Among the enchanting landscapes of the European North, unusual stone structures attract attention.
Installed so outwardly unstable that it seems they shouldn’t even stand, they managed to withstand the pressure of temporary factors and events.
This seids- cult sculptures of the ancient Sami.
In the Sami tradition, “seid” is a spiritualized object of universal worship. It can be a tree, a mountain, a stone, or a man-made stone structure.
Characteristic features of seids
Several characteristic features stand out in the location of the ancient Sami sanctuaries in Karelia:
- religious complexes are located on flat, often treeless, mountain tops;
- clusters of seid stones are always located on rocky surfaces (seids were never built on other, post-glacial landforms);
- Seids are accompanied by small raised lakes - paleo-reservoirs;
- One of the primary landscape attributes of sanctuaries is the presence of gorges, cracks in rocks, faults and similar formations.
The result with the sources and clarification of the features of the seids of Karelia made it possible to determine the possible locations of large accumulations of cult stones of the ancient Sami on the Kola Peninsula and to visit these places in 2004 and 2005.
Photo 5. Boulders that were damaged or weathered were often chosen for seids. Mount Dvoynaya, Kola Peninsula
The northern regions of the Kola Peninsula from Liinakhamari to Northern Seidpakh Mountain were examined.
In this strip, several large complexes were identified, according to preliminary estimates, consisting of several thousand cult stones.
A review of the seid plateau of the Kola Peninsula allows us to identify structural and landscape external features, which with a high degree of probability can be used to classify this or that seid as a man-made object.
The first includes the features of stone installation, conventionally called seid architecture.
Thus, near-spherical boulders have supports under the center, flat rock fragments were usually erected horizontally on three or four supports, and near-cubic stones were often supported on an edge using one support.
Standard signs of seids- visually unstable installation of boulders, the use of support stones of a color different from the color of the seid itself, the use of stones uncharacteristic for the area.
Photo 6. Rare arrangement: one three-legged seid rests on another. Mount Dvoynaya, Kola Peninsula
On the seid plateau, the seid stones themselves are often accompanied by other structural elements: stone heaps and pyramids, hearth and square layouts, cracks in the rocks filled with stones.
Even “styles” characteristic of a given area have been identified.
Their existence in the installation of stones may indicate a long period of development and existence of this cult, as well as, probably, some differences in cultural terms between the tribes that lived in different regions of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula.
On the other hand, different styles correspond to different landforms.
The man-made nature of the seid plateau complexes is also emphasized by landscape features.
They are installed only on rocky surfaces, at heights dominating the area, and near small sources or sources.
Photo 7. Seids often have not only an engineering, but also an aesthetic component. Teriberka
Seids were never built on the chaotic accumulations of boulders left by the glacier.
The conventional centers of cult complexes are both man-made structures, other than seids, and natural formations.
On Mount Kivakka in Karelia (the name of which comes from Kiwi Akka - “Stone Baba”) the seids are grouped around a fault passing through the top of the mountain, and on Mount Dvoinaya the centers are a rocky outcropping on one peak and a small stone pyramid built over a crack on the other .
On the Karelian mountain Nuorunen is the central peak itself, on the terrace around which seids are grouped.
Based on these signs, it can be assumed that the ancient inhabitants of the North chose places for the construction of religious complexes at some distance from certain natural objects - outcrops, rocks, gorges, failures, which, apparently, were deified, like the seids themselves.
Seid cult
To construct the seids, boulders brought by the glacier from other places were used, and in some cases, fragments of rocks located no more than a few hundred meters away.
But where did the cult of seids come from?
Photo 8. A cracked boulder, both parts of which are raised on supports. A similar arrangement was recorded in the seid complexes of Mount Vottovaara and Liinakhamari. In the photo: seid on Mount Nuorunen, North Karelia, Paanajärvi
In Scandinavia, due to some external similarity, it is customary to consider the cult of the Seids to be borrowed from the cult of the dolmens of Southern Sweden.
The origins of the seid cult lie in the specifics of northern nature.
What do you want to focus your attention on in the surrounding landscape?
