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 r7i^\„\'J?S Ji Ol.'AIf/ • lirltve of* o I OH H~iK OPH- l '/,HHD^ /■. \1), h/D> Am H i/e A HAAD/. /ietzi Deer, Ac. 
 
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AN ACCOUNT! 
 
 OF TIJE 
 
 FAMILY OF LAPLANDERS; 
 
 WHICH, WITH THEIR 
 
 SUMMER AND WINTER RESIDENCES, DOMESTIC 
 IMPLEMENTS, SLEDGES, 
 
 HERD OF LIVING REINDEER; 
 
 AND 
 
 A PANORAMIC VIEW 
 
 OF THE 
 
 NORTH CAPE, 
 
 (from a drawing lately made on the spot BY CAPT. BROOKE, TO 
 WHOM THE PROPRIETOR IS INDEBTED FOR PERMISSION TO 
 EXHIBIT IT,) 
 
 ARE NOW EXHIBITING 
 
 AT THE 
 
 EGYPTIAN HALL, PICCADILLY. 
 
 “ Their reindeer form their riches, these their tents. 
 
 Their robes, their beds, and all their homely wealth 
 Supply; their wholesome fare, and cheerful cups. 
 
 Obsequious to their call, the docile tribe 
 Yield to the sled their necks, and whirl them swift 
 O’er hill and dale, heap’d into one expanse 
 Of marbled snow, as far as eye can sweep, 
 
 With a blue crust of ice unbounded glazed.” 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR W. BULLOCK. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2019 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 * 
 
 n . 3 
 
 https://archive.org/details/accountoffamilyoOObull 
 
 
AN ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REINDEER, 
 
 See. &c. 
 
 A natural inclination to possess every 
 thing that is extraordinary either in na¬ 
 ture or art has impelled me, from my 
 earliest years, to collect and preserve what¬ 
 ever objects of that description it was in my 
 power to draw into one collection. The 
 late London Museum was the result of this 
 desire; it embraced the most extensive as¬ 
 semblage of zoology ever brought together 
 by the exertions of an individual, and oc¬ 
 cupied thirty years of my life in its com¬ 
 pletion ; in it were assembled the most re¬ 
 markable quadrupeds from every quarter of 
 the globe, particularly those which, from 
 domestication, could add to the comfort or 
 assist the labours of man. But there is one 
 
c 2 
 
 which stands pre-eminent in this class, that 
 I was never able to obtain, either in a pre¬ 
 served or living state : though a native of 
 Europe, and comparatively a neighbour, it 
 is not in any European collection—I allude 
 to the Reindeer; a creature of the most ex¬ 
 traordinary and beautiful form; an animal 
 whose domestication is of more importance 
 to its master, than that of any other, or pro¬ 
 bably the whole of the quadruped species. 
 The Laplander and his reindeer appear to 
 have been created for each other. This 
 diminutive race of human beings must long 
 since have ceased to exist, but for the ser¬ 
 vice of this friend and companion. 
 
 The elephant, camel, horse, ox, sheep, 
 and dog, render to their respective masters 
 services of the greatest importance; but 
 without the assistance of the reindeer, there 
 could be no human inhabitants of Lapland; 
 nothing could compensate for its loss. Its 
 flesh and its milk, prepeired in various 
 ways, afford luxury and nourishment, sup¬ 
 plying every other article of food; its furry 
 skin furnishing, in a simple manner, com : 
 
/ 
 
 fortable clothing:, and the means of resist- 
 
 O 7 
 
 ing the severity of an arctic winter, which 
 nothing else could do. Wrapt in these 
 on the snow, or frozen ground, the Lap¬ 
 landers sleep with their infants in comfort 
 and security. When the change of season re¬ 
 quires their removal from one hut to another, 
 the reindeer offers the ready means of trans¬ 
 porting them with their families and goods. 
 In summer he carries their slender effects ; 
 and when the snow covers the ground, which 
 is the greater part of the year, by means of 
 a sledge he removes them with a rapidity un¬ 
 equalled by any other animal. A Laplander 
 in his sledge will travel a hundred miles in a 
 day; the broad spreading hoofs of the deer 
 serving as snow-shoes to prevent his sinking, 
 and apparently made to traverse this frozen 
 and otherwise untrodden waste, as those of 
 the camel and the dromedary for the scorch¬ 
 ing; sands and deserts of Arabia and India. 
 There is no part of the deer useless to its 
 master; its sinews supply thread, cordage, 
 and harness, and its bones and horns are 
 manufactured into furniture and ornaments. 
 
