Lachesis Lapponica Part 13

The meadow of Limingo is two miles in length. The best part of the land, near the village of that name, was now occupied by the horned cattle. The land here is more elevated and less marshy, though somewhat impaired by tumps (of _Carex caespitosa_). If but a third part of it were cultivated, according to the Scanian mode of husbandry, it would be of more value than the whole is at present. I was told that the whole marsh might be laid dry, by cutting a channel down to the seash.o.r.e; but it was feared that the land might in consequence become covered with White Moss (_Sphagnum pal.u.s.tre_), which would render it altogether unprofitable.

About a thousand hay-c.o.c.ks were now before me on the meadow, but none of them consisting of more than a horse could draw. They never here use more than a single horse or ox at a time for draught. Each of these c.o.c.ks was raised from the ground on a kind of scaffold, supported by several cross poles. Some of the Water Iris (_Iris Pseud'acorus_) was mixed with the hay.

The milk-strainers are made of straw, and not very clean.

_September 20._

Brabestad, not far distant, is a small town, though twice the size of Tornea, standing on a peninsula by the sea.

In the hospital of Cronby are many maniacs, whose insanity is said to have arisen from jealousy of the conduct of their wives. One of them, whose wife was a very old woman, took this fancy, supposing her to intrigue with several other men. Possibly in these cases impotence, or perhaps some fantastic concupiscence, may have been a cause of the derangement.

About this neighbourhood it is the custom to administer to women in labour a very nauseous medicine, which is called _Hittatran_, or Casual Train-oil; so termed because it is obtained from the carcases of such seals as, having been killed early in the spring, have been left among the broken ice till they are by chance cast upon the sh.o.r.e. They are consequently putrid, and the oil is so offensive, that few persons, except such as are in great extremity, or not very nice, can be brought to take it. In general Castor is here considered as a sheet-anchor in such cases, as being found by long experience very effectual in bringing on the labour-pains. Others take saffron infused in wine. For after-pains they swallow, as at Kimi, a few drops of blood from the umbilical cord, not only in the woman's first lying-in, but every subsequent one.

Some Finlanders, as I was told, have a method by which they pretend to catch bears, with a sort of magic. This is done by procuring some of the bear's dung, fresh and warm if possible, and mixing it with that of one of their own cows. The consequence is said to be, that the bear will be attracted by sympathy to come after the cow; an effect certainly not more wonderful than many sympathies upon record.

There is a fish in the lakes near Pyhejorki which is called _Muicu_.

Bishop Terserus, a Dalecarlian, bishop of Abo, says that he has seen at this place a fish named _Muicu_, which is no other than the _Blikta_, taken in the lake of Silian in his native country. How true this may be I know not, but I saw plainly that this _Muicu_ is the _Small Sijk_ (_Salmo Albula_), such as is found in Smoland.

The following figure represents a plough used here, drawn by an ox. The share, a, is of iron, a span long. The part b is four spans high; c is four spans long; d and e, three spans each; f, g, four spans. The ends of the shafts are connected by a curved piece of wood, which keeps them from the shoulders of the animal, and supports them.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_September 21._

Being the feast of St. Matthew the apostle, I went to church at Gambla Carleby. Here is an introductory school, to prepare children for that at Cronby.

I pa.s.sed on to Jacobstadt, which has a remarkably good harbour. Ships are able to load and unload close to the quay.

_September 22._

Leaving Jacobstadt, I arrived at the town of New Carleby, which is nearly as big as Wexio. Every one of the streets is laid with timbers, placed cross-wise, instead of stones, like a bridge, which has a handsome appearance. The harbour of this place is near the river, a quarter of a mile from the town. Vessels when laden indeed can scarcely come within half a mile. On the sh.o.r.e lay vast piles of wood, destined to be conveyed to Stockholm for fuel.

The country-people have, in every one of their mills, an instrument made of six or seven blades or hatchets, serving to cut chaff into small pieces in a trough, in order to grind it afterwards with their barley.

_Rotkal_ (_Bra.s.sica oleracea_ ?, Sp. Pl. 932, _Napo bra.s.sica_, or Stalk-cabbage) is dried for winter use; when it is boiled, and given with the liquor to the cattle.

The women at this place wear a hood, or neckcloth, as they call it, of grey walmal cloth, but only in bad weather. It is tied with a black ribband in the fore part. When they ride on horseback, they carry the whip slung at their back.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

To stir up the pot, when boiling, they use a stick with several projecting bits of wood at the bottom, (not unlike a chocolate-mill,) which is rolled between their hands.

In the evening of this day I arrived at Wasa.

_September 23._

I went to church at Wasa, and visited also the palace, situated on the south-west side of the city, the school, and other public buildings.

This is a handsome little town enough. It is the residence of the governor.

