46a A V O Y A 
Bat the Coafts of the Sea, all over the North, are fo 
full of Rocks, that the Ports and Creeks are inacceflible 5 
and we were forced to iail on two Days longer, before 
we could find any Place for our Purpofe j the next Morn- 
ing we arrived on the Coaft of Wardhus^ the chief Town 
of the Government of TjamJh Lapland •, where the King 
of Denmark has a Cattle garrifoned by two Companies 
of Soldiers. Here is alfo a Colledor to receive the Du- 
ties impofed on Foreigners trading to, or from, Arch- 
angel-i on the White Sea this Officer fuffered us to pafs 
without examining us, believing, by- our Colours affd 
the Guns we gave him to falnte the Cattle, that our 
Ship was a Dane. \N'e then failed to Faranger^ and caft 
Anchor half a League from the Town. We prefently 
put our Long-boat by our Ship’s Side, to carry fome of 
the Crew afliore •, no body aboard had any Knowledge of 
the Place, which feemed to us to be very vvild j wherefore 
our Captain took eight Men well armed with him, and 
refolved to fee whether there was any Conveniencies for us 
there to refit, or any Trade to be driven with the Inha- 
bitants. In lefsthan half an Hour we arrived at Varanger., 
a populous Town, and a convenient Port •, but fo little 
frequented, that the Inhabitants were amazed to fee us. 
Whether their Aftonifhment proceeded from the Sight of 
Men armed, or of Men lefs barbarous than themfelves, I 
Ihall not pretend to determine. 
But our Captain addretted himfelf to thofe who feemed 
to have moil Authority among them ; demanding if they 
would permit us to enter their Port, and alFift us to refit 
our Ship, and were difpofed to trade with us. They 
gave him little Encouragement for Traffic •, but under- 
ilanding we were Merchants, who were going to catch- 
Walrus, they offered us their Affittance to refit our Ship, 
which we thankfully received. Having obferved the Com- 
modioufnefs of the Harbour, we returned to our Ship, 
weighed Anchor, and entered the Port ; where we dif- 
charged Our Ballaft, which was only Sand, to ferve for 
Counterpoife to fome bundles of Tobacco, and Bales of 
Cloth,' which w^ere the Cargo we were to trade with. 
When* the Ship was unladen, we fecured' the Goods in a 
Houfenear the Shore, that was locked up- j and the Cap- 
tain and Supercargo ordered a Watch to be fet over it. 
To gain the Good-wili of the Inhabitants of the Country, 
who, as I have faid, were Laplanders, fubjeft to the 
King of Denmark, we gave them fome Rolls of Tobacco, 
a more grateful Prefent to them than Gold. To retaliate 
our Kindnefs, they treated us with the befl; they had, 
fome dry' Fiffi, that ferves inftead of Bread; fomeVenifon, 
not very extraordinary, being the Flefh of Rain-Deer, 
an Animal that is often to be met with in Lapland, 
Borandla, Samojedia. and Siberia. They brought us Bear’s 
Flefli, and the Fklli of other wild Beatts which we had 
no Knowledge of; alfo frefh Fifh, boiled without Salt ; 
the Sauce to this Difli, is either the Oil of other Fifh, or 
a four Drinic ; which is one of the beft of Liquors in their 
Opinion. We could none of us bear them Company at 
this Repaft ; their Ragouts were not to our liking, fo we 
fent for Provifions from aboard, and endeavoured to be 
as merry as we could in fuch a Place, and among fuch 
Barbarians. Salt- Beef and Bifket was our choiceft Difh ; 
we offered fome of it to Laplanders, but when they had 
tatted it, our Food feemed as unfavoury to them, as theirs 
did to us. 
Our Beer was more acceptable ; they drank of it freely, 
and. were pleafed with the Brandy we gave them ; yet 
their own four Drink they had more Gouft to, than either 
Qur Brandy or Beer. It confitts of an Infufion of Juniper 
Berries, and of a Grain like Lentils, the Name ot which 
I: have forgot : It grows there in abundance, as Juniper 
Trees do. 1 never faw any thing fo like that Grain as 
Dentils 5 and dur Botanitts have made no mention ot it in 
any of our Difeoveries *, they make Brandy with the 
fame Grain ; it has the like Ettedl as ours that is drawn 
off of Grapes ; and their common Drink is as ftrong as 
our common Wine, and ferves ior the fame Ufes. 