 B 2 
 
It lias always been a matter of surprise 
 and regret, that so noble, so useful a creature 
 should be so long unknown to us. It did 
 not appear to me that any experiment to 
 domesticate it in our island, on a fair and 
 extensive scale equal to the importance of 
 the subject, had yet been made. There are 
 tracts of country in our island, where it 
 is probable, with care, they might be reared 
 at a trifling expense. The high hills of York, 
 Derby, Cumberland, Wales, and Scotland, 
 produce the white moss, considered essential 
 to their existence, it is even found on the 
 downs in the neighbourhood of London, and, 
 I believe, is eaten by no other animal: we 
 might, then, be supplied with a luxurious ad¬ 
 dition to our table for a mere trifle. The 
 flesh of the reindeer is most delicious venison, 
 and its milk, the consistence of ordinary 
 cream, of the most exquisite flavour, and 
 contains double the nutriment of that of 
 the cow; the butter and cheese made from 
 it are excellent; the former is made from 
 milk only, agitated by a whisk in a wooden 
 vessel. 
 
These considerations determined me, should 
 my leisure permit, to endeavour to effect 
 so desirable an object; and the moment I 
 was relieved from my late public occupation, 
 I left England for the purpose of procuring 
 a stock of deer, and if possible a Lapland 
 family with them. After three unsuccessful 
 attempts, I have attained my object: a herd 
 of reindeer, with their natural proprietors, is 
 for the first time in London, and I hope to 
 succeed in rendering; this noble and amiable 
 animal apermanent advantage to this country. 
 
 Their arrival has excited so much interest 
 and curiosity, that, in compliance with the 
 wishes of the public, they will be exhibited 
 by the people themselves, who have brought 
 their summer and winter residences and fur¬ 
 niture with them. The man, Jens Holm, and 
 his wife, Karina Christian, are about four 
 feet, eight inches high, which, in Lapland, is 
 not beneath the usual height; on the contrary, 
 Karina is considered a tall woman : their son, 
 four years and a half old, is not likely to be 
 so tall a man as his father; they understand 
 the Norwegian language, and an interpreter 
 
6 
 
 attends to answer any question that may be 
 put to them. 
 
 They exhibit the deer decorated in the 
 manner of their country, and drawing light 
 carriages and sledges. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the extraordinary ap¬ 
 pearance of these noble quadrupeds ; in size 
 they excel the red deer, or stag: the enor¬ 
 mous horns in some almost exceed belief. 
 A cord passed round those of a fine male 
 measures thirty feet: in some they appear 
 like the branches of an aged oak, stripped of 
 its foliage. The immense brow antlers vary 
 in some individuals, from two to four. 
 
 They are sleek in summer, but in winter 
 clothed with a thick impenetrable coat of 
 long hair of a dry husky appearance : their 
 feet are large and wide, extending consi¬ 
 derably whilst resting on the ground, and 
 cvering a space sixteen inches in circum¬ 
 ference. Every time each foot is moved, a 
 loud clicking noise is heard, occasioned by 
 one of the hoofs striking against the other. 
 
 The morning after my arrival at Eigeland, 
 the young mountaineer to whose care they 
 
7 
 
 were intrusted, (and between whom and the 
 deer there appeared to exist the strongest mu¬ 
 tual attachment) turned them out of the fold, 
 in which they are always kept at night, to 
 protect them from the wolves, that I might 
 have an opportunity of seeing them. They 
 immediately followed their leader up the side 
 of a mountain ; after a few moments, he de¬ 
 manded of me which way they should go ; he 
 called in a loud voice, and they instantly 
 stopped : he ordered them from right to left, 
 and back again ; and then to proceed; and 
 they were out of sight in a moment. On 
 their arrival from the mountains on the shore 
 of the harbour opposite Fleckifiord, Salva, 
 the mountaineer, went into a boat, and point¬ 
 ed out to the leader where they were to land; 
 they swam across in a few minutes. 
 
 The whole herd was in the town sur¬ 
 rounded by hundreds of the wondering in¬ 
 habitants, took food from their hands, and 
 seemed pleased with the caresses of the 
 women and children. They were at first 
 quartered in the yard of the house where 1 
 lodged, and my good old landlady, Madame 
 
8 
 
 Bornick, was delighted with her new guests; 
 but the number of persons who collected 
 from all parts of the country was so great, 
 that it became necessary to remove them to 
 a place where they could remain a few days 
 retired, to recover from the fatiguing jour¬ 
 ney they had just terminated. I had the 
 use of a large island about two miles from 
 the town, offered for their reception; and 
 they were marched to the shore opposite to 
 it, where large boats were prepared by lash¬ 
 ing them together. The deer walked imme¬ 
 diately to the side of the quay, but the leader 
 observing the boats move, stopped and exa¬ 
 mined them very minutely: he hesitated; 
 and the herd became instantly alarmed; 
 it was the first time they had seen a boat. 
 After some further hesitation, and a little 
 fear, the leader walked in. The eyes of the 
 whole were instantly fixed on him, and they 
 distinctly expressed their fears for his safet}^; 
 and some then turned their eyes to the moun¬ 
 tains : he was at this time examining the 
 planks with his feet: the motion did not 
 please him. Salva seated himself by his 
 
