1 84 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



after twelve at night, tired, and with no flower-flavoured 

 green tea to welcome him. 



Next day (July 4) he walked twelve miles of hilly 

 road to BorSs, remarking two noteworthy floating 

 birch trees in the Nossesjon, a small lake from which 

 the Lida takes its rise, flowing towards the great river- 

 absorbing Venern. He describes the trees and their 

 swimming roots at length, as likewise the little rushy 

 plant with entangled roots, 1 which is the basis of all 

 the most remarkable floating islands. 



' Bora's,' he says, < is a medium-sized but very clean 

 town, in a dry situation, and very healthy.' He attri- 

 butes the health to the dryness ; we should ascribe it 

 as much to the cleanliness. The houses were then all 

 built of wood, except the church and the town-hall. 

 He stayed there till the afternoon of the 5th, saw the 

 dye-works, and reported fully upon them. (Boris has 

 now 4,000 inhabitants and several cotton-mills.) There 

 is a small apothecary's shop, but big enough, he says, 

 considering the needs of the inhabitants. Better still : 

 ' there is a chalybeate spring about an English mile west 

 of the town,' of which he gives an analysis. He says, 

 ' There is little arable land ; flax, butter, and eatables 

 are very dear here.' 



He travelled by Sandhult (still the main-road), 

 westward to Alings&s, sleeping at Heare ; crossing on 

 July 6 a fertile district, which he names the Westgoth- 



1 Scirpus Ccespitosus. The Sclicemus mariscus is likewise a great 

 factor in these islands. 



