trees and brufhwood, about three hundred paces from the banks of
the river. If in the whole of our travels in thofe northern regions
we had not fo much as feen one Laplander, or had landed near
this church from a balloon,' we could not poflibly have formed any
other opinion than that we had come to a land of pigmies. I was
greatly ilruck with the archite&ure and the dimeniions of this
building: the whole was on fo dwarfiih a fcale, fo little, fo low,
and fo narrow, th a t at firit fight I ihould have been tempted to
take it not for a real church, but for the model of one. To have
an adequate idea of its diminutive fize, imagine a door of little
more than three feet high, a roof no more than fix, and the whole
edifice, comprifing a veilibule, the body of the church, and a fa-
criily, or veilry, not exceeding eight yards in length, by four in
breadth. I t feemed as if I, who was thought in thefe parts,
“ In bignefs to furpafs earth’s giant ions,”
might, when placed in a corner o f the church, the fartheil from
the pulpit, have almoil touched the miniiler’s nofe with the point
of my boot, by ilretching out my leg without even rifing from
my feat. The native of Italy could not reilrain a fmile at this
fpecimen of Lapland architecture.
When we had pafled about two Norwegian miles and a half
farther down the river, we met with two Laplanders of Kauto-
keino, who had travelled thus far for the purpofe of fiihing. We
had now arrived at the place where it became neceflary for us to
quit our boats, and to purfue our journey on foot over that great
S chain
chain of mountains into which the river Alten infinuates itielf,
and flowing, by many windings, through its whole extent, breaks
out and ruihes down in many places, and forms a number of cataracts.
As our baggage appeared too heavy to our wary Laplanders
of Kautokeino, they engaged the two fiihers alfo to accompany
us, which lightened the burthen of each, by the divifion
o f five parts into feven. They drew the boats on land, and made
them fait to fome trees. We then began to afcend the mountain
On the left bank of the Alten, very near to a brook, or rather fmall
river, called Kionos-joki, which defcends from the mountain Kulli-
tunduri. This brook forms at one place a very Angular cafcade,
by opening a paflage for itfelf under the furface of the rocks, and
palling, where it begins to fall, under a natural bridge.
W e continued to afcend, for the Ipace of four Englilh miles,
through a thicket of dwarf birch ( betula nanaj and birch-trees,
and over ground uniformly covered with thick mofs, which rendered
our journey extremely fatiguing. The day was overcalt
with clouds, but itill there was a fuffocating heat, which occa-
fioned a great depreflion and heavinels of lpirits. ■ This was the
moil favourable opportunity that could poflibly be imagined for
the mufquetoes. The quantity of thofe terrible infects lodged
amongil the buihes and mofs was fo great, that at every ilep we
raifed fuch a cloud of them, as covered us all over from head to
foot. Imagine a number of putrid bacon hams expofed to the
rays of a furnmer’s fun, and all covered with flies: fuch was our
condition, and the diiguiling appearance of our pcrfons. After we
had