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THROUGH FINLAND. 335
‘{ite to the church, and in the middle of the river, is a {mall ifland,
where the inhabitants of Kemi hold a fair once a year, at which
they fell and exchange falmon, either for money or for other ar-
ticles,
The church is an edifice which offers a fingular and furprifing
contrait to a foreigner travelling in this country, where he would
not expect to fee any public building in the ftyle of regular archi-
tecture, and in all refpects worthy of one of our own towns. This
ftructure being of ftone, muft have coft an immente fum, confider-
ing the few refources of thofe poor people, who could eafily difpenfe
with fuch an expenfive building, and pray to the Deity as ettec-
tually in a wooden temple. The defign of this church was made
by the academy at Stockholm, and was honoured with the appro-
bation of Guftavus III. It isadorned with a dome or cupola, and
three principal entrances, with doric pillars, and hence has the
Saearorene of a Grecian temple. Placed in thofe favage regions,
in the midft of woods of fir trees, and contrafted by the fcattered,
contemptible huts around, it forms a wonderful and ftriking object.
It is with fincere pain I muft here remark, that clofe to this
magnificent temple I entered the hut of a poor Finlander, the
diminutive fize and external meannefs of which had attracted my
notice. He was probably the pooreft native of Finland I had met
in the courfe of my travels to this place: the {pace of ground on
which his houfe {tood was-twelve fquare feet, and the roof fix
in height. This unfortunate man had a complaint in one of
his hands, which rendered him unfit to: gain his livelihood by
labour,
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