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on the island of the same name, which is separated from the
mainland by the Bussesund. The town has two harbours, the larger and
deeper being on the N. side, protected by a large new breakwater,
and the other on the S. side. To the W. of the town is the fortress of
Vardehus, founded about 1310, and now of no importance (garrison
of 16 men only). To this fortress, however, Norway is indebted for
her acquisition of Finmarken. Inscriptions here commemorate the
visits of Christian IV., King of Denmark and Norway, in 1599, and
Oscar II., King of Sweden and Norway, in 1S73. To the E. of the
town, which now consists of neat, well-built houses, covered with
turf, while in 1600 it was merely a group of ‘miserrima
pisca-torum tuguria’, rises the handsome new timber-built Church,
containing a brazen font. In the vicinity are numerous Hjelder for
drying fish. To the E. of the fortress is a large * Whale Oil Boiling
Establishment, to which visitors are freely admitted.
If time permit, the traveller should ascend the
(20min.)*Var-defjeld, a rocky hill 100 ft. in height, immediately behind the
church, which commands a view of the town and island, the
Bomen (535 ft.) rising to the S. E. the unbounded sea towards the
E., and the district of Syd-Varanger to the 3., with part of the
adjoining Russian territory.
The astronomer Paler Hell of Vienna observed the transit of Venus
across the sun from the isthmus between the two harbours in 1768-69.
He caused two stone columns to he erected on the bank of the JYordrevaag,
the N. harbour, with a view to measure the gradual retrocession of the
sea, but they have unfortunately disappeared. The church-register still
contains a memorandum written by him on 22nd June, 1769. — The
climate here, though colder than that of Hammerfest, is mild compared with
that of the interior of the country, the mean temperature being 32° Fahr.,
the July temperature 47°, and that of January 14°. Comp. p. xxxviii.
I’eyond Vardø the steamer passes the islands of Rene and
Horne, with their Eider-For and Dun-Veer (tracts where
eiderdown and feathers are gathered), where numerous ermines are also
found. It then steers to the S., and afterwards nearly due \V. to
(15 Kil.) Kiberg (telegraph-station). The shore continues
exceedingly barren. In the interior rise the mountains called Ruyttotjock
and Beljek. The steamer passes the S. side of the Vadse
(‘water-island’), on which the town of that name formerly lay, and finally
casts anchor in the harbour between the island and the town, which
now lies on the mainland (Vargak or Varjag-Njarg)
55 Kii. (34V2 Engl. M.) Vadsø (Lapp Cacce-Suollol, pron.
chahtze; Finnish Vesi-Suari; Russian Vasino; all signifying
‘water-island’; Hotel Krogh; English vice-consul, Mr. B.
Ackerman; telegraph-station), a town with 2200 inhab., including
1100 Finns (KvanerJ, lies in 70°4’N. latitude, and has a climate
similar to that of Vardø (sec above). The Finns live at Ytre- Vadse,
the E. suburb, where one of them will on application prepare a
vapour-bath (‘Sauna’) for travellers who desire to try the genuine
,Russian bath’. In every direction are seen Hjelder for drying fish,
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