quainted. As through the uncommon politeness o f numerous scientific
friends, with whom I contracted an acquaintance in Sweden, I
possessed advantages which do not fall to the lot o f every traveller,
and as, from thè firtcbtttrrt'dh goodnêss o f thè leather, 1 could make
my mineralogical observations without a single interruption, I was
enabled to collect together a considerable number o f valuable
facts. As the communication of these may be attended with some
utility, I have determined to lay them before the public. I shall
touch as little as possible upon thésé topics which have been discussed
by preceding travellers in Sweden, but confine myself chiefly to
those facts which came under my own observation, or which I received
from men o f science and intelligence, upon whom I could rely.
I shall, to save trouble, write my remarks as nearly as possible in the
order in which they were noted dòwh ih my journal, while I was
travelling through the country.
My trâVeliihg oòmpàrifcn, Mir. William Ritfchie, of the High School
o f Edinburgh, and mysei'fj went on board thé Janet, fi fifnaek belonging
to Kinkardine, commanded by Mr. James Wylie. The ship was
in ballasti and Was destined to bring back a cargo ©f wood and iron.
This ship had lain about a week in Leith Roads, waiting till the diffèrent
vessels destined for the Baltic should collect, and till the wind,
■Which was biowiftg steadily firotìi thè east, should shaft its direction-.
Thè fletti amounting to 2o ships, Was ready to sail on Sunday thè 16th
Of August, 1-812. Bdt the foul wind deterred Captain Banks, who
Commanded the guft brig Which served fiS convoy, and Of coarse had
thè charge 'of thé Ûdët, from Wèigbiog anchor before Tuesday*
Oh that day the signal for sailing was made, and the fleet attempted
tó beat down. But a strong wind directly in our tefeth
prevented us from making much progress. Next morning, when
We got upôh deèk, We found ourselves but a little way below Inch
Keith. The Wind continued unfavourable the greatest part of Wednesday,
and o f course wë made hàrdly any progress. But on the
evening of that day a 'west wind Springing up raised our spirits, and
enabled us to -get on with gtëàf expedition.
In consequence o f the strong east wind, followed by a still stronger
west , wind, the sea ran much higher than I had ever seen before.
-Our vessel too, being light, rolled about at a great rate. This produced
an effect upon me -which I had never before felt, though I had
been frequently at sea in rough weather, pew sensations are more
disagreeable than sea sickness while it lasts; I haye seen a variety of
things tried in order to stop it. The most successful is brisk bottled
porter: a few glasses o f this taken, after the sickness has continued
a day or so, I have never seen foil to produce almost immediate relief.
This may perhaps depend in some measure upon the briskness o f the
porter; but certainly not altogether, for ale, although equally brisk,
has not the same effect.
-Qn Thursday the wind settled in so.uth b y west, by the compass, and
continued in that direction al} Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, dying
away at intervals, but continuing upon the whole pretty steady. W e
proceeded eastwards at a great ratej hut the roughness ¡of the s©a
diminished the pleasure which we -landsmen would otherwise have .enjoyed,
in -.consequence of the fineness o f the weather. Edinburgh lies
in 3° 15' west ¡longitude from -Greenwich, and Gottenhurg is laid
down in the beat maps that I have seen in -1.2° 15' longitude east from
»Greenwich; so that the,difference pf longitude between the two places
js l 5 \3o'. The latitude eff Edinburgh is 55 ° 5 ?' « g ¡that pf GoUen-
fourg 570 ¡45', so that ¡the mean latitude o f the two places is 56” 52'
nearly. W e get the length o f a degree of longitude in this ¡latitude by
,the following proportion: as radius to the co-tangent o f -5t>° 52', go is
.the length,of a degree at the equator, to ¡the length o f a degree in the
latitude required. This method gives us the distance between Leith
and Gpttenburg, very nearly 5-86^. ¡miles iji a straight line: so that
ipnr ’Voyage, which wa s performed in littje more than three days, must
be,considered as expeditions ; ¡for w e made little progress till Wednes-
-duy night, ¡and w.e lay allbunday becalmed in thebleeve.
.During this rnn;I was mnch struck w ith thecolpurof the sea, which
I had never before ¡an opportunity o f seeing iftt such a distance from
land. The depth varied ironi -80 to lOOliuhonis or more, blear the