Volume 1

A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore].

  • John Hamilton Moore
Date:
[1785?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    iy6S:] nefs. The Swedes, under the aufpices of a young monarch, vvhofe counfels have baffled thofe of the aged, may be enabled to thwart the intereffs of her rival in many refpedts, and hinder her from reaping many of thofe advantages which fhe may otherwife reasonably hope for, from the wife regulations made i within the fpace of the laft century On the whole, it may be obferved, that though much has been accomplifhed, yet much more remains to be done, to give Denmark: that eclat which it | feems -to expedf. Among the reft, a revifal of their l §39 boafted code of laws appears to be neceftary, whereifi fome alterations might be made, equally for the benfit of the fubjeiSh, and the good of the ftate. Theef- tahlifhing a nearer connexion between agriculture and commerce, might be an objedf w'orth attending to 5 and a lefs degree of partiality fhewn to the military orders might be of real fervice to the country.1-=•' Thefe ends being attained, we cannot help concluding with fome ingenious countrymen of ours who have lately vifited thofe parts, Denmark would cut a good figure among the ftates of Europe. TRAVELS THROUGH SWEDEN. TRAVELS THROUGH SWEDEN; SWEDEN, including the dukedom of Finland, is bounded by the Baltic fea on the fouth, the un- palTable mountains of Norway and Mufcovy on the eaft, being extended from 59 to 69 degrees north latitude, and from 32 to 55 longitude; and coaiequently twice as big as the kingdom of France ; but the abatements that mult be made for feveral feas, •and many great lakes, fome whereof are above 80 Englifh miles long, and 20 broad, as alfo for rocks, woods, heaths,-and moraffes, that cover much of thefe countries, will reduce the habitable part to a very fmall portion, comparatively to the extent of the whole. The foil in places capable of cultivating, is toler¬ ably fruitful, though feldom above half a foot deep, and therefore more eafily plowed, as it frequently is by on e maid and an ox, arid is generally beft where there is the leaft of it, that is, in the little fpaces be¬ tween the rocks ; and frequently the barren land en¬ riched with the afties of trees growing on the places that are burnt, and the feed raked among the afhes, produces a plentiful crop, without farther cultiva¬ tion. This pra&ice is fo ancient, that their writers de¬ rive the name of Sweden from a word in their lan¬ guage that expreftes it ; but the danger of deftroying the woods, has of late occafioned fome laws to limit thatcuftom. 1 If the; inhabitants were induftrious, above what necefiity forces them .to, they . might, at leaft have corn fufficient of their own ; but as things are ma¬ naged, they have not; nor can they fubfift without great importations of all forts of grain from the coun¬ try of Leifland, and other parts of Germany, ad¬ jacent to the Baltic fea ; and notwithftanding thefe fupplies, the pooreft fort in many places remote from traffic, are forced to grind the bark of birch-trees to mix with their corn and make bread, of which they have not always plenty. The cattle, as in other northern countries, are ge¬ nerally of a very fmall fize ; neither can the breed be bettered by bringing in larger from abroad, which foon degenerate ; becaufe in fummer the grafs is much lefs nourifhing than in the places from whence they came ; and in the winter they are ufually half ftarved, for want of fodder of all kinds ; which often falls fo very ftiort, that they are forced to unthatch their houfes to keep a part of their cattle alive. Their Iheep bear a very coarfe wool, only fit to makecloath- ing for the peafants. The horfes, efpecially the fineft, though fmall, are hardy, vigorous, ftrong, lure-footed, and nimble trotters, which is of great ufe tp, them, becaufe of the length of their winters, and their fitnefs for fleds, which is their only carriage in that feafon. Of wild beafts, which are very plentiful in thefe parts, bears, elks, deer, and hares, are hunted for their flefh, as alfo together with wolves, foxes, wild cats, &c. for their furs- and hides. They hunt here with lefs ceremony than elfewhere, taking all ad¬ vantages to Ihoot their game, at which they are gene¬ rally very dexterous. There are no rabbits in thefe countries, but what are brought in for curipfity, and kept tame. In winter, foxes and fquirrels fomewhat change colour, and become grayifh, but hares turn quite white. Both wild and tame fowl are very plentiful and good in their kind, except fea fowl, which feed and tafte of fifh ; the moil common are orras and keders, the former of the bignefs of a hen, the other of a turky; as alfo partridges, and a kind of bird fome- thing refembling them, called Yerpers. There are taken in winter great numbers of fmall birds, as thrulhes, black-birds, and fydenfcwans, the laft of the bignefs of Veldefares, hut better meat, fuppofed to come from Lapland, or yet farther north, and have their name from the beautifulnefs of their feathers, fome of which are tipt at the point with fcarlet. The chief lakes in Sweden are the Vetter, the Wenner, and’ Maeler ; the firft in Oftrcgothia, re¬ markable for its foretelling of ftorms by a continual thundering noife the day before in that quarter whence theyarife; as alio for the fudden breaking of the ice upon it, which fometimeS furprife travellers, and in half an hour’s time become navigable : for its great depth, in fome places is above 300 fathoms, though no part of the Baltic exceed 50 ; it fupplies the river Motala, which runs through Norcopingh, where it has a fall of about thirty feet, and fome winters is fo choaked up with ice, that for many hours no water paffes. The fecond is in Weftrogothia, from which iftues the river Elves that, falling down a rock near fixty feet, paftes by Gottenburgh. The third emp¬ ties itfelf at Stockholm, furnifhing one fide of the town with frefh water, as the fea does the other with fait. Thefe, and abundance of other lakes, of which many like ponds, have no vents, and are called Inn- feas j they are wTell ftored with fifti, falmon, pikes, pearch, tench, trouts, eels, and many other forts unknown elfewhere, of which the moft plentiful is the ftreimling, a fifh lefs than a pilcher, taken in great quantities, and falted in barrels, and diftributed over all the country. Befides, the North-Bottom or bay, that feparates Sweden and Finland, abounds with feals, of which a confiderable quantity of train- oil is made and exported j and in the lakes in Fin¬ land are great quantities of pikes, which being taken,- are falted, dryed, and fold at a very reafonable rate. Thefe lakes are of great ufe for the convenience of carriages^ both in fummer by boats, and by fleds in winter, and among them, and on the fea ccafts, are almoft innumerable iflands of different fixes, of which there’
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