on of the _Vega_
expedition, which he had so warmly cherished from the first moment,
as magnificent as possible. The whole of the Royal Palace was
radiant with a sea of lights and flames, and was ornamented with
symbols and ciphers in which the name of the youngest sailor on the
_Vega_ was not omitted.

An estrade had been erected from Logaorden to the landing-place.
Here we were received by the town councillors, whose president, the
Governor, welcomed us in a short speech, we were then conducted to
the Palace, where, in the presence of her Majesty the Queen of
Sweden, the members of the Royal House, the highest officials of the
State and Court, &c., we were in the grandest manner welcomed in the
name of the fatherland by the King of Sweden, who at the same time
conferred upon us further marks of his favour and goodwill[397]. It
was also at the Royal Palace that the series of festivities
commenced with a grand gala dinner, on the 25th of April, at which
the King in a few magnanimous words praised the exploit of the
_Vega_. Then _fete_ followed _fete_ for several weeks.

On the 26th the Swedish Yacht Club gave an entertainment in the
Grand Hotel under the presidency of Admiral Lagercrantz. Among those
who were present may be mentioned his Majesty the King, the Crown
Prince, Prince Oscar, Oscar Dickson, and Baron von Otter, Minister
of Marine. On the evening of the same day there was a torchlight
procession by pupils of the Technical High School. On the 27th there
was a gala-play, to which all the _Vega_ men were invited. On the
28th at a festive meeting of the Academy of the Sciences, a medal
struck on account of the _Vega_ expedition was distributed, the
meeting being followed by a dinner given at the Hotel Phoenix by the
Academy under the presidency of the Crown Prince. On the 30th April
and 5th May banquets were given by the Publicist Club, and by the
Idun Society, by the Naval Officers' Society to the officers of the
_Vega_, and by the Stockholm Workman's Union to the crew. On the 7th
and 8th May there were festivities at Upsala, the principal
attraction of which consisted of gay, lively, and ingenious carnival
representations, in which we received jocular addresses and homage
from fantastically dressed representatives of the peoples of
different countries and periods.

[Illustration: THE ENTRANCE OF THE "VEGA" INTO STOCKHOLM ON THE 24TH
APRIL, 1880. ]

During this time there were daily received deputations add