-< 
 
 ^^.OFCAIIFO/?^ ^OFCMIFO/?^ 
 
 '^(^Aavaaii-i'^ '^<?Abvjian#' 
 
 
 e -^ 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 :^ 
 
 ^WtDNIVER% 
 
 aWEUNIVERS/a 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj-^ 
 o 
 
 
 "^ 
 
 # 
 
 CO 
 
 <:V> ^ 
 
 5) 
 
 ^J5uoNvsoi^ "^/xaaAiNa-aftv^ 
 
 ^ILIBRARYQ^ 
 
 ^lllBRARYQ^ 
 
 ^AOJIlVDJO't^ 
 
 ^OFCAIIFO% 
 
 ^OfCAllFO/Ri^ 
 
 
 "^(^AwiaiH^ 
 
 , -< 
 
 v^llIBRARYOc 
 
 vXllBRARYGr^ 
 
 ^<!fojnv>jo^ '%/ojiivoio^ 
 
 aWEUKIVERS/a 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj-^ 
 o 
 
 "^/saaAiNO-swv 
 
 ^•"^ 
 
 >j,OF CAUFOff^ 
 
 >&Aavaan-i^ 
 
 .H;OFCAIIFO% 
 
 C3 
 
 ^OAavaan-^^"^ 
 
 ^WEl)NIVERS/A 
 
 o 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj-^ 
 
 -^- -I 
 
 "v^aaAiNn-awv 
 
 '^ 
 
 •JO^ 
 
 .^WEUNIVER% 
 
 '^J^uoNvsm-'^^ 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj-^ 
 
 o 
 
 ^Aa3AiNn-3WV^ 
 
 -v^MllBRARYQc. 
 
 ^IIIBRARYQ^ 
 
 ^<!/0JllV3J0^ 
 
 ^d/OJITVJJO'^ 
 
 ^WEUNIVERS/A 
 
 o 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj"^ 
 
 o 
 
 ^/5a3AINn3WV^ 
 
 ^OFCAIIFO/?^ 
 
 ^OFCALIFO/?^ 
 
 ^CAavaaiii^ 
 
 ^^AavaaiH^ 
 
 -< 
 
 ^.vMllBRARYO/^ ^IIIBRARYQ^^ 
 
 \WEUNIVER% ^lOSANCEtfj> 
 
 -< 
 
 55
 
 Pi ^ 
 
 .^Mt•UNIVtKVA 
 
 <rii3DNVS01^ 
 
 o 
 
 -< 
 
 ^QfULIFO% 
 
 
 v^lOSAVCElfj^ 
 
 
 
 SOl^ %a3AiNa3WV^ 
 
 ^.i/ojnvojo'f^ 
 
 ^ii/OJIlVDJO'^ 
 
 .^MEUNIVER% 
 <m3DNVS01^ 
 
 i 
 
 
 ^lOSANCElfJV. 
 
 ^01^ "^/^MAiNn-awv^ 
 
 ,^;OFCAIIFO% 
 
 ^OFCA11FO% 
 
 ^ ^^MEUNIVER^/^ 
 
 •>&A«vaan# ^<?Aavaaiii^'^ ^J5i3dnvsoi^ 
 
 ^^^tllBRARYQ^;^ 
 
 33 S 
 
 AMEUNIVER5"/a. 
 
 ^lOSANCElfj> 
 
 ^^lUBRARYOc^ -5^ 
 
 '^<!/0JnVJJO'^ <rii30f(VSO# '%a3AIN(l-3WV^ %03I1VJJO^ ^ 
 
 % 
 
 ^0FCAIIF0% 
 
 ^WE•UNIVER5■//, 
 
 ^lOSANCflfj-^ 
 
 o ^ 
 
 "^(^Aavaan-^ "^^riijQNVsoi^ '%a3AiNii-3WV^ 
 
 ^OFCAllFOff^ ^ 
 
 So ^ 
 
 
 5 
 
 ^lOSANCElf/^ 
 o ^ 
 
 '^/Sa3AIN(13WV^ 
 
 -y^UIBRARY^/ 
 
 ^>^lUBRARYa^ 
 
 '^<!/03llV33O>' 
 
 
 A\\EUNIVER% 
 
 ^ 
 
 a 
 
 O u. 
 
 ^i:?13DNYS0# "^ 
 
 o 
 
 vvlOSANCEl^n. 
 
 ^ 5 
 
 .^,O^CAllF0/?x^ 
 
 ^OFCAIIFO/?^ 
 
 ^^WE•llNIVE^/^ ^ 
 
 '%a3AiNfl-3WV^ ^(?Aavaani^ ^^AavaaiH^ "^laoNYSov^ 
 
 ^>i 
 
 -s^UIBRARYQ^ 
 
 A\\EUNIVER5'//i 
 
 ^NlOSvVJCElfx^ 
 
 -^IIIBRARYQ^;^ ^
 
 r-'
 
 
 vlL'JIS.C.IlI,
 
 NORWAY 
 
 1848 AND 1849 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 RAMBLES AMONG THE FJELDS AND FJORDS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN DISTRICTS ; 
 
 AND INCLUDING 
 
 REMARKS ON ITS POLITICAL, MILITART, ECCLESIASTICAL, 
 AND SOCIAL ORGANISATION. 
 
 BY THOMAS FORESTER, ESQ. 
 
 WITH 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNALS OF LIEUT. M. S. BIDDULPH, 
 HOY.VI. ARTILLERY. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 rRINTKD FOR 
 
 LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS, 
 
 PATEKNOSTEB-BOAV. 
 
 1850.
 
 London : 
 
 Spotwswoodes and Shaw, 
 
 New-street- Square.
 
 stack 
 Annex 
 
 ?31 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Leaving the beaten tracks of Continental travel which, 
 for nearly the third part of a century, have been trod- 
 den bare by hosts of tourists in almost uninterrupted 
 succession, till every point of interest in central and 
 southern Europe has become as familiar as household 
 names, the author and his friend, having a few weeks' 
 leisure at their disposal in the summer of 1848, re- 
 solved on turning their steps to some fresh and less- 
 frequented field. Though the coast of Norway lies 
 within a few hours' sail of the northern shores of 
 Britain, that country is less generally known than 
 many which are divided from it by the broad ocean ; 
 and yet, viewed under the various aspects of its mag- 
 nificent natural features, its old historical recollec- 
 tions, its peculiar institutions, and social condition, it 
 presents no ordinary claims to an attentive survey. 
 
 Induced by these attractions, they were led to 
 make Norway the scene of their adventures ; and, 
 having formed this design, were fortunate enough 
 in the course of their preliminary inquiries to obtain 
 information which satisfied them of the practica- 
 bility — if it did not suggest the plan (which was the 
 
 A 2 
 
 2015137
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 bent of their own inclination) — of making their tour, 
 for the most part, pedestrian. They learnt that they 
 might rely on the resources of the country, slender 
 and simple as they are in the districts proposed to be 
 visited, and on the kindness and hospitality of the 
 inhabitants, for the substantial aids necessary to the 
 prosecution of their design, and that at least they need 
 
 " fear no evils 
 But ' hunger' and rough weather." 
 
 in the wildest parts of their intended rambles. Against 
 these, such precautions were taken as will be detailed 
 in an early Chapter for the benefit of future tourists 
 of their own class ; and they determined to throw 
 themselves on some part of the southern coast, and 
 landing " in light marching order," at once to make 
 for the central districts of the kingdom, without any 
 very defined plan for their future progress, except the 
 intention of reaching, as best they might, certain 
 known points of particular interest. 
 
 The free enjoyment of the scenery of this romantic 
 country was the primary object in the proposed 
 excursion ; but in the course of the author's rambles, 
 it was impossible not to be desirous of gleaning some 
 occasional notices of the social and political state of 
 a people so little known and possessing such peculiar 
 institutions. In this remote corner of the civilised 
 world there is found, on the one hand, the law of an 
 equal distribution of inherited property, established 
 for centuries — with what results it was a matter of
 
 PREFACE. V 
 
 some importance to ascertain ; on the other, we liave 
 the democratic principle entering largely into a con- 
 stitution of the newest frame, the present working 
 and future prospects of Avhich it was no less curious 
 to contemplate. 
 
 Such inquiries, at all times interesting, assumed 
 additional importance at a period when the rest of 
 Europe w^as convulsed by the keen agitation of 
 questions on constitutional rights, class interests, 
 and the union or independence of races, which 
 seemed to be here set at rest. For of all the states 
 of Christendom, this northern kingdom appeared 
 almost the only one exempt from the desire or tlie 
 apprehension of change. Had the great wave which, 
 heaving and swelling w^ith portentous fury, rolled 
 over the whole breadth of the continent of Europe, 
 spent itself innocuously against the barrier of its re- 
 mote and rocky shores ? Had the Northmen, the ad- 
 venturous founders of so many ancient dynasties, and 
 to whom we owe more of our own national character 
 and institutions than is generally known, after having 
 for many centuries succumbed to a foreign and abso- 
 lute rule, succeeded in these latter days in establishing 
 their liberty and modelling their internal economy on 
 principles so sound, so suited to the genius and con- 
 ducive to the welfare of the people, as to afford no 
 scope for discontent, and to serve as landmarks for 
 other nations struggling for the attainment of similar 
 objects ? 
 
 To the solution of these questions something, per- 
 
 A 3
 
 VI PREFACE. ■ 
 
 haps, may be incidentally contributed in the following 
 pages. They have been discussed by others, who 
 had fuller means than the author, of acquiring in- 
 formation ; but he carefully embraced such oppor- 
 tunities as offered, for satisfying himself as to the 
 justness of their representations and the correctness 
 of their views. To such writers* he would refer 
 the reader who may be desirous of pursuing the in- 
 quiry. The works alluded to are not of very recent 
 date; and after great normal changes, time is required 
 to ascertain whether they realise the anticipations of 
 their authors, and merit the encomiums of their ad- 
 mirers. The lapse of years either tends to consolidate 
 the system and give confidence in its fixity, or sooner 
 or later, betray its weakness. At all events, the ques- 
 tion, as regards the political institutions of Norway, 
 so far as the author's observations extended, is 
 brought up to the present time — and that a most 
 trying and important crisis in the general affairs of 
 Europe. 
 
 The author had originally designed to arrange his 
 materials in the form of a regular itinerary, giving 
 precise distances, and other minute particulars which 
 might be serviceable to tourists, from the foreign maps 
 and road-books which he had collected, adding the result 
 of his own and his fellow-traveller's observations, and 
 of the information they had been able to obtain. But 
 
 * " Journal of a Residence in Norway," by Samuel Laing, p]sq. 
 1834 to 1836. Second edition, 1837. 
 
 " Norway and the Norwegians," by R. G. Latham, Esq. 2 vols. 
 1840.
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 shortly after his return, he found that Mr. Murray 
 had just published a new edition of his Handbook 
 for the North of Europe (which was out of print 
 when the present tour was commenced), comprising 
 all such details, so well arranged, and with such 
 accuracy, as far as the author is able to judge of 
 the section which relates to Norway, as to leave 
 nothing to be desired. He determined, therefore, to 
 confine his own details to such notices as he thought 
 might be interesting to the general reader, except in 
 particular instances with regard to the wilder and less 
 frequented districts, where, more precise accounts 
 might be useful to future travellers. There are tracts 
 yet unexplored in the geography of Norway, which 
 would, doubtless, reward the toils of the adventurer 
 with fresh discoveries of scenes as interesting as any 
 of those which have been already described ; un- 
 trodden fjelds of surpassing grandeur, and secluded 
 valleys where, himself a wonder, he may find all the 
 simplicity of ancient manners amidst natural beauties 
 of the highest order. The rambles sketched in the 
 following pages, had much of this charm of novelty. 
 Unprepared with guide- and road-books, the travellers 
 had to make their way through a countr}'^, of the general 
 features of which they had but a very indistinct idea ; 
 so that even its most striking objects took them by 
 surprise ; and their want of previous knowledge of the 
 habits of the people and of all the little details of the 
 road, rendered its gradual acquisition a never-failing 
 source of interest. 
 
 A 4
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 Should their accounts of what they saw, and of the 
 incidents which attended their progress, appear ex- 
 cessively minute in some of the details, it will perhaps 
 be allowed that, it is almost inseparable from the 
 style of a narrative of rambles such as theirs ; and 
 they may be permitted to tell their story in their own 
 way, if only it conveys, famihar ideas of the scenery 
 and state of manners they have to describe. 
 
 It remains to be mentioned that the author's com- 
 panion of the rambles of 1848, made a second excur- 
 sion in Norway during the summer of the succeeding 
 year, some of the results of which are presented to the 
 reader in the following pages, which, (with his fellow- 
 traveller's previous contributions, and the Observa- 
 tions on the fjeld sports of Norway, which appear in 
 the Postscript,) will probably be considered not the 
 least interesting parts of the work. 
 
 To him the author is also indebted for the drawings, 
 which have furnished the accompanying Illustra- 
 tions. They are selected from the portfolio of 
 sketches made during the rambles, with a view to 
 afford some idea of the peculiar character of Nor- 
 wegian scenery. The map has been prepared with 
 considerable care. As far as the scale adopted for 
 the reader's convenience allowed, it presents an ac- 
 curate delineation of the singular plan of the coun- 
 try; the coasts deeply indented by fjords, and the 
 central area overspread by a network of rivers and 
 fresh-water lakes, which have their sources in the 
 mountain ranges of the fjelds bounding the greater
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 part of its circumference. The shaded contour lines 
 traced on the map describe a level of about 3500 
 feet above the sea, the average height at which the 
 growth of birch-wood ceases in Norway, but consi- 
 derably below that of perpetual snow. An inspection 
 of the map, pursuing these hnes will exhibit the vast 
 proportion of high land there is in Norway, of great 
 extent and breadth ; but as the central chain only 
 is embraced, it must not be supposed that, because 
 there are no indications of high ground on the eastern 
 side, this part of the country is flat. The effect of 
 the contour line may be better understood, if it be 
 described as that which would be the line of sea- 
 coast, supposing the country were submerged 3500 
 feet under the present level of the ocean. It will 
 serve also to give some idea of the great depth of the 
 valleys of the fjords, when it is observed how closely 
 the line approaches their shores, to which the fjelds in 
 a great variety of instances fall precipitously. It has 
 been constructed from the personal observations of 
 Lieut. Biddulph ; the general outline being con- 
 structed from " Hunch's Kart over Norge^' which will 
 be found invaluable to all travellers in Norway, 
 whose plans lead them to trace minutely the oro- 
 graphy of the country ; though " Wergeland and 
 WaligorsMs'^ is generally recommended, and is 
 perhaps preferable, as a map of the post-roads, for 
 the use of the ordinary tourist.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The North Sea and the Skaggerack.' — Seaport of Arendal. — Shipping 
 Interest of Norway. — Iron-works ofNass. — Equipments for a pedes- 
 trian Tour. — Forest Scenery. — Banks of the Nid - Page 1 — 25 
 
 CHAP. n. 
 
 Forest Scenery continued. — Night Scene. — Falls of the Nid. — Geo- 
 graphical Sketch. — Central Districts contain the finest Scenery. — 
 Historical References, and general Plan of the Journey - 26 — 48 
 
 CHAP. in. 
 
 The Nisser-Vand. — Navigation of the Lake. — Norwegian Hospitality. 
 — Head of the Lake. — Proceed by Land. — Burnt Forest. — Travel 
 in Cars. — Arrive at Midbo 49—63 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Church of Sillejord. — District of Tellemarken. — Peasants driving their 
 cows to the Summer Dairies on the Fjelds. — Sauland in Hjerdal. — 
 Norwegian Soldiers of the Landvrern. — Cross the country to the 
 Foot of the Tind-Soe. — Voyage on the Lake. — Small Farms. — 
 Division of land and Udal tenures. — Ascend the Valley of the 
 Maan to Dahl 64—85
 
 xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Valley of the Maan.— Gousta-Fj eld. — Norwegian Students. —Pre- 
 parations for crossing the Hardanger-Fjeld. - Rjukan-Foss Page 86 
 
 — 107 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Mountain Farms. — Guide procured for passing the Fjeld. — Diet of 
 milk and meal. — Habits of the Peasants. — Coast the Mibs-Vand — 
 its character of Seclusion. — Effect of the great height of the moun- 
 tains. — Comparison with Swiss scenery. — Valley above the Lake. 
 — Evening scenes at the foot of the Hardanger-Fjeld. — Preparations 
 for crossing it 108—131 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Passage of the Hardanger-Fjeld. — Reach the Plateau of the Fjeld. — 
 Mode of following the track. — Fall in with fields of snow. — Great 
 elevation. — Rocks covered with Lichens and Rein-Deer Moss. — 
 Desolation increases. — Bad weather. — Anight in a lone hovel on 
 the summit. — Strike the waters running to the Atlantic. — Come to 
 the first " SjEter" on that side. — Long descent to the Valley of Sabo 
 at Ej fiord. — Excursion to the Vorlng-Foss - - - 132 — 156 
 
 CHAP. vin. 
 
 The Hardanger-Fjord — Navigation and Scenery of. — View off Ullens- 
 vang — Land there. — An awkward predicament. — Kind and hos- 
 pitable entertainment at the Prseste-gaard. — A Clergyman M. P. 
 (Member of the Storthing). — Privilege of a Pastor's Widow. — 
 Bonders or Freeholders. — Ancient Doorway in Church. — Norwegian 
 Architecture. — Old Churches of Timber. — Anecdote of the removal 
 of one to Silesia --...._ 157 — 173 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Different Passes of the Hardanger-Fjeld — That from Vinje to Odde 
 accomplished in 1849. — Crossing the Plateau to Roldal. — Descent to 
 the shore of the Fjord at Oilde. — Excursion to the Folgefond Glacier 
 — General Description — Compared with other Mountains — Line of 
 j)erpetual Snow. — Details of the Excursion - - 179— IDfi
 
 CONTENTS. XIU 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Proposed Route across the country to Bergen. — Navigate the Fjord to 
 Norelui. — Fares of Boatmen, &c. — Steiudalen. — Corn-Mills and 
 Saw-Mills. — A Night march. — Embark on the Oster-Fjord. — Post- 
 road to Bergen Page 197 — 210 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Bergen — its Trade — Hanseatic League. — The Castle. — German 
 Church. — Fish-Market. — Museum. — Opinions on the Sea- Serpent. 
 Ancient Picture. — Connection with the Greek Empire - 211 — 231 
 
 CHAP. xn. 
 
 IManner of living at Bergen. — Norwegian cordiality with the English. 
 
 — How interrupted for a short period. — Parade of the Garrison. — 
 Military System of Norway. — Danish War. — Problem of the re- 
 union of the three Scandinavian Kingdoms. — Norwegian Navy 
 
 232—247 
 
 CHAP. xni. 
 
 Mode of travelling Post. — Carrioles. — The Forbud. — Leave Bergen. 
 
 — Arrive at Vossevangen. — Valley above Gudvangen. — Navigation 
 of the Sogne-Fjord to Lierdalsoren - . . . 248 — 265 
 
 CHAP. xrv^. 
 
 Passage of the Fille-Fjeld. — Compared with the Hardanger. — Quarters 
 at Nystuen. — The Little Miosen. — Sylva of Norway. — Scenery of 
 the Strand-Fjord. — Cross the ridge to Brufladt. — Rands-Fjord. — 
 Fluberg. — Cross to the Miosen- Vand. — Embark in Steam-boat for 
 Lillehammer 266—288 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Lillehammer. — Manufactory of Corn-Brandy. — Storekeepers and Trade. 
 
 — Sunday. — Church Services. — Observance of " the Sabbath." — 
 Forms of the Norwegian-Lutheran Church differ from the Roman. — 
 Correspond with the Anglican. — Reflections. — No Sects in Norway, 
 
 — Hauger and his Disciples. — Norwegian Clergy. — State of Educa- 
 tion. — Ecclesiastical statistics . . - . . 289 — 313
 
 XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Return Voyage on the ISIiosen. — Steamers. — Trade. — Baths of Eidsvold- 
 Bakken. — Constitution-House. — Convention of 1814. — Proceedings 
 of the Delegates. — The Grund-lov, or Bill of Rights — its lead- 
 ing provisions and character. — Journey to Christiania Page 314 — 339 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 Simedal. — Crossing from Eifjord to Urland. — Week's Excursion into 
 the Hurungerne. — Fjeld Life. — The Sster-Dairies. — Tracking 
 Reindeer in the snow. — The Hurungerne Peaks. — The Morke- 
 kold-dal. — Return to Lierdalsoren - - - . 340 — 367 
 
 CHAP. xvin. 
 
 Journal of Route from Lierdal over the Sogne-Fjeld. — Voyage on the 
 Sogne-Fjord. — Reach Fortun at foot of the Fjeld. — Ascent to Moun- 
 tain Saeter. — Fall in with herd of Reindeer. — Cross the summit of 
 the Fjeld. — Descend to the Otte-Soe. — Irrigated Valleys. — Arrive 
 atVaage 368—387 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 Continuation of Journal. — Valley of the Laagen-Elv. — Ascend the 
 Dovre-Fjeld — its wild scenery. — Station at Jerkin, near the 
 summit. — Valley of the Folda. — Town of Roraas. — Excursion over 
 the Frontier into Sweden. — Scenery of the Border. — Visit to an 
 Encampment of Lapps — their mode of Living. — Herd of Reindeer. 
 — Return to Roraas. — Journey by Post to Christiania - 387—410 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 Christiania. — City and neighbourhood.— The new Palace. — Hall of the 
 Storthing.— Sittings.— State of political Parties. — Constitutional His- 
 tory and Prospects 411 — 432
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 Artillery Practice. — Military School. — Cadets' Camp. — Botanical Gar- 
 den. — Museum. — M. Essmark's Collection. — Climate of Norway. — 
 English Farmers. — Public Gardens. — National Song. — Embark on 
 the Christiania-Fjord. — Concluding Observations - Page 433 — 459 
 
 POSTSCRIPT on Field Sports, &c. 460—472 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Lemming ---.... 473 
 
 The Sea-Serpent .-.«.. 475 
 
 Observance of Sunday - . - . . , . 479 
 
 Farming and Value of Land - - - - - 481 
 
 I
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 HiTTERDAL ChURCH . . - 
 
 Map of Southern Xorway 
 
 A^AXLEY OF THE NlD - 
 
 Falls of the Nid ... 
 
 suxejord - ... 
 
 Valley of the Maan and Gousta-Fjeld 
 Rjukan-Foss . . - - 
 
 Mios-Vand .... 
 
 NiETHOL, under HaRDANGER 
 
 Ullensvang, Hardanger-Fjord 
 
 Doorway of Church - . _ 
 
 Hildal and Jordals-Vand 
 
 Valley above Gudvangen 
 
 The Hurungernb ... 
 
 Forest of Koldedal and IIurungerne Peaks 
 
 • Frontispiece 
 page 1 
 
 — 24 
 to face page 36 
 
 page 65 
 to face page 96 
 
 — 98 
 
 — 115 
 
 — 119 
 
 — 162 
 page 174 
 
 to face page 185 
 
 — 262 
 page 365 
 
 to face page 366

 
 RAMBLES IN NORWAY. 
 
 CHAPTER T. 
 
 THE NORTH SEA AND THE SKAGGERACK. SEAPORT OF ARENDAL. 
 
 — SHIPPING INTEREST OF NORWAY. — IRON-WORKS OF N^:S 
 
 EQUIPMENTS FOR A PEDESTRIAN TOUR FOREST SCENERY. 
 
 BANKS OF THE NID. 
 
 Eight days in the North Sea, beating against foul 
 winds, — or, which was still worse, becalmed amongst 
 fleets of Dutch fishing-boats, and ending in a regular 
 gale of wind, which was worst of all, — prepared us to 
 hail the sight of land, and that the coast of Norway, 
 the object of many cherished thoughts and hopes, 
 with perhaps as much satisfaction as either my com- 
 panion or myself had felt on the termination of far 
 longer voyages. 
 
 But if our impatience was heightened by the re- 
 flection that every day added to the passage was 
 subtracted from the limited period allowed for our 
 travels, — if our accommodations of every kind were 
 scanty and narrow, — the little Norwegian schooner, 
 in which we had embarked at Gravesend, was a good 
 
 B - /J
 
 I SEA VOYAGE. 
 
 boat, and was admirably handled ; the captain was an 
 excellent fellow ; and we wore away the time, when 
 the weather permitted, in learning from him Norsk 
 phrases, and putting our fishing-tackle and our traps 
 in order for an immediate start. 
 
 When the gale abated, the coast of Norway lay 
 right a-head. We gradually got on sail ; and running 
 under it, — our little vessel rising and falling on the long 
 swells into which the Avild fury of the storm had now 
 subsided, — as the evening fell we closed in with the 
 land. Delightful were our feelings as we leant over 
 the taffrail, tracing the dusky outline of the cliffs, 
 and inhaling the land breeze which breathed fresh off 
 shore. Our watch was long and late. The night was 
 fair ; and in that latitude it was quite light at 1 1 p. m. 
 The stars were scarcely visible, and the light at Chris- 
 tian sand faintly twinkled some fifteen miles oiF on the 
 larboard bow. At length we turned in, weary with 
 the fatigues of the day, and full of hopes for the 
 morrow. 
 
 Nor were we disappointed, though it found us again 
 becalmed fifteen or sixteen miles from the land. At 
 10 a. m. a light air sprang up ; presently it freshened ; 
 studding sails were set, and we made our course up 
 the Skaggerack with a favourable breeze. The coast 
 presented no remarkable features, the mountain 
 ranges being far inland ; but the cliffs were boldly 
 escarped, and the slopes and folds of the hills were 
 clothed with dense forests. As we ranged along the 
 shore, we distinguished, from time to time, hamlets of
 
 COAST OF THE SKAGGERACK. 3 
 
 red cottages, each above its little harbour ; and here 
 and there the white spire of a church, peeping out 
 of the pine-woods behind. Boats were out fishing for 
 mackerel, sharp at stem and stern, like whale-boats, 
 and carrying sprit and jib sails. AYe hail them as they 
 dash across our course, dancing in the lively sea. But 
 our eyes are all for the shore. Now we discover 
 windmills perched on little green knolls ; and old grey 
 towers, (beacons, we understood,) prominent' on some 
 projecting point of the undercliff. Groups of low 
 islands were clustered off the shore : — covered with 
 stunted pines, with their intersecting channels, they 
 reminded my companion of the cedar-clothed scenery 
 of Bermuda. 
 
 The breeze holds on ; it even freshens ; we open 
 point after point. But can we depend upon its con- 
 tinuing favourable ? It may fail, and the evening 
 find us again becalmed. AVe will not trust any longer 
 an element we have found so treacherous. Our vessel 
 was bound to Christiania ; but the master was under 
 engagement to put us ashore at any practicable point 
 we might choose for landing on the south coast. It 
 had been our intention to run up as far as Laurvig ; 
 but it was not very material to our main objects from 
 what part of that coast we should start on our progress 
 inland. Maps were consulted. The little seaport of 
 Arendal was under our lee. It stands at the em- 
 bouchure of a fine river, the Nid, the valley of 
 which appeared to open up the communication with 
 a chain of lakes, which would favour our plans of 
 
 B 2
 
 4 HARBOUR OF ARENDAL. 
 
 penetrating to the interior. We determined to make 
 good our landing while wind and weather permitted. 
 A pilot-boat Avas standing on and off, on the look-out ; 
 we hailed her, hauling up the tack of the driver and 
 backing our topsails, and, as she sheered alongside 
 pitching and tossing in the heavy swell, about 4 p.m. 
 we jumped on her deck ; our light traps were handed 
 after us, and in a few minutes, passing between 
 two light-houses, on opposite points, we were in smooth 
 water, running up the harbour. 
 
 It is formed by the island of Tromiio, stretching 
 along the coast, and branches into creeks and chan- 
 nels reminding us, though on a smaller scale, of 
 Milford Haven. In these, numberless vessels of all 
 sizes were moored, their tall spars tapering amongst 
 the pines which clothed the slopes of the hills to the 
 water's edge; mingled with which, wharfs and building- 
 yards, stores, and neat houses bordered the shores. 
 At the head of the principal branch lay the town of 
 Arendal, built on two sides of the inlet. Timber- 
 framed houses clustered in the hollows and straggled, 
 up the declivities of the surrounding heights, one of 
 which was crowned by a picturesque church. Long 
 ranges of white buildings, the dwellings of the mer- 
 chants, lined the quays, and moored alongside them 
 was a goodly show of shipping. The harbour was 
 enlivened by the number of boats, many of them 
 rowed by women, which were passing to and fro. It 
 was a picturesque and busy scene. We landed at the 
 customhouse. The precaution which we had taken.
 
 LANDING. PASSPORTS. 5 
 
 of furnishing ourselves with a passport from the am- 
 bassador of his Norwegian and Swedish IMajesty in 
 London, was needless. The officers, touching their 
 caps, declined to inspect it, and, with great civility, 
 sent a messenger to conduct us to our quarters. 
 England and Norway may boast of being the only 
 countries where the passport system, with, all its vex- 
 ations, is unknown. Our baggage was not submitted 
 to the slightest examination. The Giest-giver did the 
 honour of our reception in a sort of undress military 
 uniform, with sword by his side; one might have 
 fancied oneself in the state of New York, only that 
 colonels of militia do not in Norway keep hotels. 
 Probably our host belonged to the burgher-guard. 
 We were ushered into a lofty and spacious apartment, 
 decorated with choice plants. The zest with which 
 we enjoyed our entertainment, after being on a short 
 and sorry allowance of space and fare for more than a 
 week, may be easily conceived. 
 
 Arendal is a place of considerable trade, possessing 
 nearly two hundred sea-going ships, many of large 
 tonnage ; but most of them were now laid up and dis- 
 mantled. \Ye heard great complaints of the stag- 
 nation of trade. Our still heavy timber-duties is one 
 grievance ; they are perhaps a necessary concession to 
 colonial privileges, but a great evil, inflicting on our- 
 selves the too general use of a most worthless and pe- 
 rishable material, in place of the hardy growth of the 
 forests of the north of Europe, and excluding these 
 good people from the exchange of their principal ex- 
 
 B 3
 
 6 WAR IN THE BALTIC. 
 
 port for our manufactures. Till recently the Nor- 
 wegian merchants shipped deals in large quantities to 
 the ports of France ; but at this moment the disastrous 
 state of affairs in that country had interrupted the 
 trade, and deprived them of another most important 
 customer. In addition came the hostilities, the war, 
 or the quasi state of war, in the Baltic. We were re- 
 minded, during our voyage in the Norwegian schooner, 
 of the belligerent influences now afloat throughout 
 Europe. Her cargo was of the " villanous salt- 
 petre ; " and we were near anticipating the destructive 
 power into which it was probably destined to be ma- 
 nufactured : for while this main ingredient in war's 
 fatal chemistry was stowed in the hold, a number of 
 carboys (huge glass jars) of nitric, or some other such 
 powerful acid, were lashed on the gratings above. 
 During the gale of wind, the fastenings gave way. 
 The smash roused me from an uneasy slumber in the 
 bread-locker, which formed my birth, and, rushing on 
 deck, I found the crew dashing buckets of water on 
 the deck, which was hissing with the outpouring of 
 the contents of the bottles. What might have been 
 the consequences of the mixture between the two 
 combustibles I could not be certain, but it struck me 
 they were shipped in rather perilous propinquity. 
 
 We found at our hotel the captains of three Prussian 
 ships, detained in the harbour from apprehension of 
 the Danish cruisers. The mercantile classes are na- 
 turally opposed to the part taken by the government 
 of Sweden and Norway in that question. They ask,
 
 TRADE OF SOUTHERN PORTS. 7 
 
 " What have we to do with it ? " Their influence 
 however in the national councils is less than might be 
 supposed ; and I found reason afterwards to think that 
 the war was by no means unpopular among the 
 mass of the people. Just before our leaving London, 
 I had seen advertised in the Times newspaper a loan 
 of 250,000 spec, dollars, authorised to be raised by 
 the Storthing of Norway, which was now sitting ; and 
 had concluded that it was intended to su^Dply the 
 sinews of the war, in which they were becoming 
 involved as an auxiliary power. I found, however, 
 that the loan was destined to relieve the mercantile 
 interest in the present stagnation of commerce, and 
 ultimately the proprietors of forests, by advances 
 to enable them to hold the large stocks of timber in 
 hand till better times. 
 
 Talking on these subjects with a very intelligent 
 gentleman, who resides in the neighbourhood of Aren- 
 dal, and is connected with shipping, I said, in reply to 
 his enumeration of the various hindrances to which 
 the trade of Norway is now subject : " Well, there is 
 a new field of enterprise opening, in the benefits of 
 which your people ought largely to partake. I left our 
 Parliament debating on the expediency of repealing 
 our navigation laws, there is every probability of the 
 measure being passed; and it will be hard if, witli 
 )'Our advantages, you do not obtain a considerable 
 share of the carrying trade which Avill thus be thrown 
 open." 
 
 " We have not capital," he replied ; " we arc a poor 
 
 B 4
 
 8 SHIP-BUILDING. 
 
 nation; the means are wanting to us to enter into 
 competition with you, who have been long in pos- 
 session of such abundant resources. A few years 
 ago, we tried the southern whale-fishery. I made two 
 voyages in it myself, but our returns were only 21. per 
 cent., besides our expenses ; so it was given up." 
 
 " In that speculation," I rejoined, " we have not 
 fared much better ; the Americans at present have it 
 all to themselves. But, speaking generally, in enter- 
 prise and industry you resemble us more than any 
 people I have ever met with. We are of the same 
 or a kindred race : I have seen it remarked that, 
 even now, Norway has, in proportion to her po- 
 pulation, more shipping than any other country in 
 Europe, except England. And with these noble har- 
 bours all round your shores, and these stout ships 
 which I see laid up, and of which I understand the 
 other ports are equally full, — with inexhaustible sup- 
 plies of the finest timber to build more, and with the 
 best iron in the world, — labour cheap, and the hardy 
 population of your long line of coast inured to employ- 
 ment on what seems to be their natural element, — you 
 have, it appears to me, the most essential materials 
 for success in the coming struggle ; you can build 
 cheaper than it can be done on the Thames or the 
 Clyde?" 
 
 " In some points," was the reply, " you are under 
 a misapprehension. All our chains, canvass, and 
 mostly all our copper and rope, are imported, — and 
 chiefly from England. Besides that, we import great
 
 MERCHANTS SERVICE. \) 
 
 quantities of oak timber: some of which, especially 
 large pieces for keels, &c., have of late been imported 
 from England." 
 
 The subject was interesting, particularly at the 
 present juncture ; and I made some further inquiries 
 as to the cost of building. 
 
 " The expenses of shipbuilding," was the answer, 
 " are very different, depending entirely on what trade 
 the vessel is intended for. Vessels intended for the 
 timber trade only may be built of pine, and iron-fast, 
 for about 71. sterling per ton, ready for sea ; while 
 oak-built vessels, intended for the foreign freight trade, 
 must be copper-fastened and sheathed, and will cost 
 nearly double the amount." 
 
 " But, at least," I observed, " you have the ad- 
 vantage of us in the economy of manning and pro- 
 visioning your ships. The officers of your mercantile 
 marine are of a superior class, well educated, and 
 having to win their way, step by step, after severe 
 examinations, before they arrive at command : and for 
 your men, I myself have had an opportunity of ob- 
 serving them in our merchants' service ; and for hardi- 
 hood, seamanship, and general good conduct, they 
 were the best of the crew." 
 
 " The wages on board a merchant vessel," observed 
 my friend, " are, in general, for masters from 4/. lOs. 
 to 51. a month, with 5^. per cent, of the gross amount 
 of freight made out; for mates, from 21. to 21. 10s. ; 
 carpenters, 1/. 10^. to 21. ; sailors, 1/. to 11. 15s. a 
 month. We have no apprentices on board our vessels.
 
 10 FOREIGN FREIGHT TRADE. 
 
 The victualling for officers and crew is usually calcu- 
 lated at lOd. a day per man. 
 
 " The Norwegian merchant fleet," added my intel- 
 ligent informant, " has in the latter years increased 
 considerably ; so much so, that, in fact, a great part 
 of the south coast of Norway depends entirely on the 
 freight trade. The burthen of the whole shipping, 
 which in 1817 was about 169,150 tons register, is 
 now above 250,000 tons, of which a great deal is em- 
 ployed in the foreign freight trade, especially in the 
 timber trade from the Baltic to England, to France, 
 and the Mediterranean. But we have now vessels 
 trading all the world round. The general profit of 
 the owners may be estimated at 10/. per cent, ad 
 valorem, as a medium. 
 
 " I will give you an example to what extent the. 
 shipbuilding is carried on. In Grimstad, where I live, 
 -^a small seaport near Arendal, with 700 inhabit- 
 ants, — there are in all, large and small vessels, trad- 
 ing to foreign places, sixty vessels, measuring about 
 8000 tons register. From ten to fifteen vessels of the 
 larger class are built every year ; but, of course, 
 many are sold to other places." 
 
 " But what," asked my friend, " will become of 
 your mercantile and naval pre-eminence, in the teeth 
 of this successful rivalry you seem to anticipate ? " 
 
 " We must take our chance, I suppose," I said in 
 conclusion, " for it seems the experiment will be tried. 
 We have passed through many rubs, and must en-, 
 deavour still to hold our own. New outlets for trade
 
 RATE OF EXCHANGE. 11 
 
 are continually opening, and the world is wide enough 
 for all to have a share." 
 
 We were anxious to proceed on our way, and a few 
 hours sufficed for the despatch of affairs at Arendal. 
 They principally consisted in making some trifling 
 additions to our outfit, and the exchano;e of Eno-lish 
 money for the currency of the country. We were 
 provided with a letter of credit on a Norwegian 
 firm, but the house had no correspondent in Arendal, 
 and our landing there was an after-thought. Bank 
 of England notes were not duly appreciated ; but some 
 sovereigns, which Ave happened to have retained, were 
 readily accepted through the kindness of M. Dode- 
 camp, the English consul, — from whose family we 
 received a very agreeable reception , — at the current 
 rate of exchange of 4 J specie dollars for the pound 
 sterling. Of course it varies a little, but the specie 
 dollar may be taken to be worth 45. Qd. English mo- 
 ney. There are five " marks " or " orts " in a dollar, 
 and 120 skillings, worth of course something less than 
 a halfpenny each. The needful supply was furnished, 
 as is absolutely requisite for travelling in the interior 
 of Norway, in a bag of small coins of the old Danish 
 currency, as diminutive in size as the value they ex- 
 pressed ; a pile of ragged dollar and half-dollar notes ; 
 and some silver in marks or orts, with their halves. 
 The coinage of these is modern and well executed. 
 
 It had been our intention to follow the course of 
 the Nid, from its embouchure to the point at which it 
 issues from the Nysser Vand ; not unmindful of the
 
 12 COURSE OF THE NID. 
 
 " bonnie banks and braes " of its sister stream, sung 
 by the Scottish poet. But we found that the river 
 takes a wide sweep to the westward before it dis- 
 charges itself into the sea ; and that its channel is 
 obstructed by frequent rapids, and the banks are equally 
 impracticable. After ascending it therefore in a boat, 
 for about three miles, and making some fruitless casts 
 for a salmon, we landed, and, procuring a light car- 
 riage, struck into the post-road in the great line of 
 communication along the south coast from Christian- 
 sand to Brevig and Drammen. It led through a very 
 broken country, for the most part covered by forest, 
 but interspersed with flowery meads, amongst which 
 broad patches of the pale-blue heart's-ease were distin- 
 guishable. There were numberless small lakes in the 
 hollows of the hills, which were of no great elevation. 
 The entire novelty of the scenery and of the mode of 
 travelling, — the fragrance that exhaled from the pine 
 woods, — the freshness and freedom in which we expa- 
 tiated after the close confinement of the ship, — all 
 combined to put us in the highest spirits. As, late in 
 the evening, we descended through the woods into the 
 vale of Nses, — a basin of the greenest verdure, sur- 
 rounded by hills folded in graceful outline, and richly 
 tufted with every variety of foliage ; clusters of log- 
 framed cottages, — of that rich and mellow hue which 
 the timber acquires by time and exposure, — perched 
 on the clearings of the slopes ; and a lively stream 
 tumbling and foaming down the valley, — I thought I 
 had never seen anything more charming. One draw-
 
 DEALINGS WITH TRAVELLERS. 13 
 
 back there was from our satisfaction, in the shape of 
 a very disagreeable controversy with our conductor. 
 I mention it for the purpose of recording that it was 
 the only one of any importance which occurred during 
 a journey of many hundred miles. The Norwegians 
 have been represented as tricky and exacting in their 
 dealings with strangers. I can only say that my own 
 impression of their general character is very different. 
 We found them simple, hospitable, and easily satisfied. 
 I believe that, in most cases, the impositions com- 
 plained of have been induced by the temptation held 
 out by the improvidence of our countrymen ; and there 
 is (as may be supposed) a marked difference in this 
 respect between the more frequented lines of route 
 and the less accessible districts. We were relieved 
 from our dilemma by the kind intervention of an 
 Englishman, of whom we heard as employed in the 
 great iron-works in the valley. He succeeded in com- 
 promising matters, but not without our having to pay 
 nearly double what would have been a just demand. 
 Having expressed our disgust at the conduct of our 
 conductor in no measured terms, we were greatly 
 amused by the cool effrontery with which, after being 
 convicted of a glaring imposition, he proposed that, 
 of the two beds in our sleeping apartment, we should 
 share one, and allow him the use of the other, — a 
 proposal which we begged to decline. There is, how- 
 ever, a sturdy sense of independence and feeling of 
 equality in the bearing of a Norwegian, which, though 
 not often offensively manifested, is not to be mistaken ;
 
 14 pedestrian's equipment. 
 
 and, probably, at a later period of our rambles we 
 should have been less surprised at the overture of our 
 peasant guide. 
 
 The windows of the cottage in which we had taken 
 up our quarters commanded charming views of the 
 valley beneath ; and our fare and accommodations 
 were all that we could wish. CoiFee and eggs were 
 despatched at an early hour on the following morning, 
 and. before six we shouldered our packs, and fairly 
 started on our march. Our equipments were of the 
 simplest kind. Knapsacks contained, in the smallest 
 compass, a change of linen and socks, an extra pair of 
 shoes, and a few other indispensables. We added 
 some packets of needles and scissors, and a few bright- 
 coloured silk kerchiefs — a pedlary which had more 
 than its marketable value in the eyes of the good 
 moclers and fair jomfrues at the mountain farms, when 
 offered as tokens of remembrance and acknowledg;- 
 inents for kindness and hospitality bestowed on the 
 wayfarers. On the knapsacks were rolled light water- 
 proof overcoats. The weight of the whole, when we 
 had reduced it to walking-trim by getting rid of 
 every thing extra, was 14 lb. 
 
 But the commissariat was not altogether to be 
 neglected, in providing for penetrating into districts 
 destitute in most instances of everything but the rudest 
 and most meagre fare. The concentrated essence of 
 beef is invaluable to travellers in such regions. It 
 may not be generally known that the substance of 
 thirty or forty lbs. weight of meat is reduced to a
 
 COMMISSARIAT. 15 
 
 single pound of gelatine. Compressed into a sau- 
 sage, it is very portable, and a few shavings will 
 make a rich soup ; a most comfortable and sustaining 
 mess during, or after, a long day's march. Our haver- 
 sacks contained rolls of this preparation, with some 
 packets of tea and chocolate, rice, sugar, and biscuits : 
 a canteen, in oil-skin case, was buckled in true mili- 
 tary style on the back of the knapsack. Pocket com- 
 passes, maps*, and sketching-books, were so disposed 
 as to be always ready for use. A flask of corn brandy 
 for urgent occasions was not forgotten. The fishing- 
 rod formed a walking staff for the one ; the landing- 
 gaff for the other. f 
 
 * Maps are very liable to be soiled and damaged by constant 
 use. The traveller who has to explore his way, or at any rate 
 seeks to make himself minutely familiar with the natural features of 
 the country he is groping through, must frequently have recourse 
 to his map under circumstances of exposure almost ruinous. I 
 have often felt this difficulty in former Rambles in various parts of 
 the world. The interstices between the sections of a folding map 
 are also apt to interfere with calculations of distance. My fellow- 
 traveller obviated these difficulties, in his second tour in Norway, 
 by using a map laid on canvass, attached to a roller, and well var- 
 nished and inclosed in a water-proof case. It was thus very 
 portable, easily unfolded, and recourse could be had to it in the 
 forest, on mountain-top, or in the filthiest hut, under all cir- 
 cumstances of weather, without risk of injury. Specimens of 
 travelling-maps so mounted and fitted may be seen at Mr. Saun- 
 ders's, mapseller, of No. 6. Charing Cross. The best maps for 
 the traveller in Norway have been mentioned in the Preface. 
 
 t I am led to enter into these details for the sake of those 
 who may be induced to follow our example in adopting the most 
 agreeable and satisfactory mode (to such as possess strength to 
 encounter the fatigue) of exploring a mountainous and broken
 
 16 A COUNTRY RESIDENCE. 
 
 Thus accoutred, we bid adieu to our good hostess, 
 and stepped briskly down the valley, — in which the 
 grounds surrounding the residence of M. Aal, the 
 proprietor, have much of the character of a Avell-kept 
 English place ; a rare occurrence in Norway, where 
 there is no class answering to our country gentle- 
 men, or to the seigneurs and provincial noblesse of 
 other states. Here, with rare exceptions, the most 
 affluent landed proprietor is but a peasant. Many 
 are his virtues ; he is independent, frank, hospitable, 
 courteous, patriotic ; — probably he is a member of 
 the legislature ; — yet in education, enlargement of 
 mind, influence, and general standing in society, he is 
 little elevated above the rest of his class* A link, 
 which we are in the habit of thinking most important, 
 in the social system, is wanting. How it is in part 
 supplied, we shall have occasion to observe in the 
 sequel. 
 
 Iron-master Aal, as he is called, was a leading 
 member of the convention of the representatives of 
 the nation which established the Norwegian constitu- 
 tion : he is, moreover, a great sportsman. Many 
 were the bears which, we were told, had fallen by his 
 own hand. At the entrance of the works we found 
 our friend the overseer waiting to put us forward on 
 our way. They are on a large scale, consisting of seve- 
 ral furnaces, and rolling- and cutting-mills worked 
 
 country. Books are heavy, and must be dispensed with. "We even 
 tore off the covers, and sacrificed all but the most essential sheets, 
 of our guide-book and vocabulary.
 
 FIRST LAKE VOYAGE. 17 
 
 by steam, all on the most improved principles, and 
 the machinery, I understood, of English manufacture. 
 There are two hundred men employed in the works. 
 Charcoal is the only fuel used in any of the Nor- 
 wegian founderies, no coal having been found in the 
 country : the metal is consequently, like the Swedish 
 iron, of the most superior kind ; but the produce is 
 necessarily limited. I believe there is a law regu- 
 lating the quantity of charcoal to be consumed yearly ; 
 a limitation which has for its object the preservation 
 of the forests. The weight of the iron smelted in all 
 the furnaces of Norway does not exceed 30,000 tons 
 per annum. 
 
