ed with cushions and mattresses, bed clothes and coverings, and provided with white wine, claret, brandy, fresh salmon, roasted fowls, veal, hams, coffee, tea, and the necessary utensils. It was, says Mr. Ascerbi, nothing but 4 party of pleasure on the icy ocean. The gulf indenting the mountains, offered every where the most magnificent and interesting prospect. In the course of this voyage they made some excursions on shore, and were greatly delighted with the pleasantness of the country. They visited the Laplanders settled on the coast, who generally lived at the distance of a Norwegian mile or mile and a half from one another. Each Laplander is the proprietor of the territory around his little mansion, to the extent of a Norwegian mile, or eight English, in every direction. On the state of these people it is observed, "here the necessity of government, for the distribution of justice, and the equal protection of the people, exists not. A small number of inhabitants, dispersed over immense tracts of land, have little inducement to make aggressions on each other; and the general equality of condition that prevails, and, above all, the constitutional feebleness of passion, and equanimity of temper, prevent not only infliction of injuries but resentment. Though the Laplanders are defenceless, yet the rigour of their climate and their poverty secure them from invasion; and thus they exist without combination and protection, and without bending with submission to superiors. Here the melancholy examples, which exist in all histories, of the great tyrannizing over the meaner sort, are not to be found, nor the falsehood and perjury which generally prevail among rude and barbarous nations." p. 104. In one of their excursions on shore, after walking seven or eight English miles, says the author, "we came to a mountain Laplander's tent, and our curiosity was satisfied: this tent was of a conical form, not shaped as tents are in general. They put together several posts or beams of wood, fresh cut down, sticking them with one end in the ground, and making them meet at the top. These beams they cover all round with pieces of woollen cloth, which they fasten to one another. The diameter of the tent was eight English feet. In the middle was the fire, and around the fire sat the Laplander's wife, a boy, who was his son, and some inhospitable and surly dogs, which never ceased barking at us all the time we remained near them. Fast by the tent was erected a shed, consisting of five or six sticks or posts, that were fastened to one another near the top, in the same manner as the tent, and covered with skins and pieces of cloth. Under this canopy the Laplanders kept their provisions, which were, cheese of the rein-deer, a small quantity of milk of the same, and dried fish. A little further was a rude inclosure, or paling, made in haste, which served as a fold or yard for the rein-deer, when they were brought together to be milked-those animals were not near the tents at the time we made our visit; they were in the mountains, from whence they would not descend till towards night. As our travellers wished to see their deer, for the reward of some brandy, the Laplanders took their dogs, and they were soon gratified in seeing a troop of not less than three hundred de scending from the mountains towards the tent." p. 107, 108. This is accompanied with an engraving. Arriving now very near the object of their journey, the author says, "we went on shore to the house of a merchant, situated on au island near Havesund this was, perhaps, the most dismal situation on the face of the earth. The whole land around it did not produce one tree or shrub : no, nor so much as a blade of grass: there was nothing to be seen but naked rocks. The inhabitant of that house had not any thing but what he brought from a distance, not even fuel. The sun, for three months of the year, is not visible; and if, during that space of time, the atmosphere were not illuminated by the aurora borealis, he would be buried in profound darkness-Dreadful place to live at! The only attraction in these abodes is fishing, and the love of gain. The nearer one approaches the North Cape, the more nature seems to frown; vegetation dies, and leaves behind it nothing but naked rocks. "The North Cape is an enormous rock, which, projecting far into the ocean, and being exposed to all the fury of the waves, and the outrage of tempests, crumbles every year more and more into ruins. Here every thing is solitary, every thing is steril, every thing sad and despondent. The shadowy forest no longer adorns the brow of the mountain; the singing of the birds, which enlivened even the woods of Lapland, is no longer heard in this scene of desolation; the ruggedness of the dark gray rock is not covered by a single shrub; the only music is the hoarse murmuring of the waves, ever and anon renewing their assaults on the huge masses that oppose them. The northern sun, creeping at midnight, at the distance of five diameters along the horizon, and the immeasurable ocean in apparent contact with the skies, form the grand outlines in the sublime picture presented to the astonished spectator. The incessant cares and pursuits of anxious mortals are recollected as a dream; the various forms and energies of animated nature are forgotten; the