What stands out from it is a rocky island hidden among the reeds, the steepest mountain, a bottomless or mysterious gorge.
It was near such “dark spots,” called “tracts,” that our ancestors most often built their sanctuaries.
The few boulders left on the hills after the glaciers melted could not but instill awe and fear in the ancient Sami, who were unable to explain the origin of such strange natural formations.
Photo 9. In the popular imagination, the Lapland seid looks exactly like this: a spectacular lump on three supports, hovering above the tundra. North Seidpakh mountain area
Hence the endowment of seids with magical properties up to their deification.
The spread of seids fits well into this tradition of copying magical symbols.
In the tundra, on the approaches to Mount Dvoinoy, there rises a small hill of medium altitude, but it dominates the area.
At its top there is not a single seid, and only at the foot, on a small terrace near two tiny reservoirs, is a compact cluster of a dozen seids.
The presence of water was required for rituals, offerings and other or mystical actions.
Photo 10. Unstable vertical position. One of the spurs of Mount Dvoinoy, Kola Peninsula
It was the determining factor in choosing the location for the seids.
Since ancient times, the Sami have associated mountains with paradise, and raised lakes were considered prototypes of the sources of the world's water supplies.
Not far from the lakes there were seids that were once built on the territory of modern Sweden (Lake Viksijärvi, Mount Mionjuvara) and Finland (lakes Kikasyarvi, Nakkalayarvi, Somasyarvi).
The concentration of many cult stones on the seid plateau emphasized the “sacredness” of these places.
Most likely, the plateaus were unique religious and cultural centers of the ancient Sami.
Obviously, the discovered sanctuaries are far from the last point in their research. There are new searches, new expeditions ahead.
In mid-March, the village of Teriberka, located on the Kola Peninsula, unexpectedly entered the top 20 most popular tourist destinations in 2016 according to National Geographic Traveler magazine. The peninsula itself is famous for its ancient history, and there are many mythical and mysterious places on its territory. Lenta.ru found out what other attractions are definitely worth seeing when visiting the Kola Peninsula.
Scenery of "Leviathan"
It is no coincidence that the village of Teriberka was included in the National Geographic list. It was here that the filming of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated film “Leviathan” took place. After their completion, the Teriberka festival was specially organized in the village. New Life”, and hundreds of foreigners wanted to see the nature of the Russian North.
Photo: Sergey Ermokhin / Kommersant
In addition to the Leviathan scenery, in Teriberka you can also look at waterfalls and a ship graveyard, visit the local 127-year-old weather station, and also see the coastal defense line structures from the Great Patriotic War.
Seydy
Mysterious stone structures are most often found in Norway and other Scandinavian countries, but many of them can also be found in the North of Russia - in Karelia and on the Kola Peninsula. According to one version, seids for religious purposes were erected by the ancient Sami, who began exploring the peninsula about 7.5 thousand years ago. Some of them represent some special place in the mountains, tundra and taiga, for example, a distinctive rock, stone or stump. Such seids are difficult to discover even for experienced researchers, and their location is known mainly by the descendants of the ancient Sami.
Another type of seid is also called guria or tour and is a small pyramid made of boulders of the same size. But on the Kola Peninsula there are also massive rocks placed on small stone supports. Despite their apparent instability, such structures were able to stand for thousands of years. Seids are also often grouped into large clusters, numbering tens or hundreds of objects of varying sizes.
Due to the poor knowledge of the region and the poverty of archaeological finds, the true purpose of the seids still raises questions among historians. According to one of the Sami legends, fishermen who went to sea left part of their soul on the shore in a stone seid so that it would not be devoured by some monster. Seids also served as a religious object during certain holidays, and some of them were related to specific people, according to legend, who turned to stone after death. According to Sami legends, the row of seids can only be approached at certain times, and women are prohibited from standing near them.