 Our friendly guide led us up the banks of the 
 stream, to the point at which it issued from a small 
 lake ; entertaining us by the way with his intelligent 
 conversation, in which, however, he felt some diffi- 
 culty in expressing himself. He had almost lost the 
 use of his native tongue, for many years had passed 
 since he left England ; and it was very rarely, he said, 
 that a countryman of his own dropped upon him. 
 He procured us a boat, and we parted with mutual 
 good wishes when he had seen us embark. We lay 
 at our ease in the boat, on a fragrant bed of young 
 spruce-tops, rejoicing in the prospect of the change 
 and relief which such a mode of prosecuting our 
 journey would occasionally give, and marking the 
 bold outlines of the cliffs as they cast their shadows 
 on the surface of the unruffled waters. Midway, the 
 boatman held water, while my friend hastily sketched 
 
 c
 
 18 yOREST SCENERY. 
 
 the folds of the hills as, in the receding distance, they 
 swept down to the level of the water towards the 
 head of the lake ; on reaching which we leapt ashore 
 on a little pebbly beach, and again resumed our 
 inarch. 
 
 To regain the valley of the Nid, we had to cross a 
 tract of country of the wildest character. It was for 
 the most part densely covered with the primasval 
 forest. In many places the tall spruce towered to the 
 height of from 100 (as I calculated) to 150 feet, and 
 were of unusual girth ; and the great bulk of the 
 giants of a former generation, which lay mouldering 
 in slow decay, told that no hand of man had been 
 there, as in districts more accessible, to appropriate 
 the stateliest of the products of the wilderness. Nature 
 reigned in all her solitary majesty : her operations 
 were uncontrolled. Every age was there ; from those 
 lofty piles standing erect in the ripe fulness of their 
 majestic forms, to the young growth that, springing 
 up in every clearance over which tlie tempest had 
 swept, told of their direct descent from the patriarch ' 
 of a hundred years, whose crumbling ruins they 
 shrouded with a graceful shrubbery. We count the 
 races of man: — who shall say how many generations 
 have here successively germinated and sprung up in 
 youthful vigour and beauty, — in a maturer age have 
 hung out from their feathering boughs those pendent 
 tassels of cones, the seedpods from which to perpetuate 
 their species ; — have ripened, decayed, and gone to 
 dust, — since the epoch of the great catastrophe which
 
 FOREST SCENERY. 19 
 
 moulded these wild regions into their present form, 
 and left their bared surface to the gentle and uniform 
 operations with which vegetation, — following in the 
 track of ruin, — effaces its hardest features, and 
 renews the face of the earth ? Touching images 
 have from the earliest times been drawn from the 
 fall of the leaf, as in successive years the short-lived 
 progeny of a single season are thrown off from their 
 parent stems.* How much more striking the con- 
 templation of the processes of nature in growth, de- 
 cay, and reproduction, on the scale on which it is 
 presented in the depths of a prima3val forest ! 
 
 The general character of the country was irregular, 
 with no leading valleys, and few levels of any extent. 
 We mounted ridges of the steepest acclivity, where 
 the stunted pines told of the elevation at which we 
 had arrived, to plunge on the other side far down 
 into the depths of dark ravines, through \n hich poured 
 impetuous torrents, chafing against the smooth cliffs 
 through which they had worn their channels, and 
 eddying round the detached masses which obstructed 
 their course. Clearings, signs of cultivation, and 
 habitations of men, were, as may be supposed, of rare 
 occurrence. The track vre pursued could hardly be 
 
 * O'/rj Trep (f>v\\u)i' yertii, -oii]Ct Kai aicttwv, k. r. \. 
 
 11. C. 
 " Like leaves on trees, the raee of man is found, 
 Now green in youtli, noAv withering on the ground : 
 Another race the following spring supplies ; 
 They fall successive, and successive rise." 
 
 I'cpe's Homer, 
 c 2
 
 20 FOREST SCENERY. 
 
 called a road ; but trains of light, yet hardy, horses, 
 heavily laden with packs, scrambling up the passes 
 or browsing on the rough herbage, while the rude 
 drivers were seated under the pines, smoking their 
 short pipes, or taking their repasts from the huge 
 leathern pouches which form the invariable equip- 
 ment of the Norwegian, whether travelling by land 
 or embarked on his lakes or Fjords, — these groups 
 indicated that such roads were the only means of 
 communication between the interior and the towns 
 and ports on the sea-board. 
 
 But even these wilds are to be opened up. About 
 noon we fell in with a large party of labourers employed 
 in the construction of a post-road, which the govern- 
 ment has undertaken for the purpose of facilitating 
 the communications. We struck the line continually 
 at intervals during our journey. The crash of falling 
 .trees, and the shouts of the workmen, wakening new 
 echoes in those wild solitudes, added to the interest 
 of the scenery. The deep cuttings of the rocky 
 heights, the well-framed timbers with which the 
 bridge was to span the torrent, and the causeway of 
 massive stones crossing the morass, presented us a 
 specimen of Norwegian engineering, — and we after- 
 wards saw many splendid examples of similar works, 
 — which satisfied us that the execution was as solid 
 as the design, of forming a road at all through such 
 a country, was bold. It is to be completed from 
 Arendal to the foot of the Nisser-Vand ; thus open- 
 ing up a direct communication from the coast to the
 
 FOREST SCENERY. 21 
 
 north-west ; and is, we understood, further to be pro- 
 secuted in that direction. Soon, then, the silence of 
 those untrodden forests will be broken by the ring- 
 ing stroke of the woodman's axe ; and those passes, 
 through which we toiled Avith so much difficulty, will 
 be rapidly threaded by the light carriole. But if 
 future tourists should find their progress through 
 scenes which must always be eminently attractive 
 thus facilitated, we, their pioneers, may perhaps re- 
 joice in having drawn attention to them, and shall 
 ourselves assuredly long retain the vivid impressions 
 which our rambles in these wild districts, and our 
 intercourse with the inhabitants, in their unfrequented 
 and primitive state, are calculated to make. 
 
 The nature of the country precluded our having 
 extended views. Once only, as we were rapidly de- 
 scending towards a lake, which presented in the fore- 
 ground a wider sheet of water than any we had yet 
 seen, all glowing in the noontide sun, we caught sight 
 of a fine range of hills — I must not call them moun- 
 tains, though their elevation was considerable, and 
 the outline bold and clearly defined, — ■' stretching 
 away to the north-west, at the distance of some thirty 
 or forty miles. Just before, we had met with the 
 first bed of lilies of the valley in their native habitat, 
 nestling in the shade of an alder copse ; and, not a 
 furlong beyond, we fell in with a small herd of those 
 delicate-looking cows, diminutive in size, almost deer- 
 shaped, dun-coloured, and docile in their habits, with 
 which we afterwards became familiar, and which form 
 
 c 3
 
 22 A FEMALE GUIDE. 
 
 the staple of the wealth of those pastoral districts 
 towards which we were making progress. Every new 
 object was hailed with fresh bursts of delight. 
 
 But even the feeling excited by such scenery as 
 that we were traversing will not altogether allay the 
 sense of fatigue. We had already accomplished a 
 distance of between twenty and thirty miles over very 
 broken ground ; and great was our disappointment 
 when, late in the afternoon, we reached a station at 
 which we hoped to find horses to assist us in accom- 
 plishing the remainder of our day's journey, at find- 
 ing that none could be procured. We held council 
 with a good-natured farmer, who set before us flad- 
 brod (barley-cakes) and milk, en attendant a guide 
 who would conduct us by a short cut to a station 
 where he thought our object might be obtained. The 
 promised guide shortly appeared, in the shape of a 
 buxom lass of eighteen, who had employed the in- 
 terval in arraying herself in her best attire to do 
 honour to the strangers. It consisted of a very short 
 jacket of dark cloth, brilliantly braided, and fastened 
 at the bosom with a broad silver brooch ; and a petti- 
 coat of the same material, of seemly length, but most 
 ungracefully drawn across the swell of the bosom, 
 having no gathering or cincture at the waist, and 
 hanging loosely like a chemise. She struck into the 
 woods immediately above the house, directly ascend- 
 ing the ridge, which rose almost perpendicularly from 
 the level of the fields. We followed in Indian file, 
 but not with equal agility, although I am not ashamed
 
 BANKS OF THE NID. 23 
 
 to confess 1 had been ungallant enough to accept her 
 offer of burthening herself with my knapsack. Bare- 
 footed, and gathering np her long robe as she brushed 
 through the rank and dewy heather, at a pace which 
 soon threw us panting in the rear, I envied her a pair 
 of legs that, in muscular proportions, and perhaps in 
 hue, might have been mistaken for those of a young 
 heifer. After ascending for some time, she stood 
 for a moment, radiant with exercise, and good-hu- 
 raouredly laughing at our distress. 
 
 We renewed our efforts, and, gaining the summit, 
 where we put up a black cock, accomplished the 
 descent at a rapid pace, and by a course equally 
 direct and precipitous. Below us flowed the Nid- 
 Elv, here a noble river, wider than the Thames at 
 Maidenhead. On its bank, surrounded by an open 
 area of some thirty or forty acres of pasture and 
 cornfields, scooped out of the forest, stood the farm 
 which was the point of our destination. A cluster of 
 timber-framed buildings, each mounted on a base of 
 logs and rough stones, was perched on a green knoll, 
 slightly elevated above the river bank. The stream, 
 which flow^ed in full sheet calmly to the southward, 
 glowing like molten silver Avith the light of the 
 declining sun, about a mile above swept boldly to the 
 right, and was lost under the base of a lofty chain of 
 cliffs, whose bold and almost perpendicular escarp- 
 ment Avas yet feathered to the summit by a growth of 
 dwarf pine and birch, inserted in every fissure and 
 jutting ledge that could give footing to their roots.
 
 24 
 
 BANKS OF THE NID. 
 
 So charming was the scene, that we reconciled 
 ourselves, without much regret, to the prospect of 
 here finding shelter for the night, as it appeared 
 probable that, again, no horses could be procured. 
 My friend established himself, with his portfolio, at 
 the edge of the wood ; but, liowever picturesque the 
 foreground which the group of gabled buildings, 
 
 grotesquely carved, presented for his sketch, an ex- 
 amination of the interior of the dwelling-house 
 satisfied me that, without being very fastidious, it 
 could be no place of rest to us. We were prepared, 
 on occasion, even to bivouack in the woods, — no 
 great hardship in fine weather, and in a latitude 
 where, at this season, there was hardly any night.
 
 BANKS OF THE NID. 25 
 
 When, therefore, on further search, I discovered a 
 detached shanty, in which was deposited a quantity 
 of sweet hay, all difficulty was ended. Here were 
 shelter and a soft couch. We mio;ht 0:0 further and 
 fare worse. We would take our evening meal on 
 the broad flagstone beside the entrance of our rude 
 tenement ; perhaps stroll by the river-side, and throw 
 our line in the ripple where the stream gurgled 
 round the point of yonder green meadow; and 
 resign ourselves to repose under the mfluence of that 
 calm and delicious feeling which all around was cal- 
 culated to inspire.
 
 26 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FOREST SCENERY CONTINUED. NIGHT SCENE. FALLS OP THE 
 
 NID. GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. CENTRAL DISTRICTS CONTAIN 
 
 THE FINEST SCENERY. — HISTORICAL REFERENCES, AND GENERAL 
 PLAN OF THE JOURNEY. 
 
 We were well disposed, on the banks of the Nid, and 
 
 in our present mood, to echo the feeling of Burns for 
 
 the Scottish stream — its synonynie — he " loved sae 
 
 dear:" — 
 
 " The Thames flows proudly to the sea 
 Where royal cities stately stand ; 
 But sweeter floAvs the Nith to me." 
 
 There were, however, certain very pressing and pro- 
 saic cares which claimed our first attention. 
 
 The contents of our haversacks were outspread ; 
 the good people of the farm, all in wonder at our 
 proceedhigs, but all kindness and hospitality, be- 
 stirred themselves to supply our wants. Fresh 
 water was brought from the river for our cookery 
 and ablutions ; our soiled and sodden foot-gear was 
 consigned to their care-; and a savoury mess of 
 portable soup, to which a handful of wild sorrel, 
 culled from the woods, gave an additional gusto, was 
 bubbling on the embers, — when the tramp of horses, 
 late and unexpectedly procured, gave another turn to
 
 FOREST SCENERY. 27 
 
 our thoughts. Not without reluctance we yielded to 
 the desire of getting on, and the expediency of using 
 the means while they were in our power. Such 
 vicissitudes are among the charms of an expedition 
 of the rovinof character of that on which we were 
 embarked. The bowls of hot soup were hastily 
 drained ; we saddled up in quick time, our traps 
 being collected and buckled on. Brief words of 
 thanks, already learnt, with other familiar terms 
 and phrases from our vocabulary, and the smallest 
 of silver coins, expressed our acknowledgments to 
 the group which gathered, round us. Receiving 
 their hearty good wishes in return, we cantered off, 
 little knowing or caring whither. 
 
 Crossing the cultivated grounds, we immediately 
 entered a forest, the features of which were of an 
 entirely different character from those of the tract of 
 country we had passed in the earlier part of the day. 
 The surface was nearly level for the whole space we 
 traversed that evening and the early stage of the 
 morrow, a distance of eighteen or twenty miles. It 
 lay along the left bank of the Nid, which on its 
 other shore washed the base of that long range of 
 perpendicular cliffs which we had marked from our 
 last station. There was no undergrowth, except 
 where we occasionally crossed water-courses which 
 discharged themselves into the river. The banks of 
 these were profusely hung with alder and birch. 
 The boles of the tall pines were also clear of boughs 
 to the height of fifty or sixty feet. Upwards, their
 
 28 FOREST SCENERY. 
 
 tapering stems and spreading branches were of a 
 bright resinous hue, to which the rays of the setting 
 sun gave additional lustre, in singular contrast Avith 
 the hoary cast of the scaly trunks below, to which 
 the shades of evening already imparted a deeper tint. 
 The trees appeared as regularly set out as if they had 
 been artificially planted and thinned. No doubt the 
 timber, standing so near a fine river, would have a 
 high marketable value. One looked in vain for those 
 giants of the forest which had before attracted our 
 notice. No prostrate masses, mouldering in gradual 
 decay, told the tale which had before led us to 
 moralise on the processes of nature and the revo- 
 lutions of time. The rocky steeps, the rough and 
 tangled brake, all which before had given that air of 
 savage wildness to the forest, were here wanting. 
 But, still, the sandy plains which we were now tra- 
 versing had a character of magnificence peculiarly 
 their own. The wide extent of the same unbroken 
 level, canopied above by that dark mass of spreading 
 foliage ; those countless columns which, far as the 
 eye could reach in every direction, mile after mile, 
 stood tall, erect, defined, — supporting that living 
 roof; those long-drawn vistas, through the receding 
 arches of which one sought in vain to penetrate the 
 depths of that vast solitude ; the deepening gloom, 
 still chequered by the rays which the setting sun 
 shot athwart the trees ; the silence, unbroken save 
 by the roar of the river, our constant, though for the 
 most par^ unseen, companion, as it hurried down the
 
 TWILIGHT IN THE FOREST. 29 
 
 frequent rapids ; — all this gave a new and solemn 
 phase to our thoughts. The road was level, the sandy 
 materials being formed into a compact mass ; and 
 our spirited little steeds, — of the true Norwegian 
 breed, cream-coloured, with black mane and tail, 
 high crest, and compact full barrel, — bounded over 
 the smooth surface with that springy action which 
 gives no sense of fatigue, and made amends for the 
 toilsome steps with which we had threaded the rough 
 mazes of our morning's j^ath. 
 
 But the sun was set before we had accomplished 
 more than two thirds of our way, and then succeeded 
 the long twilight of those northern regions. For 
 hours afterwards the most minute objects would have 
 been clearly visible in the open country. In these 
 deep glades, the increasing gloom was softened by a 
 sort of silvery haze, seen through the medium of 
 which, objects presented a shadowy and indistinct 
 appearance, which touched the senses with a solemn 
 and mysterious feeling. We slackened our pace, and 
 proceeded in silence under the influence of the scene 
 and the hour. 
 
 It was near midnight, and I had imperceptibly 
 gained on my companion some quarter of a mile, when 
 my attention was arrested by a singular appearance 
 in a space of open ground, which lay on the right of 
 the road. The forest receded, and left an area of 
 about an acre, closely belted round by the dark pines. 
 From the centre of this rose a column of light misty 
 vapour, which seemed to boil up from the surface.
 
 30 SINGULAR APPARITION. 
 
 wreathing and eddying in the most fantastic shapes, 
 as it vanished into the air. The singularity of the 
 scene consisted in there having been no previous 
 appearance of mist in the forest ; nor was there any 
 in the little meadow itself, except in that particular 
 spot from which the vapour exhaled. The whole 
 atmosphere was clear, except as it was pervaded by 
 that thin but transparent haze which I have before 
 mentioned. Doubtless, what I saw was an exhalation 
 from the swampy ground : — 
 
 " The earth has bubbles as the water has, 
 And these were of them : " 
 
 but the apparition was so sudden, that, predisposed 
 by the train of thought from which it roused me, I 
 confess I was startled ; and almost expected to see 
 the white wreaths of vapour, as they waved aside, 
 disclose the boiling caldron, and the gaunt forms of 
 the " weird sisters " jDerforming their unearthly in- 
 cantations. No wonder, I thought, that amid such 
 scenes — in the depths of these forests — the religious 
 feeling of a rude people was wrought into those 
 gloomy and mysterious forms in which we find 
 it embodied in the legends of the Scandinavian 
 mythology. 
 
 From such reveries I was, not unpleasantly, roused 
 by the tramp of horses, and the shouts of my com- 
 panion and the guides. 1 had overshot the pohit at 
 which we Avere to turn off to our destined station.
 
 NIGHT QUAKrKKS. 31 
 
 Putting my little mettlesome nag to his full speed, I 
 soon retraced my steps. A by-road led into a wide 
 clearing in the wood ; we picked our way with some 
 difficulty across a boggy meadow, leapt a deep water- 
 course, and pulled up under the eaves of a large 
 gloomy-looking building, which was to furnish us with 
 quarters. 
 
 Our cries brought the owner to the door ; and our 
 appearance in the wide dusky apartment, which served 
 all purposes for the inmates of the dwelling, roused 
 a host of women and children from their slumbers in 
 two spacious cribs which occupied one side of the 
 room. Notwithstanding we had been eighteen hours 
 en route^ and late as it Avas, the claims of hunger 
 were the first to be satisfied. Billets of pine-wood 
 thrown on the embers soon blazed up, betraying all 
 the uncouth garniture of that dreary apartment. 
 The women brought us bowls of milk and piles 
 of barley-cake. A packet of "Assam" was opened, 
 and our canteen soon bubbled with a brewino^ of the 
 fragrant herb. Handfuls of rice were thrown into a 
 cauldron of milk ; and a huge table wheeled round, 
 and stools set, close to the blazing hearth. The 
 natives, young and old, gathered round. We won 
 the hearts of the women by inserting lumps of sugar 
 into the mouths of the gaping children ; and they 
 recovered from any annoyance they may have felt 
 from our unseasonable intrusion ; as we did from our 
 sense of fatigue, while we cowered over the glowins' 
 
 o ' do 
 
 hearth, interchanging a bald discourse with our hosts,
 
 32 NIGHT QUARTERS. 
 
 to whom we and our appointments were as great a 
 source of wonder as if we had dropped among the 
 natives of an island of the Pacific. 
 
 In our present line of route 1 feel sure no foreign 
 travellers, probably few native ones, had preceded us. 
 " Er min Herr Fransk f " said our host, at our first 
 appearance on his threshold. " Nei^'^ I replied. 
 " Er Be TydskerV (German). " Nei; vi er Engelsk " 
 (English). It was a passport to his best sympathies. 
 " Com ind^^ he exclaimed with hearty good will. 
 " Tak skal De have" (thanks shall you have), I 
 rejoined, as we collected our traps and followed him 
 into the house. Questions and answers succeeded, in 
 which we made the best of our store of lano-uas^e, and 
 when at a loss, received intelligent assistance. It 
 was by pursuing this system from day to day, that 
 we acquired confidence, gratified our entertainers, 
 .and, before we had accomplished half our journey, 
 were able to make our way with facility, and hold 
 long conversations with our guides and entertainers. 
 So many words resemble our own, and Norsk is so 
 much easier and more euphonous than any of the 
 Celtic or Teutonic dialects, at least to my apprehen- 
 sion, that no one with ordinary pains, and a good 
 vocabulary, need feel any apprehension in trusting 
 himself to the chapter of accidents in such a country 
 as Noi'way. 
 
 Our fishing-rod, tackle, and flies were constantly 
 objects of great curiosity. The Norwegians of the 
 interior are but indifl'erent fishermen, though almost
 
 COUCH OF SHEEPSKINS. 33 
 
 every Elv and Yand abounds with salmon and trout. 
 Angling is almost unknown, and their tackle is of the 
 most clumsy description. They take their fish with 
 nets, sometimes ingeniously made of the fibre of the 
 birch bark, with floats of the same material. The 
 country people, in the districts we crossed during the 
 earlier parts of our rambles, were so unused to 
 strangers, and it was so far from their conception that 
 we could be travelling for amusement, that our 
 anxious inquiries after " fiske " led them more than 
 once to imagine that our expedition was connected 
 with traffic in the finny tribes. Considering that the 
 coast of Norway is only about 100 leagues from the 
 mainland of Scotland, such a speculation may not be 
 impracticable, when the salmon fisheries of the North 
 and of Ireland arc exhausted ; and thus another 
 item be added to the already important branch of 
 Norwegian commerce in herrings, stock-fish, and 
 lobsters. 
 
 But it was time to seek such rest as the place could 
 off'er ; and we were shown into a small chamber open- 
 ing from the common hall, the sole furniture of 
 which was a couch spread with skins and rugs, of so 
 very questionable an appearance, that we would will- 
 ingly have exchanged our present g^te for the bed of 
 sweet hay on which we had before counted. How- 
 ever, there was no help for it ; and, stretching our- 
 selves as we were, carefully wrapped in our oiled 
 overcoats, the best protection against the attacks 
 
 D
 
 34 MORNING IN THE FOREST. 
 
 we apprehended, we were soon lost in profound 
 slumber. 
 
 I had slept about two hours, when I started up, 
 the covering of sheep-skins beginning to give signs of 
 life beneath. Opening the door of the hall, I saw 
 that the bright sun had already touched the pine-tops 
 which crowned the summit of the ridge bounding the 
 bit of open moorland we had crossed in the night ; 
 but a heavy fog now overspread the valley. The air 
 felt chilly, and, regaining my couch without disturb- 
 ing my companion or the household, I again slept. 
 Soon after five we were all astir. The embers were 
 again roused; and coiFee, such as the artistes of no 
 club in London could produce, witli the adjuncts of 
 sugar-candy and the most delicious cream, were set 
 before us. Then, shouldering our packs, we again took 
 our course through the forest. The masses of dark 
 foliage drooped heavily with the load of dew, which 
 hung in bright drops on the grass. The sun, though 
 long risen, was yet at a low angle, producing such 
 effects of light and shade as the reader may well 
 imagine. 
 
 It is not my intention to lead him, step by step, 
 through each successive stage of our rambles.* To our- 
 selves, indeed, the scenery presented so much variety, 
 
 * The design at one time entertained of arranging my materials 
 in the form of a regular itinerary was abandoned, for the reason 
 stated in the Preface ; so that, except in particular instances, the 
 narrative is not encumbered with details of distances and other 
 minutiiB, valuable only to the actual travellei".
 
 FALLS OF THE NID. 35 
 
 continually changing from hour to hour, and from 
 day to day, that the interest never flagged ; and the 
 incidents inseparable from our mode of travelling 
 were a never-failing source of amusement, and fur- 
 nished a rich fund of information on the habits and 
 characteristics of the primitive people on whose kind- 
 ness and hospitality we had thrown ourselves. But 
 a chronicle of these in too great detail might be 
 Avearisome. 
 
 Before, however, we take leave of the Valley of the 
 Nid, I must endeavour to give a brief sketch of its 
 most striking scene. On the skirts of the forest we 
 again struck the river, flowing silently, deep and 
 glassy, with a strong current to the southward. But 
 we could just perceive, and our ears received distinct 
 intimation, that its character was about to change. 
 Having crossed a ferry just below some rapids, over 
 which it was tumbling in angry confusion, the wild 
 roar of the waters increased. About a mile above, 
 the whole body of the river is projected over a ledge 
 of rocks, forty or fifty yards in width, which dams up 
 the breadth of the channel. As yet, however, only 
 the upper edge of the fall was visible. Seen at a dis- 
 tance, above a screen of firs, the long white sheets of 
 foaming water, stretching from bank to bank, appeared 
 like folds of linen extended on the racks of a bleaching- 
 ground. There are three successive falls, of which 
 the principal and most precipitous, where the river 
 confined in deep clefts turns a sharp angle, may not 
 exceed fifty or sixty feet in height. But though that 
 
 D 2
 
 36 FALLS OF THE NID, 
 
 is insignificant compared with many others wliich we 
 afterwards saw, the depth of the fall itself is not the 
 only ingredient in the grandeur of such a scene. The 
 broad sheet, and comparatively small elevation, of this 
 put me somewhat in mind of the falls of Schaffhausen. 
 But its most singular feature was the immense quan- 
 tity of timber which, having floated from the upper 
 country, was here carried down the current. The 
 enormous logs, first whirled, fearfully booming, 
 against the rocks that narrowed the channel, were 
 then hurled over, and plunged in the boiling foam 
 below. At the foot of each fall, a perfect barrier of 
 pines was formed, to which many were added while 
 we stood witnessing the struggle. Some, eddying in 
 the whirlpools, seemed destined never to get free ; one 
 almost wondered how any escaped : numbers were 
 broken up, and some never recovered. The whole 
 shore below the falls was strewed with the giant 
 bulk disjectaque membra of these spoils of the forest, 
 thus arrested in their progress to the sea. 
 
 Felled and sledged to the nearest stream during th6 
 winter, no sooner is its frozen channel set free by the 
 returning spring, and swelled by the influx from the 
 dissolving snow, than the timber, thus left to its fate, 
 begins its long journey. Borne down by the foaming 
 torrents which lash the base of its native hills, far in 
 the interior ; hurried over rapids ; taking its onward 
 course along the shores of winding lakes, or slowly 
 dropping down in the quiet current of broad rivers ; 
 the accumulated mass is brouglit up at last by a
 
 <!»?.,^«!
 
 TIMBER RAFTS 37 
 
 strong boom placed across the stream, where it dis- 
 charofes itself into navi":able waters. It is then 
 sorted, appropriated by the merchants to whom it is 
 consigned, and shipped for foreign ports. One would 
 wonder how it ever reached the place of its des- 
 tination, or how, of the numerous owners, each could 
 reco2:nise his own. But I was oriven to understand 
 
 O CD 
 
 that the logs are branded with the owner's mark be- 
 fore they are committed to the stream ; and I observed 
 that, during their passage down the lakes, they are 
 collected into immense rafts, curiously framed and 
 pinned together ; but so unwieldy and unmanageable 
 are the masses, that but little can be done in the Avay 
 of navigation, beyond fending them off the shores and 
 rocks, and keeping them in the current. Some of the 
 timber is said to be two years in finding its way 
 to the coast. 
 
 We had again fallen in with a gang of labourers, 
 engaged in the construction of the new road, in our 
 passage through the last forest, where their task 
 in the sandy level was of the easiest. At the falls 
 we met with another party busily employed, under the 
 superintendence of an engineer mth whom we had 
 some conversation, in making a causeway along the 
 edge of the torrent, and carrying the line over 
 the broken ground to the level above ; operations on 
 a great scale, and of considerable difficulty. The 
 l)lasting of rocks, and the rolling doA\m of great 
 masses of stone, mingled witli the roar of the falls 
 
 I) 3
 
 38 GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 
 
 and the avalanche of thnber, made a wild and 
 animated scene. 
 
 About two miles above the falls of the Nid, the 
 river, after running between banks of rough tangled 
 forest, receives in full streams the waters of the Nis- 
 ser-A^and, of which it is the drain. Here we were to 
 embark on the lake, and commence the navigation of 
 those inland waters which give so peculiar a character 
 to the country ; and the importance of which to 
 its internal communications may be estimated from 
 the circumstance, that of fifteen or sixteen hundred 
 miles which we travelled, from our landing at Arendal 
 to our bidding adieu to the shores of Norway at the 
 mouth of the Christiania-Fjord, nearly one third was 
 accomplished in boats. 
 
 But, before we proceed, a hasty view of its general 
 features, and of our line of route — introductory to 
 such sketches and notices as may best interest the 
 reader in following our progress — may not be out of 
 place. 
 
 The kingdom of Norway, as he may probably re- 
 collect, forms an irregular parallelogram, broad at the 
 base, which is washed by the Skaggerack, and gra- 
 dually diminishing for about two thirds of its length 
 northward, till it forms a narrow slip between the 
 shores of the Northern Ocean and the mountain ridge 
 which divides it from Swedish and Russian Lapland. 
 It ranges from the Naze in 58° to the North Cape, 
 through thirteen degrees of latitude ; the coast 
 winding rapidly to the north-east from about 62° or
 
 NORTHERN DISTRICTS. 39 
 
 62° 30'. A line drawn through that point from east 
 to west would not unaptly divide the kingdom 
 into two regions, considerably differing in their natu- 
 ral features and the character of the poj)ulation. 
 That was the highest latitude we reached ; and of the 
 upper portion of the kingdom, comprising the pro- 
 vinces of Drontheim, Xordland, and Finmark, I have 
 no knowledge but from the reports of others. It 
 was beyond the limits which we had assigned to our 
 expedition. In the first rough scheme of our ex- 
 cursion, — forgetting, as people are apt to do, the 
 extreme length of the Scandinavian peninsula, stretch- 
 ing northwards for nearly a thousand miles, so that the 
 North Cape is as distant from Christiania as London 
 or Paris, — and overlooking the difficulties which 
 oppose the progress in such a country, — we had vague 
 ideas of being able to penetrate within the arctic 
 circle, and of seeing the sun above the horizon at 
 midnight. But if the latitude of Bodoe in the Nord- 
 land was unattainable, we might at least reach dis- 
 tricts bordering on the line which we ultimately fixed 
 as the extreme limit of our expedition, and of great 
 interest as connected with the heroic age of Norway, 
 with our own, and with European history. Dron- 
 theim, the ancient capital of the kingdom, might have 
 been easily reached, and offered a great temptation, 
 if only for the sake of a visit to the old cathedral of 
 St. Olaf. Christiania, Bergen, and Drontheim, are the 
 usual points in the grand tour of Norway. An enter- 
 prising traveller a few years since went the round, 
 
 D 4
 
 40 GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 
 
 returning to England in a month, and published an 
 interesting account of his excursion.* But our time 
 was limited, and we wished to view things somewhat 
 more in detail than a hasty passage through the 
 country, confined to the post-roads and the great 
 towns, would allow : besides, the finest scenery is to 
 be found in the districts to which we determined ex- 
 clusively to devote our attention. 
 
 The southern portion of the kingdom from the 
 point already defined, 62° or 62° 30', may be described 
 as formino; an area of four and a half decrees of lati- 
 tude by seven of longitude. That again is subdivided 
 by the long and almost continuous chain of mountain 
 fjelds, which commences with the Dovre-Fjeld, near 
 the Swedish frontier, and ranges westward, dividing 
 the province of Aggershuus (of which Christiania 
 is the capital) from that of Drontheira. It then 
 . sweeps round to the south-west, and, running pa- 
 rallel with the coast line (under the names of the 
 Lang-Fjeld, the Sogne-Fjeld, the Fille-Fjeld, the 
 Hardanger-Fjeld, the Bykle and Jokle Fjelds, and 
 some others of lesser note), approaches the sea not 
 far from the Naze. The highest points in these 
 mountain ranges are Sneehattan, in the Dovre-Fjeld, 
 rising to 7513 feetf, and the Skagtolds-Tind, in the 
 
 * "Excursions in the North of Europe, 1830—1833, by John 
 Barrow, Jun." 
 
 f The elevations are throughout stated from Forsell's large 
 Map of Norway, pul>lished at Stockholm ; but, for the convenience 
 of the reatler, they have been reduced from the Swedish measure to 
 Euglisli feet.
 
 CENTRAL AREA. 41 
 
 Sogne-Fjeld, to 7672 feet above the level of the sea ; 
 the general height of the range being from five to six 
 thousand feet. It is traversed by numerous passes, of 
 which that by Jerkin, in the Dovre-Fjeld, forming the 
 great post-road to the north, and that of the Fille- 
 Fjeld, into the Bergenstift, are the principal. The 
 narrow strip of country west of the mountains, and 
 lying between them and the sea (the continuation of 
 which to the northward we have already mentioned), 
 is intersected by some of the most magnificent fjords, 
 which run far up into the country, and, extending 
 their branches in every direction, form, with the 
 straits between the innumerable islands that stud 
 that rocky coast, safe and sheltered channels of 
 communication, by which all the traffic west of the 
 range is carried on. The principal towns in the 
 district to the west of the fjelds are Bergen and 
 Stavanger. 
 
 Returning now to the central area of the kingdom, 
 circumscribed within the limits of the ranges of the 
 flelds on the north and west, the frontiers of Sweden 
 on the east, and the shores of the Skaggerack on the 
 south, we find it overspread by a network of lakes 
 and rivers, fed by streams which have their sources 
 high up in the fjelds. The coast on the south is also 
 indented by fjords, of which that which runs up to 
 Drammen and Christiania, for seventy miles, is the 
 most considerable. The lakes of the interior, here 
 called indiscriminately soe and vand, are noble sheets 
 of water ; those of the largest class, from thirty to
 
 42 GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 
 
 upwards of seventy miles in length, but dispropor- 
 tionately narrow, seldom exceeding from two to five 
 miles in breadth. Most of them are deep-set in a 
 framework of bold rock or shaggy forest, frequently 
 towering to a thousand or 1500 feet above the level 
 of the water, with occasional openings into lateral val- 
 leys of most luxuriant fertility. These waters, like 
 the streams and rivers in general, have their course 
 from north-west to south-east. 
 
 We had planned our route so as to take advantage 
 of the communications offered by some of the finest 
 of these ; thus, at the same time, affording us the 
 convenience of varying and relieving our mode of 
 travelling, and opening to us their noble scenery. 
 Ascending the Nisser-Yand, and then crossing to the 
 TiND-SoE by the fertile dais of Hjerdal and Hitterdal, 
 Ave should reach the Mios-Yand by the wilder 
 valley of the Maan, Over this dal towers the snoAvy 
 peak of the Gousta-Fjeld, 5540 feet high ; and in 
 the immediate neighbourhood, is the Rjukan-Foss, 
 with one exception the most magnificent Fall in 
 Norway. Thus we have, in the very heart of that 
 central area I have already described, perhaps taken 
 together, the very finest scenery — the Lauterbrunen 
 and Grindelwald — of Norway. The whole is in- 
 cluded in a circle of fifty or sixty miles round Gous- 
 ta-Fjeld, taken as the centre of the group, and 
 it is easily approached by way of Christiania and 
 Drammen ; and to any one ■wishing to embrace in 
 a short tour some of the most interesting points of
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 43 
 
 Norwegian scenery, I would strongly recommend the 
 excursion. 
 
 The historical interest attached to the districts 
 lying immediately to the north of the Dovre-Fjeld and 
 the Sogne-Fjord, to which I have already incidentally 
 adverted — as well as many fine natural features, 
 particularly the valleys of Justedal and Romsdal — 
 must be a source of attraction to such travellers as 
 have leisure at command. From tlie fjords on that 
 part of the western coast, issued those hardy adven- 
 turers whose enterprise had no limits but the shores 
 which they successively visited, ravaged, and subdued. 
 Iceland colonised — Greenland, and even America, 
 discovered (as there is reason to believe, ages before 
 the voyage of Columbus) — every island in the seas 
 surrounding the coast of Britain, from Shetland to 
 those of the English Channel, conquered or peopled ; 
 the Northmen pushing southward, for a long series of 
 years ravaged either shore of the German Ocean and 
 the coast of France. 
 
 Their periodical descents, in which — the terror 
 and the scourge of civilised and Christian communi- 
 ties — the fierce worshippers of Odin swept whole 
 districts with fire and sword, sparing nothing but the 
 plunder which they carried ofi* to their ships — were 
 succeeded by enterprises of permanent conquest. 
 More than half of Anglo-Saxon Britain became their 
 own ; and one of the fairest provinces of France was 
 wrested from the descendant of Charlemagne. The 
 Northmen gave kings to England, and dukes to
 
 44 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 
 
 Normandy ; and, in more southern lands, carved 
 out for their leaders principalities in Sicily and 
 Apulia. 
 
 There was intimate connection and alliance in 
 those ages between the kingdoms of England and 
 Norway. Hako the Good was brought up in the 
 court of Athelstan. The great Canute united the 
 croAvns of England and Norway with that of Den- 
 mark : and, in the decay of the Saxon line, Harold of 
 Norway, making pretensions to the throne of Canute, 
 was defeated, but his son and successor magnani- 
 mously dismissed, by his namesake Harold, the last 
 of the Saxon kings, shortly before the event of the 
 battle of Hastings firmly fixed the English sceptre 
 in the iron grasp of the descendants of Rollo. Of 
 this intimate connection so long prevailing, this amal- 
 gamation, I may call it, of the two races through the 
 northern and eastern districts of the Heptarchy, there 
 are indelible traces in the language, the national cha- 
 racter, and the civil and political institutions of our 
 own country. There is reason to believe that all 
 these are quite as much of Scandinavian as of Teu- 
 tonic origin. 
 
 But the rude conquerors of so many provinces and 
 kingdoms, fairer than their own, lost in a surprisingly 
 short space of time all the features of their original 
 nationality, except their inherent valour and their 
 native love of freedom and independence. Such was 
 the fine germ of character implanted in this northern 
 race, that it only required transplanting to a kindlier
 
 HISTORICAL NOTICES. 45 
 
 soil at once to unfold its generous qualities, and ex- 
 pand with its growing fortunes. In the course of 
 two generations, the rude bearing of the piratical 
 Viking merged in the chivalry of the Norman Baron ; 
 and the fierce worshippers of Odin became the devout 
 sons and defenders of the Church. Their styles of 
 architecture, botli castellated and ecclesiastical, were 
 so noble as to have commanded the admiration of all 
 succeeding ages ; and the pomp and luxury, and even 
 refinement, which they introduced into the forms of 
 life, contrasted strongly with the rude manners of the 
 conquered nations, and produced results which tend 
 to qualify our regret for the stern rule to which they 
 were subjugated. The descendants of the Northmen 
 soon lost all traces of their descent from the Sea-Kings 
 of Norway ; but many a peer proud of his Norman 
 lineage, if its annals could be carried two generations 
 beyond the Conquest, would have to admit a real 
 though remote kindred with the independent Bonder 
 of certain districts of Norway, who boast that the 
 free udal tenure of their lands can be proved to have 
 continued in unbroken succession from dates far ex- 
 ceeding those of the earliest charters granted to the 
 most renowned of the adventurers who "came in" 
 with the Conqueror, and whose names are inscribed on 
 the roll of Battle Abbey. 
 
 These slight historical references may, it is hoped, 
 not be thought unconnected with the sketch at- 
 tempted to be given of the geographical features of 
 Norway. " The exploits," remarks Mr. Laing, " of
 
 46 HISTOEICAL NOTICES. 
 
 the wandering heroes of Norway, who set out with a 
 few ships, and conquered kingdoms in the finest parts 
 of Europe for their posterity, seize on the imagination 
 of the reader of modern history, and make him de- 
 sirous to see the mother country of such men — to 
 see their descendants — to see the places where they 
 lived — the harbours they sailed from ; and, should 
 no works of man remain from their days, the rocks 
 at least, and hills, and rivers which they had looked 
 upon." Harald Haarfager, the first king of all Nor- 
 way, (whose conquests drove the petty chieftains to 
 emigrate,) and his successors also, lived in the district 
 north of the Dovre-Fjelcl, which was then considered 
 the most important part of the kingdom. It was 
 from Aalesund, a small island ofi" the coast of Roms- 
 dal, that Rolf-Ganger, or Rollo the Walker, embarked 
 for the conquest of Normandy; and the coves in 
 which his galleys were fitted out are yet shown. It 
 was at Drontheim that all the great events of the 
 early ages were acted ; and at Stikklestad, in that 
 neighbourhood, the great battle was fought in which 
 Olaf, saint and king, fell — one of the most memorable 
 of events in the Norwegian annals. 
 
 I have mentioned the reasons which led me to 
 forego the pleasure that may be derived from visiting 
 these districts — the old historic ground of Norway. 
 It only remains, after this long digression, that I 
 should point out the further plan of our proposed 
 journey, after leaving the central district to which I 
 have particularly drawn attention. The design was.
 
 PLAN OF ROUTE. 47 
 
 ascending to the head of the Mios- Vand, and following- 
 its waters to the foot of the Ilardanger-Fjeld, to 
 cross the fjeld by a new and unfrequented track ; 
 to embark on the fjords on the other side of the 
 mountains, and make our way in as direct a line as 
 possible to Bergen. After halting a few days, to 
 recruit ourselves and examine that interesting place, 
 two plans were open to us. 
 
 The one was, to ascend the Sogne-Fjord to its ex- 
 treme point near For tun, at the base of the Skagtols- 
 Tind ; and then track across the country to the north- 
 east, in the direction of the Dovre-Fjeld, to Roraas, 
 a town situate on the confines of the kingdom, from 
 whence we might cross the Swedish frontier, and 
 visit an encampment of Laplanders, who come from 
 the north in ,the summer to pasture their herds of 
 rein-deer on the mountains in that neighbourhood. 
 From Roraas, the journey to Christiania, by the post- 
 road, descending the valley of the Glommen, was com- 
 paratively easy. But the earlier part of the route, 
 which crossed the whole breadth of the kingdom, a 
 distance of 300 miles, in great part by paths and 
 roads little frequented and almost unkno^vn, was in- 
 volved in some uncertainty, and presented serious 
 difficulties ; while it offered many points of the 
 greatest interest. 
 
 The other plan was, to cross the Fille-Fjeld, and 
 descend the Miosen-Vand, or the Rands-Fjord, in the 
 way to the capital.
 
 48 PLAN OF ROUTE. 
 
 It will be found in the sequel that, from arrange- 
 ments which were not originally contemplated, both 
 these plans were carried into execution ; and, fortu- 
 nately, the survey of the districts included in our 
 original scheme was completed to an extent exceed- 
 ing our hopes and calculations.
 
 49 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE NISSER-VAND. — NAVIGATION OF THE LAKE. — NORWEGIAN 
 
 HOSPITALITY. HEAD OF THE LAKE. — PROCEED BY LAND. 
 
 BURNT FOREST. — TRAVEL IN CARS. — ARRIVE AT MIDBO. 
 
 We reached the foot of the Nisser-Vand in a violent 
 storm of rain, from which we sheltered ourselves for 
 a while in the forest; but finding it continue, we 
 were ferried across the Nid, which here issues from 
 the lake, and took refuge in a miserable hut at the 
 edge of the water. 
 
 Several boats lay tossing at the little pier of rough 
 stones on which we landed, but so tempestuous was 
 the weather that for some time no inducement could 
 prevail with the boatmen to undertake the voyage of 
 the lake. It blew hard ; the rain descended in tor- 
 rents ; and the thunder rolled its deep echoes along 
 the surrounding cliffs. Groups of wild-looking peo- 
 ple filled the cottage. We amused ourselves by ob- 
 serving the process of preparing cakes of flad-brod, 
 in which the women were employed. One rolled out 
 lumps of unleavened dough — large as a shield, and 
 thin as a wafer — which another inserted in a huge 
 oven ; and a third stored them away in a chest : a 
 supp]}^ for the wants of the family for many succeed- 
 ing weeks. These, with abundance of milk, rye or
 
 50 SKIEFS ON THE LAKES. 
 
 barley meal made into porridge, and occasionally fish, 
 are the common food of the people. Hot and crisp 
 from the oven, and spread with butter, as we now ate 
 the flad-brod, it is palatable enough, and preferable 
 at all times to the sour and heavy rye-bread, which 
 is also in frequent use. Wheaten bread is rarely 
 to be seen ; and is reckoned a delicacy even in the 
 towns and at the tables of opulent farmers. The 
 interest of this domestic manufacture served awhile 
 to allay our impatience. But the quarters were 
 utterly comfortless, and we took advantage of a lull 
 in the storm to prevail on the unwilling boatmen 
 to launch into the lake. The boats used on the 
 lakes are light pine-built skiffs, with projecting 
 bows; and having no keels, and drawing but little 
 water, they skhii over the short seas into which the 
 lakes are often stirred. They have no rudders ; and 
 each rower pulls two short oars or paddles. Of course 
 the boats are ill calculated for sails, which are seldom 
 used, as the sudden gusts of wind which descend 
 from the mountains would occasion danger. There 
 being no stern-sheets, the passenger reclines abaft 
 on a bed of birch-spray or pine-tops. 
 
 Thus cowering under the low gunwale, well wraj)ped 
 up in our waterproof overcoats, and with caps pulled 
 down over our ears, we were prepared to battle with 
 the fury of the elements. The hardy natives seem 
 little to regard the vicissitudes of their climate. De- 
 spising the effeminacy of cloaks and overcoats, their 
 stout homespun jackets and trowsers, and undercloth-
 
 NISSER-VAND. 5 1 
 
 ing of woollen, appear almost impervious to rain ; or 
 when saturated, like the Highlanders' plaid, they ex- 
 clude cold the better. For ourselves, we rejoiced at 
 the opportunity of seeing one of the noblest of the Nor- 
 wegian lakes under circumstances so calculated to 
 give effect to its wild and sombre features. The clouds 
 hung low, only partially disclosing the almost perpen- 
 dicular cliffs which bounded its either shore. The 
 lurid mantle imparted additional gloom to those dark 
 waters, of untold depth, which lashed into short 
 billows surfed against the rocks, and broke against 
 our quarter as the boatmen struggled at their oars. 
 
