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‘FORTIA’S TRAVELS IN SWEDEN. 399
by Sergell, about whom a child on foot encircles a garland. A bronze buft of Charles
XIL, by Bouchardon the younger. This apartment was to be enlarged; the defigns for
the purpofe, projected by Ma/rellier, were {hewn to us, It isto be connected with the
neighbouring chamber, that contains a painting by Ggnerot, which reprefents the Pope
accompanying the King to the Mufeum. >
It is in contemplation to. eftablifh a Royal Mufeeum, which is to hold all the collec-
tions made by the ceiebrated Nicodemus Teffin, to whom are owing the handfomeft build-
ings in Stockholm ; by his fon Charles Guftavus, of equal celebrity as a connoifleur of
the arts and ftatefman; by Queen Louifa Ulrica, the worthy filter of the great Frederic ;
and by Guftavus III., the firft King who travelled to promote the arts, which formed
his chief delight. In this Mufeeum is to be depofited the whole of the antique fpecimens
collected by them, than which, out of Italy, it would be difficult to produce a more
precious collection. ‘The Endymion, Apollo, Minerva, and the nine Mufes, will form
its chief beauties in fculpture. It is to contain paintings; drawings by great matters,
of which there are thirteen enormous volumes; engravings, moftly proofs; the beft
works on the arts; Etrufcan vafes, bronzes, medals, and ancient and modern coins, the
number of which amounts to twenty thoufand, the union of three valuable collections,
&e.
From this profpectus one can but form a favourable idea of the intended Mufeeum.
Mr. de Fredenheim, whom we fhall fhortly mention, is occupied with this eftablifhment,
as intendant of all the King’s colle¢tions in the department of the arts. ‘This appoint-
ment does him honour, and will certainly not be blamed by thofé who, like us, have the
happinefs of knowing him.
Theatres. They have four theatres. The grand opera in the Swedifh language, at
which there are performances on Mondays, and occafionally on Thurfdays; the actors
are pretty good; Mr. Ka/en is the firft finger, who is of impofing appearance, and
plays in a noble ftyle; notwithftanding which one {till feels there is {omewhat in his
manner to look for. Madame Muller is poffeffed of great talents, but withal has a
Danifh accent, in our opinion, very difagreeable: her hufband is an excellent violin
player. The dancing part, managed by a Frenchman, is very tolerable. Mademoifelle
Batii (who, however, we believe has fince left them) was the firft dancer; fhe perform-
ed at Paris fome years back. The drefles are extremely rich, and propriety of coftume
moft critically adhered to; as for fcenery, they may in this article vie with the moft ele-
gant theatres; and in point of machinery, the moft difficult fpectator has nothing to
condemn, Within five months, that is to fay, in courfe of two or three-and-twenty
nights’ reprefentations, we were prefent at nine different operas, three of which na-
tional. Gu/avus Vafa in particular is extremely curious; the fcenery of the firft ac,
which reprefents the court of Chriftiern, is exquifitely beautiful. The fubjeét is, for
the natives of the country, of a very interefting nature, and is compojed by him the beft
qualified to appreciate the great qualities of this Prince*. The mufic of the piece by
Naumann, is frequently very fine; of the merit of the compofition we were unable to
judge, but were’told that the verfes were excellent. In the opera of Electra, likewife,
there is a beautiful feene; one of a new defcription, and extremely rich in Thetis and
* ‘The King has framed the fkeleton of feveral operas and many Swedith pieces; he is extremely partial
tothe ftage, is well acquainted with it, and an excellent judge particularly of French pieces; often is he
the only perfon who feels and applauds certain paflages ; much of the delicate ftrokes of a language cicaping
thofe who even fpeak it fluently, unlefs it be fundamentally acquired; but the King underftands the Frenc
language equally well with the beft-informed Frenchman. (This article we have left exaétly as it was ori-
ginally compefed.)
Peleus,
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