Lachesis Lapponica Part 12

I went to Biorknas, in order to be instructed in the art of a.s.saying.

_September 9._

I examined the fish called in West Bothland _Natting_, (_Petromyzon fluviatilis._) Its upper jaw is acutely notched, resembling two teeth.

The lower has seven small teeth, of which the two outermost are largest. Mouth in the under side of the head, gaping, oval, rather compressed. There are seven openings in a row behind the eyes, gradually larger as they recede from thence. The fins have no visible rays, but merely streaks, yet they are not adipose, or fat, fins. There is a prominent orifice on the top of the head. The _pericardium_ is cartilaginous. The fish is a span long. Its hind fin triangular.

These (lampreys) are caught at this time of the year, when the nights grow dark, in hollow timbers of a conical shape, resembling the wicker baskets used for catching eels. The entrance is made smooth and even.

These timbers are laid, at the depth of two ells, in the river, and kept down with stones, the opening being turned to meet the current.

Some such traps are made of willow-twigs not bigger than goose-quills, platted close together into the same shape, and are two ells in length.

I was told that the Laplanders are accustomed to preserve blood of the reindeer in rennet-bags through the winter till spring, when they boil it with water, and drink it.

Tar is obtained in the following manner. A cavity, of an inversely conical shape, is dug in a hill, and then lined with hewn timbers, nine ells in length each, so as to form a sort of funnel. This again is lined with bark of pine-trees, so as to prevent the tar draining away into the ground between the timbers. At the bottom is another funnel or vessel of wood to receive the tar, which runs from thence into a trough, closed on all sides, except a hole where the point of the said funnel is inserted, and another at the extremity, closed with a moveable plug, from which the tar is received into vessels and taken away. Roots of fir, cut to pieces, are placed upright in the large funnel above, so as to leave a convexity over the bottom, and the whole being covered with turf is set on fire, against the wind. Care is taken, by varying the admission of air, to prevent its burning too fast, or unequally; and by this means they procure both tar and charcoal.

_September 14._

I took my leave of Biorknas. The weather was cold and rainy. Such of the forest trees as are of a deciduous nature had now a.s.sumed a pallid hue, in consequence of the cold nights; but the evergreens, with their needle-shaped leaves, standing among them, seemed to defy the cold, and were rendered conspicuous by their dark-green colour. The high wind scattered the withered leaves over my path. How useful are the usual storms of autumn to disperse ripe seeds, and plant colonies far from the parent trees! The hills appeared sandy; and such places as had been burnt were now perfectly white with Reindeer Moss, (_Lichen rangiferinus_,) which grew so close together, as hardly to leave any room for the Ling. It ornamented the sides of the roads like the Iceland Moss, (_Lichen islandicus._)

Some part of the road consisted of a reddish-brown earth, such as I had observed in the early part of my journey near Uma. I was told that it was excellent for red paint. At length I reached Zingis, and in the evening arrived at Tornea, entirely wet through.

_September 15._

I observed how they manage their corn at this season. They have no barns to lay it into, but it is placed between poles, all the ears directed to one side, in stacks two or three ells long, and very high. If the corn be not quite dry, it is first spread abroad. Afterwards it is dried in a kiln, and thrashed on a floor. How liable must it be to take fire, and how much must unavoidably be spilt in consequence of such management!

I received 100 dollars, of copper-money, from the chief clergyman.

I learned here that Tansy (_Tanacetum vulgare_) and Mugwort (_Artemisia vulgaris_) are used to make a fomentation or bath, wonderfully useful for women in labour, who are accustomed to sit over the steam of these herbs. I had observed the people at every house drying Tansy, but could meet with n.o.body who would inform me to what use it was destined.

_September 16._

This day I again left Tornea for Kimi. There are six ferries between these two places, over the river Kokama, which pa.s.ses near Kimi. Two miles from hence are the boundaries of East and West Bothnia. Lime-stone attracted my notice all the way along the road to Norbotn; it was yellow on the outside, whitish within.

_September 17._

I departed from the posthouse of Kimi. The weather was unfavourable, for it rained all day long. I took up my lodging in the evening at the posthouse of Jo. This part of the country lies very low, abounding with marshes and numerous small rivulets, but few hills. There is plenty of gra.s.s. The buildings are bad. The forests consist chiefly of Birch, intermixed with the _acifoliae_ (slender-leaved evergreens). Of these last the Juniper was remarkable for its abundance and large size, so as to be almost arborescent. The Birch and the dwarf Willows had now become pale, but the _Sorbus_ (Mountain ash, _Pyrus aucuparia_, _Fl. Brit._) had a.s.sumed a red hue, as well as all the mosses. (_Pedicularis_) _Sceptrum Carolinum_ appeared every where by the roadside. _Thalictrum_ (_flavum_) and _Scutellaria_ (_galericulata_) were less frequent, but Golden-rod (_Solidago Virga aurea_), _Trollius_ (_europaeus_), (_Spiraea_) _Ulmaria_, and _Epilobium_ (_pal.u.s.tre_?) were plentiful, as was the sweet _Milium_ (_effusum_), with the _Gramen ramosum_ (probably _Aira caespitosa_.)

The inhabitants were in their smoky huts, with their eyes full of smoke, and the tears running from them. Nevertheless they seemed more studious of warmth than careful of their eyesight.

The same sort of plough is used here as at Kimi.

I had frequent views of the sea through the woods on the right hand.

Wherever the waves had thrown up sand-hills grew a pea with a triangular stem, a white creeping perennial root, and thick leaves alternately pinnate, (_Pisum maritimum_).

