THE REIN-DEER OF THE LAPLANDERS.

From the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal.

The rein-deer is the most important possession of the Laplanders, for it supplies them both with nourishment and clothing. On the Rein-Deer of the Laplanders. By The Laplander spends his superfluous moGUSTAV PETER BLOM, Member of the Roy-ney chiefly on the increase of his herd; and it is only when that is sufficiently large, that he begins to think of collecting silver and burying it; but he never dreams of procuring greater personal comforts, for their value is unknown to him.

al Academy of Sciences of Drontheim,

&c.

THE Laplanders are originally a Nomadic race, supported by rein-deer, and their principal branch still follows the same mode of life. Poverty, however, has forced The Laplander lives in a tent of a circumany Laplanders to quit their native haunts lar conical shape, provided with an openin the mountains, and to descend to the ing above for the escape of the smoke. The Norwegian coasts, or to the plains of Lap- tent is made of coarse woolen cloth, someland, to seek for the means of living. Thus times also of rein-deer skins, and the richer two kinds have sprung up in Norway: the individuals construct their habitations with Sea-Laps, who live on the coasts, and are a double covering. The door consists of a occupied with fishing, and the Boe-Laps, curtain of the same material. The internal who have settled in the valleys, have brought arrangement of the tent is just as simple; small tracts of land into cultivation, and in the middle there are a few stones which support themselves by agriculture and the form a sort of fire-place, and at the sides rearing of cattle, combined partly with the round about, twigs of birch are strewed, rearing of rein-deer. The Laplanders who and rein-deer skins spread over them, so as have withdrawn to Lapland may again be to form a sofa during the day, and a bed at divided into two kinds: the Forest-Laps, night. The dogs also partake of this place who keep rein-deer, but take them along of repose. The dishes and kettles lie scatwith themselves only within a certain re-tered about in the tent, and above are susgion, and who at the same time are hunt-pended the rein-deer stomachs filled with ers; and the Fisher-Laps, who have estab- milk, which are completely blackened by lished themselves on the shores of the great the smoke. It is to be expected that cleanrivers and lakes of Lapland, and are engag-liness should not exist in such miserable ed in the taking of fish. The best shots are among the Forest-Laplanders, who furnish the yearly markets of Vitangi and Kengis with a large quantity of game, which is carried to Stockholm by way of Torneo.

The rein-deer is the support of the Laplanders, and the object of their pride; in it consist their wealth and their happiness. Whoever is the possessor of many hundred rein-deer, has attained the highest pinnacle of good fortune; but he never on this account alters his mode of living in the slightest degree, or increases his enjoyments, except, perhaps, as regards the quantity of brandy he consumes. Besides the reindeer, the whole wealth of the Laplander consists of a few articles of clothing, his tents for living in and for keeping his stores, a few wooden stakes with which he forms a kind of fold, into which the rein-deer are driven when they are to be milked, a few bed-covers made of rein-deer skins, a copper vessel in which his food is cooked, a few wooden dishes, and his provisions, consisting of rein-deer-cheese and milk, which latter he preserves for the winter in reindeer stomachs. When he alters his abode, the whole of this splendor is placed on the pack-rein-deer, and conveyed to the new place of residence.

dwellings, but the Laplanders have in fact no idea of it. A few of the race, who pasture their rein-deer on the coasts every summer, have built earthen huts in the form of tents; but these have no advantage over their usual abodes.

It is only in autumn that the Laplander kills his rein-deer, for it is only at that season that they are fat, and their flesh palatable. In spring the rein-deer has much to endure from the so-called rein-deer fly,— an insect which penetrates into the skin of the animal, and deposits its eggs, from which larvæ are produced. The animal is thus so tormented, that it becomes lean in summer, and the skin is of no value so long as the larvæ exist in it. The insects produce larger or smaller tumors on the backs and sides of the rein-deer, and the poor animals fall on their knees, on occasion of the slightest touch, in order to escape the pain. The female produces its young in the month of March, and from that time it is milked, by some of the Laplanders once, and by others twice a day. The milking of the rein-deer is one of the most interesting scenes in the whole economy of the Laplanders.

Towards evening the rein-deer are driven from the mountains to the tents. Their

wegian pastures-nay, that if the Laplander | EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON does not hasten, before the 20th August, MOSER'S DISCOVERY, towards the mountains, his herd will desert him, and proceed on their journey to the plains of Lapland.

Proving the effect is neither due to Light nor Heat.

From the Athenæum.

