A PILGRIMAGE. was born Hakan-Syogren, also the son of a poor | pale poverty too often has her seat beneath the turfpeasant, who by his own exertions raised himself covered roofs of the low huts. And yet from the to a high academical rank, and by the most rigid poorest districts of all, from Westmanland and Daeconomy accumulated a fortune of which he made larne, proceed the strongest men. the noblest use; who, old and gray, and looking like a moss-grown rock, still retained a heart full We should have been glad to have had some of life and warmth, and who, with his money-bor further explanation of this fact, if it be one, for beneath his feet, [Query, is this intended for a figure we cannot feel altogether satisfied with that Miss of speech ?) assembled round him a troop of prom- Bremer offers. “So great is the power of spirit ising but poor young men, whom he supported with over nature ! So little can the earth, the old its contents—a faithful representative of the char- giantess Ymer, effect against the struggling, eneracter of the people of Smaland, and a living proof getic will of man.” Does she mean that people of the great things that may be achieved by paying attention to what is small in time-in money, in can grow strong, and large in body, whether they everything. Northwards from Smaland are fed or not, if they will only, as the lady in rises East Gothland, one of the largest and most “ Pombey” says, “ make an effort ?” fertile districts of Sweden, and forming with West Eastward from this province lies the fine Malar Gothland the very kernel of the land of the ancient valley, containing the Malar Lake, with which, Goths. Deep, dark forests meet us here, which in according to tradition, all the flowing waters in the heathen-nay, long after, in the Christian time, Sweden are connected ; and at its effluence, in no one entered without specially commending his soul to God. Memorials of murder are seen the the Gulf of Bothnia, stands the royal city of Stockwhole way, on trees and stones, and the silence and holm. profound solitude of the woods, and the distance The approach to Stockholm from the Baltic lies from all inhabited places, awaken uncomfortable along a far-extended coast of broken rocks, and thoughts. countless larger and smaller islands and holms," In East Gothland the Götha Canal, “ the blue forming on all sides innumerable passages and ribbon of Sweden,” connects the North Sea with bays, within which are continually opening inviting little prospects, of which one would gladly take a the Baltic, Northward from West Gothland lies nearer view, but which are immediately succeeded Bohuslän, formerly Alfhem, the home of the Vi- by some other just as attractive. Many of these kingr, and whose inhabitants, for ages after the "holms” look like green bouquets flung upon the Vikingr had ceased to exist, still bore a very surface of the sea; sometimes they are rocks, but indifferent character among their neighbors. Here never quite barren. Fir woods clothe the heights, Sigrid Storroda laid her plan of vengeance against and groves of brightest green gleam forth amidst " the little king,” her wooer; and it is said there granite rocks. At the foot of the mountains, on is still a certain hardness and ruggedness in the abodes of fishermen-little fishing-boats, with their the green shore, stand pretty, neat cottages, the character of the inhabitants which are symbolized sails furled, lying tranquilly before them on the in that of the physical features of their country. water. Higher up, on the terraces. we see elegant Out of the blue waves rise granite rocks, which country-seats and summer-houses, lying embowered resemble a stormy sea suddenly stiffened into ice. in trees; and the nearer you come to the city, the In the mountains are found vast gloomy glens, and higher rise the buildings, and more closely trong the mountains. caverns, and heaths ; and here and there, like castle—a granite fortress, with a forest of pines They terminate at length in a oases in the desert, a few green fruitful valleys. crowning its battlements; but suddenly the mounThe sea is the source of all the riches of the coun- tains open, and there lies Stockholm in a magnifitry—the field from which yearly millions of silver cent amphitheatre, with its royal palace, its churchears are reaped. es, and its mass of houses, encircling the wide On the coast of the Vikingr now stand only fish- bosom. harbor, with the flags of all nations flying on its ermen's huts, and while the man is out contending with the waves for a subsistence, the wife culti Following thus the shores of the gulf to where vates a little field of potatoes among the rocks, over they stretch towards Fimland, we arrive at Torwhich her children and her goats are climbing. nea, where people are in the habit of going to West Gothland, Dalsland, and Wermeland sur- make calls on the “ midnight sun,” his “ salon de round the Wener Lake, the great inland sea of reception” being a certain hill near the Russian Sweden, the most important for her domestic frontier line-- which, it seems, is not beyond the trade, and celebrated for the conflicts that have reach of toll-bars, though lying in the everlastformerly taken place upon its shores. Proceeding ing solitude of the measureless primæval forest, northwards from home, we come lo Svea, the “ watered by nameless streams, and