THROUGH FINLAND. 
2 37 
CHAPTER XVI. 
The Journey continued—Brightnefs and Transparency of the Ice, and 
the probable Reafon of it—Stop at Sillanpe—Arrival at Wafa — ■ 
Account of this Town : its Situation, Trade, and Inhabitants — 
The Tribunal for the Government of the North of Finland, at 
Wafa—The F ref dent and Governor—Anecdotes of Linnaus. 
"OEFORE we reached Wafa, we were dill not without fome 
apprehenfion from travelling on the rivers of Finland. Hitherto 
the ice being covered with fnow of a dirty furface, and far from 
{hewing the {mailed: tranfparency, made us for the mod: part for¬ 
get that we went upon water; we were now to learn what fort of 
fenfation we diould experience in pading over a river, where the 
ice, tranfparent as crydal, difcovered under our feet the whole 
depth of the element below, infomuch that we could fee even the 
fmalled fidies. In the fird moment of furprize, having had no 
previous notice of the change, we fancied ourfelves inevitably lod, 
and that we fhould be fwallowed up, and peridi in the awful gulf. 
Even the horfe himfelf was dartled at the novelty of his fituation ; 
he fuddenly flopped diort, and feemed unwilling to go forward. But 
the impulfe he had acquired in travelling pufhed him forward in 
fpite of himfelf, and he did, or rather lkated upon his four jointlefs 
legs, 