9 
 
 head, patted his neck, and laid his face to 
 that of the deer. Jens was by this time in 
 the other boat; upon seeing him the deer 
 turned his head, looked attentively at his 
 followers, and in a short snort gave the sig¬ 
 nal for them to come in. It was not obeyed 
 for a moment; and he repeated it in rather 
 an angry manner, stamping with his foot. 
 Jn a moment the boats were all filled. In 
 jumping in, a weakly calf fell, and lay in the 
 bottom of the boat in such a situation that I 
 considered its destruction inevitable; yet it 
 received no injury. Their care and love for 
 each other are truly admirable. As soon as 
 they were in, the leader, observing there 
 were more in one boat than the other, looked 
 at one of the old males, which, appearing 
 perfectly to understand him, instantly went 
 into the other boat. The ropes were cast oft': 
 they remained perfectly still till they reached 
 the island; when, following the leader, they 
 leaped on the rock, ascended the side of a 
 small hill, and got a plentiful supply of their 
 favourite white moss. A day or two after 
 their arrival, the change of food and climate 
 
10 
 
 affected the calves; two of them could not 
 be found. Karina, however, begged me not 
 to trouble myself, for that the mother had 
 concealed them where no one but herself 
 could find them. In the afternoon I ordered 
 Jens to draw the whole of them to the shore: 
 he collected them in a moment by whistling, 
 and began to descend the hill, when Karina 
 came to me laughing, and pointed to a fe¬ 
 male who was loitering behind, and who, as 
 soon as she fancied herself unperceived, turn¬ 
 ed back; “ She is gone to fetch her child/' 
 said Karina, and with it she soon made her 
 appearance. 
 
 I have been often amused by the manner 
 in which the males examine and dress their 
 wonderful horns ; it is performed in the neat¬ 
 est manner with the hind foot. 
 
 In Lapland the herds of these animals are 
 extremely numerous: the poor have from 
 fifty to two hundred; the middle class from 
 three to seven hundred, and the rich above 
 a thousand. Their greatest enemy is the 
 wolf, which sometimes breaks into the fold, 
 and destroys thirty or forty at a time. The 
 
11 
 
 Laplander holds him in the greatest detesta¬ 
 tion, and is almost in a rage when the name 
 is mentioned. The first question put to me 
 by Jens Holm, was, 44 Are there wolves in 
 England V’ and when told that they were en¬ 
 tirely extirpated, he clasped his hands, and 
 said, 44 If it had snow, mountains, and rein 
 moss, what a happy country it would beT 
 Bears sometimes destroy the deer, seizing 
 them by surprise, but this is rather a rare 
 occurrence. 
 
 The first evening of my return to Flecki- 
 fiord I fed them in the inn yard under my 
 bed-room window. In the night I awoke, 
 and fancied some one was striking a light with 
 a flint and steel; but the noise continuing, I 
 went to the window, and found it proceeded 
 from the deer walking slowly in the yard. 
 The females produce the young about the 
 end of May, and soon after cast their horns, 
 which, in a short space of time, are repro¬ 
 duced of the full size, but are covered with 
 hair; during which time they are soft, and 
 very susceptible of injury. They have always 
 a leader or captain, whose orders they scru- 
 
12 
 
 pulously obey. They seem to place the most 
 unlimited confidence in his experience. 
 
 The natives of Lapland in their festivities 
 are much addicted to the use of brandy, and 
 what I could scarcely credit, had I not been 
 an eye-witness of the fact, the deer are as 
 fond of it as their masters. In case of ex¬ 
 treme fatigue, or loss of appetite, I have seen 
 it given, and produce the best effect. In the 
 winter journey from one district to another, 
 the rein-deer will, in a light sledge, convey 
 his master over the frozen snow upwards of 
 a hundred miles in a day without stopping : 
 in which case the deer is always sacrificed, 
 being incapable of further exertion. For 
 drawing heavy burthens, sometimes four or 
 five are yoked lengthwise. 
 
 In swimming, the deer appear lighter than 
 any animal I have ever seen, and swim with 
 great rapidity, passing an ordinary boat with 
 ease. It is said they will go an English 
 mile by water without inconvenience. 1 
 have never tried them so far. 
 
