ESTHONIAN BATHS. 385 



*The long building facing us contained the bath- 

 room. On the opening of one of the doors to let me 

 fee the inward conftruclaon of it, there iffued fuch 

 fumes and exhalations as almofl took away my breath. 

 I could fee nothing for the denfity of the vapour, and 

 I could hear nothing but the confufed murmurings of 

 human voices, accompanied with the found of the 

 fcourgings with the leafy bundles of birch. According 

 to the defcription of my guide, for with all my efforts 

 I could not poflibly ftand within the doorway long 

 enough for perceiving any thing diftin&ly, thefe bath- 

 ing-places are of the fame conftruclion, in refpecT to 

 the fcafTbldings, &c. with thofe of the Efihonians 

 taken notice of before. 



The fabore, or wooden fence, on the right hand, 

 divided us from the bathing quarters of the other fex, 

 which are contrived exaclly like thofe of the men. As 

 the height of the fence is not at moll: above five feet, 

 and as here and there a board has fallen down, and the 

 whole being of the rougher!: kind of carpentry, every 

 where full of chinks and apertures, the fcene lies pretty 

 open, even to fuch as are not troubled with much 

 curiolity. If the former difplay be fo ftriking, it may 

 eafily be imagined that this is no lefs fo, where old and 

 young, handfome and horrid figures form the moil 

 lingular groups in the world. In both quarters all the 

 comers go and ftrip in the cloaths-remife, and then, 

 run out of it in all hafte, flark-naked, to get a goocf 

 place on the fcaffold in the bath. When the bathing 

 is over, they come out into the yard with fiery faces 

 and reeking bodies, fome jumping into the canal that 

 runs by the incisure, others fitting down provided 



vol. 11. e c with. 



