New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-16

,o.se on the top Of bill on our left, and TO our
cr,at ioy, the postions drove directly up to it.
| :. t. This Kengis / asked, but their answers |
could not understand, and they had already IN
harnessed the horses.
There Vas q light in the house and We caught
glimpse of q woman's face at the window, as we
drove up But the light was immediately e1tin-
guished, and everything became silent. knocked
at the door, which was partly open, but no one
came. then pushed; heavy log of wood, which
yns leaning against it from the inside, fell with
noise which reyerberated through the house.
waited awhile, and then, cropping my way along
massage 10 the door Of the room which had been
lighted, knocked loudly. After a little delay the
door war opened by young man, who ushered me
into warm, comfortable room, and then quietly
stared at me, as if to ask what | wanted. We
are travellers and strangers" said |, and wish to
stop for the night" This is not an inn,' he
answered "i it is the residence of the patron of
the iron-works" may here remark that it is the
general custom in Sweden, in remote districts, for
travellers to call without ceremony upon the par
son, magistrate, any other prominent man in
village and claim his hospitality. In spite of this
doubtful reception, considering that our horses
were already stabbed and the station three or four
miles further, remarked again: " But perhaps
We may be allowed TO remain here until morning J"
IL will ask," he replied, left the room, and soon
returned with on affirmative answer.
We had large, handsomely furnished room.
with sofa and curtaned bed, into which we tum-
bed as soon as the servant-girl in compliance with
o hint Of mine, had brought us some bread milk
and cheese. We had cup Of coffee in the morn
ing and were preparing to leave when the patron
appeared. He was short, stout, intelligent
Swede, who greeted us eourteously, and after lit
tie conversation urged to stay until after break
fast We were too hungry to need much persua-
sion, and indeed the table set with Jddc, or caper-
eail;c Zone Cf the finest game birds i'll the worldly,
potatoes, cranberres and whipped cream, accom-
panied with excellent Umeaa ale and concluded with
coffee surpassed any thing we had sat down to for
many day. The patron gave me considerable ln-
formation about the country, and quoted a little
anxiety was beginning to feel by assuring me We
should find post-horses all the way to Muononlska,
still 95 miles distant. He informed me that We
had already got beyond the daylight, the sun had
not yet risen at Kengis. This, however, was in
consequence of hill to the southwark, We af-
tcrward found That the sun was again above the
horizon.
We laid in fuel enough to last us through the
day. and then took leave of our host, who invited
us to visit him on our return. Crossing the Tor
ncaa, ali hours drive over the hills brought us to
the village of Kexisvara, where we we're obliged
to wait some time for horses. At the inn there
was a well forty feet deep, with the largest sweep
pole ever saw. The landlady and her two sisters
were pleasant bodies and sociably inclined if wc
could have talked to them. They were all spin
ming tow, their wheels purring like pleased lion
esses. The suns disc came i'll sight at quarter
past II, and at noon bis lower limb just touched
the horizon. The sky was of splendid saffron
hue, which changed into burning, brassy yellow.
Our horses promised little for speed when We
set out, and their harness being i'll adapted to our
sleds increased the difficulty. Instead of names
there were wide wooden yokes, the ends of which
passed through m0rtces i'll the ends of the shafts
anG were fastened with pins, swhle, az there were
no belly bands, the yokcs rose on going down hll
bringing our sleds upon the horses heels. The
II
10 prevent this Our road all day was upon the
Muonic River the main branch Ofthc Torneaa, and
the boundary bctvce Sweden and Russia, above
the junction. There had been violent wind dur
ing the night, and the track was completely filled
UP. The Torneaa and Muonio are both very swift
rivers, abc'mdng in dangerous rapids, but they are
now, rapids and ALL solid as granite from their
sources to the Bothnian Gulf. We plunged along
SLOWLY hour after hour, more than half the time
clinginy 20 one side or the other, to prevent our
sled from ovcrturning-snd yet it upset at least
dozen times during the day. The scenery was
without change: low black fir forests on either
hand with the decorative snow blown off them
no villages, or signs of life except the deserted
huts of the woOd-cutters, nor did we meet but one
sled during the whole day. Here and there, on the
banks, were sharp, canoe-lke boats, twenty to
thirty feet lons, turned bottom upward. The sky
was overcast shutting out the glorious cUloring of
the past days. The sun set before | o'clock, and
the dull twilight deepened apace into night. Moth
ing could be more cheerless and dismal: We smoked
and talked a little, with much silence between, and
| began to think that more such day would dis
gust me with the Arctic Zone.
Ii was O'Clock, and our horses were beginning
to slagger, when we reached little village called
Jokiialka, on the Russian side. The postillion
stopped at a house, rather quadrangle Of huts,
which he made me comprehend was an inn, adding
that il was poidn and belikor Ga fearfully unin-
tcligible distance y to the next one. We entered,
and found promise enough in the thin sallow,