166 



TORNEA. 



East Bothnia, being a low country, 

 abounds in marslies, bogs, and fens. The 

 grass is tall ; but still there is such a defi- 

 ciency of hay, that they buy up horse-dung 

 at Tornea, and boil it, as I have said, in 

 the boilers built up in some of their houses ; 

 in which also they boil water to pour over 

 the reindeer moss. 



The bread used by the inhabitants of 

 this country in the present season of scar- 

 city was made principally of chaff cut fine 

 and ground. 



The winter rye, sown but this day se'n- 

 night, had already sprung up, and made 

 the fields quite green. 



I returned back to Tornea in the evening. 



August 13. 

 This being a fast day, I heard a sermon 

 in the Finnish tongue, preached at the 

 church of Tornea. A lawful wife was 

 churched, after her lying-in ; which cere- 

 mony was performed in the choir, near the 

 elevated part. The women in general had 

 either naturally white hair, or hair that 



