journey in a kind o f waggon or cart drawn by horfes. The place
where we croffed the mouth o f the river is about two thoufand
yards broad ; there are boats for the purpofe o f carrying travellers
over, with accommodation for a carriage and horfes. Here the
women perform the avocation o f boatmen.
W e changed horfes at Sukuri, nine miles from Uleaborg: the
road was very good, though always in the midft o f woods and
meadow grounds, called by the Swedes ling, or ing, from whence is
obvioufly derived the Engliih word inge. In thofe countries meadows
do not confift, as in other places, o f open grounds without
trees, but are in general covered with bruih-wood and ihrubbery,
to which they fend their cattle to pafture on the narrow pieces
o f grafs that run through thefe meadows. T he great woods, in
which there are trees o f enormous iize, ferve as a common pai-
ture to all the peafantry o f the neighbourhood. The y conftantly
hang a bell about the horfes’ necks, and let them run about in the
woods for four months, without giving themfelves the leaft trouble
concerning them. W e changed horfes about four times after
leaving Sukuri, before we got to Teftile, a place confifting o f two
or three wooden houfes. The above four ftages are too infigni-
ficant to merit any farther notice.
Having croffed a fmall river named Leivaniemi, in a ferryboat,
the fcraping o f a fiddle invited us to enter the hut of a pea-
fant, ftanding on the left bank, where ten or twelve country
people were dancing with all their might. Our entrance interrupted
the dance, and the iurprife occafioned by the novelty o f
o u r
our appearance feemed at firft to lay feme degree pf reftraint upon
the dancers. Th.e only one among them who ihewed he was not
to be difcompofed was the fidler, who continued diligently in the
praffice o f his calling ; for he was blind, and confequently knew
nothing o f what happened around him. Thefe peafants, however,
foon became familiar with our foreign afpedt; and being
entreated to proceed and Ihew us their dance, they refumed their
places.
Their dancing confiited in the moil: ruftic jumping, without
the fmalleft grace, mixed with certain capers; in executing which
the women made their petticoats fly about in the air. There was
no variety in their fteps, nor paflion in their attitudes, nor expref-
fion in any one o f their countenances, They danced with the
fame earneft diligence that would have influenced them in the
performance o f any thing by which they were to have gained their
bread. T he only variety that entered into this exercife, was a
difference in the pofition o f their arms, which they alternately
laid one over the other, in a very aukward manner, without dif-
covering the moft d'tftant notion o f tafte or. natural grace. It was
fomewhat curious to obferve thofe people amufing themfelves with
fuch a ferious air, and without even having the fmalleft difpoft-
tion to fmile. A pot o f beer was placed upon the table, which
every body might make free with, but was ufed only to quench
thirft. It was fo weak, however, and reduced fo much with waiter,
that it could neither ftupify the fenfes, nor raife the fpints o f
the company. Every creature, even the mufician was quite fobcr,
V o l . I. U u a very