Thofe Laplanders are Lutherans, and have-Priefts to 
inftrudl them ; they are faid, however, to deal ttill with 
the Devil ; almoft all of them are Wizards, and fo fuper- 
ttitious, that if they meet a Beaft in the Wky , whofe Ap- 
G E ^0 the Bodk IL 
pearance is reckoned ominous, they return home, and 
do not ftir out all that Day ; and when they go a fifhing, 
if they ha^e but one Fifh in the firtt Draughty they take 
it for an ill Augury, pack up their Nets, and leave Work, 
for thatTime^ Both Men and Women are low of Stature^ 
yet ftrong and aflive : Their Faces broad and flat ; they 
are flat nofed ; their Complexions fwarthy, like the reft 
of the People in the North ; their Eyes are like a Hog’s, 
and their Eyelkls are almoft all like thofe that are blear- 
eyed. They areilupid, brutal^ and lafeivious, efpecially 
the Women, who profticute themfelves to all Comers, if 
they can do it unknown to their Hufbands. The Wo- 
mens Cloat'hs are made either of coarfe Cloth or Rain- 
Deer Skins, with the Hair outward ; their Stockings are 
of the fame ; their Shoes of Fifh Skins, the Scales hang- 
ing on them ; they havu no Straps, and refemble fome- 
what the wooden Shoes worn by the Poor in Francei " 
Their Coifs are like die Norwegian Womens ; their Hair 
is twifted up in tv/o Rolls, one hangs do'wn on one 
Shoulder, and the other on t’other. They wear a Cornet: 
Coif on their Heads, made of coarfe Canvas ; all their 
Linnen is of the fame Finenefs ; fome of them wear a Sort 
of Ruff' eight Fingers broad, which they tie behind as the 
Gypfies do in other Countries. 
As for the Men they are cloathed in Rain-Deer Skins, 
the Hair outwards ; their Coats are fhort, and come down 
but half way to their Thighs, like Waiftcoat ; their 
Breeches and Stockings are of the fame, the Hair always 
outwards. On thefe they wear a Sort of Boots, made of 
Fifh Skin, which though rough and coarfe, are ftitehed fo 
^ neatly, that the Seams are not to be feen. Some of them 
wear no Boots at all, but Stockings, like the Women y 
their Bonnets are round like a Seaman’s Cap ; they are al- 
ways made of Rain-Deer Skins, the Hair ftill outwards, 
and edged with a Band of a Fox’s Skin, fome white, fome- 
grey. Thefe Laplanders Lodgings are like thofe of the 
Boors about Chrifimna. 
They have no Light but what enters by a Hole at the 
Top of the Hut. They don’t make ufe of Beds to 
lie on, any more than the other Laplanders, the Borandi- 
ans, Samojedians, Siberians, Xemblians, IJlanders, or the 
reft of the Northern Nations. The whole Family of a 
Danijh Laplander, Matter, Miftrefs, Children, Men and 
Maids, lie down altogether very familiarly, on Bear- Skins 
fpread in the Middle of the Room ; and when they rife 
in the Morning the Bear-Skins are taken up, and laid by 
till they are wanted again at Night. In each Houfe there 
is a great black Cat, which is highly valued by them 5 
the Laplanders talk to it as if it was a reafonable Crea- 
ture ; every Night they go out of their Huts with it, to 
confult it alone ; and it will follow like a Dog, either in 
Fifhing or Hunting. Though this Animal looks like a 
Cat in Appearance, yet if 1 had a little more Superfti- 
tion, I fliould have believed it to have been a familiar 
Spirit. 
5. We unloaded our Ship the next Day after our Ar- 
rival at Varanger ; the Inhabitants helped us to haul her 
afhore, that we might refit her ; the Captain found her 
much more damaged than- he expe(fled, and defired the 
Laplanders to provide him Timber proper for the Car- 
penters ufe ; they readily anfwered hisReqiiett, and went to 
a neighbouring Mountain to fell fome for him. Our Super- 
cargo, as he found the Ship v/ould be fome time refitting, 
thought it would not be improper to take a Journey into 
the Country, to try there whether any Trade could be 
had ; to this Purpofe he picked out myfelf and two 
more of the Ship’s Company, to accompany him. Early 
the next Morning, being the 12th oi May, we fet out for 
our Journey, taking with us fome Tobacco and Cloth to 
trade with ; and Bifket, and fait Beef, and Pork, to ear. 
We defired three of the Inhabitants of Varanger to go 
along with us, as well to fhew us the Way, as to help to 
carry our Goods and Provifions to the next Village. The 
Laplanders were willing enough to ferve us ; fo we fol- 
lowed them through the Woods, and Mountains, and Val- 
leys, without meeting any living Creature, till towards four 
o’clock in the Afternoon, when we perceived two white 
Bears of an exceffive bignefs, coming, as we Strangers 
thoughts to devour us. 
Our 
