an occasional group of fishermen's huts or a custom-house station.
The whole country has the appearance of an unbroken wilderness. The
steamer plows her way, hour after hour, through the narrow and winding
passages that lie between the islands--sometimes so close to the
overhanging cliffs and rugged boulders of granite as almost to
touch--and often apparently land-locked amid the maze of islands and
promontories. While there is nothing grand or imposing in the scenery,
the coast of Finland is certainly one of the most interesting portions
of the world, in a geological point of view. The singular formation of
the rocks, their rich and varied colors, and the strange manner in
which Nature has grouped them together, afford an endless variety of
interesting studies. The utter isolation of the inhabitants from the
busy world, their rude and primitive mode of life, their simplicity,
hardihood, and daring; the rigors of climate to which they are
subject, and their strong attachment to their sea-girt homes and
perilous pursuits, render the trip interesting to the general tourist,
who, though not skilled in geology, may be supposed to possess, like
myself, a fancy for gathering up odds and ends touching the condition
of his fellow-beings.

The people of this coast region are a hardy race, whose wild habits of
life and isolation from the great outer world develop in them many
striking and peculiar traits of character. During the long winters,
when the bays, inlets, and harbors are blocked with ice, they become
wood-choppers or lumbermen, and spend their time chiefly in the
forests. Upon the breaking up of winter they prepare their nets and
fishing-gear, and, as soon as the season permits, set forth in their
little smacks, and devote the principal part of the summer to catching
and curing fish, for which they find a ready sale at the stations
along the shore, frequented by traders from St. Petersburg. They live
in small cabins, built of pine logs, rarely consisting of more than
two rooms. Each family owns a small patch of ground, with an unlimited
range of forest. A few cows or goats, a vegetable garden, and some
chickens or ducks, constitute all they require for domestic use, and
these are usually attended by the women and children during the
absence of the men on their fishing expeditions. Education is at a low
ebb among them, though the rudimental branches are not altogether
neglected. They are a simple, hospitable, and kind-h