TRAVELS 
a very rare thing at a fedival of Finlandifh peafants, where they 
.generally regale themfelves pretty liberally with brandy. This 
party of pleafure apparently infpired fo little mirth, that one could 
not help believing that the people danced from a fenfe of duty. 
In the number of fix or feven women, which the female fociety 
was compofed of, there w T as not one tolerable, or capable of ex¬ 
citing the fmalled fenfation of tendernefs. They had coarfe and 
vulgar faces, with fhapes ill-turned ; and did not fugged: the 
flighted idea of any thing pleafing or graceful. The long w 7 aid 
of their clothes, with very fhort petticoats, contributed dill more 
to render their figure difagreeable. 
After having looked at their manner of dancing for fome time, 
1 took out my port-folio to note down the mufic. Scarcely had 
they feen me begin to write when they left off dancing, and came 
to fee what I was doing. The blind fuller was unable to guefs 
the caufe of thofe interruptions, which diverted their attention 
from his mufic, and made them forget their dance. They at lad 
let him into the fecret, and we afked him to play us a couple of 
Finlandifh. dances, the mod truly national in his collection. He 
gratified our curiofity, and I fucceeded in taking down the tunes, 
which the reader will find in the Appendix. 
After making a fmall prefent to the blind man, we withdrew 
from the ball-room, and mounted upon our waggon to profecute 
our journey. The blind fidler, however, was fo fenfibly touched 
with our fmall prefent, that he got up, and under the conduct 
of all the dancers, not only followed us out of the houfe, ,but a 
good 
