THROUGH SWEDEN. 
m 
are to move along. The little open fledges, fuch as are ufed in 
Stockholm on parties of pleafure, and made commonly in the 
fhape of a cockle-fhell, feemed upon the whole moll eligible, on 
account of their lightnefs, and their being fufticiently narrow for 
the ftraiteft paflages. But thefe fledges, though convenient enough 
for a fmall excurfion, become very fatiguing on a long journey : 
and in one of feven or eight hundred Englifli miles would have 
been altogether infupportable. Without fome particular precau¬ 
tion, in adding a prop or fupport behind, it was impoflible to refill: 
the impulfe, or guide the movement and dire&ion of the fledge, 
in uneven parts of the road. During the whole of our journey we 
were under the neceflity of being our own drivers. There w>ere 
at the time fome Finland fledges to be had at Stockholm, which 
might have ferved equally for Sweden and Finland; but thefe 
vehicles, ufed only in travelling through that part of Sweden 
which lies between Stockholm and Finland, were drawn by par¬ 
ticular fets of horfes. The peafants, unaccuftomed to fuch 
fledges, refufed to furnifli their horfes, as their harnefs did not 
fuit them. They complained that they were clumfy, awkward, 
and heavy, becaufe they did not reft on iron but large w T ooden 
fkates. As there is but very little travelling in Finland, the regu¬ 
lations for the roads are not fo ftridt as in Sw’eden. The fnow 
commonly lays deeper, and the inhabitants, accuftomed to the 
form of their own fledges, fee no reafon for any road w 7 ider than 
the only carriages they are acquainted with require. 
The method of making roads, adopted in all the diftrifts of the 
North 