 The small size and light form of the people 
 almost disqualify them from following any 
 
other than the simple pastoral life they enjoy * 
 Too weak for the hardy toil of the fisherman 
 or of the agriculturist, nature seems to have 
 created them and the reindeer as partners 
 and assistants to each other in tenanting the 
 polar regions of the northern Alps. In the 
 following little account of them, much of 
 the information is extracted from the tour 
 of the celebrated naturalist L. C. Linnaeus, 
 who travelled in that country, when a young 
 man, by order of the University of Upsal; 
 it has been corroborated, and additions made 
 to it by the people themselves. Accustomed 
 from their infancy to follow the deer, they 
 are extremely swift of foot. Linnaeus, then 
 strong, robust, young, and capable of en¬ 
 during great personal fatigue, often expressed 
 his surprise at the activity aiid perseverance 
 of his Lapland guides, who, loaded with his 
 baggage, performed long journeys with ease. 
 In running up the hills perhaps no persons 
 are so swift; and he adds, in another place, the 
 Devil himself could not keep up with them. 
 In travelling with the people now in London, 
 I allotted a horse for their accommodation. 
 
14 
 
 as no carriage can be used in that part 
 of the country, but Karina would frequently 
 alight and take her son upon her back (who 
 seemed to like that mode of conveyance 
 much better than riding before her), dis¬ 
 appear in a moment, and before our horses 
 could reach the top of the hill, she was nearly 
 out of sight on the other side ; and often went 
 several miles in this way, arriving at the 
 scheft or post-house to order horses before 
 we came up. In every thing relating to the 
 herds she seemed as much at home as her 
 husband. In catching any that are re¬ 
 fractory, the activity and the precision with 
 which they cast a double rope at a consider¬ 
 able distance, open in such a manner as to 
 pass over the head and avoid the horns, and 
 catch it by the hieck, are really astonishing. 
 If the animal prove too powerful, or they 
 think him likely to be hurt or thrown down 
 by his exertions, by slackening the rope it 
 falls to the ground, and releases him in an 
 instant. 
 
 “ Ovid’s description of the silver age is still 
 applicable to the native inhabitants of Lap- 
 
15 
 
 land. Their soil is not wounded by the 
 plough, nor is the iron din of arms to be 
 heard; neither have mankind found their 
 way to the bowels of the earth, nor do they 
 engage in wars to define its boundaries. They 
 perpetually change their abode, live in tents, 
 and follow a pastoral life, like the patriarchs 
 of old # . 
 
 * To the elegant pen of Dr. Shaw we are indebted for 
 the following beautiful translation of Linnaeus’s eulogy on 
 this diminutive race of man: 
 
 “ O favour’d race! whom partial Heav’n design’d 
 To free from all the cares that vex mankind! 
 
 In life’s mad scenes while wayward nations join. 
 
 One silent corner of the world is thine; 
 
 From busy toil, from raging passions free, 
 
 And war, dire stain of laps’d humanity! 
 
 Far from thy plains the hideous monster roves, 
 
 Nor dares pollute thy consecrated groves. 
 
 Indulgent Nature yields her free supplies. 
 
 And bids thy simple food around thee rise. 
 
 Along thy shores the scaly myriads play. 
 
 And gathering birds pursue their airy way. 
 
 Gurgles to quench thy thirst the crystal spring. 
 
 And ranging herds their milky tribute bring. 
 
 No fell disease attacks thy hardy frame, 
 
 Or damps with sullen cloud the vital flame; 
 
 But flies to plague amid their tainted sky 
 The sick'ning sons of full-fed luxury. 
 
16 
 
 44 Among these people the men are em¬ 
 ployed in the business of cookery, so that 
 the master of a family has no occasion to 
 speak a good word to his wife, when he 
 wishes to give a hospitable entertainment to 
 his o'uests. 
 
 O 
 
 44 The dress of these Laplanders is as 
 follows. 
 
 44 On the hyad they wear a small cap, like 
 those used at my native place of Stenbrohult, 
 made with eight seams covered with strips 
 of brown cloth, the cep itself being of a greyish 
 colour. This reaches no lower than the tips 
 of the ears. 
 
 44 Their outer garment, or jacket, is open 
 in front half way down the bosom, below 
 
 “ Thy aged sires can boast a cent’ry past, 
 
 And life’s clear lamp burns briskly to the last. 
 
 In woods and groves, beneath the trembling spray, 
 
 Glides on, in sweet content, thy peaceful day: 
 
 Gay exercise with ruddy health combined, 
 
 And, far beyond the rest! the freedom of the mind. 
 
 Here stands secure, beneath the northern zone, 
 
 O sacred Innocence! thy turf-built throne: 
 
 ' \ 
 
 ’Tis here thou wav’st aloft thy snowy wings, 
 
 Far from the pride of courts and pomp of kings.” 
 
