Mention must be made of Baron Adolf Nordenskiold (1832-1907), who reached the highest latitude in the Arctic region till then attained by any ship, and in the _Vega_ spent two years accomplishing the North-East Passage. Otto Nordenskiold, a nephew of Baron Adolf, also sailed in the northern seas, and after two years’ exploration discovered King Oscar Land; and Sven Hedin, who traversed the countries of Central Asia, and brought to light the secrets of past ages. Sweden stands high in music and song. She has produced many gifted musicians, but none greater than Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale. She was born in Stockholm of very humble parentage. One day she, as a child, was heard singing to her cat. The listener was so entranced that she was the means of Jenny Lind being brought to the director of the Royal Opera House, who saw the quality of her voice, and arranged that she should be educated at Government expense. At the age of eighteen she made her first appearance. Wherever she went she captivated the people. She became the favourite of Stockholm, London, Berlin, and New York. Only eleven years did she remain in opera, and from religious convictions she resolved to confine herself to the concert-room. She is known as a singer, but her generosity and unselfishness will never be forgotten. In one tour in America her share of the profits was £35,000. More than half of that she spent in charity in her native land. In one year she raised £10,000 in England to help deserving institutions. Many touching anecdotes of her life are told, to show the character of the woman. A young man was very ill in Copenhagen when Jenny Lind was filling the city with excitement. His young wife was full of regrets that her husband should not hear her. Jenny heard of the desire, and went on a Sunday afternoon and charmed the two young people with her voice. As she was sitting one day on the sands, with her Bible on her knee, and looking at the setting sun, a friend said to her: “Oh, how is it that you ever came to abandon the stage at the very height of your success?” “When every day,” was the quiet answer, “it made me think less of _this_” (laying a finger on the Bible), “and nothing at all of _that_” (pointing out to the sunset), “what else could I do?” The spiritual was the supreme in her. She died a naturalized British subject in her country-home in the Malvern Hills in 1887. BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD * * * * * BEAUTIFUL BOOKS FOR BOYS & GIRLS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR SIMILAR TO THOSE IN THIS VOLUME PRICE 1/= NET EACH “TALES OF ENGLISH MINSTERS” SERIES By ELIZABETH GRIERSON EACH VOLUME CONTAINING 6 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS (2 OF THEM IN COLOUR) _Large crown 8vo., paper boards, with picture in colour on the cover_ CANTERBURY DURHAM ELY LINCOLN ST. ALBANS ST. PAUL’S YORK PRICE 1/6 NET EACH RED CAP TALES FROM SCOTT