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8. PAULINUS GOTHUS. MATTHLE, NEW SWEDEN. 287
I shall speak presently of the efforts for conciliation in
matters of faith and doctrine which are so closely connected
with his name.
But vigorous administration was not confined to the old
centres. The mission to Lapland, where Charles IX. had
founded several churches, was taken up with renewed
energy in the time of Gustavus. It owed much to the
statesman, Count John Skytte, founder of a professorship
at Upsala, and a school at Alem, north of Kalmar, who, in
1631, also founded and endowed an important school at
Lycksele in the province of Vesterbotten, to which both
Gustavus and Christina granted charters.38
The expansion of Sweden, which was so remarkable
nearer home in the Baltic countries to the east and south,
also now began in a westward direction, by the foundation
of the colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in the
new world. Two Swedish vessels landed on the site of the
modern Wilmington in 1637 1638, where Fort Christina
was built, and a treaty made with the Iroquois Indians.
In 1643 Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna gave some remark
able instructions to Governor Printz, desiring him to treat
the Indians with humanity and respect, and to try to con
vert them to Christianity and a good life. These instruc
tions clearly were the basis of William Penn s wise policy
a little later.
In 1646 the first Lutheran church was built near the site
of Philadelphia, and somewhat later Luther s Little Cate
chism was translated into the Indian language. As the
colony had to submit first to the Dutch and then to the
English little was done for it
by the Church at home.
Charles XL, towards the end of the century, paid indeed
some attention to this settlement, and so did Archbishop
Svebilius, and more, particularly, Bishop Svedberg of
Skara. Svedberg, who also had charge of the congrega
tion in London, worked in harmony with Bishop Henry
Compton, of London (1675 I
7 I
3)&gt;
who had charge of our
38
See Johannes Scheffdrus Lapponia, chap. 8, 1673. I have
used the interesting English edition, Oxford, 1674, where both
the charters may be found.
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