 Our progress was slow ; we were nearly two hours 
 accomplishing a Norwegian mile, which is equal to 
 seven English. The clouds then gradually drew up, 
 hanging upon the dark slopes of the woods, disclosing 
 bluff" points, and wreathing about the lofty summits 
 of the cliffs, which rose from the very edge of the 
 lake to a great elevation. Both shores were now 
 visible, for the Nisser-Vand, though more than thirty 
 miles in length, is, like most of the others, very nar- 
 row in proportion, averaging I think from two to 
 three miles in breadth. Rounding a point on the 
 eastern shore, we suddenly opened a shallow bay, the 
 only break we had yet seen in the massive barrier of 
 cliffs. These, gradually shelving round, formed a 
 spacious amphitheatre ascending from the shore, the 
 slopes of which displayed fields of pasture and young 
 corn of the most brilliant verdure. Near the edge of 
 the water stood a church and parsonage ; a little 
 
 E 2
 
 52 NISSIDAL. 
 
 higher up to the left, the buildings of a considerable 
 farm ; others of less pretensions were scattered among 
 the inclosures. This was the village of Nissidal. 
 The sun had shone out, and doubly bright appeared 
 the fair landscape amongst scenery, to the features of 
 which, generally so stern, the storm had recently 
 given a still wilder character. 
 
 Our boatmen had pulled fifteen mile's, and we had 
 traversed about one half of the length of the lake. 
 It was now late in the afternoon. We had taken but 
 slight refreshment since our very early breakfast, and 
 were wet and benumbed with lying in the boat. It 
 was resolved, therefore, to make Nissidal the resting- 
 place for the night ; and as the bow of the skiff was 
 turned into the little bay, and our eyes swept round 
 the tempting amphitheatre, speculation was rife as to 
 the quarters and entertainment we should be able to 
 procure. 
 
 There are states and stages in society in which the 
 exercise of hospitality is not only a duty but a plea- 
 sure. In the infancy of civilisation, and in a thinly' 
 populated country, where the simple necessaries of 
 life are abundant, shelter and food — indispensable 
 requisites on the one hand — are well repaid by the 
 break in the monotony of existence which a stranger's 
 arrival makes, and by the news, of some sort or other, 
 which he is probably able to communicate. I have 
 travelled from station to station among the scattered 
 farms of a settlement in the southern hemisphere, 
 riding up to the porch, and entering the ever-open
 
 NOEWEGIAN HOSPITALITY. 53 
 
 hall, just as I should approach a road-side inn in any- 
 other part of the world. The period is not very- 
 remote since the tourist might be passed, with slight 
 introduction, from house to house, through the remoter 
 districts of Scotland and Ireland ; and his welcome 
 lasted as long as his pleasure or convenience required. 
 In the course of time, as travellers multiply, this 
 system becomes burthensome, and houses of enter- 
 tainment spring up for their accommodation. 
 
 In Norway, these are of rare occurrence, even on 
 the main lines of road. The avocation of an inn- 
 keeper is held in low estimation. The people have 
 not yet generally learnt to make hospitality to 
 strangers a marketable commodity. We soon dis- 
 covered this amiable prejudice, and, in our future 
 Rambles, were careful not to claim entertainment from 
 the farmers upon the strength of our ability and 
 willingness to pay for it. A slight conversation on 
 our route and plans never failed (except in one me- 
 morable instance) to lead to an invitation to enter 
 their houses and take rest and refreshment. On our 
 departure, we made such offering as we thought 
 adequate to the good wife, accompanied by thanks 
 and expressions which gave it rather the character of 
 a " quiddam honorarium," than the payment of a 
 reckoning. It was not always received without some 
 show of reluctance ; and it was sometimes curious to 
 observe a sort of stru2""fle between the feeling- of 
 which I have been speaking, on the one hand, and the 
 not less national, I apprehend, keenness for gain, on 
 
 E 3
 
 54 HOSPITALITY. 
 
 the other. Long, however, may it be ere the proverb, 
 " Point d'argent point de Suisse," can be fairly ap- 
 plied to the good people of this semi- Alpine country. 
 
 On the present occasion we had heard too much of 
 the hospitality of the people of all classes to be under 
 any great uneasiness. The choice seemed to lie be- 
 tween the substantial farm-house on the slope of the 
 hill, and the parsonage, or prcBste-gaard^ which stood 
 near the water's edge. The latter had, on various 
 accounts, the decided preference. In other countries 
 the priest's house is often the only refuge of the for- 
 lorn traveller. Sometimes, in such cases, it is admis- 
 sible to clear scores by the offering of an honorarium^ 
 which there are no scruples about receiving. So in 
 the convents of the south of Europe, it is well under- 
 stood that the " qualche cosa per carita " goes to de- 
 fray the expenses of the hospitality which the rules 
 enjoin, but which the revenues of the establishment 
 are no longer adequate to support. But even there 
 I have often found it genuine, and irrespective of the 
 offering ; and the solitaries of remote convents in the 
 Apennines, gathered, after a frugal supper, round the 
 pine-logs blazing on the hearth of the vaulted re- 
 fectory, have been as eager for news of what was 
 going on in the world from which they were shut out, 
 as the tenants of a frontier stock-farm on the verge of 
 civilisation. 
 
 We already knew enough of the position of the 
 Norwegian clergy to be sensible that the hospitality 
 we proposed to claim must be wholly gratuitous; and
 
 A PARSONAGE. 5o 
 
 it is SO foreign to our habits and ideas to walk up to 
 a strange gentleman's house and ask for board and 
 lodging, that when our skiff touched the shore, it 
 required much exhortation from my companion, who 
 very wisely determined to stay by the boat, and a 
 conviction of the imperative necessity of the case, to 
 induce me to make the essay. 
 
 But my scruples were groundless. The worthy 
 pasteur had seen our approach, and came forth to meet 
 me. He was a man of middle age and pleasing man- 
 ners. Finding that I was an Englishman, he regretted 
 that he could not talk English; but, addressing me in 
 French, he interrupted my apologies for the intrusion, 
 and pressed me to come in. Nor was he satisfied 
 without going down himself to the shore and extend- 
 ing the invitation to my fellow-traveller in person. 
 We were shown into a very pleasant sitting-room : 
 the windows commanded charming views of the lake, 
 and a pianoforte and vases of flowers gave it a cheer- 
 fid and habitable look. A tray with a slight refection 
 made its almost instant appearance. We were at- 
 tended by a most respectable female domestic, under 
 whose auspices we speedily made ourselves present- 
 able, and, returning to the saloon, were introduced to 
 the wife and daughter of our worthy host. We spent 
 a very delightful evening. The prassten led us to a 
 point from which there was a splendid view of the 
 broad expanse of water, bounded by a noble group of 
 mountains on the western shore of the lake : the 
 foreground was of the green slopes of pasturage and 
 
 E 4
 
 56 AGREEABLE SOCIETY. 
 
 corn which we had seen from the boat. He after- 
 wards conducted us to the church. It was the first 
 time we had entered a Norwegian church, and we 
 were struck with the appearance of the highly de- 
 corated altar, and rich embroidered vestment which 
 hung by its side. 
 
 On our return to the praeste-gaard we found an 
 officer of the Norwegian service, who was employed 
 in the trigonometrical survey of that part of the 
 country. We received some valuable suggestions for 
 our future guidance. Our host entered warmly into 
 our plans, and drew up for us an itinerary, in which 
 our several stages and resting-places to the foot of 
 the Hardanger-Fjeld were pointed out. He encou- 
 raged us to think that we should find the passage of 
 the fjeld practicable at this season. We were under 
 some anxiety about it, as Mr. Barrow had been dis- 
 suaded from attempting it in the month of July. The 
 ladies were kindly interested in such specimens of 
 English workmanship as our equipments afibrded. 
 They admired the perfect finish and excellence of 
 every article of English manufacture. The prepared 
 waterproof cloth in which our maps and other articles 
 were inclosed was a novelty ; and a drinking-cup and 
 air-cushion of similar material was, now as ever, an 
 object that afibrded great amusement. I had much 
 conversation with the pasteur on the ecclesiastical 
 arrangements of Norway, the result of which, con- 
 firmed by subsequent opportunities of observation 
 and inquiry, will be found in the sequel. He was a
 
 EVENING MEAL. 57 
 
 man of enlarged and liberal mind ; and our own in- 
 stitutions, and the state of affairs generally in Europe, 
 were freely discussed. 
 
 Thus the long twilight wore away till after ten 
 o'clock, when candles were lighted, and the table was 
 spread for supper. It was abundantly and nicely 
 arranged. Though attended by the domestic, the 
 ladies rose at times to do the honours in certain petita 
 soins, according to a custom of the country, which, 
 though not without a grace and kindliness, was at 
 first painful to us ; and though all that is menial is 
 on such occasions performed by the services of an 
 attendant, and there is something kindly and even 
 graceful in the usage, we could never altogether re- 
 concile ourselves to it. The pra?sten departed from 
 the usual habits of the natives to pledge the strangers 
 in a bumper of Rhenish to their " bon voyage." On 
 our part, in rising from table, we went through, 
 pretty well for a first attempt, the national ceremony 
 which follows every meal, of shaking hands with the 
 master and mistress of the house and all the company 
 round, saying to each, ^^ Tak for maden," — Thanks 
 for the meat. 
 
 When we came down stairs in the morning, we 
 found the floor of the hall sprinkled with small sprigs 
 of the spruce-fir. Coffee had been served while we 
 were in the act of dressing. A plunge in the lake 
 from the wooded point beyond the parsonage pre- 
 pared us to do justice to a plentiful breakfast. We 
 were pressed to prolong our visit : it was quite out of
 
 58 VOYAGE CONTINUED. 
 
 our calculations. In making our acknowledgments to 
 the worthy pasteur^ M. Jonnessen, and his agreeable 
 family, we felt the pain of such pleasant associations 
 being so transitory. On this and other similar occa- 
 sions we could only express our hopes of having some 
 opportunity of returning English for Norwegian hos- 
 pitality ; a wish, we trust, in some instances destined 
 to be realised. In collecting our traps for departing, 
 we found every thing restored to the best condition : 
 even the needle had not been idle ; and we could not 
 have started from home, under the care of a good 
 mother or sister, in better trim. There was genuine 
 and unpretending kindness in attentions such as these. 
 The jmsteur accompanied us to the beach, where 
 we found a boat and two stout rowers in attendance. 
 Pursuing our course up the Nisser-Vand, the western 
 shore still continued to present the same bold and 
 barren appearance ; but the prospect on the other was 
 enlivened by the frequent occurrence of hamlets and 
 green pastures, occupying the gentler slopes of the 
 hills. Every scrap of land, however small, that would 
 atFord footing to a goat, or space for a patch of corn 
 or potatoes, was taken advantage of. These little 
 clearings, surrounded by the deep forest, and inter- 
 mixed with crags and thickets, had a most picturesque 
 appearance. The marvel was, how, with their ut- 
 most industry, the few roods of soil thus reclaimed 
 could afford even a scanty subsistence to the popula- 
 tion, which was evidently numerous. One might 
 have wondered how access was obtained to these in-
 
 HEAD OF THE NISSER-VAND. 59 
 
 sulated settlements, shut in between precipitous cliffs 
 above and the lake below ; but that little piers and 
 boat-houses under every cultivated nook indicated 
 that its waters afforded the principal means of com- 
 munication with each other and the rest of the world. 
 The winter, when it is one unbroken sheet of ice, 
 must be the principal season for traffic and good 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 As we approached the head of the lake, we were 
 delighted with the series of dioramic views which the 
 folds of the hills stretching down in long slopes to 
 the edge of the water successively opened. In one 
 place the bordering hills fell back, and left an amphi- 
 theatre of two or three miles in diameter, the undu- 
 lating area of which gave to view the flowing lines of 
 smooth and rounded masses of pines with which it 
 was densely clothed, surmounted by bare cliffs behind ; 
 and over these, at some distance, rose a group of 
 mountains of extremely fine contour, on the sides of 
 which rested patches of snow, at not a very consider- 
 able elevation. The lake terminates among a chain 
 of low islets of graceful outline, some covered with 
 young birch, feathering to the ground ; others with a 
 small clump of spruce-firs, dropping their pendulous 
 branches ; some so small that a single tree only shot 
 up its spiral form above the tiny patch of greensward 
 that gave it footing. 
 
 Threading our way through this bowery maze, we 
 landed at Vraadal, and, dismissing the boatmen, began 
 the ascent from the shores of the lake, through open
 
 60 BAY OF ISLANDS. 
 
 glades tufted with alder and birch. Looking back- 
 wards, the bird's-eye view of the bay of islands, now 
 spread beneath, as on a map, with all the outline of 
 bay and inlet and grassy promontory, and its net- 
 work of intersecting channels, gleaming like silvery 
 threads, and opening out into the last broad reach of 
 the noble lake, was a scene of indescribable beauty. 
 Before us, at a great distance to the north-east, 
 stretched away the dark chain of mountains which 
 bounds the valley of the Maan, towards which our 
 course was tending. In about two hours, descending 
 through a spruce-grove of particular luxuriance and 
 very lofty growth, we caught glimpses among the 
 trees, in the windings of the road, of a fine sheet of 
 water below, and of an enormous mountain mass, 
 which, rising directly from its edge, towered to the 
 height of 4000 feet above the fjord. 
 
 A turn in the road brought us in view of a scene of 
 desolation, on a magnificent scale. Fire had done its 
 work of devastation, and, running up the tangled banks 
 of a wild ravine, had penetrated far into the recesses 
 of the forest. The jagged and charred stems of the 
 pines, snapped asunder at various heights — the 
 blackened and calcined rocks — the screen of shri- 
 velled spray, that hung withered from the half-burnt 
 trees at the line where the conflagration had stayed its 
 devouring course — formed a spectacle among the most 
 strikiag that can be conceived. The scene of wreck 
 enabled us to form some faint idea of what it must 
 have been when the conflagration was at the height
 
 BURNT FOREST. 61 
 
 of its fury, passing in its conquering strength from 
 tree to tree, spreading through the tangled branches, 
 climbing in wreaths of flame the tall stems, till it 
 overtopped the highest summits — amidst volumes of 
 smoke and jets of sparks, and the crackling and roar- 
 ing of the destroying element, and the crash of falling 
 trees, as one after another came to the ground. 
 
 The fire had been apparently accidental, as the 
 surface was too broken and rocky to lead us to sup- 
 pose that it had been cleared for agricultural purposes. 
 The effect of such clearings of the forest, preparatory 
 to cultivation, is finely described by Shelley : — 
 
 " As the Norway woodman quells, 
 In the deptli of piny dells, 
 One light flame amidst the brakes, 
 While the boundless forest shakes. 
 And its mighty trunks are torn. 
 With the tires thus lowly born ; 
 The spark beneath his feet is dead — 
 He starts to see the flames it fed, 
 Howling through the darken'd sky. 
 With a myriad tongues victoriously." 
 
 We crossed a narrow branch of the fjord at 
 Ivitsoe. The fjord is of great length, and, with 
 numerous branches under several names, extends 
 from the foot of the fjelds to Porsgrund and Brevig, 
 where it meets the sea. It produces excellent salmon- 
 trout, of some of which we partook, fried in an ocean 
 of butter, while waiting for horses ; having determined, 
 in our anxiety to make the following day one of entire 
 rest, to push on for the residue of the evening. It is an
 
 62 TRAVEL IN CAES. 
 
 affair of time in Norway to procure horses, where they 
 have not been previously engaged, as they feed far 
 a-field. There is a degree of phlegm in the Norwe- 
 gian character, which on such occasions was little 
 moved by our impatience. To repeated inquiries 
 when the promised heste would make their appear- 
 ance, the constant answer was " en tima^'' answering 
 to the " toute a I'heure," or " adesso, adesso," of other 
 countries, and signifying an indefinite postponement 
 of our demands, which extended from half-an-hour to 
 one or two hours. Patience was the only remedy. 
 While we were waiting, the Probst, or Provost, who 
 holds an office in the Norweo^ian Church similar to 
 that of Archdeacon or Rural Dean in ours, crossed 
 the ferry in a violent storm, in his way to visit a sick 
 parishioner in a remote part of his parish. The 
 labours of the parochial clergy in this country are 
 extremely severe, from the great extent of the dis- 
 tricts, and their being intersected by waters and lofty 
 ranges. We happened to have a letter of introduc- 
 tion to him, and we had a short conversation while 
 his horse was being harnessed to his carriole. 
 
 We were supplied with two light cars, each 
 capable of holding two persons, the traveller and the 
 slcyd-gut, or lad who had to bring back the horse. The 
 seats are fixed on springs of ash, so that the jolting 
 is very supportable. We passed through an undu- 
 lating country, more inclosed than any we had yet 
 seen, with many villages ; at one of which we obtained 
 relays. The horses were spirited little animals; and.
 
 HEADLONG PACE. 63 
 
 allowing the best of them to take the lead, we coursed 
 each other along the slopes of the hills, and down the 
 sharp declivities, at a rapid pace. In the excitement 
 of this novel mode of travelling, we soon lost all 
 apprehension of danger, and rattled merrily along 
 over the rough roads, jumping from the low cars, the 
 long rope-reins in hand, to walk up the steeps ; and, 
 without breaking the pace, mounting again at the 
 crest of the descent, to dash down into the hollows, at 
 a rate that would have been fearful, but that we had 
 learnt to place implicit confidence in our mettlesome 
 but sure-footed steeds. 
 
 We journeyed late. On that unfrequented road, 
 nothing broke the silence of the long twilight but the 
 tinkling of the bells from the collars of the post- 
 horses as they rattled nimbly along, and the prattles 
 of two merry lads, the skyds-guts, on our last stage. 
 
 It was midnight before we reached our quarters at 
 Midbo in Lohoden.
 
 64 
 
 CHAPTER rV. 
 
 CHURCH OF SILLEJORD. — DISTRICT OF TELLE5IARKEN. PEASANTS 
 
 DRIVING THEIR COWS TO THE SUMMER DAIRIES ON THE FJELDS. 
 
 SAULAND IN HJERDAL NORWEGIAN SOLDIERS OF THE LAND- 
 
 V^RN. CROSS THE COUNTRY TO THE FOOT OF THE TIND-SOE. 
 
 VOYAGE ON THE LAKE. SMALL FARMS DIVISION OF LAND 
 
 AND UDAL TENURES. ASCEND THE VALLEY OF THE MAAN TO 
 
 DAHL. 
 
 One must have encountered the wear and tear of a 
 week's travel, such as ours had been, to feel the com- 
 fort which a single day of rest, interposed between its 
 toil and our further progress, afforded. The leisurely 
 toilet, such change of garb as our scanty kit allowed, 
 the protracted meal, the quiet hour for bringing up 
 our journals and making calculations for the future, 
 the delicious feeling of repose, restorative both to 
 mind and body — all these we fully enjoyed. Nor 
 did we altogether omit the higher duties of the day. 
 The hamlet of Midbo stands in an open and culti- 
 vated valley, at the head of a small lake. About a mile 
 beyond is the church of Sillejord, approached through 
 an avenue of very old birch-trees, terminating in an 
 open space of smooth greensward, in part overspread 
 with a low shrubbery of various foliage. The church 
 itself, a cruciform building, with chancel, tower, and 
 spire, all framed of pine-logs, stood in the midst of a
 
 CHURCH AND CHURCH- YARD. 
 
 65 
 
 burial-yard, slightly elevated, from which the ground 
 fell away into a deep and thickly wooded glen. A 
 
 mountain torrent took its course through the bottom, 
 and just below had its confluence with a broader 
 stream, the Vallor Elv, over which a picturesque 
 wooden bridge completed the charming view. Sur- 
 rounded on every side by eminences clothed with 
 forest, the whole scene had an air of freshness, peace, 
 
 F
 
 66 CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD. 
 
 and seclusion. Not a house, an enclosure, nor any 
 work of man, save the sacred edifice, was visible. We 
 were disappointed at finding it closed. Being what 
 is called Annex-kirher\ it is served once only in three 
 weeks by the minister of the Mother church. Of those 
 arrangements we may have to say something here- 
 after. Portions of our own liturgy supplied the 
 service in which we had wished to unite with another 
 but a kindred form of our faith. We recited them, 
 seated on a stone bench, under the wall of the chancel ; 
 the bright sky our canopy, and all around a fitting 
 temple for our worship, even if we had not been with- 
 in the sacred precincts. But we could not forget, 
 that those who from time to time knelt beneath that 
 grey roof, those whose simple memorials were around 
 in lettered cross and tufts of blooming flowers, as well 
 as those who, far away, were now offering the sacrifice 
 of prayer and thanksgiving in the same rit^ial as 
 ourselves, were all members of that holy catholic 
 church, of the unity and communion of which, 
 throughout the world, our services spoke. When, on 
 subsequent occasions, we had opportunities of attend- 
 ing the services of the Norwegian Church, we dis- 
 covered that they Avere closely identical Avith our 
 own ; both derived from the ancient liturgy of the 
 Western Church — the most sublime of human com- 
 positions. 
 
 The neighbourliood of Lohoden has some fine 
 points of view. In the evening, leaving a party of 
 peasants dancing to the sound of a fiddle in the 
 kitchen of the Giest-huus — in which the recesses for
 
 FRESH START. 67 
 
 the dressers and the cribs for sleeping places were 
 partially shrouded by a screenwork of light foliage, 
 cleverly carved in wood, — we strolled up the steep wood- 
 land at the back of the house to a deep gorge in the 
 mountains, through which rushed a torrent, thundering 
 under a slight foot-bridge, with a considerable fall ; 
 it reminded me of scenery in South Wales. Our 
 good hosts did everything in their power for our 
 accommodation; but the fare was not equal to the 
 other comforts our temporary sojourn afforded, A 
 dish of salted trout was served up for our principal 
 meal, with, I think, a few very small and bad potatoes ; 
 even those were not often to be met Avith at this 
 season, and meat we tasted thrice only between 
 Arendal and Bergen, a distance of 450 miles, w^hich 
 it took us nearly three weeks to accomplish. But 
 we got accustomed to the simple diet of the country, 
 the staple of which was milk and ryemeal, with 
 such additions as the slender stock of our havre- 
 sacks and my companion's fishing-rod occasionally 
 contributed ; nor did we find our health and strength 
 at all the worse for our frugal fare. 
 
 The roads in the line of our route to the foot of 
 the Tind-Soe being good, and horses procurable at 
 convenient stations, we determined to proceed in 
 cars, in order to reserve our time and energies for the 
 prosecution of the more arduous part of our under- 
 taking. It was a glorious morning, and, as usual, 
 we were early astir. Despatching some excellent 
 coffee and a dish of stirabout and cream, my com- 
 
 F 2
 
 08 ENTER TELLEMARKEN. 
 
 panion walked on to sketch the church and scene 
 which had so miicli delighted us on the preceding- 
 day. I shortly followed, slowly retracing the road 
 along the old avenue, rattling down the steep descent 
 under the church-yard inound, over the bridge, where 
 my friend joined me ; and, turning sharp to the left, 
 pursued the road up the course of the stream. Then 
 it coasted a small lake ; on the opposite shore of 
 which a conical mass, with snow lying in patches on 
 the slopes, towered above the surrounding cliffs. The 
 head of the lake was shut in by an insulated moun- 
 tain of peculiar shape, the summit being cleft into 
 pinnacles, distinct and clearly defined, yet beautifully 
 grouped, presenting the appearance of a cluster of 
 hexangular crystals. The formation was, like that 
 prevailing through the greatest part of Norway, 
 decidedly primitive ; and we had found masses of 
 quartz in the immediate neighbourhood. Here, 
 having changed horses, we left the road which pro- 
 ceeds up Fladdal to Amotsdal ; and, turning to the 
 right, mounted by a steep and rugged ascent the pass 
 which, crossing the intervening ridge, leads into 
 Hjerdal. The descent was long and easy, by a good 
 road, through a wood of alders. The upper part of 
 the Dal, an amphitheatre of green turf, resembled the 
 higher valleys at the foot of some of the passes of the 
 Alps. Presently we came to meadows and corn- 
 fields; substantial farm-houses appeared, with their 
 numerous out-buildings ; attached to each was a small 
 hop-yard, and enclosures of fruit trees, cherries, and
 
 peasant's costume. 69 
 
 apples. Now we began to meet frequently parties pass- 
 ing between the several hamlets ; farmers and their 
 wives in their singular and picturesque costume ; and 
 carts laden vnth. sacks of meal. We were in Tellemar- 
 ken ; and everything we saw indicated the improved 
 character of the district, — one of the best in Norway. 
 The peasants wear a short jacket, of something of 
 a military cut, ornamented with silver lace and 
 rows of small bright buttons ; breeches of a dark 
 colour, seamed with red, and woollen stockings, 
 the clocks of which are brilliantly worked ; with a 
 iX'd cap. The vest of the women is either of a 
 bright colour, or gaudily braided. The petticoat is 
 dark, the hem gaily trimmed with a worsted lace 
 of red or yellow. Their head-dress is a coloured 
 kerchief, the ends of which hang down the back. 
 Both sexes wear large brooches and shoe-buckles of 
 silver. The dress of the men reminded me of the 
 costume of the Tyrolese. 
 
 We drew up to the side of the narrow road, to 
 suffer one of the parties we were continually meeting 
 to pass. It interested us exceedingly. In straggling 
 succession, first came dairy-maids, with milk-pails on 
 their shoulders, ever and anon turning to a herd of 
 those beautiful little cows which were loitering 
 behind, and calling them on in wild and not un- 
 musical cadence ; sheep and goats followed ; the men 
 brought up the rear, with cars loaded with meal- 
 bags, butter and cheese tubs, and, over all, the great 
 black iron pot in which the milk is boiled in the 
 
 F .3
 
 70 PASTORAL GROUPS. 
 
 processes of the dairy. They were on their way to 
 the distant fjelds, in which the cows are pastured 
 during the summer. On those vast uplands all the 
 farms have their respective sseters, or chalets ; rude 
 huts, in which the cheese and butter are manu- 
 factured and stored during the long summer months, 
 till the season when the approach of severe weather 
 warns the attendants to drive their herds back again 
 to the cover of the homesteads, and the pasture and 
 the fodder which the sheltered valleys only can then 
 afford. We met five or six of these parties in the 
 course of the morning, coming from various parts of 
 Tellemarken, it being in the first days of July that 
 they annually flit for the mountain pastures. The 
 distance that many of them had to go was six or 
 seven Norsk (equal to fifty English) miles. We 
 were delighted with this first glimpse of the pastoral 
 habits of the people, with which we had shortly 
 abundant opportunities of becoming familiar ; and 
 as we caught the air with which the dairy-maids 
 summoned their straggling charge, ^oome 2{fvcie, .Koome 
 2Cft»eie ; the simple melody of the refrain " cam-avai, 
 cam-avai," seemed to merit a place beside that of the 
 Ranz des Vaches. 
 
 We passed a small lake, from which the river fell in 
 several rapids ; the valley narrowed, and we had two 
 or three miles of wild and broken country. Then it 
 again spread out, and the approach to Sauland, at 
 which the church of Hjerdal was a distinguished 
 object, through a broad level covered with most
 
 PARADE OF SOLDIERS. 71 
 
 luxuriant crops, was very beautiful. As we neared 
 the village, we met parties of soldiers whom we sup- 
 posed to be on their march to join the contingent 
 which, with the Swedish army, was to support the 
 Danish forces in their struggle Avith the German 
 powers. We afterwards found that they belonged 
 to the Landvcern, who at this time of the year are 
 called out for training in their several districts. 
 Sauland is a station for this purpose. We were 
 treated with great civility by the officers in command 
 of the detachment, and hospitably entertained by a 
 merchant who has a large store at this place, and at 
 whose house the officers were quartered. We took 
 the opportunity of replenishing our supplies of 
 biscuit and other small luxuries, as there was no 
 chance of our doing so again for the next 150 or 200 
 miles of our route. The evening parade of the 
 detachment was held in a large field on the banks of 
 the river, a short distance from the village. The 
 men appeared to be smart fellows, and were steady 
 under arms ; the Serjeants however accompanying 
 their instructions with much more of energy of 
 phrase and gesticulation than the stiff forms of our 
 own service admit. They went through the manual 
 and platoon exercises, which did not materially difJer 
 from ours. There was however a bayonet drill, 
 which struck us as very serviceable. At the words 
 " high thrust," " low thrust," " parry high," and 
 " parry low," with others, a series of movements is 
 
 F 4
 
 72 BAYONET DRILL. 
 
 made, forming a complete system of attack and 
 defence with that formidable weapon in hand-to-hand 
 fio-ht. The men seemed to enter into it witli o-reat 
 spirit, and I understand the Norwegian army pride 
 themselves on their proficiency in it ; so much so, 
 that the troops now at Malmo had petitioned their 
 officers to take every opportunity of bringing them 
 to close quarters Avith the Prussians, feeling great 
 confidence in their practised use of that effective 
 arm. It would appear that troops so drilled must, 
 in close conflict, have a decided advantage over such 
 as are unpractised in any regular and scientific mode 
 of using it. It may be supposed that its intro- 
 duction into our service has not been thought ne- 
 cessary, from the circumstance that British troops 
 have not hitherto met an enemy disposed to cross 
 bayonets with them, and withstand that single move- 
 ,ment at the charge which has decided the fate of so 
 many fields. The squads, of which there were three 
 of eighteen or twenty file each, afterwards formed 
 into line, and made some excellent charges across the 
 meadow, accompanying the change of pace to double 
 quick time with wild hurrahs. 
 
 While the parade was concluding, I strolled along 
 the river-bank gathering wild strawberries, which 
 abound in every part of the country, and are much 
 larger than our wood strawberry, and of delicious 
 flavour. My friend fished up the stream ; but the 
 trout were small, and did not rise well. The after- 
 noon was cold, and heavy rain succeeded, of which
 
 DALS AND FOREST. 73 
 
 we had more or less daily, with few exceptions, 
 during our rambles in this country. 
 
 The drums which beat the reveille through the 
 village at five o'clock, for the morning parade, roused 
 us from our slumbers, and as the men fell in we 
 were again on the march. It had rained heavily 
 durino; the night, and the clouds still huno; about the 
 slopes of the liills which bordered the valley. We 
 descended it for some time, crossing and re-crossing 
 the stream by bridges of timber, which the Nor- 
 wegian workmen are expert at framing, and are very 
 picturesque in their appearance. The road leads into 
 Hitterdal, the loiver, as Hjerdal signifies the uppe7\ 
 We did not pursue it, but my companion, who 
 visited it in 1849, represents it as presenting a 
 similar aspect to that of Hjerdal. The most striking 
 object is the church of Hitterdal, which is of great 
 antiquity, and built of pine logs, in that singular and 
 picturesque style of architecture which is peculiarly 
 Norwegian, and on which we shall have occasion to 
 remark in the sequel. We now turned out of the 
 high road, and plunged once more into the forest. 
 It spread about ten miles in the direction we took, 
 and was one of the finest we had seen. In one part 
 it was a sandy level, with tall pines, clear of under- 
 wood, from 70 to 100 feet in height, and of girth 
 as large as I could span with extended arms. In 
 others the surface was irregular, and the spruce, in 
 the full vigour of their growth, shot out spreading 
 boughs feathering to the ground — pyramids of
 
 74 FOREST CLEARINGS. 
 
 verdure. In a few places there were recent clear- 
 ings. The rough shanty, the half-finished log-house ; 
 trees felled and lying in all directions, some just 
 divested of their bark, and looking fresh and bright ; 
 half-burnt stumps, patches of barley or oats of a 
 sickly green ; some meagre drills of potatoes ; a 
 straggling cow driven by one urchin, and a goat 
 dragged along by another, were signs and tokens of 
 the processes by which the first settlers in the 
 -wilderness work out their well-earned independence. 
 Considering how vast a proportion of this country is 
 still covered by forest, and that many sections of it 
 consist of reclaimable soil ; and, again, that the popu- 
 lation is redundant, annually seeking relief by emi- 
 gration, I was surprised to find, in the course of our 
 journey, so little done in bringing new land into 
 cultivation. 
 
 But our rambles among forest scenery were at an 
 end for the present. We Avere approaching districts 
 in which the pine gives way to the birch ; and 
 shortly afterwards should reach elevations in which' 
 the latter also, in its most dwarfed and stunted form, 
 Avould cease to appear. The Tind-Soe extends in 
 a direct line, somewhat to the west of north, about 
 thirty miles in length by from two to four in breadth, 
 to the very foot of the highlands of the Tind-Fjeld and 
 Tessun-Fjeld. Its character is still more sombre, 
 and its enclosing ranges are loftier, than those of the 
 Nisser-Vand. It seemed to be our fate to navigate 
 these inland waters in storm and tempest, for it
 
 PASTURAGE OF THE FJELDS. 75 
 
 rained heavily when we reached the little haven at 
 the bottom of the lake, at which we embarked. But 
 the rowers were willinfi: and vijzorous ; and though it 
 Avas bitterly cold, ensconced beneath the ample co- 
 vering afforded by a spare sail, we suffered but little 
 inconvenience. We hugged the left or western bank 
 of the lake, on which, while the other presented an 
 almost unbroken line of precipitous cliffs, there were 
 many openings — green spots among the dark woods 
 — which disclosed the same appearances of careful 
 appropriation and minute culture which we had ob- 
 served on the shores of the Nisser- Yand. 
 
 The question which had then suggested itself, as to 
 the possibility of such diminutive farms affording sub- 
 sistence to the inhabitants, had received some solution 
 by our little adventure of the preceding day with the 
 convoy in progress to the mountains. The command 
 of a wide extent of pasture enables the Norwegian 
 farmer to maintain a stock of cattle quite dispropor- 
 tioned to the size of his homestead. Soon after mid- 
 summer, as I have already observed, the cows are 
 driven to the Fjelds, and there remain till the approach 
 of winter. The abundance and sweetness of the 
 herbage in those elevated regions, bring the animals 
 into high condition, and cause a large return in the 
 produce of the dairy, the principal source of wealth in 
 these, districts. In the mean time, every rood of 
 greensward about home is as closely shorn as the 
 smoothest lawn ; hay is also gathered from the smallest 
 patches of open glade on the skirts of the woods. On
 
 76 SMALL FARMS. 
 
 the borders of the lakes and fjords, every sunny nook 
 and platform on the ledges of the cliffs contributes its 
 share ; boat-loads of the tender sprigs of the young 
 birch are added to the store and the whole is carefully 
 secured. Wliile the cattle are on the Fjeld, the after- 
 grass of the enclosures about the homestead and the 
 runs in the woods, has time to grow ; and on these 
 the stock is maintained till the ground is covered with 
 snow, and the careful farmer is compelled to have re- 
 course to the stores of fodder he has so industriously 
 collected. His tillage land also partakes of the bene- 
 fits which the means of maintaining so large a stock 
 of cattle aiFord. The great quantity of manure, 
 which he is thus enabled to collect during the winter 
 months, secures the most luxuriant crops of rye, 
 barley, and potatoes ; and slopes which, under another 
 system, would have barely subsisted a few half-starved 
 cows, or afforded a scanty harvest, teemed with the 
 richest verdure, and gave promise of abundant re- 
 turns. Thus the summer pasturage of the Fjelds is 
 of the utmost importance to the Norwegian farmer of 
 every class. In the case of the small holder, his very 
 existence is dependent upon it ; for meagre indeed 
 would be the pittance which the circumscribed limits 
 of his immediate homestead would supply for his 
 wants. 
 
 The necessity of storing his fodder and sheltering 
 his cattle from the inclemency of a long and severe 
 winter, and the custom of having distinct buildings 
 for the various requirements of the farm and house-
 
 NUMEROUS OUTBUILDINGS. < t 
 
 hold (the kitchen, the bake-house, the dairy, and the 
 store being all under separate roofs), occasion that 
 singular aggregation of buildings, — log -houses covered 
 with shingles, which every where appeared. The 
 forest is at hand, and every one here is his own 
 carpenter and builder. A single farm presented the 
 appearance of a hamlet ; and the effect of these clusters 
 of rude tenements grouped about the homestead, their 
 bright or mellow tone of colour contrasting mth 
 the vivid green of the enclosures, and the deeper 
 shades of the surrounding woods, was cheerful and 
 picturesque. 
 
 These small holdings range in extent from five 
 to thirty or forty acres. In the broader valleys and 
 more fertile districts, there are still estates of con- 
 siderable size, notwithstanding the long period during 
 which the principle of the partition of property among 
 all the children of a family has prevailed. The reader 
 is probably aware that the feudal tenure, with its right 
 of primogeniture, and all its burdensome incidents, 
 was never introduced into Norway. Under the Udal 
 law, which has here existed from the earliest ages, the 
 immediate possessor of the soil holds of no superior. 
 He is absolute owner, subject to no rent or duties, or 
 vexatious interference of any description. Of the 
 effects of that system, so different from that which has 
 prevailed, and, in some shape or measure, still sub- 
 sists, throughout the greatest part of Europe, it is 
 needless to enlarge. They are visible in the character, 
 habits, and institutions, — the sturdy, yet quiet, feeling
 
 78 DIVISION OF LAND. 
 
 of independence, — the self-possessed, but mannerly, 
 demeanour that distinguish this primitive people. 
 
 But the other incident of the Udal tenure, which 
 partitions the inheritance amongst all the children of 
 a deceased proprietor, merits some passing notice. 
 The subject is of special interest at a time when 
 theories of a more equal distribution of property are 
 eagerly canvassed, and the experiment is in the course 
 of trial in a neighbouring kingdom, where the love and 
 the frequency of change in her institutions have 
 hitherto been more conspicuous than the benefits she 
 has derived from it. In Norway, the division and 
 subdivision of the land has been going on, under the 
 law referred to, for successive generations. What 
 have been the results as afifecting the condition of her 
 own people, — and how far can inferences be drawn 
 from them applicable to the circumstances of other 
 nations ? Any light that can be reflected on the 
 question, from experience of so long standing, must 
 be valuable. A traveller is too apt, indeed, to take 
 things as they appear on the surface, and much 
 reliance may not be placed on his casual observations ; 
 but if he use his opportunities well, and correct his 
 erroneous impressions by the aid of those who are 
 able to afibrd him sound information, the chances are 
 that his conclusions will be found correct. 
 
 The first and obvious remark which would occur to 
 any one at all conversant with the present state of 
 things in the country is, that there the system has, on 
 the whole, worked well for the social condition of the
 
 RESULTS OF UDAL TENURE. 79 
 
 community. Certainly it has not produced that infi- 
 nitesimal parcelhng out of the soil, with its con- 
 sequences in a wretched cultivation, an indiscriminate 
 and hopeless mediocrity and general pauperism, 
 which it may appear to threaten. Whether, as to 
 political institutions, it may not have tended too far 
 to evolve the democratic principle, is not the present 
 question ; other opportunities may occur of making 
 some remarks on that part of the subject. But so far 
 as concerns the internal economy, the comfort and 
 well-being of families, and the social bearing of the 
 different classes of society towards each other, the 
 division of property, so far as it has taken place (and 
 it has not gone by any means the length which might 
 have been anticipated), appears to have worked satis- 
 factorily. What have been the checks to the natural 
 consequences of the operation of the principle of 
 equal distribution, — what has been the corrective 
 power, the compensation balance, that has preserved, 
 in some degree, an equilibrium in the progressive 
 movement, — I have not been fortunate enough to 
 find sufficiently explained. The provision of the 
 Udal law, which makes it competent to any of the 
 kindred of the proprietor in possession to redeem the 
 land which he has sold or alienated, may have some 
 effect in keeping together the family inheritance. 
 The effect of this Odelsbaarn ret, as it is called, 
 is evidently to entail, in a certain degree, the land 
 upon the kindred of the Udalman. Of late, the 
 exercise of this right of redemption has been limited
 
 80 CHECKS ON POPULATION. 
 
 to five years from the period of sale ; and the value of 
 all improvements, as well as the original price paid for 
 the purchase, must be repaid. 
 
 It has been said also, that the consolidation of pro- 
 perties by marriage, in a considerable degree, makes 
 amends for the dispersion to which it is liable. But 
 the main corrective to the evil tendency of the system, 
 I am inclined to think, is to be found in the in- 
 dependent character of the Norwegian peasant. If 
 his portion of the family estate be not sufficient to 
 support him, as a separate farm, he neither will, nor 
 can, perhaps, consistently with the prevailing feeling *, 
 sink lower in the scale ; and he sells his share to his 
 
 * This feeling appears to pervade all classes. " Agricultural 
 labour also, especially on the simple footing on which it stands 
 in Norway, carries with itself a preventive check on the excess of 
 population, which labour applied to other branches of industry has 
 not. The labour in husbandry is carried on principally by house- 
 men. These have a house and land, generally held on lease for the 
 life of the houseman and his wife, for which they pay a rent, 
 principally in working so many days upon the main farm. These 
 attached holdings have generally enclosed lands to raise corn and 
 potatoes, which, with the pasturage of a couple of cows and some 
 sheep or goats, suffices for the maintenance of the labourer's family. 
 But their standard of living is comparatively so high, and the 
 minimum of accommodation for a working man's family, acording 
 to the notions and customs of the country, is so considerable, that 
 the unmarried must wait, as house-servants, until a houseman's 
 place falls vacant, before they can marrj."—Lainfj. 
 
 I met but one beggar during the whole of my rambles in Nor- 
 way. Paupers are maintained by being attached to the farms ; one 
 or more, in proportion to the extent of the land, being employed 
 in cutting fire-wood, and other light work, in return for their 
 subsistence.
 
 NORWEGIAN SYSTEM. 81 
 
 co-inheritor, and shifts for himself. Hence there is a 
 continual stream of emigration to the United States. 
 But it occurred to me, that the vast ranges of the 
 fjelds, which intersect, and are accessible from almost 
 all districts of, this country, have an important in- 
 fluence on its general, as well as its rural economy. 
 Not that, like the waste lands in other regions, they 
 afford settlements for a redundant population ; for 
 three-fourths of the year they are sealed up with 
 frost and covered with, for that period, perpetual 
 snow. But those immense, and seemingly inexhaust- 
 ible fields of pasturage are supplementary to the en- 
 closed and cultivated farms in the valleys ; so that 
 the smallest of these, or a fraction of ten or a dozen 
 acres severed from a larger estate, which would not 
 of themselves afford the means of decent existence to 
 a family, are with this appurtenance sufficient for 
 that purpose. 
 
 However that may be, it is abundantly evident that 
 there are, so to speak, centripetal forces in action in 
 this country, which counteract the tendency to split 
 into fragments indefinitely more and more minute, 
 which the main principle of Norwegian policy with 
 regard to its territorial arrangements would appear to 
 involve. 
 
 But although the effects of this peculiar distribu- 
 tion of property may not have been injurious in this 
 particular instance, it does not follow that its adoption 
 in other countries differently circumstanced, would 
 be attended with equal success. It is said : " See its 
 
 G
 
 82 NOT GENERALLY APPLICABLE. 
 
 effects, after being in operation from the earliest ages 
 upon the condition of society in this remote corner of 
 the civilised world ! " — " It exhibits what France 
 and America will be a thousand years hence." Xow, 
 it may be allowed that some of the causes which tend 
 to check the too great subdivision of property under 
 this system, are of universal application. The case 
 also of America is peculiar ; a new country, with half 
 a continent in store to meet the wants of those of its 
 citizens who from whatever cause are led to migrate 
 from their original seats. That of a densely popu- 
 lated and highly civilised European nation is surely 
 very different. It is because the state of things one 
 sees in Norway has been the growth of a thousand 
 years, that it works so harmoniously and has pro- 
 duced so little inconvenience. For a long period, 
 while the population was scanty, there was room 
 enough and to spare, either in a divided inheritance 
 or in fresh fields for industry. There have been no 
 privileged classes to be stripped of their rights, or 
 sink by slow degrees under the operation of the law 
 to the common level. The national character and 
 local circumstances have contributed to the preserva- 
 tion of a safe equilibrium ; and as the land is not held 
 together in large masses, so there are few portions so 
 reduced as to be below the means of supporting a 
 family in comfort, according to the ideas and habits 
 of the country. The disruption of the old frame of a 
 society differently constituted, in order to bring about 
 an equalisation of property, cannot be likely to be
 
 SUBJECT CONCLUDED. 83 
 
 attended by similar results. Neither the peasant of 
 Auvergne, starving in the empty pride of ownership on 
 his hectaire of vineyard, nor the cottier of Connaught, 
 indolently extracting a wretched subsistence from a 
 few roods of conacre, can be assimilated to the inde- 
 pendent yeoman of Norway ; and, to my apprehension, 
 little encouragement is afforded to the prosecution of 
 agrarian tlieories by her example, if all the circum- 
 stances of the case be duly considered. 
 
 I am, perhaps, exceeding a traveller's privilege 
 while dwelling on the reflections to which the little 
 farms, scattered in the hollows of the shores of the 
 Tind-Soe, gave rise ; bright spots in its rugged 
 scenery, on which the eye rested with delight, and to 
 which the contemplation of the comparatively happy 
 lot of their favoured tenants — thrice happy if they 
 know it — lent a deeper interest ! 
 
 But the sky clears : we land about midcourse on 
 the pebbly beach of a jutting point in the lake. We 
 are glad to stretch our limbs, cramped by the cold 
 and by our constrained position in the narrow boat. 
 Our stores furnish a lump of ganmel-ost ; a dry cheese, 
 somewhat of the flavour of Parmesan ; and a bottle 
 of London stout, from the cellars of Herr Hoist at 
 Sauland, which serves to relish and wash down the 
 husky flad-brod. The boatmen put aside their flasks 
 of buttermilk, and make a first acquaintance with 
 XX. They pronounce it excellent, and pledge us in 
 the toast of " Gamle Norge." "W^e embark again : 
 our usual luck pursues us ; the rain descends in 
 
 G 2
 
 84 HEAD OF THE TESID-SOE. 
 
 torrents; the scenery becomes more and more wild 
 and stern. The mountains close in towards the head 
 of the lake ; lumpy masses of the fjeld, broadly 
 streaked with snow, seen dimly through mist and 
 cloud. At length we open a deep inlet on the western 
 shore : a few hearty strokes, and we sheer alongside 
 a rough pier. The boatmen drop their oars; their 
 task is done. Twenty-four miles in such weather, 
 over rough water and against frequent currents, had 
 tried their mettle. They have the long channel to 
 retrace ; and weary and late they will moor their 
 little skiff at Tindoset, the haven at the foot of the 
 lake. 
 
 Clambering up the steep and slippery bank, we 
 find a house on the summit, the abode of a black- 
 smith : he possesses a boat, but is in no hurry to set 
 us forward on our way. After some delay, we pre- 
 .vail on him to pull us up the inlet, some two miles, to 
 Moel, where the river Maan debouches into the Tind- 
 Soe. We find here a little church and some houses ; 
 but the appearance of every thing is most dreary. 
 We shoulder our knapsacks and ascend the left bank 
 of the stream. This lower part of the valley of the 
 Maan, or as it is called the Westfiordalen, presents 
 features of the wildest, combined with some of the 
 softest character. The enclosing mountains are of 
 great elevation, folding in at intervals and appearing 
 to interdict any further progress. In front frowns 
 the enormous mass of Gousta-Fjeld, its base only 
 visible, for two-thirds of its height are lost in the
 
 THE MAAN ELV. 85 
 
 clouds. It still poured in torrents. The river ran 
 rapid and full through a narrow margin of meadow 
 of the most delicate green, shut in by the almost per- 
 pendicular ranges, and divided by the outstretching 
 folds of the mountains. The channel was broken by 
 fairy islands of level green sward, tufted with dwarf 
 birch, a spiral spruce here and there cutting the softer 
 outline. Through this charming scenery we ascend 
 the valley for about six miles ; we pass a wood of old 
 gnarled birch-trees ; we turn a point, and see just 
 beyond the little hamlet or village of Dal, among 
 the scattered buildings of which the church and giest- 
 huus, painted a deep red, were easily distinguished. 
 