The seids of the Kola Peninsula are primarily notable for the fact that the ancient Sami gave them names. So, on the Ponoi River there are rocky outcrops of the Old Man and the Old Woman, and on Mount Seidapakh in the middle reaches of the Ponoi River rests the Flying Stone seid. It was first described by a participant in the Lopar expedition of 1926-1929 by ethnographer Vladimir Charnolussky and since then has invariably attracted travelers and tourists. According to Sami legend, this stone flew from Scandinavia and searched for a calm and fertile place for a long time until it settled at an altitude of 188 meters above sea level.
Lovozero tundra and Seydozero
In the west of the Kola Peninsula lies a mountain range that locals call the Lovozero tundra. This wild place with pristine nature has long been famous for its mystical atmosphere, which is greatly facilitated by the abundance of ancient rock carvings and seids. In the center of the mountain range there is a large lake, Seydozero, about eight kilometers long, which the Sami also call Shaman Lake.
On its rocky shore rests the figure of Kuyva - one of the main attractions of the Lovozero tundra. At a height of 74 meters, the sheer wall forms a ledge, its features reminiscent of a person. According to legend, the ancient Sami surrounded their leader, the invincible Kuiva, during a battle with the Swedes. Unable to escape, he “froze on a rock that hangs over the lake.” The few local residents have always treated Kuiva with special respect, although they never deified the mysterious figure.
The myth about the highest point of the Lovozero tundra, Mount Ninchurt, is also popular among the Sami. According to legend, a secret city of shamans or ancient people with large pyramidal buildings and smooth pavement slabs is hidden in it. In 1934, a group of Soviet researchers led by Olga Vorobyova actually found traces of caves and underground passages in the mountain, but most of them were flooded with water or covered by landslides.
"Blood of the Sami"
In the Lovozero tundra and the Khibiny massif you can find the extremely rare mineral eudialyte, large reserves of which, in addition to the Kola Peninsula, are found only in Canada and Greenland. Because of this, it is rarely used in jewelry, although it has an absolutely unique pink-crimson hue, reminiscent of blood sparkling in the sun. Because of this, it is often mistaken for the red varieties of garnet - almandine and pyrope - from which it differs in its crystal shape and high fragility.
The Sami connect the history of the birth of the mineral with the legend of Kuiva and the fight against the invasion of the Swedes. In that battle, the ancient population of the Kola Peninsula gained the upper hand, and the legendary leader of the enemies, Kuyva, turned to stone.
But so many Sami were killed in the battle that the entire tundra for kilometers around was covered with the blood of the fallen. Its drops turned into red stones, reminiscent of the people’s struggle for their independence. Because of this, in Sami mythology, eudialyte was considered a talisman for warriors. People believed that on the battlefield the stone would give them courage and courage, and also protect them from injury and death.
Nature reserves
On the territory of the Murmansk region there are several nature reserves: Pasvik, Laplandsky and Kandalaksha. All of them are very attractive for eco-tourism. Each has its own characteristics. For example, the oldest is Lapland - it was founded back in 1930. Now it has a strict visiting regime. Entry into the reserve is possible only with permission from the directorate. The Lapland Nature Reserve offers travelers year-round excursions to the Chunozero estate, during which participants will be able to see “changes of plant zones, “ram’s foreheads” and old-growth forest.
The Kandalaksha Nature Reserve appeared in 1932. It was created to protect the sea duck - the common eider. The reserve is divided into 13 sections. Most of them are marine archipelagos with adjacent territories. The marine area occupies 74.2 percent of the reserve's territory. Access to the reserve is limited for unauthorized persons. However, there is a tourist route Kandalaksha Bay - Ryazhkov Island, which does not enter protected areas, but gives an idea of the local nature.
The youngest nature reserve in the Murmansk region is Pasvik. Its story began in 1992. The reserve is located in the Pechenga district of the region - in the extreme north-west of Russia. The Pasvika protected area crosses the border - part of the reserve is located in Norway. Pasvik's main task is the conservation and study of waterfowl.
Large Russian companies support nature reserves in the Murmansk region. For example, in the Lapland Nature Reserve, with the participation of Norilsk Nickel, the central estate is being reconstructed. In Pasvik, the company is helping to create a modern visitor center in the city of Nikel. It should become a platform for scientific forums and other events on environmental issues.
