Lippincott's Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, Old Series, Vol. 36—New Series, Vol. 10, July 1885Various
Science
Lippincott's Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, Old Series, Vol. 36—New Series, Vol. 10, July 1885
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
Mr. Mickley set sail on the 5th of June, 1869, being at that time a few
months past his seventieth year. He remained abroad for three years,
visiting every country in Europe, ascending the Nile to the first cataract,
passing through the Suez Canal, and across a portion of Asia Minor and
Palestine. He made two trips to Northern Sweden to behold the spectacle of
the midnight sun. Being a week too late on the first season, he tried it
again the following year. Passing through the entire length of the Gulf of
Bothnia, and ascending the Tornea River, he entered Lapland, crossing the
Arctic circle and penetrating the Arctic zone in a sledge-journey of
seventy miles. The indomitable old traveller pushed on until he reached a
small lumber-village named Pajala. On the night of June 23, 1871, crossing
the river with a small party of Swedes and Finns, he ascended Mount
Avasaxa, in Finland. At this altitude, he says, "the sky happened to be
clear in the direction of the sun, and he shone in all his glory as the
clock struck twelve."
During this prolonged absence he visited almost every considerable town in
Germany, Holland, Italy, and England. The instant that he arrived at a
town, he seemed to know the shortest cut to its museum. If there was an
antiquarian in the place, he knew of it beforehand, and hastened either to
make or renew an acquaintance. In the larger cities he was surrounded by
these people, and he expressed unaffected surprise and pleasure at their
attentions. He made visits of inspection to nearly every mint in Europe,
having been commissioned by the Philadelphia Mint to make purchases of
rare coins for its cabinet. Here the old passion appears to have blazed up
again for a little while. It was an entire surprise to his family to
discover among his possessions at his death the nucleus of a new
collection, which was sold for about two thousand dollars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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