 G 3
 
 86 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE MAAN. — GOUSTA-FJELD NORWEGIAN STUDENTS. 
 
 — PREPARATIONS FOR CROSSING THE HARDANGER-FJELD. 
 
 KJUKAN-FOSS. 
 
 From Dal we were to visit the Rjukan-Foss. It was 
 the base of our operations for crossing tlie Hardanger- 
 Fjeld: there we had planned to pass the following 
 day. It was our point of departure for a line of 
 country little frequented, and Ave had to arrange the 
 steps of our further progress. Speculations as to 
 what awaited us, such as often occupy the traveller 
 when feeling his way through unknown tracts, had 
 been rife, as, wet and weary, we plodded our way up 
 the valley of the Maan in a deluge of rain, which did 
 not damp our enthusiasm at its wild and beautiful 
 scenery. We were not disappointed : in that unpre- 
 tending giest-huus we found not merely shelter and 
 rest and warmth, but the most anxious care for our 
 smallest wants and wishes, and imexpectedly good 
 company in the persons of some students from Chris- 
 tiania, who, with the habits common to their class on 
 the Continent, were spending their vacation in a 
 pedestrian excursion. Stripped of our sodden gar- 
 ments, and our immediate behests supplied, one of 
 these was added to our councils. Our travelling
 
 THE ROUTE ARRANGED. 87 
 
 maps were compared, the difficulties of the enterprise 
 canvassed, and the line of our march chalked out 
 from the best lights we could obtain, though these 
 were but doubtful and imperfect. It had been our 
 original design to cross from the valley of the Maan 
 to the Mios-Vand, and to follow its shores to the 
 highest point at which it approached the foot of the 
 mountains, where we thought it probable that we 
 should be able to procure the assistance of some of 
 the peasants, to whom the passes were known, in 
 crossing the Hardanger-Fjeld to Kinservig or Ullens- 
 vang, villages on the other side, from which the route 
 might easily be continued in the direction of Bergen. 
 This appeared the most direct line ; and, as far as we 
 could then judge from the course of the streams 
 traced on our maps, it seemed practicable. The 
 only account we could meet with of the passage 
 of this Fjeld by any former traveller was that of 
 Mr. Elhott*, who, Avith two companions, in July, 1830, 
 crossed it from Tessundal to Kinservig. They were 
 four days in making the passage, lost their way in 
 the snow, and had nearly perished. The highest 
 point of their route was about 4000 feet above the 
 level of the sea. This account was somewhat dis- 
 heartening ; but the same line had been traced for us 
 by our kind host, the pasteur of Nissidal; and we 
 were prepared to follow it on such authority, not- 
 withstanding tlie difficulties, and though it involved 
 
 * " Letters from the North of Europe." London, 1832. 
 
 G 4
 
 88 GOUSTA-FJELD. 
 
 the retracing our steps, after visiting the Rjukan- 
 Foss, down the Westfiordalen to the head of the 
 Tind-Soe, and the journey from thence to Tessundal, 
 a circuit of sixty miles, which would not bring us 
 nearer to the foot of the fjeld than our present po- 
 sition. Our satisfaction therefore was great at finding 
 from the result of our present inquiries, that the 
 scheme we had originally projected in my fellow- 
 traveller's drawing-room at was actually prac- 
 ticable ; that we should not have to retrace our steps, 
 but could reach the shores of the Mios- Vand, visiting 
 the Rjukan-Foss in our way, in an easy day's jour- 
 ney ; and there, at the house of a farmer to whom our 
 host would furnish us with an introduction, should 
 procure all the aids necessary for the prosecution of 
 our adventure. 
 
 This affair adjusted, we were prepared to abandon 
 ourselves to the quiet enjoyment which a day's so- 
 journ amidst the scenery of this romantic valley pro- 
 mised. At an early hour my friend was busy with 
 his rod on the bank of the river, which ran eddying 
 round the green plot of two or three acres on which 
 the church and giest-huus stood. The morning was 
 bright. While dressing, I watched from my chamber 
 windows the lights and shadows as they flitted over 
 the broad flank of Gousta-Fjeld. Clouds still hung 
 about it ; but descending to the little green, I could 
 thence perceive its summit, which from this point of 
 view presented the appearance of a truncated cone. 
 It was surrounded by a bold escarpment of clifts fur-
 
 NORWEGIAN STUDENTS. 89 
 
 rowed into channels filled with snow, between the 
 white streaks of which the bare ridges of rock projected 
 at seemingly regular intervals, forming a wreathed 
 diadem, fitting the giant monarch that towered over 
 a vast extent of the surrounding country. The fjelds 
 of Norway bear no comparison with those extended 
 ranges of sharp-defined outline and with elevated 
 peaks which, seen at a vast distance, form such mag- 
 nificent features in other Alpine scenery. Gousta- 
 Fjeld, though its height is only 5540 feet, is perhaps 
 the most insulated of the Norwegian mountains. 
 From the base of the cliffs which cro^Yn its summit 
 the slopes fall away in one bold sweep to the level of 
 the valley of the Maan, its lower region being clothed 
 with woods. The eye embraced its noble proportions 
 at one view. 
 
 From this magnificent spectacle I was summoned 
 to breakfast. The collegians were our guests : we 
 were able to give them trout from the river, fresh 
 eggs, English chocolate, and a bowl of wild straw- 
 berries which were just coming into season here, in 
 addition to the preparations of meal and the milk 
 and cream, the staple of a Norwegian repast. We 
 were hons camarades, as associates of the fraternity 
 of wayfarers with scrip and staff; and there was an 
 esprit clu corps between us as university men. From the 
 present specimens, and from others whose acquaint- 
 ance I had subsequently the good fortune to make, I 
 am ready to think that Oxford has no reason to disdain 
 one of the youngest of her sisters. The university
 
 90 UNIVERSITY OF CHKISTIANIA. 
 
 of Christiania was founded in 1811, by Frederic YI., 
 king of Denmark and Norway. The system is that 
 which is universal on the Continent, of lectures by 
 professors, and frequent examinations to test the pro- 
 ficiency of the student at successive stages. Fresh- 
 men bring with them a certificate from the rector of 
 the high school at which they have been educated, 
 and are besides subjected to a pretty severe examina- 
 tion, the examinatio artium. After a time they go 
 out in the faculty of the profession for which they 
 are intended, as Theologus, Jurist, Medicus. The 
 professors are very able men, and hold a distinguished 
 rank in society. The university is endowed with 
 considerable revenues in land, and receives liberal 
 support from votes of the Storthing. Though the 
 students reside in private lodgings in the town, and 
 out of the halls of lecture the authorities exercise 
 little or no supervision, they are well conducted, 
 have nothino; of the vul2:ar swao^o-er of the Burschen 
 of Germany, do not glorify themselves in drunken 
 brawls, and are by no means likely to take the lead in 
 the construction of barricades. I have good reason 
 to think that their average acquirements are consider- 
 ably above the level of those of the ol ttoXKoi with us ; 
 though for depth and refinement in classical reading, 
 and for mathematical acumen, I should consider 
 that the class-men of our universities are decidedly 
 superior. Our young friend, who had assisted at our 
 councils of the preceding evening, was intelligent and 
 inquiring; he was designed for the church. Upon
 
 CANDIDATES IN THEOLOGY. 91 
 
 obtaining his certificate in Theology, he would acquire 
 the title of Candidatus : he would then be a candidate 
 for his turn to a vacant living. Succession by se- 
 niority is the general rule, but a good testamur will 
 shorten the period of probation. In the mean time 
 the candidatus obtains employment as schoolmaster 
 or tutor, and sometimes as assistant to the incum- 
 bents of the larger parishes. The expenses of a uni- 
 versity course are not great ; as there are few or no 
 fees ; and the humble student can procure his board 
 and lodging at Christiania, for ten or twelve dollars 
 per month. 
 
 It is the custom in Norway for educated persons 
 to acquire some one modern language, either French, 
 English, or German. Our friend had learnt a little 
 English in the intervals of his other studies. He was 
 kind enough to add to our vocabulary of words and 
 phrases in the vernacular, and to give us a lesson on 
 pronunciation in the popular idiom, of which we 
 found the benefit. Part of the mornino- -was also 
 
 o 
 
 consumed in elaborating the letter of introduction 
 from our host of Diil to his friend on the Mios- 
 Vand, which the student translated for us. Being a 
 curiosity of its kind, I subjoin the English version 
 for the amusement of the reader : — 
 
 *' Good Gunnuf, 
 
 " Hereby are sent you two Englishmen, in the 
 intention, if you yourself, together with two horses to 
 ride on, are entreated, to show them the way over
 
 92 A peas^vnt's passport. 
 
 the mountain, the straightest way to Ullensvang, or 
 if there be no such straight way to that place, then 
 the well known way to Eifjord is to be taken. If you 
 should not have time (be at leisure) to execute this 
 journey, and to procure for the aforesaid Englishmen 
 two riding-horses, please then to set a righteous man in 
 your place ; and let all be done in such a manner that 
 we both may be known (acknowledged) to be service- 
 able, just (trustworthy), and not extravagant men, 
 and that we, by doing so, may acquire the honour of 
 being able to direct other men to you in the same 
 intention. 
 
 " Ole Torgenson. 
 
 «Dal, the 28tli July, 1848. 
 " To the worthy Gunnuf Svensen at Vaagen." 
 
 The good Olaf had, it will have appeared, a shrewd 
 eye for business, as well as a proper sense of what 
 was necessary for maintaining the national character 
 in the eye of strangers ; but it is only just to say, 
 that his anticipations were fully realised ; and that 
 future tourists may rely with confidence on the good 
 offices and fair dealing, not only of these individuals, 
 but, as I have abundant reason to believe, of most 
 others of their class, wherever they may be disposed 
 to direct their steps in rambles through this romantic 
 country. 
 
 Thus passed some hours of the morning. The 
 rest of the day was spent on the banks of the river,
 
 ASCENT OF GOUSTA-FJELD. 93 
 
 and in rambling through the woods, and climbing 
 the slopes of Gousta-Fjeld*, in a happy state of quiet 
 enjoyment to -which past toils, and the anticipation 
 of the still severer labours on which we were about 
 
 * We did not make the ascent of Gousta-Fjeld. My fellow- 
 traveller with the two companions of his second journey accom- 
 plished it in the summer of 1849. They crossed the fjeld in 
 approaching Dal by a different route from that which we pursued 
 in the preceding year. After leaving Sauland, instead of crossing 
 the forest to the foot of the Tind-Soe, they took at once a northerly 
 course to the little mountain lake of the Tudal-vand, by the shore 
 of which they passed the night in a log-cabin. On the following 
 morning they continued up the glen for about four miles, passing 
 another lake. They then struck up the side of the mountain, a 
 tremendous ascent of 2000 feet, to the level of the fjeld. There 
 was a wild lake at the foot of the cone of Gousta, on the bank of 
 which was an untenanted softer, where they they left their knap- 
 sacks. Continuing the ascent, they soon reached the first snow. 
 It lay in large patches, which they crossed to the borders of a half- 
 frozen lake, surrounded by lofty precipices ; one of the wildest 
 scenes imaginable. The ascent of the cone was difficult and fa- 
 tiguing. For about a thousand feet they slowly toiled up a deep 
 hollow fiUed with snow, at the top of which there was a zone of 
 bare and rugged rocks. Surmounting this, they at last gained the 
 summit ; a long ridge covered with new and unsullied snow, the 
 edge of wnich was so narrow that " one may sit astride the top, 
 each leg hanging over a descent of upAvardsof 5000 feet." During 
 the whole of the ascent the party had been involved in a dense fog, 
 and the cold on the summit was intense. They were, however, 
 compelled to rest a while after their fatigue. In descending, the 
 downward leaps from crag to crag over the zone of rocks were 
 tedious and difficult ; but they slid down the slope of snow in a 
 few minutes, which it had cost them an hour to ascend, and 
 they ultimately debouched into the valley of the Maan at Diil, 
 through the noble forest which clothes the base of the mountain.
 
 94 MOUNTAIN FOREST. 
 
 to enter, gave additional zest. What an air of pure 
 serenity pervaded that high and secluded Dal ! How 
 charming were the sunny glades which wound among 
 the tangled thickets, carpeted with a profusion of 
 wild-flowers, and overspread with beds of the delicate 
 wood strawberry ! And how magnificent was the 
 forest that clothed the base of the mountain ! Like 
 others I have mentioned, too remote to have been 
 invaded by man, time and tempest w^ere the only 
 agencies which brought its honours low ; and it pre- 
 sented the grand and touching features which dis- 
 tinguish the primeval forest : the great bulk of single 
 trees which had withstood the storms of more than a 
 hundred winters ; the picturesque appearance of others 
 which, uprooted, hung suspended athwart the upright 
 stems of a younger generation, whose united strength 
 seemed to totter under the weight of the enormous 
 mass — image of youth supporting age; and, most 
 striking of all, those hoary giants of the forest which 
 lay prostrate in every stage of decay. We had here 
 an opportunity of correcting our estimate of the 
 height to which the pine rears itself in favoured 
 situations. We had not miscalculated ; it required 
 sixty of our paces to measure the length of some of 
 these recumbent piles. We planted our foot on the 
 trunk of one which still preserved its rounded pro- 
 portions ; the sapless fibre gave way beneath the puny 
 impulse, and the foot was plunged into the heart of 
 what, wrought into the timbers of a gallant ship, 
 would have proudly shaken off the surges of a hurri-
 
 ENGLISH TOURISTS. 95 
 
 cane. Thus all that is lofty, all that is strong, all 
 that is mighty, must at last come to dust ! * 
 
 * The striking points of the scenery of this neighbourhood were 
 so little known a quarter of a century ago, even to the natives of 
 the neighbouring districts, that the author of " Derwent Conway's 
 Narrative," who had heard some tradition of the existence of a 
 great waterfall somewhere in the ranges at the head of tlie Mios- 
 Vand, after attempting its discovery in vain, gave up the search. 
 In looking over the Dagbog at Dal, which in Nor\Vay is an 
 official document, the first names of English visitors discovered 
 were in 1824. None afterwards appeared till 1827, when those of 
 Lords Lothian, Clanwilliam and H. Kerr occurred in one party. 
 The following year there were three visitors. Then came, in 1829, 
 the Marquis of Hastings; and, in 1830, eight English names are 
 inscribed, including those of Mr. Elliott, who published an account 
 of his journey, and Mr. Shore. For fifteen succeeding years there 
 seems to have been hardly a single visitor. In August, 1845, the 
 Rev. M. W. Mayo was here, accompanied by the Rev. Alfred 
 Smith, who has lately given to the world a splendid volume of 
 drawings sketched during his tour. Since that time it appeared 
 that we were the only English visitors, except, be it recorded to 
 their honour, some ladies of the name of Vivian. If I were asked 
 whether English ladies could be recommended to undertake a tour 
 in Norway, I should be disposed to reply, that much of its most 
 interesting scenery may be visited, not only with perfect safety, 
 but without any particular privations or grounds of apprehension, 
 by such as are not very fastidious on the scoi'e of accommodations, 
 have a reasonable share of courage and enterprise, and are pre- 
 pared to place implicit confidence in their conductors. Suitable 
 carriages may be procured in the great towns ; and on the post- 
 roads there would be little difficulty in so arranging the day's 
 journey as to secure proper resting-places for the night. The 
 more enterprising might even reach the Rjukan-Foss, and other 
 points diverging from the main lines of road, if provision could be 
 made previously for securing saddle-horses from some of the 
 nearest farms. In such case English side-saddles should, if pos- 
 sible, form part of the equipments for the adventure.
 
 96 VALLEY OF THE MA AN. 
 
 At half-past three on the following morning, the 
 sun was already shining on the fluted coronal of 
 Gousta-Fjeld, a light and almost imperceptible gray 
 cloud floating over its summit. We hurried the 
 preparations for departure; and taking a most cordial 
 leave of our friendly collegians, who much regretted 
 that they could not join our party, and were to de- 
 scend the valley of the Maan to the Tind-Soe (having 
 reached Dal by the charming vales of Ammotsdal 
 and Flatdal), we took our way up the valley in a 
 north-east direction. For some miles we wound 
 through green meadows and patches of corn, with 
 scattered homesteads, which occupied the narrow 
 limits between the river and the inclosing mountains. 
 Then, having passed a little hamlet, the scenery be- 
 came more rugged, and we struck into a wood of 
 dwarf birch, overhanging the stream which thundered 
 below, its course being broken by frequent rapids. 
 Turning back at an angle in the ascent, Gousta-Fjeld 
 rose to our view, over the folds that shut out the lower 
 ranges of the valley, in its full majesty ; not now as 
 seen from the village of Dal, but towering up to the 
 entire height of its stately cone, the apex of which, 
 tipped with snow, appeared slightly indented, broad 
 white patches overspreading its sides. While my friend 
 was hastily sketching the outline of this splendid scene, 
 I sauntered on till, turning another point, my eye 
 caught a faint cloud floating on the horizon, where the 
 line of dark cliffs closed in the head of the valley, five 
 or six miles distant. It was so slight and evanescent,
 
 -n..
 
 APPROACH TO THE FALL. 97 
 
 that whether it were of earth or of heaven, would have 
 appeared doubtful to any one less eagerly on the 
 watch for the first indications of our approach to the 
 cataract. Unwilling to forestall the enjoyment of a 
 scene from which we anticipated so much gratifica- 
 tion, I retraced my steps, and joyously announced my 
 discovery. Then, as we proceeded onward, and step 
 by step the features of that glorious scene were more 
 apd "toiore distinctly unfolded, our enthusiasm was 
 raised to the highest pitch. As yet, but for that 
 small pillar of cloud, we should have been uncertain 
 from what point the cataract, of which we began to 
 catch the distant roar, would burst upon the eye. 
 
 But independently of the Fall, the scenery towards 
 the head of the valley was of extreme interest. The 
 hills swept round in a wide semicircle, the chord of 
 Avhich was an isthmus of vivid green, which struck out 
 from one of the lower slopes, and stretched almost 
 across the level of the valley. Right over, but beyond 
 this, appeared the barrier ridge of precipitous cliffs, 
 through a chasm in which the river finds its way. 
 Far above, on one side, were reared prodigious masses 
 of naked rock, in bluffs of bold outline, from the 
 bases of which fell away green slopes, which lost 
 themselves in the valley in gentle undulations. Some 
 bristled with the zig-zag outline of firs, and others 
 were feathered with pendulous birch ; forming, with 
 the long isthmus of meadow, the fore-ground of the 
 picture. On the other side, the folds of the hills 
 were clothed to their summit with pine forest. In 
 
 II
 
 98 EJUKAN-FOSS. 
 
 the back ground towered over all the rounded mass 
 of one of the Fjelds, far away to the south-west, in 
 the dh^ection of the Mios-Vand. On our right, the 
 top of the pass by which the upland country is gained 
 from the valley of the Maan was just perceptible, as 
 it rounded one of the bold summits through a chasm 
 in the encircling outline of hills. Such was the 
 picture, the details of which gradually unfolded 
 themselves, as we threaded the banks of the ravine, 
 with the ever- varying effects of colour, and light and 
 shade, and amidst the increasing roar of the cataract. 
 The peculiar character of the whole, as it struck me, 
 was graceful and harmonious ; not without a certain 
 air of majesty, but not reaching that highest point of 
 magnificent grandeur, which rendered other and more 
 wild and savage scenes truly sublime. 
 
 After about two miles from our first point of view, 
 the picture which I have endeavoured to sketch was 
 completed, by the insertion of the central object — 
 the Fall itself; in front of which the course of the 
 road then brought us. Among its most striking 
 features were two masses of perpendicular rock, each 
 at least 500 feet high, which, springing from opposite 
 sides, stood out in bold relief, the outworks of the 
 escarped cliff, through a chasm in which the cataract 
 pours. These massive columns formed the entrance, 
 — the gigantic portals, — of a vast chamber which 
 receives the flood of waters. Their sharp angular 
 outline contrasted strongly with the slopes and swells 
 of the surrounding heights, and the clouds of vapour
 
 EJUItAN-FOSS. 99 
 
 that curled around their summits. But who shall 
 penetrate the depths of that dim cavern, and tell all 
 the wonders of one of Nature's most mysterious 
 shrines ! What pen or pencil can adequately depict 
 <ie ever-varying play of those clouds of spray which 
 filled the chamber, — eddying, whirling, drifted to 
 and fro by the slightest breeze ; and which floated 
 light as air over the boiling cauldron that foamed 
 beneath ! 
 
 Equally impossible is it to convey more than a 
 faint idea of the body of the cataract as it was preci- 
 pitated in one vast column into the depths below. 
 Talk of body ; — it was water spiritualised. Its nature 
 seemed to have been changed in its passage down the 
 rapids and along the tortuous channel, the course of 
 wdiich was marked by jets of steam, and in which 
 it chafed above the Fall. Thus elaborated and charsred 
 A\dth air, it broke over the precipice, not so much 
 in a continuous sheet as in successive wreaths of 
 white vapour, which seemed to drop from the summit, 
 fold after fold, so light and buoyant, that the element 
 appeared to have lost its specific gravity ; and, re- 
 bounding from the dark caverns beneath, rolled up 
 again in those fantastic shapes I have just mentioned. 
 The discharge of each successive wave of the mighty 
 torrent was accompanied by a hissing sound, from 
 which the fall derives its name of Rjukan, the steam- 
 ing or reeking foss — the hoarse breathings of the 
 mysterious spirit which, wdth unwearied energy, has 
 worked since time was in that marvellous laboratory, 
 
 H 2
 
 100 KJUKAN-FOSS. 
 
 and, with ceaseless throbs, will yet discharge those 
 mingled volumes of steam and water, until that final 
 catastrophe, when some yet mightier power of nature 
 shall dissolve even the solid framework of those 
 granite cliffs. 
 
 It may have been a fanciful idea, but I imagined 
 that the depth of the Fall might be calculated from the 
 intervals of its mighty pulsations. It has been variously 
 estimated at from 450 to 900 feet, the latter being 
 probably the most correct account. Its volume of 
 water is very great ; and the author of " Derwent 
 Conway's Narrative " was under a misapprehension 
 when, disappointed in his search, he concluded that, 
 from the short course the rivers must necessarily have, 
 owing to the vicinity of the Hard anger- Fj eld chain, in 
 which they take their rise, there could be no Fall 
 of great magnitude in this district. He appears not 
 to have been aware that the Maan, which here dis- 
 charges its waters, is the drain of the Mios-Yand, 
 a lake thirty miles in length. Its course before 
 it enters the Vand, during which it receives numerous 
 streams, fed by the springs and melted snows on the 
 fjeld, and connects a chain of lakes and tarns, — in- 
 exhaustible reservoirs, high up in the hollows of the 
 mountain, — is upwards of fifty miles. At its junc- 
 tion with the Mios, the river is as broad as the Wye 
 at Ross. It will, therefore, be easily conceived, that 
 the volume of water from these sources would amply 
 supply, and give full effect to, even a greater fall than 
 that of the Ejukan. In the traditions of which
 
 RJUKAN-FOSS. 101 
 
 Derwent Conway speaks (and " at present," he says, 
 "tliey can be called nothing better"), the height 
 of the waterfall, supposed to exist somewhere in the 
 Hardanger-Fjeld, was stated at 900 feet, which 
 he thinks quite incredible. The report had pro- 
 bable reference to the Voring-Foss, on the other 
 side of the fjeld, which has a fall of 900 feet. 
 But the levels of the country on this side the fjeld, 
 are quite sufficient to allow a fall of the supposed 
 height. The Tind-Soe is 628 feet above the level of 
 the sea ; the Mios-Vand is 2844 feet ; — a great rise in 
 the course of about thirty-five miles, which accounts 
 for the fine effects of scenery in the valley and the 
 river of the Maan, which connects the two lakes. 
 Indeed, the stream in the gorge of the mountains 
 below the Fall, from the point where we entered the 
 birch wood, for some miles is one continued rapid, the 
 declivity being very great. Still, whatever may be 
 the exact level at the foot of the cataract, the difference 
 between that and the level of the Mios (which, as al- 
 ready stated, is about 2100 feet), would, after allowing 
 for the fall in the course of the river between that lake 
 and the Rjukan, admit of a waterfall of more than a 
 thousand feet. And such would be the height of the 
 Foss, if the river were now dammed up to the level of 
 the ground above the present fall, instead of having 
 worked a channel through the rocky ridge by a deep 
 chasm, in which it precipitates itself into the valley ; 
 so that, in the supposition entertained, there was no- 
 thing impossible, cither from the volume of water, or 
 
 H 3
 
 102 RJUKAN-FOSS. 
 
 the general range of the country. However, the 
 Rjukan,such as it was eventually discovered to be, fully 
 answered our utmost expectations ; and as we hoped to 
 visit the Voring, on the other side of the chain, 
 we should have an opportunity of satisfying ourselves 
 whether the addition of a few hundred feet, if such 
 were the fact, would give that increased effect to the 
 magnificence of the scene which might be imagined, 
 but which clearly depended upon other circumstances 
 than the mere height of the fall. 
 
 The usual point for a near view of the Foss is 
 from a little grassy platform which juts out from the 
 right bank, at about two-thirds of its height. We 
 reached this, diverging from the horse-road we had 
 hitherto pursued, by clambering for a mile or two 
 over a succession of woody ridges. The ascent was 
 steep and difficult, and the heat excessive, and I was 
 glad to throw myself panting on the grass, hanging 
 over the precipice, where the eye could embrace 
 all the details of the matchless scene ; while my younger 
 and more adventurous companion plunged into the 
 thicket, and scrambled down to the base of the cliffs. 
 AVe had been told of a track by which it was possible 
 to gain the upper country without returning to the 
 road which leads by a circuitous route to the pass I have 
 before mentioned. We pursued this track along the 
 Inclined planes of slippery rock, which shelved into 
 the basin at the foot of the Fall, by fissures and ledges 
 which barely afforded a footing ; climbing from shelf 
 to shelf, and holding on by the stunted bushes and
 
 THE MARIE-STEIN. 103 
 
 projecting points of the cliffs, where either offered a 
 precarious aid. Over-hanging rocks, rising precipi- 
 tously above, and the thundering torrent a thousand 
 feet below, — it required all our nerve, agility, and 
 perseverance. A false step would have been fatal.* 
 
 * This track is called the Marie- Sti or 3Iarie- Stein, IMary's 
 path or clifF, a name connecting it with the memory of a young 
 maiden, whose story yet lives in the traditions of the neighbouring 
 peasants. I cannot do better than give 3Iiss Bremer's version of 
 the legend : — 
 
 " It was by this path that the beautiful Mary of "Westfiordalen 
 strong in the courage of love, went with light fearless step to meet 
 the friend of her childhood, Ejsteen Halfoordsen. But the avarice 
 of her father separated them, and Mary's tears and prayers pre- 
 vailed upon her lover to fly, to escape the plot formed by a treacher- 
 ous rival against his life. Years passed, and Mary was firm in 
 her constancy. Her father died ; Ejsteen had, by his valour and 
 nobleness, made his former enemy his friend ; and, after their long 
 separation, the lovers were to meet again, never more to be parted. 
 Ejsteen hastened by the shortest way over the Marie-Stein to meet 
 his beloved. Long had she watched for him. She saw him 
 coming, and his name burst from her with a joyful cry. He saw 
 her, stretched his arms eagerly towards her, as his soul rushed to 
 meet her, and forgot that he had not wings. He fell — and the 
 Rjukan whirled him into its foaming depths. 
 
 '* For many years after this, a pale form, in whose beautiful 
 eyes a quiet madness spoke, wandered daily on the jMarie- Stein, 
 and seemed to talk with some one in the abyss below. She ever 
 returned from her wanderings with a mournful pleasure in her eyes, 
 and said, 'I have spoken with him, and he begged me to come 
 every day and tell him that I live. It were wrong to deny him this 
 — he is so good, and loves me so truly.* 
 
 " Thus she went till silver hair floated round her wrinkled 
 cheeks ; thus she went till a merciful voice summoned her to joy 
 and rest in the arms of her beloved. 
 
 " So long as Gousta stands, and the Rjukan sends forth its 
 
 H 4
 
 104 COUNTRY ABOVE THE FALL. 
 
 Midway there stood a single pine, which, planted in a 
 crevice of the bare rock, stretched its scathed and 
 shattered limbs towards the yawning gulph, over 
 which it leant, blasted, tempest-torn, yet firmly rooted 
 in the fissure. Leaning in security against its massive 
 trunk, we rested for some instants, and then, resuming 
 the struggle, followed the perilous track which, after 
 about a mile of ascent, landed us on the level of the 
 country above the Foss. 
 
 It was a tract of moorland, rough with coarse 
 herbage, and encumbered with masses of rock. The 
 character of the scenery was altogether changed. The 
 pine-woods gave place to dwarf birch and sallow. 
 There was a new flora, of hues the most brilliant and 
 enchanting ; and the uplands spread far away, in un- 
 dulating folds, towards the blue ranges of the distant 
 Fjelds. Hitherto, though our track had at times been 
 elevated in crossing from one Dal to another, it had not 
 yet taken us above the region of the pine. Thus far 
 we had travelled through districts which offered 
 to our notice some of the most striking of the forest 
 and dal scenery of Norway. What more interesting 
 than the rich Norwegian dal ! Beautiful the scenes of 
 theNid, — of Sillejord, Hjerdal, Tind-Soe, and, lastly, 
 of the Maan Elv, most captivating of all, — which we 
 had just left. But pure and exhilarating was the 
 air of this elevated region after the sultry atmosphere 
 
 thunder-song, will the memory of Marie-Stein live, and its tales of 
 joy and sorrow be related." — Strife and Peace, by Frederica 
 Bremer, pp. 37, 38.
 
 CROSS MOORLANDS. 105 
 
 of the defile we had threaded at noontide ; boundless 
 was the prospect of blue moorland and snow-capped 
 fjeld ; and pleasant was the anticipation of pastoral 
 scenes, the only token of civilised existence in those 
 immense solitudes on which we were now entering.* 
 
 We had lingered so much about the Foss, and the 
 exit from the valley had been so difficult and fa- 
 tiguing, that it was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon 
 when we reached the summit of the pass. There was 
 no other habitation of which we had any information 
 within forty or fifty miles, but the " good Gunnuf 's," 
 at Vaagen, and that was yet fourteen miles distant. 
 But the first sseters, the dairy-huts of the summer 
 pasturage, could not be far off, and there we should 
 obtain refreshment, of which we stood in great need. 
 Weary seemed the almost trackless way over moorland, 
 bog, and shingles, and the hollows of grassy basins, 
 generally encompassing a small lake or tarn ; till on 
 the banks of one of these, surrounded by gently 
 
 * My fellow-traveller, with tAVO other friends, again visited the 
 Rjukan-Foss in the month of July, 1849, and made their bivouack 
 near the foot of the Fall ; as we had found in our Rambles of the 
 preceding year the walk from Dal to the shore of the Mios (in- 
 cluding the examination of the Foss from the various points of 
 view above and below) too heavy a day's work. The night was 
 cold ; but with a blazing pile of pine logs, the resources of their 
 haversacks and canteens, and a soft bed of birch spray, the tra- 
 vellers made themselves comfortable and slept soundly, notwith- 
 standing their vicinity to the unceasing thunders of the Fall. They 
 were fortunate in seeing it spanned by a rainbow of the most bril- 
 liant hues, which appeared to rest on the massive abutments that 
 flank each side of the Foss.
 
 106 THE FIRST S^TER. 
 
 sloping hills, on which herds of cows were grazing, 
 appeared the wished-for cluster of shielings. A pig 
 and a goat were excluded from one of these, to make 
 room for unaccustomed visitors ; and, seated on a 
 rough log, we drained, at single draughts, the bowl of 
 delicious milk which was hospitably proffered. It 
 contained at least half-a-gallon. The milk of these 
 upland dairies, though of the richest, is so light, that 
 it never seemed to burthen the stomach. The even- 
 ing's meal of milk was seething in a huge iron pot, 
 suspended over a rude hearth, which occupied the 
 corner beside the entrance. Shelves, pinned to the 
 rough logs which formed the walls, were spread with 
 bowls of milk and cream, and piles of cheese. Two 
 fair-haired damsels conducted the ministrations. No- 
 thing could exceed their good humour, except, per- 
 haps, their surprise at the unwonted appearance of 
 strangers and Englishmen. They laughed at every 
 word we addressed to them, and pressed us to repeat 
 our draught ; and it was not without great reluctance 
 they accepted the small coin we presented in ac- 
 knowledgment of their hospitality, — a thing evidently 
 unlocked for and unaccustomed. 
 
 Thus refreshed, "we went on our way," as John 
 Bunyan says of his pilgrims, " rejoicing." The shades 
 of evening came on before we reached our destination. 
 Nothing broke the deep solitude but the tinkling 
 bells of cows browsing on the upland pastures, and the 
 plover's melancholy cry, as it started before our path. 
 Occasionally appeared, on some distant ridge, the
 
 EVENING ON THE MOORS. 107 
 
 rough figures of herdsmen, collecting their lowing 
 charge for the nightly shelter. At length we caught 
 sight of the dark Mios, shrouded in the deep gloom 
 with which the lofty mountains, which rose from 
 its western shore, overshadowed it. On its bank 
 stood the solitary habitation which was to be our 
 resting-place. A sharp burst from the watch-dogs 
 announced the approach of strangers, and the " good 
 Gunnuf," a burly highland farmer, came forth and 
 gave us welcome.
 
 108 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MOUNTAIN FARMS. — GUIDE PROCURED FOR PASSING THE FJELD. — 
 
 DIET OF inLK AND MEAL. HABITS OF THE PEASANTS. COAST 
 
 THE UnOS-VAND. ITS CHARACTER OF SECLUSION. EFFECT OF 
 
 THE GREAT HEIGHT OF THE MOUNTAINS. — COMPARISON "WITH 
 
 SWISS SCENERY. VALLEY ABOVE THE LAKE. EVENING SCENES 
 
 AT THE FOOT OF THE HARDANGER-FJELD. PREPARATIONS FOR 
 
 CROSSING IT. 
 
 The house at Vaagen was a gloomy-looking but sub- 
 stantial structure, the rough logs of which it was 
 framed having acquired the tint of age and exposure 
 to the weather. Towards the lake there were some 
 small inclosures of tillage, but the soil appeared 
 sterile. The whole wealth of these upland farmers 
 Consists in their stocks of cattle, principally cows. 
 Our first care regarded the means of our further 
 progress, and the " good Gunnuf " soon set us at rest 
 on this essential point. He could not undertake the 
 passes to Ullensvang or Kinservig, but would be 
 able to conduct us to Ejfiord in three days. The 
 passage was now practicable, and, if the weather 
 continued fine, could be accomplished without any 
 serious inconvenience. The first nio-ht we mio-ht 
 rest at a lone farm near the head of the Mios, and 
 immediately at the foot of the Hardanger-Fjeld. He
 
 COUCH OF JUNIPER BOUGHS. 109 
 
 could supply us with a pack-horse for the baggage 
 and necessary provisions, and could procure another, 
 if it should prove needful, at the first day's resting- 
 place. His demand for the service was ten dollars ; 
 terms so moderate as entirely to realise, in this 
 respect also, the anticipations of his friend, Olaf 
 Torgenson. 
 
 This matter adjusted, it only remained to make 
 present provision for food and rest. The produce 
 of the dairy, milk, cream, butter and cheese, with 
 piles of flad-brod, were abundantly supplied ; but 
 further than this, there was not even an eirs: or a 
 
 ' CO 
 
 jisk to be had. But, with the addition from our 
 own stores of a porringer of hot houilU and some 
 wheaten rusks, there was no lack of materials for a 
 plentiful meal. The family sleeping berth, a large 
 inclosed cot, was in one corner of the kitchen ; but 
 that Avas relinquished in compliment to the strangers, 
 the inmates betaking themselves to some of the 
 numerous outbuildings attached to the farm. How- 
 ever, it was not to be thought of as a couch for us ; 
 and our gite was prepared by sweeping the floor and 
 thickly covering it with bundles of fresh juniper 
 boughs ; so far, a softer or more fragrant couch 
 could hardly be desired. But over these they pro- 
 ceeded to spread prepared sheep-skins, and coverlets 
 of woollen rugs of so suspicious an aspect, that after 
 the family had retired, and we were left alone in the 
 wide apartment, in the corner of which the birch
 
 110 SPARE DIET. 
 
 faggots still shot forth a flickering light from the 
 hearth, we removed the most objectionable of the 
 upper la3^ers, and stretched ourselves in our clothes 
 before the fire. It would have been well for us if we 
 had altogether discarded the sheep-skins, for we passed 
 a restless and most uncomfortable night. With the 
 earliest dawn we were busily engaged in freeing our- 
 selves from our unwelcome visitors ; but our usual 
 copious ablutions restored the feeling of freshness, 
 and, notwithstanding our loss of rest, strung our 
 muscles for renewed exertions. 
 
 It is highly expedient that travellers in such a 
 country should be able to make a very early and sub- 
 stantial breakfast ; for, beyond what their wallets 
 may contain, and a chance bowl of milk by the way, 
 there is little hope of their meeting with any refresh- 
 ment till nightfall brings them to their intended 
 place of rest. Rashers and steaks, and such relishes, 
 we had learnt to think of as thino-s belonoino; to 
 another state of existence. But there was one never- 
 failing dish on which we constantly relied, and than 
 which, when it is properly prepared, a more whole- 
 some and satisfying meal cannot be found. The ma- 
 terials for its composition were everywhere to be met 
 with ; it was quickly prepared, and afforded much 
 nutriment and sustenance. It is not an exclusively 
 Norwegian dish ; they call it Grod, but it is probably 
 well known to many of my readers under the fa- 
 miliar names of oatmeal-porridge, or stir-about. But
 
 GRUD, OR STIR-ABOUT. Ill 
 
 those who either have not tried it, or know it only as 
 unskilfully prepared, will have no reason to complain 
 of my devoting a few lines to the humble task of 
 recommending to their notice one of the most simple 
 of culinary processes, if only they should be induced 
 to make the experiment of giving it a trial. To the 
 traveller it is invaluable ; to the man of sedentary 
 habits, bilious, dyspeptic, a prey to all the ills which 
 a town life entails on the human sj^stem, its adop- 
 tion will aiford more relief than the best prescription 
 of his physician. Add only a slice of rye-bread, or, 
 if that cannot be procured, of a wheaten loaf made of 
 flour from which no part of the bran has been ex- 
 tracted, and the practice will do more for his health 
 than all the drugs of the chemist. See that hale old 
 gentleman in the coffee-room of an hotel at Dublin or 
 Edinburgh. AVhile yonder effeminate loungers are 
 indulging in buttered muffins, and all other ap- 
 pliances to tempt and stimulate a cloyed appetite, the 
 waiter sets before him a plate of his national mess, 
 without w^hich his morning meal would be in- 
 complete. AVhich, think you, best preserves his con- 
 stitution unimpaired, and may hope to enjoy a vigor- 
 ous old age ? 
 
 But, to be palateable, our dish must be prepared 
 with due care. Xothinf}^ can be more diss-ustino; than 
 a crude, sticky, or watery gruel. Will the reader, 
 emulous of a healthy state of his digestive organs, 
 accept a recipe which he may not find in Soyer or
 
 112 MODE OF COOKING. 
 
 Mrs. Glasse ? * I learnt the secret myself from a 
 Scotch lady, on a long sea voyage ; and we had 
 abundant practice in our present Rambles. My 
 fellow-traveller, who was not before unacquainted 
 with its merits, made hearty demonstrations of his 
 coincidence with my own opinion on the subject ; 
 and we generally superintended the preparation our- 
 selves, much to the amusement of the good Nor- 
 wegian housewives, to whom, though skilled in such 
 preparations, we seldom ventured to commit the im- 
 portant operation. 
 
 If the materials be good, and the manipulation 
 accordant to the directions given, I pity any one who 
 does not pronounce the composition excellent. Some- 
 times we added cream, for in the pastoral districts 
 we made unscrupulous use of the bowls of cream 
 with which we were every where supplied ; our own 
 
 • Take two or three handfulls of oatmeal, I prefer it of mixed 
 coarse and fine meal, in the proportion of one-third of the latter to 
 two of the former. At Vaagen and elsewhere in our Rambles, we 
 got Rug-meel (rye-meal), and thought it an improvement. Mingle 
 the meal in a basin of cold water and pour it into a saucepan con- 
 taining about a quart of boiling water ; add a small portion of 
 salt. Set the saucepan over the fire, and keep stirring it (I have 
 seen some of the Norwegian dames use a light whisk), sprinkling 
 from time to time small quantities of the meal till the composition 
 boils, and has acquired the proper consistency. That may be 
 known by its glutinous state as it drops from the spoon. Let it 
 simmer for ten minutes, and then pour it, not into a deep dish, but 
 on common dinner plates, and it will form a soft, thin, jellied cake. 
 Spoon out portions of this and float them in new milk, adding 
 moist sugar to your taste.
 
 HOME MANUFACTURES. 113 
 
 stores furnished the sugar ; for, except coffee, and 
 small portions of refined sugar or sugar-candy to 
 sweeten it, few are the exotic luxuries which find 
 their way into those remote regions. The produce 
 of his own land, and the exercise of his own industry 
 and ingenuity, furnish the Norwegian farmer with 
 most of the comforts with which he is surrounded. 
 His buildings, his furniture, his implements of hus- 
 bandry are the work of his own hands. He is 
 dexterous in the use of his tools, and he shapes out 
 every article, from a spoon to a sledge, of which the 
 woods furnish the rough material. He is an adept 
 at carving, and many of his -works are thus curiously 
 ornamented. I have seen wooden bowls and other 
 articles of domestic use of elaborate and delicate 
 workmanship. The wheel and the loom provide 
 employment for his wife and daughters, and their 
 manufactures of flax and of wool supply the ser- 
 viceable "homespun" from which the clothing and 
 napery of the household are wrought. Nor is female 
 ingenuity wanting in the bright embroidery of the 
 braids which, in the trimmings of their boddices and 
 the bordering of their skirts, give so gay an effect to 
 the provincial costumes. Though his substance may 
 be considerable, the farmer has smaU store of ready 
 cash ; for which, indeed, in his way of living there is 
 little demand. Of the simple fare which his farm 
 and pasturage supply there seemed no stint. This 
 is sometimes varied by fish, but meat forms no part 
 of the dietary of nine-tenths of the people, in summer 
 
 I
 
 114 COAST THE MIOS VAND. 
 
 at least. The lower ranks use large quantities of 
 butter (s7ndr) with their flad-brod. As far as my 
 observation extended, I conceive that they are better 
 fed than similar classes of any people in Europe of 
 whom I have any information. 
 
 But leaving these details, it is time that we should 
 again resume our march. Our course lay along the 
 shore of the Mios Yand. The mountains approach so 
 near to the margin of the lake as to leave no room for 
 any road along its bank. But in coasting, as we did, 
 the whole extent of its northern shore, we pursued 
 as nearly as possible its exact outline, following all 
 the sinuosities of bay and promontory which the shore 
 presented. This mode of progress, though it gave 
 such variety to the effects of the scenery, and di- 
 versified the points of view of the reaches of the lake 
 and the mountain ranges on both its banks, was 
 very fatiguing. Our track crossing the ridges, which 
 either overhung or stretched into the lake, was a 
 succession of ups and downs, and rugged in the ex- 
 treme. Having by my exertions at the Rjukan on 
 the preceding day renewed an old hurt in one of my 
 ankles, which had become exceedingly swollen and 
 painful, I was compelled to have frequent recourse to 
 the assistance of the horse which carried our traps. 
 But the ribs of the pack-saddle were sharp and pro- 
 minent, and his action was so rough, and the animal 
 so writhed and twisted his limbs in picking his way 
 over the ledges and fragments of rock, that the ride 
 was even more wearisome and painful than the march.
 
 ITS CHARACTER OF SECLUSION. 115 
 
 We often crossed ridges at an angle of from forty to 
 sixty degrees ; and to preserve one's seat under those 
 circumstances, either in ascending or descending, is 
 no easy matter. Occasionally we had the relief of 
 coming down on the shore and crossing some little 
 bay at the water's edge. How beautiful were those 
 yellow strands of pebbly or sandy beach ! How 
 gentle the ripple of the tiny waves as they broke in 
 soft murmurs against the water line of the cliffs ! 
 
 " The Mios Vand," says Derwent Conway *, " is the 
 ideal of seclusion and repose. Xo house upon its 
 banks, no boat upon its bosom, no flocks straying 
 upon its slopes, no voice of herdsmen, no tinkling 
 sound of bells ; nothing but the small ripple, the oc- 
 casional plunge of a fish, the cry of some bird of prey. 
 The lake sleeps in the bosom of the hills, calmly 
 mirroring their woods and pinnacles ; and even the 
 little wandering cloud, that is imaged on its depths, 
 seems to have paused above it." 
 
 This is truly and finely said, and leaves little to be 
 added to the description of this most interesting of 
 the lakes of Norway. We traced its shore for nearly 
 thirty miles on the northern, as he approached it 
 from Bykle on the eastern bank, and our own expe- 
 rience fully confirmed the impressions which we had 
 before received from the admirable sketches of that 
 able writer. 
 
 * " Personal Narrative of a Journey through Norway, &c." By 
 Derwent Conway, Author of " Solitary Walks through many Lands." 
 Edinburgh, 1829. 
 
 I 2
 
 116 COMPARED WITH SWISS LAKES. 
 
 Again lie says : — " One of the peculiarities of the 
 Mios Yand is this, that the highest parts of the moun- 
 tains are next to the lake, and their topmost summits 
 seen from the opposite bank. The effect of this is, 
 that the views are grander, and that the lake seems 
 to be environed b}'- mountains of greater altitude than 
 they really are. It most usually happens," he pro- 
 ceeds, " that summits on summits rise backward from 
 a lake; so that in standing upon its shore, or in a 
 boat upon the water, we are unable to see any sur- 
 rounding ridge or peak more elevated than four to 
 five thousand feet. This peculiarity of the Mios 
 Vand," — which was especially striking to us, who 
 had lately navigated the Nisser-Yand and theTind-Soe, 
 inland seas on the same magnificent scale as the Mios, 
 but deep set in a framework of lofty cliffs rising almost 
 perpendicularly from the water's edge, which excluded 
 for the most part any view of the distant ranges, — 
 " this peculiarity of the Mios Yand," he c-on eludes, 
 " puts it upon an equality with many of the Swiss 
 lakes ; and in point of picturesque form, the mountains 
 which environ this lake cannot be exceeded." 
 
