194 a y *749- 



takes and carelefsnefs for futurity, one finds 

 opportunities every day of making all forts 

 of obfervations, and of growing wife at the 

 expence of other people. In a word, the 

 corn-fields, the meadows, theforefts, the cat- 

 tle, &c. are treated with equal carelefsnefs ; 

 and \heEnglifh nation, fo well fkilled in thefe 

 branches of hulbandry, is with difficulty 

 found out here. We can hardly be more 

 lavifli of our woods in Sweden and Finland 

 than they are here : their eyes are fixed 

 upon the prefent gain, and they are blind to 

 futurity. Every day their cattle are har- 

 rafled by labour, and each generation de- 

 creafes in goodnefs and fize, by being kept 

 fhort of food, as I have before mentioned. 

 On my travels in this country I obferved fe- 

 veral plants, which the horfes and cows 

 preferred to all others. They were wild in 

 this country, and likewife grew well on the 

 drieft and pooreft ground, where no other 

 plants would fucceed. But the inhabitants 

 did not know how to turn this to their ad- 

 vantage; owing to the little account made 

 of Natural Hiftory, that fcience being here 

 (as in other parts of the world) looked upon 

 as a mere trifle, and the paftime of fools. I 

 am certain, and my certainty is founded 

 upon experience, that by means of thefe 

 plants, in the fpace of a few years, I have 



been 