inhabited by “ people's land," the Manhem, or “ Home of plants and animals unknown to the rest of the Men,” where, according to tradition dwelt the world.” original tribe of the Swedes, as to the south abode Here, nevertheless, we find the personages of that of the Goths. In this region are the largest the novel, and others, forming comfortable picnic and oldest mines; for here central Sweden is en parties; and as there is, we suppose, no great circled by her girdle of iron : probability that many of our readers will follow their example, (at least, during the present year, Iron ore forms the ground upon which the houses stand, from which the springs flow, on which lie we will turn to Miss Bremer's sketch of the scene. the poor and unproductive fields. Poor and scanty, On the top of the hill the ground was tolerably sherefore, is the nourishment of the people, and flat. Pines and birch-trees grew on it, and rich a * masses of heath showed themselves between rocks | assailed by the sound of repeated heavy blows, and trees. There were about a hundred persons mingled with the most piteous cries of terror and assembled in various groups, most of them well agony. Scarcely had he time to comprehend that furnished with hampers of wine and provisions. a grand public execution was the cause of these Various languages were heard—Swedish, Finnish, distressing sounds, when he was seized by the Russian, German, and French. The prospect was Shah's attendants, and hurried forward to the boundless over the dark wooded region, on which royal presence. On his passage a greater and more the sun shone without seeming to light it. Softly revolting shock awaited him. Executioners dragglowing, but without rays, it stood just over the ging the yet palpitating trunks of eight headless horizon, and flooded the figures on the hill with victims, decapitated before the Shah, met him in purple light. Soon this was overshadowed by a his path, and rudely shoved him aside, to make cloud, and here and there on the horizon could be way for their hideous train of carnage and mutiladistinguished rising columns of smoke, that marked tion. On reaching the court circle, pale, agitated, the spots where the cultivation of the desert had and confused, he remained for some seconds in an begun, and the spirit of agriculture had penetrated attitude of speechless horror. The Shah, with an beyond the polar circle. The night was warm, air of composure which would have done him honor tranquil, and pleasant, and the mountain now on the field of battle, inquired if the envoy was ungleamed all over with little fires, kindled to drive well; and then, for the first time, in language of away the gnats. All seemed to invite to the calm just indignation, learnt what even the most despotic enjoyment of this great festival of nature. * court of Europe would think of the bloody and barNow it was twelve o'clock, and at this moment the barous reception just given to its representatives. cloud rolled away, and the sun issued forth in full Besides the appearance of insult offered to a friendsplendor. ly sovereign, no light shade of odium was cast upon the throne, when thus converted from a seat of The Frenchman of the party saluted its appear- judgment and mercy into the shambles of a butcher. ance by firing a pistol in the air ; a German It is rumored that the king of kings, abashed by so princely pair, who had come thither on a wedding well deserved a reproof, hung his head in the tour, by a conjugal kiss extraordinary ; and the silence of youthful shame, and that the idignant company in general, by a grand attack on the envoy, on repeating his complaint to the prime hampers brought with them with a precaution by minister, received the consoling assurance that he had probably earned by twenty minutes of annoyno means unnecessary, as at the only house of ance the satisfaction of putting an end to a barbarpublic entertainment within any possible distance ous and hateful practice, which, though belonging the hostess, being also chief medical officer of the to the good old times of Persia, was not the less a district, had absented herself to perform a surgical scandal to the age and a dishonor to the crown. operation ; so that all the entertainment the house There is a deep moral in such accidents—the finger afforded was a place to cook in, if anything could of Providence appears in them. It is not to be supbe had to cook. posed that the court of Persia sought purposely to We take it for granted that the authoress has the unwilling eye-witness of a brutal spectacle of insult a great power, by making its representative herself made this excursion, and though she has blood. No one, perhaps, thought of the indecency introduced her fictitious personages into the scene, of coupling a public execution with the audience that it is faithfully described. We cannot, how- of a foreign ambassador. The Shah, from a misever, help regretting that, instead of a very flimsy taken sense of duty, or an hereditary passion for and insipid nouvellette, she did not give us a sim- executions, having ordered that the supposed crimple account of her “Summer Journey," which, the audience in question was probably appointed for inals should be tortured and beheaded before him, with her thorough knowledge of the country, and the same hour, from a mere motive of convenience, usually