b o o r or hangingj as. enjoined by the Swediih code, confign him
— i— i to the knoot and transportation to Siberia.
In the governor’s court bufiuefs is tranfacled in the
Swediih, German, and Ruffian tongues : the peafants talk
only the Finnilh dialect; but the inhabitants o f the towns
underhand alfo Swediih, and many o f them German. The
Lutheran is the eftabliihed religion o f the province; but
the Greek worfhip has been lately introduced by theRuffians,
The Lutheran clergy, confidering the cheapnefs o f provi-
iions, and the fmall progrefs which luxury has made in this
country, enjoy falaries not inadequate to their Rations, fome
. o f their benefices amounting to £200 per annum, and the
loweft to ¿ 120.
Wihurgh, the capital o f Ruffian Finland, is a fortified
town, and contains about 9000 inhabitants; a few houfes
are epnftrudled with brick, but the greateft part are o f wood.
T h e principal commerce o f the province is carried on at
this place. The merchant, in whofe houfe we. were lodged,
informed me, that the exports, the greateft part of which are
purchafed by the Englifh, are planks, tallow, pitch, and tar |
and the imports, which are moftly fupplied from France and
Holland, wine, fpices, and fa it ; that in 17 78 , 99 ihips arrived
there, o f which 65 were Englifh.
Feb, 5. Having received an invitation to dinner from
the governor, we repaired to his houle at one o’clock, and
partook of an elegant repaft, at the conclufion o f which we
returned to our lodgings ; and having paid our warmeft
thanks (for he would accept no other acknowledgements) to
our hofpitable landlord; and quitting Wiburgh purfued
pur journey through the night.
In our route we did not once experience the leaft delay for
want of horfes, the governor having, with that polite atten-
7 tion
tion- which marked his character, fent previous orders, that CHAP-
relays ihould be ready for us at every poff.. The country ■ .. ’
through which we paifed was a fucceffion o f hill and dale,
abounding with forefts o f fir and: beech, interfperfed with
numerous lakes, and thickly over.'pread with fhattered fragments
o f granite, which looked' like the wrecks o f mountains.
There was no moon, nor,even the fmalleft- gleam o f
an Aurora Borealis, yet the fnow caft a ftrong light; and our
train o f fledges made a very pidlurefque appearance as they
winded round the whitened hills, pierced into the thick forefts,
or extended in a ftraight line along the frozen furface
of the lakes. During our courfe, the ftill filenee of the night
was frequently relieved by the carols o f our drivers, who-
frequently fang, the moft Ample and pleafing airs- In this-
progrefs I beguiled the length o f the, journey, either by
liftening to their fongs echoed by the furrounding forefts,
by admiring the uriufual caft o f the nodhirnal fcenery, or by
(lumbering. in m y travelling couch as comfortably as in a bed-
The weather was uncommonly warm for the feafon o f the
year, the mercury in the thermometer fcarcely defcending at
midnight more than three degrees below freezing point.
Feb. 6. We arrived about nine in the morning at Frederick
(ham, and took up our lodging at an inn, where we
met with very comfortable accommodations.
Frederickiham, when in the poffeffion o f the Swedes, was,
only a fmall village, but has been fortified by the Ruffians, for
the purpofe o f fecuring the diftridt in Finland, which was
ceded to them at the peace o f Abo. The town is fmall and
regular: in the centre is a fquare, from which the ftreets-
extend at right angles. The houfes, excepting one of brick,
are all conftrudted with wood, but in the neateft' manner..
The fortifications are very ftrong 1 the garrifon and feveral
companies