New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-25

/ NIutH h"
the sanctuary.
We nvokc at O'Clock to find clear twilight
and a cold OF ~ below zero. Our stay at
Muonioyaro had given the sun time to increase MS
altitude somewhat aud had some doubts whether
wc should succeed in bcholdng day OF tin Polar
Winter. Tie Landrmann. however. encouraged u'
by the Insurance that the sun had net yet risen
upon bis residence, though nearly slx weeks had
elap..d since hi. disappearance, but that his return
uas row looked for every day. since he had already
begun to shine upon the northern hills By ~
O'Clock it was light enough to read; the southern
sky Wa a broad sea Of golden orange dotted with
n few crimson clCud-isands, and we set ourselves
10 watch with scrne anxiety the gradual approach
Of the exiled god. But for this circumstance, and
two other draw backs should have gone to church
to witness the Lapps at their religious exercises
Pastor Hyoslcf was i'll. and the service con-
sisted only Of the reading Of some PRAYERS
by the Lspp schoolmaster; added to which, the
church is never warmed, even in the coldest days
Of Winter. One cause of this may perhaps be the
dread Of an accidental confagratiOn; but the main
reason is the Inconvenience which would arise from
the thawing out Of many antiquatcd reindeer
garments, and the efluva given out by the warmed
bodies within them. Consequently, the temper
aturc inside the church is about the same az out
side, and the frozen moisture of the worshiperS
breath forms frosty cloud 40 dense as sometimes
to hide the clergyman from the view Of his congre-
CATION. Pastor Hvoslef informed me that he had
frequently preached in a temperature of 80 below
zero. " At such times, said he, the very words
seem to freeze as they issue from my lips, and fall
upon the heads of my hearers like a shower of
snow" " But" | ycntured to remark, " our
souls are controcd to such degree by the condi-
ton Of our bodies that | should doubt whether any
true devotional spirit could exist at such time.
Might not even religion itself be frozenF "les,
he answered, it is quite true; all the better feel
ings either disappear or become very faint, when
the mercury begins to freeze" The pastor him
self is at present suffering the penalty of ndulging
a spirit of reverence which for long time led him
to officiate with uncovered head
The sky increased in brightness as we watched.
The orange flushed into rose and the pale white
hills looked even more CHASTITY against the bar of
glowing carminc which fringed the horizon. A few
long purple streaks of cloud hung over the suns
place, and higher up in the vault foated some loose
masses, tnged with fiery crimson on their lower
edges About half-past eleven, pencil Of bright
red light shot up-a signal which the sun upliftedto to
herald his coming. AS it slowly moved westward
along the hills, increasing in hight and brliancy
until it became q long tongue Of fame, playing
against the streaks Of cloud, we were apprehensiye
that the near dsc would rise to view. When the
Landsmann's clock pointed to twelve its base had
become so bright as to shine almost like the sun
itself; but after few breathless moments the un-
welcome glow began to fade. We took it's bearing
with compass, and after making allowance for the
variation (Which is here very slght) were convinced
that it was really past meridian, and the radiance,
which was that of morning few minutes before,
belonged to the splendors of evening now. The
colors Of the armament began to change in reverse
order, and the dawn, which had almost ripened to
sunrise now wthered away to night without sun
set. We had st last seen day without o sun.
The snowy hills to the NORTH it is true, were
tinged With flood Of rosy flame, and the very next
day would probably bring Down the tide-mark of
sunshine to the tops of the houses One
DAY, however, was enough to satisfy me. You
my heroic friend, may paint with true pencil, and
still truer pen, the dreary solemnty of the long
Arctic night; but, greatly as | enjoy your incOm-
parable pictures, much as | honor your courage
and your endurance, you shall never tempt me to
| share in the experience. The South is cup
which one may drink to inebraton; but one taste
from the icy goblet of the North is enough to aay
curiosity and quench all further desire. Yet the
contrast between these two extremes has come
home to me yvidly but once during this journey
A travellers mind must never stray too far from
the things about him, and long habit has enabled
me to throw myself entirely into the conditions
and circumstances of each separate phase of my
wandering life thereby preserving distinct the sem
saions and experiences of each, aud preventing all
later confusion in the memory But the other
day at Muonioyara, as | sat before the fire in the
early afternoon darkness, there flashed across my
mind a vision Of cloudless Egypt-palm.trees rust
ling in the hot wind yellow mountsn-w walls rising
| beyond the emerald plain of the Nile, the white
| pencils of minarcts i'll the distance, the creamy
odOr of bean-blossoms in the air-a world of glo-
riOus vitality where Death seemed an unaccOunta-
bic accident. Here, Life existed only on suffer
ancc, and all Nature frowncd with a robbers de-
mand to give it up. flung my pipe across the
room, and very soon, behind fast reindeer, drove
away from the disturbing "reminiscences.
! went across the valley to the schoolmaster's
house, to mskc a sketch of Kautokeino, hat the
frost was 50 thick on the windows that | was
obliged to take chair in the opena and work with
bare hands | soon learned the value Of rapidity in