THE SAIMA SEE, 11 



but I accept his statement as an appropriate illustration 

 of the rich luxuriance of forest vegetation in the regions 

 of the Saima See. 



The scenery here, as did that in the south of Norway, 

 reminded me forcibly of that of the thousand isles in the 

 mouth of Lake Ontario; but here they were more widely 

 separated, and apparently more numerous by far. They 

 suggested the somewhat gross conception of the thousand 

 isles in the Lake Ontario appearing as if they had been 

 washed away from all parts of the lake, and accumulated 

 at the outlet, stopping the further progress of each and of 

 all, while here every island seemed as if it had maintained 

 its footing and kept its place as it first rose above the 

 watery plain. There are wide spaces between the islands 

 surrounding the voyager everywhere, and the course for 

 navigation from one place to another is marked out by 

 beacons and broomsticks, the former on islands, the latter 

 on shoals. The beacons are compactly built heaps of stones, 

 kept white-washed, surmounted often by poles bearing dif- 

 ferent devices, such as stars, square and compasses, triangles, 

 and arrow-heads, by which the exact locality of the steamer 

 can be known. On my return voyage from the upper part 

 of the sea I sailed upwards of 200 miles in a small yacht- 

 like steamer of 35 ton.*, and 25 horse-power, with every 

 convenience on board, steaming at an average rate of 

 upwards 10 miles an hour; and I was informed by the 

 captain that there were upwards of a hundred and fifty 

 such like small steamers, plying about on the lake, 

 threading their way amidst the islands everywhere, besides 

 tug-steamers towing vessels laden with wood. The abun- 

 dance of fuel, and the great manufacture of such tiny 

 steamers, of which several engineering firms in Finland, 

 as in Sweden, have made a special industry, have entirely 

 superseded, or almost entirely superseded, sailing boats, 

 excepting small boats belonging to the peasants, used 

 as a means ot conveyance from farm to farm, and from 

 farm to market, and in prosecuting fishing. Landed pro- 

 prietors have small steain-launches* 



