THROUGH SWEDEN. 183 
of rendezvous for travellers by fea or land. It has neither com¬ 
merce, manufactures, nor houfes fit for the accommodation of 
Grangers. It confifts of nothing more than the poft-mafter’s ha¬ 
bitation, which is built of brick ; and a number of wooden cabins 
around it, which are occupied by peafants. The harbour of Grifle- 
harnn, though not very capacious, is excellent, particularly for 
fmall veffels. Two tongues of land jetting into the fea fecure it 
from both the eaft and weft winds, while a fmall ifland, htuated 
nearly in the middle between them, breaks the force of the waves 
that are driven againft the coaft by the winds which agitate the 
whole mafs of the Bothnian fea in its dire&ion from the North. 
On one of thefe tongues of land a telegraph is eredted on a com¬ 
manding height, which is the only one that I faw T in Sweden. It 
was conftrufted by order of Guftavus III., during the war in Fin¬ 
land, on a plan given by Mr. Edelkrantz, member of two Swedifli 
academies above noticed. This telegraph, by intermediate fta- 
tions, communicates with the capital as well as Finland, at times 
when, from the weaknefs of the ice, a paffage over the gulf is 
impracticable. 
When a traveller is going to crofs'over the gulf on the ice to 
Finland, the peafants always oblige him to engage double the 
number of horfes to what he had upon his arriving at Griflehamn. 
We were forced to take no lefs than eight fledges, being three in 
company, and two fervants. This appears at firft fight to be an im- 
pofition on the part of the peafants ; but w 7 c found, by experience, 
that it was a neceffary precaution. The diftance acrofs is forty- 
three 
