Another very important article of dress, is the handkerchief, which is also often given away. It is made very ornamental, interwoven with silver threads, and set with silver fringes. It is regarded as an emblem of order and cleanliness, and is a favourite wedding ornament. Wedding guests wear handkerchiefs fastened in various ways, to their breasts and shoulders. Young girls will work for years to have a good provision of handkerchiefs, to wear and give away at their weddings.
The Lettes never part with their finery, for it is their custom to bury the dead in their most festive dresses.
The olive was not of more use to the Athenians, the date-tree to the Arabs, and the wine, milk, butter, and wax palm-trees to the South Americans, than the birch-tree is to the Lettes. Of all the trees of Europe, it is the one which extends furthest north. It is gifted by Nature with great energy and strength. It seems to prefer the cold raw chmate of the north, and the marshy soil and damp atmosphere of these countries ; and can bear to be panoplied in ice for six months of the year. Its slender and beautiful growth, the great size it attains, the bright, tender, young green of its foliage in spring, the beautiful changes of colour which it assumes in autumn, brown, violet, yellow, and crimson ; the graceful arrangement of its branches, and the pictm-esque manner in which it groups itself with other trees, render it the most beautiful, as it is already the most useful, tree in these countries. The birchwoods, or Behrsen, often present the most beautiful appearance ; they resemble parks laid out by Nature. The Lettes, Esthonians, and Russians are passionately fond of these Behrsen, which in spring and summer are usually the scenes of their festivals, and of their swuigings and dancings.
380 THEIR FONDNESS FOR RIDING.
From Its root to its summit, there is nothing in the birch-tree, neither leaves, wood, root, bark, nor juice, which is not turned to many different uses by the Lettes. The fohage, when young, fresh, and tender, has many medicinal qualities, and the buds and young sprouts are collected in great quantities in the spring, particularly for strengthening-baths, which are thought serviceable to people suffering from gouty and rheumatic affections. Rather later, in May and June, the leaves, which by this time are more fully developed, and are of a bright green colour, are collected for another purpose. They are boiled, and a beautiful yellow dye is extracted from them, which when mixed with other materials, produces again other colours, and is used by the Russians, Lettes, and Finns, to dye and ornament their clothes. In July and August, when the leaves have reached their full maturity, they are plucked with the little twigs on which they grow, for a very peculiar purpose. Tliey are called SloteSy and are used by the Lettes to sprinkle and splash themselves when bathing. It is only just this period that will do for collecting them, because this is the time when the leaves are firmest on their branches. To have a good provision of Slotes, is an important thing to a Lettish household. Finally, in autumn, the dried fallen leaves are used for stuffing pillows and cushions.
The wood of the birch-tree is firmer, stronger, and more elastic than that of the fir, willow, or lime-tree, besides being more abundant ; so that almost all their furniture, household utensils, and agricultural instruments are made of birchwood. Their carts, their sledges, tables, cradles, jugs, bottles, pails, are all of birchAvood. The wood of the birch-tree when burnt, leaves excellent charcoal, and this charcoal is the most common kind of fuel in the north. From the roots are prepared the wellknown birch-tar called " de^got."
The bark of this tree is very tough, thick, and water-tight ; and the Lettes make from it very serviceable and ornamental bottles, baskets, flasks, cups, and other things. Of the plaited bark-shoes, which are sometimes of the birch and sometimes of the linden-tree bark, I have already spoken. The bark of the birch is also used in large quantities for thatching roofs, and a beautiful black dye is extracted from it.
From the juice of the birch-tree is prepared the ordinary drink of the Lettes, their " Birkemvasser" from which they also make \dnegar ; and in some districts they know how to boil it into a sweet syrup, which serves them instead of sugar. For those who are too poor to drink beer or mead, this northern wine is the only festive drink. Even the spungy and hard excrescences, the diseases of the tree, are turned to use by the Lettes, who cut them up into a number of usefid little household articles. The birchtree is, indeed, indispensable to these tribes, for it fmuiislies tliem with roof, clothing, furniture, wine, vinegar, sugar, bedding, fire, medicine, and indeed an almost endless number of necessaries and luxmies.