added. It is then allowed to ferment. Some immediately barrel it and put some raisins and isinglass into the vessel, in order to clear it. As soon as the feculence is worked off, the liquor is bunged up and laid aside for use. In Norway, many of the houses are covered with birch-bark, as it possesses qualities to resist rain and the inclemency of the weather, for a number of years. From its containing a great quantity of inflammable matter, torches are made of this bark, cut into long narrow stripes, and twisted together. When dried, ground, mixed with meal, and boiled, it is given to swine: in years of scarcity, it is mixed with corn and baked and used for human food, while the twigs of the tree afford fodder for the horses. From the berries of the sloe an agreeable sort of wine is collected.

A distillery on a small scale was established in 1793, for the manufacture of brandy, but no account has been given of its success. Ale, to a considerable extent, is imported, and dealt out with freedom at weddings, christenings, and other entertainments. Ale and beer are now made in the country, but not to such extent as to prevent importation; they are, however, of inferior quality: native hops are employed, which Barrow says he saw growing luxuriantly in Norway. Malt drink was held in such estimation amongst the Norwegians, that we are told that King Abreck, of Hordoland, chose Gierheld to be his queen, because she excelled in the art of brewing. Very good ale is brewed in the families of gentlemen for domestic use; but in many districts, it has a tartness, caused by the mixture of oats with bere. For stronger drink the Norwegians depend on the Danes, Dutch, and French, who carry on a profitable trade with the country. So far back as the thirteenth century, a company of merchants settled at Bergen, who imported various articles of commerce, amongst which were malt, ale, wine, and spirituous liquors. At present the Dutch carry on a great trade with the Norwegians in this way, and in return for their gin, in particular, receive large supplies of juniper-berries. The Swedes also furnish them with corn-brandy, but in small quantities; what they manufacture themselves, Barrow affirms, is purer than that of Sweden. This spirit they distil from barley, and occasionally from rye and oats; it is generally flavoured, sometimes with anise-seed, and sometimes with caraway seed: others say, this is effected by the flowers of some mountain plants or by the juniper berry, with the addition of a little sugar. Dr. Clarke attributes the flavour to the infusion of the haeg-berry, or bird-cherry, (prunus padus) the juice of which is red; the spirit, however, is clear, but if distilled on the plant, it is thought the flavour might be retained, while the colour would disappear. Since the introduction of the potato,

The

and the attention paid to its cultivation, the Norwegians distil from it to a considerable extent. Laing, in his Journal, thus describes the process, as carried on in a small concern which he visited at Drontheim: The potatoes are first steamed, and afterwards bruised between two cylinders, the pulp is then run into vats, with a small proportion of ground malt; to every eight barrels of potatoes, 72lbs. of malt are used: the fermentation produced by a mixture of yeast is generally finished in three days, after which distillation is carried on in the usual manner. The produce varies in proportion to the quality of the potatoes. Every farmer is entitled to distil the produce of his own farm, but pays a trifling license if he buys the potatoes and works as a trader. A still is commonly kept on every farm, not only on account of the spirits, the consumption of which in every family is very great, but for the refuse or wash for the support of the cattle. The spirit is generally flavoured like the corn brandy with aniseseed; it is strong and fiery, but neither harsh nor ill tasted. There is commonly one brewing and distillation every week, or at least every fortnight, the operations of which are conducted by the women. process of steaming the potatoes is effected much in the same manner as already described when treating of Germany: they are put into a barrel with iron hoops, having a small door in the side at its bottom, which is bored with holes to let out the water; the barrel is usually placed on a stand with rollers for the purpose of conveying it from one part of the concern to another; the steam is conveyed into this barrel by a pipe connected with the head of the still or boiler, and enters the barrel near the bottom through a grating: the condensed steam falls through the holes in the bottom. The operation of steaming is commonly finished in an hour and half; and the potatoes are considered sufficiently prepared for the purposes required, when they are fit to be eaten. By boiling the potatoes in steam, the flavour is said to be improved, and it prevents the spirits from partaking of the flavour of the potato; it is thought to be more profitable to distil them with a mixture of ground wheat and malt, rye, or any other kind of grain, than to distil the potatoes by themselves: the best proportions for this mixture are considered to be-to six heaped barrels of potatoes, weighing 78 stones of 16lbs. each, 94 stones of wheat or other corn, and five of malt from bere or bigg, are to be added. If other proportions be taken, the wort or wash is apt to become so heavy as to be liable to burn or singe in the still, and by observing these ratios, any quantity, great or small, may be made with certain and good effect. The ground grain and malt are first mixed with about 120 quarts of water, heated to 50° of Reaumer, or 144° of

Fahrenheit and no higher; the bruised potatoes are then shovelled into the vat, after which about 450 quarts of boiling water are poured in, and again cooled down with cold water to 20° of Reaumer or 77° of Fahrenheit. The mixture of grain and malt is then thrown in, a little yeast being added; the vat is then closed up and left to ferment: to ascertain when it is fit for the still, the rule is to divide the scum of seeds and froth upon its surface, and if the scum does not run together of itself, nor the opening close with air-bubbles from below, the fermentation is over. The quantity of potatoes and grain abovementioned has been estimated to yield from 160 to 190 quarts of strong spirits. The distillation of spirits being unrestricted in Norway and practised in every farm-house, renders the price very low, usually about 14d. per gallon. Barrow states, that although cornbrandy is plentiful and cheap, being only from 4d. to 6d. the quart bottle, and that great quantities are consumed, yet drunkenness is a vice not common among the Norwegians.* This is the more singular, since, according to Laing, they have the wines and brandies of France and Spain cheaper than the people of those countries, owing to the expenses of land carriage and municipal taxes.

