T he fea which furrounds the iile o f Aland is very feldom frozen,
and was lefs fo formerly than at the prefent time. In 1 546 it
was remarked as an extraordinary event, that in that year the fea
was fo frozen as to be crofled on the ice. It- feems latterly that
thefc fevere frofts happened once in ten years. The winter o f
the year 1702 was remarkably mild, ib that barley was fown on
the twenty-fifth o f March, at which time there was plenty o f
pafture for cattle : confidering its high latitude, Aland enjoys a
very favourable climate.
In their manners and cuftoms the inhabitants o f Aland do not
differ greatly from the peafants o f Upland. Their marriages and
funerals are celebrated much in the fame manner. In Aland they
ufually marry about the middle o f fummer, and appear thereby
to ihew that they have no need to wrait for the time o f harveft
to enable them to fupport a family.
The Alanders commonly ufe nouriihing food ; their bread is
generally made o f rye, even when the crops o f that kind o f corn
have proved unfavourable. Frefh fifh, and fifli dried or falted,
together with milk, butter, cheefe, and flefh-meat, are their ufual
fare. They make ufe o f the flefh o f feals, and prepare a difh
called Jkalkroppe, compofed o f collops o f the flefh mixed up with
flour and lard, and this they reckon excellent. In their voyages
by fea they lay in a good flock o f provifions, and at thofe times
are not fparing o f meat and butter.
The drefs o f the Alanders is becoming. T he men wear, in
general, ihort jackets, which on holidays are commonly o f blue
cloth.
cloth. The young peafants commonly wear cotton ftockings, and
many o f them have even watches. The women, when full
dreffed, wear a petticoat and apron o f camlet, cotton, or printed
linen, and fometimes o f filk. Their drefs in mourning is generally
o f black filkj with a camlet petticoat. For the moft
part they wear caps, and feveral filk handkerchiefs over their
necks. In their houfes they are chiefly dreffed in clothing of their
own manufacture, o f which they have a variety. The married
women often appear with a number o f gold rings upon their
fingers, and they fee m particularly fond o f wearing fuch ornaments
; yet filver fpoons and goblets are lefs often feen m Aland
than amongft the fubftantial farmers in Sweden,
T he dwellings o f the peafants are very neat and convenient,
kept in good repair, and well lighted. The y are ufually built o f
wood, fir, or deal, and covered with the bark o f the birch tree,
or Ihingles. T h e i r out-houfes are moftly thatched. As they
have no running ftreams and water-mills, fcarcely any peafant is
without a windmill.
T he Alanders are upon the whole an ingenious, lively, and
courteous people; and on the fea difplay a great degree o f ikill
and refolution. As a proof o f the regularity o f their lives, it is
only neceffary to obferve, that from the year 1749 to 1793, no
more than feven criminals were capitally convifted, and within
that fpace o f time only feven murders committed; which is in
the proportion o f one execution and one murder to one thoufand
eight hundred natural deaths: whereas in London, during the year
17 9 L