he offered to accommodate us with lodgings at his own hemic.
W e chofe, however, to remain at the houfe o f a merchant named
Feldman, who did every th in g ' in his power to oblige us, and
under whofe roof we found all that could contribute to. render our
reiidence agreeable.
The manners o f the Uleaborg fociety have a great refemblance
to thofe o f the capital. T he people have the fame inclination to
play, and are fond o f pompous entertainments, and o f formality.
As the flranger is always the principal, perfon in. company, they
are at pains to confult his tafle, and do every thing they fancy, will
be moil agreeable to him. T he young ladies are exceedingly
pleafed to be introduced to flrangers, and itudy to profit as much
as they can, in a becoming manner, by their vifits among them.
When you have been invited to fup at a gentleman’s houfe, it is
a cuflom (which I cannot fay is extremely gracious), as foon as
the entertainment is over, for all the ladies, young and old, who
wifh to teflify the pleafure they have enjoyed in your company,
to give you a flap with the hand upon your back when you leafl
expeft it ; and it is eftablifhed as a rule, that the more forcibly'
the hand is applied, the more emphatic is the lady’s declaration
in your favour.
CH A P T E R X X .
Stay at Ule&borg'continued— Cheapnefe of Living— Prejudices about
fome Articles of Eatihg— Bright Nights— Sport of Shooting—
Chafe of the Tetrao Urogallus—Mufical Party, and Concerts performed
by the Author and fome fellow Travellers— Impreffon made
by the Power of Muße upon the Senßbility of thofe that heard it—
Turn of the Finlanders for Muße and Poetry-—The Runa, an Ancient
Piece ofMufcinthat Country— The Harpu, a mufical In-
ßrument— State of Mißc in Finland.
/ '~ \U R reiidence at Uleaborg will ever be pleafing to our re col-
W leaion. Removed from the world, far from the liftleffneis
o f diflipation, out o f the reach o f ceremonious vifits, our time was
devoted to iludy, to the chafe, or to the praHice o f mufic. Our
hoflefs was labouring from morning to night to fupply us with a
plentiful table, and to make our fituation comfortable in every
other refpea. She killed calves, pigs and oxen, exprefsly on our
account. The moil precious fpoils o f the fea and rivers were
procured for us, and purchafed without regard to oeconomy; and
the reader will probably learn with fome aflonifhment, that for this
rich and luxurious diet we paid for ourfelves (two perfons) and a
fervant,