Besides these, there are very few others found in Lapland. Shrubs, especially Currans, or Ribes are very frequent, but they regard not these because perhaps the tast is unpleasant, especially of those which bear Black-berries, which are more numerous than the others. The Junipers grow thick, being very tall and comely. This Country yields all manner of Berries, the chief are those which the Swedes call Hiortron, some Dew-berries, or the Norway Berry, whose species is the same that grows on Brambles, each Berry being divided as it were into graines of a pale yellow color, beginning to be red as they ripen. These commonly grow in marshy places. They creep on the ground, and are sustained by little props, so that they ought not to be reckoned among shrubs. The Berries are very wholsome, and are a present remedy for the Scurvy. The Inhabitants delight to eat them with their flesh and salt meats, as I mentioned before. They have a sort of black Berries, called by the Swedes, Halton, according to Olaus Pet. also the thin leaved heath, that bears a Berry, which some call ground Ewe, the Swedes, Kraokebær, the lesser black Berries called in Swedland Lingon, and the lesser black Berries called Blaobær, all which Olaus Pet. takes notice of, speaking of their manner of dressing meat, particularly of the Heath-berries: whence it appears that these Berries were as plentifull with them as the former. They have all sorts of other Berries, tho the Natives do not so much value them. This Country affords very usefull Herbs, such as are Angelica, which the Inhabitant value so much that they call it the Lapland herb, or Samigraes: they are much pleased with it in their meat: it grows with a short stalk, but thick. In the same place is found Sorrel, which they use too in their food. Some particular herbs they have which are not found any where else, as Calceolum Lapponicum, or Brassica Rangiferorum: what sort of herb it is Sam. Rheen expresses in these words, which, tho tedious, I thought fit to transcribe that we might have his exact opinion it. There grows (saith he) an herb which they call Calceolum Lapponicum because its flower is like the Laplanders shoe, it is of a blew colour with three rowes of seed in the pod, it has larger leaves than the vulgar cabbage, its stalk is a finger thick and the root bitter: it grows extraordinary fast, and rises to three cubits in height, and somtimes more: it is thought a bad and unprofitable herb because no beast will tast of it. There is another herb very usefel and wholesome, and of great esteem among them, which Olaus Pet. take to be like a carrot, he says it is called Mosaraoth, haveing the tast and flower of Pimpervel growing in marshy grounds to an ell in height. That Mosaraoth is not a Lapland but Swedish name, from maosa which signifies marshy places where mosse grows, what the inhabitants call it, I cannot yet learn. And these are the peculiar herbs which this country hath: I have not met with any one that could help me to the exact shape of them. But altho this soil beare some peculiar herbs, yet there are not many species of them, which Olaus Pet. gathers from the west-Bothnia, which borders on Lapland, for in that place there are found but very few.
I come now to Mosse, which is of diverse sorts. The first is tree Mosse, with a kind of long wool, hanging down from the boughs, especially of the Pitch tree, and somtimes from others. The 2d. which is very plentiful and affords food for the raindeers in the winter is ground Mosse, of a white colour, with long thin leaves growing a foot high. The 3d. is ground mosse, but softer of a more delicate yellow green: this is pernicious to the foxes, which the inhabitants cut small and mix with their baits to catch them. The 4th. is also ground mosse, short and soft, of a very fine colour, which because it is so fine they use instead of feathers to lay under Infants new born. I hear of a 5th. sort with larger and longer leaves, which they call Fathne, good against fainting if it be bruised and drank in broth, but I doubt whether this be Mosse, I had rather believe it Angelica cut small prepared and boiled under ground. The last thing which is to be mentioned is Grasse, which is of diverse kinds, the best sort is that which is found in the vallies near the mauntains called Fells, being short, soft, and juicy; that which grows in other places is thicker, rougher, and dryer. There is a 3d sort thin and slender which the inhabitants use for stuffing of their shoes, and gloves, to defend their feet and hands from the weather. And these are all the trees, shrubs, and herbs of Lapland.
[CHAP. XXXII.]
Of their Mettals.
That mettals grow in Lapland and the outermost parts of Scandinavia, is only a conjecture of the Antients, and there is no certainty of it, therefore none of them make any mention of them. Olaus M. flatly denies that to his age there were any Iron, Copper, or Silver mines found, therefore they were forced to fasten their boats with osiers, without any nails because they had no Iron, but in the 35. year of this age, in Queen Christina’s reign, a silver mine was discovered by the Inhabitants of Pitha near Nasafialo not far from the mountains which divide Swedeland from Norway, this was the first mine known in Lapland, found by Loens Person an inhabitant of Pitha.
In the year 1645. The most Illustrious Ericus Flemming L. Baron of Lais, now Senator of the Kingdome, and President of the company of Mines, first caused it to be opened, and a melting-house built with convenient necessaries. There is also a vein of Lead richer then the Silver and easier work’t. Rheen saith that the mountain is opened, not with Pickaxes or any Iron instruments: but they bore a hole, which must be fill’d with Gunpowder; when the mouth is well stopt they apply fire thro another little hole, which touching the powder breaks the hardest stones in pieces. But the use of this mine lasted no long time, for in the war between the Swedes and Danes in Carolus Gustavus his reign about the year 1658. it was spoiled by one Van Anen the Danish Kings Governour, from which time no man would go to the expence of cleansing and repairing the mine, because it would require a vast charge, before they could get any profit by it, which was too much for men of mean estates to undertake.
