determined to return to his family for reafons that pleaded his ex-
cufe fo forcibly, that we could give no oppofition ta the refolution
he had taken. He had left his wife far advanced in her pregnancy,
and the fenfibility o f his heart would not fuffer him to
expofe himlelf to danger, nor to the contingencies o f a journey,
the period o f which it was not ealy to calculate. This lofs was
felt with real concern by all o f us, and we were obliged to con-
fole ourfelves on our way with pronouncing encomiums upon the
excellent qualities, both o f head and heart, o f this clergyman,
worthy o f every thing that could be faid in his praife.
T h e whole family of Mr. Swamberg accompanied us to the
river-lide, where the boat was waiting for us, and we loft iight
o f them, faluting them with our hats and handkerchiefs to the laft
moment.
CH A P T E R X X IX .
The Travellers henceforth proceed by Water— Strong Currents o f the
Rivers, occafioned by Catarahls— Pa/s by a Salmon-Fifhery: manner
o f eating Salmon raw— Difficulty o f navigating thofe Rivers—
Stages on this Journey— Pa/s the ArSlic Polar Circle, near the
Catarahls o f Kattila Kojki— A fhort Pqffage by Land— Pello, and
Mount K ittis remarkable fo r Maupertuis's AJlronomical Obferva-
tions— Mr. Swamberg's Remarks on the Labours o f Maupertuis;
from which it appears, that his Obferuations are not to be depended
on— Method o f obtaining the Eggs o f the Mergus Merganfor—
From Kardis to Kengis— Arrival at Kengis, and Hojpitality fhewn
by an InJpeSlor o f the Mines— A Stone w ith very ancient Infcrip-
tions taken Notice o f by Maupertuis— Plants and InfeSts,
r p H E wind was quite fair, and made our boat proceed with
greater expedition. Our Finlandiih boatmen, unwilling to
lofe fo favourable a moment for repofing their arms, put up a
fmall fail, which ferved to force us againft the current with a velocity
fufficient to carry us on at the rate o f five miles an hour.
T he boat was fo fmall that it could hold but four perfons in all,
and the conflict o f the wind in iurmounting the refiftance of the
current, which was the effeft o f cataracts, produced fuch a fwell
3 B 2 in