* 3 8 
GENERAL REMARKS 
tice. The cafe is other wife where the book, containing curious 
and ufeful information, is not known to the nations to whom the 
traveller addreffes his work, and which, were the}/ acquainted 
with its exiftence, would be intelligible only to a very fmall 
number. 
In order to add authority to my experience, and enlarge my 
I 
knowledge of the manners and cuftoms of the Laplanders, I call 
about to procure what affiftance I could from various accounts, 
either printed or in manufcript, and in my refearches I fortunately 
found at Drontheim, the capital of the province of Norway, which 
borders on Norwegian Lapland, a w'ork but little known in other 
parts of Europe. This book profeffedly treats of the Laplanders 
inhabiting Finmark, who are fubjedt to the Danifh crown. The 
manufcript was drawn up in the Danifh language by Canute 
Leems, who was ten years a miffionary to the Laplanders, con- 
llantly refiding amongft them, and a teacher of the Lapland 
tongue in the vicinity of Drontheim.. It is dedicated to the pre- 
fent king of Denmark, Chriftian the Seventh, by whofe command 
it was firfl written, and afterwards tranflated into Latin. This 
tranflation was printed at Copenhagen in ]/6/: it is illuflrated 
by notes, chiefly, though not folely, relating to botany and natural 
hiftory, by Gunner, Bifhop of Drontheim, accompanied with a 
differtation on the pagan fuperftition of the Laplanders, and up¬ 
wards of ninety copper-plates. From the miffionary’s narrative, 
and alfo the bifhop’s annotations, I have introduced among my 
obfervations what appeared to be moil curious and important. 
There 
