Covered hisBreaft.' He had the look o f thofe bards who are de-
fcribed with fo much enthufiafm in the hiftory o f the North, not
one o f whom-probably was equal to this poor man in fcience or
intelligence. His audience were not gathered round him for
nothing: he fang verfes, and related to them tales and anecdotes;
but our pretence broke in upon the iilence and tranquillity o f the
a f iem b ly e v e r y body withdrew; children are children in all
countries. T he fight o f ftrangers was fuch a novelty, that, forgetting
the bard, they began to mock at our figure, and to laugh
in our faces, while the poor mendicant finifhed by afking us, in
tad Swedifli, fome halfpence or {killings in charity.
Night was approaching^ .and we were extremely fatigued with
bur amphibious mode o f travelling, half on. foot and half in the
fledge. In this emergency I had a flrong proof o f the utility o f
¿n invention which I was fhewn in the model repofitory at Stockholm
: it was a fledge, with four wheels fufpended from its fides,
which by means of a fpring could be placed under the fledge, and
raife it from the ground; and thus in a moment convert the
fledge into a fpecies o f wheel carriage.
On the 30th of March towards midnight, we were Hill upon
the road, fuffering from a cold of 13 degrees of Celfius, when an
aurora borealis prefented us with a magnificent fpeftacle, which
ferved to relieve the irkfbme monotony of our journey. The
heavens began to appear illuminated in the quarter of the north ;
' prefently it affumed a bright ruby colour, fuch as we have on a
fine evening in Italy with the fetting fun, when, as Virgil fays,
and
and as experience has often proved, a lively red as the fun goes
down prognofticates fine weather for to-morrow. This phenomenon
had ju ft fixed our attention, when behold a luminous arch
rofe over the pole. This was accompanied by various other lig t
and fleeting arches, which ihifted from place to place every m-
f t a n f they were bounded here and thereby vivid flames an
torches, which iffued in rapid fueceffion from the ikies, communicating
fire to the clouds in their vicinity, tinging their gilded
edges, and exhibiting a pidure highly interefting tons, unaccuftomed
as we were to fuch appearances.
A t length we had the good fortune to reach Yervenkyle, a fmajl
diftrid which belongs to the univerfity o f Abo, and which is let
to a very obliging peafant. This man gave us a bed-chamber,
accommodated us as well as he could, and contrived, by his great
• hofpitality, to render three days neceffary repofe very agreeable.
Some detail on this fimple and retired manfion, ftand.ng at. a-
fmall diftance from a beautiful cafcade (afituation which afforded
us much interefting amufement, both as painters and fportfmen),
will not be difagreeable to my curious readers, who may be de-
firous to know rather minutely the particulars o f this part of
Finland.
Yervenkyle is a fmall v i l la g eW i l l in g o f three or four families,
and fituated upon a. lake. During the winter feafon people do
not pafs through, this-place on their way. to Wafa. Our motiye
in coming here was to enjoy a little reft, as well as to have a view
o f a fine cafcade o f very confiderable magnitude, which is at the
diftance