494 Account of the Kingdom ^ S w e D e Book II, 
The Cattle, as ia-ali other northern Countries, are gene- 
rally of a very fmall Size j neither can the Breed be 
bettered by bringing in larger from Abroad, which foon 
degenerate j becaufe in Summer the Grafs is lefs nourifh- 
ing than in the Places from whence they come, and in 
Winter they are half ftarved for want of Fodder of all 
Kinds, which often falls fo very fhort that they are forced 
to unthatch their Houfes, to keep a Part of their Cattle 
alive. Their Sheep bear a very coarfe Wool, only fit to 
make cloathing for the Peafants. The Horfes, efpecially 
the fineft, though fmall, are hardy, vigorous, ftrong, 
fure-footed, and nimble Trotters j which is of great Ufe 
to them, becaufe of the Length of their Winters, and 
their Fitnefs for Sleds, which is the only Carriage in that 
Seafon ; and the Soldiers pretend, that in War they 
are not only able to refift, but to break a Body of the 
beft German Florfe. Of wild Beaks, which are very 
plentiful in thofe Parts, Elks, Deer, and Hares, are 
hunted for their Flefh ; as alfo together with Wolves, 
Foxes, wild Cats, for their Furs and Hides. 
They hunt with l^fs Ceremony than elfewhere is ufed, 
taking all Advantages to fiioot their Game, at which they 
are generally dextrous : Parks there are but few, and meanly 
flocked, the Charge of feeding Deer all V'finter exceed- 
ing the Profit, and abating the Pleafure of them. There 
are no Rabbets in tfiefe Countries but what are brought in 
for Curiofity, and kept tame. In Wihter Foxes and 
Squirrels fomewhat change Colour, and become greyifii j 
but Hares turn ■white as Snow. Fowl, both wild and 
tame, are very plentiful, and good in their Kind, except 
Sea-Fov/ 1 , which feed and take of Fiki j the mok com- 
mon are the Orras and Keders, the former of the Bignefs 
of a Hen, the other of a Turkey: As alfo Partriges, 
and a Bird fomewhat refembling them, called Terpers. 
There are taken in Winter great Numbers of fmall Birds, 
asThrukies, Blackbirds, and Sydenfewans, thelakofthe 
Bignefs of Fieldfares, but better Meat; fuppofed to come 
from Lapland or yet farther North, and have their Name 
from the Beautifulnefs of their Feathers, fome of which are 
tipped at the Point with Scarlet : Pigeons there are, 
thofe of the Woods very fcarce, becaiffe of the Hawks *, 
and of the Houfe Pigeons none but what are kept tame, 
becaufe their Food is fcarce, and the Danger of the Hawks 
very great if they go abroad. Eagles, Hawks, and 
other rapacious Fowl, abound mok in the northern and 
defart Parts, whither Nature feems to call them, as may 
be gathered from a Story credibly related of a large 
Hawk fliot fome Years ago in the northern Parts of 
Finland^ which had on one Leg a fmall Piece of Gold 
with this infeription Je fuis au Roy, on the other, one 
of Silver, with thefe Words, Due de Chevereufe me 
garde. 
The chiefek Lakes in Sweden are, the Vetter, the 
W mner, and W 2 jier \ the firk in OJirogothia, remarkable 
for its foretelling of Storms by a continual thundering 
Noife the Day before in that Quarter whence they arife •, 
as alfo for fudden breaking of the Ice on it, which fome- 
times furprifes Travellers, and in half an Hour becomes 
navigable for its great Depth, in fome Places above 
three Hundred Fathom, though no Part of the Baltic Sea 
exceeds fifty *, it fupplies the Motala, which runs through 
Norcopingh, where it has a Fall of about 30 Foot ; and 
fome Winters is fo choaked up with Ice, that for many 
Hours no Water palfes. The fecond is in Wefirogothia, 
from which iffues the River Five, that falling down a 
Rock near fixty Foot, pafies by Gottenhurgh. The third 
empties itfdf near Stockholm, furnifliing one Side of the 
Town with frefii Water, as the Sea does the other with 
fait. There are abundance of other Lakes, whereof many, 
like Ponds, have no Vents, and are called In-Seas ; are 
not ill kored with Variety of Fifh ; Salmon, Pike, 
Tench, Perch, Eels, and many other Sorts unknown 
elfewhere, of which the mok plentiful is the Streamling, 
a Fifli lefs than a Pilcher, taken in great Quantities, and 
faked in Barrels, and dikributed over all the Country. 
