158 THE POLAR WORLD. 



the grand phenomenon, ^vhich their ignorance connects Avith their own petty ex- 

 istence. 



The pretended gift of being able to predict future events is common among 

 the Laplanders. The sorcerers fall into a magic sleep, during which their soul 

 Avanders. In this state, like the somuambules of more polished nations, they re- 

 veal things to come or see what passes at a distance. Men and women affect 

 the power of fortune-telling by the common trick of palmistry, or by the inspec- 

 tion of a cup of liquor ; and this, to insure the greatest possible certainty, myist 

 be a cup of brandy, which at once explains the whole business of the prophecy. 

 The Lapland witches pretended, or perhaps still pretend, to the power of still- 

 ing the Avind or causing the rain to cease, and such was their reputation that 

 English seamen trading to Archangel made it a point to laud and buy a wind 

 from these poor creatures. 



The Lapps are a dAvarfish race. On an average, the men do not exceed five 

 feet in height, many not even reaching four, and the Avomen are considerably 

 less. Most of them are, hoAvever, very robust, the circumference of their chest 

 nearly equalling their height. Their complexion is more or less taAvny and 

 copper-colored, their hair dark, straight, and lank, its dangling masses adding 

 much to the Avildness of their aspeqt. They have very little beard, and as its 

 want is considered a beauty, the young men carefully eradicate the scanty sup- 

 ply given them by nature. 



Their dark piercing eyes are generally deep sunk in their heads, Avidely sep- 

 arated from each other, and, like those of the Tartars or Chinese, obliquely slit 

 toAvards the temples. The cheek-Tbones are high, the mouth pinched close, but 

 Avide, the nose flat. The eyes are generally sore, either in consequence of the 

 biting smoke of their huts or of the refraction from the snow, so that a Lapp 

 seldom attains a high age Avithout becoming blind. Their countenances gener- 

 ally present a repulsive combination of stolidity, low cunning, and obstinacy. 

 Hogguer, Avho dwelt several months among them, and saw during this time at 

 least 800 Lapps, found not twenty Avho were not decidedly ugly ; and Dr. Clarke 

 says that many of them, Avhen more advanced in years, might, if exhibited in a 

 menagerie of Avild beasts, be considered as the long-lost link betAveen liian and 

 ape. 



Their legs are extremely thick and clumsy, but their hands are as small and 

 finely shaped as those of any aristrocrat. The reason for this is that from gen- 

 eration to generation they never perform any manual labor, and the very trifling 

 work Avhich they do is necessarily of the lightest kind. Their limbs are singular- 

 ly flexible, easily falling into any posture, like all the Oriental nations, and their 

 hands are constantly occupied in the beginning of conversation Avith filling a 

 short tobacco-pipe, the head being turned over one shoulder to the person ad- 

 dressed. Such are the traits by Avhich the whole tribe is distinguished from 

 the other inhabitants of Europe, and in which they differ from the other natives 

 of the land in Avhich they live. 



The summer garb of the men consists of the " poesk," a sort of tunic, gener- 

 ally made of a very coarse light-colored Avoollen cloth, reaching to the knees, and 

 fastened round the Avaist Avith a belt or girdle. Their AvOollen caps are shaped 



