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258 JOURNEY OF MAUPERTUIS.
fhe feemed to be in good health, and well proportioned, according to the idea I formed
of the proportions of their ftature ; fhe was four feet two inches five parts high, and
certainly fhe was one of the fmalleft I met with, yet without appearing from her dimi-
nutivenefs either deformed or extraordinary in that country. People may have deceived
themfelves as to the ftature, or large heads of Laplanders, who have not made the ob-«
fervations which I did, in fpite of the general ignorance of their ages that prevails among
them, Children, who from their tendereft youth have their features disfigured, and
frequently the appearance of little old men, begin very early to conduct their pulkas,
and to follow the fame labours as their fathers. I fufpect the greater part of travellers
have formed their judgment of the fize of Laplanders, and of the largenefs of their
heads, from thofe of the children; and I myfelf have frequently been nearly deceived
in this point. Ido not mean to deny that Laplanders are fhorter than other men
for the greater part ; but that I efteem their fhortnefs to have been ftated as too great in
the relations of travellers, owing to the error I have mentioned, or poflibly to that in-
clination towards the marvellous which is fo predominant. ‘To me there feems to be a
head difference between us and them, which is a great deal.
A country immediately contiguous to Lapland produced a real wonder, of an oppo-
fite defcription. The giant exhibited at Paris in 1735, was born in a village but little
diftant from Torneo. ‘The academy of fciences having caufed him to be meafured,
found him to be fix feet eight inches eight lines in height. This Coloflus was made up
of matter fufficient to have formed four or five Laplanders.
JOURNAL
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