 ]\Iy own recollections entirely confirm this just 
 estimate of the position which the Mios is intitled to 
 hold in a comparative view of lake scenery ; and I am 
 tempted to transcribe one further passage from the 
 pages of a writer, to whom we were indebted not only 
 for first dramng our attention to its noble and touch- 
 ing features, but for having, from his own example, 
 led us to adopt that independent mode of travelling
 
 HEIGHT OF MOUNTAINS. 117 
 
 by which only these wild and secluded districts can 
 be effectually explored. 
 
 " The beauty, nay, even the sublimity," he observes, 
 " of mountain scenery does not altogether depend 
 upon the height of the mountains ; it depends more 
 upon their forms ; and besides, it scarcely ever happens 
 that in travelling through mountain scenery, a summit 
 higher than six or seven thousand feet is visible, 
 unless some particular point be chosen for a prospect. 
 The diversities of precipice and pinnacle, the deep 
 valley, the dark ravine, the crowning woods, the 
 tumbling cataract, the rock-girt lake, and the natural 
 phenomena of lights and shadows, clouds, mists, and 
 rainboAYS, are all seen to as great advantage, among 
 mountains ranging from five to six thousand feet, as 
 among those that are twice that height." * 
 
 * The Mios Vand, at about two-thirds of its length southward^, 
 branches into two channels, separated by a wild tract of country 
 about seven miles in breadth. In 1849 my fellow-traveller of the 
 preceding year and his companions crossed both forks of the lake 
 and this intervening tract. Their account confirms all preceding 
 impressions, both of the grandeur and the exceeding desolation of 
 the scenery of the Mios Vand. After crossing the moorlands from 
 the summit level of the Kjukan-Foss, they struck the eastern 
 branch near a farm called Holvik. Their Journal says : " On 
 reaching a rising ground we discovered below the desolate shores 
 of the Mios Vand, stretching away to the westward; snow lay in large 
 patches close to the water's edge. The lake was bounded in the dis- 
 tance by the snow-capped range of the Hammer-Fjeld. On descend- 
 ing, we found no apparent means of crossing, or continuing our 
 journey along its shore. We despatched our guide in search of the 
 people at Ilolvik, but all the inmates of the farm, save one old 
 woman, were gone up to the sseter. In the meantime we made search 
 
 1 3
 
 118 HEAD OF THE MIOS VAND. 
 
 As we neared the head of the Mios, the mountain 
 ranges increased in grandeur ; the Tind-Fjeld on the 
 
 along the shore for any boat that could carry our party across. 
 We discovered one stranded on a sand-bank, but it was so utterly 
 unseaworthy that we could not venture the experiment. After 
 waiting more than an hour, partially sheltered under a rock from 
 the wind, which blew keenly across the lake from the snowy amphi- 
 theatre of the Fjelds beyond, an old man and a boy, both of most 
 wild and uncouth appearance, presented themselves. Ttey led the 
 way to a cove in which lay a rudely-built boat used for carrying 
 cattle across the lake. Into this we followed our guide, by whom 
 and the boy we were slowly and with many meanderings pulled 
 along the winding shore for a couple of miles, and then across, 
 by some rocky islets, towards a farm called Hooe, where we hoped 
 to find quarters for the night. We landed and dismissed our boat, 
 and then, shouldering our packs, mounted a green slope, partially 
 covered with patches of snow, to a farm house, the view from 
 which was as desolate as can be imagined. The lake, looking cold 
 and gloomy in the evening light, stretched far away in a long 
 narrow channel towards distant snowy mountains. The shores 
 were bare, except a copse of stunted birch just breaking into leaf, 
 (now the 6th of July,) and deep drifts of frozen snow in some 
 'places formed the shore and extended into the water." 
 
 The travellers spent the night at this farm, the accommodations 
 of which were wretched in the extreme ; and in the morning, after 
 a plunge into the lake, " the water of which being almost freezing 
 and making one's flesh creep, and skin as red as a lobster," and 
 having breakfasted on rye-grod and milk, they pursued their 
 course aci-oss the isthmus which divides the two branches of the 
 Mios. " Under ^the guidance of two boys from the farm we 
 passed over a wild moorland, on which were some cattle browsino- 
 among birch-wood. There were large tracts of peaty moss. The 
 desolation was extreme, and to increase it, a cold misty rain came 
 on. A seven miles' walk brought us to the southern branch of 
 the ]\Iios Vand. It was here a deep, gloomy, narrow channel be- 
 tween steep birch-clad banks. Having dismissed the boys, we 
 crossed the arm of the lake, and then ascended through a bare
 
 N^THOL. 119 
 
 eastern, andHammer-Fjeld on the western shore, rishig 
 to five thousand feet and upwards, and the high points 
 of the Hardanger chain which bounds the upper 
 valley of the Maen, which we now opened, were capped 
 with snow. The river, so rapid and tumultuous below 
 the fall, here winds for the most part placidly through 
 green pastures. The valley and river and mountains 
 made a charming composition from a deserted shanty 
 standing on a bank slightly elevated, where we halted 
 while my friend made a sketch of the scene. We were 
 surprised to find that it bore the name of Naethol, 
 
 mountain valley to a farm, where we hoped to get horses to con- 
 tinue our route to the Totak-Vand." 
 
 The Journal describes the scenery of the Totak-Vand, which lies 
 about ten miles south-west of the Mios, as of the most charming 
 description, and in striking contrast with the desolate character of 
 the former lake. The elevation of the Totak-Vand must be con- 
 siderably lower, for the Journal speaks of descending to it " through 
 a scattered forest of large and very old pines ;" and describes the 
 shores as fringed with firs. Equally striking were the changes 
 that bespoke a habitable region. It says : 
 
 " We halted at a most curious village, called Gaardsjord, on the 
 hill-side overlooking the lake, — the most lovely situation imagina- 
 ble. The houses, and even the barns and outbuildings, were all 
 highly and grotesquely carved. The dwelling-houses had each an 
 open gallery or corridor in front, into which the doors and win- 
 dows opened. We crossed the lake to a farm called Kosthoeit, a 
 comfortable specimen of a bonder farmer's residence. The build- 
 ings were clean and in good repair, and there were evident at- 
 tempts at improvement in cultivation. One field was in course of 
 being drained by a wide and deep trench cut across the flow of the 
 springs, and filled up with the stones collected from the land." 
 
 t 4
 
 120 A DESERTED SHANTY. 
 
 familiar to us, for it was marked on Arrowsmith's 
 map ; and we had calculated upon it as our point of 
 departure for the passage of the Hardanger ; the last 
 habitation on the verge of those wild solitudes on 
 which we reckoned for obtaining the aids essential to 
 our undertaking. We had made fruitless inquiries 
 for it ill the course of our route, and it is not inserted 
 on the Norwegian maps, which we afterwards had an 
 opportunity of consulting. How that now tenantless 
 hut came to be distinguished upon a map on so 
 small a scale as Arrowsmith's, and constructed with 
 his usual accuracy, it is difficult to conjecture. Per- 
 haps at some period there was a considerable home- 
 stead on the spot, to which the building in question 
 appertained. It now appeared to be reserved for shelter 
 to the cattle when returned from their summer pastu- 
 rage on the Fjeld. It is surrounded by good meadows, 
 which gives probability to the conjecture, and the 
 station may have been deserted in consequence of 
 floods, or from some other cause, for a better site. 
 However this may be, any one who should be led 
 to depend, as we were at one time disposed to do, on 
 Neethol for at least a supper and a gite^ would be 
 grievously disappointed. 
 
 But we had not far to go before we reached our 
 station, which, though it has found no place on any 
 map I have seen, will always bear a very distin- 
 guished one in the recollections of our present Rambles. 
 Advancing about half a Norwegian mile further up 
 the valley, the homestead of Kevenna came in view,
 
 A MOUNTAIN FARM. 121 
 
 crowning a green knoll (a favourite site in this 
 country), which overhung the left bank of the river. 
 Ascending this gentle declivity, the house presented 
 itself, surrounded by numerous detached offices ; it 
 was a long building of timber, with an open gallery at 
 one end; the roof low pitched and covered with 
 sods. It bristled all over with an array of the horns 
 ot the rein-deer, which formed a perfect chevaux-de- 
 frise along the eaves, and lay scattered on the ground 
 about the door. We passed through a small ante- 
 room, which was a curious museum of various things, 
 and was piled with stores of different kinds, — meal 
 chests, casks, leathern thongs, tools, and implements, 
 intermingled with skins of birds and wild animals, 
 snow-shoes, and miniature sledges. From this repo- 
 sitory we entered the kitchen or hall, a long low 
 apartment, with a wide hearth in one corner, beside 
 which stood a small iron stove of elegant workman- 
 ship, embossed "with the crown, cipher, and arms of 
 Christian of Denmark. It indicated that in those 
 hio-h reo;ions somethino; more than even a blazino- 
 hearth was required to maintain the temperature 
 of the apartment during the long winter. Fishing- 
 nets, with floats of bark, and a rack on which were 
 ranged rifles, muskets, and fowling-pieces, to the 
 number of a dozen, were suspended from the rafters. 
 Collars for rein-deer, a formidable dagger, and several 
 large powder-horns, were hung against the wall; 
 shuttles and spinning-wheels were scattered about the 
 room; which Avas furnished with the usual sleeping
 
 122 THE FAMILY. 
 
 berth, wide enough to engulf in its ample recess the 
 parent stock, and half a dozen of the j unior branches 
 of the family; — a clock, a massive table and benches, 
 and some low stools, with open-work backs of pecu- 
 liarly neat design. 
 
 Of the occupants of this apartment, a venerable old 
 man was sitting on one of the stools, engaged on the 
 meshes of a long fishing net ; a woman was industri- 
 ously engaged in weaving a web of homespun woollen ; 
 another was rolling out flad-brod, which a boy was 
 baking on an iron plate over the embers on the 
 hearth. Several young men and a bevy of damsels 
 were coming to and fro on various errands. The 
 establishment was large, and all seemed busily em- 
 ployed. There was much to interest us in the scene 
 to which we were so unexpectedly introduced. But 
 most of all, we were struck with the appearance and 
 demeanour of that hale old man. Though consider- 
 ably advanced in years, his carriage was erect, there 
 was fire in his keen eye, and his sinewy well-knit 
 frame, and stern resolute bearing, as he stood among 
 those implements and trophies of the chase, well 
 became the hardy hunter of the Fjeld. One thought of 
 perils, boldly encountered and undauntedly overcome, 
 upon those snowy wastes ; of days of exposure to the 
 storm, or the still greater dangers of fog and mist ; 
 of nights passed in the cheerless shelter of the lone 
 Laager. Tales of such adventure must beguile many 
 a long winter's evening. We should have liked 
 much to have heard something of the wild sports of
 
 OLD HUNTER. 123 
 
 the Fjeld, but his manner did not encourage fami- 
 liarity. Haply he thought that there could be 
 no feeling in common between the rough ranger of 
 the Fjelds and such as ourselves. Perchance in that 
 he was mistaken : still there was no lack of hospitality, 
 and the several members of his household were pro- 
 fuse in their kind attention to our wants. Even 
 with them he seemed to hold no familiar intercourse. 
 A little incident that occurred soon after our arrival 
 will show his vein. My friend's fishing-rod was 
 stuck in the ground beside the door, having been left 
 there with our traps when we first entered. It had 
 been a source of wonder and amusement wherever 
 we halted in our long route ; the reel, the long pliable 
 joints, the tough line and the slender fibre with 
 which it ended, the high finish of the whole, were 
 examined and canvassed, and many had been the 
 questions put as to the several parts of an instrument 
 which appeared to have been before unknown. The 
 great wonder was, how so slight a thread could land 
 a lox of thirty pounds' weight, as they were assured 
 it would. Our old man of the mountains also 
 was attracted by this interesting object. He took it 
 up and carefully examined it ; his keen eye ran over 
 all its fittings and contrivances; but he asked no 
 questions, he made no observation, though my friend 
 was standing close at hand ; but quietly replaced the 
 rod and turned away. He may have considered it a 
 fit plaything for cockney sportsmen, or, as Ave deemed 
 more probable, if he admired and appreciated the
 
 124 MOUNTAIN FARE. 
 
 workmanship, disdained to exhibit any emotion he 
 may have felt. Stern old man, thou wert the finest 
 specimen of the old Norsk peasant we had the good 
 fortune to meet with! If thy nature was rugged, 
 hospitable was thy board, and kindly the shelter thy 
 roof afforded us, when there was no other on our 
 intended track for two days of weary travel ! Veteran 
 hunter, may the dreams of thy old age be of the 
 brown mountain-side, and the rush of the deer, and 
 may thy end be in peace ! 
 
 It was tantalizing, that among so many tokens and 
 implements of sport by flood and field, we could 
 afford ourselves no opportunity of witnessing it ; and 
 that neither steak of venison, nor fin of river or lake, 
 gave variety to our bill of fare. The meal tub and 
 milk bowl were again in requisition, and we were 
 content. I measured the latter, which, with old 
 cheese, piles of bread, and a curiously carved tub of 
 butter, loaded the board; it was thirteen inches in 
 diameter, and how delicious the draught ! But what 
 lover of Nature, in her most admirable effects, would 
 be fastidious about his fare, while searching them 
 out in her most enchanting scenes ! We had started 
 betimes in the morning, and though the day's march 
 was long and difficult, we had made such good pro- 
 gress that we reached our quarters at an early hour; 
 so that we had leisure to mark the changes which 
 the closing day wrought on the matchless scenery 
 which offered itself to our view from the green 
 knoll on whicli we stood. Looking down the valley
 
 SCENERY OF THE VALLEY. 125 
 
 which we had ascended, the eye caught the course 
 of the river, winding in so many folds that it had 
 the appearance of a succession of diminutive lakes 
 among green meads and islets covered with thickets 
 of young birch. The inclosing mountains were 
 wooded far up their sides, and their ridges swept 
 doAvn to the valley in successive folds. The outlines 
 of these were bold and more or less escarped, and 
 the eye embraced at once the whole range, from 
 the highest summit to the level of the valley. Nor 
 was this all: it is peculiar, I conceive, to Norwe- 
 gian scenery, that the bottoms of the higher dais 
 are, for the most part, shaped like a basin, or rather 
 like a long trough, retaining the concave form in 
 which they may be supposed to have been first scooped 
 out by the retiring waters of the deluge. The eifect 
 of this is, that there is no break in the outline of the 
 mountain chains on meeting the surface of the valley, 
 but the eye carries it on till it meets the ascending 
 line on the opposite side. It thus ranges in one 
 unbroken and graceful sweep, from the top of the 
 mountain on one side, through the hollow of the 
 valley, and up the corresponding slope or fall on the 
 other. This effect is, I think, well given in more 
 than one of my young friend's sketches ; and, as it 
 may be supposed, it is very fine, when the scenery is on 
 so grand a scale. Some of these gradually receding 
 ridges were now brought into bold relief, by the light 
 thrown on them by the sun at a low angle ; and after 
 sunset the sides of the mountains were invested, —
 
 126 USES OF BIRCHWOOD. 
 
 indeed the whole valley seemed filled, — with a purple 
 haze, one of the finest eftects of colour I ever 
 witnessed. I learnt from it to think that even the 
 deep tints of ultramarine one sees in some of the 
 landscapes of Gaspar Poussin are not overcharged. 
 Turning towards the head of the valley, the gorges 
 of the mountain, which closed in about it, were deep 
 in shade ; the long line of a distant Fjeld, terminating 
 in a rounded blufi^, and softened by distance, appeared 
 far away in the north-west ; and the white wreaths of 
 a fall of the river, surmounted by a little cloud of 
 spray, were seen some two or three miles up the 
 valley. 
 
 As the evening closed, we strolled to the edge of 
 the birch wood which skirted the base of the moun- 
 tain immediately above the house. The birch seems 
 here to be applied to as many useful purposes as it 
 always answers in districts where it is the only or 
 the principal growth. Piles of the bark were lying 
 near the building, some in the curved rounds in which 
 it is stripped from the trees, some pressed under flat 
 stones. It is used for covering the roofs of buildings, 
 and throwing the rain water off the eaves of the 
 houses ; soaked in the river and beaten out, it makes 
 thongs and rough cordage. It furnished the floats of 
 the fishing-nets we had seen suspended in the hall. 
 The wood is used for all purposes to which it can be 
 applied. vSledges, implements of husbandry, furniture, 
 bowls, and spoons, are framed and shaped out of it; 
 and it makes excellent fuel. But for building it is
 
 EVENING SCENE. 127 
 
 not of sufficient scantling; and pine logs are, with 
 infinite labour, carried to great distances, probably 
 sledged on the snow in winter, for the construction 
 of buildings far above the line of their growth. We 
 found them used in the sseters high up on the Fjelds, 
 the bases of which, however, were formed of boulders 
 and rough stones. 
 
 There was a busy stir about the homestead, which 
 gave life and interest to the scene. ]\len and women 
 were passing between the principal dwelling and the 
 various buildings that clustered about it, engaged in 
 various occupations. One of the sons was at work 
 in a little smithy hollowed, in the side of the hill. 
 The sparks flew out merrily from the dark cave, and 
 the sound of the hammer told of the variety of re- 
 sources which the upland farmer concentrates on his 
 own domain. We lingered long amid these sights 
 and sounds of rural life, marking the changes which 
 the decreasing light wrought on the distant scenery. 
 The stock of living animals was alone wanting to 
 complete the accompaniments of the lone mountain 
 farm ; but the cows and the sheep and the goats were 
 all at their summer pastures on the Fjeld, where the 
 farmer had also a herd of tame rein-deer. The sa^ter 
 was however, in this instance, at no great distance, 
 as the farmstead itself is on the very verge of its 
 lower slopes. 
 
 Presently we found the whole household assembled 
 at supper, to the number, I think, of nearly twenty, 
 young and old. There were the old patriarch and
 
 128 FAMILY SUPPER. 
 
 his kind, hospitable dame, sons and sons-in-law, 
 daughters and daughters-in-law, and the younger 
 scions of the stock. The vast bowl was replenished 
 with milk, and the " hord^^ was amply spread. Blazing 
 faggots of birch gave a cheerful light, which dis- 
 played the singular garniture of the long apartment. 
 The laugh and the joke went round, unrestrained by 
 the presence, and possibly often at the expense, of 
 the strangers, whose imperfect attempts to join in 
 conversation were always a source of merriment. 
 The table was cleared, the room was speedily de- 
 serted ; bundles of birch spray were brought in, and 
 our couch was prepared as on the preceding evening. 
 We lay down in our clothes on the floor, with our 
 knapsacks for pillows. 
 
 There was nothing to tempt a long indulgence, and 
 we were early afoot in the grey morning, anxious 
 about the weather. The result of our observations 
 was unfavourable ; the clouds hung heavily about the 
 mountains, and a dense fog filled the valley. The 
 " good Gunnuff," our guide, shook his head, and 
 prognosticated rain. We were sensible of the dangers 
 and the difiiculties of the enterprise on which we had 
 embarked : crossing such a Fjeld as the Hardanger is 
 a very different affair from the passage of a Swiss 
 mountain. To say nothing of the Mont-Cenis and 
 the Simplon, over which one rolls in all the comfort 
 and luxury of an English carriage, the more unfre- 
 quented passes, the St. Gothard, or the Gries, or the 
 Grimsel, can be accomplished in a single day. There
 
 TEADITIONS OP THE HARD ANGER. 129 
 
 is a hard road, though in many places it is like going 
 up and down stairs; and there are stations by the 
 way-side and on the summits, where some sort of 
 shelter and refreshment can be procured. Across 
 the Hardanger it was nearly eighty miles to the 
 nearest habitation. Over its broad back, its rocks, 
 its snows, its morasses, there was no vestige of a path : 
 the only refuge in case of tempest, the only shelter 
 for at least the one night we must spend on. the fjeld, 
 (if we should be fortunate enough to effect the passage 
 in tAvo days,) were the laegers — lone, uninhabited 
 huts, built of rough stone, and destitute of every 
 comfort but the shelter of the bare walls. The snow- 
 drifts, which fill the deep ravines, may be treacherous, 
 storms or dense fogs may suddenly occur, and be- 
 wilder the hapless traveller, till, sinking from cold and 
 exhaustion, he is unable to extricate himself from 
 those perilous passes : in point of fact, there are nu- 
 merous tales, apparently well founded, of travellers 
 who have perished in attempting the passage. To 
 these real dangers the peasants add traditions full of 
 unearthly terrors, — of the ghosts of the lost ones 
 seen flitting in the drift, and of shrieks heard amidst 
 the wailings of the tempest. Then they tell strange 
 tales of beings that dwell in the gloomy caves of those 
 dark mountains, and entice men to their destruction 
 in their subterranean abodes ; and of houses and 
 farms seen amidst those dreary wastes, which, like 
 the mirage of the desert, vanish upon nearer approach. 
 Relics of such superstitions, engendered by the fancies 
 
 K
 
 130 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 
 
 with which the wild and solitary scenes of their native 
 mountains and forests deeply imbued the imagina- 
 tions of the old Northmen, still linger among the 
 Norwegian peasants. Whatever credence our guides 
 might give to these unreal horrors, there was enough 
 in the natural phenomena connected with the elevated 
 regions we were about to explore, to require us to 
 brace ourselves resolutely for the adventure. Every 
 thing depended upon the weather ; and our inquiries 
 of those who could read its signs better than our- 
 selves were attended with some anxiety. Though 
 appearances were at present unfavourable, Gunnuf 
 seemed no way dismayed. He prepared for de- 
 parture, but he took the precaution of obtaining one 
 of the young men and another horse in addition to 
 our convoy. It was loaded with a leathern pouch, 
 containing stores of provisions for the way, a bag of 
 tools, and sheep-skins for the bedding of the guides. 
 , Our breakfast despatched, we were succeeded in 
 our places at the long table by the family party. 
 Some of them also were bent on a distant expedition. 
 Two of the damsels completed their toilet in the 
 common room : their long hair was twined with 
 bright ribbons, and wound over the forehead, plaited 
 in a double band ; a gay handkerchief was folded 
 round the crown of the head, and fell in folds down 
 the back ; their smart jackets of woollen clotli, fitting 
 closely the shape, and fastened with broad silver 
 brooches, ended in skirts, the hems of which were 
 brilliantly embroidered. The girls, with natural co-
 
 PEASANT girls' TOILET. 131 
 
 quetry, were not insensible of the attractions which 
 so becoming and graceful a costume added to their 
 personal appearance in the eyes of the strangers ; and 
 great was the merriment as the various processes of 
 the toilet proceeded, and we offered our compliments 
 in such phrase as our limited vocabulary afforded. 
 But it was no time for us to linger even over a 
 scene so amusing. We were compelled to make our 
 "farvel;" and the whole party attended us to the 
 door, and followed our departure with their prayers 
 and good wishes for the safe accomplishment of our 
 undertaking. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 PASSAGE OF THE HARDANGER-FJELD. — REACH THE PLATEAU OP 
 
 THE FJELD. — MODE OF FOLLOA\TNG THE TRACK. FALL IN 
 
 WITH FIELDS OF SNOW. — GREAT ELEVATION. ROCKS COVERED 
 
 WITH LICHENS AND REIN-DEER MOSS. — DESOLATION INCREASES. 
 — BAD WEATHER A NIGHT IN A LONE HOVEL ON THE SUM- 
 MIT. STRIKE THE WATERS RUNNING TO THE ATLANTIC. 
 
 COME TO THE FIRST " SiETER " ON THAT SIDE. LONG DESCENT 
 
 TO THE VALLEY OF S^BO AT EJFIORD. — EXCURSION TO THE 
 VORING-FOSS. 
 
 Upon leaving the bonde-gaard, the farmstead, of 
 Keveniia, instead of following the main valley, our 
 guide struck up one which led nearly due north. 
 The ascent was steep, through birch- woods. It rained 
 heavily, and we drew our cloaks about us, and prepared 
 for the worst. We soon reached a more open plain or 
 tract of moorland, where our young attendant diverged 
 from the track to call at the steter, in the neighbour- 
 hood of which the cattle from Kevenna were now pas- 
 tured. The farmer had also a herd of tame rein-deer 
 on the fjeld. Still ascending rapidly, the birch dis- 
 appeared, and was succeeded by dwarf sallow and bog 
 myrtle, the only shrubs, or rather shrubby plants, 
 we henceforth saw. The flora was also entirely 
 changed ; but we collected some flowers of exqui- 
 site beauty, which were quite new to us. After
 
 ^ TRACK ACROSS THE FJELD. 133 
 
 about an hour's progress we crossed for a consider- 
 able distance a plateau of bare rocks intersected by 
 sharp ledges, and entirely denuded of any portion of 
 soil. We had now got above the region of the clouds 
 which hung over the valleys, and had the satisfaction 
 of finding that the rain ceased, and the weather began 
 to clear up. 
 
 My friend travelled with a prismatic compass, — an 
 invaluable instrument in a wild and unfrequented 
 country. It had often been useful to us in as- 
 certaining the proper direction of the line of march ; 
 and in our present expedition he made, from time to 
 time, a sort of military reconnoissance, taking and 
 noting the bearings of our march from point to point. 
 This practice threw him sometimes far in the rear ; 
 and he has since told me that he often had consider- 
 able difficulty in regaining the convoy, and on one 
 occasion only succeeded in so doing by tracing our 
 footprints in the snow. The guide directed his course 
 by certain marks — pinnacles or points of rock — at 
 regular but considerable distances. AVhen these were 
 wanting, a single pyramidal stone, or small heaps, 
 were set up as beacons to point out the track. 
 Though these were not very prominent objects in 
 that wilderness of rocks and stones, it was wonderful 
 with what precision he led the way, and how readily, 
 if for a short time he was at fault, he again struck the 
 right course. But notwithstanding these proofs of 
 his experience and sagacity, I could not help thinking 
 what must have been the fearful fate of many a tra- 
 
 K 3
 
 134 LICHENS AND MOSSES. 
 
 veller, overtaken by snow-storms or lost in a fog, on 
 those pathless wastes. How inestimable then the 
 value of an instrument which should at least point the 
 true bearings of the course to be pursued. I had 
 presented my own pocket-compass, as a token of 
 remembrance, to the friendly student at Dahl. It had 
 been the companion of my wanderings in many lands. 
 I had consulted it in the night watches, in the course 
 of long voyages, to learn the ship's course, which the 
 helmsman was shaping by the needle in the binnacle 
 above my cot. It had guided my solitary way over 
 wastes still more vast and trackless than those which 
 we were now traversing, and under far other skies ; 
 and I parted from it with regret. 
 
 We were now making our true course by the east of 
 north, and had already attained a great elevation ; so 
 that, after reaching the plateau of bare rocks, all 
 vegetation disappeared, except that of lichens and 
 mosses. These sometimes covered the entire surface 
 for a considerable space, with a carpet softer than the 
 richest production of the loom, and of the most bril- 
 liant and diversified colours. The Iceland and the 
 rein-deer moss were pointed out to us. Herds 
 of the deer, in their wild state, roam over the snowy 
 regions of the fjeld, but we were not fortunate 
 enough to have any of them cross our path. We 
 were neither equipped for deer-stalking, nor would 
 the circumstances of our present enterprise have 
 admitted of any delay; but opportunities subse- 
 quently occurred of closely examining, and making
 
 SNOW-LEVEL. 135 
 
 familiar acquaintance with, the appearance and habits 
 of this most interesting tribe. We saw numerous 
 tracks of the Lemming, that singular little animal, 
 peculiar, I believe, to the Scandinavian peninsula, 
 whose ravages when, at irregular periods, they de- 
 scend into the valleys, are to the northern farmer 
 a source of apprehension, such as the passage of 
 a cloud of locusts is to the cultivators of the south.* 
 In about four hours from commencing the ascent, we 
 reached the region of perpetual snow. It capped the 
 summits, and spread in broad fields along the sides, of 
 the ridges, and filled the deep ravines and gullies 
 which lay in our track ; but.it was crisp and solid, and 
 as yet gave no token of danger to be apprehended. 
 We observed snow-shoes left at intervals on the path. 
 The " good Gunnuf " marched boldly in front ; I 
 generally followed his lead closely. The young 
 farmer guided the horses ; and my friend brought up 
 the rear, often lingering as various objects attracted 
 his attention. We had now gained the highest eleva- 
 tion of our route, which is estimated at nearly 4000 
 feet above the level of the sea. The prospect around 
 was as dreary as can be imagined. Nothing but the 
 bare grey rocks, — slopes and hollows of a black bar- 
 ren soil, thickly strewed with blocks of stone, and 
 broad streaks and patches of snow, — were to be seen. 
 
 * It may be acceptable to the general reader to be furnislied, 
 though at second hand, with some account of this rare animal, 
 notices of which I propose collecting in the Appendix from Captain 
 Capell Brooke's Travels. 
 
 fi. 4
 
 136 EFFECTS OF HIGH ALTITUDES. 
 
 These presented themselves in seemingly interminable 
 succession, and it is difficult to say over which of 
 them our path was the most wearisome, and where our 
 footing was the most secure. But desolate as all 
 appeared, and difficult as was the progress, I had 
 begun to exf)erience those peculiar sensations which 
 De Saussure somewhere finely describes in his " Voy- 
 ages " in the Alps, and which I had previously felt in 
 ascending high altitudes. In such situations, the 
 great purity of the air, the unbounded solitude, and 
 the grandeur of the scale of the objects presented, 
 concur in affecting the mind with feelings of serenity, 
 of freedom, and of awe. One seems to be lifted 
 above the turbid atmosphere in which the cares and 
 turmoils of the world unceasingly estuate ; to be 
 emancipated from the thraldom of passion and all 
 gross and sordid influences ; at the same time that 
 the spirit is bowed, in the presence of the majesty 
 of Nature, under a profound sense of one's own 
 insignificance. 
 
 Soon after passing these high ridges, descending for 
 a while, we struck the shore of a lake, and the stern 
 features of the scenery were relieved by the ap- 
 pearance of grassy slopes shelving to its banks, 
 and a large herd of cattle browsing on the sweet 
 herbage. But the face of the fjeld speedily resumed 
 its dreary character. We had before us a wide 
 expanse of complete desert, bounded by lumpy hills, 
 partly covered with snow. The surface was un- 
 dulating, and a chain of small mountain-lakes, or
 
 SNOW-DRIFTS AND TURHENTS. 137 
 
 tarns, occupied the lower levels. On the banks of one 
 of these we halted about noon at a hut or larger, 
 such as I have mentioned ; a sort of den, partly exca- 
 vated in the steep bank, and built up in front with 
 loose stones. Its appearance was so wretched, that 
 we preferred to throw ourselves on the ground, under 
 shelter of a projecting rock ; and slept for a time, 
 though it was miserably cold, while the horses were 
 picking a meagre meal from the scanty herbage. Re- 
 suming our route, we noAV left the elevated plain, and, 
 crossing the ridge above the lake, pursued a more 
 northerly course. The further we proceeded, the 
 more wild and desolate was the prospect, and more 
 difficult the track. The snow which filled the ravines 
 Avas softer than we had found it in the higher parts of 
 the passage, and Gunnuf, proceeding in advance, 
 carefully sounded it with a staff before he permitted 
 us to follow. But worse than snow or morass, were 
 the spots at the edges of the snow-drifts, from which 
 it had recently disappeared. They had become so 
 rotten, that the horses floundered deeply, and we had 
 often great difficulty in making the passage. We 
 crossed innumerable torrents, and two streams of con- 
 siderable breadth, running with so strong a current, 
 that we stemmed it with some difficulty. One of the 
 guides and myself forded them on horseback; my 
 friend and the other on foot, up to their middle in 
 the water. At last we struck the Normands-Laagen, — 
 a considerable sheet of water, the bearings of which 
 were nearly east and west. ^\q traced the southern
 
 138 EXTREME DESOLATION. 
 
 shore for several miles, following its windings, but 
 frequently receding from it, to avoid the difficulties 
 which the inequalities of the ground opposed to our 
 progress. If the Mios-Vand was the " ideal of se- 
 clusion," the Normands-Laagen was that of entire 
 desolation. We seemed to have reached the verge of 
 creation. It is hardly possible that even arctic 
 scenery can present any thing more utterly desolate. 
 There were no signs of life ; nothing was seen but the 
 eternal snows, the dark waters of that melancholy 
 lake, and the grey ridges of bare rock which shelved 
 to its shores. The colour of the landscape was cold 
 and leaden, and its sombre features were unrelieved 
 by any variety of outline. Once we caught a distant 
 view, through an opening in the hills, of a mountain- , 
 chain far away to the eastward. It glowed for 
 a moment in the rays of the evening sun, shot askance 
 through a break in the clouds ; but they shed no 
 cheering beam on the dreary scenes around, they 
 imparted no warmth to us. It was bitterly cold ; the 
 clouds closed, and broke in torrents of rain, which 
 penetrated through every opening in our wrappings, 
 and fairly drenched us to the skin, completing the 
 distress of our weary and exhausted condition, and 
 adding the last touch to the gloom of that dreary 
 scene. We had yet some miles to struggle forward. 
 It was eight o'clock when our guide stopped suddenly 
 before a rude hovel reared against the steep bank of 
 the lake, and announced to us that we had reached 
 our proposed resting-place for the night.
 
 SHELTER OF A LONE HUT. 139 
 
 Indispensable as rest and shelter were at that 
 moment, I confess that I recoiled almost with horror 
 at the aspect of that dreary den. Stooping under 
 the low entrance, I saw a chamber of about nine feet 
 square. The walls were built of rough stones, through 
 the chinks of which the wind whistled. Slabs of the 
 same formed the roof, with a hole left in the centre 
 for the escape of the smoke. Every part was dripping 
 with moisture, and some damp straw was spread on 
 the clayey floor at the further extremity. Such were 
 the cheerless prospects that presented themselves. 
 We were drenched to the skin, shivering with cold, 
 hungry, stiff, and weary with the travel of that and 
 the two preceding days ; and for two nights before had 
 not taken ofi" our clothes. For myself, I had undergone 
 much suff'ering in the course of the day's march, and 
 that damp bed of straw threatened more serious 
 consequences than mere passing aches and rheums. 
 My friend had no grounds for such apprehensions; 
 but he had marched the whole distance from Diil, 
 he had just forded the rivers on foot, and at present 
 was in as bad a plight as myself. 
 
 But it was no time or place for giving way to 
 despair. In the howling wilderness we might be 
 thankful even for the shelter of that rude cavern. 
 The poor horses were turned adrift to fare as they 
 best might on the bleak hill-side. Our flask of corn- 
 brandy had, by some accident, lost the greater part 
 of its contents in the rough passage ; but there were 
 a few precious drops left, Avhich we at once eagerly
 
 140 ROUGH QUARTERS. 
 
 drained. The men brought in bundles of bog myrtle, 
 and slowly coaxed the green fuel into flame. But 
 then we were stifled with the smoke that filled the 
 hut. Our eyes smarted till the tears ran down our 
 cheeks, and again and again I was forced to rush into 
 the air for temporary relief. Our next care was to 
 divest ourselves altogether of our sodden vestments, 
 and to replace them by such changes as the scanty con- 
 tents of our knapsacks afl'orded. It was a work of time 
 and difficulty in those narrow bounds, within which 
 all four were now assembled, — seated on a stone six 
 inches above the clay floor, and with benumbed fingers, 
 — to strip off" the clinging garments ; but to its accom- 
 plishment I attribute my escape from the mischiefs of 
 which I was apprehensive. Meanwhile the fire, from 
 which each successive addition of the green bushes pro- 
 duced fresh volumes of smoke, had burnt into some- 
 thing like embers, and having completed our toilet, the 
 cuisine was our next concern. An extra allowance, 
 shaved from a roll of concentrated beef, with a hand- 
 ful of rice thrown into the canteen, were speedily 
 bubbling on the embers. In place of spoons — a part 
 of our equipment which we had left behind at the last 
 station — some pieces of birch, hastily shaped into 
 something like the requisite form, enabled us to sup up 
 the warm and savoury mess. Meanwhile, the " good 
 Gunnuf," and his fellow, addressed themselves heartily 
 to the flad-brod and butter and cheese, ample store 
 of which formed part of the lading of the sumpter 
 horse ; and having disposed of part of their wet
 
 A NIGHT ON THE FJELD. 141 
 
 garments round the remains of the fire, and having 
 closed the aperture for the smoke above, coiled them- 
 selves up in their sheep-skin rugs on one side of the 
 narrow floor, and were soon in an enviable state of 
 oblivion. We followed their example, in making the 
 best disposition we could for the repose we so much 
 needed ; but the damp straw was our pallet, our light 
 overcoats the only covering, and the knapsacks our 
 pillows. For a time I listened to the moanings of 
 the wind, as it swept in fearful gusts from the lake 
 over the low roof, and whistled through the chinks of 
 the loose walls ; but, overcome with the fatigues of the 
 preceding days, I too fell into a profound and undis- 
 turbed sleep. 
 
 I had urged on our guides the necessity of hasten- 
 ing our departure at the first dawn of day ; but it 
 was five o'clock when I roused myself and went forth 
 to the entrance of the hut. The storm had abated, 
 but in the cold grey light of the morning, the dark 
 lake and bare clifi*s still presented the same melancholy 
 aspect. Over the lake to the northward, appeared 
 the lofty dome of Hallings- Jokelen, covered with snow. 
 My companion and the others still slept. I summoned 
 them to make preparations for our departure. A fire 
 was again kindled with the green bushes, and the can- 
 teen in requisition for the manufacture of some warm 
 chocolate. The horses were called in and loaded with 
 our baggage, and we took our departure from the 
 laeger of Bessaboo, with far different feelings from
 
 142 PAETING or THE WATERS. 
 
 those with which we had crossed its threshold on the 
 preceding evening. 
 
 Our track still lay along the desolate shores of the 
 Normands-Laagen. We traced its course over rocks 
 and morasses and snowy hollows, now very soft and 
 treacherous, for some hours ; we then turned south- 
 ward, and crossing a ridge, we had the satisfaction of 
 striking a rivulet which was running to the west. 
 We had reached, then, the point at which the waters 
 which feed the rivers and lakes that discharge them- 
 selves into the Skaggerack, diverge from those flowing 
 into the fjords which communicate with the Northern 
 Ocean. The parting of the waters in high regions is 
 always a point of much interest to the traveller. 
 Never had I marked it with more delight. Presently 
 we came upon some cows feeding on the hill-side. 
 Below was a green valley, into which we rapidly 
 descended. There was a saster, at which we obtained 
 a draught of delicious milk and rested for some 
 time. It was within an hour of noon. We con- 
 gratulated ourselves on having reached the limits 
 of habitable life on the western ranges of the fjeld, 
 and anticipated an early and easy descent to the 
 shores of the fjord ; for from the heights above, we 
 had traced the course of the stream by a long line 
 of cliffs that folded into the valley, and marked its 
 channel in the direct line of our course. 
 
 But we were doomed to be disappointed, and a 
 long and weary day's march was yet before us. 
 The river indeed found its way into the Hardanger-
 
 THE DESCENT. 143 
 
 Fjord, at the point to which our own steps Avere 
 directed, but the gorges were impracticable ; and on 
 leaving the sa3ter we ascended the right bank of the 
 stream, and for some hours crossed a succession of 
 stony ridges of considerable elevation, through a 
 country as bare of vegetation as the face of the 
 fjeld itself. It was three o'clock in the afternoon 
 when we again descended into a charming valley, a 
 grassy basin of forty or fifty acres in extent, on the 
 deep herbage of which cows and goats were luxuria- 
 ting. It was a welcome station to our jaded beasts. 
 A sceter stood on the bank of a rushing torrent, which 
 we crossed by a tottering foot-bridge, and stretching 
 ourselves in the sun, which had now shone out, on a 
 broad platform of rock, a huge bowl of milk was 
 brought to us. We scooped the rich cream which 
 floated on the surface with fragments of biscuit and 
 flad-brod, and washed, them down with copious draughts 
 of the delicious beverage. We had now lived for many 
 days almost exclusively, with an occasional allowance 
 of gelatine, on milk and preparations of meal, and we 
 found the simple diet not only adequate to the main- 
 tenance of our strength under great fatigue, but we 
 felt a support, and gained a tone of health and spirits 
 which stronger and more factitious beverages and 
 viands would have failed of imparting. 
 
 Though much refreshed, the saddling up of the 
 horses was an unwelcome signal for departure ; and, 
 crossing the grassy bottom, we mounted the steep 
 ascent on the other side of the valley with weary and
 
 144 DESCENT CONTINUED. 
 
 stiffened limbs. A profusion of violets, a variety of a 
 delicate yellow colour, decked the slopes. Again Ave 
 wound over seemingly interminable ridges of barren 
 hills, and again attained a considerable elevation, as 
 we once more fell in with drifts of snow. Our poor 
 horses began to give unequivocal symptoms of ex- 
 treme fatigue, and the march was toilsome and painful 
 to the last degree. 
 
 In about two hours, we were cheered by the sight 
 of birch woods, here growing at the height, as we 
 calculated, of about 3500 feet above the level of the 
 sea. They clothed the sides of deep ravines into 
 which we plunged, rapidly descending by a track 
 which once more presented the semblance of a road ; 
 but it was either deep and miry, or leading over shelves 
 of rock, down which, as by a rude staircase, we fre- 
 quently descended for a furlong together at an angle 
 of forty-five degrees. But the scenery was charming, 
 the windings of the valleys presenting ever- varying 
 features of torrents rushing wildly down, deep birch 
 woods, and cliffs towering to a great height. Mantling 
 over them were faintly seen, miles beyond, wreaths of 
 spray where the waters of the fjelds precipitated 
 themselves from the summits to join the impetuous 
 course of the river below. One of these falls, 600 or 
 700 feet high, leapt from a chasm in a stupendous 
 gorge, where the cliffs of gray and purple rocks formed 
 walls of 1000 or 1200 feet in height, just above the 
 confluence of two streams which we had successively 
 to ford. The torrents were rapid, broad, and deep.
 
 A GORGE OF THE FJELD. 145 
 
 and the passage was effected, not without some dif- 
 ficulty and delay, by the help of our patient and sure- 
 footed horses, which crossed and recrossed till all 
 were safely ferried over. The scene was altogether 
 one of the ^vildest and most magnificent I have ever 
 beheld, and the descent of the pass below was per- 
 fectly uniqae. The walls of rock receding for a space 
 inclosed a level area of a few roods of pasture and 
 green corn, in which stood the buildings of a small 
 farm, the first signs of culture and habitation we had 
 seen on this side the mountain ranoe. Then it closed 
 again, and the road was carried along the right bank 
 of the river, ascending and descending the several 
 ridges which spurred out from the base of the cliffs, 
 by rude steps cut in the rocks at an angle so preci- 
 pitous that it was wonderful how the horses could 
 clamber up and down. As we successively mounted 
 the summits of these, the blue waters of the fjord 
 were seen through the long vista of projecting cliffs 
 which, towering to a prodigious height, shut in the 
 narrow valley. But slow and painful was our progress : 
 with extreme difficulty I dragged myself up each 
 successive rise, to sink from sheer fatigue and ex- 
 haustion on the bank, and then snatching a moment's 
 repose tottered down the shelving steep, again to 
 renew the struggle. The shades of evening were 
 closing in the narrow glen when, descending the last 
 declivity, we emerged on a somewhat open and level 
 plain, Availed in on three of its sides by precipitous 
 cliffs. On the west, two bold headlands terminated 
 
 L
 
 146 REACH THE LEVEL OF THE FJORD. 
 
 on either hand a low grassy ridge, having the appear- 
 ance of an artificial dam to a small lake which re- 
 ceived the waters of several toiTcnts as, having here 
 united, they poured in a broad full stream through 
 the valley. Its course among the green meadows was 
 marked by an undergrowth of birch and alder copse. 
 Midway appeared a hamlet of some half-dozen te- 
 nements, amongst which the giest-huus was conspi- 
 cuous by its superior elevation. Our straggling 
 party closed up as we crossed the little plain, ani- 
 mated by the near prospect of rest and refreshment 
 after the toils of our long and weary journey. For 
 my part, I staggered to the threshold like a drunken 
 man, and with a last effort clambered the steep flight 
 of stairs to the guest-chamber above. 
 
 Thus ended the passage of the Hardanger-Fjeld. 
 It w^as attended with extreme fatigue, and no small 
 degree of suffering. 13 ut these were compensated by 
 the interest attending scenes of a character so peculiar. 
 To any one wisliing to cross into the Bergen stift, after 
 visiting the valleys of Tellemarken, the passage of the 
 fjeld by this route will save a long circuii, and 
 enable him to visit the Ejukan-Foss without having 
 to retrace his steps. Success obviously depends upon 
 the season and tlie weather. It might, under very 
 favourable circumstances, be accomplished with less 
 difficulty than we experienced. At the same time it 
 must not be concealed that, from any sudden atmo- 
 spheric changes, such as the coming on of fogs or 
 snow storms, the safety of the traveller may be se-
 
 ITINERARY FROM DAL. 147 
 
 riously compromised. Of course no one would think 
 of making the attempt without the aid of an expe- 
 rienced guide ; but it may be well to recapitulate the 
 stages and extent of our daily progress from the 
 giest-huus at Dili to that of Ej fiord. Between these 
 there is no better accommodation than such as ap- 
 pears in the details of my narrative. The passage 
 takes four days : — 
 
 English 
 miles. 
 
 1st. Day. — From Dill to Vaagen, diverging 
 to the Ejukan-Foss by the way, (a good 
 day's work) - - - - - 28 
 
 2nd. Day. — From Vaagen to Kevenna, along the 
 
 Mios-Yand 28 
 
 3rd. Day. — From Kevenna to the Lffiger of Bes- 
 
 saboo on the Fjeld - - - - 42 
 
 4th. Day. — From the Laeger to Sa3bo in Ejfiord 35 
 
 133 
 
 This would try any man's pluck ; and few, perhaps, 
 would think the toil and risk sufficiently compensated. 
 If good horses could be procured, the former might 
 be somewhat alleviated, though no time would be 
 saved. At the same time, unless they were of a 
 better description than the pack-horses we obtained, 
 I feel convinced that little or nothing would be gained 
 on the score of fatigue. 
 