The Valley of Glory memorial is also located on the Kola Peninsula - a monument to Soviet soldiers who stopped the advance of German troops on Murmansk in 1941. To capture the city through the tundra, the Jaeger Corps “Norway” of General Dietl, mainly consisting of Austrians and Norwegians, was sent. On July 2, enemy units approached the Zapadnaya Litsa River and tried to cross it, but were forced to retreat under heavy fire from the Red Army soldiers who occupied the dominant heights.
Bloody fighting continued until early September, when the Germans launched their final offensive. The fighting continued for more than 10 days, but in the end the Norway Corps suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat, and the attack on Murmansk failed.
I was born and raised in Murmansk and thought that I knew quite a lot about my region. But 10 years ago I said goodbye to my job as a sailor and began working on the shore. I have more time to spend traveling around my native land. I knew about seids before - my grandmother called them “flying stones of the Sami”, but then I came across such a huge number of stones that it led me to become interested in searching, classification, history, etc. The amazing is nearby, sometimes you just can’t see it, even if you look directly at this miracle... Let’s look...
The island of BRANDVAKHTA in the Kola Bay is “sacred” for the Sami. The cut goes in a strictly straight line across the entire island. Gray stone - granite, black stone, according to some sources it is similar to shungite, which is found only 400-500 km further south
In most cases this is the work of nature, most likely the sea rather than a glacier
Filmed from afar, the gorge prevents you from getting closer, so I can’t say anything about man-made
This stone was clearly touched by someone’s hand, but not the Sami’s... Dating is based on relict lichen - the growth is 0.001 mm per year.
Its “age” is more than 10,000 years
“Altar” - charred animal bones are often found near these stones, and there are very few trees in the tundra...
This pile of clearly placed stones is more than 2000 years old. There was no smell of Sami in these parts then...
"Security guard"
A classic of the genre - several legs and a hat
Some seids are against all the laws of physics, it seems that you point a finger and they will roll... but no. There's about 30 tons in this baby
A portrait of an ancestor looks the same from both sides. Such stones are also seids or saints
"Bear" About 2000 tons. An amazing thing - in the area of 10-15 meters from this seid and closer, even the solar radiation background decreases by about a third.
Another sacred mystery of the Russian North is the huge walking stones - seids. Some expeditions observed the unique phenomenon of spontaneous movement or turning over of giant stones. Geologists, repeatedly visiting the seid plateau in the Lovozero Mountains (Murmansk region), discovered that some seids are located in other places. But there are no traces of any movement! One inevitably recalls the Sami legends about sacred seids - flying stones. The famous ethnographer Vladimir Charnolussky called the entire North the Land of the Flying Stone.
“Indeed, there is a phenomenon of so-called walking stones,” archaeologist Kirill Veselago confirms the opinion of ethnographer Charnolussky. – The fact of the ability of huge stones to move mysteriously has not left physicists indifferent for many years.
SAIDS OF THE KOLA PENINSULA
Seyd can't help but catch his eye. When I first saw such a stone, I was told that it was just a mark that the Lapps used to mark the deer path through the pass. A massive block of one and a half meters in height, almost square in shape, was clearly visible against the background of snow, strangely held on the mountainside. She was visible from everywhere. Just a flying stone, they told me. Just sayd.
“God Storyunkare often appears during fishing and bird hunting in the form of a figure of a very beautiful man, dressed in clothes the same as customary there, only black... and the only difference is that his feet are like those of birds. The figure of Storyunkare is made of stone... and they say that the idols of the Lapps are large stones in forests, deserts or on the mountains... These stones are rough and not shaped in any way, but they erect them and thus make statues of God between the rocks, on mountains, on river banks or near trails.” This is how the royal geographer from Uppsala I. Schaeffer spoke about the Scandinavian seids in his famous work “Lapponia” in 1673.
