THE SAIMA SEE. 15 



than the floatage by rafts or single logs, and how much 

 the first proprietor or the wood merchant gains in profit 

 from this contrivance of the Finnish peasant, though it is 

 not very easy to do so completely, I may state the follow- 

 ing particulars : In the floating of timber on the Mat 

 Kosero by the old system, the log of timber costs about five 

 kopecs ; now, by floating it in these kosheLLs it costs about 

 one and one-half kopec, or less than one-third of the 

 former cost. The bringing of timber to the Koumsa saw- 

 mill, in consequence of this new method of floatage, costs, 

 for each log, about thirty kopecs less than it did formerly. 

 If we assume that the transport of each log to the saw- 

 mills in the Government of Olonetz costs, upon an average, 

 ten kopecs less than it used to do ; and if we take 237,000 

 the number of logs cut up by these saw-mills in 1865 

 as the average annual number, then it will be apparent 

 .that the saving of expense will be 23,700 roubles, or 2370, 

 per annum. Such results have followed this so-called 

 trifling contrivance. The name of the peasant has not 

 been made famous ; but it is said that he is now a very 

 rich man, and the other peasants speak of him as a very 

 knowing one.' 



Between the lower lake on which Nyslot is situated, and 

 the higher lying lakes or basins of the Saima Lake system, 

 are two canals, with locks, connecting successive series of 

 these. Near Taipola, where is one of these canals with 

 two locks, are the iron-works of Warkaus. 



Finland, as I have stated, is poetically known in the 

 country as " The land of a thousand lakes," and as " The 

 last-born daughter of the sea." In travelling you con- 

 tinually come upon beautiful lakes of great and small 

 dimensions embedded in woods, such as may be seen in 

 the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg, at Schuvalova, 

 Ejora, and Ukie ; but the upper portions of the Saiman 

 See, for it bifurcates towards the north, gives to the visitor 

 another idea altogether of what is implied in the designa- 

 tion, " The land of a thousand lakes." 



