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THROUGH FINLAND. 229
This journey was by no means fo uninterefting as I had .ex-
pected it would be. Partial fires, conflagrations and tempefts had
committed frightful ravages in the bofom of this foreft, which
prefented us here and there with exhibitions highly furprifing and
impreflive. Every body has heard of the conflagrations fo fre-
quent in Sweden, and in the countries of the North in general.
Entire mountains and tracts of feveral miles covered with woods,
are liable to be devoured by flames. Much has been faid and.
written in order to explain the origin of thofe fires. Some have
attributed them to the rays of the fun, which continue fo long
above the horizon: but this is fabulous and unworthy of {ferious
attention. The prefence of the fun never produced fuch an effect,
and the lefs fo in Sweden and Finland, where the heat of the folar
rays never rifes above fifty or fixty degrees of Celfius, which is far
below the power neceflary to produce a conflagration. It has been
imconteftibly proved by a feries of obfervations, that between the
greateft {ummer’s heat and the fevereft winter’s cold known, there
is only one thirty-fecond of difference.* .
There are two {pecial caufes of thofe conflagrations. The firft
is fimple and accidental, and arifes from the careleffnefs of the
peafants, who travel {moaking their pipes through this wood,
where a {park falling upon withered leaves or plants, with the
affiftance of a little wind, cannot fail to excite fire and even flame.
This is not all; the peafants frequently make a fire in the wood,
either to warm themfelves or to cook their vi@tuals, and are often
* Lettres fur POrigine des Sciences, &c. par M. Baillie, p. 292.
too
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