e neighborhood is undulating and picturesque, and
abounds in rich farms. Motala is an old-fashioned place, with paved
streets and wooden houses, much like the suburbs of Stockholm. It is
celebrated chiefly for its manufactures of iron. The founderies are
numerous, and cutlery of a very good quality is manufactured here.
Besides these, it possesses many other objects of interest. The
churches are well worth visiting, and the ruins of the fortifications
erected in 1567, to resist the Danes, are among the finest in Sweden.
From Motala, after another narrow stretch of canal, we soon reached
the Wettern Lake, the next largest to the Wenern, and the waters of
which are three hundred and four feet above the level of the sea.

In my recollections of travel I can scarcely call to mind any
experience more pleasant than I enjoyed during this part of the trip.
The lake scenery of Sweden, although not very grand compared with that
of the Norwegian fjords, is certainly unsurpassed in the softness and
beauty of its coloring, the crystal clearness of the water, the
luxuriance of the surrounding forests, the varied labyrinths of
charming little islands through which the channel winds, and the
delicate atmospheric tints cast on the distant shores. By this time,
too, the passengers have become better acquainted. The wonderful
sights that we have seen together; the perils and dangers through
which we have passed; the breakfasts, dinners, and suppers that we
have eaten at the same board; the amount of solid sleeping that we
have done in the same little cabin; the promenades we have had up and
down the decks, and the rambles we have enjoyed together, have bound
us together as one family, and now we come out with our individual
histories and experiences, our accomplishments and humors. We (the
gentlemen) drink schnapps together, smoke cigars, talk all the
languages under the sun, tell our best anecdotes, and sing glees under
the awning. The ladies look more beautiful than ever, and although
they are still a little shy of us, as ladies in Europe generally are
of the male sex, they sometimes favor us with a smile or a pleasant
word, and thus contribute to our happiness. I don't know, for the life
of me, what dire offense the man who founded European society was
guilty of; but it is certain his successors, from Algeria to the North
Pole, are sadly mistrusted by the unmarried ladies. This, I regret to
say, is the case in Sweden, as well as in Ger