Manners
A tiff
CüSTOMS.
• CHAPTER III.'
. C i v i d G e o g r a p h y .
Manners ^and^uftoms.-^Eanguage.— Literature.— Education.— Univerfities.—
: W Lawns.— Edifices.— Roads.'— Inland Navigatim— Manufaïïum and
■ Commerce.
THE manners and ^cuftoms o f the fuperipr Hanes, differ little from
thofe-of the fame claffes in other parts of Europe, ^ o th e difg
r a c e o f the government the peafantry continue in $ ftate of vafialagq;
eieept thofe o f the crown, who have.teep fece^tly^Tpeted J^dhe
patriotifm of the heir apparent, and a few other inftances., .T h ey are
of courfe idle, dirty, and difpirited; while,thofejof S^ed^n-appe^r. to
have;been always free j nor would it be eafy to fix 'the »period, whéa
yaffalage, fo foreign to the nature of the northern;,vgovernments, firft
began in Denmark. In addition to this’radical caufe-tof .the want of
national energy, property is ill divided 5: and'the middle, cI^fTe^.efpe-
cially that o f yeomanry, the glory" of England,/:-arp ^lmoft ^nknOvn-
In Norway, on the contrary, every peafant,breathes, th.e. a|r-tof;fr^e-
dom, except thofe of a few noble eftates near frederickftadt. j.“^ h e
benefits of the Norway code are fo vifible in its; general, efieds. an. .the
happinefs and in the appearance of the'peafants, that a traveller jnuft
be blind who does not inftantly perceive the difference between, the
free peafants of Norway, and the enflaved vaflals of Denmark, though
both living under the fame government.” * Among the numerous jm-
confiftencies of human nature it is indeed one of the moft fingular'j,that
abfolute monarchs fhould be anxious to improve the breed of their,
horfes, and to debafe that of their fubjeds. The able writer lafk quoted
proceeds to obferve that the Norwegian peafants are fpirited, frank,
‘ Cose, v.tj.,
open,
<6pen,' and •'undaunted; yog n-ot, infeleht; ’’and,, ipftead of. the fervile
bow, tlidyfhake the hand of'their/fupe|jor>f»pr benefad®^ • m the co ot ?
Torts- of life theyfeemi^pij^ield to nppe;, except, fbme of thf Swifs : their
phial -drdTs4$ of a Hisone. oolqUr,^itH't^ii|sitoQh,oles^and white metal
buttons-;, and the women- Soften appear ^jy-; dr^ffed^in,a pettie'oat ,and
Ihift, with a clofe collar round their throat, and a black fafh. Their
nfuai bread, like that o f the. Scotifh peafantry, con fills of flat, cakes of
oatmeal ; and in times o f great fcarcity is mingled with - the white
inner rind of trees»
~l'- A t the fin extremity o f Norway is Mel region of fin -
mark, or more -properly iapmark, being a large province poflefled by"
the';Da-n]lh Laplanders^anjd ;!exteodingIe^en ’to cKperCfl' C&jefNord
Cowards Ruffian: Lapland. The inhabitants of this wild and remote
„jpnoyincdt'Jil^efIbeem ideferib^vjat confidet^blidd^pp^fb'y .Leem^, whq
4jaS -prefented a*tcomplete and fairhjfpl p if tii^ g f^ a p la n ^ c nra^nprs.*
This/rugnlar;race' oilmen
with1 fhoit black hair, narrow darkt^mps, '^ijg,e • beadsman d hjgfj
^ch»eek--bdfiie^|.,a wide ..mouth,, .‘an d - .thick. lips,;;^ ^ ^ S |a .' fwarthyfdpmj.
ple^phr« Iri the^ftmthjern part, of Finm&rk.theyt^per mingled' wimJ^Jm^
j|weg>j|«is9| but' the 'northern w^dem^Jjaas w h ^ f e ; f h f , i t ^ T h e y
ip all themfelves Same, their, fpppqf^f Samergieh 5ad\thpi^>c^^t^y|M®i~
-Edna, being prohahly-ofniheiFameirace.as.-tha-S^moiSqds^ THse^langii^ige',
has- orify' anT affinity -with :ths|I|inpifh, but n^ |n^arlytt e feuch;as, .the
Daniffi-has-with the! Germasn-;• and it wabld.rfeenythat thdy .Mad- an.-
ciently a different fpeech, which they, enriched with large additions
from that 91 their more poliflied.neighbours the Fins. Towards the
feh’ore they'build huts p idl'd; on 'thermount^idsi-ufe; f§nTs^f‘^ l;|l^urar
form, being flatly,., conic, • and divided intatwo pArts by a kind of paf-
fageyeach part having three rude.fobdivifions, only marked on the floor ;
the two fui theft for the matter, miftrefsy andyguefts ; the middle on each
fide • of the fifey for the children : »-while thofe neared the door are
affigned to the fervauts 5 behind whom the cattle alfo find lefuge, thefe
*- * Lecaiiii dr. Lapombus fimnarcljik. Copenhagen P7S7,-po. Scheffer. treats of ihe!Swedilh .
Laplanders 1 of the Ruffian -Sheye ieeras tip
3 Leans, p'. Mi1
3 I 2 j ' - being
M a k k e r s
" AND •'
Customs.
Laplanders.
M s