THROUGH FINLAND. 
229 
This journey was by no means fo uninterefting as I had ex¬ 
pected it would be. Partial fires, conflagrations and tempefts had 
committed frightful ravages in the bofom of this foreft, which 
prefented us here and there with exhibitions highly furprifing and 
impreflive. Every body has heard of the conflagrations fo fre¬ 
quent in Sweden, and in the countries of the North in general. 
Entire mountains and trads of feveral miles covered with woods, 
are liable to be devoured by flames. Much has been faid and 
written in order to explain the origin of thofe fires. Some have 
attributed them to the rays of the fun, which continue fo long 
above the horizon : but this is fabulous and unworthy of ferious 
attention. The prefence of the fun never produced fuch an efFed, 
and the lefs fo in Sweden and Finland, where the heat of the folar 
rays never rifes above fifty or fixty degrees of Celfius, which is far 
below the power necefiary to produce a conflagration. It has been 
inconteftibly proved by a feries of obfervations, that between the 
greatefl fummer’s heat and the feverefl: winter’s cold know'n, there 
is only one thirty-fecond of difference.* 
There are two fpecial caufes of thofe conflagrations. The firft 
is Ample and accidental, and arifes from the careleffnefs of the 
peafants, who travel fmoaking their pipes through this wood, 
where a fpark falling upon withered leaves or plants, with the 
affiflance of a little wind, cannot fail to excite fire and even flame. 
This is not all ; the peafants frequently make a fire in the wood, 
either to warm themfelves or to cook their viduals, and are often 
* Lettres fur i’Origine des Sciences, &c. par M. Baillie, p. 292 . 
too 
