THROUGH LAPLAND, 
73 
countries; every diftrid and corner of which have been meafured, 
and drawn with the greateft accuracy and precifion. Baron Her- 
melin’s maps are not compofed with all the rigour of trigonome¬ 
try ; they are formed from views by the eye, in the fame manner 
as the fketches of ordinary furveyors or draughtfmen, who afcend 
to the top of a particular mountain, and thence obtain a profpcd 
of the circumjacent country from which they make their draw¬ 
ings. Befides this, the natives are confulted, w r ho furnifh accounts 
of different matters within their knowledge, and particularly of 
the names of hills, rivers, towns, and other objects. Lapland, if 
w T e comprehend under it all thofe parts fo named in the wide ex¬ 
tent belonging to Sweden, Denmark, and Ruffia, is a country 
of fuch immenfe fpace, that it would be too great an cnterprize 
to attempt making an accurate meafurement of even the frontiers 
of its different diftrids. Moreover, the fummer in that climate 
is fo fliort,. the fatigue of penetrating through its moraffes and 
furmounting other obflacles fo great, and the operations of a juft 
trigonometrical furvey would require fuch a length of time and 
number of perfons, that there is but little hope of its being loon, 
or ever accomplifhed. As to the wdnter feafon, the moft proper 
for travelling in thofe northern and uncultivated countries, it in¬ 
volves the difadvantage of obfcurity and darknefs; and the fnovv 
every where covering the furface of the earth, rivers, and lakes, 
to the depth of feveral yards, and prefenting in all places an uni¬ 
formity of appearance, makes it impoffible for the geographer to 
difcriminate land from water. 
Vol. II. 
L 
With 