 Shaw’s Zoology, Vel. II. Part 2. p. 272. 
 
17 
 
 which part it is fastened with hooks, as far 
 as the pit of the stomach. Consequently the 
 neck is bare, and from the effects of the sun 
 abroad and the smoke at home, approaches 
 the complexion of a toad. The jacket when 
 loose reaches below the knees; but it is 
 usually tied up with a girdle, so as scarcely 
 to reach that far, and is sloped off at the 
 bottom. The collar is of four fingers'breadth, 
 thick, and stitched with thread. 
 
 44 They wear no stockings. Their breeches, 
 made of the coarse and slight woollen cloth 
 of the country called walmal , reach down to 
 their feet, tapering gradually to the bottom, 
 and are tied with a bandage over their half 
 boots. 
 
 64 All the needle-work is performed by 
 the women. They make their thread of the 
 sinews in the legs of the reindeer, separating 
 them, while fresh, with their teeth, into 
 slender strings, which they twist together. 
 A kind of cord is also made of the roots of 
 spruce fir. 
 
 44 They make use of no razor, but cut their 
 beards with scissars. They never cut the 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 hair of the head, and only occasionally em¬ 
 ploy a comb or any similar instrument. 
 They have no laundress or washerwoman. 
 
 “ The thread is made out of the tendons of 
 reindeer fawns half a year old. Such thread 
 is covered with tin foil for embroidery, its 
 pliability rendering it peculiarly fit for the 
 purpose. The tendons are dried in the sun, 
 being hung over a stick. They are never 
 boiled. 
 
 “ Of this race of extraordinary people, those 
 who inhabit the mountains build no houses: 
 their habitation is a simple tent of walmal 
 cloth, manufactured in Russia and Norway, 
 supported by birch poles of the rudest work¬ 
 manship ; a hole is left in the top to allow 
 the smoke to escape. The fire is made in the 
 centre of the floor, and round it are spread 
 the rein deer skins on a few birch twigs, on 
 which they sit in the day and sleep at night: 
 a flap of cloth is left loose to cover at night 
 the opening used for a door. The height 
 of the structure is about eight feet in the 
 centre, and the greatest diameter is buttwelve. 
 This small edifice often contains a family of 
 
19 
 
 twelve or eighteen persons, with their effects 
 and furniture, which consists of akettleof cop¬ 
 per or brass, bowls, tubs, and baskets of wood, 
 which are generally placed on the ground be¬ 
 hind the fire, opposite the door, or on one or 
 two racks suspended from the roof, on which 
 are also the cheese vessels, and a few other 
 culinary articles. Such is the residence 
 which the people of the northern Alps oc¬ 
 cupy during the summer months. Those who 
 inhabit the woody district lower down have 
 fixed residences, but of so slender and fragile 
 a texture, that it is really wonderful that 
 human beings, sensible of the impression of 
 heat and cold, can withstand the rigor of a 
 polar winter with so slight a defence against 
 the storms and piercing cold of such an at¬ 
 mosphere. We shall copy the description 
 from Linnaeus. 
 
 “ On the dry hills, which most abounded 
 with large pines, the finest timber was strewed 
 around, felled by the force of the tempests, 
 lying in all directions, so as to render the 
 country in some places almost impenetrable. 
 I seemed to have reached the residence of 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 Pan himself, and shall now describe the huts 
 in which his subjects the Laplanders contrive 
 to resist the rigours of their native climate. 
 
 44 The Kodda, or hut, is formed of double 
 timbers, lying one upon another, and has 
 mostly six sides, rarely but four. It is sup¬ 
 ported within by four inclining posts, as 
 thick as one’s arm, crossing each other in 
 pairs at the top, upon which is laid a trans¬ 
 verse beam, four ells in length. On each 
 side lower down is another cross piece of 
 wood, serving to hang pipes on. The walls 
 are formed of beams of a similar thickness, 
 but differing in length, leaving a hole at the 
 top to serve as a chimney, and a door at the 
 side. These are covered with a layer of 
 bark, either of spruce, fir, or birch, and over 
 that is another layer of wood like the first. 
 In the centre the fire is made on the ground, 
 and the inhabitants lie round it. In the 
 middle of the chimney hangs a pole, on 
 which the pot is suspended over the fire. 
 
 44 The height of the hut is three ells, its 
 greatest breadth at the base two fathoms. 
 
 44 They always construct their huts in 
 
places where they have ready access to clear 
 cold springs. 
 
 44 The inhabitants sleep quite naked on 
 skins of reindeer, spread over a layer of 
 branches of dwarf birch (betula nana ), with 
 similar skins spread over them. The sexes 
 rise from this simple couch,'and dress them¬ 
 selves promiscuously without any shame or 
 concealment.” 
 
