e
mistaken, as it will appear in the sequel that he must have been
perfectly well acquainted with the Fins, that the Biarmians were a
branch of the great Finnish stock. The principal difference seems to
have been, that the Fins continued to be wandering hunters and
herdsmen, while the Beormas or Biarmians had advanced to the state of
fixed cultivators of the soil. They had likewise an idol called
Jomala, which is still the name of one of the deities of the
Finlanders.--Forst.

[9] The morse is here named horse-whale by king Alfred, with infinitely
greater propriety than the appellation of sea-horse, which long
prevailed in our language. The tusks of this animal are still
considered as excellent ivory, and are peculiarly valuable for the
construction of false teeth; and leather made from the hide is still
used in Russia for coach-harness, but stretches more when wet than any
other leather.--Forst.

[10] It would appear, from the vast number killed, that this successful
fishing must refer to the morse or horse-whale, not to the ordinary
large whale.--E.

[11] In the original, the broad and comparatively fertile part of Norway
is said to be in the _east_: the correction adopted in the text
is obvious and necessary.--E.

[12] In former translations, this passage is: "opposite to this land,
_to_ the south, is Sueoland." The alteration in the text removes
the ambiguity--E.

[13] Cwenland and the Cwenas appear to refer to Lapmark, and its
inhabitants, the Finlanders.--Forst.

[14] See Sect. iii. p. 12, in which this place is supposed by Mr J. R.
Forster to have been where Stockholm now is.

[15] Iraland obviously here means Scotland, with the Faro, Shetland, and
Orkney islands.--E.

[16] This is plainly the isle of Gothland.--E.

[17] Apparently the Baltic proper is here called the sea of Sillende, and
may have been named from the isle of Zeeland. Yet in this passage it
seems to refer to the gulf of Bothnia, as running far up into the
country.--E.

[18] See Sect. iii. p. 14, in which Forster endeavours to fix this place at
Aarhuus in Jutland.

SECTION III.

_Remarks by J. M. Forster, respecting the situation of Sciringes-heal and
Haethum_[1].

The name of this place, Sciringes-heal, has given a great deal of trouble
to former commentators on Alfred; viz. Sir John Spelman, Bussaeus, Somner,
John Ph