pleasant style, could hardly have failed to without any further design or consideration. But make an agreeable book. As it is, we have felt the diplomatist was naturally disturbed by so great some disappointment, which we have expressed an outrage to his sense of propriety, and, unrewith less hesitation, from having had, on former strained by the stiffness of a lace coat, the man's occasions, a more welcome duty to perform. The heart leaped unconsciously forth, and for once at a great charm of Miss Bremer's earlier works is royal audience the plain, unpremeditated truth was their truth, freshness, and domestic simplicity. spoken out with becoming freedom. Prince D. had a right to take offence, and, at a distance of many Let her beware of affectation and mannerism. hundred furlongs and versts from the scene, there was one to whom he could appeal for redress, and who was not to be offended with impunity. It is PERSIA AND TURKEY. difficult to bring such actions into comparison with A curious and dramatic scene is reported to have each other, and not at the same time to contrast lately taken place at the court of Persia. them mentally with the improvements, whether in The young Shah has been passing the holy month matters of administration or of policy, which are of Ramazan, which happens this year to coincide daily observed in Turkey. Far from presiding in with the dog days, in a spacious garden not far from person at the solemn expiation of crime by personal Teheran. The envoy of a great Christian sover- suffering, the sovereign of Turkey issues with reeign having demanded an audience of his majesty, luctance his warrant for a public execution, and an hour was appointed for the ceremony. His Ex- allows no capital sentence to be carried into effect cellency, on arriving in due season at the royal without an open trial, a legal conviction, and the encampment, was ushered into a tent, where he sanction of his supreme council. He has abolished reposed a moment, while his arrival was announced torture—he has forbidden the punishment of the to the Mahometan successor of Darius and Xerxes. bastinado, and the measures of his government tend Scarcely had he taken a seat, when his ears were i continually to an equal administration of the laws a to all classes of iris subjects. The same benevo From the years to come lence appears in his external policy. Though Mournful glances cast, united by ties of amity and mutual good will with all the powers of Europe, he joins with no alliance What are they to me, of sovereigns in a league against constitutional Toiling towards the day; principles and the progressive improvement of soci God hath given light, ety; he maintains order in his own dominions; but Light for all my way. even in the performance of that supreme duty, he N. Y. Eve. Post. tempers justice with mercy.—London Chronicle. A WOMAN'S PLEA FOR MERCY. “ Caprices” is the name of a volume of poems The CONDEMNED Poisoner, CHARLOTTE HARRIS.-Some charpublished without the author's name, by Robert itably disposed inhabitants of Taunton recently memorialized Carter & Co., of this city. We have looked it the Home Secretary to spare the life of this convici, condemned for poisoning her husband, and now awaiting her accouchement, over with more than usual interest, because we have previous to the sentence of the law being carried into effect. Sir found more in it than in most of the volumes of George Grey has officially announced his regret that the case pre sents no grounds that warrant his interference with the due respectable poetry which are laid on our table course of law. The prisoner is expected to be confined every more thought, more spirituality, and a deeper in-law, and as soon after as possible the extreme penalty of the law will, it is stated, be carried inio effect. - Daily Neurs. sight into nature. We have neither space nor time Still keep the night-lamp burning, for anything like an analysis of its merits and blem I must have constant light; ishes—the latter are mostly verbal—but we give Those horrors, else, returning, our readers what they will probably like better, a Harrow mine inward sight : sample of the collection : The drop—the noose-each feature Of that bad scene I see, Where they bear forth yon creature From childbed to the tree. Her pinioned arms deny her Her infant's last embrace ; Since they may not untie her, They lift it io her face. And then-yes, I should banish Such fancies overwrought, But they refuse to vanish, of my thought. Off within the dark ; 'T is true, if aught could smother Pity, it were her crime; But I shall be a mother Too, in a little time. To think if I were lying, Foretasting every pang, Counting each moment flying, And, after all, to hang ! To feel each cordial proffered My sinking frame to prop- Was succor only offered To save me for the drop ! Better at once to end me, Than, like that hapless wretch, To soothe, sustain, and tend me, And nurse me for Jack Ketch! Her unborn babe reveres, Whose mind despair will fashion, And agonizing fears : Preserved by mercies tender, An idiot but to be ; Nay, what these thoughts may render My own, disquiets me. Mother and queen, forget not Pardon is in thine hand; For woman's pity, let not This hanging shame our land; But cause the mob ferocious The spectacle to miss, Inhuman and atrocious, Of butcher-work like this. Punch. |