THROUGH FINLAND. 
355 
able, more inftrudlive, and at the fame time more ufeful. No¬ 
thing was wanting to render our travelling company quite corn- 
pleat but one man ; this was Mr. Secretary Swamberg, whom we 
Law at Tornea, and who was on his way to Lapland, being com- 
miflioned by the academy of fciences at Stockholm to afcertain 
the truth of the operations of Maupertuis and his colleagues, 
which were undertaken at the fame time that Condamine failed 
for South America. An aftronomer and mathematician added to 
our philofophical Raff would have made us the mod refpedlable 
corps that ever traverfed the mountains of Lapland. He was 
our friend, and defired nothing more fincerely ; but the fliip 
which had on board his quadrant and other mathematical inftru- 
ments of obfervation, was not arrived ; and its arrival was fo un¬ 
certain, that we could not hazard a delay, as our time became 
every hour more precious. We therefore refolved to depart, and 
proceed with all expedition to Upper Tornea, where we propofed 
to begin a more accurate courfe of obfervation. 
The peninfula of Swenfar, upon which the town of Tornea is 
fituated, has by fome been very improperly called an ijland. It 
is joined to the continent by a tongue of land, which, indeed, is 
overflowed when the river is high; but ftill horfes in carts arc 
able to ford it, and the people frequently pals it upon Itepping- 
ftones : it cannot therefore be confidered as an ifland. 
From Tornea to Upper Tornea we perceived no alteration in 
the nature of the country, nor in the houfes or inhabitants of 
Finland. The convenience of travelling is the fame, and you find 
Z z 2 horfes 
