THE SAIMA SEE, i 
but I accept his statement as an appropriate illustration 
of the rich luxuriance of forest vegetation in the regions 
of the Saima See. ; 
The scenery here, as did that in the south of Norway, 
reminded me forcibly of that of the thousand isles in the 
mouth of Lake Ontario; but here they were more widely 
separated, and apparently more numerous by far. They 
suggested the somewhat gross conception of the thousand 
isles in the Lake Ontario appearing as if they had been 
wasiied away from all parts of the lake, and accumulated 
at the outlet, stopping the further progress of each and of 
all, while here every island seemed as if it had maintained 
its footing and kept its place as it first rose above the 
watery plain. There are wide spaces between the islands 
surrounding the voyager everywhere, and the course for 
navigation from one place to another is marked out by 
beacons and brvometicks, the former on islands, the latter 
on shoals. The beacons are compactly built heaps of stones, 
kept white-washed, surmounted often by poles bearing dif- 
ferent devices, such as stars, square and compasses, triangles, 
and arrow-heads, by which the exact locality of the steamer 
can be known, On my return voyage from the upper part 
of the sea [ sailed upwards of 200 miles in a small yacht- 
like steamer of 35 tons, and 25 horse-power, with every 
convenience on board, steaming at an average rate of 
upwards 10 miles an hour; and I was informed by the 
captain that there were upwards of a hundred and fifty 
such like small steamers, plying about on the lake, 
threading their way amidst the islands everywhere, besides 
tug-steamers towing vessels laden with wood. The abun- 
dance of fuel, and the great manufacture of such tiny 
steamers, of which several eugineering firms in Finland, 
as in Sweden, bave made a special industry, have entirely 
superseded, or almost entirely superseded, sailing boats, 
excepting small boats belonging to the peasants, used 
as a means of conveyance from farm to farm, and from 
farm to market, and in prosecuting fishing. Landed pro- 
prietors have small steam-launches. 
