4 7 °
Qefle. A (mail town, of from five to fix thoufand inhabitants; it is more confider-able than Fahlun, and much more pleafant from itsfituation on the gulph of Bothnia .Its port is formed by a long jetty, from the extremity of which the prcfpect is delight-ful. A canal paffes through the town. ' Its trade is confiderable, fo much lb, as tomake it rank the third in the kingdom for the extent of its exports, and at leaft thefourth in,point of importation. Very large quantities of iron are fhipped hence. In1787 fifty-two veffels belonged to this town, carrying fix thoufand fix hundred and for-ty-two tons. Uddevallaand Vifby poffefs more fhipping, but the firft exports fcarcelyany thing but fifh, and the tonnage of the fecond is not fo great.
At Gefle there is a public fchool. The town-houfe is a handfome building. Mr. deCronfledt, governor of Geftricie, has caufed a map of this province to be engraved,which is admirably performed ; we cannot fay the fame, however, of the duties of ci-vility to ftrangers addreffed to him; this flight blemifh, however, we look upon asmore than compenfated by his conduct towards, and his zeal in the caufe of Gufta-vus III., who has not one fubjeCt more grateful for favours received than is Mr. Cron-ftedt.
Some miles diftant in the neighbourhood of Gefle, towards the weft, are the forgesof Tollfors , Walbo, Mafugu and Machnura, Forjbacka and Hceugbo : on the north thofeof OJlottjorfs, Wiforfs, and Axmar. Continuing the road to Torneo, you traverfe theforeft of Tynnebro-heden, which feparates Geftricie from Helfmgie. In this laft provinceare the towns of Sceuderhamn and Hudvifkfvall. In the firft is a manufactory of arms.Within reach of the great road are the forges of Longvind , Iggefund, Gnarps , Mafugu tand Frantzhamar.
In the province of Medelpad is the town of Sundfvall ; it is watered by the riversNiurunda and Indahls. In the village of Berge, in the parifh of Timero, is fhewn a ma-chine after the Dutch fafhion, which cuts the metal for coining by means of water.The forges of Galjirdum , Laugdtxun, and Oviken are fituated in this province.
The capital of Angermania is Hernofand : it is the governor’s refidence, as well asthat of the bifhop, and contains, moreover, an ecclefiaftical confiftory and a publicfchool. This province produces a quantity of flax, and is famous for its mode offpinning and working it.. The mo ft confiderable river bears the name of the province.The forges of UtanficxUy in the parifh of Haugzim, and Olosfor/s in that of Nordmaling,are upon the high road.
The following towns are contained in the province of Weftrobothnie. Umeo , the re-fidence of the governor •, Piteo, that of the military governor; Luleo and Torneo ; thelatter known by the fojourn made by the academicians fent thither in 1736 to determinethe figure of the earth. It contains thefe different forges: Horleforfs, in the parifh ofUmeo ; Robersforfs, in that of Bygdeo ; Melderjleil in Boleo; Svafeen and Kengt’s,ten miles north of Torneo. Hither mull you repair if defirous of feeing the fun unin-terruptedly for days together; but this pleafure will be dearly bought by the fatigueof the journey from Torneo, and particularly the additional inconvenience you will ex-perience if you fhould travel to Ruffia down the eaftern fide of the gulph; fince youwill have to traverfe an immenfe extent of country, entirely deftitute of all refources, im-mediately after you leave the fea: Another fuperior vexation is the prodigious quantityof infeCts of every kind, which fwarm through the country in the two or three monthsthe fummer lafls. One fpecies of fly in particular draws blood! The inhabitantsobliged to be upon the rivers, have no other means of protection againft them than bycovering their face with a kind of maftic. For the reft, the whole road from Gefle is