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162 REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
the copper-mines are fituated. This place is about a league diftant from the river and
we were obliged to travel the whole way on foot.
We were extremely glad to hear upon our arrival, that there was a Frenchman here.
You fee, Sir, that there is no place, however retired, where Frenchmen are not to be
found. He has wrought in thefe mines nearly thirty years, and he had really more
the appearance of a favage, than a man; but he was of confiderable fervice to us,
although he had almoft wholly forgot his mother tongue. He affured us that fince he
had firlt refided here, far from having feen any Frenchmen, no ftranger had arrived
who was born nearer France, than an Italian, who pafled by this place fourteen years
ago, and of whom he had never afterwards heard. We were much pleafed with this
man’s recovering in fome meafure his native language, and we learned from him many:
things, which we could with difficulty have been informed of by any other, than a
Frenchman.
Thefe mines of Swapavara are thirty miles diftant from Torno, and fifteen from»
Konges, (a Swedith mile is always equal to three French leagues.) ‘They were opened
about feven-and-twenty years ago by a Laplander, called — — to whom a {mall
rent of four crowns and two barrels of meal is paid: he is exempt from every tax.
‘Thefe mines were formerly better wrought than they are now ; formerly they had con-
{tantly a hundred men working here, but at prefent one only fees ten or twelve. The
copper found here, is however the beft in Sweden; but fo deferted and fo frightful is
the country, that there are very few perfons who can remain in it. No body but the
Laplanders can remain here, and they refide in the neighbourhood of the mines, only
during the winter, as, in fummer, they are obliged to leave the country on account
of the heat, and the gnats, which the Swedes call a/caneras and which are worfe, a
thoufand times, than all the plagues of Egypt. ‘They retire to the mountains in the
neighbourhood of the weftern fea, for the purpofe of fifhing more conveniently, and
finding more eafily nourifhment for their rein-deer, who live upon a little white and
tender mofs, which grows in f{ummer on the Sellicean mountains, which feparate Nor-
way from Lapland, in the moft northern regions.
We went next day, Wednefday, to view the mines, which were fully half a league
diftant from our cabin. We admired the works and the excavated aby{s which penetrated
even to the centre of the earth, for the purpofe of feeking, almoft in hell itfelf,
materials for the gratification of luxury and vanity. The greateft number of ‘thefe
pits were full of ice, and fome of them were clothed from head to foot, with a coat of
ice fo thick, that even the largeft {tones which we amufed ourfelves with throwing at
them, far from making any breach, did not leave the fmalleft mark of the place where
they had been ‘truck; and when they fell to the bottom we faw them roll and rebound
without making the flighteft impreffion on the ice. And we were at this period in the
hotteft of the dog-days; but what is here called a violent fummer would be reckoned
in France a very fevere winter.
The rock does not furnifh the metal in every part, but it is found in veins; and
when once one is difcovered, it is followed with as much care as it was formerly fought
after. For this purpofe, fire is either employed to foften the rock, or powder to blow
it to pieces; the latter mode is by far the moft troublefome, but it is beyond meafure
more ufeful. We took ftones of all colours, yellow, blue, green, and violet; but the
laft appeared to us by far the beft, and the fulleft of metal.
We made a trial of feveral pieces of loadftone which we found upon the rock; but
they had loft almoft all their power by the fires which had been made above or below ; -
D> which
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