earted people,
ignorant and superstitious, yet by no means deficient in natural
capacity. No better sailors than the Finns are to be found in any part
of the world, and there is scarcely a sea throughout the arctic
regions which has not been visited by their vessels. Although the
climate is rigorous during a considerable portion of the year, the
Finns prefer it to any other in the world, and conscientiously believe
the garden of Paradise must have been originally located in Finland.
The lower classes are contented and happy, caring little for affairs
of government, unless they happen to be subjected to some peculiar or
oppressive restraints. As the traveler approaches the Gulf of Bothnia,
they assimilate very closely to the same classes in Sweden, and but
little difference is perceptible either in their language or costume.
The educated classes, such as the professional men, merchants,
bankers, traders, etc., are as polished as most people throughout the
North of Europe, and many of them are distinguished for their
cultivated manners and general intelligence. Such of these as I
conversed with on board the steamer impressed me very favorably. I
found them liberal in their sentiments, and devoted admirers of our
American institutions. Yet, strange to say, the only secessionist I
met in the course of my wanderings in this region was a Finn. Hearing
me speak English, he immediately opened a conversation on the subject
of the revolutionary movement in the United States. He did not know
what we were fighting for; thought the North was acting very badly;
regarded the people of the South as an oppressed and persecuted race;
believed in slavery; considered the Lincoln government a perfect
despotism, etc. In short, his views were a general epitome of the
speeches, proclamations, and messages of the leading rebels throughout
the South. I listened to him with great patience. He had an
interesting family on board, all of whom spoke English; and what
struck me as peculiar, a species of negro English common in the
Southern States. "Sir," said I, at length, "you surprise me! I had not
expected to meet so strong an advocate of slavery and slave
institutions in this latitude. Can it be possible that you are a
Finn?" "Yes, sir," he answered, "a genuine Finn--now on a visit to my
native country after an absence of twenty-five years." "Then you must
have lived in the South?" "Yes, sir; in Montgomery, Alabama. I have
property there. It was g