T h e geographical divifion of a country is a matter arranged betwixt
fovereigns, and does not depend on the hand of nature. The
king of Sweden may, with a ftroke of his pen, convert into Lapland
what is now Weft Bothnia; but fuch changes will effedt
no alteration in the manners of the people, nor in the natural condition
of the country.
I t is remarkable th a t Maupertuis who compofed an abridgment
of geography, ihould have known fo little of a country wherein he
made io many obfervations. He conftantly confounds Lapland
with Weft Bothnia, and gives to his journey, which only extended
to the borders of Lapland, the title of Voyage au Fond de la Lap*
ponie, “ a Journey into the Interior of Lapland.” All other travellers
after him feem to have fallen into the like miftake, and
fancied they had been in Lapland, when they had got as far as
Tornea. They have likewife confounded the Lapland tongue
with the language of Finland ; and when they have brought with
them a fervant girl born in the town of Tornea, have fuppofed
they had got a Laplander.
The country from Tornea to Muonionifca and Pallajovenio,
though it changes its appearance to that of a wildernefs, does not
greatly vary. The mountains are the fame; the cataracts, lakes
and woods carry a near refemblance: in ihort, the objects that
prefent themfelves to the eye, have not a fufficient degree of diver-
fity to render them worthy of obfervation. The face of the country
, however, proceeding from Pallajovenio to Kautokeino, by
th e little river Pallojoki, is very different. The fmall rivers in
general
general are moft interefting to a curious traveller, becaufe they are
not fo often vifited, and both the country and the people are lefs
known ; whereas the larger rivers are more frequented, efpecially
in winter, when they ferve as a high road for thofe that come
from Muonionifca and Tornea. Hertce the natives that live near
thefe rivers become familiar with ftrangers, and cannot be viewed
fo much in their own natural character, as thole who are merely
acquainted with the objedts that belong to themfelves and their
country. The paflage northward on the Muonio, from Muonionifca
to Enonteki, is very fimilar to that from Kengis to Muonionifca,
or to that from Upper Tornea to Kengis.
Pallajovenio is a fettlement of Finlanders, confifting of about
four or five families. The merchants of Tornea have built a fmall
place, which confifts of a room, where they can make a fire, and
refreih themfelves, as they pais through this colony during the
winter, in their way to the fairs. The people of Pallajovenio appeared
to be much at their eafe; their dwellings feemed to be
comfortable and neat, and different from thofe o f the other pea-
iimts of this country.
W e refrefhed ourfelves at this place, and taking our departure,
proceeded on the river Muonio to where it joins the Pallojoki,
which we afcended in order to get to Lappajervi. This paflage,
if performed in a ftraight line,, would not be above twelve miles,
but owing to the windings of the river, it made a journey of more
than thirty. T h e river Pallojoki prefented to us difficulties of a
kind we had not experienced during the whole of our expedition.
As'