Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-14
A Living LiIIiput in LapIand.

Captain Hutchinson, of the British artillery
service, has published in London lively and
charming book, under the title of "fry Lapland;
a Fresh Field for Summer Tourists" The can
tain and his wife, desiring a summer vacation
out Of the beaten track of English tourists, fed
away to Lapland, and went to see the midnight
sun at the extraordinary little hamlet of Quick
jock. This picturesque and important town
consists OF four houses and church, and may
be accepted as the ultimate expression of lap
land. 'Picure to YOURSELF" says Captain
Hutchinson, "two Swiss valleys, united to-
gether at the head of a lake. The low ground
covered with small birch and willow of exquis-
itely vivid green, beautiful contrast to the
dark forest of pine which rises Immediately
above it. The trees, already dimnutive at the
base, become more and more stunted as they
approach the summit. Where the forest ceases
the shrubby willows, not more than two feet
high, commence; and then we find region
where little is to be seen but MOSES and lichens
close TO the great fell running to the Norwegian
frontier; and, browning all, magnificent back
ground of eternal snow.
The village with about thirty wooden houses
(including barns and out-houses) all colored
bright red, stands on grassy slope reaching to
the waters edge. The tiny church. also of
bright red wood, is built on an isolated hillock
Two rivers help to form the lake; the irst flows
down one valley in quiet grandeur, while the
second bursts over immense masses of granite
in hurried fury, making three falls of excessive
USdulgJ luC lOdI vi WHICH can De UearQ for miles.
Add to this clearness of atmosphere peculiar
only to the Arctic Circle, and a dryneSs which
never allows of fog, and this is Quickiock"
Quicklocklwore its gayest aspect at the time
of this visit. The Lapps had come thither from
all parts, to attend the service in the little
church. St. Johns day is their great festival,
in which they commemorate the arrival of Sum-
mer The pastor had at least twenty mouths to
supply with food, and every morning two boats
set off with their nets to the lake for the days
supply. They would return about eleven A. NJ.
with large quantity of fish; but it was never
too large for the consumers, who would each of
them eat six pounds as easily as one pound If
set before them. Nothing was ever left for the
morrow. They subsist entirely on fish, milk
and rye bread
The harmless little people pleased the travel
ers immensely. "There was a nice little couple"
says Capt. Hutchinson, eve took great fancy
to, and, after much consultation, decided to our
satisfaction which was the boy and which the
girl. AS both men and women have long hair,
and neither whiskers nor beard, and dress alike
in high blue cloth billycock hats and reindeer
skin coats and leggings, it is almost impossible
to distinguish them. We asked them how old
they were, and whether they belonged to the
school. The laugh was against us, when we
found the gentleman to be twenty-six and the
lady, his wife, entv-four-insead of fourteen
and twelve, as we had settled them to be-" In
this lovely living Lilliput, potatoes are the size
of walnuts, lamb steaks as big as larks, and
calf about the dimensions OF large cat. No
doctor is within a hundred miles, for the Ianns
are never i'll until just before they die; and the
one doctor even at Lulea is in despair at the
want Of patients. The effects Of climate are very
curious to watch. The summer had set in and
everything seemed to be growing by steam;
though Quickiock lies at such an altitudel that
an hours walk up any of the mountains round
would bring one to perpetual snow. With the
warmth come the mosquitoes, which are as
troublesome to the natives as to the VISITORS and
are prepared against by covering the tops of the
chimneys with sods Of earth, and kept out by
never opening the windows at all, and the doors
only for the indispensable moment of ingress
and egress.