In the Edda the word Seidhr is found in the sense of “magic”; even more often there are words with the root seid in the sagas: sidha - to conjure, seidhberendr - wizard. But Schaeffer is most likely right: “The word “seid”,” he writes, “denotes all kinds of divinity.” Seid is a Russian word, in other languages, for example, in Finnish, it sounds like “seita” (seita), in Norwegian and Swedish as “seide”, in Lapland “sieidde” (sayad). On the territory of these four countries is Saamiedna, the country of the Sami (Lapps or Lapps), the country of the Seids. In Russia, this is the territory of the Kola Peninsula. Or the Kola Peninsula (“fish” in Sami), as it was called before the revolution and is still called in all other languages.
Ancient Finnish roots “lappes” - “banished” or “lapu” - “ultimate border” and “witch” at the same time... The Danes were afraid of Swedish sorcerers, they were afraid of Norwegian ones, the Norwegians believed in Finnish sorcery, but even the Finns were afraid of lapps. Back in 1584, Ivan the Terrible sent for the best magi - the Laplanders - in order to interpret the phenomenon of the comet. They predicted his death, which came true on March 18 of the same year.
They are perhaps the first reindeer herders in Europe to still maintain their way of life. From the time of the last Glacier. Foggy and dark Pohjala - the personification of the “lower world” in the Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala” - is Lapland. Land of eternal darkness. Or, conversely, the never-setting sun. Depending on the season. Maybe the “ultimate border” is what we call the “arctic circle”?
A classic seid is a stone ranging in size from an average boulder to a large block, placed on one or more smaller stone stands. Often one or more stones lie on top. Sometimes seids are placed on the most unstable part - an edge or a narrow peak. It happens that the stones also stand on a steep slope or the very edge of a cliff. In general, apparent “instability” is their characteristic feature. As if a block would fall at the slightest touch. But it has been standing for thousands of years! I would venture to suggest that the seid, like most religious buildings, can represent a model of a world that is outwardly unstable, but very stable.
Academician B. Rybakov suggested that the seid symbolizes the magical Sampo mill from the Kalevala epic, and that it is a giant Neolithic grain grinder - a primitive device made of two flat stones. It is difficult to imagine the mythical Sampo. Made at the beginning of time by the blacksmith Ilmarinen from two stones (doesn’t this resemble the classic seid - one stone on the other?) and having some “roots” (“seid’s stand”?), the huge structure was kept in the cliff. The abduction of Sampo from the dark lands of Pohyala is the main plot of the epic. Capturing the idol of another tribe is a common theme in mythology. Draw your own conclusions. It just needs to be said that belonging to an agricultural cult - a grain grater among the moss moss and granite of Lapland - is an unlikely phenomenon. Besides, a grain grater with roots... Maybe Sampo is a symbol of the rotation of the world?
Many doubt that seids are man-made structures. In fact, the stones, although strangely placed, are not processed in any way. But it would be even more difficult to explain their existence as a result of the movement and melting of the glacier. Firstly, there is nothing like this in other places on the planet that were also under ice. Secondly, entire complexes of stones in some places of the peninsula and their absence in others can hardly be explained by natural causes. Thirdly, the “stands” of seids are often stones of other types, often just three stones. Many more arguments can be given. And Schaeffer wrote that seids are “erected.”
Throughout Lapland until the 19th century. offerings to the seids of fish, meat, blood and deer antlers were described. The horns were always placed with the ends up. Perhaps each Sami clan (saivo) had its own stone. Women were not allowed near the sacred stones, and the head of the clan himself was afraid to come close to the stone. In many famous stones lived the spirit of one or another “noida” - a Lapland shaman. If there was a lack of attention to himself, he could cause big trouble, leave the stone or fly away with it. It was believed that the stones of Stonehenge were brought from Ireland by the magician Merlin. They also thought that all seids were petrified wizards. Noida could turn to stone if he was called by his real name. But his spirit remained in stone.
The Laplanders never claimed that the megaliths were erected by them, just as Stonehenge was not built by the historical tribes of Britain. In archeology, there are the terms “Komsa culture” and “proto-Sami”. The erection of seids is attributed to them. Often the Sami simply call seid an old man or an old woman. Isn't this a memory of an ancient people? Perhaps the Sami language, which is very different from other languages of the Finno-Ugric group, has the influence of the language of this ancient people...
