arrangements, which render the diffusion of knowledge and religion among mankind altogether nugatory. It is clearly no defect in the physical condition of the Swedish people that produces this extraordinary moral state. It is a defect in their civil and political condition. Compared to the cottar or labourer in Scotland, the Swedish peasant is better provided with physical comforts: he is far better lodged, better fed, his access to fuel and food better in general; but his property can scarcely be called his own: he has it nominally, and has it not really, for it is withdrawn from him by exactions, of so old standing, and so involved with rights of great classes in the community, that, like our tithes, they have become a property. He has no freedom of mind, no power of dissent in religious opinion from the established church; because, although toleration nominally exists, a man not baptized, confirmed, and instructed by the clergyman of the establishment, could not communicate in the established church, and could not marry, or hold office, or exercise any act of majority as a citizen; would, in short, be an outlaw: he has no freedom of action; for the system of passports, as it existed in France after the conscription was established, as a necessary branch of that system for preventing the escape of conscripts, is, together with the conscription, established over Sweden in full force. The great body of the Swedish population, more than four fifths, live by agriculture. What are the rights, civil and political, of this body? Beginning with the lowest grade, the servants in husbandry, we find them subject to a law which is opposed to all feeling of personal rights. They are subject to corporal chastisement from their masters for negligence in their duty; and this house discipline is sanctioned by law (5 cap. 14 Handels Balk) of the present reign. It reduces this class to the state of serfs, who may be cudgelled at pleasure. The negligence thus punishable is not defined, but is left to the judgment of the master, who may lawfully lay hands on, and beat his servant, provided he does not kill or maim him, with impunity. The servant may change his service at the end of six months, on giving due warning, but has no right of action against the master for personal maltreatment; and during his time of service has no more rights than a slave, This state of the law indicates a raw social condition. It is acted upon not only by the vulgar, or the peasantry, but by the higher, and even the educated, or it influences their bearing towards the lower class. I saw lately a case in the newspapers of a clergyman, a man of literature, secretary to some learned society, accused of inflicting an indecent flagellation upon a young woman, one of his flock, for being pregnant with an illegitimate child. The reverend gentleman's defence was, that a master of a family is entitled by law to inflict corporal chastisement upon offending servants; and, à fortiori, he, the pastor, was entitled to chastise one of his erring flock. The liberal press was too well informed of the similar case of a Jesuit, which Voltaire exposed, to suffer this defence to pass unnoticed; but to venture to state such a defence to the public indicates a public so rude, and the personal rights of the lower class of the people so little regarded, that it might be stated and received; and indicates that, setting aside the indecency of the transaction, and the want of a hiring as master and servant, it would have been but an ordinary lawful beating. The civil rights of this, the lowest and most numerous class of every community, seem but low-little higher than those of the serf. Their self-respect, and, consequently, their moral state, cannot be high. The next grade are the married servants in husbandry, having houses and land, for which they pay labour as rent. It is difficult to estimate the condition of this class, because, according to the size of their possessions, they may pay a money or grain rent, besides so many days' labour, weekly or yearly, or may receive a low rate of wages, along with a house and piece of land, for daily labour. On the same farm I found torpare, as this class of cottar servants are called, who had paid fifty dollars banco for a lease of fifty years, had built their own houses, and cleared and brought into cultivation their own land, the extent sufficient to support a family, and paid fifty days' work yearly as rent; and torpare who gave the work every day, one man on the main farm, and received various articles in wages, and a little money. The rate of wages for country labour is from 16 skillings banco to one dollar riksgald, or from 6 pence to 13 pence daily; but where much is paid in kind, in meal, land, milk, &c. this gives no real information, even in Scotland, of the condition and way of living of the mass of the agricultural labourers, I shall, therefore, although it may be tedious to most readers, translate and value in English the details of a torpare family's living. A man, wife, and three children, in the middle of Sweden, the wife occupied with the children and housekeeping, so as to earn nothing by outdoor labour, have an income of 146 dollars banco, or 121. 4s. 8d. sterling, consisting in the following items: or 0 8 10 2 barrels rye, valued at 16 dollars banco, or £1 7 10 1 barrel big. barrel peas barrel malt 2 barrels potatoes 20 lbs. salt 80 lbs. herrings 20 lbs. butter 3 lbs. hops 20 lbs. pork 20 lbs. bacon of a cow or ox 5吋 31 24 22 142 10 or 0 5 7 or 0 4 5 21 4} This amounts to 29 dollars 32 skillings yearly for the support of each individual in a family, or 21. 8s. 11 d. sterling. The following is a similar state of a torpare's living and income upon an estate ten miles from Stockholm: barrel wheat, valued at 2 dollars banco, or £0 4 3 4 barrels rye 2 barrels big 2 barrels potatoes 10 heads of cabbages barrel herrings 20 lbs. salt 40 lbs. meat 20 lbs. bacon 1 lb. hops A which among five persons in family is 24 dollars 29 skillings, or 21. 1s. 6d. for each per annum. torpare family on the same estate was bound by contract or lease for ten years to perform yearly 208 days' work of a man valued at 21 skill. 6 run. 93 dol. 8 sk. 40 days' work of a woman 14 journeys to the town Mowing and working 14 tunlands of hay......... 10 Cutting and carting 5 logs of timber ............ Cutting and carting 4 fathoms billet wood ...... 2 5 2 Setting up half of the stakes for a stake net... 3 or 127. 15s. 4d. These may be rather approxima |
