1814.] Limits of perpetual Snow in the North. 345 



southern parts of West Bothnia, becomes more adapted for vegetables 

 and animals, in consequence of the heat of its summers, than the 

 mildness of climate in gent ral. It is true that when we go straight 

 to Torneo, the bight of the snow line cannot he directly observed 

 in any part of the way ; for between Alten and Torneo, there is 

 not only no mountain wliich rises to that limit, but in reality no 

 mountain whatever. The Norwegian range here becomes flat, ex- 

 cepting that here and there a small cminLoce rises to the height of 

 400 or 600 feet. The place which limits the streams running into 

 the Frozen Sea and the gulf of Bothnia, is only 1380 English 

 feet above the level of the bca. We have indeed passed the Kio- 

 lengehirge before we come to KauiokeinG, although the jillens Elo 

 runs by Kautokeino, and falls into the Frozen Ocean. This river 

 makes its way through a channel in the mountain, as the Rhone 

 does in Switzerland On the sides of the declivities in Sweden, 

 appear by degrees, and in increasing perfection, those trees which 

 we lost on the coast. Scotch firs show themselves again at Lippa- 

 jarfwi, 12/6 feet high : and at Palajvensuii, at the height of 107O 

 feet, they are as flourishing as at Alten. At Alten tbey disappear 

 at the height of 746 feet : a difference which is the effect of li 

 degree of latitude. Some miles lower down, at Songu Mi/otka, in 

 the 68th degree of latitude, and at the height of S4 2 feet, the 

 first spruce fir makes its appearance. More are soon to be met 

 with, at first with frosted and blasted branches ; but from Muu- 

 nioniska, which is 723 feet above the level of tlie sea, they appear 

 in full vigour. By degrees on the banks of the streams they form 

 almost impenetrable woods, and a mixture of other trees and 

 shrubs may be distinguished among them ; especially the salix 

 pen/andra, which niay be called the Lapland rose, and the aspen. 

 In the neighbourhood of Kangis, not far from the polar circle, 

 these woods are emjiloyed in heating iron furnaces. At last at 

 Fello we come to the polar circle, where the country has become 

 classical, by two successive measurements of a degree of latitude. 

 Here the almost uninterrupted rows of villages all the way to 

 Torneo show us what the climate is capable of. Corn fields come 

 into view, and the woods retire to a distance. The woods rise to 

 the very tops of the mountains : nothing here in summer puts us 

 in mind of the severity of winter. 



At PttUingi near Svanstein, the spfuce firs are 213 feet below 

 the Scotch firs. Now Fullhigi, the highest mountain hetween 

 Torneo and the polar circle, is 855 feet aljove the ri\er,* and 1 1 14 

 above the sea. The distance between the spruce and Scotcli firs 

 is 639 feet ; the Scotch firs are 273t> feet from the snow line. 

 This gives us the height of the snow line at the polar circle and at 

 Torneo -1492 feet above the level of the sea. Yet the experiment 

 of freezing mercury did not fail at Torneo. f 



• Hrrmelio'i Mineral Ilisloria ofwer L:i|jniarkrii ocli Wcitrr HoUil. p. 69. 

 + Ilcllant. Sfcnik. Vetemk. Acad. Hand), 1760. 312. 



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