o f rendezvous for travellers by lea or land. It has neither commerce,
manufactures, nor houfes fit for the accommodation o f
ftrangers. It confifts o f nothing more than the poft-mafter’s habitation,
which is built o f brick ; and a number o f wooden cabins
around it, which are occupied by peafants. T h e harbour o f Griile-
hamn, though not very capacious, is excellent, particularly for
fmall veffels. T w o tongues o f land jetting into the fea fecure it
from both the eaft and weft winds, while a fmall illand, fituated
nearly in the middle between them, breaks the force o f the waves
that are driven againft the coaft by the winds which agitate the
whole mafs o f the Bothnian fea in its direftion from the North.
On one o f thefe tongues o f land a telegraph is ereiled on a commanding
height, which is the only one that I faw in Sweden. It
was conftruCted by order of Guftavus III., during the war in Finland,
on a plan given by Mr. Edelkrantz, member o f two Swedilh
academies above noticed. This telegraph, by intermediate fta-
tions, communicates with the capital as well as Finland, at times
when, from the weaknefs o f the ice, a paflage over the gu lf is
impracticable.
When a traveller is going to crofs over the gu lf on the ice to
Finland, the peafants always oblige him to engage double the
number o f horfes to what he had upon his arriving at Griilehamn.
W e were forced to take no lefs than eight fledges, being three in
company, and two fervants. This appears at firft fight to be an im-
pofition on the part o f the peafants; but we found, by experience,
that it was a neceflary precaution. The.diftance acrois is fortythree