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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 15s
hurn, a little ifland eight miles from Torno. Some fifhermen belonging to it came off
to us in a little bark, the thinneft I have ever feen, the boards of which were fewed
together in the Ruffian manner. They brought us fome /rwmelin, and we gave them
in exchange bifcuit and fpirits, with which they returned completely fatisfied.
The wind continuing ftill extremely favourable, we arrived within a league of Torno,
where we caft anchor.
It is almoft incredible that we could have travelled fo far in four days. The diftance
from Stockholm to Torno is computed to be two hundred Swedifh miles by water,
which are equal to fix hundred French leagues; and we made this voyage, with a
fouth and fouth-fouth-weft wind fo favourable and fo ftrong, that having left Stockholm
on Wednefday at mid-day, we arrived here at the fame hour on the Sunday following,
without having been obliged to fhift our fails during the whole voyage.
Torno is fituated at the extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia, in 42° 27’ of longitude, and
in 67° of latitude. This is the laft town in the world towards the north; the reft, as
far as the cape, being only inhabited by Laplanders, favages who have no fixed refi-
dence.
Here the northern nations hold their fairs in winter, when the fea is fufficiently frozen
to allow them to travel in fledges. At this time all the people of the north, RKuffians,
Mulcovites, Finlanders, and Laplanders from all the three kingdoms, come hither
on {now and ice, which is fo convenient, that by means of fledges one can travel in one
day from Finland to Lapland, and crofs the Bothnian Gulf on ice, although it is in the
narroweft places thirty or forty Swedifh miles in breadth. The trade of this town
confifts in fifh, which are fent to a great diftance; and the river Torno abounds fo
much in pike and falmon, that it could furnifh a fufficient quantity to fupply all the
inhabitants of the Baltic Sea: they falt fome for exportation, and fmoke others in
fhallow veflels, which are conftructed like baths. Although this town is, ftri€tly fpeak-
ing, nothing but a confufed mafs of wooden huts, it pays annually two thoufand pieces
of brafs, which amount to about a thoufand livres of our money.
We lodged with the agent for the bark which conveyed us from Stockholm: his
wife was not at home; fhe had goné to attend a fair to the diftance of ten or twelve
leagues, for the purpofe of bartering falt and meal for the fkins of rein-deer, minevers,
and other animals: for the whole trade of this country is generally carried on in barter; ’
and the Ruffians and Laplanders fcarcely ever do bufinefs in any other manner.
We went next day, Monday, to fee Johannes Torneus, a learned man, who had
tranflated into the Lapland language the Pfalms of David, and had written an hiftory of
the country: he was a country prieft, and had died three days before: we found him
ftretched out in his coffin with the drefs of his profeffion, which had been made on
purpofe for him. He was much regretted here, and had travelled through a confider-
able part of Europe.
His wife was in another part of the room lying on her bed: fhe teftified the regret
which fhe felt at lofing fuch a hufband ; and a number of other women, her friends, fur-
rounded the bed, and re-echoed by their groans to the grief of the widow.
But that which confoled them a little, in fuch great affli€tion and general fadnefs, was
a great number of large pots of filver, made in the antique manner, and filled fome
with French, fome with Spanifh wines, and fome with {pirituous liquors, which they
took good care never to leave long empty. We tafted of them all; and the widow
often interrupted her lamentations to prefs us to drink : fhe even ordered tobacco to be
brought us, but we declined taking any. We were afterwards condu¢ted to the church,
of which the deceafed was paftor, where we faw nothing worthy of obfervation; and
x’2 when
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