attached to the Embassy, and he procured a caleche, and I posted to Upsala yesterday afternoon (knocking the people up at 11 at night) and posted back this afternoon.  And sure enough a message has come that the king expects me at 11 to-morrow morning.  Posting of course is much dearer than steam-boat travelling, but it is cheap in comparison with England:  two horses cost 1s. for nearly 7 miles.  At Upsala there is a very good old cathedral, I suppose the only one in Sweden:  and many things about the University which interested me.  I sent my card to Professor Fries, and he entirely devoted himself to me:  but imagine our conversation—­he spoke in Latin and I in French:  however we understood each other very well.  It is on the whole a dreary country except where enlivened by lakes:  some parts are pine forests and birch forests, but others are featureless ground with boulder stones, like the worst part of the Highlands.

August 6, Wednesday, 3 o’clock.

I rigged myself in black trowsers and white waistcoat and neckcloth this morning.  Sir Edmund Lyons called.  Baron Wrede called on me:  he had observed the Eclipse at Calmar and brought his drawing, much like mine.  He conducted me to the Palace.  The Minister for Foreign Affairs came to me.  In the waiting-room I was introduced to the Lieutenant-Governor of Christianstad, who had had the charge of Humphreys and Milaud.  He had placed a guard of soldiers round them while they were observing.  They saw the eclipse well.  Captain Blackwood went to Helsingborg instead of Bornholm, and saw well.  I am sorry to hear that it was cloudy at Christiania, Mr Dunkin’s station.  I heard some days ago that Hind had lost his telescope, but I now heard a very different story:  that he landed at Ystad, and found a very bad hotel there:  that he learnt from Murray that the hotels at Carlscrona (or wherever he meant to go) were much worse; and so he grew faint at heart and turned back.  I was summoned in to the King and presented by the Minister (Stjerneld), and had a long conversation with him:  on the eclipse, the arc of meridian, the languages, and the Universities.  We spoke in French.  Then Baron Wrede went with me to the Rittershus (House of Lords or Nobles) in Session, and to the Gallery of Scandinavian Antiquities, which is very remarkable:  the collection of stone axes and chisels, bronze do., iron do., ornaments, &c. is quite amazing.  I was struck with seeing specimens from a very distant age of the Maid of Norway’s brooch:  the use of which I explained to the Director.

I dined and drove out with Sir E. Lyons, and called at the houses of the Baron Stjerneld and of the Norwegian Minister Baron Due, and had tea at the latter.  Most of these people speak English well, and they seem to live in a very domestic family style.  I should soon be quite at home here:  for I perceive that my reception at Court, &c., make people think that I am a very proper sort of person.