Although in Sweden, grain is cultivated to some extent, yet there are but few distilleries in that kingdom. It is curious that among these few should be ranked the palace near Abo, formerly the frequent residence of the Swedish monarchs, and that of Calmar, in the province of Smaland, once the habitation of the celebrated Margaret.

In 1772, Gustavus III. declared his determination to make the distillation of brandy, for the sake of its revenue, a royal monopoly. To effect this, he prohibited private stills, previous to which every farmer was at liberty to distil from corn, or any other substance he pleased. This measure rendered the monarch very unpopular; and he was obliged to have recourse to force to suppress the insurrections it occasioned. During three years, he persevered in this monopoly ; but in 1775, he rescinded the prohibition, so far as to grant the privilege of distillation to a limited number of individuals on the payment of a certain sum for a fixed number of years. The want of a sufficient number of farmers or contractors of this royal monopoly, forced the king to abandon his plan; and he became himself the only distiller in the kingdom. A dignitary of the church remonstrated with his Majesty on this occasion, and remarked that there were two things with which a prudent king should not meddle, namely, religion and brandy. With the concerns of the first, Gustavus had little to do; but the second he pursued with ardour: he even interdicted the

Barrow's Excursions, p. 227.

importation of foreign brandies, and levied heavy penalties on the slightest infringement of any of his regulations, which occasioned numerous complaints, remonstrances, and menaces, in every part of the kingdom; and discontent rose so high, that even in the metropolis, it was found necessary to station guards at the Royal Brandy Factories, to prevent their destruction by an indignant populace. This expression of public feeling led to a modification of the laws; but the power of the crown is still predominant.

In 1793, a large distillery was erected near Gripsholm, within about 25 miles of the capital. It was calculated to work annually about 1,200 Riga lasts of grain, or 18,000 tons. A term of twenty years was given to the proprietors for working it, after which it was to become a royal monopoly. In that distillery there were 96 vats of equal size, in each of which was usually mixed four tons and a quarter of flour, two thousand canns of water, and ten canns of common yeast. Each vat yielded from 80 to 84 canns, and sometimes 90 according to the grain: the mixture was stirred at intervals, until fermentation took place, when the vats were covered and luted down with a composition of lime. In four days the wash was ready for the still. The number of stills amounted to twenty-six, four of which contained 4,000 canns, the others 2,000. The process was slow, from six to seven hours being employed in bringing over the wash, and a proportionate time for the spirits. One-fourth part of the grain used was barley, and as each ton yielded twenty-two canns of spirit, the crown exacted twelve of these, at a strength six degrees above proof. The remaining ten fell to the proprietors, which they sold at sixteen shillings and four runsticks per cann, making upon 18,000 tons, 180,000 canns; on the whole produce nearly 400,000. There were ninety-six workmen employed, at about fourteen or sixteen plottes per month.

Grain is not the only ingredient used in the Swedish distilleries. A large species of black ant, which affords on distillation a resin, an oil, and an acid, is employed with rye to give flavour and potency to the brandy. This insect is commonly found on small round hills at the bottom of the fir tree. It is, says Consett, less a matter of surprise that they should use these insects in their distilleries than that they should eat them, and consider them highly palatable and pleasant. "As I was walking," he remarks, "with a young gentleman in a wood near Gottenburg, I observed him sit down upon one of those living hills, which from the nature of its inhabitants, I should rather have avoided, and begin with some degree of keenness to devour these insects, first nipping off their heads and wings; the flavour he declared

was of the finest acid, rather resembling that of lemon. My young friend entreated me much to follow his example, but I could not overcome the antipathy which I felt to such kind of food."* Chemists have tried the distilling of ants, and have obtained an acid resembling vinegar; its properties and attractions are not yet distinctly determined.

The propensity of the Swedes for strong drink of all kinds is well known, and their wish to refine upon this luxury may have led them to adopt the ant as the Dutch have the juniper. To their constant use of spirits, Fortia attributes the thinness of the population. Several attempts have been made to restrain them in the exercise of so fatal an indulgence, but to no purpose. They allege that the practice of drinking is conducive to health, and even the most temperate adhere to the custom of taking an allowance both morning and evening. At their dinner parties, which in general are given with great ceremony, the company assemble in an adjoining room, where a sideboard or table is spread with bread, butter, cheese, pickled salmon, and cornbrandy. To these, says Thompson, who on one occasion met fifty persons at a private house, the company pay a visit, and each takes a dram by way of whet to his appetite.§ Clarke, however, asserts, that he had never seen a drunken mob in Sweden upon the Sabbath day, nor drunkenness on any day among the peasants. If intoxication prevail in that country, it will be found perhaps in the better classes of society.

Where the lower orders use beer as a common drink, breweries may be expected to abound. In 1809, there were 159 registered establishments of that kind in the country. Some years previous to that period, they were enabled to export 232 barrels from Stockholm, and in 1790 they shipped off 169 barrels. When Thompson, who lately travelled in Sweden, visited Gottenburg, a Mr. Lorent was erecting a brewery for porter, to enable him to imitate that of London, which he sold at the inns for two shillings and six-pence the bottle. This brewery succeeded so well, that in 1826 its porter was of such good quality, and came so near to that of London, that it was jocularly said, "they got their water from the Thames." The porter of this house is in demand throughout Sweden, and has, in a great measure, superseded the necessity of any importation from England. The concern is now kept under the firm of Lorent and Nooning, who, it

Vide Consett's Remarks in a Tour through Sweden, &c.

† Fortia's Travels.

Clarke's Travels, vol. v. p. 135.

§ Thompson's Travels in Sweden, 4to. pp. 12 & 13.