earth is contemplated only in its elements, and as constituting a part of the solar system." p. 109-111. Chap. XI. In surveying the rocks, they find the North Cape is composed of granite. They take a different route to Alten, and make Enontekis in their way to Tornea. Arriving at Uleaborg, they displayed the curiosities they had obtained as a proof of their visit to the North Cape. This chapter concludes with general reflections upon the journey. The next part of this work contains general. and miscellaneous remarks concerning Lapland,comprizing twen ty seven sections. Section 1. Of some writers who have given accounts of Lapland, especially the Missionary Canute Leems -The author's views in this part of the work explained. This section informs us that the subsequent part of this work is a com * Here then we stood and touched the earth's last point, bination of the author's own experience, with what has been written by historians of veracity, particularly Canute Leems, who was a missionary among the Laplanders for ten years, and the communication received from other gentlemen, whose names are mentioned, and who had made obser vations on the productions of the country. Section II. Of the origin of the Laplanders. The first opinion stated, that the Laplanders descended from the Jews, is considered as having no weight, and much is said in support of their being descended from the Scythians. After noticing their name, the arguments are closed in the following extract: "The Finlanders, or Finnish Laplanders, are offended, bishop Gunner tells us, at being called Laplanders. This he accounts for with Scheffer, by supposing lap to be a term of reproach +. "The Bishop of Drontheim supposes that the Laplanders were most probably the earliest inhabitants of Sweden and Norway, and the first adventurers from Scythia, being driven from the southern parts of Scandinavia into those dreary deserts, by subsequent hordes, who overran the districts of the West and South, seeking for room and subsistence. Not only their manners and customs at this day discover pretty manifest traces of their Scythian origin, but those dismal regions lying towards the Frozen Ocean, from the Russian province of Kamschatka, are still inhabited by a race of men similar to the Laplanders, and who, like them, may have been forced back into the rude retreats of freedom, long before The Laplanders seem to have been known to Herodotus, and other ancient writers, who have given them the names of Cynocephali, Troglodytes, and Pygmies. It is supposed that their present name was given them by the Swedes, who made the first and principal conquest of their country. It is said to be derived from one of these three Swedish words: lapp, which signifies a wolf; or lappa, which denotes a bat; or, lastly, lapa, which means to run. There can be no absurdity in adopting, on the hypothesis of the Bishops of Drontheim and Scheffer, either of these etymologies. The clothing of the Laplanders justifies the first, their ill-tavouredness the second, and their wandering mauner of life the last. national records and credible history." p. 145, 146. Section III. Of the language of the Laplanders. Section IV. Of the exterior appearance and bodily constitution of the Laplanders.-Their habits and mode of life.-Their religious and moral character. "They are, for the most part, short in stature, but they possess a tolerable share of bodily strength. They are certainly a very hardy race of people, and are able to undergo great labour, and actually support themselves under the extraordinary severity of their climate with a wonderful degree of patience and fortitude." p. 153. Their celerity is considered; and with respect to morals it is noticed, "They are very attentive to keeping holy the sabbath-day; they abstain from cursing and swearing, which are common vices among the inhabitants of Norway; and they lead a religious and moral life. Whoredom and adultery are sins rarely committed; and the crime of theft is little or not at all known amongst them; so that locks or bolts for the security of property in Lapland are entirely unnecessary. Norway swarms with beggars, but begging is unknown amongst the Laplanders. If any one, from age or infirmity, should chance to be in want, he finds his necessaries amply and instantly supplied, and charity appears unsolicited with open hands." p. 158, 159. Section V. Of the dress of the Laplanders, both male and female. "The cap worn by this people is of a conical shape, and generally made of red kersey cloth, and form ed of four pieces broader at bottom than at the top, where they meet in a point: betwixt the joinings of the four pieces a stripe of yellow kersey is sewed, marking the divisions; and to the top of the cap is fixed a tassel of shreds of different coloured cloth. The lower part of the cap has a border of otter's skin; but the Russian Laplander trims his, in a more expensive way, with ermine." p. 160. "The tunick, or close garment is called a tork, and is made of sheep's skin, with the wool on, the woolly side being inwards: it has a high collar, made stiff with kersey, or other cloth, neatly worked with different coloured threads, and extending a VOL. I. little way down the bosom.... On the left side, in front, is sewed a narrow stripe or border of cloth or fur; and on