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£.6 Of the Judicature and Tributes
Now we come to the Tribute they paid, which at first was only skins
of beafts , paid not by the Laf landers, but the Birkarli, yet only as an
acknowledgement of their Subjection to the Cro’p of Sweden. Bur*w calls
it niogro timber graoskjn , graoskin Signifies gray-Squirrils skins , ofwhich
color the Squirrils were constantly in the Winter ; timber denotes the
number of the skins, which were fourty , tied together in a bundle. It is
uncertain how many cf thefe bundles the Birkarli gave, butin the Commit
with (juflaws the fir it, thoSe oS Luhla and Pit ha were engaged to pay 8,
vhich makes in all 360 skins, befides two Martins skins. Thofealfo of Tome
were taxed with the fame number;and Shortly after this number was doubled,
by an agreement made in 1528. But after the Birkarli had loft their
pri-viledges, for the forementioned reafons, and the King received the tax by
Commissioners for himfelf,it is very probable fome more alteration wert
made. In the year 1602 they paid instead of skins every tenth Rain-deer,
and one tenth of all their dried fiSh ; which is clear from the commands
given by Charles tchis Deputies Olaus Eurman and Henry Benegtfon, at
Stockholm on the 22d of July in the fame year, to require the tribute in
this manner, that So the Laf landers might know what and hbw much they
were to pay : fbr it Seems that from Guflavus the first’s time, till then,
the Governors uSed no constant method in raifing it, but Sometimes
demanded skins, at other times other Sorts of goods that Seemed most necefr
Sary for prefent ufe; So that by this uncertainty the tribute grew very heavy
upon the Inhabitants, and their Governors took occafion from it to exaft
what they pleafed under pretence of the public account, for their own
proper ufes. Yet this custom continued not long, being thought perhaps too
burthenfome to the Laplanders, and very prejudiciable to their herds 5
wherefore It was ordered in 1606, that every one which was then 17 years
of age, fhould pay either two Bucks, or three Does out of their herds of
Rain-deers, and eight pound of dried fiSh; as alfo every tenth Fawn out of
their stock, and every tenth tun from their fifliery. This tax was alfo
im-poSed on the Birkarli that had any trafic with them. This order was kept
a long while,and renewed again by the Same King in 161 o. The tribute they
pay at this time is either mony, Rain-deers, or skins, either plain or fitted
up for ufe. TheSe they pay according to the largeneSs of the Provinces in
which they dwell, the largest of which, they fay , are ten heel skatt, that
. is, they pay the full tribute; the leSTer een half s’att, that is, half tribute;
and So likewife Sor the reft. He that poSSeSfeth a Province of the whole
tribute, pays two Patacoons, which they call Skattadakr, and others that have
leffer pofTeSTions and half tribute, give on ePatacoon-, thoSe which want mony,
pay fiSh or skins, which are commonly of Foxes or Squirrils, of thefe So,
of the others one with a pair of Lapland Shoes, are equal to a Pat acton:
two pounds alfo of dry fifli are of the Same value ; now to every pound of
dried fish they allow five over,becauSe So much is commonly loft in the
drying. They call this pound with its addition Skattpund, that is the pound
for tribute. They value their Rain-deers at g Dollars a piece, and pay the
tenths of them, not each family, but every hundred. 1 have fet the prices
down here, becaufe if any one had rather keep his Cattel, he can be forced
to no more then after this rate. Now concerning the tenths they pay of
skins, eveiy houfliolder is taxed one white Foxe’sskin,orapair of
Lafland
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