BOOK Towards evening, however, we fortunately overcame the obili—
. . nacy of the boatmen, and prevailed upon them by importunities.
and money to re-embark before it was dulk : but as they were
apprehenfive of truiling their little bark to the open fea as faV as.
Kumlinge, the nearell habitation in the way to Abo, they returned
to Long Ifland, and landed us about feven at a neat village,
called Oilerwick, where we found good beds and tolerable accommodations,
greatly enchanced by comparing our iituation with;
that of the defert ifland we had recently quitted, on which wet
expedted to have palled a moll comfortlefs night.
The next morning a gentle but favourable breeze carried fis-
above feventy miles,, through narrow ilraits, between numerous-
illands, and rocky coalts, wild yet fprinkled with, trees, to a fmall,
village on the peninfula of Finland, about.two miles from Abo.
One of the moil curious and important fortreffes in the Swedilh,
dominions, and perhaps in Northern Europe is Sveaborg, fituated.
near Helfingfors in Finland. In my former tour we were not
permitted to vifit this fortrefs for want of an order from the
court; but we were more fortunate in this fecond journey;
through thefe parts; his Swedilh majelly himfelf having con-
defcended to command the prime minifler, Count Creutz, to
give us an order for that purpofe. In confequence of this
palfport, the governor of the fortrefs fent his boat to convey
us to the fortrefs, and did us the honour to accompany us
himfelf round the works, and to point out what was moll
remarkable.
About
About three miles and an half from the town of Helfingfors C HA P,
are ieveral fmall rocky illands in the Gulf of Finland, which -
compofe the fortrefs of Sveaborg. They have been lately fortified,
in order to maintain a fleet in conllant readinefis to fail, and to
contain a garrifon in cafe Finland lhould.be invaded.
The iilands, which compofe this fortrefs, are feven in number,
and all lie within the circumference of four miles, m the following
diredtion : I . Long-on, or Long Ifland, lies S. W. and is
the nearell to Helfingfors ; it is 600 feet in length, and 300 in
breadth, a. Waiter Swart-on, or Weil Black Ifland, S. E. of
Long-on; 1400 feet in length, and 800 in breadth. 3. Lilia
Swart-bn, or Little Black Ifland, Eait o f Waller Swart; 800 feet
fquare. 4. Oiler Swart-on, or Eait Black Ifland, Eait of Lilia
Swart; 3000 feet in length, and 1600 in breadth. 5. Warg-on,
or Wolf’s Ifland, lying in the center between Waller and Lilia
Swartz-on ; 2400 feet in length, and 2000 in breadth. It is the
principal ifland, and contains the governor’s houfe. 6. Guilaf’s
Ward, or the Arms of Guilavus, S. E. of Warg-on; 1600 feet
in length, ¿nd 1200 in breadth. 7. Skantz Landet, or Land-
fortrefs, South of Guilaf’s Ward, an ifland as big as both Warg-
on and Oiler Swart-on, but of which only 600 feet are to be
fortified-
The projeit of furrounding thefe illands with fortifications
was formed by General Ehrenfwald, and the work was begun in
1748. £.750,000 have been already expended, and to complete
the remainder will require above £. 500,000.
E e 2