JORTIa’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN. 469

We cannot take leave of Fahlun without an acknowledgment to Mr. Nordin, the go-vernor of the province, for the kindnefs he fhewed us. During the whole of our ftay atthat town he made his houfe our home.

This is the feafon for giving fome account of this province and its inhabitants.

Dalecarlia is a large province, eighty leagues long by fixty broad at leaft. Tillagelands are fcarce in it, and in confequence it is far from being peopled in proportion toits extent, containing little more than one hundred and twenty thoufand inhabitants.Its mines and forges are its principal and almoft only wealth; but in this country, in-terfered by lakes, forells, and torrents, dwells a brave and loyal people, at all timesattached to their fovereigns and to freedom ; for they do not regard fuch union as in-compatible. In Dalecarlia, above all other parts of Sweden , is the remembrance of itsvaliant deliverer cherilhed. The peafant, the artifan, the people at large, all of themtalk of Guftavus Vafa: they call to mind that to their ancestors it was he owed hiscrown. It exalts their imagination, and they fpeak of it with pride and pleafure. Thispeople, nearly as rude as their mountains, poffeffes the fame rugged manners, the famecharafteriftics. Free as heretofore, they deem the chains of llavery infupportable. At-tached to their King, they look for a chief in him and not a mailer: ever ready to ftepforward in his defence, the Dalecarlian of the prefent day has proved to' Guftavus III.that he has not degenerated. The Dalecarlians pofiefs the right of lhaking hands withthe Princes of the blood royal, and even with the King himfelf upon meeting withhim : to this we were eye-witneffes at Haga one day while attending His Majefty, whohad the goodnefs to affure us of the truth of the exiftence of this cuftom. The Dale-carlians are divided into black and grey; a denomination arifing from their drefs, whichis perpetually of one or the other of thefe colours.

From Fahlun to Gejle is thirteen miles; you pafs through Strand, Upbo , Smedby,Rtzurjhyttan, Sarjiad Afen, Hceugbo, and Beck : there is a different road, Ihorter by twomiles and a half, but which is only paffable in the fummer time.

You pafs over nearly the fame road before traverfed on leaving Fahlun, for the poft-office’ of Upbo is but half a mile from Sceter, on the oppoftte fide of the river. In thethird ftage you crofs the Dahl three times over a floating bridge. From Smedby toSarftad a very woody country. At Rceurlhyttan is a confiderable forge, and a numberof others between that place and the fucceeding ftage, particularly at a large village,near a river, which you crofs over a bridge. Before you reach Sarftad, you come toa barrier, which divides Dalecarlia from Geftricie. We were very well accommodatedat Sarftad, where we flept. Half a mile from Sarftad, out of the road, are the ironmines of Torfoeker, of great extent. In them are found black iron ore granulated ;galena blended with the iron ore; martial pyrites; garnets, both large and fmall,but full of chinks; rocks of garnets, calcareous fpar, and quartz. At half amile from the mines is a mountain called Kioerberg, which yields black garnets, min-gled with calcareous and granulated white fpar, forming very pretty but very friablemaffes. The works of this mine are fuperb ; the galleries admirable,- and highly de-ferving of notice. From Rceurlhyttan to Gefle there are a greater number of villages,and many houfes Handing by themfelves in the*country, the refult of the number ofmines and forges. The roads likewife are better, and here and there you fee fomefields of corn. At the beginning of the laft ftage you pafs a bridge, and another be-fore you arrive at Gefle; the latter of ftone, with a baluftrade of iron, and an infcrip-tion, importing that it was built in 1772, under the adminiftration of Mr. Spam, in com-memoration of the revolution.

Gefle,