The 2d Silver mine is in Luhla-Lapmark named Kiedlkievasi found by Jonan Petri living in Torpenjaur about the 60. year of this age. It is in the middle of the Village Torpenjaur, on an high mountain 2. miles from the top, 6. miles from Rædstad a village of Norway, between Rædstad and Keidlkievasi; there is a famous high hill called Daorfiæl in the road that leads from the mine to Norway: the foul weather in the winter stops all passage over this mountain. The mine is rich enough and very broad, continuing the same all over, lodged in a hard Marcasite. It has this inconvenience that there are no woods near it, but they are forced to fetch their fuel a mile and a half off: they use powder instead of digging it, (as before) the melting-house stands 5. miles off in a pleasant place near the concourse of several Rivers, especially Darijock and Quickjock, which last gives the house its name. Here is a very spacious wood and great plenty of shrubs, especially currans, and all sorts of herbs. The river affords abundance of the best sort of fish as Salmon, Trout, Perch, &c. distant 27. miles from Taorne discovered in 1655. by an inhabitant who was showing the ore to Ericus Ericsonius who first discovered it. It is very rich and not drossy, only necessary’s are conveyed thither with some difficulty. There is another 3. miles northward called Wittange, found by a Laplander in 1668. The vein is not so good because mixt with Iron, wherefore they do not dig it so willingly as the Other; from these mines the ore is shipt away to the melting-house at Koenge to be melted and thence brought to Torna. There are Iron mines too, one in Torne-Lapmark joyning to the Copper mine, another in the same Lapmark called Junesuando found in 1640. by Laurence an inhabitant there, about 22. miles distant from Torna, whether it is carried to be beaten into bars and rods at the forge at Koenge. A 3d vein of the same mettal is found in Pelziwachin at Lulha, but of these the two first only are digged. I heard in 1671. of a Golden mine: but because there was no certainty, I will not insist upon it. I mention it because there are some that affirm that it was found in Swedeland in the time of Gustavus the first, but this was divulged by an uncertain Author, as appears by the event, for to this day nothing more has bin heard of it.
[CHAP. XXXIII.]
Of their Stones, Jewels, and Pearls.
I come now to their stones, which are very large and many, of an ash colour but rough hard and intractable, not to be reduced by any instrument to shape for use. Besides these there are others often found on the shores which represent the shape of an animal. These the inhabitants esteem much and adore them for Gods, under the name of Stoorjuncare. In Torne-Lapmark, near the mine Junesuando, on the banks of Torno, there are found yellow plain stones of a circular figure like mony, about the bigness of a half crown, which look like dirt, but are as hard as flints. Dn. Grape in his papers makes mention of them. I will set down a draught of them marked with the letter B. In the mine it self there are found stones in the perfect shape of Octaedra, polished and worked by nature herself, but very small not exceeding the bigness of a nut, and somtimes less, I have put down their figure with the letter C. It is not certain whether the loadstone be found in this Country, tho Olaus Mag. speaks of mountains under the pole which some have thought do breed the stone: his words seem to intimate loadstones as big as mountains, but ’tis certain he cannot mean Lapland, for that has none such, yet there are those who affirm that the loadstone is found there. As for pretious stones they have them frequently, Buræus mentions jewels, and afterwards he adds Diamond, Amethyst, and Topaz. By diamonds he means transparent stones or Chrystal, they are found big and little sticking up and down upon the rocks and craggs: some are as big as Childrens heads, such as I saw the Illustrious Gabriel de la Gardie Chancellour of this kingdom have; they have six sides ending like a pyramid, tho some of them are imperfect; the colour in some is bright and clear not inferior to Chrystal, in other dull and spoiled with flaws, some are pure, others have veins like cracks branching out every way, they serve the inhabitants for flints when they have occasion to light a candle, and yield more fire if striken with a steel than the flints themselves. I have now in a Lapland pouch some Chrystal which they made use of for flints. The Jewellers polish and cut their Chrystals with such art that somtimes they are taken for true Diamonds by those that have skill. I have drawn the greater sort of Chrystal in the native bigness & shape, marked with the letter A. Buræus mentions Amethysts next, some of which I saw brought out of Lapland, but so pale and spotted that they were scarce comparable to those that come out of Bohemia tho I hear since that there are much better found, cut rarely. The same thing is to be said of the Topaz, one of which I have in my study, in every thing like a Chrystal, only the colour inclines to a yellow. I am told that none of the rest doe shine so much as those that come from other places, which is the fault of almost all the jewels of this Nation, not being so apt to bare lively brisk colours as the eastern jewels doe. To this head I reduce all Pearls and Margarites, tho they be not stones. Some rivers in Lapland produce these, therefore there are certain inhabitants appointed to dive and search for them, such as was John Peterson, mentioned by S. Rheen, who first found the Silver mine at Nasafiæl, he is called een diamontzbrycare sampi partefoekiare i. e. one that finds and cuts pearls. Which (tho out of this Country) are not contemptible, it cannot be denied but that most of them want that liveliness which the oriental Pearls have, tho some are found as good, and in bigness and shape exceeding them. There are found some not come to perfection, half round and half flat, the round part being bright the other yellow and dull. I saw one a few years agoe brought out of Bothnia, so exactly round with such fresh colours, that a certain woman offered an 120. crowns for it, a Jeweller assured me that if he had another as good, he would not sell both for 500. They are bred not of such shells as are in the east broad, plane, and almost circular like Oister, but longer and hollower like Muscle shels, and not in the Sea but in Rivers, as may be gathered from Olaus Magnus. Those that are not come to perfection stick within the shells, but those that are perfect, are loose and drop out when the shell is opened.