horiês all the way. The road is naturally good, and kept in excellent
rfcpair : but at Upper Tornea every thing terminates ; you-
inflantly obferve that you are about to enter an uncultivated
country, and to take leave o f the civilized world. No more
horfes, no road, no lodging- for paflengers, except a fort of earavan-
iary, which the merchants of Torneâ have provided fbr their accommodation
in travelling in winter to the different fairs, which
are held at places extremely remote. "Without anticipating our-
dctail, \\c will premile a ikctcii o f - the- country and objects that
fell under our notice on the route to- Ofver, or Upper Torneâ.
b T he environs;of Torneâ are extremely naked- of wood:- it was-
in great abundance formerly ; but at préfent none-remains, except
in one diflriél,-where -it -is preferred by a proprietor for-the pur-
poie o f harbouring game.
W e changed horfes at Kukko, which lies at the diflance of feven
miles from Torneâ. Kuklo, 'u\ the language-of Finland, lignifies
cock, and it is probably the name - for a particular fpecies o f that
bird, whole crowing has fome analogy to the note -of the cuckoo^.;
The line o f the.road runs pretty clofe to the river Torneâ, - After
Kukko we paffed very near to the villa o f Mr. Richard, the merchant:
o f Torneâ, who is fond o f a country life, and devoted to
agricultural purfuits. He has laid out a garden, which he cultivates
with great care, and -in which -he has made repeated-trials
to raife various.exotic fruits and plants. His gardener told us. he
had attempted to rear apple trees; which had-taken root and fiic-
ceeded for three years, hut then died. The only plant in flower
when
when we were there was bellis'perrennis ;■ but the following grow
in the neighbourhood: bcrbcris vulgaris, corylus avellana, tulip a,
uarcijfas, aqnilegia, ttrpeolum, paonia, dianthas, ribes.
W e again changed horfes- at Frankila, -a village confifling of a
few wooden houfes, nine miles from Kukko. W e faw here fome
women whole looks were mild and rather agreeable ; the children
too o f a good appearance; but we were 1 truck at the fight o f
their bread, which is made o f two thirds-ftraw, cut very fmall,
and one third o f meal. From Frankila you lee at a diflance the-
mountain Nivavara, where flill remains the fignal pofl which the
French academicians erected on its fummit to affifl in their tri-
gonometrical'operations.’
■ After Frankila- you change horfes Korpicula (korpi fignifies a
wood, kula place), a diflance o f about eight miles. In this place
the river Tornea forms a bafon o f tranquil and- gentle water,
which fucceeds the boifle-rous tumult o f a fall or cafcade, called
Matkakofki-; The river prefents no pleafing view in this vicinity.
W e found in a houfe hard by fome peafants employed in making
their.filhing nets; there was one who fmoked from fo fhert a.
pipe, that my companion remarked it, faying to me in Italian,
che piccala pippu. The Finlander who was fmoaking, underftood.
perfedly our Italian, and repeated as he turned round to us, laugh--
ing, picco pippo, picco pippo ■, picco denoting in Finlandifh the fame
as piccola in, Italian.
Eight miles from. Korpicula is the church of Kirkomeki fktrko-
lignifying church, mcki, a hill), .fituated upon an eminence. Abouthalf