474 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



worship, and the general devotion 

 of all Singhs to arms, are ordi- 

 nances altogether irreconcileable 

 with Hindu mythology, and have 

 rendered the rel'gion of the Silihs 

 as obnoxious to the Brahmins, and 

 higher tribes of the Hindus, as it 

 is popular with the lower orders 

 of that numerous class of man- 

 kind. 



From Von Buch's Travels through 

 Norway and Lapland, 



ON THE QUANS. 



Alten is not only the most agree- 

 able, the most populous, and the 

 most fertile district in Finmark, 

 but also the only one in which 

 agriculture is carried on — the most 

 northern agriculture of the world. 

 This merit is due to the Quiins in 

 Alten. Before they appeared the 

 cultivation of grain had never been 

 tried. They may now have in- 

 habited these vallies for nearly a 

 century ; and they brought along 

 with them diligence and industry 

 into the country. They were very 

 probably driven out by the wars 

 of Charles XH. and especially by 

 the cruel havoc made by the Rus- 

 sians in Finland of their flocks and 

 herds. They went higher and 

 higher north, till at last they pass- 

 ed beyond Torneo, and first des- 

 cended into Alten about the year 

 1708. The first emigrations were 

 followed by others ; and since that 

 period they have, to the great ad- 

 vantage of Lapland, perpetually 

 continued, to such a degree that 

 the Laplanders themselves, not 

 without reason, are in fear that the 

 Quans will at last take possession 

 of the whole of their country, and 

 drive them completely out. This 



they might easily prevent if they 

 were to follow the example of the 

 Quans, and select constant habita- 

 tions, and cultivate the ground. 

 The Quiins still resemble their an- j 

 cestors ; they live in the very same ' 

 manner, and observe the same cus- 

 toms. Theyspeak exactly the same 

 Finnish language which is spoken 

 throughout all Finland, and which 

 bears less resemblance to the Lap- 

 jandic (or the Finnish, as it is call- 

 ed in Finmark) than the Swedish 

 bears to the German (Leem. S. 8. 

 10, 11.) Their houses are wholly 

 constructed, for the most part like 

 those in Finland, and in quite a 

 difFer£nt manner from those of the 

 Norwegians. The greatest part of 

 the house consists in a large room 

 of logs, xheperte, which reaches up 

 to the roof. On one side there is 

 a large furnace, without a chim- 

 ney, which takes in the greatest 

 part of the wall. The smoke from 

 the furnace rises up towards the 

 roof, descends along the v.alls, 

 and issues out through several 

 quadrangular openings in the re- j 

 maining walls, about three feet \ 

 from the ground. When the fire 

 is burnt out, they shut up the fur- 

 nace and collect a Syrian warmth 

 in the perte. The upper part of j 

 the furnace serves for the sweat- 

 ing baths everywhere used in 

 Finland and Russia. In their dress 

 alone the Quans do not differ from 

 the Laplanders ; in their manners 

 they completely differ. The Quiins 

 are the most civilized inhabitants 

 of Finmark, not even excepting 

 the Norwegians. They are dis- 

 tinguished for their understanding: 

 their comprehension is easy and 

 rapid, and they do not dislike to 

 work. Hence they easily learn all 

 the trades which are necessary for 



