THROUGH FINLAND. 
335 
Tite to the church, and in the middle of the river, is a fmall ifland, 
where the inhabitants of Kemi hold a fair once a year, at which 
they fell and exchange falmon, either for money or for other ar¬ 
ticles. 
The church is an edifice which offers a fingular and furprifing 
contrail: to a foreigner travelling in this country, where he would 
not expebl to fee any public building in the Ryle of regular archi¬ 
tecture, and in all refpeds worthy of one of our own towns. This 
Rructure being of Rone, muR have coR an immenfe fum, confider- 
ing the few refources of thofe poor people, who could eafily difpenfe 
with fuch an expenfive building, and pray to the Deity as effec¬ 
tually in a wooden temple. The defign of this church was made 
by the academy at Stockholm, and was honoured with the appro¬ 
bation of GuRavus III. It is adorned with a dome or cupola, and 
three principal entrances, with doric pillars, and hence has the 
appearance of a Grecian temple. Placed in thofe favage regions, 
in the midR of woods of fir trees, and contrafted by the fcattered:, 
contemptible huts around, it forms a wonderful and Rriking object. 
It is with fincere pain I muR here remark, that clofe to this 
magnificent temple I entered the hut of a poor Finlander, the 
diminutive fize and external meannefs of which had attracted my 
notice. He was probably the pooreR native of Finland I had met 
in the courfe of my travels to this place: the fpace of ground on 
which his houfe Rood was twelve fquare feet, and the roof fix 
in height. This unfortunate man had a complaint in one of 
his hands, which rendered him unfit to gain his livelihood by 
labour. 
