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ALLISON’S VOYAGE FROM ARCHANGEL. 517
with toes turning up like the tip of a half moon painted, and furred within. One
thing peculiar in this people’s garb I obferved, and that was, they every one carried a
{mall powder horn, hanging under their chins, by a {tring about their necks, for what
ufe or purpofe I could not learn, though I afked them as well as I could, but could
not explain their anfwers; for my Dane that remained on board, was then, as I
thought, at the point of death; that is, fo weak as not to do the work of an interpre-
ter. ‘The governor’s man too, could not fpeak Dutch enough to be intelligible to me,
when I enquired into the fame thing three days before, though I underftood he was a
German born.
Thurfday, the twenty-fourth, it proved fair, the wind at S. W.; we got a boat of
wood. ‘lowards night it weftered, and about eight our long-boat returned on board,
and brought with them a barrel of beef, a barrel of rye meal, and three hundred
weight of ftock-fifh, with other provifions which we wanted; viz. fome dried mutton,
pork, and fome bread alfo, with butter and cheefe, to our great comfort; we being
therewith fufficiently ftored for the fea. And from them I took this following rela-
tion: That the town of Colwitch on the cape confifted of about fourteen houfes, with
as many families, and one church. ‘The houfes are built after the Norway fafhion, of
wood, with ftoves placed in the middle, or fo as to warm the rooms, without the fight
of fire ; they being a kind of ovens, and are heated after the fame manner. Their
houfes have windows of glafs, but with wooden fhutters, both inward and outward,
which they make clofe in the winter, by ftopping or caulking them with mofs. So
they keep up feveral weeks in the dark and cold feafon, burning great tallow candles
continually ; fome of which our men faw. The church was of the fame materials
with their houfes, being one room, able to contain about thirty perfons. Four or five
of thefe churches or chapels are ferved by one teacher about three times in the year ;
(for it is to be fuppofed they only congregate in the fummer.) They are ufually
placed about five or fix miles off each other, or nearer, according as the country is
more or lefs populous. But one paftor lives generally fifteen miles from another,
who is maintained by every tenth fifth ; and where he refides not, he empowers one to
gather the tithe as they take them. _ By this means they are furnifhed with merchan-
dife, which they fell or exchange for other things they want, with fhips that come
yearly to their port town to fetch them, and bring goods accordingly. Hence they
come to be the moft wealthy and confiderable of the people. They are lawyers, jul-
tices of the peace, and cuftomarily fole in authority. For their education is the moft
liberal, being, as I was informed, in a fchool or petty univerfity in Norway, near Dron-
theim. They too obferve the greateft hofpitality; all travellers being entertained by
them, ‘and furnifhed with fleds or rein-deer, from one to another: the like alfo was I
told by the governor’s man before, when he informed me of their way of travelling.
They breed cattle of a {mall kind, with goats and fheep, and {wine alfo. The former
are fed in the fummer with grafs, of which they have plenty at that time; but in the
winter they gather rock-weeds at low water, and boil them in coppers made for the
purpofe, to take the {alt out; and then give them to their beafts to eat. They have
horfes too of very mean ftature, who have the fame food; but the hogs, I guels, are
nourifhed by fifth, by reafon the dry pork they brought me had a ftrong tafte of it.
Their cuftoms and manners are much like thofe of the Danes, under whofe dominion
they are ; and every man from fifteen to fixty is taxed at two dollars each, which they
pay yearly, either in fifh or money, to the king of Denmark’s collectors: and for
that they have a feeming protection, and a liberty of living where they pleafe; which
in fummer is up and down the country ; but in winter they retire to their joint habi-
tations
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