Befides the North Bottom or Bay that feparates Sweden 
and Finland, abounds with Seals, of which a confiderable 
Quantity of Train-Oil is made and exported ; and in the 
Lakes in Finland are vak Quantities of Pikes, which be- 
ing taken are faked, , dried, and fold at very cheap Rates. 
Thefe Lakes are of great Ufe for the Conveyance of Car- 
riages, both in Summer by Boats, and by Sleds in Winter 5 
and among them, and on the Sea-Coaks, are almok in- 
numerable Illands of different Sizes; whereof there arc, in 
Sweden, above fix thoufand that are inhabited ; the reft 
are either bare Rocks, or covered with Wood ; Gotla^id, 
Oland, and Aland, are Ikes of large Extent, one being 
fixty Miles long, and the other two little lefs: TheirWoods 
and vak Foreks, overfpread much of the Country, and 
are for the mok part of Pines, Fir, Beech, Birch, Alder, 
Juniper, and fome Oak, efpecially in the Province of 
Bkaking, the Trees growing in mok Places fo clofe toge- 
ther, and lying to rot where they fall, that the Woods arc 
fcarce paffable : Thefe afford a plentiful and cheap Fi- 
ring, and being generally very krait and tall are eafily 
convertible into Timber fit for all Ufes. In the Parts near 
the Mines, the Woods are much dekroyed ; but that 
Want is fo well fupplied from dikant Places, by the Con- 
venience of Rivers and Winter Carriages, that they have 
Charcoal above fix times as cheap as in England, though 
indeed from the manner of making, it is not fo good. 
3. Of Mines in Sweden : There is one of Silver, into 
which Workmen are let down in Bafkets to the firk Floor, 
which is one hundred and fifty Fathoms under Ground. 
The Roof there is as high as a Church, fupported by vak 
Arches of Ore. The next Defcent is by Ladders and 
Bafkets to the lowek Mine, above forty Fathoms, where 
they now work. They have no Records fo antientas the 
firk Difeovery either of this, or the Copper Mines, 
which muk needs have been the Work of many Ages. 
The Ore feldom yields above four per Cent, and requires 
great Pains to refine it. They are alfo at the Charge of a 
Water-mill to drain the Mine, and have the Benefit of 
another that draws up the Ore. It yearly produces about 
twenty thoufand Crowns of fine Silver, of which the King 
has the Pre-emption, paying only one fourth lefs than the 
real Value. 
The Copper Mine is about eighty Fathom deep, of 
great Extent, but fubjedt to Damage by the Falling in of 
the Roof; yet that is fometimesrecompenfed by theAbun- 
dance of Ore that the ruined Pillars yield, though mok 
commonly the Lofs in that Cafe is very great : The Oc- 
cafion of which Falls is attributed to the throwing the 
Earth and Stones brought out upon the Ground over the 
Mine, by which the Pillars become overcharged, and 
give way ; and the Reafon of this is faid to be, that the 
Profit arifing to thofe that are concerned Is fo little that 
they are not able to carry it off as they ought ; and unlefs 
the King abates a confiderable Part of the Profit arifing 
to the Crown from this Mine, it is believed it will, in a 
few Years, be at a Stand, efpecially if the Defigns of 
making Copper, that are on foot elfewhere kiould take 
any tolerable Effedl. 
The Copper yearly made out of this Mine amounts to 
the Value of about two hundred thoufand Pounds, of 
which the King has a fourth Part, not by way of Pre- 
emption, but in Kind; befides that, upon the Remainder 
he has a Cukom of twenty-five per Cent, when it is ex- 
ported unwrought. Lately a Gentleman of Italy came to 
Sweden, with Propofals to make Copper a fhorter and 
cheaper Way than has hitherto been pra< 5 lifed, as to make 
that in four Days which before required three Weeks, and 
with one fifth Part of the Charge, and with fewer Hands, 
The Bargain was made, and his Reward agreed to be a 
hundred thoufand Crowns ; and the firk Proof he made 
fucceeded to Admiration ; But when he came to work in 
earnek, and had got his new-invented Ovens made to his 
Mind, the Miners, as he complained, picked out the very 
work Ore, and were otherwifefo envious and untradlable that 
he failed of Succefs, and loft his Reward, and not without 
Difficulty obtained Leave to buy Ore, and praftife his In- 
vention athis own Charge, as he now does. Iron Mines and 
Forges are in great Numbers, efpecially towards the moun- 
tainous Parts, where they have the Convenience of Water- 
falls to turn their Mills. From thefe, befides fupplying the 
Country, there is yearly exported Iron, to the Value of 
near three hundred thoufand Pounds ; but of late Years 
the Number of thofe Forges has been fo much increafed. 
