Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-04-17
Letters from Bayard Taylor
NUMBER XI.
A SIeigh-Ride Through Norrland.
Correspondence of the n. Y. Tribune.

.
INERTAFLE, near Umeaa Dec. "a, SO.
My last letter, l believe, closed with our
arrival at Sundvall. This is a pretty little
town of two or three thousand inhabitants,
situated at the head of broad and mag
nifcent bay. 1t is the eastern terminus of
the only post-road across the mountains to
Trondjem (Dronthelm) in Norway, which
passes through tho rich and populous prov
ince of Jemteland. 1t is consequently, a
lively and bustling place, and has consid-
erable coasting trade. The day of our ar
rival was market day, and hundreds of the
Norranders thronged the streets and public
square. They were all fresh, strong, coarse,
honest, healthy pcople-the men with long
yellow hair, large noses and blue eyes, the
women with the rosiest Of cheeks, and the
fullest development of body and limb
Many of the latter wore basques or jackets
of shecpskin with wool inside, striped petit
coats and bright red stockings. The men
were dressed in shaggy shccpskin coats, or
garments of reindeer skin, with the hair
outward. There was vast collection of
low Norrand slcds, ladened with butter,
cheese, hay, and wild game, drawn by the
rough and tough little horses of tho coun-
try. Here was still plenty of life and ami
nation, although we were already so fal
north that the sun did not shine upon Sunds
vail the whole day, being hidden by n low
hill to the South. The snowy ridges oil
the north, however, wore a bright roscatr
blush from his rays, from 10 until 2.
We called upon merchant of the place
to whom had letter of introduction
He is almost the only man l have met whC
seems to understand why go to the north
and who has encouraged me to push on
The people in Stockholm, he says, know
nothing about Northern Sweden; the jour
ney is not at all difficult, and will be intcres
ting. He advised me to give up travelin
by torJud, to purchase a couple of slcd
and take our chance of finding horses. w
would have no trouble in making from fort
to fifty English miles per day, On return
ing to the inn made the landlord unde
stand what we wanted, but could not undo
stand him in return. AT this juncture cam
in a handsome fellow, with cosmopolita
air, whom Braisted recognized, by ccrtai
invisible signs, as the mate of ship, an
who explained the matter in very good El
glish. l purchased two plain but light an
strongly made sleds for so rigs (about 81
which seemed very cheap, but / have sinC
learned that l paid much more than Il
current price.
On repacking our effects, we found th'
everything liquid had frozen-even can
phorated mixture which had been CAREFUL
wrapped in flannel. The cold, therefor
must have been much more severe than "
supposed. Our supplies, also, were consiC
erably damaged-the lantern broken, a pov
der-fask cracked, and the salt, shot, nail
wadding, &C., mixed together in beautifI
confusion. Everything was slowed in OF
of the sleds, which was driven by the post
ion; the other contained only our two selve
We were off the next morning. as the strea
of dawn appeared in the sky. The roaC
about Sunsvall were very much cut up, an
even before getting out of town VIC wei
pitched over head and ears into snowbanl
We climbed slowly up and darted heat
long down the ridges, which descended frol
the west towards the Bothnian Gulf divi'
ing its tributary rivers; and, toward sunris
came to broad bay, completely frozen ovC
and turned into snowy plain. With son
difficulty the skjutstonde made mo unde
stand that a shorter road led across the *
to the second post-station, Fjal, avoiding OF
change Of horses. The way was roug
enough at first, over heaped blocks Of ic
but became smoother where the wind ha
full sweep, and had cleared tho water bcfol
freezing. Our road was marked out by
double row of young fir trees, planted
the ice. The bay was completely Ian,
; locked, embraced by bold sweep Of WOO
en- hills, with rich populous valleys betwce
Before us, three or four miles across, lay Il
little port of Wifsta-wharf whore sever
yessels-among them ship of three
four hundred tons-were frozen in for Il
winter. We crossed, assembled a long hi
and drove on through fir woods to Fjal,
little hamlet With a large inn.