CHAPTER II. 



BOATING ADVENTURES ON THE ULEA AND 

 THE TOKNEO. 



IN the preceding chapter I have described what are a few 

 of the characteristic features of Finland, its woods, and 

 waterfalls, and lakes. Two-fifths of the country is covered 

 by lakes, a hundred of which may often be met with 

 in the course of a day's journey, some great, some small, 

 some wild or romantic in their aspect, some beautiful 

 and picturesque. They constitute four or five distinct 

 series or water systems, the lakes and lakelets of which 

 flow one into another, and thus pour their waters through 

 successive basins into the sea. And if resembling one another 

 in their peaceful features, they resemble also one another 

 to some extent in their wilder aspects. There are not 

 two Falls of Imatra in Finland, as there are not two Falls 

 of Niagara in America, two Falls of Trollhattan in Sweden, 

 two Falls like unto the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi in 

 South Africa ; but there are numerous rapids and falls of 

 lesser magnitude in Finland. Mention has been made 

 of those of Wallin-Koski and Kiiri-Koski, not far from 

 Imatra; and often elsewhere does the traveller hear of 

 other Koski or falls. 



In some places these can be utilised as a supply of 

 water-power applicable to industrial operations as is done 

 in Tammerfors, in which name we have the synonymous 

 Scandinavian term fors, instead of the Turanian term 

 Koski. There is here a magnificent waterfall. Dr Patter- 

 son, one of the founders of the Russian Bible Society, 

 travelling in Finland in 1812 on business connected with 

 the printing of the Scriptures, passing this way, was struck 

 with the facilities for driving machinery by water-power 



