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252 A History of Sweden
Sweden from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Charles en-
tered eagerly into this project, declaring that after five
years all would be completed. The work had barely be-
gun when the shot at Fredrikshald put an end to the
enterprise.
A mere list of Polhem’s inventions would fill many
pages. He was filled with an earnest desire to serve
his fellow men. His life ended in 1751.
Rise of a War Party. Fall of Arvid Horn. In meas-
ures limiting the royal power the Estates had been
unanimous, but in other matters there was little har-
mony among them. As soon as the people had recov-
ered strength after the ruin of the great war, many
began to talk of renewing the war with Russia and
regaining the territories lost by the treaty of Nystad
in 1721. A new generation had arisen, which gloried
in the victories and the achievements of the past, but
forgot its defeats, its sorrows, and its hardships. The
new generation burned with a desire to avenge itself
upon its hereditary enemy to the east. But the old and
cautious statesman at the helm must first be removed.
To undermine his influence and make him unpopular
first among the people and then with the Estates, the
war enthusiasts circulated the report that he was pro-
Russian, which was the worst thing that could be said
about any one in Sweden at that time. The truth was
that Horn did not wish to rush his country into war
before it had regained its strength, and its defenses
had been restored. But the young and inexperienced
enthusiasts would take fortune by storm, and glory and
lands would be theirs.
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