 But toil and danger passed, we are in the guest- 
 
 L 2
 
 148 A GUEST-CHAMBER. 
 
 chamber at Srebo; a spacious apartment, though none 
 of the cleanest, on the floor of which were ranged a 
 goodly row of large chests, ornamented with scrolls 
 and flowers painted in bright colours, and inscribed 
 with names and dates of ownership. These seemed 
 capacious enough to contain any moderate stock of 
 household and family gear. In addition, however, 
 two sides of the walls were htmg with a tapestry of 
 broidered jackets and petticoats, worked rugs and 
 coverlets, and uniforms of the Landvoern ; a most 
 miscellaneous collection. Portraits of King Oscar 
 and his young queen hung near the stove ; and on a 
 shelf between the windows, among other articles, 
 stood three small silver goblets curiously chased. 
 One of these the giest-giver hastened to fill with corn 
 brandy, from a cask which flanked the line of chests, 
 oflbring it as a tried and sure restorative. In our 
 present circumstances it was not to be rejected, but 
 we declined his pressing instances to a repetition of 
 the potent draught. In due time an enormous dish 
 of rashers of bacon was smoking on the board, to 
 which we applied ourselves as men who had not 
 tasted flesh- meat of any kind more than twice in the 
 fortnight preceding. Our coff*ee was served without 
 milk, for the cows were all on the fjeld. We had 
 been just revelling in it in profuse abundance, and 
 could have better spared the contents of the brandy 
 cask, an importation from Bergen, which stood ready 
 for us, and, as we afterwards found, for all comers to 
 resort to ad libitum. In the course of the night a
 
 TKUSTFUL DEALINGS. ]49 
 
 small supply of milk, for our especial behest, was 
 fetched from the saeters by a journey of more than 
 two Norsk miles. The luxury o£ stretching oneself 
 in a good bed, after such travel and having passed 
 three nights without taking off our clothes, may be 
 easily imagined. On rising, my friend declared him- 
 self ready for an excursion to the Voring-Foss, which 
 lies in a gorge of the mountains, at about seven miles 
 distance. My ankle was too much swelled to allow 
 of my bearing him company, and I was obliged to 
 give myself a day of comparative rest, and to content 
 myself with his report of the excursion, which I pro- 
 pose to subjoin in the words in which he rendered 
 it. The '' good Gunnuf " and his companion did not 
 start on their weary track homewards till late in the 
 day. Our reckoning with the guide was effected 
 under circumstances which bore pleasing testimony 
 to the simple confidence of these good people. We 
 found everywhere that the name of Englishman was 
 a sufficient guarantee for his honour and credit. I 
 am old enouo;h to recollect the time when such was 
 the case over the length and breadth of the Con- 
 tinent. I fear that things are now sadly altered. 
 Here, at least, I trust it will be long before that con- 
 fidence is abused. It has been noted that our stock 
 of Norwegian money fell short on the other side 
 of the fjeld. On our arrival at Ssebo, we found 
 that we had only enough to pay the guide one half 
 of the stipulated reward for his services. But the 
 
 I. 3
 
 150 LITTLE PLAIN OF S^BO ; 
 
 giest-giver made no sort of difficulty in taking upon 
 himself the discharge of the remainder, readily agree- 
 ing to accompany us to Ullensvang on the morrow, 
 where, at the house of a skriver, the man of business 
 of the district, he made no doubt we should find the 
 means of discharging all our obligations. 
 
 During my friend's absence, after putting forward 
 the restoration of our scanty kit sadly disordered by 
 the wear and tear of such a journey, to some degree 
 of propriety, I sauntered up the sunny slopes of some 
 green hillocks of the smoothest turf, which swelled 
 from the level of the little plain. Groups of build- 
 ings crowned the summits, among detached masses 
 of gray rock. IMost exuberant crops of barley, oats, 
 and potatoes covered the level ground, through which 
 little streamlets poured their fertilising waters. 
 Small inclosures of apple and cherry trees, covered 
 with fruit, were attached to the several tenements. 
 The whole plain was about three-quarters of a mile 
 long by half a mile broad. The surrounding moun- 
 tains were broken into detached masses by deep 
 ravines. Some were of a rounded form, and sprinkled 
 with dwarf birch ; others presented an escarped 
 front, of 1500 to 2000 feet high, of various shades of 
 purple and gray. Higher ranges were seen through 
 the openings, partially covered with snow. AVomen 
 in scarlet jackets and blue petticoats were sitting at 
 work in the sun, at the doors of the houses ; some 
 carding, some spinning with a wheel turned by the
 
 A HAPPY VALLEY. 151 
 
 foot. Home-spun cloths of woollen and flax were 
 sj^read out to bleach or to dry, on the patches of 
 green sward. In the evening, after my friend's re- 
 turn, we walked down to the shore of the little lake. 
 It was about half a mile in width, and sweeping 
 round the southern headland, discharged itself in a 
 narrow channel which issued in the fjord. Not a 
 ripple disturbed its surface, and the river which we 
 had seen pouring so tumultuously down the rapids 
 in the gorges of the mountains flowed calmly, but in 
 full stream, through the pebbly beach. We lished it 
 upwards, among the alder-copse which feathered the 
 banks, and a broil of excellent trout was added to 
 our evening meal of rice boiled in milk and seasoned 
 with spice, a frequent and very acceptable dish. 
 
 A day passed in such quiet enjoyment and another 
 refreshing night prepared me for the prosecution of 
 our journey on the morrow. My companion, more 
 robust, had devoted part of his leisure to the pro- 
 posed expedition to tlie Yoring-Foss j and well it 
 appeared had the toil of a very diflicult and arduous 
 excursion been repaid. His Report of it was to the 
 following purport : — 
 
 " I was stiff in every joint with the effects of our 
 walk yesterday and the preceding days, so that I was 
 glad to mount the giest-giver's horse, he accompany- 
 insT me as 2;uide. After crossins; the fertile level of 
 meadow and corn land in a northerly direction, 
 through which the river, precipitated from the Falls 
 
 L 4
 
 152 EXCURSION TO THE VORING-FOSS. 
 
 above, takes its course, I felt at onee satisfied from 
 the character of the scenery, and the quantity of 
 water rushing down, that I should not be disappointed 
 in the object of my search. The features of the 
 valley corresponded with that Avhich had led us to 
 Saabo the night before ; it was narrow and rugged, 
 and enclosed by scarped cliffs descending from the 
 fjeld to the level of the river. A rough and exceed- 
 ingly difficult, but well worn, horse-track led up the 
 glen. 
 
 " Passing a green meadow sprinkled with masses of 
 fallen granite, at about half a mile from the hamlet 
 we came to a rude bridge of timber, which, thrown 
 across the torrent, stretched without any support 
 from one side to the other. Two pines, resting on a 
 stout trestle at one end, reached a projecting rock on 
 the other side, at some height above the stream, whose 
 impetuous torrent must have swept away any pier or 
 pile by which the foundation of the structure might 
 have been attempted to be supported. Two others 
 at a steep incline reached from the trestle to the 
 lower shore. On these were bound cross-pieces, 
 placed close together ; those on the level part being 
 kept down by huge stones laid along the sides, the 
 only parapet. The weight of these, when the plat- 
 form was shaken by the tread of a horse, caused it 
 to vibrate considerably. I dismounted and allowed 
 my horse to pick his way along a fabric that thus hung 
 lightly suspended over the boiling flood. But I had
 
 EXCURSION TO THE VORING-FOSS. 153 
 
 soon reason to be satisfied that I might trust him 
 with entire confidence, as sure of foot and with 
 an agility scarcely to be conceived, the good beast 
 carried me over protruding ledges and up gigantic 
 steps of granite, at perfect ease to enjoy the mag- 
 nificence of the objects with which I was sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 In the midst of this wild and sterile scenery, I 
 was surprised to find a well-built farmhouse, or 
 " gaard," placed amongst small but fertile patches 
 of corn pasture. I felt here, as one often does in 
 the higher valleys, that though the air was generally 
 close and stifling, and the heat caused by the re- 
 verberation of the inclosing clifis often excessive, on 
 approaching any fall or rapid the change of tempera- 
 ture was sudden and intense. This is occasioned by 
 the torrents bearing with them a strong current of 
 cold air. For the water having just issued from 
 the drifts of melting snow on the verge of the fjelds, 
 can be but little above the freezing-point. This dif- 
 ference of temperature is not only refreshing to the 
 traveller, but there is a marked effect also observable 
 in the vegetation of sites exposed to its action. It 
 might be thought that the cold blasts would check 
 the growth of plants ; but it is often found that, 
 while neighbouring fields are bare and barren, the 
 same soils are fertilised when in the immediate 
 vicinity of a mountain stream, the current of cold 
 air mingling with the heated atmosphere of the val-
 
 154 EXCURSION TO THE VORING-FOSS. 
 
 ley, and producing by condensation a steam liiglily 
 favourable to vegetation. 
 
 " The valley now seemed to close in so completely 
 that I could not discover any outlet, and I momen- 
 tarily expected that the Fall would burst on my view. 
 But on a nearer approach I found the valley inclined 
 abruptly to the left, and I could just discern facing 
 me figures winding up through rocky crags, to the 
 level of the fjeld above. Again we crossed a bridge, 
 similar to the one at the lower part of the glen ; and, 
 no longer able to follow the river, which here found 
 its way through a narrow chasm of fearful depth, we 
 scrambled up the mountain side, and I stood once 
 more on the level of the fjeld, 2500 feet above the 
 plain from which I had commenced the ascent. My 
 horse had been of little service in the latter part of 
 the track, as we had to pass soft bogs worn deep by 
 frequent traffic, into which he plunged heavily until 
 relieved of my weight. The peasants use this, their 
 only path to the saeters in this direction ; and it is 
 wonderful how they can transport the heavy burdens 
 of meal and other necessaries and the produce of the 
 diary, to and fro, by tracks so difficult. A horse can 
 proceed but a few paces without resting ; yet I saw 
 women mounting the pass with loads of a great weight, 
 such as I should find it difficult to carry on level 
 ground. 
 
 " The face of the fjeld presented undulating ground, 
 opening up to a dissant valley and huge snow-backed
 
 EXCURSION TO THE VORING-FOSS. 155 
 
 mountains beyond. We now, descending a little 
 through some underwood of stunted birches where 
 we tethered the horse, approached to the edge of the 
 chasm, through which the river makes its prodigious 
 leap into the gulf below. The solid ground beneath our 
 feet seemed to shake with the concussion, and my whirl- 
 ing'^brain was confused by the astounding roar. The 
 guide led me to the brink of the precipice, grasping 
 me firmly with one hand, as I looked down from that 
 dizzy height to the very bottom of the Fall, 900 feet 
 beneath, while the other hand was stretched out, as 
 if to ward oiF or skreen from his sight the appalling 
 spectacle. I shall never forget his attitude and look 
 of terror, as, allowing me but a momentary glimpse 
 of it, he dragged me away from the spot. 
 
 " But I was not yet satisfied; and approaching the 
 edge of the cliff alone at another point, I lay do^\ni 
 on my breast, and again looked down that fearful 
 chasm ; and resolutely maintainijig my self-possession, 
 watched steadily the rush of the mighty waters, drop- 
 ping stones from time to time to assure myself of the 
 great depth of the Fall. Thus I lay till I was almost 
 rivetted to the spot with a sort of fascination ; and it 
 was perhaps well that the guide, alarmed at my neglect 
 of his cries and entreaties, rushed down and again 
 drew me away from the edge of the cliff. 
 
 " There is a practicable descent to the bottom of 
 the Fall, but I felt too stiff and weary to attempt it. 
 I think that, having had the nerve to place myself in
 
 156 EXCURSION TO THE VORING-FOSS. 
 
 the position I did, I saw it to the greatest advantage. 
 Nothing can ever efface from my memory the un- 
 speakable, I may say the terrible, grandeur of that 
 magnificent scene. Remounting my trusty steed, I 
 sadly bid it farewell. Before I began the descent 
 from the fjeld, I turned towards the Foss ; a beauti- 
 ful rainbow hung over it; a bright omen of the 
 hope I cherished, that I should some day visit it 
 again."
 
 157 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE HAKDANGER-FJORD — NAVIGATION AND SCENERY OF. — VIEW 
 OFF ULLENSVANG LAND THERE. — AN AWKW^VRD PREDICA- 
 MENT. KIND AND HOSPITABLE ENTERTAINMENT AT THE 
 
 PR^STE-GAARD. A CLERGYMAN M. P. (MEMBER OF THE STOR- 
 THING). PRIVILEGE OF A PASTOR'S "WIDOW. BONDER OR 
 
 FREEHOLDERS. ANCIENT DOORWAY IN CHURCH. NORWEGIAN 
 
 ARCHITECTURE. OLD CHURCHES OF TIMBER. ANECDOTE OF 
 
 THE REMOVAL OP ONE TO SILESIA. 
 
 It was a bright morning and the hour was yet 
 early when, having made up our kit once more 
 restored to decent trim, with fishing-gear and havre- 
 sacks in marching order, we salHed forth from the 
 giest-huus at Sa^bo. Passing the little hamlet, the 
 inmates of which were hardly yet astir, we took our 
 way down the valley to the bank of the lake. The 
 giest-giver followed, bearing oars and boat-hook, 
 attended by his wife, loaded with the well-stored 
 leathern pouch and roll of sheepskin rugs, without 
 which no Norwegian peasant undertakes a journey, 
 either by land or by water. We launched a light 
 boat from under the shade of the alder copse over the 
 pebbly beach, and were shortly skimming the still 
 waters of the lake, looking back from time to time on 
 the towering masses which, advancing in profile, 
 seemed to guard or preclude all entrance to that
 
 158 NAVIGATION OF 
 
 sequestered spot, except by the deep gorges at the 
 head of the valley, the rugged outlines of which could 
 scarcely be traced in the shade which the sun's rays 
 from behind the masses of the fjelds, had not yet 
 penetrated. 
 
 Rechning at our ease, we felt the relief which the 
 change in our mode of progress afforded. The dis- 
 tance to Bergen was still upwards of 120 miles ; but 
 we rejoiced to think that nearly half of it would be 
 accomplished by the aid of the fjords which, on this 
 side the mountains, so deeply intersect the coun- 
 try. We soon ran down the lake, about a mile and 
 a,-half or two miles in length ; and, drawing our boat 
 ashore, and again collecting our traps, crossed the 
 narrow isthmus which divides it from the fjord. 
 Having passed the church of Ej fiord, to which the 
 hamlet of Saebo is attached, a structure of stone (a 
 rare occurrence in this country) with lancet win- 
 dows, we came upon a little haven, to the pier of 
 which were moored some stout boats and a couple of 
 smacks of small tonnage ; old-fashioned sloop-rigged 
 craft, but sturdy and sea-worthy, and well suited 
 to the navigation of the fjords. It is difficult and 
 dangerous, for they are subject to sudden squalls, 
 the wind rushing down with violence through the 
 gullies of the mountains ; the currents are strong, 
 and there being no anchorage from the great depth 
 of the water to the very base of the cliffs, the ser- 
 vice requires great local aptitude and determined 
 hardihood. The traffic carried on by means of these
 
 THE HARDANGER-FJOED. 159 
 
 fjords is very considerable ; stretching as they do 
 in their various ramifications far inland, they afford 
 a medium of internal communication of the last im- 
 portance to the inhabitants of these wild and moun- 
 tainous districts. Transporting to Bergen the pro- 
 duce of the dairies, timber, and fuel, they bring back 
 cargoes of meal, sugar and coffee, corn-brandy, iron, 
 in short, every thing which is necessary for the supply 
 of the farmer's wants, bej'ond what his own land and 
 the produce of his looms and other rude manufactures 
 supply. 
 
 A share in this traffic gave a busy look to Yik, the 
 entrepot between Bergen and the districts lying 
 among the fjclds in this quarter. A large hotel was 
 nearly completed, promising increased accommodation 
 to the visitors of the Yoring-Foss, which is easily 
 approached in this direction. Among these may be 
 reckoned English yacht-men, of whose visits of late 
 years the travellers' -book gave indication. Among 
 the names inscribed of older date are those of the 
 Duke of Rutland and some members of his family, 
 recollections of whom still lin2:er in the memories of 
 the simple inhabitants of Ej fiord. 
 
 Our friend the giest-giver having procured a boat 
 and reinforced himself with a young sailor from the 
 port, we again embarked and pulled out into the 
 fjord. AYe had been so much accustomed to the na- 
 vigation of lakes (some at high elevations, and having 
 all the appearance of inland seas), that it was not till 
 we had tasted the water we could be assured that we
 
 160 A SQUALL. 
 
 were once more on the level of the ocean, and that the 
 channel on which we were borne, after many wind- 
 ings, communicated with its far distant waters. But 
 magnificent as were the rocky shores of the central 
 lakes, their scale of grandeur is inferior to that of the 
 iron-bound coast of the Hardanger-Fjord ; backed by 
 the snowy tops of the fjeld, over which the dome 
 of Hallings-Jokelen was again conspicuous. 
 
 We passed a deep inlet to the north, running up to 
 Ulvik, and hugging closely the eastern sliore, with our 
 course to the west of south, about noon we pulled 
 to land, and seated on a shelving cliff both boatmen 
 and passengers made good use of the stores with 
 which they were respectively provided. Hitherto the 
 weather had been fair, and the surface of the fjord 
 unruffled. But we were destined in our own persons 
 to have proof how suddenly the state of things may be 
 altered in these waters. We had not long left the 
 cove when a stiff breeze sprung up from the south- 
 ward, and in an incredibly short space of time lashed 
 the fjord into a state of extreme turbulence. The 
 " short seas," following each other in quick succession, 
 broke over our quarter, and it was with severe strug- 
 gles that the boatmen, from time to time having 
 recourse to renewed applications to the brandy-flask, 
 made way against the surges and the driving gusts of 
 the wind, which was dead against us. They closed in 
 with the shore, but for some time it was as much 
 as they could do to hold their own. The storm was 
 accompanied with squalls of rain, the boat pitched
 
 CHAKACTER OF THE FJORD. IGl 
 
 violently, and we began to anticipate a somewhat dis- 
 agreeable termination to a navigation so auspiciously 
 commenced. 
 
 However, the wind fell and the storm abated 
 almost as suddenly as it had come on. We were then 
 off Kinservig, a large village, the terminus of one of 
 the routes across the fjeld, which at one time we had 
 an intention of taking.* The weather cleared up, — 
 the sun shining out, and the agitation of the waters 
 subsiding into a gentle swell, — just in time to 
 harmonise with the striking change in the scenery of 
 the coast which soon after occurred. In our course 
 down the fjord, the scarped cliffs which towered up 
 to the inaccessible fjelds, piled in rounded masses 
 above, had occasionally opened out to embrace some 
 green nook or grassy slope, confined within the nar- 
 rowest bounds but smiling in the exuberance of the 
 most minute and careful cultivation, at the foot of 
 those bare and perpendicular rocks. Connected with 
 these picturesque farms, little jetties and piers thrust 
 out into the fjord, with their corresponding boat- 
 houses, sometimes broke the monotonous character of 
 the line of shore. But its general features for the 
 twenty miles we had traced its outline, were of a stern 
 and lofty and massive grandeur ; to which the gloom 
 that impended during the continuance of the storm, 
 and overshadowed the grey cliffs and the deep waters, 
 
 * It was here that Mr. Elliot and his friends were hospitably 
 received by the pastor, M. Hertz, since dead, after their adven- 
 turous passage from Tessundal, in 1830. 
 
 M
 
 162 VIEW OF ULLENSVANG. 
 
 gave increased effect. But when the sun again burst 
 forth, and, as the boat shot round a wooded point, we 
 came in sight of Ullensvang, it lit up a scene as lovely 
 as any the eye ever rested on. 
 
 The mountain raHges fell back, and left a wide 
 amphitheatre, as it were, scooped out of the fjeld, 
 descending in gentle slopes and swells to the shore. 
 It was surrounded by lofty ridges, sheltering it from 
 the cold winds of the north and east, through a 
 chasm in the rugged summits of which the white 
 wreaths of a considerable cascade were seen falling 
 into the plain. The undulations of the ground were 
 followed by groves of deep verdure, amongst which 
 peeped out farm-buildings and cottages, a group of 
 which were clustered together near the centre of the 
 area, the greater part being occupied by enclosures of 
 young corn and broad meadows, now ready for the 
 scythe, — all glowing in the sunshine after the rain 
 'with the softest but most vivid hues. Close to us on the 
 bank as we approached, under a densely wooded hill, 
 stood the mansion of the Soren-Scriver, of whom we 
 were in quest, — its trim gardens reaching down 
 to the water's edge, where was the usual landing- 
 place. At the other extremity of the shalloAv bay, a 
 promontory, stretching out into the fjord, was 
 crowned by the church and parsonage, embosomed 
 amongst groves and orchards. Boats were out fishing 
 in the fjord. The aspect of the whole was cheerful 
 and sociable, particularly to us, as contrasted with the 
 scenes of desolation and solitude with which we had
 
 it~4
 
 LAND AT THE VILLAGE. 163 
 
 been recently surrounded. Unsatisfactory as necessa- 
 rily are all mere descriptions of scenery, and imperfect 
 as I feel my own' sT^etches to be, however faithful 
 in the details, it will be perceived that IJ liens vang 
 presents a landscape of no ordinary beauty. Graceful 
 in its outlines, and rich in its colouring, as a composi- 
 tion it embraced all that can be imagined most striking 
 and beautiful, — including mountain-ridge, waterfall,, 
 green slopes, and wooded banks feathered down to 
 the blue waters of the fjord ; — with signs of life in 
 hamlets, church and busy fishing-boat harmoniously 
 combined. 
 
 We had leisure to feast our eyes on this charming 
 prospect, as our conductor the giest-giver, instead of 
 landing us at the stairs leading to the scriver's house, 
 pursued his course across the little bay of the fjord 
 which formed the foreground of the picture, towards a 
 rude pier at its further extremity, which, by the num- 
 ber of boats attached, seemed to be the general land- 
 ing-place of the village. It appeared that he had 
 learnt from some of the fishermen that the man of 
 business was from home ; but he appeared in no wise 
 disconcerted by information which seemed to place us 
 in a situation of some difficulty, and, our fortunes 
 being now in his hands, we obeyed in silence, when 
 stepping ashore and depositing our baggage at a 
 neighbouring cottage, without further explanation he 
 bid us follow him. Pursuing a path which Avound 
 along the woody ridge to the south of the village, we 
 crossed a torrent which poured, sparkling and clear, 
 
 M 2
 
 164 AWKWARD PREDICAMENT. 
 
 into the neighbouring fjord, and presently discovered, 
 by the course we were taking, that the prasste-gaard 
 or parsonage was the point of our destination. It 
 stood thus, with the church, apart from the village, 
 surrounded by numerous out-buildings, and by 
 orchards, gardens, and yards ; crossing some of which 
 we presently reached the door, 
 
 I confess that I was not in a state to admire the 
 extreme beauty of its situation just above the bank of 
 the fjord, with the church rising amongst some tall 
 sycamore trees behind, for I felt at that moment ex- 
 tremely nervous. I still could hardly reconcile myself 
 to our claiming, as perfect strangers, a hospitality 
 which, for aught we knew, might be considered bur- 
 densome or inopportune. But worse than this, we 
 had to commence our acquaintance with an appeal for 
 pecuniary accommodation, which w^as still more pain- 
 ful. What the immediate means, or what the disposi- 
 tion of the worthy jyasteur^ to meet our wants in this 
 particular, we could only conjecture ; but we were 
 pretty well assured that if we failed here, there would 
 be little chance of obtaining what we needed this side 
 of Bergen ! Our anxiety as to the result may there- 
 fore be easily conceived. 
 
 We were very graciously received by a lady, who, 
 begging us to be seated, retired to announce our 
 arrival, A gentleman now appeared, whose address 
 to us in the language of the country was met by an 
 interrogatory whether he spoke English. Then we 
 made the exjoeriment in French ; and failing in both,
 
 CURIOUS NEGOTIATION. 165 
 
 as a last resort, I tried Latin. The challenge was 
 accepted ; and our new friend having stated that the 
 prassten was absent at Christiania, and that he was his 
 brother and locum tenens, I proceeded to make known 
 our awkward predicament in the best manner I could, 
 and to inquire, with such phrases of apology as i 
 could muster, if it were in his power to assist us. 
 I told how our local money had run short, and pro- 
 duced some notes of the Bank of England, as well as 
 a letter of credit I held on a firm of great respectabi- 
 lity at Bergen, on whom I proposed to draw, or to 
 give bank notes in exchange, for the sum we imme- 
 diately needed. We exhibited our passport, in which 
 my friend's rank in the English army had been ve- 
 rified by the production of his commission to the 
 Swedish ambassador in London, and some letters we 
 chanced to have in testimony of our being good men 
 and true. He examined the documents carefully, and, 
 demanding what sum we should require to relieve 
 us from our present embarrassment and carry us to 
 Bergen, he said he would consult his father, a retired 
 district judge, for whose absence he apologised on the 
 score of severe indisposition, and disappeared Avith 
 the papers. 
 
 The young minister did not keep us long in sus- 
 pense. He returned Avith the money we required, 
 electing to take in return one of our bank notes in 
 preference to a draft under our letter of credit on the 
 house at Bergen. Never before, perhaps, was such 
 a negotiation, including the exchangeable value of 
 
 M 3
 
 166 SATISFACTORY ADJUSTMENT. 
 
 the note and the other details of the transaction, 
 conducted in a language little conversant with such 
 matters, and which probably neither of the parties 
 concerned had ever previously spoken. Some credit 
 may be considered due to them for having been able 
 to come to an understanding through a medium so 
 inadequate. What was due to the frank and ready 
 kindness of our worthy host, we regretted our in- 
 ability but imperfectly to express. 
 
 Meanwhile, the table had been hospitably spread, 
 and we were invited to refresh ourselves, the good 
 lady doing the honours ; and now relieved from our 
 unpleasant dilemma, and having paid and dismissed 
 the giest-giver, we were disposed to enjoy with zest 
 an entertainment altogether differing in its style and 
 ingredients from what we had of late been accus- 
 tomed to. We soon after rose to depart, but our 
 motion was received with pressing instances to spend 
 the remainder of the day and pass the night at the 
 prseste-gaard. We felt disinclined further to intrude 
 on the kindness of these good people; and to say 
 the truth, agreeable as was the proposition in many 
 respects, I felt some apprehension as to the continu- 
 ance of an intercourse which could be maintained 
 only through a medium so imperfect, the difficulty of 
 which was increased by the difference of the conti- 
 nental pronunciation from that of our own schools 
 and universities. But all our scruples were overruled 
 by the urgency with which further hospitality was 
 pressed upon us. We found less difficulty than we
 
 CLASSICAL COLLOQUIES. 167 
 
 expected ; and if our colloquies were not quite Cice- 
 ronian, we managed on the whole to carry on a 
 satisfactory conversation. The phrases " Flacetne, 
 Domine,^' and " Agimus tibi gratias,'^ were exchanged 
 with all the politeness of a very old school. It was 
 no very difficult matter, by the help of maps, to 
 describe our itinerary, and to receive directions for 
 our future progress. Things practical, English and 
 Norwegian, inquired into on both sides, generally 
 admitted of replies which brought them within our 
 respective comprehension. If sometimes we ventured 
 on a higher strain, and entered on disquisitions, civil 
 or ecclesiastical, which required more fulness of dis- 
 cussion, it frequently happened that we broke down 
 in the midst of a sentence commenced with all be- 
 coming grandiloquence, and amidst roars of laughter 
 passed by mutual consent to some easier theme. The 
 burthen of the conversation fell upon me, my friend's 
 classical knowledge being confined to some remi- 
 niscences of Ca3sar's Commentaries, acquired in his 
 preparatory military studies. Sometimes, however, 
 when we were at fault, he helped us out by a phrase 
 of German, learnt in the same school, too often, 1 fear, 
 only to be forgotten as soon as the examination is 
 passed, or, still better, by coming at once to the ver- 
 nacular Norsk, at which, as having been the treasurer 
 and purveyor on the road, he had become a nnich 
 better adept than myself. 
 
 The parsonage at Ullensvang is, like most of the 
 pra3ste-gaards in Norway, a large and substantial 
 
 M 4
 
 168 NORWEGIAN PASTORS. 
 
 edifice, containing many spacious apartments, and, 
 amongst others, a saloon of ample dimensions, hand- 
 somely furnished. Its appearance, and the style of 
 living, reminded one of that of a country gentleman 
 of moderate fortune in England : in fact, the clergy 
 are here the only gentry resident in the rural dis- 
 tricts. With incomes rarely exceeding 1500 dollars 
 (from 200^. to 300/. a year), yet these being mainly 
 derived from excellent glebes and commuted tithes, 
 they are placed, for so poor a country, in a position 
 of great independence. In their residences, alone 
 in the heart of wild and unfrequented districts, you 
 meet with all the comforts and many of the elegancies 
 of civilised life, agreeable and accomplished women, 
 and in the praesten himself a highly educated and 
 well-informed gentleman. Laborious in their pastoral 
 duties, the calls of which, from the extent of the 
 parishes, are extremely severe, they are looked up 
 to as the centres of their several circles, familiar to 
 all, and not disdaining friendly intercourse with the 
 better classes of their parishioners. They thus enjoy 
 a consideration in society, to which they are per- 
 sonally well entitled. 
 
 It appeared, in the course of conversation, that the 
 absence of the praBsten of Ullensvang at this time was 
 occasioned by his having been elected a representative 
 of the district to the Storthing, the Norwegian par- 
 liament, now in session at Christiania. The presence 
 of clergymen in the House of Commons would seem 
 strange to our notions ; and many people would con-
 
 MEMBERS OF THE STORTHING. 169 
 
 nect with it the idea of the floor of St. Stephen's being 
 made the arena of controversies vehemently prose- 
 cuted, and neither seemly or profitable. Such appre- 
 hensions are probably without foundation ; and I 
 think that it may be conceived that the admission of 
 half a dozen men of education and high professional 
 standing, if they should find constituencies disposed 
 to make such returns without the exciting ordeal of 
 the hustings, would rather tend to elevate the tone of 
 order and propriety in that assembly. In educational 
 questions, and all that relates to the well-being of 
 the poorer classes, their almost exclusive knowledge 
 of the real wants and feelings of those whose interests 
 demand, " for the sake of all" (as the bidding prayer 
 has it), the most anxious and careful attention, would 
 command respectful attention, and be of the utmost 
 service. All other professions are well represented 
 by some of their most enlightened members : why 
 should not that one which is so intimately connected, 
 not only with the moral, but with the secular welfare 
 of vast masses of the people ? And may not the right 
 be fairly claimed with reference to the interests of 
 the Church itself, seeing that its alleged representation 
 by those holding high places in " the second estate 
 of the realm" in the other house of parliament is, 
 like many other parts of our constitutional system, 
 something very like a fiction. Originally, there was 
 a full representation of the clergy, similar to that 
 of the laity. Each chapter sent its proctor, and 
 the clergy of each diocese two representatives; like
 
 170 POLICY OF CLERGYMEN IN PARLIAMENT. 
 
 members returned for the boroughs and shires. But 
 the attendance of the clergy was unwillingly given. 
 Insisting more and more on their rights, they kept 
 away from the laity, and, ceasing to be a branch of 
 the legislature, became a convocation. Acting thus, 
 they severed themselves from parliament, and were 
 left without any spokesman or advocate in that as- 
 sembly.* Still they remained eligible as members of 
 parliament ; for the exclusion of persons in holy orders 
 from a seat in the House of Commons is a regulation 
 of comparatively very modern date ; and it may be con- 
 sidered doubtful whether it was not rather a personal 
 measure than founded on any large and general views 
 of policy.f The common-place about meddling priests, 
 and politics being inconsistent with the sacred office, 
 and so forth, I hold to be mere cant. Out of twenty 
 thousand clergymen, some few might be found qua- 
 lified by talent and station to assume the important 
 functions of legislators Avith as much propriety as the 
 higher members of their order in the upper house, or 
 as many of their number devote portions of their 
 time to pursuits, scientific and literary, and others, 
 not strictly connected with their profession. How- 
 ever this may be, no inconveniences that I have been 
 able to discover are found to attend the admission, 
 by the constitution of Norway, of members of the 
 clergy into her legislature as representatives of the 
 
 * Sir F. Palgrave's " The Merchant and the Friar." 
 f If my recollection is not inaccurate, its object was to exclude 
 Home Tooke.
 
 pastor's widow. 171 
 
 people. In practice, it is acted upon to about the 
 extent that might be expected and desired ; and such 
 an exercise of the riorht of suffrasre is honourable to 
 both parties concerned. 
 
 I learned another privilege of the Norwegian pas- 
 teur here, about which there can be no question. In 
 the course of the afternoon we had the pleasure of 
 making the acquaintance of a most respectable old 
 lady, the widow of the late prsesten of Ullensvang. 
 Her daughter, we found, was now in England with 
 the family of an English gentleman, who has lately 
 settled on a fine chateau near Bergen. We were 
 informed that the good lady -resided in the village, on 
 a small farm belonging to the church, appropriated, 
 as is the general custom, to the widow of a deceased 
 incumbent ; — a gracious provision, highly in keeping 
 with the kindly character and well-ordered institu- 
 tions of this interesting people. Would to God there 
 were fitting asylums of some sort or other for the 
 unprotected relicts and daughters of the slenderly 
 endowed labourers in the vineyard in our own 
 country ! He only knows the anxieties, the priva- 
 tions, and the humiliations involved in the want of 
 some such refuge and means of support, when the 
 husband and the father is removed by the fatal 
 stroke from the scene of his labours and his aftec- 
 tions ! 
 
 We were, also, introduced to an old gentleman, a 
 fine specimen of the Norsk Bonder, or farmer of the 
 higher class, living on his own land. He stood six
 
 172 INDEPENDENT FARMERS. 
 
 feet two or three inches high, and was proportionably 
 framed ; and though eighty years of age, was erect 
 and vigorous, enjoying unbroken health and full of 
 life and spirit in conversation. As we accompanied 
 him on his return homewards, " See," said he, " yon 
 cluster of houses," — pointing to a group which we 
 had marked from the fjord assembled towards the 
 centre of the valley, — " the owners of that small 
 cluster of houses own among them upwards of 300 
 cows ; — the lands they occupy are their own ; they 
 pay rent or service to no man. Most of the farms 
 have continued in the same families for many ge- 
 nerations, neither increased nor diminished." — ^^ For- 
 ttmati nimium agricolce ! " I exclaimed to the young 
 curate. Happy, indeed, — freeholders, pastor and 
 pastor's widow, in the lot which the institutions of 
 your country have secured to you ! And the lot of 
 your inheritance has fallen on pleasant places, fertile 
 pasturages, ■ trim houses, nestling amongst smiling 
 orchards, living waters, and all that was combined to 
 form that beautiful landscape. 
 
 As we returned, the minister pointed out to us the 
 great glacier of the Folgefonden, indistinctly seen 
 overspreading the side and hollows of the mountain, 
 and 5444 feet high, on the opposite shore of the Har- 
 danger-Fjord. It is approached from Odde at the 
 foot of this branch of the fjord. As Ave could not 
 afford time to visit it, I reconciled myself with the 
 recollection of other similar scenes. But my com- 
 panion made an excursion to this glacier in 1 849 ;
 
 ULLENSVANG CHURCH. 17B 
 
 of which the reader will have an interesting account 
 in the next chapter. 
 
 We were afterwards conducted through the gardens 
 of the parsonage, remarkable for some cherry-trees of 
 great age and dimensions, above a century old, and 
 nearly 100 feet in the diameter of their spreading 
 branches. They were yet vigorous, and a fair crop 
 was fast ripening. The candid atus, for such it may 
 be recollected is the title of an aspirant to parochial 
 preferment, mounted the trees and collected for us 
 some of the most tempting clusters, which were out 
 of our reach from the ground. He then led us to 
 the church, an ancient structure of stone, the interior 
 of which had no particular character, except what it 
 derived from the altar being richly ornamented, in 
 accordance with the usages of the Lutheran Church. 
 On after occasions we had opportunities of assisting 
 at the performance of divine service ; till the occur- 
 rence of which I reserve such observations as naturally 
 suggested themselves, on matters connected with the 
 public worship and state of religion generally in this 
 country. 
 
 The doorway was of a date evidently much anterior 
 to the rest of the building, a common occurrence in 
 country churches in England, in which the Norman 
 portals have escaped successive alterations which 
 have changed the general character of the fabric. 1 
 got my friend to make a sketch of it, which I propose 
 presenting to the reader. It would be needless, 
 therefore, that I should attempt to describe it. The
 
 174 
 
 ANCIENT DOORWAY 
 
 age is probably of the eleventh century, when the 
 semi- circular Norman arch first gave way to the 
 
 pointed style, with 
 its long narrow 
 lancet-headed win- 
 dows and doors, 
 the shafts of which 
 still frequently re- 
 tained, as in this 
 instance, the zig- 
 zag or shark's tooth 
 ornament. Of this 
 style, which we 
 call " early Eng- 
 lish," are most of 
 the oldest stone 
 churches in Nor- 
 way. 
 
 But churches of 
 stone are, as I have 
 already had oc- 
 casion to observe, 
 rare in Norway ; so, indeed, are all buildings of very 
 considerable antiquity. Ruins of feudal castles and 
 cloistered abbeys have no place in Norwegian scen- 
 ery. This is readily accounted for by the want of 
 those oolites and sandstones in the geological for- 
 mation of the country, Avhich admit of being worked 
 with so much facility into the forms which archi- 
 tectural ornament requires. The abundance of fine
 
 NORWEGIAN ARCHITECTURE. 175 
 
 and durable and easily worked timber led to its uni- 
 versal adoption in buildings of all descriptions. Mr. 
 Laing ingeniously attributes the superior degree of 
 freedom enjoyed by the peasants of Norway in the 
 early ages to the absence of those strongholds with 
 which almost all the rest of Europe was at that time 
 overspread. Instead of shutting themselves up within 
 towers and battlements, and exercising by their re- 
 tainers an iron sway over the defenceless tenants of 
 the soil, the Vikings launched their ships, and led the 
 more adventurous spirits of the nation to the spoil 
 and conquest of other shores. 
 
 It is, therefore, altogether a mistake to imagine, as 
 I have seen somewhere suggested, but have not been 
 able again to lay my hand on the passage, that the 
 origin of Gothic architecture, which has been so much 
 discussed, can be attributed to the Northmen. The 
 Dom-kirk, or Cathedral, of Drontheim is probably 
 the most ancient building in Norway. St. Olave, 
 who was slain in 1030, was buried in a small church 
 dedicated to St. Clement, which now forms a chapel 
 at the east end of tlie cathedral, and is said to have 
 been founded in 1019. This is an early date, but 
 not much, if at all, anterior to those of some of the 
 churches of France and England. Notre Dame was 
 commenced in 1010; Canterbury, in 1085; Durham, 
 in 1093. The Cathedral of Drontheim itself, accord- 
 ing to Mr. Laing, was founded in 1180 or 1183.* 
 
 * The cathedral of St. Magnus in Kirkwall was founded in 
 1138 by the Earl Rognvald, of Norwegian race. We have in the
 
 176 NORWEGIAN ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 The remains of this part of the fabric, as well as the 
 church of St. Clement, present the round arches and 
 zig-zag ornaments of the Anglo-Saxon style. The 
 west end now in ruins, and which was founded in 
 1248, has the same character as the doorway of 
 Ullensvang. Mr. Laing asserts that the two styles 
 are intermixed and coeval in the cathedral of Dron- 
 theim, a fact which, clearly established, would '* shake 
 the theory of the Saxon and Norman, the round and 
 pointed, arch having been used exclusively in parti- 
 cular and different centuries, and affording ground 
 to determine the comparative antiquity of Gothic 
 edifices." 
 
 This is perhaps a subject for more exact inquir3^ 
 But it seems certain that the designs of these ancient 
 churches were of foreign origin ; they were probably 
 erected by architects from England or Normandy. 
 Norway can, however, boast a style of architecture 
 altogether her own. Many of the timber-built 
 churches are of great interest, and there are some of 
 high antiquity. Generally built in the form of a 
 cross, with a tower in the centre terminating in a 
 cupola or spire, with high-pitched roofs, often covered 
 with scale-shaped shingles, and of large proportions, 
 their general effect is massive to a degree which one 
 should not expect from the material employed. The 
 details are elaborate : rounded apses to the chancels, 
 
 heart of London churches dedicated to Norwegian saints, St. Olave 
 and St. Magnus ; foundations originally, I conclude, of the time of 
 Canute.
 
 OLD TIMBER CHURCHES. 177 
 
 transepts, chapels, and porches, exterior-cloistered gal- 
 leries, lofty spires or cupolas, all richly ornamented 
 with encircled crosses on the gables, and dragons' 
 heads carved in bold relief projecting from the angles, 
 break the general outline with all that picturesque 
 variety which is peculiar to Gothic architecture. The 
 Norwegian churches are often painted of a rich brown 
 colour resembling chestnut or dark oak ; sometimes of 
 a bright red, which is not unpleasing to the eye in 
 contrast with the sombre tints of the surrounding 
 forest. But the mellow hue which the pine logs 
 acquire by long exposure to the atmosphere is best. 
 
 It gives a surprising idea- of the durability of the 
 Norwegian pine, when it is known that some of the 
 oldest of these churches date as far back as the 
 eleventh or twelfth century. They seem to have 
 been close imitations in wood, by native workmen, of 
 the style of ecclesiastical architecture employed in the 
 masonry of that period. Such is the church of Bor- 
 gund near Lierdal-Soren. That of Hitterdal in the 
 Tellemarken, an accurate drawing of which forms the 
 frontispiece of this Work, is perhaps the finest speci- 
 men. Internally, its central tower is supported by 
 columns, each consisting of a single pine of extra- 
 ordinary length, fit to be " the mast of some tall 
 Amiral," merely stripped of the bark, and of such 
 dimensions as are rarely, if ever, to be found in the 
 present forests. Another of these ancient churches 
 having attracted the attention of the present king of 
 Prussia, his majesty has recently caused it to be 
 
 N
 
 178 OLD TIMBER CHURCHES. 
 
 removed and, perfectly restored to its original state, 
 to be re-established somewhere in Silesia. 
 
 The particulars of this singular undertaking were 
 related to me by M. Kohn, the Prussian Consul at 
 Bergen, under whose superintendence the transfer was 
 effected. It appeared that the parishioners were in- 
 duced to part with their old church from its being 
 in a state of decay and requiring a large expenditure 
 for its restoration, the king having offered to erect a 
 new building on its site. The affair must have cost 
 a large sum of money, and is highly creditable to his 
 majesty's taste and munificence. But though one 
 rejoices at the preservation, by any means, of so in- 
 teresting a relic, it may be regretted that one of the 
 few remaining specimens of this peculiarly national 
 architecture should be lost to the country; and it 
 must be wished that, where local funds are insuffi- 
 cient, the government should be allowed the means of 
 interfering for their maintenance and restoration.* 
 
 * When I put together these slight notices of the ancient ar- 
 chitecture of Norway, the result of our own observations and of 
 suggestions by an intelligent friend at Christiania, to whom I am 
 generally indebted for much valuable information, I was not aware 
 of, and have not since had an opportunity of referring to, the work 
 of Professor Dahl on the "Ancient Norwegian Churches," in 
 which the curious reader will probably find full and interesting 
 details.
 
 179 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DIFFERENT PASSES OP THE HARDANGER-FJELD — THAT FROM 
 
 VINJE TO ODDE ACCOMPLISHED IN 1849. CROSSING THE 
 
 PLATEAU TO ROLDAL. DESCENT TO THE SHORE OF THE FJORD 
 
 AT ODDE. EXCURSION TO THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER GENERAL 
 
 DESCRIPTION COMPARED WITH OTHER MOUNTAINS LINE OF 
 
 PERPETUAL SNOW DETAILS OF THE EXCURSION. 
 
 The Hardanger gives it name to a wide district, which 
 may be estimated at ninety miles in length by about 
 seventy in breadth in a direct line, and includes not 
 only the elevated plateau of the fjeld, but the valleys 
 which lie at its base and intersect its ridges. There 
 are various tracks across the mountain known to the 
 farmers, who occasionally follow them in crossing from 
 the eastern side to the villages which are situated on 
 the Hardanger-Fjord, which approaches its western 
 base. Of these tracks, the one we pursued to arrive 
 at Ejfiord is probably the most practicable of any 
 which can be traced over the northern part of the 
 fjeld. There is a route at its southern extremity, 
 terminating at Odde on the Sorr-Fjord, which I aj^- 
 prehend offers less difficulties than any other. My 
 friends took it the following year. It had the advan- 
 tage of shortening the passage of the plateau of the 
 fjeld by one half the distance, so that they accom-
 
 180 PASSES OF THE HARD ANGER. 
 
 plished it in a single day ; but still it was exceedingly 
 trying. They found the snow at much lower eleva- 
 tions than we had done : and it overspread the sur- 
 face of the fjeld to a great extent. It would evi- 
 dently have been impossible to have crossed it that 
 season by the track which we had pursued. 
 
 I propose to interrupt the narrative of my o^ti 
 " Rambles," in order to introduce at this point, where 
 we take leave of the Hardanger, and to complete my 
 notices of its principal Passes, a succinct account of 
 their passage, divested of many details which would 
 be a repetition of what has been said in the last 
 Chapter; for the main features of the fjeld are the 
 same. 
 
 An interesting narrative, supplied by my fellow- 
 traveller, of his exploration of the Folgefond Glacier, 
 which he visited from Odde on this occasion, will 
 follow. 
 
 " Vous auriez kU guide de prendre le chemin par les 
 vallees de Tellemarlcen (Ejerdal^ Hitterdal, et Grunge- 
 dal), a Roldal et Odde sur le Sorr-Fjord par ici^'' said 
 Pastor Hertzberg to Mr. Elliott when he had accom- 
 plished the very difficult passage from Tessundal to 
 Kinservig, to which reference has been already made. 
 A post-road is laid down in Waligorski and Werge- 
 land's, '•'- Veikart over Norge^^^ for nearly the whole of 
 the line pointed out by the worthy pastor, and for 
 some stages beyond Horre, on the western side of the 
 fjeld. Mr. Murray's Handbook also, not with its 
 usual accuracy, carries the post-road as far as Horre,
 
 PASSAGE OF THE FJELD. 181 
 
 where it states it to " end" (1847), though "the road 
 is practicable for a carriole as far as Seljestad ;" adding 
 that "it is expected that, in the course of a few years, 
 the post-road will be completed to the Hardanger- 
 Fjord." 
 
 My friends found the affair very different from these 
 representations ; and the proposed sketch may prevent 
 disappointment to future tourists. 
 