Not far from the town, and indeed close to the walls, is a reputed copper-mine, the working of which was discontinued, after an excavation had been made to the depth of five or six fathoms. The ore has a glittering micaceous appearance, and gives a stain like black lead. The sand about it is a loose talc, as if spontaneously decomposed. I do not indeed believe that it contains any copper or other metal; which seems to have been the opinion of those who so soon gave over the pursuit.

The rustics here trust to three doctors, Beaver's-gall, Bear's-gall, and Pallavinus. (By a chemical sign annexed, it appears that Linnaeus here meant brandy, but the word itself is not explained.)

This day being Sunday, I saw the girls all going bare-headed to church.

They each, however, carried an oblong-oval hat, supported by broad coloured ribbands, the ends of which hung down.

_September 24._

In my way from New Carleby to this place (the day before yesterday) I had observed a kind of plough in use, different from any I had before seen. This was almost always drawn by a horse, seldom by an ox. The latter, when used, had the same harness as the horse, but without a girth. Over its back indeed pa.s.ses a band like a saddle-girth, which is kept upon the neck of the animal to prevent the harness sliding forward; but for horses they use no such thing. See the figure.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The shoes worn at this place in some measure resemble half-boots. The soles are of untanned leather, with the hair upon it; the upper leathers made of tanned seal-skin, and tied round the ankle with strings. (A representation of one of these shoes accompanies the last figure.)

_Hyperic.u.m_ (_perforatum_), _Scrophularia_ (_nodosa_), _Bidens_ (_cernua_?) occurred to me here, for the first time in all my journey.

The three species of _Ribes_ (_rubrum_, _alpinum_ and _nigrum_,) were in prodigious abundance.

_September 25._

At sun-rise I took my departure from Wasa. The pines in the forest were stripped of their bark, so that vast tracts were covered with nothing but such naked trees. No more was left on each trunk, to the height of three ells or three and a half, than a small strip of bark, about the breadth of four fingers, generally on the north side, to prevent its being ... (here is a word not to be decyphered). The trees are left standing for six or seven years afterwards, and are then cut down close to the roots, being also headed a little above the naked part. The heads or branches either serve for firing, or, as often happens, are left to rot on the ground.

Three miles below Wasa I recognised the Climbing Nightshade (_Solanum Dulcamara_). In the town itself I had noticed (_Leonurus_) _Cardiaca_, and Henbane (_Hyoscyamus niger_). Near the sh.o.r.e grew _Salix oleaefolia_ with its berries, _(Hippophae rhamnoides_). It is known by the name of _Finnbaer_ or _Surbaer_, (Finn-berries, or Sour berries). The fruit is situated below the leaves, as in the Alder. The footstalks are two lines long. Berries bluntly oval, of a tawny orange-colour, three or four lines long, smooth, sour, having a watery pulp mixed with ochraceous matter. Seed solitary, roundish-oblong, slightly compressed, obtuse, attached by its lower edge to a membrane which enfolds it. When this cover is removed, the seed itself appears brown and polished, having a longitudinal groove at each side. The fishermen eat these berries bruised, by way of sauce to their fresh fish, but I thought them rather too acid.

_September 26._

I pa.s.sed Christina (Christinestadt), but before coming to that place, noticed at Nerpis a very extensive tract of land, which had formerly been a fine meadow, the soil being extremely good. But at present it was so entirely overrun with tumps (originally perhaps formed of _Carex caespitosa_) that it produced little or nothing. These tumps were crowded almost over one another, and were overgrown by _Polytrichum_ (Hair-moss), which had come to its full stature, and rendered most of them nearly black. There was scarcely room for the cattle to make their way to any food between the tumps.

In the pa.s.sages of all the houses hung nets, used for catching bears.

These are made of ropes of Lindenbast, (the inner bark of the lime-tree, _Tilia europaea_,) full as thick as a bridle or rein. The meshes when stretched are each three quarters of an ell wide. The height of the net is equal to the stature of a man. Such nets, supported by poles, are set up in a line of one hundred fathoms in extent, the lower side close to the ground. The bear is driven into them by the people hunting him on all sides.

_September 27._

This day I observed a mode of brewing in a kneading trough, which stood on a table, and its end being made so as to slide up and down, the wort is easily poured out.

Below the town of Christina, I first found the _Lathyrus viciaeformis_ (_L. pal.u.s.tris_), and Water Cresses, (_Sisymbrium Nasturtium_); also _Campanula persicifolia_ and (_Sedum_) _Telephium_.

_September 28._

I was glad when I had done with the very bad road which extends from the Lappfierd near Christina, to Hwisbofiahl, towards Biorreborg; a highway it cannot be called, for it is exactly like the road between the town of Umoea and Granoen. (See _v._ 1. 141.)