Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-04-30

newcd interest In this very peculiar
people. The project for their removal Il
perfectly feasible, and the country To
which II Is proposed To take thom IN so
like their own that the conditions of life
there would not differ greatly from those
Of their present hnpitation, The east
coast OF Greenland has for many ages
been unapproachablo ON account of tho
lee for In the teath century colonies from
Iceland were located on tho east coast and
were completely cut of from all contact
with civilization by an Ice veil which
cnmo down from the polar seas and has
never since been removed The entire
east coast Is therefore believed to be un
inhnbitable, hut the climatic conditions
ON the west coast ara materially different
and extensive settlements have already
boon formed by this Danes along the east
ern shores OF Dayis straits aud Bann's
bay. The west of Greenland, while II
has many glaciers which project vast
masses OF Ice far into the sea, has never
theless many small valleys, where, during
the short summer, vegetation ~ nbun.
dant. Moses grow among the rocks and
oven almost on Vho leo, and the wild
reindeer on the approach of winter leave
the coast and 80 into the interior Whor.
ever reindeer can live Laps can live
with them, and IL Is argued that the eli.
matte conditions are not 80 different IN
Greenland from those In Lapland rs to
render the change OF climate at nli
violent,
The climate OF LRpland, however, IL
milder than that Of w est Greenland. The
country inhabited by tho Lnpps com.
prises the northwestern corner of the
Russian empire and the extreme nothern
tip Of tho Scandinavian peninsula Lap.
land contains about 80, 600 square miles;
II therefore, a district about twice the
size Of Missouri, but has n population not
exceeding 1870, 900. The sea coast is
broken up bv the ilord' OF the Norway
coast, ana many OF these, OWING to tho II.
iiuenco OF the Gulf stream, are never
frozen. The climate OF tho coast In, there.
fore, much milder than that of the in.
terror; indeed, the extensive mountain
ranges IN tho honrt Of Lap!and are for the
most part covered with perpetual snow.
The short summer is prolific Of vegetn.
t!on and tho x asses and moses which
furnish tho reindeer with scanty subsist-
ence aro covered up by tho snow, are
discovered by tho subtle scnso OF smell
possessed by thogo aniTals, and raked out
adapted to this service.
Tho people who inhabit this, tho most
northern land oil the Eastern Hemisphere,
are divided into three classes, the noun.
tain, the sea, and tho river Lapps The
first named arc also tho least civilized,
la point Of fact ere wandering nomads,
having no wealth except their herds OF
reindeer, no habitations save tents mnde
In al NJ a "A, "A
no iixel place of abode, bit from year to
year follow their nerds wherever pasturngo
Is most abundant. Tho river Lapps have
advanced a stage further ia the road TO
civilization, have fixed habitations, though
these are but huts OF earth, aud pos ess
considerable skill In several manu- features.
They make their own boats, manufacture
their own clothing, knives, weapons, and
fish hooks. The wandering mountain
Lapps, also Known as tho three duty
Laps" from the fact that they pay taxes
to tho Governments Of Norway, Sweden,
and Russia, are often extremely degraded.
When they are rich they practice poly
gamy, but plurality OF wives is denied to
the poor from tho fact that the price OF
wife is never less than twenty reindeer,
and often as much ns BOO. Tho river
Lnpps do not buy and sell their women,
but entertain n respect for them akin to
that felt In countries whose people have
far & cater opportunities for education and
refinement The sea Laps have pro-
gresscd far beyond their mountain breth-
rem; their houses are Of wood or stone
they have rowing and salt boats with
which they traverso the open sea. They
have no inconsidernble amount OF com.
merco. being skillful iishsrs thew catch
and salt large quantities of the fish which
throng the waters OF the Norway coast
and are thus abe to purchase for them
selves the Injuries of more civilized
lands.
The Lapps are curious race Nothing
Is known of their origin or whence they
came They seem TO be Mongoians, but
are as superior to tho Esquimaux as the
blonde Sweios and Norwegisns are TO
themselves. They are of stunted stature,
seldom exceeding five feet In height, while
four and a hat feet is perhaps good
average, but OF thick set bodies exceed