CH A P T E R XVII.
Departure from Wafa— Inconveniencies o f the Journey over the Ice—
Arrival at Gamla Carleby— Account o f this Town— Proceed on
the Journey: new Difficulties ariffng from the Ice— Account o f
Brahe/lad— Arrival at Uleaborg.
AS travelling in the fledge becomes extremely difficult at this
advanced period o f the fealon, we forefaw that we fhould
have a very painful and difagreeable journey from Wafa to Uleaborg.
T he governor o f Wafa earneftly employed himfelf to trace
out for us a route, by which we might travel the greater part of
the diftance upon the ice; at the fame time he iffued an order,
b y which the peafants o f thofe diftriCis through which we were to
pafs, were enjoined to fupply us with horfes all the way to the
frontiers o f his government. This was an additional mark o f the
obliging attention which we had experienced in fo many inftanees
from him during our f la y ; but his orders in their execution were
by no means o f that advantage to us which we had reafon to expert,
for the peafants in thofe parts are not at all in the habit of
conducting travellers, and are in want o f many things neceffary for
that pnrpofe. Their fledges are ill conftrufted; they are extremely
flow in yoking their horfes, and have not a fufficient fupply:
we therefore were conflantly obliged to wait for fome hours before
they had prepared for our departure.
T h e journey from Wafa to Uleaborg is about one hundred and
ninety Engliih miles. W e purfued our courfe along the coaft,
crofting rivers, woods, and branches o f the fea, and were fome-
times at a confiderable diftance from the fhore. T he whole o f this
vaft trait o f country is flat, and abounds in woods o f firs and pines
o f a very large fize. T h e coafts are naked and ftony, and prefent
rocks and iflets without the fmalleft appearance o f vegetation.
W e proceeded with the greateft diligence, but we became extremely
wearied by the mode o f travelling we were obliged to
adopt. Before we arrived at Gamla Carleby, we faw at fea two
frigates, and foon after patted four or five merchant fhips which
the ice had detained, and conftrained to pafs the winter in thofe
regions.
Gamla Carleby is a decent town, fituated in a fmall gu lf o f
the fea, and has fome trade : it is at the diftance o f one hundred
and forty-fix Swedifh miles from Stockholm, if you go the ufual
north road towards Tornea, fifty-five from Abo, and fourteen
from Wafa. It was founded in the year Xft20 by Guftavus Adolphus,
who conferred upon it certain privileges, which have been
confirmed to the inhabitants at different periods fince that time.
T he town is regularly built, with a handfome market-place, five
ftreets in its length and five in its breadth, which are each twenty
yards w id e ; and it contains two hundred and fourteen houfe-
fteads, or lots for houfes. In the year l? g o there were here thirtyone