what he desires,
and, provided his tastes are not eccentric, generally get what he
calls for. The waiters are simple-minded, kind-hearted, and sociab