THROUGH FINLAND. 
3^5 
mation refpeding this journey from every perfon we could hear 
of who had vifited Lapland ; we wrote to a merchant at Tornea; 
we procured intelligence from fome clerical miffionaries, who had 
been in Lapland ; but there was not one individual who could 
give us the fmalleft advice, as to the manner or even the poffibi- 
lity of travelling in that country in fummer. They all had been 
there in winter only, and had travelled in fledges drawn by rein¬ 
deer : the miffionaries, in like manner, refide there only in win¬ 
ter, and return for the fummer to villages which have an open 
communication with fome town. There w r as not an individual 
•who'- could furnifh us with a diftind idea, or any fatisfadory in¬ 
formation on the fiibjed. All feemed, to a man, to be firmly of 
opinion that the journey was not to be accomplifhed. They knew 
perfectly well how we might get to Upper Tornea, to Kengis, to 
Kollare ; but no mortal could tell us how it was pradicable to 
penetrate the length of Muonionifca. They were pretty accurately 
acquainted with the road that leads to the church of Jukasjervi, 
and a lake which forms the fource of the river Tornea ; but we 
chofe to avoid this route, which different travellers had gone be¬ 
fore us, and which is already fufficiently known. We were re- 
folved to follow the footfteps of no one, but to trace out a line 
of road for ourfelves, or not to engage in it at all. It was our 
plan to keep as much as poffible in a line of the meridian to Tor¬ 
nea, and proceed towards the North Cape in the ftraightefi; di- 
redion poffible. In order to gain our objed, it would be necef- 
fary to leave the river Tornea, to follow the courfe of the Muo- 
nio. 