the right, especially on the woman's tunick, small silver knobs gilt: the cuffs of the sleeve are like. wise covered with a border of kersey, or other cloth, edged with otter's skin: a border of the like kind with that round the breast and cuffs of the sleeve is sewed about the bottom; and as the woolly side of the skin is turned inwards, the wool from within is seen hanging below the border. This garment is worn by the Laplander next his skin, instead of a shirt.' p. 162. "Over this they wear a coat of kersey, or some such coarse cloth, or of the skin of the rein-deer, of a grey colour, with a stiff collar worked with threads of different colours. On each shoulder is a kind of band or epaulette, cut in different forms, and of the same stuff. The lower extremity of this coat is worked in figures, with various coloured threads. The collar, the opening at the breast, and the shoulder band, are all formed of slips of various coloured cloths, and worked with threads of different hues: the cuffs of the sleeve are ornamented in the same manner; the bottom of the coat has likewise a border extending round it, and of a different colour; for example, if the coat be of red kersey, the border is yellow, green, or white. The Laplander has no pocket to his upper coat, but instead thereof carries a little bag hanging over his breast, in which he puts his implements for lighting a fire, which he is never without, and other things of constant use; and this bag he calls his nieusah-gierdo." p. 163. To protect them from the severity of the cold and rain, they wear an upper coat of the skin of the rein deer, with the hair on the outside. Instead of stockings, they wear pantaloons made of kersey or coarse cloth. Their gloves and shoes are made from the hide of the rein-deer. The articles of dress are the sole labour of the women, the men in Lapland undertaking the economy of the house, in cooking, and in other matters, which in other countries are performed by women; differing in this from the rest of the world. Several utensils of wood are also made by the women, and the best selptures 3 U of Lapland are the workmanship of the female sex. Section VI. Of the habitations of the Laplanders, and their domestic arrangements. Section VII. Of the manner in which the Laplanders prepare their beds. Precaution used against the musquetoes. "The bed which the maritime Laplander retires to in his hut, and the mountain Laplander in his tent, is alike made of the skins of the reindeer spread over the branches of trees, with which the floor is covered. The Laplander's outer coat serves as a pillow, and a prepared sheep's skin, with the woolly side inwards, as a blanket, over which is laid a woollen rug. For the winter, the mountain Laplander has a rug, which has a bag within it, into which he places his feet. Be the cold ever so intense, the mountain Laplander goes into bed naked. The beds are by no other means separated than by a log of wood on each side. The husband and wife sleep at the farther end, the children in the division next them, and the servants nearest the door, but so nigh to each other, that the husband and wife can with their hands reach over to the children's bed, and those again to that of the servants." P. 179. It has been already observed, that smoke is an antidote to the musquetoes, who infest the rein-deer as much as they do men, so that while one Laplander is milking, another holds a firebrand over him, which prevents the gnats from approaching, and accordingly the beast remains untormented and quiet. Section VIII. Of the diet of the Laplanders, and their cookery. "The rein-deer's milk constitutes a principal part of the Laplander's food, and he has two methods of preparing it, according to the season. in summer he boils the milk with sorrel till it arrives to a consistence: In this manner he preserves it for use during that short season. In winter the following is his method of preparation: the milk which he collects in autumn, till the beginning of November, is put into casks, or what ever vessels he has, in which it soon turns sour, and, as the cold weather comes on, freezes, and in this state it is kept. The milk collected after this time is mixed with cranberries, and put into the paunch of the reindeer, well cleansed from filth; thus the milk soon congeals, and is cut out in slices, together with the paunch; to effect which a hatchet is used, for no smaller instrument would perform the office of dividing that fump of ice. It is then separated into small pieces, and eaten throughout the winter every day at noon, which is the Laplander's dinner hour. It must be presumed, as it is served up without being brought to the fire, that this is ice-cream in the greatest perfection; here are flesh and fruit blended with the richest butyraceous milk that can be drawn from any animal." p. 182, 183. "The method of making their cheese is by mixing the milk with water, which is so rich that it would not curdle without water; this is heated upon the fire; the rennet is put in, which separates the whey from the curd, which is taken out and pressed, and then moulded into a round shape: this cheese is remarkably rich and fat. "In making their butter the women use their fingers only, stirring the cream about with them till the butter comes, or till it acquires