The Lure of the North E-Book

Various

• Herausgeber: Pushkin Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 79

Beschreibung

A nineteenth-century Scandinavian travelogue in three parts, celebrating the 175th anniversary of The London Library If you give anything to a Norwegian (old meat tins are always thankfully received), he will give your hand a silent grip more expressive than many words The Victorian passion for travel reached the far North in the nineteenth century, and many of the intrepid explorers were attracted by 'the advantages of accessibility, freedom, foreign travel, grand scenery, and, last but not least, comparative cheapness'. 'Six in Norway with a Snark', 'Unprotected Females in Norway' and 'Notes on Norway' all give, in their very different ways, a rounded view of the foreign traditions, language and landscapes encountered in the North in the nineteenth century. The Lure of the North is part of 'Found on the Shelves', published with The London Library. The books in this series have been chosen to give a fascinating insight into the treasures that can be found while browsing in The London Library. Now celebrating its 175th anniversary, with over 17 miles of shelving and more than a million books, The London Library has become an unrivalled archive of the modes, manners and thoughts of each generation which has helped to form it.

Leseprobe

 PUSHKIN PRESS — THE LONDON LIBRARY

The 19th-century boom in mass tourism, fuelled by the introduction of the railways, brought with it the rise of travel writing. Guided excursions such as “Cook’s Tours” (the first of which was led by Thomas Cook in 1841, and went from Leicester to Loughborough) were not for everyone. Many preferred to strike out alone into the depths of foreign lands. Of these foreign lands, Norway appealed to the more intrepid: the grand scenery, exotic peasantry and comparative cheapness of the Far North suited the enthusiasm of the young (or female) tourist.

The books in “Found on the Shelves” have been chosen to give a fascinating insight into the treasures that can be found while browsing in The London Library. Now celebrating its 175th anniversary, with over seventeen miles of shelving and more than a million books, The London Library has become an unrivalled archive of the modes, manners and thoughts of each generation which has helped to form it.

From essays on dieting in the 1860s to instructions for gentlewomen on trout-fishing, from advice on the ill health caused by the “modern” craze of bicycling to travelogues from Norway, they are as readable and relevant today as they were more than a century ago—even if it is no longer the Norwegian custom for tourists to be awoken by “the best-looking girl in the house”!

THE LUREof theNORTH

Contents

Title PageNotes on NorwayUnprotected Females in NorwayA Cruise on the Hardanger FiordAbout the PublisherCopyright

NOTES ON NORWAY

or, A Brief Journal of a Tour made to the Northern Parts of Norway in the Summer of 1836

BY WILLIAM DAWSON HOOKER

WILLIAM DAWSON HOOKER was twenty when he travelled to Norway. In July 1836, he was a guest of the Crowe family in the most remote part of Norway. A medical student and the son of a prominent botanist (who would later become the first full-time director of the Royal Gardens at Kew), he was particularly interested in ornithology. Hooker published a dissertation on quinine before dying in Jamaica at the age of twenty-three.

Laplanders at Kaafiord

Sunday, 31st.—After breakfast, Mr. Crowe’s house was thrown open to all the English in Kaafiord, who soon filled the room to hear divine service; and Mrs. Crowe, who was, by this time, “as well as could be expected,” made her appearance. This lady is a native of the country and considered one of the belles of the North of Norway. De Capell Brooke’s likeness of her is far from doing justice to her fine complexion, beautiful light hair, and charming features.

The Sunday is here considered to be over at six in the afternoon. The storehouse is then open, and it is the busiest time in the whole week, for as the hours are not counted as working ones, so the people almost all make a point of getting pisk or drunk on the Sabbath. The Mountain Lapps generally come down on that day with their Deer, from their summer encampments or Rehu-bye, to attend church, and afterwards make purchases and become intoxicated. I took this opportunity of sketching the particular dresses of these people; they did not like at first to be made the subject of a drawing; the cause of this originates in a superstitious idea, which is pretty common among the ignorant, that having the likeness of any person gives the possessor a power of bringing harm upon the individual whose likeness it is. This was of course the true reason why one man refused, though I was much amused at the objections he started, when I expressed a wish to sketch his wife, a mountain Lapp, who was a remarkably characteristic specimen of her national peculiarities. “No,” said the husband, “it must not be: she has not her gold and silver ornaments on.” After a while, however, and what was of more effect than the persuasions of Mr. Woodfall, after a few glasses of rum, he consented; and when I showed him her likeness and costume, he exclaimed, “that it was as like as if looking into a looking-glass;” and he was particularly delighted at hearing that my drawing was going to England, where it would be shown as his beautiful consort. The man was already very proud of her, and this circumstance raised her value at least fifty per cent. in his eyes.

