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Letters Writen During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark
Letters Writen During a Short Residence in Sweden Norway and Denmark Author:Mary Wollstonecraft General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1802 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: LETTER VII. Though the king of Denmark be an absolute monarch, yet the norwegians appear to enjoy all the blessings of freedom. Norway may be termed a sister kingdom ; but the people have no viceroy to lord it over them, and fatten his dependants with the fruit of their labour. There are only two counts in the whole country, who have estates, and exact some feudal observances from their tenantry. All the rest of the country is divided into small farms, which belong to the cultivator. It is true, some few, appertaining to the church, are let; but always on a lease for life, generally renewed in favour of the eldest son, who has this advantage, as well as a right to a double portion of the property. But the value of the farm is estimated; and after his portion is assigned to him, he must be answerable for the residue to the remaining part of the family. Every farmer, for ten years, is obliged to attend annually about twelve days, to learn the military exercise; but it is always at a small distance from his dwelling, and docs not lead him into any new habits of life. There are about six thousand regulars also, in garrison at Christiana and Fredericshall, who are equally reserved, with the militia, for the defence of their own country. So that when the prince royal passed into Swe-, den, in 1788, he was obliged to request, not command, them to accompany him on this expedition. These corps are mostly composed of the sons of the cottagers, who being labourers on the farms, are allowed a few acres to cultivate for themselves. These men voluntarily enlist;. but it is only for a limited period, (six years...« less