<LACHESIS LAPPONICA* 179 



lander's hair." It was now in blossom. There is great 

 conformity between this country and Sm&land.' His 

 old home friend the bird-cherry (hagg) grew plentifully 

 here it grows even within the arctic circle. ' Many 

 herbaceous plants grow here which are not to be found 

 in Upland, Sudermania, Ostrogothia, 1 nor SkSne, 

 though natives of Sm&land. The water swarmed with 

 innumerable fishes just spawned, so pellucid that they 

 were rendered conspicuous chiefly by their large eyes. 

 The observer of nature sees, with admiration, that the 

 whole world is full of the glory of God.' 2 



The weather had become fair, and Linnaeus says, 

 1 If the summer be indeed shorter here than in any 

 other part of the world, it must be allowed at the same 

 time to be nowhere more delightful. I was never in 

 my life in better health than at present.' 



1 June 24 (Midsummer Day) [July 4 N. S.]. Blessed 

 be the Lord for the beauty of summer and of spring, and 

 for what is here in greater perfection than almost any- 

 where else in the world the air, the water, the verdure 

 of the herbage, and the song of birds ! 3 



4 Sunday, June 20. After Divine service I took leave 



1 East Gothland. 



2 The parish church of LuleS is regarded as the oldest in West- 

 bothnia, having been built in the very earliest ages of Christianity, 

 and was very famous while the Catholic religion prevailed in 

 Sweden. It contains a remarkable old altar-piece, the gilding of 

 which cost 2,408 ducats. In the vestry a copy of the canonical law, 

 in seven vols. folio, is still preserved. 



8 Du Chaillu says : ' I had not before heard so many birds singing 

 together after midnight, enjoying the spring. Before two o'clock 

 the swallows were out of their nests.' 



N 2 



