legs, for the fpace o f eight or ten yards This itrange mode o f
travelling with a Ikating horfe, upon an element where we could
count the fifhes under the fledge and under the horfe’s feet, was
not very amufing to us, though we were already accuftomed to a
road o f ice. I was at fome pains to latisfy myfelf as to the reafon
why the ice was fo clear and pellucid in particular parts o f the river
only ; and I think I difcovered it in the united aition o f the folar
rays and o f the wind. T he wind having fwept away the fnow
and cleared the furface o f the ice, the fun, at the end o f March and
beginning o f April, having acquired confiderable force, had melted
and rendered fmooth the furface, which at firft is always fomewhat
rough and uneven ; this being frozen during the night, formed a
mirror o f the moll perfeft polilh. T h e lultre o f the ice on this
river is very remarkable ; had it not been for the little ihining
and perpendicular fiflures, which Ihewed the diameter o f thé ice’s
thicknefs, it would have been utterly impoflible for us to diilin-
guiih it from the water below. Where the river happened to be
o f a profound depth, we could perceive our vail diilance from the
bottom only by an indiilin£t greeniih colour : the refled ion that
we were fufpended over fuch an abyfs made us ihudder. Under
this terrifying impreffion, the vail depth o f the river, and dazzled
by the extraordinary traniparency and brilliancy o f the ice, we
crept along the furface, and felt inclined to ihut our eyes, or
turn away our heads, that we might be lefs feniible o f our danger.
But when the river happened to be only a- yard or two deep, we
were amuled to be able to count the pebbles at the bottom of
the water, and to frighten the fiihes with our feet.
Before our arrival at Wafa w e ilill endured much bodily fatigue
from the rough motion o f the fledge; and we were obliged to
make a paufe at a fmall place called Sillanpe, which ferved as a
Rage or poit-houfe. Here we found a public houfe kept by a
widow, and fo overjoyed were we to meet again with the comforts
o f life, that we remained with her two whole days.
Wa fa is the firil town you meet with upon entering Oilro-
bothnia. It is built entirely o f wood, and the houfes for the
greater part only confiil o f one ilory. Wafa is a confiderable ila-
pelilad, fituated under the 64th degree o f north latitude. It is
one hundred and fixty-two miles from Stockholm, forty-one from
Abo, fourteen from Gamla Carleby, and eight and a half from
N y Carleby. T he town was founded, with a parilh church,
Muilafaari, by Charles IX. It was endowed with certain privileges
in 1 6 1 1 , and named after the illuftrious. houfe o f Wafa,
being at the fame time honoured with the permiilion o f bearing
the arms o f that family. T he late king o f Sweden, Guilavus III.
eilabliihed at Wafa, in the year 1775» a tribunal, or fupreme
council for the north o f Finland, the inflitution o f which was celebrated
with great pomp at Stockholm, on the 26th o f June,
1 7 7 6 . In its dependance are three governments, viz. Wafa, Ule-
aborg, and Knopia * two jurifdidions, and feven territorial judges.
The
* Before this inflitution the inhabitants of thofe diftri&s were under the necef-
fity of carrying their difputes to Abo. After informing myfelf as well as I could
refpefting the adminiftration of this tribunal, I found that there are a third more
law-fuits now than there ufed to be when the.people were obliged to carry them to