The wanderings of the Laplanders geneIt is proposed now to demonstrate, that the rally take place in the following order: In radiation discovered by Möser is not invisible winter, they remain partly in the vast moor- supposed. For, first, where is the evidence that light, as he supposes, nor heat, as has since been ish tracts, partly in the forests of Lapland; bodies absorb light? Some few, certainly, have and in spring, the torment caused to the been shown so to do; but surely not the metals, rein-deer by gnats and rein-deer flies, forces &c. &c., which exhibit the greatest facility in them to remove to the Norwegian confines, receiving and giving the impressions discovered where these insect-enemies are less trouble-by Möser. It seems, à priori, more probable some, and where the animals may enjoy heat (which we know exists in all matter) than that the radiation in question should consist of the snow. Some Laplanders proceed to of light. Accordingly, Mr. Hunt has written an the valleys, and to the islands near the elaborate paper in favor of the supposition that coast. In autumn, they return to the Lap- such radiation consists of heat. In the course land plains. In some districts, they spend of this essay, however, it will appear, that neithe winter in the Norwegian Alpine valleys; ther of these suppositions is correct. but so soon as the snow drives them away, that produce spectra.-Every substance I have 1. With regard to the nature of the substances they seek the coasts, until the spring again tried has produced its spectrum when left on a renders the Alps passable. The Laplander polished copper plate. Coins, whether of gold, always pitches his tent in the neighbor-silver, or copper, platinum, nickel, brass, pieces hood of a forest, in order to obtain fuel; of glass, wafers (red, blue, and white), pepperwhile in summer, the presence of a river or a spring is a necessary condition in the choice of a residence-melted snow supplying the necessary water in winter.

mint or rose drops, whale-bone, talc, gum, a horse-hair ring, lava from Vesuvius, Indian rubten days, gave a whitish gray permanent* specber (but slight), and sealing wax. This last, left trum, clearer than any of the others, though the wax and plate were both kept dry as usual. The impression on a small brass seal (a P) was very obvious when the plate was breathed on. The seal had been left ten days.t

The fondness of the Laplanders for silver money is well known, and it is only those who have intercourse with the inhabitants of the coasts, who take paper money. It is asserted, that they are still in the habit 2. Effect of dissimilar metals.-It has been of burying their money in the mountains, ed on a copper plate, the effect is greater than asserted, that when a gold or silver coin is placwhich is easily understood, when we con- when a copper coin, &c. is placed on the same sider, on the one hand, their timidity and metal. When heat is used, this position is true, mistrust; and on the other, that it must be as will be shown hereafter; but when the plates extremely difficult for them to carry arti-and coins are both kept cold, (exposed to extercles of value about with them, during their constant wanderings. The natural consequence is, that considerable sums are lost among the mountains, as death frequently surprises the Laplander before it is possible for him to reveal to his relations the spot where the treasure is buried; and as it is not possible to indicate it without being actually at the locality-a circumstance which does not often occur.

nal air, for instance, in March,) a farthing, on two different occasions, in an hour, left as good a spectral image as a sovereign,-I thought, a better one.

It was, however, remarkable, when a heat of 160° was applied to this plate, that the spectrum of the copper soon became invisible, while that

By a permanent spectrum is always meant, in this essay, a spectrum that remains when the sub

stances or coins are removed-not a spectrum which cannot be rubbed off by gentle friction, for all the above permanent spectra are yet soon effaced by friction.

It left a permanent spectrum of its margin. Coins left a similar time do the same; the part where they have remained retaining its polish. The THE DUKE OF SUSSEX'S LIBRARY.-It is announced permanent spectrum then, in such cases, plainly in the Times, that the Duke of Sussex's library is depends on the substances preserving the plate forthwith to be disposed of. It is stipulated in the from oxidation by contact or proximity. I add will that it shall be in the first instance offered to the proximity, because a half-crown or penny resting British Museum; and that, in the event of such na-on a fourpenny piece, placed on the plate, likewise tional establishment declining to purchase, it shall leaves its permanent spectrum. The free circulabe sold in such manner as the executors may direct. tion of the air is impeded here in consequence of The library, it appears, consists of upwards of 45,000 the extreme proximity, just as it is by actual convolumes, most of them in excellent condition, inde- tact. Hence the oxidation being less in all such pendently of MSS., consisting of early copies of cases than in the parts external to the coins, we different portions of the Holy Scriptures.-Athen'm. I have of necessity the permanent spectra.

of the gold was apparently not at all diminish-actly as bright as that covered by the penny. In ed. This experiment was repeated twice with fact, the copper plate seemed preserved from the same result. I likewise found that, though oxidation by the contact and proximity of these the spectrum of the copper was to appearance, coins. Thus, then, it appeared to require fortyat first, as good as that of gold or silver, yet that it began to disappear much sooner, after a few breathings on the plate, than did the spectrum produced by gold or silver. On the whole, therefore, it seems right to admit th t the effect is greater when dissimilar metals are used.

eight hours for a spectrum of the penny piece to be produced-the spectrum of a coin not in contact. The same experiment being made at a heat of 160°, no spectrum of the penny appeared after one hour, though the fourpenny piece had left a strong impression.

