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FORTIA’Ss TRAVELS IN SWEDEN. 393
officers; he walks round the company, embraces the wives of the fenators, and {peaks
to every one without diftinGtion ; but longeft to the minifters and foreigners; on our
very firft introduction, he converfed with us on the French revolution, and without
hefitation alluded to that of Sweden in 1772, and the factions in his own country.
Converfation ended, you fet down to play; the game is a fort of loto, at which every
one {takes two and a half rix-dollars in paper, neither gold nor filver being feen at the
table: the Queen only has a feparate table, at which fhe plays at cards; the Prince
Royal is by the fide of the table, ftanding, the fame as at tie levee, and retires as foon
as the game is done. Afterwards you go to fupper, at which every thing is conducted
the fame as was at the French court; each Princefs has her officers behind her: the
Gentleman Carver cuts for all, and hands the plates: a balifter of wood feparates a
third of the apartment : here the public is allowed to be: the ladies of the fenators have
{tools to fet on, which is the only feats to be feen. When the King is defirous of fpeak-
ing to any one, he addrefles him by name, and difmiffes him by a nod of the head.
Supper concludes between ten and eleven o’clock. Strangers that have already been
prefented, place themfelves by the diplomatic corps; it is cuftomary to remain to the
end.
‘The Queen embraces the wives of the fenators upon their ftooping to kifs her hand ;
foreign ladies kifs the hands of the Queen and the Princefles*. We were prefented to
the Queen immediately after having been introduced to the King ; as for the Princes
and Princefles you attend on their day, and are prefented to them in their apartments.
The following is an anecdote but little known. Charles XII. wrote from Bender for
an exact account of the ceremonial of the court of Louis XIV., which was fent to him.
A fugitive ruined prince, who breathed nothing but war, to require the etiquette of a
court the moft brilliant in Europe; what a fingularity !
Even before you go to the King, you vifit and are prefented to the Prince Royal ; he
always {peaks to foreigners, and makes the circuit of his apartment in the fame manner
as the King. On Thurfdays, the Prince dines in public at one o’clock, at which time
you pay your court ; we never met with any ladies on thefe occafions. His°mode of
conduét is the counterpart of that of his Majefty : the minifters are conftantly with him,
although they appear before his Majefty but once within a fortnight; they vifit the Prince
three times in that fpace, which is fomewhat fingular. He is dreft in the Swedifh man-
ner, without a cloak, his hair cut clofe round, and without powder. The countenance
of this young Prince is interefting, and befpeaks a weak ftate of health, notwith{tanding
he is very well; he is extremely forward confidering his years, and highly engaging.
His hours of ftudy are exactly regulated ; every day he has eight or ten perfons to dine
with him, and every thing about him is in the fimplelt ftile. ‘The Prince never dines
with his Father unlefs when in the country ; he is reftrained from this privilege until he
affumes the {word, which he will do fhortly; this however did not prevent his father
(on his journey to Aix la Chapelle in 1791,) from declaring him regent, and upon our
noticing this to his Majefty, he replied, ** Guftavus Adolphus took a town before he was
invefted with the fword.”” ‘This required no anfwer.
* Some years ago, the lady of the Imperial Ambaflador refufed to fubmit to this ceremony, and expofed
herfelf to a difagreeable affair at the Exchange ball. Without entering into the merits of her motive,
whether good or bad, it is our opinion, that he aéts moft prudent who follows the cultoms of the country
he is in, and that all are particularly bound not to draw on themfelves in public, any odium by an untoward
difpofition, Be that a3 it may, from that period the Ambafladors from the Emperor no longer prefent
their ladies at court,
VOL. Vie aye 35 We
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