Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/428

410 of Geijer's history; and 's (born 1822) "Sveriges politiska historia från Karl XII's död till 1772." has also written some very meritorious works. Archbishop Henrik Reuterdahl has produced an interesting history of the Swedish church down to 1533, and the history of Swedish literature has been treated in a worthy manner by, and others. ("Hagkomster från hembygden och skolan"), ("Folklifvet i Skytts härad),  ("Värend och Virdarne") have contributed valuable works to the knowledge of life and customs among the lower classes of the people. Antiquarian research has found able scholars in, and others.

Philosophical studies have long been pursued with great zeal in Sweden. At the close of the last century Benjamin (1767-1812) sought to introduce into Sweden the Kant-Fichte principles, and his critical and philosophical works contributed much to hasten the crisis out of which the modern literary epoch emerged. He particularly exercised a strong influence on Geijer, in whose writings the philosophical element is very prominent.

(1797-1866) is, however, the only Swede who has created an independent philosophical system. Among his pupils (1827-59) and  (born 1821) are the most eminent. The latter belongs, like the above-mentioned Viktor Rydberg, to the so-called new rational tendency, which, in recent times, has found many adherents in Sweden. Among the representatives of the other branches of science we must confine ourselves to simply mentioning the most eminent names. The following are known throughout the world: The chemist, (1779-1848); the botanist,  (1794-1878); the botanist and statistician,  (1785-1859); the geologist and