Part 13 (2/2)
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.)
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