 Their huts are so low that it is impossible 
 for any one to stand upright in them, and 
 the whole defence against the inclemency of 
 the weather is a single coat of birch bark, 
 not the eighth of an inch thick. How these 
 simple children of nature would smile at the 
 complicated and expensive apartments on 
 board the discovery ships on the arctic ex¬ 
 pedition, to enable our hardy seamen to pass 
 an ordinary winter of their climate. The 
 Laplander is a carnivo ous animal, and is 
 said to consume ten times more flesh than a 
 Swedish peasant; a family o. four persons 
 devour a deer in a week : they eat the glutton, 
 squirrel, bear, martin, beaver; and, in short, 
 
22 
 
 every living creature they can catch, except 
 wolves and foxes. 
 
 44 When the Laplanders expect any visitors, 
 they are particularly careful to have plenty 
 of ris (branches of the dwarf birch) spread 
 on the floor, under the reindeer skins on 
 which they sit; otherwise they would be 
 thought deficient in civility, and the mistress 
 of the family would be censured as a bad 
 manager, when the guests returned to their 
 own homes. 
 
 44 The mode of their entertainment is as 
 follows: 
 
 44 First, if the stranger arrive before their 
 meat is set over the fire to boil, they pre¬ 
 sent him either with iced milk, or some 
 kind of berries mixed with milk, or perhaps 
 with cheese, of Jcappi. Afterwards, when 
 the meat is sufficiently cooked, and they 
 have taken it out of the pot, they put into 
 the water, in which it has been boiled, slices 
 of cheese made of reindeer milk. This is a 
 testimony of hospitality, and that they are 
 disposed to make their guest as welcome as 
 
they can. They next serve up some of their 
 dry or solid preparations of milk. 
 
 “ The marriages of the Laplanders are 
 conducted in the following manner. 
 
 “ 1. In the first place the lover addresses 
 his favourite fair-one in a joking manner, to 
 try whether his proposal be likely to prove 
 acceptable or not. Perhaps he even goes so 
 far as to speak once or twice to her father 
 upon the subject. He then takes his leave, 
 either fixing a time for his return, or not, as 
 it may happen. 
 
 “2. The lover next takes with him such 
 of his nearest relations as live in the neigh¬ 
 bourhood, who, as well as himself, carry 
 provisions with them to the hut of his mis*- 
 tress, he going last in the procession. 
 
 “3. When the party arrive at the place of 
 their destination, they all, except the lover* 
 walk in. If there happen to be any other 
 huts near at hand, it is usual for the damsel 
 to retire to one of them, that she may not 
 be obliged to hear the conversation of the 
 visitors. Her admirer either remains on the 
 outside of the door, amongst the reindeer, or 
 
24 
 
 goes into some neighbouring hut. There 
 are usually two or three spokesmen in the 
 party, the principal of whom is called Sitg - 
 novivi. When they are all seated, the young 
 man's father first presents some brandy to 
 the father of the young woman ; upon which 
 the latter asks why he treats him with brandy? 
 The former replies, ‘ I am come hither with 
 a good intention, and I wish to God that it 
 may prosper.' He then declares his errand. 
 If the other party should not be favourably 
 inclined to the proposal, he rejects it, at the 
 same time thanking the person who made it. 
 Upon this, all who are present endeavour to 
 prevail upon him to give his consent to the 
 marriage. If they succeed, or in case the 
 offer have from the first been accepted, the 
 friends of the lover fetch whatever they have 
 brought along with them, consisting of va¬ 
 rious utensils, and silver coin, which they 
 place on a reindeer skin, spread in the hut, 
 before the father and mother of the intended 
 bride. The father or the mother of the 
 bridegroom then distributes the money be¬ 
 tween the young woman and her parents. 
 
25 
 
 If the sum be thought too small, the latter 
 ask for more, and it frequently happens that 
 much time is spent in bargaining, before 
 they can come to a conclusion. When the 
 parties concerned cannot obtain so large a 
 sum as they think themselves entitled to, 
 they often reject the whole, and return the 
 money to those who brought it. But if, on 
 the contrary, matters are brought to a fa¬ 
 vourable conclusion, the parents allow their 
 daughter to be sent for. Two of the bride¬ 
 groom’s relations undertake this office. If 
 the bride has any confidential female friend, 
 or a sister, they walk arm in arm together; 
 and in this case the mother of the bridegroom 
 is required to make a present of a few brass 
 rings, or something of that kind, to this friend 
 or sister, who keeps lamenting the loss of her 
 companion. 
 