I. Svensk. Geology and minerageny of the Kola region. Proceedings of the All-Russian (with international participation) scientific conference and the IV Fersman scientific session, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of academician. A.V. Sidorenko and Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy I.V. Belkova.
What could be more charming than good old England, its neo-Gothic architecture, strict etiquette, maritime grandeur and the inner vicissitudes of passions that Shakespeare described to us? But what do we know about the true way of life of the British?
ENGLAND UNDER THE COVER OF OPIUM
During the Victorian era, drug use, mainly opiates and cocaine, was very common. Due to strict anti-alcohol laws, alcohol was expensive, and most people preferred to buy opium. It was a universal remedy: a way to relax or escape reality; girls used it to beauty their hair; doctors prescribed drugs to sick adults and even children due to a lack of understanding of the danger.
All segments of the English population suffered from opium addiction. The poor preferred opium due to its easy availability and low cost, while the upper class used it to calm their nerves. Most often these were society ladies who were prescribed opium tinctures for nervousness, hysteria, painful menstruation and any ailments.
In London one could often find so-called “clubs” where aristocrats loved to smoke opium pipes. These were dens where stoned socialite bohemians could lie on the floor with street prostitutes. A similar picture is vividly described in Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. These were also respectable establishments, enveloped in chic, where they took the design of the opium pipe seriously; it was a little longer than usual and was always painted with some interesting ornament, so that it was pleasant to hold in your hands, as this enhanced the sensations.
The government did not seek to solve this problem, because alcohol was considered a great evil at that time. In addition, during the prosperity of the East India Company, tons of opium were sent to China. The country became very addicted to this type of drug, which led to the famous Opium Wars. Emperor Daoguang ordered the entrance to trade with foreigners to be completely closed. The reason for this was that up to 60% of the people around the emperor used opium.
Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the authorities pay attention to drug addiction and subsequently the International Opium Convention was signed, uniting thirteen countries in the fight against this problem.
LONDON STENK
Let's remember Patrick Suskand's novel “Perfume. The story of a murderer." Approximately the same epithets can be used to recreate the atmosphere of the 19th century that reigned in England: provincials came to London and complained that the stables smelled even more pleasant. Problems with cemeteries, or “lit cesspools” as they were called, seemed trivial compared to the lack of sewerage. If citizens did not store the contents of the pots in the basement, they poured it out the windows onto the streets. Although the enterprising English managed to find a benefit in this: they sold the waste to farmers for manure, but there was so much of it that they did not have time to buy it. Prayers were answered, and flush toilets appeared by the mid-19th century. True, this also caused a lot of trouble: people in the Victorian era were so shy that they could sit in the toilets for a long time until the voices outside the door stopped, because the sound of the flush was very loud, and the bathroom was located next to the living room.
SCREAMING LUXURY EARNED UNDER THE BLANKET
They fought prostitution in England in an interesting way. The government did not pay attention to courtesans for a long time, and only problems with sexually transmitted diseases became the impetus for action.
The newly introduced Contagious Diseases Act stated that prostitutes could be subject to medical examination in all ports, at any time. If the doctor found syphilis in them, then they could be sent to a venereal hospital for 9 months, and if the woman refused, she would appear in court and pay a fine. And everything seems to be fine, after such a law everything should have gotten better, but retorts in the Chamber led to new questions: why not improve the standard of living of girls and provide them with jobs; officers who did not dare to be examined were considered carriers of disease, and why not allow soldiers to get married and allocate funds for their provision? It would be much more effective.
It got to the point where they would take a girl down the street for an examination, and some feminist activist would shove a leaflet at her and ask if the procedure would be carried out with her consent. And she might not even know where she was being taken, and might not be a prostitute at all.
But the most serious problem was the issue of child prostitution. Back then they didn’t know who to consider a child. By law, minors had the right to sell their bodies from the age of 12. Pimps got many of these girls into their employ through deception, and the little girl could no longer do anything. Most often, girls were taken from poor families, and their parents were told that she would work as a maid in the house. And many did not think that there was anything suspicious about this, because many did just that.
