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Of the Judicatures, isrc. of the Laplanders. -
eft A p. XIII
Of the Judicatures and Tributes of tin
Laplanders.
AFtek the manner of their Government, and the discipline they
live under, we deScend to thoSe affairs that are managed by it; which
belong either to the Courts of Judicature, or to the Tribute. I can Scarce
find any mention of the former. Their ow n Kings, when they were a free
Nation, exercifed this amority, and kept the juriSdi<3ion in their own
hands ; but when the Birkprli ruled them, it depended altogether on their
pleSure. Zci&ler makes no mention of any Judges among them, but Saies
that if any difpute happened that Was dubious, it was referred to the Courts
in SwedUnd’, 1 SuppuSe he means the more weighty controversies, which the
Birkarli could not, or did not dare to decide. But thefe were very rare
with them, for great crimes, as theft, rapine, murder, adultery ,qr Such
like are Seldom committed, and Scarce known by the Laplanders. They
neither borrow nor lend rnony, being content with what they poSTefs of
their own , which are commonly the occafions of quarrels in other Naticns,
and maintain fo many Lawyers. The chief Sin they are guilty of, is their
magical Superstition, which.fince their embracing Christianity, isfarbidden
by the Laws,and is not fo frequent as formerly. After that Cuftavm the
firft had depofed the Birkarli, and given them Governors of their own,
they lived under better difcipline, and greater diligence was ufed in feeing
Justice done, but Charles the ninth was the firft that took care to have
them inftrudted in the Swedish Laws , and that they Should regulate
them-Selves accordingly. This charge was given by the fame King in his
instructions to Laurentius Laure,.tii, Governor of Lapland, dated from Stockholm
on the 10th of OCt. rtfio, wherein he commanded him to govern thefe ot
Vma,Fitha, andLuhU, according to the SwediSh Laws, and to proteCt them
from all injuries. There are arprefent in Lapland three Governors, and
as many Courts of Judicature: the firft is called Aiundjiaenfc, or
Mgcr-manfian , the other Vhmenfun, ¥ithenfia» and Luhlenftan , the other is the
Tome nfan, aDd Kit a. en ft an. Over thefe are particular Governors, who in the
Kings name paSsSentence, but in the prefence of a Judge and a Priest,
where it is obServable that they added Priefts to the Governors, to restrain
them Srom doing injustice by the aurority of their preSence. Now as to
the time when theSe Courts were called, it is a doubt, butl believe it was
at the Fair times, when they met about all public bufineSs; this was
commonly twice in a ye^r, w’^in Winter and Summer, according to an order
of Charles the ninth’s. It is now in January and February. They were held
in the fame places where they kept their Marketsand Fairs, which were
-determined in each particular County, as will appear by and by.
R Now
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