in the castle of Frederikshaven, a-carving of small toys and turning of ivory; he was at first honourably treated, and often dined at the table of Frederik IV. One day he presented to the king his portrait, limned by himself, with the words written thereon, "Sire, let the prisoner go free," but Frederik did not. This portrait is still preserved in the museum of Copenhagen.

On the fresh-ploughed fields stalk flocks of the brown-necked daw, enjoying a Lucullus banquet on the newly turned-up grubs. "Drive to Kulla Gunnarstorp," said we to the postboy. "I shall do no such thing," was the reply. "But you'll have a dollar extra for it. "I shan't go:" and he didn't; so on we went. Kulla Gunnarstorp, seat of his late Excellency Count de Geer, father of the Countess Platen, celebrated for its gallery of Dutch pictures, already or about to be dispersed, was once the "nest" of a sea-rover sung in the ballad as "Alle sits broken on the wheel: he shines in his white bones across the Öresund." Chimneys appear in sight, backed by black rubbish-hills like the "tips" of South Wales: in the distance rises the long range of Hallands Aas, a ridge which separates Skåne from the adjoining province. We enter a well-built village, planted with trees, begrimed by smoke,-up one sat a blue cat, of that race peculiar to Scandinavia,—and alight at the hotel of Höganäs.

The mines of Höganäs contain the only bed of the black diamond in Sweden; the coal, which extends in a

The journal of his sufferings was found concealed between his boots, written upon small rags. Stenbock died 1717.

* Lycos monedula.

shallow vein almost to Helsingborg, is of inferior quality, and the working of the mineral would scarcely pay were it not for the manufactory of bricks of fire-clay. The fire-clay is found after the coal is cleared out; it is first cast into a huge mound to rot, then kneaded by human feet. This clay is of the finest quality, and hardens from exposure to the weather.

The artistic portion of the fire-clay works is under the direction of Ring, a pupil of Bissen's. Simple peasants, not educated artisans, execute these modellings. In the first studio a boy was busily engaged modelling a copy of Thorwaldsen's Christ, life-size, for some Swedish church. In a room above were spread out the various specimens of the manufactory.* There were fountains and vases for gardens; shields of Swedish noblemen, to be placed above gateways; every form of ornament, whether Gothic or Renaissance. In one chamber stood a chimney-piece, surmounted by a coat of arms, tapering to a finial,-such as we see in old Tudor houses; the design was rich and well executed. I inquired of M. Natt och Dag, superintendent of the works, the price of this chimney-piece, and found it to be 157. sterling.

Natt och Dag-night and day: the name is singular, but one of the most illustrious in Sweden, and once stood third in rank in the Riddarhus, till the herald archives were consumed by fire, and a squabble arose among the nobles for precedence. In the early days of Swedish history a royal castle was besieged by a Danish army: though ill-provided with soldiers and provisions,

* All the splendid carvings and decorations of Marsvinsholm were moulded at Höganäs.

it held out bravely. For fourteen days and more did the commandant of that slender garrison stand at his watch-tower, never taking one minute's slumber; "night and day" he was there. When relief came the Swedish king ennobled him by the name of Natt och Dag, and granted him arms symbolical.

We purchased souvenirs of the fire-clay works,-tazze of graceful form; sabots, shaking mandarins, and trolles -trolles of the Kullaborg-in black clay, with red nightcaps, and boots on shoulder, to hold cigars or lucifer matches.

These mines, which were worked a thousand years ago and more, are now in the hands of an enlightened company, though, perhaps, the machinery in use might cause a Northumbrian miner to curl his lip.

Here are good healthy tenements, schools, apotek, hospital, and church; doctor and dowager-doctor, pensioned off with house and garden. Everything is done to civilize the collier, under the auspices of the director, M. Sjökrona, a Swedish nobleman. The church-bell, if so it can be called, is formed of a triangle of Bessamer steel, struck by a hammer, -an old Swedish custom. We wanted to hear its sound; but as it is only rung in case of fire, the consequences would have been inconvenient.

Near the mines a public garden has been planted, tended by the miners themselves: within it stands. a bituminous ash-hill, consumed two years since by spontaneous combustion; the planting then became easy, it is now a verdant hög; a winding path leads to the summit, surmounted by a flagstaff. Ice buried beneath these heaps keeps for two years. Beercellars are in course of construction in the gardens;

the directors trust that, by furnishing good cheap beer, they may eradicate the taste for spirits-that curse of the Swedish peasantry.

We climbed to the flagstaff. In the garden below the colliers had sown a grass-plot among the walks, to form the name of Sjökrona, a graceful tribute to their benefactor. Towards the north rise a range of rubbishheaps, now a dense wood of self-planted hazels. As we strolled through the gardens, where a theatre is to be erected for the workmen, and saw the crowds of happy, contented colliers and modellers, with their families, it struck me what an advantage it is for a company to be under the direction of well-educated, enlightened gentlemen, and how wise they are-not knowing what may occur-to take time by the forelock, and ensure the future wellbeing of the 2000 for whose social state they are to a certain extent answerable.

We dined and slept at the hotel; towards sunset the brass band of the colliers played before our balcony, varying the performance by a choir of Swedish airs.

N. B.-An Italian band-master is provided as their instructor by the company.

CHAPTER XI

Erik's challenge to Robert Dudley-Christina Gyllenstjerna, heroine of the Blood-bath-Putta the witch The Kullaman consulted by Waldemar the Old-Trolles of Trollenäs - Engelholm packed off to Landskrona.

KULLEN.

It was early when we quitted Höganäs. We stopped for an hour at Kråpperup, the residence of Baron Gyllenstjerna, situated at the foot of the Kullen hills: an ancient "Örnesten" (eagles' nest) noted in history as early as the year 1000-a foundation of the Krogenos family, from whom it passed away; no wonder, if all the daughters exacted trousseaux like that of Maria.*

One side of the castle is seméed with large white sandstone stars, on a field of red brick,-heraldic bearings of the Gyllenstjerna, a house of Danish origin. The first-born Swede of the name married King Carl Knutsson's daughter: his portrait hangs here, with many of his race famous in history,t old

* Maria Krogenos, grandmother to Tycho Brahe, the account of whose marriage wants and personalties equals those of the celebrated Lady Northampton.

† Among the celebrities of this house, Nils Gyllenstjerna, ambassador to Queen Elizabeth in 1561, made so brilliant a speech before the assembled peers, the queen spoke of it still, twenty-two years afterwards. Of the correspondence and despatches of Nils during his embassy to England we shall speak later. Erik XIV., indignant with Robert Earl of Leicester, whom he suspected of injuring his matri