Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-16


ditiOns OF life there would not differ
greatly from those OF their present hab-
ttattOn. The east coast of Greenland
has for many ages been unapproachable
on account of the ice. for, in the tenth
century. co onics from Iceland were To-
Gated on the saSt coast, and were com
pletely cnt o rom a contact with civ
tii,ation by a, co veil which came down
from the polar seas and has never since
teen removed The entire east coast Is,
therefor, believed TO BE- uninhabitable,
but the climatic conditions on the west
coast arc materially different and ex-
tensive settlements have already been
formed by the Danes along the eastern
shores OF Davis Strait and Baffin's Bay.
The west of Greenland while il has
many laciers which project vast ma ,ses
OF ice far into the sea, has nevertheless
many small valleys, whero, during the
Stort summer, vegetation Is abundant.
Moses grow among the rocks and even
almost on the Ice, and the wild reindeer
ON the approach of winter leave the
coast and go into the Interior whence il
IS argued there must be vegetation be-
meath the snow on the rocks in Green
and sufficient at least in quantity to
support these hardy animals. Wherever
-eindeer can live Lapps can live with
thea and it Is argued that the climatic
conditions are not so different in Green
land from those in Lapland as to render
a.e change OF habitat at all violent.
1hc climate OF Lapland, however is
milder than that Of West Greenland
The country inhabited by the Lapps
comprises the northwestern corner of the
Russian Empire and the extreme north
ern tip OF the Scandinavian peninsula
g-apland contains about 100. 900 square
rnties; rs, therefore district about twice
She size OF Missouri, but has popula-
ton mot TO exceed $780, 600 The sea
coast is broken up by the fiords of the
Norway coast, and many of these, owing
10 the inflnence Of the Gulf Stream, are
never frozen. The climate OF the coast
As, therefor, much milder than that of
the interior; indeed, the extensive noun
tain ranges in the heart of Lapland are,
ifor the most part, covered with perpet- |
Ttti2l SHOWS. The short summer is pro- |
aihc with vegetation, and tn grasses |
and MOSES which furnish the reindeer q |
scanty subsistence are covered up by |
the snow, and are discovered by the |
subtle sense of smell possessed by these
animals, and raked out by their broad /
Ihoofs which seem especially adapted to
this service
The people who inhabt this, the most
northern land on the eastern hemi-
sphere, are divided into three classes. the
mOunraln, the sea and the river Lapps.
The first named are also the least civ
.iki1ed. in point of fact are wandering
having no wealth but their
herds OF reindeer, no habitatOn save
tents made from the skins of these use
FIJI animals, and no fixed place OF abode,
uJUt from year to year follow their herds
wherever pasturage is most abundant.
The river Lapps have advanced stage
further in the road to civilization, have
liked habitations, though these are but
.huts Of earth, and possess considerable
skin IN several manufactures. They
make their own boats, manufacture
their own clothing, knives, weapons and
fish hooks. The wandering mountain
LApps, also known as the "three duty
LApps," from the fact that they pay
taxes 10 the Governments of Norway,
Sweden and Russia, are often extreme
9y degraded When they are rich,
they practice polygamy, but a
plurality of wives is denied TO the poor
from the fact that the price OF a wife is
never less than twenty reindeer, and of
ten as much as five hundred. The river
Lapps DO not buy and sell their woman,
but entertain a respect for them akin TO
that felt in countries whose people have
far greater opportunities for education
and refinement. The sea Lapps have
far beyond their mountain
brethren; their houses are of wood or
stone; they have rowing and sail boats
with which they traverse the open sea.
They have no inconsiderable amount of
being skillful fishers, they
catch and salt large quantities of the fish
which throng the waters of the Norway
coast, and are thus able to purchase for
the luxuries of more civilized
lands
The Lapps are curiousr ace Moth
ing is known OF their origin, or whence
they came. They seem to be Mon
rOlians, but are as superior to the Esqui-
maux as the blonde Swedes and Nor.
wegians are to themselves They are of
stunted stature. seldom exceeding five
feet ia height while four and one-half
feetis perhaps good average, but of
thicksct bodies, exceedingly strong and
active. With dark hair and complex
ions, black eyes, prominent cheek bones,
hollow cheeks and receding chns, they
present strong points OF resemblance to
the Chinese, but their eyes are not
Obliquc and their color is much lighter,