Brothel keepers drugged new arrivals with opium, and they woke up the next morning in blood, pain and tears. But in such situations there will always be the right words, such as, for example, that if a girl wants to be a lady and live in abundance, then staying is the only way, because now she is fallen and no one needs her. They were not particularly concerned about their well-being, except that they were sent to an obstetrician, and even there the girls could be injured during the examination.
It took a lot of time and scandals in the press for the government to start seriously thinking about the problem. There were a lot of protests across London due to the inaction of the authorities. Naturally, no one in Parliament wanted to be seen as a child molester, and in 1885 the age of consent was raised from 12 to 16. And the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act was a triumph.
PATRIOTIC SMUGGERS
In the 19th century, smuggling in England was especially developed due to the outbreak of war with France. The stubborn Napoleon could not capture the sea power thanks to its strong fleet. Then he decided to ban all of Europe he had captured from trading relations with the British. This largely hit European countries, as they were left without English wool, tea, sugar, and their own production without English markets. The smugglers did not miss the opportunity to lend a helping hand and transported goods secretly. This was not difficult: when the goods were delivered to the shore, they were hidden in caves or tunnels and then handed over to the customer. If smugglers ever encountered trouble, it was only in the face of customs officers. But even here they managed to come up with a mechanism for preserving the cargo: they sank the boxes and barrels with contraband and fished them out later. Goods were hidden in double-bottomed fresh water barrels, under false decks, or under false ceilings in cabins. It is interesting that Napoleon himself resorted to the services of smugglers to transport gold from England to pay for his own troops.
Most smuggling was related to wars. Despite the English colonies, from which exotic fruits such as pineapples and bananas were imported into the capital of the British Empire, smuggling continued unabated. A striking example of this is the charismatic Tom Johnston from Lymington. Quite dexterous and resourceful, he quickly agreed to spy on England and convey all the information to Bonaparte. Before he could escape and become an honest smuggler, he was caught by the British and hired to privateer against the French. The insatiable Johnston got into debt and fled back to the French. He became famous for rejecting Napoleon's offer to help him bring the French fleet to the shores of his native England. His bright life was cut short at the age of 67.
But in the 1920s, the government decided to get serious about smugglers. The trick with boxes underwater was no longer so effective. Customs officers learned to tap the cargo, and if the box turned out to contain a “secret,” they mercilessly opened it. By the middle of the 19th century, maritime smuggling in the English Channel was over. Such stubbornness on the part of the authorities was caused by the famously brutal Hawkhurst gang, which successfully operated at the end of the 18th century, and the unpatriotic actions of Tom Johnston.
IN A PRISON, LIKE IN A MONASTERY
If we talk about prisons of the 19th century, they said goodbye to dilapidated walls and cramped life. This was a new, completely different example of prison life and, at first glance, even pleasant.
At the same time, debate began about how exactly the prison should be organized, and it was decided that it would be good to turn it into a “monastery” where prisoners would take a “vow of silence.” Otherwise it would be disgraceful if inveterate criminals were to teach young people what not to do. For complete isolation, Pentonville Prison had 520 solitary cells with decent conditions: a window, a hammock and winter heating.
True, the situation was so oppressive that people often went crazy there. How can you not go crazy when they put a mask on you while walking? Hard labor was no better: people spent 8 hours a day doing it simply to wear out their body and moral strength.
The fate of the criminals was no better. The famous women's prison Brixton had its own characteristics: the prisoner went there and lived in solitary confinement for the first four months. Afterwards she went out to the other female prisoners, but still could not talk to them. For good behavior, women were allowed visits, correspondence with relatives and a small weekly payment for a prosperous life after serving their sentence.
Juvenile offenders were sent to Tothill Fields prison, where they served sentences ranging from a few days to six months. Among them there were many repeat offenders. One could often see a picture of children breaking shop windows or windows, and waiting for the “bobbies” to send them to prison to warm up and have a meager meal...