Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-01-18
sTAI7NTON VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, JANUARY Is, 1859.
Ravard Taylor on the "North."

Bayard Taylor on the "North."
The lecture at the fremont Temple, Boston
was attended by a crowded audience. IL was
by Bayard Taylor, on "Life in the North"
In the outset, Mr.. Taylor spoke OF his route te
the far North, which he chose to take by way o.
Lapland, because thereby he had an opportunity
to retreat when necessary. The natural features
and varied aspects of Lapland were sketched.-
Among other things, the character of its extreme
North was shown; there were on the Norwe-
gian side of portion of the coast, currents from
the Atlantic, which were so warm as to keep
the harbors open, while on the Russian side the
harbors were frozen six months in the year. Rus
sia was anxious to obtain possession OF these
Norwegian barbors, as she could not afford to
have her maritime power frozen up six moths in
the wear. The walrus fishers had penetrated to
81 degrees, and found open water IL degrees
further North than Parry went. The length OF
the day in the North of Lapand had struck him
with admiration, far more than the gorgeous and
beautiful, aurora. The snow constantly freezing
after snow storm made scene of alabsster
different entirely from what We see in our Nor
thern SHOWS; all these scenes had tints varying
with the time of day-at one hour pink, at a,
mother rose at another crimson, as if this singu-
lar beauty was given as a compensation for the
want of heat.
In snow storm the snow struck the face like
needles; the breath froze and the face became
framed in ice; the cold came nearer the citadel
of life; all things looked ghastly; one felt that
life had no lnxnries there /; when the cold pierre
es through triple furs to freeze the hand it is no
Joke; to take off the glove the hand feels as if it
was crushed by the cold. The breath freezes on
the beard, hair and eyebrows, till all are white
the eyelsshes become loaded, and only by con.
slant winking could the eyes be kept open; II
YOU drive black horse, in fifteen minutes he
becomes white. When the cold is at 40 or 90,
and the wind from the North, it is a constant
battle for life; you can almost see the cold IN
the dead steel-blue air. Men are met with q
white rim of ice on hair and fur, and purple ia
ces, with white frost spots looking like anything
but human beings. The absorption of cold Is
gradual, so that it seems like deadly creeping
chill, and the worst trouble one has is the con-
stant fight for life. 1t is when one gets into q
warm room, after passing this ordeal, that lie
feels it worst; for he sbivers sometimes for two
hours as if he had the ague. When one goes IN
to warm room, too, the steam rises from per-
son like dense atmosphere.
We have living within the Artic circle there,
the Swedes, the Films and the Lapps; three dlt.
ferent races; so we could judge of the effect OF
the cold on man.
The faces of the Swedes were oval, the com.
plexions were fair, the frames strong and we'll
built, and the eyes pale blue. Uuder these
full eyes and fair faces, lay passions not easily
aroused, but when aroused, terrible in the ex'
trene. The men are cold only through their
superior selfcontrol. You rarely hear word
of endearment, because love is eternal. There
is truth and fidelity. The woman there are not
beautiful, but healthy and strong, and know not
about nerves.
Ia Finland, we find different class; square
browed, ruddy, more passionate with beauty
of language, and various oriental traits which it
is curious to find in the Arlic circle. They are
passionate, prone to excess, imaginative, super
stitious, and yet destitute of traditions Their
imaginations were directed in religious direc-
ton. They were formerly given to drunkenness,
but have somewhat reformed. Their ideas OF
propriety seem contradictory; both sexes use
the vapor bath together, aud salute by en- eni'
brace with the right arm, and yet the KISS ls
considered iInmodest, and lady expressed her
astonshment at the knowledge that in the 9TH
er parts of Europe kissing was common, and
said if her husband dared to kiss her che would
box his ears so that he would feel it for fort
night.
They are indolent. because in winter it is dark
most of the time and they can do nothing but
eat, smoke and sleep; and in summer when 1t
is always daylight there is plenty of time. so
the extreme cold, like the torrid zone, is unfa-
vorable to the full deveopmet of man.
The Laplanders are small, and seem to be the
natural tenants OF that region; they are small,
tswny, with red cheeks; yet one skeleton OF
girl is preserved over seven feet high; they are
a sort of gipsies; their paganism has departed,
and with it their pecusrites and whatever is
picturesqe. No more do the wizards sell to the
Norwegian mariners spells to charm the winds
no more dispose of charms to find silver mines
and the enthusiasm runs in the direction of re-
ligion. The task of the missionaries among them
is not sinecure, and even when preaching the
Church is so filled with steam that he can hard
" see the congregation. The country is o terri.
bic desoation, and but for the reindeer life would
be impossible He is not larger than large
Newfoundland dog, and one OF the most stupid
and contrary animals imaginable. From them
almost every thing that supports life Is derived
and the family that does not possess hundred
reindeer is poor.
They can go fifteen miles in an hour, and some
of them can travel for many consecutive hours
To learn to drive them in seighs ls dlfneul'
task, aud no one can prevent them from stopping
turning around, and staring at you, as much a.
to say, "what are you going to do about its"-
The Lapanders have much patience with them
and he had seen one get out and turn bis deel
around forty times day.
In those climates one feels the utter desolafloi
of the scene; human life exists but in suterance
he had seen the most startling magniicence, TIT
most weird and remarkably picturesqe beauty
but in all that dream there had been an unseer
nightmare of destruction, and he should neve
dream that dream again. Summer, short as i
is, is nowhere received with such unmltlgate'
| Joy as in the Arctic regions, and vegetation In
briet three months hurries through Its annua
season of bud, flower and ripeness.
The people are removed from temptatlon.-
They have so hard struggle to live that they
know not the heatings OF sense; they canno
steal for there is nothing to steal they canno
wrong their neighbors, for they have none. ID
could not imagine what had induced human DC
ings to transplant themselves thither, and b
could not forgive the first colonists tor VIVA
they inflicted on their successors. let they iov
ed each other, they were virtuous, they had faltl
in God, and one could not but respect thein..
There, as everywhere else, were found God
glory, his mercy, and his infinite love.
"TuEY SAY."-There is decision in the las
volume of Gray's Reports, which is at one
sound morals and good law. A woman, sue
for SANDER, defended on the ground that she on
ly repeated, and without malice, what was cur
rently reported. The Court held that to repea
story, which is false and slanderous, no mat
ter how widely it may have been circulated,
at the peril of the tale-bearer. Slander canno
always be traced to its origin. Its power
mischief is derived from repetition, even If
disbelief of the story accompanies its relation