THROUGH SWEDEN. 189 
fnorted, bounded, and beat the fnow and ice with his feet; nor 
could the utmoft exertions of the peafants to hold him faft have 
prevented him from once more making his efcape, if we had not 
retired to fome diftance, and removed the fight and the feent of 
our pelices From Signillka we purfued our journey through the 
whole of the ifles of Aland. In different parts of Aland you meet 
with poft-houfes, that is to fay with places where you may get 
horfes. You travel partly by land and partly over the ice of the 
fea. The diftance between fome of thefe iflands amounts to no 
lefs than eight or ten miles. On the fea, the natives have ufed 
the precaution of fixing branches of trees, or putting fmall pines 
along the whole route, for the guidance of travellers in the night¬ 
time, or dire<fting them how to find out the right way after falls 
of fnow. 
Between the two ftations of Heraldfby and Skorpas is fituated 
on a rock the famous fortrefs of Caftelholmen, every where en- 
compafted by water, except on one fide, where it communicates 
with an ifland by means of a narrow tongue of land. This caftle is 
now in a ftate of ruin, and will perhaps never be reftored. It was 
built by Binger Jarl, adminiftrator of Sweden, and father of king 
Weldeman. It became afterwards the refidence of the governors of 
Aland, and continued fo till the year 1634 . During the reign of 
Eric of Pomerania, this caftle was inhabited by a foreign lady of 
the name of Yda. Under Eric Puke it was, in confequence of his 
orders, reduced by John Folkenfen. It was given in 1505 by the 
regent Suante Sture to the Chevalier Eric, fon to John Vafa, and 
father 
