FQRTIA’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN.
554
has a confiderable forge which employs two hammers. To Harmaby , one mile and ahalf, fands and woods and rocks, To TroJla y one and a half mile; at the beginningof this ftage you meet the road from Stockholm to Grifleham, and at length enter amore direft road: this ftage is a bad one, has a number of rifings and defcents in it,and affords proipecis of nothing but fands and woods and rocks. To Grifleham threequarters of a mile ; upon leaving the poft-houfe you crofs a very narrow arm of thefea which ftretches deep in ftiore, in a boat (the charge exceedingly fmall.) Grifleham.is badly placed on the map of the roads, it ought to be more towards the north.
Here it is that paffengers embark for the ifland of Aland ; the boatmen employed forthe occafion are regiftered marines ; but as they live at their own homes, frequently atgreat diftances from the ftiore, you have to fend before to give them feveral hours no-tice unlefs you prefer waiting. On embarkation you pay a duty of four fchillings eachpei-fon. The paffage over to Ekereu, in the ifland of Aland , is faid to be feven miles,for our part we do not think it fix: we were five hours within ten minutes in crofting: wehave been affured that the paffage has been made in two hours, but fuch an event mult beveryuncommon; the boats have no decks; if a fmall boat be taken the chargeistwo rix-dol-lars, if a larger, three, (we advife the latter.) In the winter time, that is to fay from October14, to April 14, the charge is double. Half a rix-dollar is given to the men to drink.Provided you embark with the courier on Wednefday or Saturday morning, you crofsfor a trifle ; the ftipulated fare being hung up in the poft-houfe you cannot be miftakenas to what you have to pay. The worft periods to pafs are the beginning of autumn andfpring, but particularly the latter. The ifland of Aland as well as thofe before met with,are dependencies of the government of Finland . In thefe fadenhielm notes are current(fo called from the perfon by whom they are figned); thefe notes were iffued duringthe war of 1788; they are current in Finland alone, where they are obligatory; therewas a difcount upon them when exchanged againft thofe of Rikfens, of from twelve tothirteen per cent, and confequently a lofs of twenty-five per cent, or thereabouts, whenexchanged againft bank notes: but, as is juft, thefe notes are received by the collectorsof the taxes, and are confequently ufed by the Fins for payment of their imports. Ithas been in contemplation to annihilate them entirely, an objeCt much to bedefired *.
From Ekereu to Marby is feven eighths of a mile. Here you leave your horfes andcrofs an arm of the fea in an oared boat; the fea here is about a quarter of a mileover; provided you take with you a very light carriage fuch as are generally ufed inthe country the wheels are not taken oft", if not it will be neceflary to take them off, andeven to have two boats (hould it be heavy and carry much luggage; you are from twentyto twenty-five minutes in crofting. If on foot, on horfeback, or with a light carriage?you pay three dollars ; four for a carriage with four wheels, and eight for two boats.The little ifland of Ekereu is very fandy ; has a quantity of foreft and rocky ground,fame few corn-fields, and appeared to us tolerably well peopled. The ifland of Aland ?upon which we landed is about three miles in breadth, from eaft to weft, and fomewhatmore in length. It is pretty well peopled although it has no towns; is very woody, hasabundance of rock, but lefs fand than the preceding. In it blocks of red granite,are feen on every fide ; it is indented by many arms of the fea which form numerousgulphs, and muff neceffarily render a direCt communication difficult at certain feafons of
* In 1793, the Regent ordered them to be paid. Count M. had iiTued a number of forged ones; buthis property was fequeftrated for the payment of them, himfelf degraded from his rank, and baniihed the
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