The official paper of the Swedish government is Post och Inriches Tidning, which was founded as far back as 1645, and is one of the oldest periodicals in the world.  For more than a century it has been published under the auspices of the Swedish Academy, an organization of eighteen of the most learned scholars and philosophers in the kingdom.  The editor is Dr. J.A.  Spilhammar, a very learned gentleman, who, on account of his position, is naturally conservative and discreet in all his utterances.

Aftonbladet, a liberal evening paper, to which I have already alluded, has the greatest circulation in Sweden, the daily edition varying from one hundred and fifty thousand to one hundred and sixty thousand copies, and it is one of the most influential forces in the kingdom.  The editor, Harald Sohlman, is regarded is an able writer and shrewd business man.  He is also editor and publisher of Dagen, a morning paper, liberal in politics, which has a circulation of about forty thousand copies, and is sold at three oere—­about three-quarters of a cent. Aftonbladet’s semi-weekly edition goes into every corner of the kingdom, has a high literary standard, contains correspondence from all the European capitals, and has a special department devoted to news concerning the Swedes and Swedish affairs in America.

The most conservative of all Swedish papers is Nya Dagligt Allehanda, edited by Dr. J.A.  Bjorklund.  Its circulation is confined almost exclusively to the nobility and wealthier classes, and is said to be more loyal to the government than royalty itself.

Vart Land, another conservative paper, edited by Professor Gustaf Torelius, an eminent author and scholar, is an organ of the Swedish state church, and on that account is taken by every Lutheran clergyman and active layman in the kingdom.  It contains the official announcement of the minister of religion and the archbishop, and is especially given to news of an ecclesiastical character.  Its most prominent writer is Dr. C.D. af Wirsen, one of “the immortal eighteen” of the Swedish Academy and a lyric poet of reputation.

Svenska Morgonbladet, another religious daily, opposes Vart Land, and represents the dissenters from the established church.  Its circulation, according to its sarcastic competitors, “is limited to those who have been saved.”  Its most eminent contributor and patron is Dr. Peter Paul Waldenstroem, founder and leader of the Free Lutheran Church, “the Swedish Moody.”  Scarcely a week passes without an article from his pen in Morgonbladet, which gives that paper its standing among Free Lutherans.

Dagbladet is the only paper in Stockholm which is issued twice a day, and it has also a Sunday edition.  It styles itself in politics a “moderate,” but is more popular among the conservatives than the liberals.  Having the city printing, it is not inclined to quarrel with its bread and butter.