consist. ency. "His venison, on which he daily dines or sups in winter, is cooked in the following manner: he cuts small pieces, which he puts in his pot, without paying any regard to cleansing them from blood and dirt; he then places the pot by the side of the fire, that the fat may be drawn from the meat by gentle heat. When the meat is nearly done, he skims the fat off, and puts it by in a shell, throwing a little salt into it; he next takes out the pieces with a wooden fork, and lays them on a dish, leaving the remaining liquor, or broth, in the pot. Supper being now ready, the family seat themselves round this dish of meat; and as they eat, each dips the pieces held with the point of the knife into the shell, which contains the fat that has been skimmed off, and now and then sups a ladle full of the broth remaining in the pot, which is taken without any mixture of flour or other seasoning. In this manner they finish their repast. They have been accused of eating their venison raw, but that the missionary assures us is never the case." p. 184, 185. They often eat their venison roasted, of which they are particularly fond. In roasting they make use of wooden spits, sticking one end in the ground, by which means the flesh hangs before the fire, and remains there until sufficiently cooked. They have also dried and roasted fish, and are not strangers to a dessert, which they obtain from the inner rind of the fir tree, eaten fresh, or heightened in its flavour by being hanged in the smoke, the herb angelica, and the berries collected when the snows are melted; these serve to amuse the time they usually pass at table. "Tobacco is considered as their chief luxury and enjoyment, of which they are fond to a degree of ecstasy. The husband performs the office of cook in all its branches, and, as the dishes are never washed, the office of scullion is not requisite in the economy of a Lapland household. Section IX. Household furniture of the Laplanders. Sections X and XI. concern the tein-deer, and the mode of harnessing and travelling with them. Section XII. Of the wandering Laplanders, and their migrations. Section XIII. Of the quadrupeds and birds in Lapland. The first mentioned is the reindeer, and the manner of hunting it; bears, a few lynxes, numerous wolves, a variety of foxes, three kinds of mar tens, the gulo or glutton, the beaver, three kinds of otters, the seal, the squirrel, the ermine, mice, sheep, and goats, are inhabitants of Lapland; and it is remarkable, that notwith standing the rigour of the climate, animals wild as well as tame, are here remarkably prolific. The ewes often bring twins twice a year, and the shegoats produce constantly two kids, and sometimes three, at a birth. The author says, there are many birds peculiar to Lapland, which have not yet been discovered elsewhere. The Lapland woodcock is described, and it is observed, the only birds that stay in Lapland during the winter are the strix and the tetrao. One bird is particularized as surpassing all the rest, by the beauty of its plumage and the sweetness of its voice. This is the motacilla suecica. The Laplanders call it saddan kiellinen, which signifies hundred tongues, and expresses the nature of its song, for this constantly varies, and is an imiş tation of the voices of almost all the other birds. To the beauty of its notes it joins that of its feathers, which are of a sky blue colour, bor dered about the throat with a black line, and after that with one of a rusty appearance. The sea and land birds, which are common in Norway, are all to be found in Finmark, and in great vas riety. Of these some are stationary, and remain all the year, whilst others, supposed to be migratory, are seen only at particular seasons. Of the first sort are those of the eagle and falcon kind, owls, rayens, daws, par tridges, the eider duck, sea crow, and several species of water fowl. Among those which appear in summer, and are not seen after autumn, are the wild goose ; a fowl called in the Nor way tongue brunsk-oppen, from a pros minent piece of flesh on its head; waterhens, snipes, woodcocks, and great number of small birds. A coloured engraving is given of an owl peculiar to Lapland, and called Strix Lapponica, and another of the Corvus Lapponicus. Then follows particular list of quadrupeds and birds belonging to Lapland and Fin land, according to the system of Lin. næus. Section XIV. Of amphibious ani mals and fishes; and in addition to whales, most kinds of fishes found on other coasts, and an abundance of fresh water fish in their rivers. Section XV. Of insects and testaceous animals. The descriptions in this section are embellished with three coloured copper plates. Sections XVI, XVII, and XVIII. are occupied with the botany, minerals, and manufactures of Lapland. Section XIX. Of some particular customs among the Laplanders. It is usual with them never to wait on a superior, without a present, for which he receives something that may be deemed acceptable in return. Those who by traffic have acquired wealth have a custom of burying their money in the earth, and this they do so secretly and effectually, that their heirs and successors rarely find it. That they should preserve it thus whilst they live is not surpris ing, because they have no iron chests, or other security against thieves; but |