Ditto, continued for five hours, a spectrum of the penny was just visible, and only so when the plate was held in a particular position with re

A half-crown piece being laid on a half-sovereign, and the same heat continued five hours on the same plate, the half-sovereign left a still better impression than the fourpenny piece* above mentioned, and the half-crown had also made a permanent spectrum very visible.

3. Effect of unequal heat on the plate and coins. It has also been asserted, that when the copper coin is heated, and the metal plate of copper kept very cool, that the effect is increas-gard to light. ed. I have, however, not been able to satisfy myself of the truth of this statement. A penny and a farthing, heated to between 130° and 160°, and laid on a cold copper plate half an hour, did not appear to leave even so good a spectrum as two of the same coins left to cool for half an hour outside the window, by the side of the plate itself, before being placed on the plate. All the coins were placed on the plate at the same time, and left the same time. Neither could I perceive any difference when one sovereign was heated and the other not, both being placed on the same copper plate.

4. Effect of heat generally.-In order to ascertain whether heat hastens the impression, the following experiments were made:--1. A bright half-sovereign, a bright half-penny, and a dull one, were heated to about 150° on a polished copper plate. The half sovereign left a permanent impression; and both the halfpence left spectra visible only by breathing. It was obvious from this experiment and others, that heat increases the effect where contact is permitted, since the impression is permanent. Accordingly it was deemed right to try if heat has this effect when the coin is at a distance from the copper plate.

I put a silver fourpenny piece on the plate, and on the fourpenny piece I put a penny. I found I that when these remained only twenty-four hours, that no spectral image of the penny was produced; but on remaining forty-eight hours one was apparent. In this last case, the lettering of the fourpenny piece became almost visible when breathed upon; but not being breathed upon, no mark of it at all was perceptible. The penny piece, however, left its mark without being breathed upon-an annular bright mark, which was not rendered more or less distinct by being breathed on. The spectrum of the fourpenny piece was alone brought into view by this. The place where this had laid was ex

* Although the mark is permanent in such cases, still it very easily rubs off, even when gold has remained five hours on heated copper plates; and no spectral figure is left when the part is breathed on, after the plate has been well rubbed. As this is the case, such permanent mark is not to be considered as a different effect, but only as a higher degree of the same effect as that caused by mere imposition without heat. I found all the things mentioned in Section 1. gave a permanent spectrum if left eleven days, but only one rendered visible by breathing, being left but a few hours.

A farthing, which had rested the same time on the plate, lelt no permanent spectrum, but only one slightly visible by breathing. Even when pressed upon by two pence, and left eight hours, it left only a barely visible permanent spectrum: so a brass medal. These spectra being rendered far more visible by breathing, could hardly be considered permanent spectra.

These experiments show:-1st. That heat much increases the rapidity of the radiation, even when the object is not in direct contact ; and 2ndly. That it takes place much more energetically from gold and silver than from copper (a copper plate being used). They also show that a permanent spectrum is to be considered only as a higher degree of that produced or rendered apparent by breathing.

A sovereign, two hours on a very thin lamina of talc, at the above heat, gave no spectrum; talc alone gave its spectrum; nor did a half-penny, eight hours on the same at the same heat; nor a shilling (new) on a thin piece of glass, the shilling being under a half-penny. The tale and glass in these cases alone gave a spectrum; the talc a better and more permanent one than the glass. I should have said the talc was on copper-plate.

The spectrum of the penny, in the experiment lately detailed, is equally visible when the experiment is made on glass; but polished metals seem to show it the best.

When glass is used, there is, after from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, a slight deposition of dust, &c., around the parts which are not covered by the penny, and thus a round mark (permanent spectrum) is visible on removing the penny, even before breathing at all; still on rub

came visible without breathing on it. Yet nothing had been done, except that the plate had been heated in about 150° once or twice for other experiments.

When the plate was rubbed pretty strongly with chamois leather only, the spectra of the half sovereign and fourpenny piece were soon effaced; while those of the half-crown and penny (not hav ing been in contact with the plate) remained.

† A sovereign on a silver fourpenny piece two hours, gave only a very feeble permanent spectrum; the silver leaving, of course, a well marked spec

† However, after six or eight days, as this began to tarnish, the spectrum of the fourpenny piece be- I trum.