 At Vinje they learnt (as might indeed have been 
 expected), that there was no post-road over the fjeld, 
 the last station being at Gugaard. The plan they 
 adopted, which my experienced fellow-traveller would 
 recommend to others pursuing this route, was to reach 
 YoxUd, a lone mountain farm at the foot of the 
 ascent, over night, so as to have the whole succeeding 
 day for the passage of the fjeld. It is not a station^ 
 but horses can be procured there ; and the farmer is 
 an excellent fellow and an experienced guide. For 
 two stages beyond Vinje cars were procured, the 
 road leading up a valley and skirting a lake closely 
 shut in by inclosing ridges, and the scenery being 
 most picturesque. They then procured horses, and 
 reached Yoxlid late at night. The last fourteen miles 
 were by a horse-track, through a most Avild and deso- 
 late region, and traversing large fields of snow. The 
 farm was an assemblage of rude log-buildings, snugly 
 placed close under a steep summit, while immediately 
 below a clear lake wound among sloping mossy shores, 
 varied -svith birch woods; interminable chains of snowy 
 mountains forming the distant view. They were 
 
 N 3
 
 182 PASSAGE OF THE FJELD 
 
 hospitably entertained, and horses were procured for 
 the passage of the fjeld on the morrow. 
 
 A sharp ascent of 1200 feet behind Voxlid brought 
 the travellers at once to the fjeld level of about 
 3500 feet, and from thence for forty miles across the 
 plateau snow was almost continuous. Cold rain and 
 sleet set in, accompanied by a piercing wind; and 
 they suffered severely. They were obliged frequently 
 to dismount and wade through deep snow, to relieve 
 the horses, which occasionally sank up to their bellies ; 
 and once they had to leap them over a deep chasm, 
 where the snow had divided and part had slipped 
 into a torrent beneath. After three hours' march, 
 they halted at Ulevaal-Laeger; a rude hut built on a 
 little grassy hillock for the convenience of persons 
 crossing the fjeld ; and, after such rest and refresh- 
 ment as the intense cold allowed, resumed the journey. 
 The travellers suffered severely from slaking their 
 thirst in streams which issued from the drifts of half- 
 frozen snow. It caused, a few hours afterwards, 
 excoriation of the palate and ulceration, which, for 
 several days, made it painful to swallow food. The 
 water was, of course, at very near the freezing-point ; 
 but I never before heard of snow water producing 
 similar effects. The guides experienced the same 
 sensation. As the party proceeded, the scenery be- 
 came increasingly savage ; huge black rocks rising 
 out of the snow in shapeless masses, all around and 
 above the sort of shallow valley through which the 
 track led. The line was pointed out at intervals by
 
 TO ODDE ON THE FJORD. 183 
 
 piles of stones, or sometimes by a single stone, 
 perched on a prominent rock. 
 
 The travellers strug'o'led on throuo^h the snow for 
 three or four hours, and then halted again at another 
 laBger, from whence they had a view into the lovely 
 valley of Roldal, with its clear lake surrounded on all 
 sides by towering mountains, some bare and craggy, 
 some capped with snow. They left their guides and 
 horses to rest at the l^eger; descending themselves on 
 foot rapidly by the side of a furious cascade into the 
 valley, crossing by a most picturesque bridge a bold 
 stream flowing rapidly out of another mountain glen, 
 with which the torrent they had followed down min- 
 gled its waters. These being joined by two other 
 large torrents from the snow fields above, the united 
 streams flowed through a delta of rich pasture land, 
 in one broad river, into the lake on the shore of 
 which the village of Roldal stands. 
 
 Here they found good quarters; and on the follow- 
 ing morning, taking the same horses on, having 
 skirted the lake for a couple of miles, they again 
 made a steep and rapid ascent from the valley, having 
 to cross a spur of the Hardanger-Fjeld, which extends 
 westward across the line of route to Odde. Again 
 they mounted to the level of snow ; the views back- 
 wards, as they ascended, of the valley and lake being 
 extremely lovely. Traversing extensive fields of snow, 
 and crossing the torrents on snow drifts which made 
 rather a treacherous sort of bridge, the travellers 
 came in sight of a lake partially frozen, and in which 
 
 N 4
 
 184 PASSAGE OF THE FJELD 
 
 were floating large irregular masses of ice. Along 
 its shore and up a snowy valley was winding a long 
 string of pack-horses loaded with bales of goods, 
 casks of herrings, groceries, and other stores, which 
 they were conveying into the interior from Odde, on 
 the shore of the fjord. They also passed close to 
 a herd of reindeer grazing on the mosses that over- 
 spread the surface, where it was partially clear of 
 the snow. 
 
 From the end of the lake, looking down a wooded 
 glen, they caught at times distant glimpses of the 
 dome of the Folgefond rising over the deep valley 
 leading to the fjord. At the village of Skare they 
 dismissed the horses, and made the rest of the 
 journey, for about ten miles, on foot. The scenery 
 on the approach to Odde is of the most magnifi- 
 cent description. They passed eight or ten water- 
 falls, and in one place two such falls were pouring 
 -their vast torrents from the same lake within 200 
 yards of each other, over cliffs 2000 feet high, into 
 the river below ; while on the opposite side of the 
 glen a similar cataract precipitated its waters into 
 the same channel. The travellers stood close to one 
 of the twin-falls, and were wetted with its spray and 
 stunned with the mingled roar of three mighty tor- 
 rents, as they looked down upon the foaming river 
 beneath. 
 
 Just as they began the descent to the Sandven, or 
 Jordal-Vand, they met a singular and most patri- 
 archal procession winding up the narrow path from
 
 TO ODDE ON THE FJORD. 185 
 
 the valley. In front appeared a damsel in the pic- 
 turesque costume of the district, carrying a load of 
 dairy utensils, and followed by a flock of goats. Then 
 came some men loaded with articles of furniture and 
 household gear, and driving a herd of cows, each with 
 a tinkling bell suspended from her collar. Last 
 came the master, with his wife by his side on a stout 
 pony, and a couple of healthy boys their sons, and a 
 daughter tripping briskly along the mountain path. 
 It w^as understood that the party consisted of the 
 pastor of Roldal and his family, proceeding to take 
 possession of the prasste-gaard and parish, to which 
 he had been recently appointed. " It was a proces- 
 sion," says the journal, " thoroughly in unison with 
 the scenery around us." The strangers stood aside 
 to let it pass; and then, descending to the shore of the 
 lake, were rowed six miles to its lower extremity, 
 where a long narrow isthmus, extending between the 
 bounding chains, dammed up its waters and formed 
 a barrier between them and those of the fjord. The 
 difference of level between the waters is about 100 
 feet. The overfall of the lake had worn a water-way 
 through the isthmus into the left bank of the fjord. 
 My friend's notes refer to a similar appearance at 
 Ejfiord, which had attracted our attention the preceding 
 year. The bank at Odde is formed of a detritus, the 
 upper part of which is composed of immense rocks 
 piled together, mingled with smaller stones, now for 
 the most part covered with a thick wood of birch. 
 The lower part, to which there is a sharp descent down
 
 186 PASSAGE OF THE FJELD. 
 
 the steep escarp, is a beautiful little plain of finer 
 alluvial deposit, now richly clothed with corn and 
 grass. This is no doubt the delta of the river which 
 gradually stretches itself sea- ward. The upper mass 
 of rocks and stones must have been collected by a 
 greater rush of water than ever now runs through 
 the valley ; and it was evident that, at one time, the 
 dam held the waters of the lake at a higher level, till 
 they had worked a deeper exit through the loose 
 debris of which the barrier is composed. 
 
 The lower part of the valley and the vand are 
 inclosed by the towering ridges of the Folgefond 
 Glacier on the west and the Hardanger-Fjeld on the 
 east, each rising to an elevation of upwards of 5000 
 feet. Every cleft and ravine poured forth a torrent 
 dashing headlong into the lake in sheets of spray and 
 foam. The evening sun shed a glow over the land- 
 scape, lighting up the river and lake, and colouring the 
 snowy mountain tops with the most delicate pink, 
 while shades of azure tinted the slopes of the glacier ; 
 and the last light of a long summer's day was failing 
 as the travellers, having leaped ashore and crossed 
 the grassy isthmus, reached the village of Odde, 
 where they found good quarters and the rest they 
 needed, after ten days of hard and uninterrupted 
 travel. 
 
 Such are the notices collected from my friends' 
 journals, of the passage of the Hardanger-Fjord in the 
 direction they pursued. I am unable to reconcile 
 them with the statements to which I have referred.
 
 REMARKS ON THE PASSAGE. 187 
 
 Certainly they found nothing like a post-road for 
 forty miles over the plateau of the fjeld, nor indeed 
 in any part of the route between Gugaard and Odde ; 
 and it is difficult to conceive the possibility of its 
 construction and maintenance at such elevations, 
 covered for the most part with perpetual snow.* 
 The account, while it conveys to the reader some 
 additional information respecting the features and 
 character of these wild districts, may assist the 
 tourist who should feel an inclination to penetrate 
 into them, in coming to a decision. Such enterprises 
 require a certain degree of hardihood, and involve 
 some toil and even suffering. But otherwise it is im- 
 possible to enjoy the contrast between the utter deso- 
 lation of these mountain chains and the beauty of 
 the secluded valleys and lakes which they shut in, or 
 to form any adequate idea of the scenery of either. 
 With such materials before him, every one may 
 decide the question according to his own taste and 
 estimate of his powers, active and passive. 
 
 From Odde, as I before observed, the travellers 
 made an excursion to the glacier of the Folgefond. 
 
 " The Folgefond," says the minute made of this 
 
 * In Munck's "Forteguelfe" of the roads in Norway, published 
 by Cappelen in Christiania, 1846, the regular stages of the post- 
 road are given " Derfra Sauland till Gugaarden," where they end. 
 And then is added, " Fra Gugaarden gaaer Fieldveie til Roldal i 
 Hardanger, over Voxlid, Ulevaal-Laeger, &c. (mentioning the 
 several laegers on the track over the fjeld), 5 — 6 mile." 
 
 Fieldveie is a mountain path or road ; as Hovedveie is a high 
 road ; Rideveie, a horse road, &c.
 
 188 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 
 
 excursion, " is a vast accumulation of hardened snow 
 and ice, supported on a huge mountain which fills 
 the space between the south arm of the Hardanger- 
 Fjord and the western branch near its junction with 
 the sea, and rising, in its greatest elevation, to the 
 height of 5440 feet. This immense hack of snow ex- 
 tends for forty miles in a direction north and south, 
 and is in the widest part about fourteen miles across. 
 Seen from the ridge we crossed yesterday, it had a 
 most noble appearance. But the views of it on the 
 western side over the mouth of the fjord, from the 
 heights of some of the islands lying off the coast, are, 
 I understand, still more magnificent. 
 
 "It is worthy of remark that the Folgefond, though 
 of less elevation than the Hardanger, from which it 
 is only divided by the fjord, holds more snow and 
 ice ; the latter exhibiting no glaciers, even round the 
 towering peak of the Harteigen. But it is still more 
 remarkable that the Dovre-Fjeld, 150 miles further 
 north, which rears its highest point, Sneehattan, to 
 the height of 7513 feet (upwards of 2000 feet higher 
 than the highest part of the Folgefond), and is fur- 
 ther inland, and consequently more removed from 
 the mollifying influence of the Atlantic breezes, 
 has not a single glacier, and no extended back of 
 snow. This may be accounted for from the Har- 
 danger and the Dovre-Fjeld having no elevated 
 plateau above tlie height of perpetual snow, while the 
 great mass of the Folgefond is above that elevation. 
 
 "It is difficult to say how low the true snow line
 
 HEIGHT OF THE SNOW LINE. 189 
 
 descends in Norway. This summer, I find snow on 
 the shores of the Mios-A^and, which are under 3000 
 feet ; Avhile the summer before, the lakes on the table 
 land of the Hardanger-Fjeld, 4000 feet high, were free 
 from ice ; and throughout the passage the surface 
 that was covered with snow was less than that which 
 was bare ; but this year, crossing from Vinje to Odde, 
 the whole of the plateau was a continued field of 
 snow. As a general rule, 1 should consider 4500 feet 
 to be the height that may be taken as the snow line. 
 The Folgefond, though not of considerable elevation, 
 is remarkable for its great average height, which cor- 
 responds with the limit I have mentioned ; and this 
 will satisfactorily account for its massive accumula- 
 tion of snow. Hailing- Jokelen, 5550 feet high, rises 
 in a magnificent dome of snow, from a coronal of 
 bare buttresses of black rock, between which, in a 
 diameter of eight miles, pour out no less than three 
 or four glaciers. Though there is no central peak, 
 there is a great breadth above the height of 4500 
 feet; while Harteigen, though of scarcely less ele- 
 vation than Jokelen, being a single point, is, as may be 
 easily understood, comparatively bare. Few of the 
 Norwegian mountains would repay the toil of ascend- 
 ing them so well as the Jokelen. 
 
 " But to return to the Folgefond. The depth of 
 snow and ice on it is supposed to be many hundred 
 feet. The mountain rising abruptly from the fjord 
 in irregular cliffs and buttresses, at once attains a 
 height of 3500 feet. From the crests of these com-.
 
 190 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 
 
 mences a sweep of snow, which extends in a beautiful 
 curve, fourteen miles across, and is scarcely less than 
 forty miles in unbroken length. The effect of such a 
 scene is marvellous. It is more impressive than the 
 terrible ruggedness of the wild peaks of the Hurun- 
 gerne. There the eye takes in the whole at once 
 clearly defined. Here it fails in following a line 
 which it is unable to measure ; and while it dwells 
 with pleasure on the graceful sweep, the mind is lost 
 in conjecture at the immensity of its extent. 
 
 " This frozen mass, augmenting from year to year, 
 would add indefinitely to the height of the mountain, 
 were it not disencumbered by its descent far below 
 the average snow line, into the valleys beneath. 
 These ' rivers of ice,' as glaciers are well named by 
 Lyell, consolidated from the snow by pressure, and 
 by the freezing of water which is continually per- 
 colating through the mass when partially liquified 
 by the heats and rains of summer, are properly the 
 glaciers of the Folgefond. For though the whole 
 extent of the back, thirty-five miles long, is one 
 frozen mass superficially covered with, comparatively 
 speaking, merely a few feet of snow, it only becomes 
 apparent as a glacier when it pours itself down into 
 the deep intersecting valley, far below the level 
 of perpetual snow. 
 
 " This will be better understood as I proceed with 
 the details of our excursion. We had hoped that it 
 would have been an easy day's work, after our late 
 hard travelling. At least, it proved to be as interest-
 
 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 191 
 
 ing a one as any we accomplished in Norway. In the 
 morning the clouds hung low on the sides of the 
 valley, but sufficiently broken to increase the beauty 
 of the landscape as seen from below, but excluding 
 much hope of any extensive views to the venturous 
 climbers of the Folo;efond. Waitino- till the sun should 
 disperse the mists, we bathed in the fjord, and I 
 finished a sketch before we set forth on our ramble. 
 For a mile we retraced our route of the preceding 
 evening, and found ourselves again on the shore of the 
 Jordal-Vand. A short pull of a mile and a half on 
 the lake saved us the toil of climbing a rocky path, and 
 landed us at the entrance of the valley of Jordal. 
 
 " The valley of Jordal runs for about a Xorsk mile 
 in a westerly direction into the heart of the Folgefond, 
 opening most nobly on the Jordal- Yand, between two 
 huge pinnacles of granitic rock. A torrent which 
 flows from the glacier shoots its milky waters far into 
 the lake, which, in consequence, is not of that won- 
 drous transparency for which Norwegian waters are 
 so remarkable. The efi'ects under which we saw 
 the valley, were peculiarly such as to increase the 
 grandeur of the scene. The thick, heavy clouds 
 at times hung low, throwing the deep clefts of the 
 ridges into the deepest shade, and at other times 
 slowly withdrawing, revealed the closing in of the 
 valley, the streams of the glacier, and, far above and 
 distant, the huge back of the Folgefond. 
 
 " We had chosen to be free from the restraint of 
 a guide, as, in the present state of the atmosphere.
 
 192 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIEK. 
 
 it would not only be dangerous, but useless, to ascend 
 high up the mountain ; we were, however, at no loss, 
 and followed the only path which led through the 
 valley. It soon mounted considerably ; and, sometimes 
 threading copses of alder, ash, birch and mountain 
 elm, sometimes leading along the course of the 
 raving stream, or across a little glade of grassy land, 
 it revealed to us valley scenes more beautiful than can 
 be described. Though we had commenced our ramble 
 with eyes fixed on the glacier only, we found our- 
 selves stopping to admire and sketch the views both 
 down and up the valley. 
 
 " As we advanced we crossed the course of the 
 avalanche, where it had borne down in its path trees 
 and brushwood ; and we saw evidence of the action 
 of a diiFerent kind of power, in the immense ridges 
 of rock and stones which had been carried down by 
 the floods on the melting of the snow, overwhelming 
 every thing in its course, and showing how utterly 
 impassable these deep valleys must be at certain 
 seasons of the year. Now, a party of men and women 
 were preparing and burning charcoal, in the very 
 track of what a few months ago must have been an 
 impetuous river. 
 
 " Six miles brought us to the last farm in the 
 valley, about a mile from the glacier. From its green 
 corn-patches and grassy slopes, the path changed to a 
 succession of rugged ascents over some new and bare 
 detritus, apparently only brought down during the 
 early part of this summer, and over others grass-
 
 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 193 
 
 gro^vn, of older date, until we reached the muddy 
 mixed mass of moraine at the foot of the glacier. 
 This point I ascertained by my aneroid barometer to 
 be about 1000 feet only, above the level of the sea. 
 As we approached from the farm, we had begun to 
 perceive the upper part of the glacier breaking out of 
 the snow in a succession of ledges or low cliffs of ice. 
 These in some parts, when they had reached the edge 
 of a precipice, and fragments were fresh broken off, 
 exhibited the most wonderful shades of colour of 
 transparent green and blue, while the smoother sur- 
 face of the glacier appeared, in contrast with the 
 snow-drifts on its face, of a paler green. 
 
 " The glacier in its descent towards the valley 
 winds for the last 1000 feet more than once, adapt- 
 ing itself to the form of the ground, not unlike a 
 large stream of molten metal suddenly congealed. 
 Like other glaciers, it appears to have advanced 
 at times lower into the valley ; and we noticed its 
 fresh moraine some distance laterally from its present 
 course. It is essentially a stream of ice ; for, unlike 
 the glaciers of the Alps, there is no room here for an 
 extended mer de glace. Had there been a higher 
 basin projected horizontally at the height of 1000 
 feet above the foot of the glacier, something of the 
 kind would have been formed, as, indeed, was partially 
 the case ; but the ice coming to the edge of a precipice, 
 is pushed over by the mass above. Some such frag- 
 ments fell during our stay, and warned us of the 
 danger of our position. 
 
 o
 
 194 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 
 
 " We attempted to ascend over the ice, and so far 
 succeeded by dint of crawling and careful scrambling 
 as to reach the centre of the lower stream, which was 
 as far as "^^e could venture to go ; for on the further 
 side stones -were constantly being set free, and 
 bounding downward, precipitated to the mass of 
 moraine below. We would have ascended had it been 
 practicable, for the weather was now clear; but 
 unprovided with spiked shoes, a pointed staff, and a 
 small axe, we found it impossible to proceed. After 
 crawling up a great slope or wave of ice, we slid back 
 hopelessly, and were in some danger of proceeding 
 downwards at a pace that would have been far from 
 pleasant, or of being lodged in one of the deep 
 fissures which intersect the glacier. Innumerable 
 streams of the purest sparkling water course down in 
 tiny rills, pouring themselves in cascades into the 
 deep blue clefts, and thence, by arched channels 
 leading together, form quite a river at the base of the 
 glacier. 
 
 " Baffled in our attempts to gain the highest part of 
 the glacier over the ice, we turned to the sides of the 
 valley; and, crossing some dangerous snow-drifts, we 
 reached a point about 1000 feet higher, when we were 
 stopped by a chasm through which a snow torrent 
 was rushing. Here we rested a while, in view of 
 the splendid profile of the glacier, seen from the side. 
 A herd of cows was grazing at its foot, the tinkle of 
 whose bells rose during the pauses of the roar of the 
 waters. Again we made an attempt to continue the
 
 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 195 
 
 ascent. I succeeded in crossing the chasm over a 
 bridge of snow; and, gaining the other side, I found 
 it just possible to proceed. I went on alone. Rock 
 and heather soon gave place to a long sweep of snow, 
 so steep that I was obliged to creep on all-fours, 
 sticking my hands and driving my feet at each step 
 into the snow, to prevent a retrograde movement. 
 
 " On gaining the top of the first snow-drift I was 
 somewhat startled at finding that it had, not long 
 ago, parted several feet from the mass above, and 
 might even now be ready to rush over the precipice 
 up which I had climbed. Woe betide me if it had ! 
 Nor even were my comrades, who were resting in 
 false security below, safe. I succeeded in reaching 
 yet another fold ; but by this time I began to be 
 really sensible of the danger of the adventure. I 
 was alone, the evening was closing in, and I con- 
 sidered that time would scarcely allow me to ascend 
 any higher. But on consulting my aneroid, I re- 
 solved to push on till I had gained what I thought 
 would be 4000 feet above the level of the sea. Above 
 me lay the long slope of snow, in the midst of which 
 I was standing. No living thing was to be seen, and 
 from this height there was scarcely a sound of the 
 waters below. Turning, I saw the valley lying under- 
 neath, and the river winding along to the lake. I 
 could look over the ridges of the valley, and the 
 furthest shore of the lake, far on to the plateau of 
 the Hardanger-Fjeld. To the left was the course of 
 
 o 2
 
 196 THE FOLGEFOND GLACIER. 
 
 the glacier, now quite beneath me. It was a scene of 
 much grandeur, and I turned from it with regret. 
 
 " To descend required great caution. In accom- 
 plishing it, I made my first attempt at a new mode of 
 progression ; for, stooping low and steadying myself 
 with my hands on each side, I allowed myself to 
 slide down on my feet. I had the satisfaction of 
 finding that, although I was proceeding with des- 
 perate velocity, I could, by ploughing deeper into the 
 snow, retard my progress. Soon, however, I was 
 able to raise myself upright, and continue sliding in 
 that position. A few seconds brought me to the 
 bottom of a slope which it had taken a good twenty 
 minutes to get up ; and crossing the crevasse which 
 parted the drifts, I thought but little of the chances 
 of an avalanche in the raj^idity with which I rushed 
 down the mountain-side. I had fortunately taken 
 the precaution to trace my upward track over the 
 rocks and precipice by strips of torn paper, Avithout 
 which I should have found it dangerous to descend. 
 
 " Returning to Odde by land from Jordal, we 
 distinctly remarked strong traces of glacial action on 
 the side of the mountain above the Jordal- Vand, 
 which must have been graved on the rocks at a time 
 when glaciers descended much further down into 
 the valley than they do at present, and when, conse- 
 quently, the temperature was much lower than it 
 now is."
 
 197 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PROPOSED ROUTE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO BERGEN. — NAVIGATE 
 
 THE FJORD TO NOREIM FARES OF BOATMEN, ETC. STEIN- 
 
 DALEN. CORN-MILLS AND SAW-MILLS. — A NIGHT MARCH. 
 
 EMBARK ON THE OSTER- FJORD. POST-ROAD TO BERGEN. 
 
 My fellow-traveller was again hospitably entertained, 
 with his two companions, at the parsonage of Ullens- 
 vang in July, 1849. The pastor, M. Kohn, was 
 then at home, his duties as a member of the Stor- 
 thing summoning him to Christiania only once in 
 three years. The party were prevailed on by most 
 pressing instances to prolong their visit for two 
 days, seeing all that was most attractive in that 
 romantic neighbourhood. But nothing struck them 
 more than the effect of the avalanches from the 
 glacier of the Folgefond, which, in the heat of the 
 day, they heard falling on the other side of the 
 fjord. 
 
 To continue my narrative of our Rambles the pre- 
 ceding year: — We were to take our departure, as 
 we arrived at Ullensvang, by water ; the only exit, 
 except by climbing the fjelds which surround it. 
 The fjord is the great highway for the inhabitants 
 of all the surrounding valleys, whithersoever they 
 propose to direct their steps. The usual mode of 
 
 o 3
 
 198 ROUTES TO BERGEN. 
 
 proceeding to Bergen is to ascend the Hardanger- 
 Fjord to Ulvik, and thence cross the country to 
 Yossevangen, where the great post-road from Chris- 
 tiania to Bergen is met. Following this for some 
 stages, you embark on the Oster-Fjord, and are 
 landed within two posts of the latter capital. This 
 is the easiest route, but it is very circuitous, and it 
 would not only have taken us again up the same 
 branch of the Hardanger-Fjord which we had just 
 descended, but the remainder of the route from 
 Vossevangen to Bergen would be identically the same 
 which we should have to retrace, on leaving that city 
 for our further objects. A more direct line of march 
 might be traced across the country, after navigating 
 another branch of the fjord ; it was much shorter, 
 and had the advantage of taking us over new ground, 
 which we should not otherwise visit. We therefore 
 determined on adopting that line, though our friends 
 ,at Ullensvang represented that we should find it 
 attended with many difficulties, both as to the 
 character of the country and the means of getting 
 forward ; as indeed we did, to our severe cost. 
 
 A boat had been ordered to be ready at an early 
 hour in the morning ; but it rained heavily, and our 
 departure was deferred in the hope that the weather 
 would become more favourable for our voyage. In 
 the mean time, the arrival of newspapers from Chris- 
 tiania conveyed to us intelligence of the outbreak at 
 Paris in the month of June. The fierce battle was 
 still being fought in the streets. The issue was
 
 THE NEWSPAPER. 199 
 
 uncertain. We had quitted London the day before 
 it commenced. It was nearly a month since we had 
 heard any " news ;" buried in the forests of Norway, 
 " the world forsettino;," our existence had been a 
 total blank as to matters which previously had daily 
 and hourly been subjects of the deepest concern. 
 Yet we were in the heart of a European kingdom, 
 whose shores were but a few leagues distant from 
 the northern coast of Britain ! And now tidings, in 
 which the fate of nations was involved, burst thus 
 suddenly upon us in that remote and quiet valley. 
 They furnished subjects for conversation, in which 
 the candidatus took a lively interest. Almost all 
 intelligent foreigners are disposed to think that 
 Ireland is a weak and vulnerable point, from which 
 serious danger is menaced to the British power. 
 We re-assured him on this head. For ourselves, we 
 had passed the 10th of April in London, and we had 
 no fear of finding, on our return, that Queen Victoria 
 was a fugitive, and that a democratic Directory had 
 been installed at Westminster. 
 
 The weather cleared up about 10 o'clock; when, 
 having taken leave with regret of our fair enter- 
 tainers, we stepped into the boat which lay at 
 stairs immediately under the terrace of the par- 
 sonage, spoke with pain the parting " Vale!^^ to the 
 excellent candidatus, and once more pushed off into 
 the broad channel of the fjord. 
 
 Fairly afloat, we discussed at leisure the details of 
 our present enterprise. We were still nearly ninety 
 
 () 4
 
 200 COURSE OF HARD ANGER-FJORD, 
 
 miles from Bergen, and for a considerable part of the 
 route, there was no regular road ; the country was 
 rugged and little inhabited, and there was great uncer- 
 tainty as to our obtaining any means of conveyance. 
 We were, however, very anxious to reach Bergen 
 Avithout further delay. We looked forward to it as a 
 rest in our wanderings, and anticipated, with satisfac- 
 tion, the refreshment which a short sojourn there 
 would afford us after our many privations ; and we 
 trusted on our arrival, to find letters from, and to 
 communicate with, friends to whom we had now for a 
 considerable interval been lost. We were much re- 
 cruited and in high spirits; and calculating that our 
 toil would be greatly relieved by a third part of the 
 journey having to be performed in boats, we came 
 to the resolution of pushing on without stopping by 
 night or by day till we should reach the western 
 capital. 
 
 The Hardanger-Fjord in its direct course from the 
 foot of the fjelds to the North Sea, is about 120 miles 
 in length; but, including its various ramifications, its 
 waters may be considered to extend double that dis- 
 tance ; with a width (for the greater part of its channel 
 till it approaches the sea) of from two to five EngHsh 
 miles. Coming from the North, in the course we had 
 taken, it forks nearly opposite Kinservig into two 
 branches. The smallest of these, which is called the 
 Sorr-Fjord, terminates at Odde, at which place the 
 roads, such as they are, communicating with Chris- 
 tiansand and other towns on the south coast, debouch.
 
 BOAT TRAVELLING. 201 
 
 Off Kinservig the main channel, after sweeping round 
 in a sharp angle to the westward, and keeping that 
 point for about seven miles, turns more to the south- 
 ward, and as it approaches the sea spreads into bays 
 from ten to fifteen miles in width, studded with nu- 
 merous islands. It was our object to navigate it as 
 far as it kept a westerly course and then, leaving its 
 shores, to make our way in the best manner we could, 
 in continuation of that line of direction, to Bergen. 
 The navigation from Ullensvang to Noreim, the point 
 of our proposed debarkation, is about thirty miles. It 
 will be seen therefore, that we had first to steer north- 
 ward till off Kinservig, and. then enter the western 
 branch. The day turned out fair ; the boatmen pulled 
 with a good will, under a promise of schnapps ; we 
 again enjoyed the lovely views on the eastern bank, 
 and then crossing the channel, we rounded the point 
 on the other shore, and before noon landed at Utne, a 
 little haven and station for boats on the southern side 
 of the fjord. Here we were to take fresh boatmen 
 for the remainder of our voyage. 
 
 All that relates to travelling either by land or 
 water in Norway, is admirably regulated under 
 government authority. We shall have to speak in 
 the sequel of the arrangements connected with the 
 post-roads. Regulations of a similar character are 
 applied to the communications by water throughout 
 the country. There are established stations, at suit- 
 able distances, where reliefs of boats and men can be 
 always procured ; and the charges are settled by a
 
 202 BOAT TRAVELLING. 
 
 tariff which is strictly enforced. The fare is twenty 
 skillings a Norwegian mile (seven English) for each 
 boatman, which is about equal to ten pence of English 
 money. The number required varies according to the 
 size of the boat and length of the voyage ; we seldom 
 had occasion for more than two. There is, besides, a 
 small allowance to the station-master, of two skillings 
 for each boatman, for his trouble, which is called 
 *' Tilsigelse.''^ The boats used in this service are of a 
 different description from those in which we had 
 navigated the fresh-water lakes, and much stouter. 
 They are a sort of double-bowed yawls, with high and 
 sharp stem and stern, and their appearance is highly 
 picturesque. Each boatman pulls two oars, working 
 them, not in rowlocks, but against stout pins fixed in 
 the gunwale, to which they are confined by grummets 
 or rings made of boughs of twisted birch. Sails, as 
 we afterwards found, are occasionally hoisted; but 
 great care is required in their use, from the frequency 
 of squalls in those inland seas. 
 
 We experienced little delay in effecting the ex- 
 change of boats at Utn6 ; and re-imbarking again plied 
 our way now under the northern shore, to which we 
 crossed. The shores of the fjord continued to main- 
 tain their bold and noble character. The elevations 
 were not quite so great ; but for considerable distances, 
 the sides of the mountains overhanging the water 
 were clothed with deep woods of pine, and at several 
 points cascades leaped in long falls from the levels of 
 the fjelds above. The outline of the coast was broken
 
 HAVEN OF NOREIM. 203 
 
 by promontories, stretching out into the channel, and 
 farther on by some deep inlets indenting its shores. 
 We halted as usual for refreshment, having procured 
 a supply of brod and some excellent butter (smor) at 
 Utne. An old man who lived at the cottage where 
 we landed for this purpose had just taken a fine fish, 
 which we tried to induce him to sell, anticipating that 
 for a time we should again be upon short allowance. 
 He however refused, rather grufily, to part with his 
 prize. He probably wanted to salt it in store for 
 future use. In these out of the world places money 
 is sometimes of less account than money's worth. If 
 provisions were scarce, with no market at hand, the 
 fish was of more value than the mark or the half 
 dollar it might have fetched. 
 
 About four in the afternoon we opened a wide bay, 
 towards the shores of which the ranges swept down 
 by easy declivities. Its surface was enlivened by a 
 number of fishing-boats, some of them navigated 
 solely by young girls. Flights of gulls wheeled 
 screamino- overhead. Two considerable villaojes rose 
 on the plain which shelved to the edge of the fjord, 
 Vigoer and Ostenso, the latter a place of some im- 
 portance and trade. But to neither of these our boat 
 was directed. It pointed to a small inlet, midway 
 between them, at the head of which lies the hamlet 
 of Noreim, towards which we pulled up a narrow 
 creek opening into a little haven. Four or five 
 trading smacks moored alongside wharfs, and ranges 
 of stores, with strings of pack-horses standing loaded
 
 204 STEINDALEN. 
 
 on the beach, gave an idea of the extent of traffic 
 carried on by the navigation of the fjord. 
 
 Dismissing the boatmen, we procured horses and 
 proceeded at a rapid pace up the valley of Steindalen. 
 It was extremely fertile ; there were substantial farm- 
 houses in the midst of meadows of the richest ver- 
 dure, now under the scythe. The crops were heavy, 
 and the air was deliciously scented with the fragrance 
 of the new-mown hay. The hay in Norway is 
 generally made in the Swiss fashion. As soon as the 
 grass is cut, it is exposed to the air to dry on long 
 racks which are fixed in the fields, and then gathered 
 into haycocks ; and finally stored in log-buildings 
 raised on layers of stones ; precautions rendered ne- 
 cessary in such countries by the frequent incle- 
 mency and general uncertainty of the weather. A 
 short and delightful stage brought us to Stein. From 
 thence onward we found that the road was imprac- 
 ticable for wheels. We obtained two excellent horses; 
 and strapping our knapsacks and cloaks behind the 
 saddles, set forth, attended by two youngsters, who 
 easily kept up with our pace, for we began imme- 
 diately to ascend the hills on the left bank of the 
 valley. A torrent rushed down the ravine on our 
 right, on which we counted nearly a dozen corn-mills, 
 standing altogether, one after another, up the bank of 
 the stream. The wooden buildings which enclosed the 
 simple machinery were, like many others we met mth, 
 of the most diminutive size, six or eight feet square. 
 We conjectured that each farm in the valley had its
 
 CORN AND SAWING MILLS. 205 
 
 own corn-mill ! What a waste of power and of time ! 
 The principle of the division of labour is but little 
 understood in the remote districts of Norway. There 
 is indeed no necessity to be economical of the "Water 
 privileges." Of the countless torrents and falls which 
 everywhere pour into the valleys and fjords, not a 
 few are, at every convenient spot, applied to the pur- 
 pose of working saw-mills for converting the pine 
 timber into planks and deals. The machinery is ge- 
 nerally on a small scale and very simple. It was 
 often amusing. to see the vast power of a fall of many 
 hundred feet ajDplied to such an incommensurate task. 
 A single stroke in full force would have dashed the 
 machinery to atoms. A mere thread of water di- 
 verted from the volume sufficed. Seeing only the 
 fall, and the fragile erection at the base of the cliff, it 
 was a giant playing with a toy. 
 
 The ascent was steep, among folds of the hills, 
 clothed with birch woods. At a considerable height 
 we found a sseter, at which we pulled up for some 
 minutes, and had again the pleasure of tasting the 
 delicious milk produced by the mountain pastures. 
 The country now became very wild, and the track we 
 were pursuing rough and difficult. The horses fre- 
 quently plunged in boggy ground, from which they 
 extricated themselves with difficulty ; and we had to 
 force them among rocks and stunted bushes along the 
 surrounding ridges, to regain the track by a circui- 
 tous route. Night closed in, our progress was very 
 slow, and it was eleven o'clock when we reached a
 
 206 A NIGHT MARCH. 
 
 solitary farm, standing on a bank Avhich rose above 
 the waters of a most dreary lake. The inmates had 
 retired to rest ; the fire had been extinguished ; 
 the place was wretched ; there was not a vestige of 
 any thing we could eat ; and what was worse, no 
 horses were to be procured. All this was unpleasant, 
 but we had no hesitation as to the course to be 
 pursued. Delay, and even rest, under such circum- 
 stances was out of the question. The man of the 
 house was very unwillingly tempted, by the offer of 
 a high rate of payment for his services, to be our 
 guide forward. While he was accoutring himself for 
 the road, we kindled a fire, and hastily cooked por- 
 ringers of rice and chocolate from the contents of our 
 haversacks. At midnight we set forth ; he would 
 have had us wait till daylight, but we were inexorable. 
 The night was very dark, and I know little of the 
 country we crossed, but that, closely following the 
 footsteps of the guide, I found myself sometimes 
 plunging into deep and rocky hollows, then crossing 
 by stepping-stones black and roaring torrents, and at 
 others climbing stony ridges, or picking my way over 
 morasses which threatened to engulf us on any devia- 
 tion from the track. 
 
 The break of day discovered to us that we had 
 gained an elevated plain of undulating country of the 
 wildest character, in the midst of which, at about 
 three o'clock, we reached a lone movmtain farm, where 
 our guide delivered up his charge, and roused one of 
 the inmates, a fine young fellow, to undertake the
 
 EARLY MORNING. 207 
 
 task of conducting us onward. We found that the 
 horses were all at the sseters, at a distance too great 
 to allow of our waiting for their being got in. So 
 nothing was left for us but to continue the march. 
 While our new guide was preparing himself for the 
 way, which was not accomplished without resort to 
 the bread-colFer and butter-tub, we stretched our- 
 selves on a bench and fell asleep. My companion had 
 a happy facility of falling, on any respite from toil, 
 into a deep sleep, from which it was often no very 
 agreeable duty to bring him back to a state of con- 
 sciousness, and urge on him the necessity of being on 
 the move. Once more we set.forward ; and weary as 
 we began to feel, our fatigue was relieved by the 
 delight aiforded us in marking the charming effects 
 of early dawn on those wide and elevated plains. 
 The cold gray light which, as the stars gradually 
 paled and disappeared, preceded the dawn, revealed 
 swell after swell of the wide landscape. Mists hung 
 in heavy masses over the hollows. The first faint 
 blush of morning, seen far away on the horizon, 
 quickened by degrees into beams which touched the 
 mountain tops with mellow brightness, and shed 
 life and animation on scenes before so desolate ; and 
 the whirl of the grouse, and the cries of the plover, 
 as they rose in our path, gave note of living things 
 waked to the fresh enjoyment of their undisturbed 
 possession of those solitary regions. 
 
 The whole country appeared almost entirely unin- 
 habited, and its features presented nearly the same.
 
 208 THE WALK CONTINUED. 
 
 aspect, till about seven o'clock in the morning, from 
 the summit of the last ridge we joyfully discovered 
 a branch of a fjord, spreading its still waters deep in 
 the shade below. It gave promise of rest to the 
 weary ; and, quickening our steps, we hastily de- 
 scended the declivity, and, summoning a boatman 
 from a lone cottage on the bank, rejoiced to find our- 
 selves once more afloat. We stretched ourselves in 
 the bottom of the boat, and sank at once into a 
 deep sleep, from which we were only roused by the 
 grating of the keel on the oj)posite shore. The 
 passage had occupied about an hour. We landed 
 at a little place called Aadland, a hamlet, I believe, 
 belonging to Somnanger. We hoped that we should 
 here be able to procure horses ; and great was our 
 disappointment at finding that none were to be had, 
 for we began to feel seriously the effects of fatigue. 
 We had yet ten miles of very difficult country to 
 cross, in order to reach another branch of the fjords, 
 which would land us at a station where we should be 
 able to procure post-horses to Bergen. This was now 
 a formidable undertaking ; but we pressed on, stop- 
 ping only to take some slight refreshment, and to 
 obtain a guide, who relieved us of part of our traps. 
 Leaving Aadland, we ascended at once from the 
 water's edge, through shaggy woods and by an 
 abrupt and rugged track, at an angle of 60°, to a very 
 considerable elevation. The whole line between the 
 two branches of the fjords presented hardly a furlong 
 of level ground. It was a succession of ridges, the
 
 EMBARK ON THE OSTER-FJORD. 209 
 
 descent into the intersectino- vallevs of which was 
 precipitous. On, on we went, climbing steep after 
 steep, often delighted, as we seated ourselves on a 
 shelf of rocks for a momentary rest, with the in- 
 teresting points of view Avhich the deeply wooded 
 glens from time to time presented, but too severely 
 tried fully to enjoy them. I think I felt even more 
 exhausted than when I staggered into Saebo, on the 
 evening of our arrival after the passage of the Har- 
 danger-Fjeld. 
 
 At length, after a weary march of four hours, we 
 once more looked down on the blue waters of the 
 fjord. It was a charming spot : a little upland farm 
 occupied a hollow of the hills ; glades of the smoothest 
 green-sward, newly shorn, wound amongst thickets 
 of birch underwood, and fell in long slopes to the 
 water's edge. We threw ourselves on a heap of the 
 new-mown hay ; our toils were over ; and we bore 
 with some patience the slow movements of the owner 
 — at once farmer and boatman — who seemed re- 
 luctant to quit his labours among the haycocks; loath 
 to lose the sunny noon in a precarious season, in his 
 anxiety to save a crop so important. At last we 
 began to descend the lawns, and thread the thickets 
 to the shore; and, laying down his implements of 
 husbandry, he shouldered his oars and followed us to 
 the boat. 
 
 Again we were skimming at ease the calm surface 
 of the fjord. Though the shores of this, the Oster- 
 Fjord, had not the grand features which characterise 
 
 r
 
 210 ARRIVAL AT BERGEN. 
 
 those of the Hardanger-Fjord where it penetrates far 
 up among the fjelds, they were still very noble and 
 exceedingly varied ; and a lofty chain of mountains 
 was seen across the water to the west, seaward. We 
 traced its coast for about nine miles, and then, land- 
 ing at Garnses, procured light cars at the post-station, 
 eighteen English miles from Bergen. We changed, 
 horses mid-way, and reached the city about eight 
 o'clock in the evening. The cattle were heavy, and 
 the conductors were little disposed to second, our im- 
 patience to get forward ; but, arrived at the suburbs, 
 they quickened their pace, and whirled through the 
 streets at a rate which, as there were no springs to 
 the cars, and the |9«z;^ was rough, threatened to dis- 
 locate my bones. Aching as they did with previous 
 fatigue, this last trial was a species of torture I had. 
 not anticipated. Keeping my seat with difficulty, I 
 assumed an air of nonchalance becoming an Eno:lish 
 traveller, and bore my martyrdom with heroic firm- 
 ness. My eyes danced, so that I could with diffi- 
 culty distinguish the groups of passengers, to whom 
 our arrival, travel-soiled and way-worn, presented a 
 spectacle of not very frequent occurrence. Thus 
 threading the long streets for upwards of a mile, we 
 were deposited at Sontum's boarding-house, where we 
 were soon surrounded with all those comforts of which 
 our long Rambles, our recent night march, and thirty- 
 four hours of travel with slight respite and refresh- 
 ment, rendered us greatly in need.
 
 211 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 BERGEX ITS TRADE HANSEATIC LEAGUE. THE CASTLE, — 
 
 GERMAN CHURCH. FISH-MARICET. MUSEUM. OPDsIOXS ON 
 
 THE SEA SERPENT. — ANCIENT PICTURE. — CONNECTION AVITH 
 THE GREEK EMPIRE. 
 
 Bergen is finely situated in a valley surrounded by 
 mountains, at the head of a fjord, which, sheltered 
 by numerous islands, communicates with the North- 
 Sea at the distance of twenty or twenty-five miles. 
 The entire western coast of Norway is studded with 
 innumerable islets in continued succession : the chan- 
 nels between these and the main land and the branches 
 of the fjords which, it has been already observed, 
 penetrate far into the interior, affording great facili- 
 ties for navigation. The situation of Bergen is there- 
 fore well adapted both for the foreign and coast 
 trade. Its foundation is attributed to Kins; Olaf 
 Kyrre, in the year 1070 ; and it was for many ages 
 the capital of the kingdom.^ Since Christiania has 
 become the seat of the legislature as well as a uni- 
 versity, it has outstripped its western rival in popula- 
 tion ; that of Bergen being, by the last returns, 
 25,000, while that of the new capital is upwards of 
 30,000. The trade of Bergen is, however, still the 
 greater. 
 
 p 2
 
 212 HANSEATIC LEAGUE. 
 
 The Eno;lish were the first foreio-ners who traded 
 with Bergen ; they concluded a treaty of commerce 
 with kino; Hakon Hakonson in the beo:innino- of the 
 
 O C> CI 
 
 thirteenth century, remarkable as being the first 
 which England entered into with a foreign nation. 
 Its advantageous position also early attracted the at- 
 tention of the Hanseatic League, and its importance 
 may be estimated from its having been one of their 
 four principal factories ; the others being London, 
 Bruges or Antwerp, and Novogorod. The produce 
 of the Northern fisheries was then, as it still con- 
 tinues to be, its principal staple of trade. The Han- 
 seatic League — of which the cities of Lubeck and 
 Hamburgh were the original, as with Bremen they 
 constitute at the present day the only remaining 
 members — at one time included seventy-two towns 
 of note in the alliance. Founded at first for the pur- 
 pose of mutual protection against the pirates who 
 infested the northern seas, the league gradually 
 extended its branches, till, in the fourteenth and 
 fifteenth centuries, its most flourishing period, it 
 commanded nearly the whole of the commerce of Eu- 
 rope on the shores of the ocean and the Baltic, and 
 established its stations in the ports of the Mediter- 
 ranean. Doubtless it contributed greatly to the dif- 
 fusion of wealth and civilisation ; but, like the repub- 
 lics of Italy, and some great mercantile associations 
 of later times, the leading members of the Hanseatic 
 League were not content with its commercial pri- 
 vileges, or were led by the relations into which they
 
 HANSEATIC LEAGUE. 213 
 
 were brought with foreign countries in extending 
 their trade, into territorial aggressions, which their 
 maritime superiority and their opulence, exceeding 
 that of the greatest nionarchs, enabled them to pro- 
 secute with vigour and success. 
 
 In the war which they carried on against Wal- 
 demar III. king of Denmark, in the beginning of the 
 fourteenth century, they employed no less than 250 
 ships and 12,000 troops. They gradually reduced a 
 great part of Norway into entire subjection ; and 
 Bergen, the capital of an independent kingdom, may 
 be said to have been garrisoned by their troops. The 
 foreign merchants established there under the protec- 
 tion of the League, excluded the natives from all 
 share in the trade. Their establishment, somewhat 
 similar to that of the Hudson's Bay Company in our 
 times, presented a muster-roll of apprentices, over- 
 seers, and factors, in due subordination and almost 
 military array, rising by seniority through the differ- 
 ent ranks to that of partner ; and numbering, in the 
 whole, upwards of 2500 men, a formidable force Avhen 
 thus concentrated and disciplined. They had sub- 
 factories in Nordland and Finland, a particular court 
 at Bergen for the adjustment of their own affairs, and 
 assumed a complete independence. 
 