 44 When the bride enters the hut, her father 
 asks whether she is satisfied with what he 
 has done? To which she replies, that she 
 submits herself to the disposal of her father, 
 who is the best judge of what is proper for 
 her. The mother of the bridegroom then 
 
26 
 
 presents the bride with the sum allotted for 
 her, laying it in her lap. If it prove less 
 than she had expected, she shows her dis¬ 
 satisfaction by various gestures, and signs of 
 refusal, in which case she may possibly ob¬ 
 tain at least the promise of a larger sum. All 
 these gifts become her own property. 
 
 “ When such pecuniary matters are finally 
 arranged, the father and mother of the bride¬ 
 groom present him and his bride with a cup 
 of brandy, of which they partake together, 
 and then all the company shake hands. They 
 afterwards take off their caps, and one of the 
 company makes an oration, praying for 
 God's blessing upon the new-married couple, 
 and returning thanks to him who ‘ gives every 
 man his own wife, and every woman her own 
 husband.' 
 
 “ The parents of the bridegroom next par¬ 
 take of some brandy, and the whole stock of 
 that liquor which they had brought with them 
 is fetched for the company. 
 
 64 All the relations of the bridegroom then 
 come forward with their provisions, which 
 generally consist of several cheeses, and a 
 
27 
 
 piece of meat dried and salted. The latter 
 is roasted before the fire, while the company 
 is, in the mean while, regaled with some of 
 the solid preparations of milk, the bride and 
 bridegroom eating by themselves, apart from 
 the rest. 
 
 “ Two stewards are next chosen, one of 
 them from the bride's party, the other from 
 that of the bridegroom. The last-mentioned 
 party are then required to furnish a quantity 
 of raw meat, amounting to about a pound 
 and a half to each person. This the stewards 
 immediately set about boiling, and their duty 
 moreover is to serve it round to all present. 
 This meat is dressed in several separate pots, 
 two only in each hut, if there be any neigh¬ 
 bours whose huts can serve to accommodate 
 the party on this occasion; for each Lap¬ 
 lander has never more than one hut of his 
 own. The fat part of the broth is first served 
 up in basins. Afterwards various petticoats 
 or blankets, of walmal cloth, are spread on 
 the floor, by way of a table-cloth, on which 
 the boiled meat is placed. The chief persons 
 of the company then, as many as can find 
 
28 
 
 room, take their places in the hut of the 
 bride’s family, sitting down round the pro¬ 
 vision, while the children and inferiors are 
 accommodated in the neighbouring huts. 
 Grace is then said. The bride and bride¬ 
 groom are placed near together, for the most 
 part close to the door, or place of entrance. 
 They are always helped to the best of the 
 provision. The company then serve them¬ 
 selves, taking their meat on the points of 
 their knives, and dipping each morsel into 
 some of the fat broth, in which the whole has 
 been boiled, before they put it into their 
 mouths. Numbers of people assemble from 
 the neighbourhood, to look in upon the com¬ 
 pany through the door ; and as they expect 
 to share in the feast, the stewards give them 
 two or three bits of meat, according as they 
 respect them more or les3. What remains 
 after every body is satisfied, is put together, 
 and wrapped up in the blankets or cloths, 
 that part of it which is left by the new-mar¬ 
 ried couple being kept separate from the 
 rest, as no other person is allowed to par¬ 
 take of their share. 'The dinner being over, 
 
the whole company shake hands and return 
 thanks for their entertainment. They always 
 shake hands with the bride and bridegroom 
 in the first place, and then with the rest, 
 saying at the same time kusslan. 
 
 “ After taking some brandy, the whole 
 party go to bed. The herd of reindeer had 
 been turned out to pasture from the time 
 when the meat was put into the pot. The 
 bride and bridegroom sleep together with 
 their clothes on. 
 
 44 When the company rise in the morning, 
 if the bridegroom's father and their party 
 have any thing left, they treat the others 
 with it; for the family of the bride have sel¬ 
 dom any preparation made, not expecting, 
 or not being supposed to expect, such com¬ 
 pany, and they never keep any brandy by 
 them, but purchase it for every occasion. 
 Whatever cold meat therefore remains is 
 brought forward, to which the bride's party 
 indeed add cheese, and any other prepara¬ 
 tion of milk they may have in store, as well 
 as any dried meat; such things being usually 
 kept by them. With these the party regale 
 
50 
 
 themselves by way of breakfast. Afterwards 
 the family of the bride boil some fresh meat, 
 as a final repast for their guests, who, after 
 partaking of it, take their leave. 
 
 “ The banns are usually published once. 
 The marriage ceremony, which is very short, 
 is performed after the abovementioned com¬ 
 pany is departed. This being over, the 
 bridegroom either takes his wife immediately 
 home with him, or he goes to his own hut 
 alone, and stays there from one to five days, 
 after which he returns to her residence, 
 bringing with him his herd of reindeer, and 
 stays there for some time with her. 
 