An occurrence took place here this evening, as it does every Sunday, which I was very desirous of witnessing, and this was a Quān dance. It was held in a house close by; and having persuaded Captain Thomas to go also, we proceeded thither. No dressing indeed was required; thick boots and a pea-jacket were my equipment; and all the instructions I received were, to carry plenty of tobacco. So, pipe in mouth, I sallied forth, through mud, wet and rain, walking into the apartment without a whit of introduction, and there I already found the Harriet’s Skipper, skipping round the room with a Quān damsel, whose flat and shapeless face was aptly compared to a model in putty, which had been sate upon before it had hardened. We squeezed our way up to the top of the room, where there was a large fire, over which five or six old women were cowering, one of whom busied herself in stroking a child’s head, and ever and anon committing to the exterminating flames some unlucky straggler which she found there. The men had, almost all, birch pipes in their mouths, and these they did not always relinquish while dancing. Fearing to give mortal offence if I departed without joining in the evening’s amusement (I do not mean the ancient crone’s occupation), I looked round for the most cleanly girl in the room, and began waltzing till I could hardly stop myself, being regaled the while with delectable odours of salt-fish and ill-prepared deer-skins. I was astonished to see both men and women swallowing large draughts of cold water, while in a state of profuse perspiration, and seeming to receive no injury from a practice which would give most Englishmen inflammation in the bowels, or something of the kind. These poor creatures were certainly more innocently employed than their neighbours at the store, not a drop of spirits being touched among them. We had not been long in the house when we were summoned back to Mr. Crowe’s, where the ladies had got up a dance and were in want of partners, and these companions being far more agreeable than the Quān belles, and the mode of dancing less violent, we kept up the festivity till far into morning, and went to bed sufficiently tired.

Monday, August, 1st.—A party was formed to see the mines, and I started with them, but soon proved a deserter, being anxious to sketch the environs of Kaafiord, the Bay, Works, &c. during which time my friends having completed their subterranean researches, emerged from the bowels of the earth, the ladies having a most picturesque appearance in the miners’ caps and cloaks. I then rejoined them, and we returned home.

Entrance of Kaafiord

Just at this time our French acquaintances arrived, having accomplished their excursion to the North Cape, and being desirous of visiting the copper mines and works at Kaafiord, whither they immediately proceeded, and were highly pleased, especially with the process of purifying the copper, as performed in the laboratory of Captain Thomas. They afterwards dined at Mr. Crowe’s hospitable board, and spoke of Bossikop, which they had been visiting, and whither some of our party had already gone. I followed shortly after, in company with my kind friend, Captain Thomas, having persuaded Mr. Walker to come also. From Kaafiord to Bossikop is about ten miles by water, and the people seldom think of travelling, in summer, by any other means. We therefore got into a native boat, one of the Norway yauls, and a more comfortable conveyance can hardly be imagined. I shall endeavour to describe these vessels. They are very light, and at the same time, particularly strong, not difficult of management, nor easily upset; they carry a large square sail in the very middle of the boat, the stern sheets are also large and without any after-thorts. The timbers are so tightly put together that not a drop of water ever makes its way in. When used for short excursions, Reindeer-skins are laid in the bottom of the boat, and the traveller rolls himself up in his Paesk, and puts on his Skall-komāgers, while the heap of baggage, similarly enveloped, serves for a pillow, and he has another Deer-skin above him. Thus, nothing can be more comfortable than such a gìte. The tiller, which one might suppose would be in the way, is quite differently contrived; at first it projects, over the side, and then, with a joint, it turns along the gunwale, and is held by the man who manages the sail and sternmost oar. He sits looking forward, and rowing one oar, while others handle two oars, and sit looking aft. Accidents seldom happen, unless the men be pisk