elicately defined. True, the sun had not really set at
all on the occasion we describe. It was constantly visible, so that the
human eye could not rest upon it for one moment. It was the mingling of
the golden haze of evening with the radiant, roseate flush of the
blushing morn.

After returning to Christiania we take the cars of the railroad which
crosses the peninsula by way of Charlottenborg, the frontier town of
Sweden. Here there is a custom-house examination of our baggage; for
although Norway and Sweden are under one crown, yet they have separate
tariffs, import and export fees being enforced between them. In crossing
the peninsula by rail one does not enjoy the picturesque scenery which
is seen on the Gotha Canal route. The railroad journey takes us through
a region of lake and forest, however, by no means devoid of interest,
and which is rich in mines of iron and other ores. As we approach Lake
Maelaren on the east coast, a more highly cultivated country is
traversed, until Stockholm is finally reached; a noble capital, and in
many respects exceptionally so. It is situated on the Baltic, at the
outlet of Lake Maelaren, and is built on several islands, all of which
are connected by substantial bridges. The city has a population of over
a hundred and eighty thousand, covering an area of five square miles,
and, taken as a whole, certainly forms one of the most cleanly and
interesting capitals in Europe. It is a city of canals, public gardens,
broad squares, and gay cafes, with two excellent harbors, one on the
Baltic and one on Lake Maelaren.

Wars, conflagrations, and the steady progress of civilization have
entirely changed the city from what it was in the days of Gustavus Vasa;
that is, about the year 1496. It was he who founded the dynasty which
has survived for three hundred years. The streets in the older sections
of the town are often crooked and narrow, but in the modern-built parts
there are fine straight avenues, with large and imposing public and
private edifices.

Stockholm is the centre of the social and literary activity of
Scandinavia, hardly second in this respect to Copenhagen. It has its
full share of scientific, artistic, and benevolent institutions such as
befit a great European capital. The stranger should as soon as
convenient after arriving, ascend an elevation of the town called the
Mosebacke, where has been erected a lofty iron framework and lookout,
which is ascended by means of a stea