New-York daily tribune., 1857-10-22
Netp3 3lprk Dailp Gxibnsa
Rayard TayIsr in Northern Europe.
No. XXXI1.
TIE YARANGER FiORD-LYFE IN THE
NORTH.

Couesponssree Of The N. T. TIibure-
HAsiMEnFEsr Aug. !, 1857.
When We swche afser siI hours sleep, with cur.
tsins drawn 10 keep out the daylight, our steamer
was DEEP in the TanA Fiord, which receives the
waters Of the Tana River, the largest Laplaad
stream flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The greater
part Of the day was consumed in calling at two set
clements Of three houses each, and receiving and
delivering mails of one letter, or less. The shores
of this ford are steep hills Of bare fo:k covered
with patches Of snow TO the waters edge. The
riven walls Of cliff, with their wonderful oon6gura-
ton and marvellous colorng, were left behind US,
and there was nothing Of the grand or picturesque
10 redeem the savage desOlstion Of the scenery. The
chill wind, blowing direct from Nova Zembla, msde
US shiver, and even the cabin saloon was uncom-
Portable without fire. After passing the most
northern point Of Europe, the coast falls away to
the south east 90 that ON the second night we were
again in the latitude of Hammerfest but still with
in the sphere Of perpetual sunshine. Oar second
night Of sun was not 30 rich in cooiDg as the 6rst
yet we remained deck long enough TO see tho
orb rise again from his lowest Dip and change even
ing into morning by the same incomprehensibe pro-
CESS There was no golden TRANSPORTATION Of the
dreadful shore; wan luAter played over the rocks
pictures of eternal death-like settled palor OF
despair on Natures stony face.
One of the stations on tuis coast, named Makur,
consisted Of few fshermen's huts, at the bottom
of dismal rocky blight. There was n, grass TO be
seen, except some tufts spriDging from the earth
with which the roofs were covered, and it was even
difficult TO see where so much earth had been
scraped together. The background was hope
kssy barren hill, more than half envelopedin in snow.
And this was midsumner-andhu human beings passed
their lives here "Those people surely deserve to
enter Paradise when they die" l remarked TO my
friend, "for they live in hell while upon earth"
"Not for that" be answered. "but because 1t is i'm
possible for them 10 commit sin. They cannot In
jure their neishbOrs for they have none They can-
not steal, for there is nothing to tempt them. They
cannot murder, for there are none Of the usual in.
eentives to hate and revenge. They have 90 hard
struggle merely to lice that they cannot fall into
The indugences of sense so that if there is nothing
recorded in their favor there is also nothing sgAinst
them, and they commence the next life with blank
books"
"But what a Life ~ exclaimed. "Men may
be happy in poverty, in misfortune, under persecu-
ton, in life lOpg disease even, so that they are not
wholly deprived of the genial influences Of society
and Eature-but what is there herei" "They
know no other world" said he; "and this igno-
rance keeps them from being miserable. They DO
no more thinking than is necessary to make Rets
and boats catch fish and ceOk them, and build their
fork THAR vnaryvin0 and
bringing up their children, and the PASTOR whom
they see once in long time, gives them their 70
ngion ready made" God keep them ignorant then |!
was my involuntary prayer. May they never lose
their blessed stupidity, while they are chained to
these rocks and icy seas! May no dreams of Sum-
mer and verdure no vision of happier socisl eondi
tons, or Of any higher sphere of thought and action
sssh painful light on the dumb darkness Of their
| lives!
The next day, We were in the Vsranger Fiord,
having passed the fortress VI Vard0huus aud landed
our military committee. The Norwegian shore was
DOW low and tame, but no vegetation, except lit
| tie brown grass, was to be seen. The Russ'An
shore, opposite, and some twenty .fve or thirty
miles Distant consisted Of high, bold Lills, which,
through glass, appeared to be partially wooded.
The Varanger Fiord, 10 which 90 important . pods-
ical interest has attached within the sst few years.
is about seventy miles in depth, with general d.
rect ON toward the south. west. The boundary-hne
between Norwegian and Russian Finmark strikes it
| upon the southern side, about halfway kom the
| mouth - that ree.fourths or more, Of tho
waters Of the ford belong 10 Norway. Thsre is,
however, q wonderful boundary. .bne. in addition,
drawn by Nature between the alien waters. That
last wave Of the Gulf Stream which wsshes the
North Cape and keeps the 6ords Of FinmsIk open
and unfrozen the whole year through, sweeps east
ward along the coast, urtl it reaches the head ol
Ysranser Fiord. Here its power is at last spent,
and from this point commences that belt OF solid ice
| which locks up the harbors Of the northern coast
Of Russia for six months in the year. The change
from open water to ice is no lees abrupt than per-
ranent Pastor Hvosef informed me that In cross
ing from Vsds0, on the northern coast Of Pssvik,
the last Norwegian settlement Close upon the Rus
sian frontier, as late 40 the end Ct May last he goi
out Of his boat upon the ice, and drove three ol
four miles over the frozen SEQ, 10 reach bic dostina
toR.
The little Fort of Vard6huus, on au island OF the
northern entrance of the ford, is not c resent do
fense meant to cheek Russian plans in this quarter
1t Was established by Christian Nv. nearly two and
half centuries ago. The King himself made
voyage hither, and no doubt at that tone forcssw
the necessity Of establishing, BY military oscups
ton, the claims of Denmark to this par. Of the
coast. The little fortress hss actually done THU
service; and though q single frgste might easily
batter it to pieces, its existence has kept Russi'
| from The ownerahip of tke VarancoP Tor4 and The