Near Jo I noticed a pit-fall designed to catch wolves. This was dug in a hill, at no great distance from the house. Around it within were eleven pales or stakes, placed upright and close together. In the centre stood a pole, which, as well as the pales, was on a level with the surface of the ground. The pole supported a wheel, over which were laid boards, so as entirely to cover it, in such a manner that if the wolf, when caught, should be able to climb up as high as the wheel, he might not get any further.

The peasants of this upper part of East Bothnia, children of darkness in their houses, are no less so in their slovenly appearance, chiefly owing to their uncombed hair. Their breeches reach as low as the feet, and are white, and they wear a sort of short cloak, sewed together in front.--Their disposition is quarrelsome. Their habitations are infected with a smell of sour fish, like sour Strmming, for they are kept very dirty. These people speak no other language than the Finlandish.

Here and there by the road I had this day travelled, I noticed the Sea Wheat-gra.s.s, (_Elymus arenarius._ See _Fl. Lapp. ed._ 2. _n._ 34.)

_September 18._

I travelled from Jo to Ulaborg. The rye was bound into sheaves, ten of which were piled up together in a heap, the ears at the top of each being brought close together, and another sheath being placed, in an inverted position, upon them, the whole was sheltered from wet. The barley was not set upright, but laid on one side, in such a manner that the ears were all turned inward, and the straw stood outward all round.

On the top of each little stack thus formed, a reversed sheath was put, as a kind of covering.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The villages consisted of the same kind of smoky huts I have already described.

(The annexed cut seems to be a representation of one of these dwellings, at which Linnaeus was so indignant.)

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Near the ferry of Haukipudas, stones are collected from the sh.o.r.e, which, though nothing but concretions of sand and small pebbles, are so firm as to serve for the construction of ovens. At one spot, where the river had excavated the sandy bank, it was evident that the cement, which combines these particles together, is no other than a rust of iron. The stones in general hereabouts are very fine-grained, and break easily. They have all the appearance of containing a portion of iron.

Some were more rugged and rusty than the rest.

A kind of boats used here to navigate rapid and dangerous parts of the rivers, are made of thin planks of spruce fir, and are four or five fathoms long, and about one broad in their middle. The sides are five or six quarters of an ell deep; the extremities compressed. The middle of the boat is nearly semicylindrical, the keel being raised up, or hollowed as it were by the dilatation of the sides, in which all the importance and peculiarity of the contrivance consists, for without this the vessel would be much more easily overset in rapid and shelvy places.

Some of these boats have no prominent keel at all; others are furnished with a slight one, chiefly in their forepart, which is a little the highest, in order to bear the better any shocks from striking against stones; so that if this part be able to pa.s.s, the rest of the vessel may go in safety.

One sort of nets used for catching Sijk-fish, (_Salmo Lavaretus_, or Gwiniad, before mentioned) are five spans high, and of a considerable length, the meshes very small. There are loop-holes at the top, large enough to admit two fingers, bordered with birch bark, whose edges are sewn together. (See 1, 2, 3, 4 in the figure.) The stones (5, 6, 7) at the bottom are but small, covered with birch bark. The nets are set near the sandy sh.o.r.e.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Another kind of net, used for catching the same fish, is placed in the strongest part of a current or water-fall. It resembles a receiving net, except being not so deep. The length is three ells, breadth two, and depth one. This is fixed very steadily, by means of poles, in the middle of the very strongest and most confined current, against the stream, so that when the fish attempts to pa.s.s upwards, by the narrow pa.s.sages on each side the net, he finds it impracticable, and is thrown back by the force of the water, generally into the net, out of which he can never escape, but is taken out at leisure.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Near Ulaborg is a mineral spring, not yet made any use of. The taste of the water seemed good. This spring is situated close to the town, on a small island, where there is a sawing-mill.

In the church I noticed the monument of Messenius, with his effigy made to the life. He is actually buried here[14]. This church is one of the longest I ever saw built of wood, but its height is not correspondent.

The arms of the town are displayed on the pulpit. Ulaborg is almost as large as Lund.

_September 19._

After attending divine service I left this place. Sledges in use here are constructed with a cross board to rest the feet against. (a, seems to be a bandage or belt, to keep the traveller from being suddenly jolted out of this vehicle, and b is the part to rest the back or head against; but there are no references in the ma.n.u.script to these letters of the sketch.)

[Ill.u.s.tration]

I now came in sight of the extensive meadows of Limingo, more s.p.a.cious than all the meadow-ground of Tornea and Rodbeck together. (Tuneld says in his Geography, that the meadows of Limingo, and cornfields of the neighbouring parish of Storkyrro, are famous to a proverb for their great extent.) At first the land seemed a perfect marsh, filled with Horsetail (_Equisetum fluviatile_), and especially with Reed, _Arundo_ (_Phragmites_), which last grew in such abundance as to resemble a forest. The Water Hemlock, _Cicutaria aquatica_, _Cicuta virosa_; (see p. 136), was very plentiful by the road-side. This led me to inquire whether the cattle ever fed there? I was answered by the peasants in the affirmative, with a question in my turn, whether I could give them any advice on the subject, for they had lost a great many; adding similar particulars to what I had heard at Tornea.

Red Currants (_Ribes rubrum_) grew all the way by the road, as well as _Lenticula_ (_Lemna_ or Duck-weed), and the _Lichenoides_ of which powder is made was observable on the trees. (_Lichen prunastri_, said to have been used for hair-powder.)