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fortia’s Travels in Sweden .

546

fchippunds daily ; they work in the German falhion ; the difference between the Ger*man method and the Walloon are, i. That by the firfl: manner they melt and work atonce at both forges : by the fecond, the one is kept tor founding, while they work at theother. 2. The fuel is meafured out to the Germans , whereas it is afforded as requiredto the Walloons without limitation. %. The firfl: melt the iron by degrees in linalllumps, the other infert the whole at once: the Walloons hammer the iron lefs than theGermans , and confequently make much more, even five fchippunds per furnace perdiem, whereas the Germans can work but three. From what has been obferved, theWalloon plan - will be vifibly the dearelt. There are likewife three workfhops, in whichthere are two grindftones and four wooden wheels for Iharpening and polilhing cuttinginftruments. A frnall hammer alfo for giving their primitive fhape to fcythes.

In another part of the town copper is flattened into flieets to the amount of about700 fchippunds, the workmen receive one rix-dollar per fchippund for ordinary flieets,and 12 fchillings additional for fuch as are four feet long by one and a half; there arethree workmen employed on copper, and the quantity which may be flattened is fromone thoqfand to one thoufand two hundred fchippunds: there is moreover in the fameplace, a hammer for falhioning iron bars, another for nails, and different other final!■eftablilhments the fame as in the free town. The annual confumption of coal is fixthoufand lafls. Here we fhall fpeak of the different qualities of iron, and the mode ordiflinguilhing them. Good iron is difficult to break, and breaks at once; within it is ofa duililh white colour ; it is lighter than other iron, but among this fpecies the heavieflis preferred, as well as in call fteel. Iron which is grey internally breaks more eafily*Iron which breaks when hot is known by groves acrofs it; when they run lengthwaysthe iron is good : that which breaks when cold is of a fhining appearance, granulatedwhen broke. This is the bell for refilling the weather. The lighted iron is feven anda half times the weight of water, the heaviefl from eight to eight and a quarter. There,is no dearth of water at Elkilfluna, nor is there any interruption to the works even in.the depth of winter.

From Elkilfluna to Kolbeck by Smedby , is three miles and a half. On the firfl ftagefome commons and blocks of granite diflinguilhable on each fide the road. At half amile beyond Smidby we arrived at the brink of the lake Mazier, which is croffed on araft in order to reach the frnall ifland Nickel, about a third of a mile in length, belong-ing to Count de Creutz : on the paffage you have a delightful view of the lake. Uponleaving the ifland you pafs over a frnall arm of the lake and land in Weflmania. Theifland is fandy and apparently fterile. Shortly after you crofs a third branch, which aswell as the two preceding, is very narrow, and the fare of the watermen extremelymoderate, it is a projedlion of the lake, into which the canal of Stromiholm difemboguesitfelf: nothing would be more eafy than the conftruSion of bridges over thefe creeks,at lead the two latter *, leaving the firfl open for the paffage of veflels; after palling thelaft ferry, the ancient royal callle of Stromiholm is feen. Shortly after the road turnsalong fide the {tables, confifling of three piles of wooden buildings of the greatefl fim-plicity. Leaving firfl: the caftle and afterwards the church to the right we croffed abridge over the river which, by a canal we fhall fhortly defcribe, is connected with thelake. In order to fee this canal we were obliged to go from Kolbeck to Skantzen, threequarters of a mile diftant; when finiihed, it will no longer be neceffary to travel fo fa rfor this purpofe, yet will that fpot be ever an objedt of curiofity from the abundance ofinterelting objects found there, as will be conceived from the detail we are about to

j.

* Polls which arc Hill vifible at the laft ferry indicate that there has been formerly a bridge there.

make.