 “ Such of the Laplanders as are rich 
 enough to afford it, make their wives a pre¬ 
 sent of a coverlet; a petticoat made of cloth, 
 without any gathers, as usual among these 
 people; a small silver beaker or cup; several 
 rix-dollars and silver rings; a spoon, &c.; 
 so that many a bride costs her husband more 
 than a hundred dollars, copper money. To 
 the mother he perhaps gives a silver belt, as 
 well as a cloth petticoat.” 
 
 The Laplanders play very well at tennis, 
 
31 
 
 and at blindmanVbufi, and have only two 
 musical instruments, one called a lur, a sort 
 of trumpet; and reeds made of the bark of 
 
 sleep or wake whenever they please. I 
 heartily wish they had the power of commu¬ 
 nicating this enviable qualification. 
 
 The extreme difficulty and danger of tra¬ 
 velling in the interior of this country is the 
 cause of its being so little known to foreign¬ 
 ers. The people are hospitable and kind to 
 strangers when they arrive amongst them, 
 and give the little they possess with pleasure; 
 but many have never seen a human face 
 but those of their own country. When the 
 great Linnaeus, almost dead with fatigue and 
 hunger, having travelled a considerable di¬ 
 stance through the swamps and bogs, above 
 his knees in water, his guide, who had left 
 him, returned accompanied 44 by a person 
 whose appearance was such, that at first I 
 did not know whether I beheld a man or a 
 woman. I scarcely believe that any poetical 
 description of a fury could come up to the 
 
32 
 
 idea, which this Lapland fair-one excited. 
 It might well be imagined that she was truly 
 of Stygian origin. Her stature was very di¬ 
 minutive. Her face of the darkest brown 
 from the effects of smoke. Her eyes dark 
 and sparkling. Her eyebrows black. Her 
 pitchy-coloured hair hung loose about her 
 head, and on it she wore a flat red cap. 
 She had a grey petticoat; and from her 
 neck, which resembled the skin of a frog, 
 were suspended a pair of large loose breasts 
 of the same brown complexion, but encom¬ 
 passed, by way of ornament, with brass rings. 
 Hound her waist she wore a girdle, and on 
 her feet a pair of half boots. 
 
 44 Her first aspect really struck me with 
 dread; but though a fury in appearance, 
 she addressed me, with mingled pity and 
 reserve, in the following terms : 
 
 44 4 O thou poor man! what hard destiny 
 can have brought thee hither, to a place 
 never visited by any one before ? This is 
 the first time I ever beheld a stranger. Thou 
 miserable creature! how didst thou come, 
 
S3 
 
 and whither wilt thou go? Dost thou not 
 perceive what houses and habitations we 
 have, and with how much difficulty we go 
 to church ?’ ” 
 
 The people are exhibited in the full 
 Winter Costume of their own country, with 
 their Summer and Winter Residences, and 
 the principal objects of their household 
 furniture. 
 
 The room is ornamented by a Panoramic 
 View of the North Cape, the most northerly 
 headland in .Europe, from a drawing made 
 on the spot by Captain Brooke, in 1820, 
 being the first representation ever given in 
 England. 
 
 u 
 
'• • . ’ • . . . . . 
 
 
 
 
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 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following Articles are arranged round the 
 
 Room. 
 
 1. A Lapland Summer Dress, ornamented with embroidery 
 of various coloured cloth, worn by Mr. Oxenden. 
 
 2. A superb Lapland lady’s dress, made of the skins of 
 the beautiful White Deer, fringed and ornamented with 
 the fur of the Black Bear, with gloves and shoes to 
 correspond. 
 
 3. A complete Winter Dress of the Laplanders, made of 
 the Reindeer skin, with winter hoots, gloves, belt, 
 knife, &c. 
 
 4. A great variety of boots used on their fishing ex¬ 
 peditions. 
 
 5. A variety of Snow Shoes, some of them six feet long, 
 and only four inches broad; they are made of wood 
 covered with seal-skin, and enable the inhabitants to 
 walk over the snow with the greatest celerity. 
 
 6. The curious Cradle, or case, in which the Lapland 
 women carry their children, so contrived as to enable 
 them to suckle the infant without disturbing it. 
 
 7. A Lapland Rifle, made with the greatest simplicity, the 
 lock consisting of only one spring. 
 
 8. A Lapland Sledge, the same used by Captain Brooke 
 in travelling from the North Cape to Norway. 
 
 9. Variety of the ornamental Harness of the Reindeer. 
 
 10. Drum of the Lapland Necromancers, now becoming 
 extremely rare. 
 
Printed by James Bullock, Lombard-street, Whitefriars, London,