THROUGH LAPLAND. 
103 
tance of a Norwegian mile, or mile and a-half from one another. 
Abundance and contentment reign in all their dwellings. Each 
Laplander is the proprietor of the territory around his little man- 
fion, to the extent of a Norwegian mile, or eight eight Englifh, 
in every direction. They have fome cows which furnifli them 
with excellent milk, and meadow r land which yields hay for their 
fodder in winter. They have every one a {lore of fifh dried in the 
fun, not only for their own ufe, but wherewithal to purchafe 
luxuries; that is, fait, oatmeal, and fome woollen clothes. Their 
houfes are conllrudled in the form of tents : a hole in the mid¬ 
dle, which gives them light, ferves alfo as an aperture for letting 
out the fmoke of the fire, which is always placed in the centre 
of the cabin; and around which they fleep quite clofe to one 
another. In winter, befides the heat of the fire, they have the 
benefit of the animal warmth of the cow T s, with whom they fhare 
the fhelter of their roof, as the inhabitants of Scotland do in the 
highlands and the northern ifles. The doors of their houfes in 
fummer are always open ; and although in that feafon there is no 
night, they are accuftomed to fleep at the fame time as other 
Europeans ; with the exception of thofe who are in fuch inceflant 
purfuit of pleafure, as to fly from one objedt to another, and pufli 
the hours gradually on, till they convert night into day. We have 
gone into their cabins at one and two o’clock, after the hour that 
we call midnight,- when we always found the whole family lain 
down and afleep. We have fometimes remained a quarter of an 
hour near them before they were awakened by our prefence from 
2, their 
