Portia's travels in Sweden .' 555
the year. Landing on the ifland of Aland you find the poft-houfe of Frebenby: thenceto Enkarby is one mile and a quarter; to Haraldby one and a quarter; almoft towardsthe end or this ftage you crofs a fmall arm of the fea in a flat boat, the charge is onefchilling per each horfe, the carriage is not difmounted. To Bomarfand three eighthsof a mile; at the firft eighth after palling a wooden bridge you diftinguifh on the rightthe ruinated caftle of Cajlclholm , in which the unfortunate Eric XIV. was confined in1751. By the fide of it is a fmall building which ferves as a prifon. At Bomarfundyou embark for Finland ; if the wind be good it will be advifeable to take boat directfor Abo, thus avoiding the inconvenience and lofs of time arifing from repeated em-barkations and difembarkations. In this cafe, as you travel through the village of Finby,half a mile before you reach Bomarfand, you mu!t treat with a boat mafter in order notto have to wait: a boat to Abo cofts five, or at mod fix rix-dollars; thediftance nearlyfixteen miles and a half. We crofted in fifteen hours, and had not the wind changedtowards the latter part of our courfe, fliould have completed the paflage in lefs thaneleven, as we had already got fourteen miles on our way in eight hours : with the ex-ception of the paflage called Delet nearly three miles broad, you are conftantly fur-rounded by iflands, and at hand to take refuge in cafe of contrary winds. Of thefeiflands, fome are nothing but rocks, others are covered with wood and inhabited.Some are more than a league and a half in breadth, fuch as Vardo, Kumlinge , and feveralothers as you approach the coaft of Finland . This inceffantly varying fcene affords aAngular profpett, before you reach Abo, you perceive the little town of Nodendahl.If the traveller prefer following the cuftomary road he may confult the book of poftroads; he will however do much better in taking our advice, fo faving both moneyand time.
Abo , the capital of Finland , is fituated on a fmall river about half a mile from thefea; it has a number of flone houfes, and contains ten thoufand inhabitants. It isimagined that the laft war may poflibly have fomewhat diminifhed this number. Atthe entrance of the channel or river of Abo, on the left, is the old caftle in which theunfortunate Eric XIV. was for fome time imprifoned, as well as John III . in 1563. In1791, this caftle was repaired for quarters for troops; a plan was refolved upon foreltablifhing there a third flotilla compofed of a dozen of bomb ketches and about threefcore gun-boats. They are to be under fhelter ; when the caftle is finifhed it will affordquarters for one hundred and eighty marines.
The cathedral is a tolerably large building of great antiquity: it contains the monu-ments of a number of noble families buried there; that among others of CatharineManfdotter, Queen of Sweden, married to Eric XIV. who died in Finland in 1612.In the fame chapel that of Count de Tott her fon-in-lavv, and her daughter Sigrida.The organ is the prefent of a citizen of Abo, who thought he had a right to tranfmit hislikenefs to pofterity, and for that purpofe caufed himfelf to be painted at length in themiddle of the front.
The univerfity was founded in 1640, during the minority of Chriftina: it containedin 1 yg 1 three hundred and fifty ftudents : it is regulated in the fame manner as theuniverfity at Upfal. The library contains ten thoufand volumes; its revenue is no morethan ico rix-dollars; it was founded by Count Brahe at the fame time as the univer-fity : this library contains nothing particularly curious; We were fhewn a manufcriptin folio of one thoufand three hundred and forty-one pages, entitled, Minutes of ct>oommifj'wn nominated in 1676, and of the fentence pronounced on certain tmlcfadlors andmagicians, written in the Swedijh language by Andrew Engman , the Notary of the faidCommfjion: it wants fome leaves at the beginning. Miffale. Abcnfe, Lubeck, , 1588,
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