Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
six English travelers have visited the North Cape within twenty
years--that is to say, by way of Hammerfest; but parties of English
gentlemen occasionally proceed direct in their yachts.
Fain would my new friends have delayed my departure; but, wind and tide
serving, I resumed my voyage at noon, promising to call on my return. In
sailing through the sound, I noticed a neat little wooden church, the
most northern in Finmark. A minister preaches in it to the Fins and Laps
at intervals, which depend much on the state of the weather; but I
believe once a month in summer. The congregation come from a circle of
immense extent. If I do not err, Mr. Robert Chambers mentions in his
tour having met with the clergyman of this wild parish.
Passing Maas Oe, we sailed across an open arm of the sea, and reached
the coast of Mager Oe, the island on which the North Cape is situated.
Mager Oe is perhaps twenty miles long by a dozen broad, and is separated
from the extreme northern mainland of Finmark by Magerösund. Although a
favorable wind blew, my crew persisted in running into a harbor here,
where there is a very extensive fish-curing establishment, called
Gjesvohr, belonging to Messrs Agaard of Hammerfest. There are several
houses, sheds, &c. and immense tiers of the split stockfish drying
across horizontal poles. At this time about two hundred people were
employed, and one or two of the singular three-masted White-Sea ships
were in the harbor, with many Finmark fishing-boats. The water was
literally black with droves of young cod, which might have been killed
by dozens as they basked near the surface. My men loitered hour after
hour; but as I was most anxious to visit the North Cape when the
midnight sun illumined it, I induced them to proceed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account