neys, with whatever they have got for the market, o f three or
four hundred Engliih miles. They have been known to travel
with their fledges about two hundred miles in ten or twelve days.
As there is generally no other mode o f travelling in Sweden, or in
the North, during the winter, than by means o f fledges, the variety
o f them is fo great, that when the time arrived deftined for
us to purfue our journey northward, our variety o f choice o f fe-
veral kinds was not a little perplexing. The y were not only different
in ornament and form, but alfo in their conftrudion and
manner o f accommodating the traveller. When a perfon undertakes
a long journey in an unufual manner, his prudence never
fuffers him to believe that enough has been done ; and embarrafT-
ments are encreafed through an over anxious multiplication o f
the meafures that are adopted for avoiding them. But there
were really fome circumftances that obliged us to be very cir-
cumfpedl and nice in our felection o f the Hedge that was to
carry us in our intended expedition from Stockholm towards the
north. T he great and covered Hedges, built like the body o f a
carriage, and placed on fkates, are certainly the warmeft, the moil
fociable, and in every refpect the moil commodious j but thefe
were by no means adapted to a journey through Finland. Here
it is neceflary to have fledges o f a certain determinate width,
fuch as can be drawn by ope horfe along the narrow roads, or
rather in the ruts or tracks o f this country. In many places the
roads are bordered on both fldes by fnow to the height o f five
or fix feet, forming as it were two ramparts, between which you
are
are to move along. The little open fledges, fuch as are ufed in
Stockholm on parties o f pleafure, and made commonly in the
fhape o f a cockle-fhell, feemed-upon the w'hole moil eligible, on
account o f their lightnefs, and their being fufficiently narrow for
the ftraiteft paflages. But thefe fledges, though convenient enough
for a fmall excurfion, become very fatiguing: on a long journ ey;
and in one o f feven or eight hundred Engliih miles would have
been altogether infupportable. Without fome particular precaution,
in adding a prop or fupport behind, it was impoflible to refill
the impulfe, or guide the movement and diredlion o f the fledge,
in uneven parts o f the road. During the whole o f our journey we
were under the neceffity o f being our own drivers. There were
at the time fome Finland fledges to be had at Stockholm, which
might have ferved equally for Sweden and Finland; but thefe
vehicles, ufed only in travelling through that part o f Sweden
which lies between Stockholm and Finland, were drawn by particular
fets o f horfcs. The peafants, unaccuflomed to fuch
fledges, refufed to furniih their horfes, as their harnefs did not
Apt them. T h e y complained that they were clumfy, awkward,
and heavy, becaufe they did not reft on iron but large wooden
fkates. As there is but very little travelling in Finland, the regulations
for the roads are not fo ftridl as in Sweden. The fnow
commonly lays deeper, and the inhabitants, accuftomed to the
form o f their own fledges, fee no reafbn for any road wider than
the only carriages they are acquainted with require.
The method o f making roads, adopted in all the diftrids o f the
North