ALTEN, HAMMERFEST, &C. 471 



Jomfrue Figenschow, was a very pretty girl. I may perhaps 

 here notice the different appellations of ladies in this country. 

 The ladies of official persons have the title Frae prefixed to their 

 name, whilst other ladies are simply called Madame. Thus 

 the lady of our kind host was, from Mr. Crowe's consular 

 station, addressed as Frue Crowe, whilst her sister is merely 

 called Madame Aasberg. These ladies some years since 

 visited England, and both speak English remarkably well. 

 Generally, however, the Finmark ladies speak no other language 

 than their own, which we found rather a drawback on the 

 social intercourse which we enjoyed ; but we managed to pick 

 up a few words here and there : by means of these and signs 

 we contrived to get on pretty well. In the evening we had 

 a dance, which, after six o'clock on Sundays, is considered 

 perfectly orthodox. 



August \st. — The French gentlemen whom we had met at 

 Hammerfest arrived from thence, having succeeded, after our 

 departure, in reaching the North Cape. The weather, how- 

 ever, was very hazy and unfavourable. We obtained from them 

 some specimens of the quartz and other rocks of the Cape. 

 In the evening some of our party accompanied them over the 

 Fiord to Bossekop. 



2d. — Rowed over to Bossekop with the Amptmaninde and 

 the other ladies, and literally filled the hospitable mansion of 

 Madame Klerck. Our French friends were still there, and 

 the party being further increased by some neighbouring ladies, 

 who played and sung delightfully, we spent a most agreeable 

 evening. 



3d. — After breakfast we set out to pay a visit to the Reipas 

 mines, which are situated some miles on the other side of the 

 Alten river. The valley of this river, I should imagine, can be 

 equalled by few in Finmark. It is finely wooded and adorned 

 with rich meadows, and several pretty villages. The Alten 

 river is a noble stream, which appears at times to pour down 

 an immense volume of water, as is evident from the extensive 

 beds of rocks of various kinds, which in some places cover its 

 banks. 



Between Bossekop and the river, the meadows were adorned 

 with many plants ; the most interesting among which was Gen- 

 tiana nivalis, whose brilliant azure stars were very conspicuous 

 among the short grass. Just as we descended the last slope 



