a very rare thing at a feftival of Finlandiili peafants, where they
generally regale themfelves pretty liberally with brandy. This
party o f pleafure apparently infpired fo little mirth, that one could
not help believing that the people danced from a fenfe o f duty.
In the number o f fix or feven women, which the female fociety
was compofed of, there was not one tolerable, or capable o f exciting
the fmalleft fenfation o f tendernels. They had coarfe and
vulgar faces, with iliapes ill-turned ; and did not fuggeft the
flighted: idea o f any thing pleafing or graceful. T h e long waift
o f their clothes, with very fhort petticoats, contributed ftill more
to render their figure difagreeable.
After having looked at their manner o f dancing for fome time,
I took out my port-folio to note down the mufic. Scarcely had
they Teen me begin to write when they left off dancing, and came
to fee what I was doing. The blind fidler was unable to guefi
the cauie1 ofThole' interruptions, which diverted their attention
from his mufic,1 and made them forget their dance. They at laft
let him into the fecret, and we aiked him to play us a couple of
Finlandiih dances, the moft truly national in his collection. He
gratified our curiofity, and I fucceeded in taking down the tunes,
which the reader will find in the Appendix.
After making a fmall prefent to the blind man, we withdrew
from the ball-room, and mounted upon our waggon to profecute
our journey. T he blind fidler, however, was fo ienfibly touched
with our fmall prefent, that he got up, and under the conduct
o f all the dancers, not only followed us out o f the houfe, but a
good
good part o f the way, conftantly entertaining us with the beft
mufic he had.
In our progrefs from Teftile we were to change horfes at Hutta,
a fmall village o f four or five houfes, where they have one apartment
for the accommodation o f paffengers. Bad weather and the
fatigues o f the journey determined us to pafs the night in this
place. . As it was ftill too early to go to bed, we ftudied to employ
this interval in the beft manner we could. Some peafants
and girls o f the neighbourhood, prompted by curiofity to look at
us, entered our chamber without ceremony. As we had fome in-
ftruments of experimental philofophy along with us, we wiihed to
give the good people fome amufement: but the firft objeCt that
attraffed the admiration o f the men and young people, was my
double barrelled g u n : they Ihewed fuch aftoniihment at this invention,
that I am fure I could have purchafed with it the houfe
and all the women in it. They afked me how much I had paid
for it, and guefling the price beforehand, one o f them faid to me,.
“ A t leaft one thoufand rix dollars.” T he y all exclaimed, “ W ith
“ fuch a weapon the old man in the pelice (meaning the bear),
“ would have no chance.” W e ihewed them our thermometer,
a telefcope, and laft o f all, to put an end to. their oh ! oh’s !
among other exclamations o f wonder, we produced a microfcope.
W e prefaced this entertainment, however, by obferving to them,
that before we could afford them any pleafure with this inftru-
ment, they muft catch us a flea. The whole company fell a
laughing at this demand, but perceiving that we were ferious, and
U u 2 perfifted