THROUGH FINLAND. 
395 
terprife ; but our pride could not digeft the humiliating idea of 
returning to Uleaborg, to the great diverfion of our friends, who 
would never have done rallying us on the fubjeCt, or of boafting 
of their fage counfels, and the truth of their predictions. Colonel 
Skioldebrand, with his fervant, remained alone with me : his pur- 
pofe continued unfhaken, for his ardour was not inferior to my 
own. He would not be difcouraged by any difficulties in pur- 
fuing the objedt he had propofed to himfelf; and I was no lets 
decided as to the execution of my projeCt. I rnuft confefs that 
the idea of being the firft Italian that had ever reached the molt 
northern point of Europe, was a very powerful incentive to my 
exertions. 
Before quitting Kengis, I fhall make a few geographical remarks 
on the river Tornea, and endeavour to give, in tome degree, a 
clear idea of the nature and courfe of that river, concerning which 
there is much confufion and error in all the maps, and even in 
the Swediffi accounts themfelves. 
The river Tornea proceeds from a lake called Tornea Trafk, as 
its fource. This lake is fituated among the mountains which fe- 
parate Norwegian from Sw r edifh Lapland. From that lake the 
river alfo takes its name. It pafles in its courfe near Kengis, 
where it forms two cataraCls, nearly forty feet high. It then ap¬ 
proaches the town of Upper Tornea, twifts round the little ifland 
of Swenfar, on which the town, of Tornea is fituated, and lafl of 
all it makes the ifland of Bjorkon, on which Hands the church of 
Lower Tornea. About a mile below Kengis, the waters of the 
river 