 The close of the sixteenth century witnessed the 
 entire decay of this powerful association. The States 
 of Holland, having acquired their freedom, became its 
 successful rivals, and the rupture with England com- 
 pleted its fall. Queen Elizabeth had seized sixty of 
 
 p 3
 
 214 HANSEATIC LEAGUE. 
 
 their ships in the Tagus as containing cargoes contra- 
 band of war. Their remonstrances were fruitless, 
 and, though they obtained an imperial edict exclud- 
 ing English merchandise from Germany, that high- 
 spirited and sagacious princess set them at defiance, 
 and treated all their proceedings with contempt. 
 Fostered by her wise administration, the merchant 
 adventurers of England succeeded to a large share of 
 the trade which the Hanse-towns had so long en- 
 grossed, and laid the foundations of that extended 
 commerce which, in the course of time, left all com- 
 petitors in the struggle for mercantile pre-eminence 
 at an immeasurable distance. 
 
 About the same period, the latter part of the six- 
 teenth century, the Hanseatic influence, so long pre- 
 dominant in Bergen, but which for some time had 
 been on the decline, was utterly overthrown by the 
 vigour of Walkendorf, the bailiff of the crown, who 
 expelled part of the foreign merchants; and, as it is 
 said, by the erection of a strong citadel, which still 
 bears his name, aAved the rest of the citizens into 
 subjection. Deprived of their monopoly, the trade 
 of the Hanse merchants in Bergen languished, till, 
 in the middle of the eighteenth century, it was en- 
 tirely extinguished by the sale of the last of their 
 possessions. 
 
 During the period of their supremacy they oc- 
 cupied a distinct quarter of the town, divided from 
 the rest by a narrow branch of the fjord, forming 
 the harbour, and yet called the " Deutch quarteerJ'^
 
 TRADE OF BERGEN. 215 
 
 Lofty ranges of warehouses, extending along the 
 quay and running back by the sides of narrow canals 
 communicating Avith it, like those in the towns of 
 Holland, testify the large scale on which trade was 
 here conducted in former times. This part of the 
 town also contains a fine church, still called the 
 German church, together with the citadel, called 
 Walkendorf's tower, and some remains of an old 
 palace of the Norwegian kings. 
 
 Our first visit was paid to this quarter; and in 
 crossing the harbour by a ferry-boat, we had an 
 opportunity of making some observations on the 
 present state of the trade of Bergen, which, greatly 
 as it has diminished since its palmy days when it 
 flourished as a member of the Hanseatic League, is 
 still considerable. It now contained vessels under 
 the flags of Russia, Sweden, Prussia, England, Hol- 
 land, Belgium, France, Spain, and Naples ; but we 
 were informed that it has a still more lively appear- 
 ance in the early part of the season, when it is 
 crowded with the craft which bring the produce of 
 the cod fisheries, by the navigation I have already 
 mentioned, from the stations on the northern coast, 
 and by the sea-going ships by which it is transported 
 to foreign ports. At that time there are often 500 
 or GOO vessels of various sizes in the harbour. These 
 north- country Jagts, as they are called, are generally 
 of about seventy or eighty tons burthen, broad in the 
 beam, and high fore and aft. They are clinker-built, 
 and carry a single lug-sail of vast dimensions, and, 
 
 r 4
 
 216 TRADE OF BERGEN. 
 
 as I should tliink, very unmanageable. Indeed, such 
 vessels are only adapted for the navigation of the 
 channels between the islands and the mainland. 
 Their appearance is highly singular and picturesque, 
 and carries the mind back to a very early age ; for 
 so prejudiced are the North-men in all that concerns 
 their build and their rig, that they will not permit 
 the slightest innovation ; and there is every reason 
 to believe, that such as we now saw them they were, 
 in the very infancy of the navigation, 500 years ago. 
 Yfe pulled round one which was loaded high up on 
 the deck with a cargo of firewood, and traced on its 
 stern, in rude letters, the inscription — 
 
 " Familien is my name. 
 God shows me the way, 
 And the wind drives me." 
 
 Landing on the opposite quay, we found it cum- 
 bered with piles of stockfish, casks of cod-oil, and 
 stacks of firewood, the consumption of which must 
 be enormous, as there are no coals in Norway. Its 
 mineral wealth in silver, copper, iron, nickel, and 
 cobalt is very great, but neither coal nor salt enter 
 into its stratification. The latter is obtained in large 
 quantities for use in the fisheries from Spain; to the 
 ports of which, and those of Portugal and the 
 Mediterranean, the greatest exports of salt-fish are 
 made. The principal fishery for cod is in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the LofFoden islands and on the coast of 
 Finmark ; that for herrings, later in the season, is
 
 TRADE OF BERGEN. 217 
 
 southward, toward Stavanger and the Naze. On 
 that part of the coast also are taken the lobsters, 
 which are exported to London in a live state, in 
 clipper smacks, and in such quantities as to threaten 
 their extirpation, but for a wise measure, which was 
 under the consideration of the Storthing when I was 
 in Christiania, for establishing a close season for 
 protecting the breed. During that period the supply 
 may, therefore, in future fail of satisfying our 
 enormous demand. Bergen exports annually about 
 2,000,000 specie dollars' worth of stockfish, and 
 400,000 or 500,000 barrels of salted herrings, with 
 20,000 barrels of cod-oil. - They also send large 
 quantities of spawn and fish-scales to the south of 
 Europe, where they are used as baits, particularly 
 for the fishery of Sardines^ in the Mediterranean. 
 The annual produce of the fisheries of Norway is 
 estimated at about a million sterling. 
 
 The timber trade is the next in importance, of 
 which upwards of 500,000 loads are annually shipped, 
 from the ports on the south coast, to France, 
 England, Denmark, and Holland. Christiania and 
 Drannnen have the greatest part of the English trade. 
 I have already noticed, in speaking of Arendal, how 
 much we found this important branch of industry 
 affected by our high import duties, and more imme- 
 diately by the present state of afi'airs in France. The 
 only other export from Norway of any importance is 
 iron ; though the quality is excellent, the quantity 
 worked is lunited by the scarcity of fuel, where char-
 
 218 CASTLE OF BERGEN. 
 
 coal only is used in smelting. Some cargoes are 
 annually sent to the United States of America, 
 serving as ballast to the ships which take out emi- 
 grants. I was surprised, after the abundance of 
 jnilk which we had seen and enjoyed in the pastoral 
 districts, at finding that cheese and butter formed no 
 part of the exports from Bergen. On the contrary, I 
 was told that butter at present bore a high price ; 
 and that both were imported from Denmark. It 
 should seem that the lavish, and almost prodigal, use 
 of the produce of the dairy in these districts leaves 
 but little surplus for the market ; the distance of 
 which, and the scarcity of other means of subsistence, 
 may account for so large and general an item in the 
 rural economy of the country being turned to so 
 little account. 
 
 The castle of Bergen, as I have already observed, 
 is situated on the same side of the harbour as the 
 principal quays. The works are of irregular con- 
 struction, consisting of several bastions for defending 
 the harbour and town, the guns of all which are now 
 dismounted, except one battery of twelve-pounders, 
 on traversing platforms. The area within the out- 
 works is considerable, including a very pleasant 
 esplanade and walks planted with trees. It contains 
 also the remains of the royal palace, erected by Olaf 
 Kyrre, the founder of the city ; and good houses for 
 the commandant and his deputy, with various offices 
 attached to the head-quarters of the garrison. Over 
 all rises " Walkendorf 's Tower," as it is called, a
 
 walkendorf's tower. 219 
 
 square massive building with a flat roof of stone, 
 supported by immense beams of timber, and forming 
 a platform of sixty feet by forty, from which there is 
 a splendid view of the mountains and town, the 
 harbour and the fjord. It is ascended by stairs, 
 carried up witliin the walls. The lower stories are 
 used as armories, containing a collection of arms of 
 ancient date, as well as many stands of muskets, also 
 rather ancient, but still serviceable, and reserved for 
 the equipment of the Landva3rn, when they are em- 
 bodied. The upper story was pierced for small 
 pieces of ordnance. They show, in the walls of the 
 fortress, several of the balls fired by the English 
 fleet under the Earl of Sandwich, in 1665, when, 
 during the war with Holland, he pursued the Dutch 
 under the command of Admiral van Bitter, into the 
 harbour of Bergen. We found the whole in a very 
 dilapidated state; but the government has under- 
 taken its restoration, and a number of artificers and 
 convicts w^ere employed in the repairs. Its erection 
 is attributed to AYalkendorf, whose name it bears ; 
 but it appeared to me of far more ancient date than 
 the year 1560, when he is said to have erected a 
 citadel which reduced the Hanseatic Leaguers to 
 subjection. It seems far more probable that the 
 tower is part of the ancient fortress of the Norsk 
 kings, which Walkendorf took possession of and 
 restored for efi'ecting his object. 
 
 AVc were conducted over the fortress by a son of 
 Major Rein, the deputy-commandant, to whom we
 
 220 king's hall. 
 
 had been introduced, and to whose kindness, as well 
 as to that of other officers of the garrison, we were 
 greatly indebted. After leaving the tower — on the 
 parade at the foot of which was a field-battery of 
 eight brass guns (six-pounders) of superior work- 
 manship, mounted on rather heavy carriages — he 
 introduced us to the " king's hall," a noble apart- 
 ment of the old palace, 120 feet long, and propor- 
 tionably lofty and wide. It had high pointed 
 windows, and niches in the wall at the upper end, 
 where stood the royal seat. It is now used as a 
 granary for the troops and convicts, and the floor 
 was thickly spread with rye and barley. We after- 
 wards visited a low vaulted room, neatly fitted up as 
 a chapel for the use of the convicts, or slaves as they 
 are here called. 
 
 Whatever may have been the strength of this 
 fortress in former times, when it is said to have been 
 impregnable, it is not calculated to make any for- 
 midable defence in modern warfare, or even to cover 
 the town and harbour from attacks on the sea-board. 
 A new work has therefore been traced, and partly 
 executed, on the extreme point of land jutting out 
 into, and completely commanding the entrance of, 
 the fjord. It is an earth-work, consisting of two 
 lines of irregular tracery, the lower line being a 
 jieur cVeau. The whole is inclosed in the rear by a 
 strong stockade, formed of young pine trees firmly 
 planted and sharpened, and broken into angles. The 
 works are to be mounted with a heavy armament of
 
 GERMAN CHURCH. 221 
 
 fifty eighty-foiir-pounclers. The guns, brought from 
 Sweden, as there is no foundry for ordnance in 
 Norway, were of exquisite workmanship.* We un- 
 derstood that a large quantity of a new percussion 
 shell, called, after the inventor, Fredericson^ was 
 deposited in the vaults of the castle. It was said 
 that the objections to the use of this destructive 
 shell had been obviated by some peculiarity in the 
 construction, but we could not ascertain in what it 
 consisted, as there was naturally some reserve on the 
 subject. The view from the battery — of the several 
 branches into which the fjord is divided with lofty 
 mountains rising from the shores, and these enli- 
 vened by some pretty country-houses of the citizens 
 — was extremely beautiful. 
 
 Our next visit was to the German church. The 
 exterior is of a cumbrous, but effective, style of archi- 
 tecture. It is said that there was a church founded 
 here as early as 1181 ; but the present building did 
 not strike me as bearing any marks of great antiquity. 
 I should have supposed it to be of the fourteenth 
 or fifteenth century. The western facade presents 
 two towers flanking a lofty gable. The interior is 
 rich with objects of great interest. The altar stands 
 
 * An officer of the Nonvegian artillery, to whom my fellow- 
 traveller remarked on the excellence of the materiel in their ser- 
 vice, replied, " We have had every thing to create ; the Danes left 
 us nothing ; it has been so far an advantage to us, that we have 
 been able to adopt every modern improvement in our branch of the 
 service."
 
 2 2 '2 GERMAN CHURCH. 
 
 out insulated and raised high, as in Roman Catholic 
 Churches; — the Reredoss, ornamented with images 
 of the Twelve Apostles, St. Olave, St. Catherine, and 
 St. Anthony delicately sculptured. On the altar 
 were placed tall candlesticks, and over all stood a 
 crucifix thirty feet high. The massive carvings of 
 the pulj)it and of the front of a loft containing a noble 
 organ were of dark oak. Little votive models of ships, 
 the offerings of thankfulness for successful enterprise 
 or perils escaped, were suspended in the aisles and 
 side chapels, and the walls were almost covered with 
 pictures of the Dutch and Flemish schools, the gifts 
 of various benefactors, whose names and dates were 
 generally inscribed. Some of them painted on wood 
 were very ancient ; and many of them, as it appeared 
 to me, of great merit. I was particularly struck with 
 an " Offering of the Magi," and a " Raising of 
 Lazarus;" by what artists I could not ascertain. A 
 good full length portrait of the late Bishop of Bergen 
 ornamented the chancel. The roof of the church is 
 lofty and vaulted, the line of the cornice being broken 
 by statues of the Apostles carved in high relief. 
 There was an air of solemn grandeur about the whole. 
 The Lutheran reformation had made little or no 
 change in its character ; and it stands an interesting 
 memorial of the wealth and munificence of a race 
 who, if, when in the zenith of their power, they 
 abused their advantages, at least are entitled to the 
 merit of having introduced amongst a rude people
 
 WATCHMEN, 223 
 
 the benefits which flow from an extended commerce, 
 and the arts which follow in her train. 
 
 The cathedral and, I think, three or four other 
 churches stand on the other side of the harbour, in 
 the old Norsk-town. They are, I believe, of modern 
 date, and have no particular claim to attention. The 
 houses are all built of timber ; and the town has so 
 often suffered from destructive fires, that there arc 
 few remains of antiquity to interest the curious in- 
 quirer. In 1488, eleven churches and the greater 
 part of the town were consumed. By a municipal 
 regulation a watercask stands at every door ; but of 
 such small dimensions, as to -afford, according to my 
 apprehension, a very slender supply for the emergency 
 against which they are intended to provide. 
 
 Once or twice in the night I was roused by the 
 unusual sounds of the watchmen's cries. I believe 
 their principal duties arise from the apprehension of 
 fire among such a collection of wooden buildings. 
 They add to their announcement of the state of the 
 weather, some verse, sung out in a melancholy chant, 
 such as — 
 
 " Unless the Loi'd the city keep, 
 The watchmen watch in vain." 
 
 Their formidable weapon, the morning-star, a sort 
 of flail armed with a ball of iron, stuck with spikes, 
 of which we saw specimens in the castle, has been 
 superseded, since an unfortunate occasion, on which a 
 too free use was made of the murderous instrument
 
 224 MANNERS OF THE BERGENERS. 
 
 on the person of an Irish nobleman a few years 
 since. 
 
 The Strand-Gaden, and streets in a line with it, 
 long, narrow, and roughly paved, with lofty houses 
 on each side, seemed the principal avenue and place 
 of traffic. It had a busy air from the number of 
 shops, and the groups of citizens, sailors, and country 
 people, who from time to time thronged its avenues. 
 Many of the houses inhabited by the merchants and 
 families not engaged in business are handsome build- 
 ings, somewhat in the Dutch style and neatly painted 
 white. Polite ceremonial is here carried to a pitch I 
 never before witnessed. Not only is the head unco- 
 vered, with a profound obeisance, on meeting in the 
 street any persons with whom you have the slightest 
 acquaintance, but the same ceremony is observed as 
 often as you pass a window at which females happen, 
 as is very much the fashion, to be seated ; and this is 
 renewed, though in your promenade you pass and 
 repass in the course of a short period. Then, upon 
 entering the most humble shop for the purchase of 
 any trifling article, you remove your hat, and remain 
 uncovered during your dealings. Even young boys 
 take off their caps to each other in the streets, with a 
 gravity which would provoke ridicule, did one not re- 
 flect how much the outward observance of good man- 
 ners tends to humanise the feelings and conduct. The 
 equal and kindly bearing of all classes of JS^orwegians 
 towards each other exhibits indeed a most enviable 
 state of society. We thought that there was a pecu-
 
 THE FISH MARKET. 225 
 
 liar elegance and delicacy in the females of the better 
 classes, and they dress well ; those of the lower orders 
 only retaining the national character in their costume 
 of bright embroidered boddices and woollen skirts. 
 Many of the shops had suspended at the side of the 
 doors, glass-cases, exhibiting the broad silver brooches 
 and buttons, and studs, Avhich are generally worn by 
 the people of the Bergenstift, as well as the Telle- 
 marken and other districts, as well as the gilt crowns 
 worn by brides on the solemnisation of the marriage 
 ceremony. Almost all the houses of the better sort 
 had pots of curious flowers ranged in the windows. 
 
 One morning early we went to the fish-market. 
 The boats were drawn up alongside the quays, which 
 were thronged with crowds of women — the good 
 housewives and female servants — hastening to pur- 
 chase a supply of an article which enters largely into 
 the dietary of the inhabitants of every degree. The 
 traific was carried on between the men in the boats, 
 in which heaps of fish were continually increased 
 by additions from a cofiin-shaped machine in which 
 the fish were towed astern to keep them fresh, and the 
 women reaching over the edge of the quay. Great 
 was the clamour; Billingsgate seems to have the same 
 type in every part of the world. But it was all on 
 the side of the women, contending for priority and 
 haggling with the fishermen, who preserved the 
 utmost sang froid. One of the girls would cheapen 
 a lot of fish ; her offer in return, being unsatisfactory, 
 received not the slightest attention. " Dicevel brand 
 
 Q
 
 226 MUSEUM AT BERGEN. 
 
 c?w," — D — 1 burn you — shrieked out the enraged 
 damsel, accompanying every renewed and silently re- 
 jected proposal with fresh torrents of abuse, till she 
 had raised her bidding to the price set on his wares 
 by him below. Then, with the same imperturbable 
 gravity, he coolly held out his boat-scoop, and receiv- 
 ing the coin, handed up the lot to the purchaser. 
 Similar scenes were taking place the whole length of 
 the quays, amid a strife of tongues, which our friend 
 who accompanied us to the market, assured me could 
 often be heard at our quarters, half a mile distant. 
 The supply of fish is abundant, and the prices very 
 moderate. Cod, I think, was about a penny, and 
 salmon one penny halfpenny per pound, and a large 
 turbot may be bought for sixpence. 
 
 We devoted an afternoon to the examination of the 
 Museum, on a special appointment with Major Hesel- 
 berg, of the Royal Artillery, one of the Directors, 
 -who was kind enough to conduct us through it and, 
 speaking French fluently, pointed out the objects most 
 worthy of attention. We were particularly interested 
 by the collection of Norsk antiquities, comprising 
 Runic inscriptions and ancient stone crosses ; a num- 
 ber of the primitive calendars, in which dates and 
 seasons are marked by hieroglyphical figures traced 
 on wooden tallies; a variety of bowls and other objects, 
 some of them of recent workmanship, carved with 
 great delicacy, an art in which the natives greatly 
 excel. There were also sepulchral urns, a banner of 
 St. Olave, and some curious relics from old churches.
 
 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL HISTORY. 227 
 
 In the department of Natural History we were 
 particularly attracted by the specimens of animals 
 which exhibited the change of colour periodically 
 wrought by the severity of a northern winter. Tliere 
 Avere hares and grouse in every stage of the process 
 to milk-white. The lynxes, bears, and wolves claimed 
 a share of our attention, and (among the feathered 
 tribes) the eagles and hawks; especially the Norwe- 
 gian jer-falcon^ once of such high estimation in fal- 
 conry, and the splendid specimens of the capercailzie, 
 ptarmigan, and black cock ; the more so, as Ave had 
 not (and at this season it was not very likely that we 
 should have) the good fortune to fall in with any of 
 them in their native habitats. Our rambles led us 
 far in unfrequented tracks, among the deep forests 
 and mountain ranges ; but experience confirmed the 
 common observation, how rarely animals and birds of 
 chase of any description, are met with in Norway 
 during the summer. The collection of fishes is ex- 
 tensive and curious, including some singular specimens 
 from the northern seas. We did not fail to inquire 
 of the Major Avhether he was disposed to think there 
 was any foundation for the marvellous stories of the 
 craken, related by Bishop Pont oppidan and others. 
 As might be expected, he treated them as altogether 
 unworthy of credit ; but he directed our attention to 
 a specimen of a large fish peculiar to those seas, the 
 habits of which he thought might possibly have given 
 rise to the reports alluded to. He stated that they 
 are accustomed to enter the channels which they fre-
 
 228 THE SEA-SERPENT. 
 
 * 
 
 quent in single file, if I may so speak, so that at some 
 distance, the eye ranging from one to the other, as 
 they closely folloAved in continual succession, might 
 be deceived by the appearance into the notion that 
 one enormous fish of prodigious length was presented 
 to it ; and the terrors and imaginations of the 
 observers would clothe it with those attributes, with 
 which the traditionary monster of the Norwegian 
 gulfs have been invested : — 
 
 " that sea beast 
 
 Leviathan, which God of all his works 
 Created hugest that swim the Ocean stream ; 
 Him, haply slumbering on the Norway foam, 
 The pilot of some small night-founder'd skiflf 
 Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell. 
 With fixed anchor in his scaly rind, 
 Moors by his side under the lee, while night 
 Invests the sea, and wished morn delays." 
 
 Par. Lost, i. 138. 
 
 I regret now that 1 did not pursue the conversa- 
 tion by inquiries as to any authenticated observations 
 of a recent date, of the appearance on the coast of 
 Norway of the sea-serpent, the existence of which has 
 recently become a question of some interest. My 
 own impression is, that it stands upon a very dif- 
 ferent footing from that of the kraken, and that, while 
 the latter may be dismissed altogether into the regions 
 of the fabulous, the belief in the existence of the 
 former has foundation in evidence which it is difficult 
 so easily to dispose of.* I was assured, however, 
 
 * Captain (afterwards Sir) De Capell Brooke, in the course of
 
 THE SEA SERPENT. 229 
 
 afterwards, by a distinguished naturalist at Chris- 
 tiania, that scientific men in Norway generally are 
 very sceptical on the subject. 
 
 The Museum contains a large collection of pictures 
 
 his travels to the North Cape in the summer of 1820, made re- 
 peated inquiries respecting the truth of the accounts which had 
 reached England in the preceding year of the sea serpent having 
 been recently seen off the coast of Norway. The curious reader is 
 referred to the details given in Captain Brooke's work ; in sum- 
 ming up which he says that these inquiries extended for a line of 
 200 miles along the coast, and that many of his informants were 
 of superior rank and education, and the opinions of such men as 
 the amptman (governor) of Finmark, Mr. Steen, the clergyman 
 of Carlso, pr£Bsten (dean) Deinbolt of Vadso, and the Bishop 
 of Nordland and Finmark, who was even an eye-witness, ought 
 not to be disregarded. " Taking upon the whole," he concludes, 
 " a fair view of the different accounts related in the foregoing 
 pages respecting the sea-serpent, no reasonable person can doubt 
 the fact of some marine animal of extraordinary dimensions, and, 
 in all probability, of the serpent tribe, having been repeatedly seen 
 by various persons along the Norway and Finmark coasts." — 
 Travels, pp. 222., &c. 
 
 Mr. Milford, in a note to his "Norway and her Laplanders in 
 1841," says, that he had received a letter from an intelligent friend 
 at Bergen, of which the following is an extract : — "I have con- 
 sulted a gentleman of much learning and intimate knowledge of 
 every thing belonging to Norway, Stiftaratamand Chi'istie, whose 
 name is connected with the political institutions of Norway since 
 1814. I especially asked his opinion about the sea-serpent, and 
 he assured me that not only do the peasants feel certain of its 
 existence, but that he himself believes it ; that the Bishop of 
 Bergen, a few years ago, published an article in an Antiquarian 
 paper, which comes out occasionally, edited by the director of the 
 Bergen Museum, containing information corroborative of this be- 
 lief; and that the inhabitants of tlie island of Skerroe see the 
 serpent every year for a couple of months in the summer, when- 
 ever the weather is fair and the sea calm." 
 
 Q 3
 
 230 ANCIENT GREEK PAINTING. 
 
 # 
 
 of the most worthless description, for the presence of 
 which the Major apologized, on the ground that they 
 were the gifts of benefactors, which could not well be 
 rejected. He, iiowever, pointed out to us one well 
 deserving of a place in a national collection. It was 
 taken from a church on the Sogne-Fjord, where it is 
 supposed to have been placed by one of the sea-kings, 
 who brought it from Jerusalem. It is of the Byzan- 
 tine school, and represents, in several compartments, 
 Chosroes, the Persian king, carrying off the Holy 
 Cross from Jerusalem, and the emperor Heraclius 
 attacking and slaying him, the recovery of the Cross, 
 and its restoration to a place on the altar ; and be- 
 neath appear the dead miraculously raised from their 
 tombs in honour of the event. It would be interest- 
 ing to connect this picture with the return of Sigurd 
 from the Crusade, which he undertook in 1107 with 
 a fleet of sixty ships. He was the son of Magnus the 
 Barefoot, one of the most warlike of the kings of 
 Norway, who conquered the Shetland, Orkney, and 
 Western Islands, and the Isle of Man, and was slain 
 in a descent on the coast of Ireland. Sisrurd Avas 
 four years absent on his pilgrimage. Having been 
 hospitably entertained in England by Henry I., and 
 in Sicily by Roger, the Norman king of his own race, 
 he was welcomed at Jerusalem by Baldwin, who joy- 
 fully engaged his services, and employed him in the 
 siege of Sidon. After the capture of that city he 
 visited Constantinople, and returned home through 
 Germany. Whether the ancient painting in the 
 Museum of Bergen was the gift of the Byzantine
 
 CONNEXION WITH THE EAST. 231 
 
 monarch to his royal guest or not, it is reported that 
 the fame of this expedition still lives in the memory 
 of the peasants of the Sogne-Fjord, some of whose 
 ancestors took part in it.* 
 
 * There were in the middle ages frequent channels of communi- 
 cation between Norway and the capital of the Eastern empire. 
 In the eleventh or twelfth century, the Varangar, or body-guard 
 of the Greek emperors, was composed principally of Norwegian 
 adventurers. These were recruited by exiles, probably of the same 
 race, whom the Norman Conquest drove out of Britain. "We find 
 them called by the Byzantine writers Anglo- Danes, confirming the 
 view we took in an early chapter of the amalgamation of the two 
 races. One of these Varangar is a principal character in Sir 
 Walter Scott's novel of Count Robert of Paris. They merited 
 their high privileges and pay in the emperor's service by a fidelity 
 and valour characteristic of their race. 
 
 Many of these adventurers returned with great wealth. Mr. 
 Laing relates from the Saga, or Annals of the Orkneys, that Rogn- 
 vald, the Earl of Orkney, in 1155 being on a visit in Norway, met 
 with a Norwegian nobleman, who was one of the body-guard of 
 Manuel Comnenes, and was then on leave of absence in Norway ; 
 at w hose instance the Earl was induced to visit Constantinople and 
 the Holy Land. 
 
 In August, 1834, a considerable number of gold ornaments 
 were found under the surface of the ground in a spot which had 
 formerly been a lake or pond in the parish of Egger in Agger- 
 shuus Amt. They consisted of a massive gold collar, various 
 bracelets, a brooch or breast ornament for fastening the cloak, 
 rings, and a number of coins, among which were four Byzantine 
 pieces struck by Michael III., between 842 and 867. The work- 
 mansJiip of these ornaments is so much superior to what could have 
 been executed in an early age in the North of Europe, that the 
 Eastern origin of the articles is considered unquestionable. Mr. 
 Laing conjectures that this treasure had been the plunder brought 
 home from the East by one of these Varangar, or body-guard of 
 the Greek emperors. 
 
 The articles w^ere purchased, by vote of the Storthing, for 2030 
 dollars, and are deposited in the Museum of Christiania. 
 
 Q 4
 
 232 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MANNER OF LIVING AT BERGEN. — NORWEGIAN CORDIALITY WITH 
 
 THE ENGLISH. HOW INTERRUPTED FOR A SHORT PERIOD. 
 
 PARADE OP THE GARRISON. MILITARY SYSTEM OF NORWAY. 
 
 DANISH WAR. PROBLEM OF THE RE-UNION OF THE THREE 
 
 SCANDINAVIAN KINGDOMS NORWEGIAN NAVY. 
 
 There are, besides the hotels, several private establish- 
 ments at Bergen where travellers are entertained with 
 the advantages of more quiet and comfort than at the 
 hotels. We considered ourselves fortunate in having 
 been directed to that of Mrs. Sontum. Well con- 
 nected, and allied to persons of great consideration, 
 circumstances having induced her to embark in her 
 present undertaking, she is indefatigable in her en- 
 deavours to promote the comfort of her guests. Her 
 house is the favourite resort of English travellers, and 
 abundantly merits the preference given to it. For 
 ourselves, having long discarded the feeling of tra- 
 velling exclusiveness, we begged to be considered as 
 members of the family during our short sojourn 
 in Bergen, and the advantages which we derived from 
 this arrangement were manifold. Breakfast, a meal 
 peculiarly English, was served to us alone ; but for the 
 rest, we were but too happy to conform to the com-
 
 MODE OF LIVING. 233 
 
 mon arrangements, and make ourselves completely at 
 home. 
 
 Our party consisted of a Swedish gentleman, a 
 young man from the Shetland Islands, who had come 
 over in a vessel belonging to his father, a merchant 
 at Lerwick, some officers of the garrison, and a 
 Norwegian proprietor from the neighbourhood of 
 Arendal, of Scottish extraction, and formerly a 
 captain in the merchant service of Norway. To him 
 we are particularly indebted for unremitting attention 
 in bringing to our notice all that was most interesting 
 in Bergen, and both then and on other occasions 
 affording us information, which he is well able to 
 communicate, on a variety of subjects connected with 
 the state of things in the country. Nor must I omit 
 the daughters of our hostess, and some agreeable 
 girls, visitors of theirs, without whom the social circle 
 would not have been complete. We fared sump- 
 tuously, and made up for the short allowance to 
 which we had been for some time restricted. Two 
 sorts of fish (trout and fried cod), besides lobsters 
 and cutlets, with dishes of strawberries, wild and 
 cultivated, were served for breakfast. The dinners 
 were excellent. We had salmon, and more varieties 
 of fish than I can name ; and some national dishes 
 which we thought admirable. Amongst others was a 
 pudding made of fish, the fibrous part of which, 
 reduced to a paste, was seasoned with spice, and 
 shaped in a mould. The veal was delicate, and 
 served up with a sauce of dried currants. The beef
 
 234 MODE OF LIVING. 
 
 is lean and dry, at least at this season. Vegetables 
 are scarce and dear in Bergen, but we had delicious 
 salads; and green peas, dressed as they only know 
 how to cook them in Norway, slightly stewed with a 
 little butter and salt. We had good Bordeaux wine, 
 at one and eight-pence a bottle. Rising from table, 
 we took coffee in the salon, the gentlemen resorting to 
 their pipes. But the evening reunion was the most 
 agreeable part of the day, when we assembled round 
 the supper-table, spread with cold meat, lobsters, 
 tarts, and cakes, tea being served a VAnglaise. We 
 were a merry circle. The Swede took in good part 
 the badinage of the young ladies, who converted the 
 rivalry which exists between the two nations into 
 good-humoured jibes; and they laughed at my young 
 friend's awkward attempts at gallantry in an unknown 
 tongue, correcting his pronunciation, and furnishing 
 the pretty phrases he required to address to them- 
 selves. The Shetlander told us how much the 
 customs and habits of his islanders were assimilated 
 to those of the land he was now visithig: and no 
 wonder, for the Orkney and Shetland Islands were 
 only disjoined from the crown of Norway and an- 
 nexed to Scotland in 1468, having been pledged by 
 Christian I., king of Norway and Denmark, for part 
 of the dower given with his daughter Margaret on 
 her marriage with James II. of Scotland. 
 
 The officers answered our questions as to the mili- 
 tary organisation of the Norwegian army ; and our 
 friend the Scoto- Norwegian was at home on subjects
 
 NATIONAL FEELING. 235 
 
 connected Avith the royal and commercial marine, and 
 the trade and rural economy of the country. For 
 our part, we were prepared from the first to associate 
 ourselves as familiarly as possible with this kind- 
 hearted people ; and the desire to understand and to 
 accommodate ourselves to their habits and feelings, 
 joined to the zeal with which we pushed our wild 
 rambles beyond the usual limits of a hasty tour, 
 conciliated for us, wherever we went, the regards 
 of a race justly proud of their country and its in- 
 stitutions. To be enthusiastic admirers of " Gamle 
 Norge," was a passport to their warm affections. 
 
 I have before mentioned that in the unfrequented 
 districts, where an Englishman had never been seen 
 before, our nationality always secured for us tokens 
 of cordiality. At one time, I believe, this feeling, 
 predominant among the Norwegians from very early 
 times, was interrupted by the irritation occasioned 
 by the share taken by the English government in 
 the transfer of the crown of Norway to the king of 
 Sweden at the close of the last continental war. The 
 reader is probably aware that in order to induce 
 Bernadotte, the crown prince of Sweden, to join the 
 coalition, and also to provide an indemnity for the ces- 
 sion of Pomerania and Rugen, the allied powers agreed 
 to guarantee to Sweden the possession of Norway, 
 which was to be detached from Denmark, Avith Avhich 
 it had been for many centuries united. This trans- 
 action, on which they were not consulted, was natu- 
 rally offensive to the feelings of a high-spirited people,
 
 236 THE UNION WITH SWEDEN. 
 
 not unmindful of their ancient glories and national 
 independence, although they had long been subject to 
 a foreio:n dominion. But the rule of the Danish 
 kings, though absolute, had been on the whole mild 
 and considerate, and the Norwegians had become 
 loyally attached to that line of sovereigns ; while, on 
 the contrary, there was the greatest animosity between 
 themselves and their neighbours the Swedes, with 
 whom they had been involved in continual wars, and 
 were on the worst of terms. 
 
 I never conversed with any intelligent Norwegian 
 who, while he did not fail to reproach the British 
 Cabinet with the part it took in this forced transfer, was 
 unwilling to admit his conviction that, individually, 
 we lamented that interference, and sympathised with 
 his countrymen in their struggle for independence. 
 Whatever defence may be offered, from considerations 
 of political expediency, for the policy of our govern- 
 ment on that occasion, it was no business of mine to 
 take up the argument. The best thing that could be 
 said was that it had turned out well. This was 
 freely admitted ; but I have heard it rejoined, " No 
 thanks to you!" That, however, is unjust, for I 
 believe that the mediation of England contributed 
 greatly to secure to the Norwegians those consti- 
 tutional rights under the exercise of which they have 
 since prospered. However, this favourable issue of 
 the events of 1814, with the lapse of time, had tended, 
 in great measure, to allay the irritation which our 
 share in them had occasioned >
 
 PARADE OF TROOPS. 237 
 
 No where are Englishmen more cordially received 
 than at Bergen ; but we were under the necessity of 
 declining all overtures to an hospitality of which we 
 should have been, under other circumstances, but too 
 happy to have availed ourselves. Our time was very 
 limited ; we reached Bergen on Friday evening, and 
 left it on the Monday following. We received every 
 attention from our excellent consul Mr. Greig, whom 
 we regretted to find in a bad state of health ; and great 
 civility from M. Kohn the Prussian consul, on whom we 
 had a letter of credit. M. Kohn was just returned from 
 a tour in Italy and France, and possessed some good 
 pictures, and a small collection of English books. 
 
 After divine service on the Sunday, we attended a 
 dress parade within the grounds of the fortress, at 
 which General Boch, the commandant, and his staff 
 were present. The uniform of the Norwegian soldier 
 is dark blue with red facings, grey trowsers with red 
 piping, and the leathern helmet brass mounted, which 
 is worn by almost all the German troops. A single 
 cross belt of black leather serves for both the cartridge 
 box and the bayonet. The musket is a good service- 
 able piece, with percussion lock, and a black sling belt 
 attached. The officers wear a single-breasted blue 
 frock-coat and trowsers of dark blue with red stripes. 
 AVe did not observe any scales or sashes. The 
 swords are worn in a belt, under the frock coat, the 
 hilt only appearing. The forage cap has a cockade 
 of white, red and blue, in front. The band played 
 national airs for about an hour, when the men were
 
 238 NORWEGIAN OFFICERS. 
 
 dismissed. They were steady under arms, but when 
 out of the ranks, individually they appeared slovenly 
 enough, compared with our smart fellows. We 
 noticed this particularly in the sentries, who lounge 
 about, carrying their musket in a very careless way. 
 They "present arms" to every officer who passes, 
 whatever be his rank, standing in front of their box. 
 The pay of a private soldier is about sixpence per 
 day, but he is allowed to work on his own account 
 when he is off duty. The officers of the Norwegian 
 army are all educated at the military school at Chris- 
 tiania, of which I shall have something to say here- 
 after. We had the pleasure of intercourse with many 
 of them on different occasions, and found them well- 
 informed and gentlemanly persons. Their pay is, 
 however, scarcely adequate to the support of their 
 rank in society, even in so cheap a country. That of 
 a second lieutenant is fifteen dollars (equal to three 
 pounds, seven shillings and sixpence, English money) 
 per month. A first lieutenant receives eighteen 
 dollars ; and so in proportion for the higher grades. 
 They have no mess, and neither officers nor men are 
 quartered in barracks, but occupy lodgings in the 
 town, residing, when off duty, in their several dis- 
 tricts ; rank is gained by seniority, the promotion 
 being very slow, a lieutenant scarcely expecting his 
 company before he is thirty-five or forty. 
 
 The garrison of Bergen consists of 200 men, troops 
 of the line, besides the burgher guard, in which the 
 citizens of all the towns are enrolled : and which
 
 NORWEGIAN ARMY. 239 
 
 includes some companies trained as artillery. The 
 townsmen are exempt from general service, being thus 
 enrolled in the respective burgher guards. In point of 
 fact, the army is almost entirely composed of the sons 
 of the bonder, or farmers ; and more excellent ma- 
 terials for the service it would be difficult to find. 
 Hardy, active and enured to fatigue from the nature 
 of their ordinary occupations in so wild and rough a 
 country — at the same time animated by a high spirit 
 of patriotism — they form a force truly national. 
 Though enlisted under a species of conscription, its 
 features are so modified, that its claims are by no 
 means repugnant to the feelings of the people. Sub- 
 stitutes are allowed, and care is taken to select from 
 the lists the young and unmarried, between the ages of 
 eighteen and thirty. About 2400 recruits are en- 
 rolled yearly, an equal number being discharged from 
 the line and entered in the Landva3rn. The term of 
 actual service is limited to five years ; but of the force 
 embodied, only 2000 men are retained on permanent 
 duty, in small garrisons in the principal towns. The 
 rest of the force is called out to drill during six weeks 
 in every year, between seed-time and harv^est. After 
 completing their period of five years' service, the men 
 pass into the Landvajrn, a sort of militia, which is 
 only liable to be called into actual service in case of 
 invasion, but is exercised eight days in the year in 
 their respective districts. In this force the period of 
 service is ten years. Thus the whole population, 
 burgher and rural, is successively trained to the use
 
 240 THE MILITARY SYSTEM. 
 
 of arms. None are exempted, except the employes in 
 tlie various departments of the government; and sea- 
 faring men, who are all registered and liable to ser- 
 vice in the navy. 
 
 The military system of Norway, therefore, much 
 resembles that of Prussia ; and, as in that service, it 
 is obvious the whole efficiency of the Norwegian 
 army must depend in an extraordinary degree upon 
 its officers. They are officers for life — theirs is 
 a distinct and special vocation, for which they are all 
 regularly trained and educated. But the soldiers are 
 soldiers only for a term of years. Whatever the 
 army does well, it owes entirely to the spirit and 
 skill of its officers. 
 
 The standing army of Norway consists of 12,000 
 men, of which 1200 or 1400 are artillery, and 1000 
 cavalry. This may appear a small force; but consi- 
 dering that the whole population of Norway is under 
 a million and a half — that the Landvaern provides a 
 well disciplined reserve of 9000 men when required for 
 the actual defence of the country — that there are no 
 large fortresses to garrison, and no frontier to de- 
 fend, its long line to the eastward being now 
 covered by the union with Sweden, and the sea- 
 board being so difficult of access that the entrances 
 of the fjords can be easily protected by forts and 
 gun-boats — under these circumstances the force ap- 
 pears to be sufficient for all practical objects. It 
 costs the country about 800,000 spec, dollars per 
 annum, and is probably as large a force as so poor
 
 THE MILITARY SYSTEM. 241 
 
 a state, the whole revenue of which but little ex- 
 ceeds two millions and a half of dollars, and under 
 an administration whose expenditure is very closely 
 watched by the Storthing, can be expected to sup- 
 port. The king not being resident, there are no 
 household troops maintained for state and parade. 
 
 It would be difficult indeed to conjecture from 
 what quarter, since her union with Sweden, Norway 
 can entertain any apprehensions of attack. Ulterior 
 designs of Russia are sometimes referred to ; and no 
 doubt the possession of ports on the ocean would be 
 of inestimable value to that power, whose harbours 
 are sealed up by frost during the winter. But an in- 
 vasion from the north-east would be an undertaking, 
 the success of which might be very questionable. A 
 numerous army would be starved for want of re- 
 sources which the invaded territory could not supply, 
 and the conveyance of which would be almost im- 
 practicable. Then the face of the country is so 
 broken by lakes and fjords, and intersected by chains 
 of mountains, that the passes may be easily held 
 by small bodies of resolute men against a veiy supe- 
 rior force. The slaughter of Sinclair and his Scotch- 
 men in one of these by a feeble band, in the 15th 
 century, is still triumphantly vaunted. The national 
 spirit is high, the whole population trained to 
 arms, and the defence would be obstinate and 
 unyielding. For an invasion of the coast, Russia 
 must first be mistress of the sea ; and such a project 
 could not be viewed with indifference by other 
 
 R
 
 242 THE MILITARY SYSTEM. 
 
 powers ; so that, tempting as is the prize, and unscru- 
 pulous as is the policy attributed by some parties to 
 the Russian cabinet, there seems little danger of in- 
 vasion from that quarter, however inadequate at first 
 sight the means of resistance may appear. 
 
 A notice of the Norwegian army would be incom- 
 plete without some reference to the corps of sTcielobere^ 
 or skaters, of which there are several companies in 
 the service. They are regularly trained to exercise 
 on shies^ or snow-skates, and in winter campaigns are 
 a most effective branch of the service. They move 
 with singular agility, and the velocity Avith which 
 they descend the steepest slopes, when covered with 
 snow, is extraordinary. The pace is regulated by 
 a staiF which each man carries, the skie-stok. It 
 enables them to halt suddenly, and forms a rest for 
 the rifle with which they are armed, slung by a belt, 
 and with a short sword. Their uniform, like that of 
 other jagers, is green. 
 
 This corps to the skate exercise unites that of 
 ordinary light troops, of which it may be regarded as 
 constituting a part, differing from them only by 
 marching on skates. The Norwegian skielubere have 
 on many occasions been extremely serviceable during 
 former campaigns, in preserving the communications 
 between distant corps, in surprising small detach- 
 ments of the enemy, and harassing their march, 
 whether on advancing or retreating, the depth of the 
 snow rendering them safe from pursuit both of ca- 
 valry and infantry. 
 
 The crack corps of the Norwegian army is a jager,
 
 THE mLITARY SYSTEM. 243 
 
 or rifle battalion, which was highly spoken of; and 
 must, no doubt, from the habits of the people be a 
 most effective body. But we had no opportunity of 
 seeing it, as the elite of the troops had joined the 
 Swedish army, which the king had assembled at Mal- 
 mo, to support Denmark in her defensive operations 
 against the Prussian and German forces. The con- 
 tingent which the king is empowered by the consti- 
 tution to draw out of Norway, is limited to 300(J 
 men. I found, however, that there was a general 
 impression that the Storthing would have been dis- 
 posed to place at his disposal, on this occasion, the 
 entire force of the kingdom. So popular, generally, 
 was the present war, except among the mercantile 
 classes, whose interests were more immediately af- 
 fected by the hostilities which had taken place; such 
 the feeling of the people towards a gallant nation, 
 allied to themselves in language and race, long united 
 under the same government, and now struggling 
 against great odds for the integrity of the remaining 
 dominions of the Danish crown. Most Englishmen, 
 I believe, heartily wish the Danish king and people 
 success in the noble stand they are making against a 
 most flagrant aggression ; and one cannot but rejoice 
 that a neighbouring power was ready at once to throw 
 itself into the struggle, and advance to the aid of the 
 weaker side. Whether that intervention was founded 
 on calculations of policy, or inspired by the chivalrous 
 sentiment which actuated the majority of the Nor- 
 wegian people, it is needless to inquire. 
 
 B 2
 
 244 RE-UNION OF THE THREE CROWNS ? 
 
 Perchance King Oscar, in thus promptly coming to 
 the rescue, and standing forth as the champion of 
 Denmark against further dismemberment, may not 
 have been insensible to the prospects which the 
 failure of direct heirs to the present sovereign may 
 open to him. A new " Union of Calmar " might re- 
 unite in his person the three Scandinavian kingdoms ; 
 and the lofty style of king of the Goths heralded in 
 his titles, and the three crowns borne on his es- 
 cutcheon may be symbols at once — 
 
 " Of present grace, and great prediction, 
 Of noble Having, and of Royal Hope." 
 
 His fortunate father was hailed successively king of 
 Sweden ; king of Norway ; though for liim — 
 
 " to be a king 
 
 Stood not within the prospect of belief." 
 
 Two steps achieved, each of them beyond all calcu- 
 lation, the third remains with far greater probability 
 of accomplishment. Should the promptings of ambi- 
 tion have whispered the prophetical greeting, " Thou 
 shalt be king " of Denmark, it may be well, if, in 
 the contingency referred to, Oscar the First should 
 reunite the fragments of the Scandinavian king- 
 dom. Many far more questionable combinations 
 have received the sanction of a European congress. 
 Nationality, race, language, habits, all concur to 
 facilitate such an amalgamation ; and the soundest 
 policy dictates the interposition of a consolidated
 
 RE-UNION OF THE THREE CROWNS. 245 
 
 power on the shores of the Baltic, betAveen the 
 German states (or empire ?) on the one hand, and 
 the dominions of the great northern potentate, on 
 the other. 
 
 However I am not at all sure that a reunion with 
 Denmark, under any circumstances, would be satis- 
 factory to the people of Norway. They might be 
 apprehensive of again sinking into the condition of 
 a dependency ; and whatever might be the political 
 advantages of such a federation, it was remarked to 
 me by a very intelligent Norwegian, who had tra- 
 velled in England and was sensibly alive to the 
 great want of his country,— =- an increased commerce 
 based upon better principles, and relieved of its 
 present burthens, — that Norway could gain nothing 
 by such an union in an economical view. The trade 
 between the two kingdoms is of little importance, 
 and there would be nothing in a closer connection 
 that would tend to improve it. That of Norway 
 has greatly increased since the severance of the 
 union. I have before stated some of its principal 
 items, and noticed its mercantile marine. This 
 Chapter may be appropriately concluded by my 
 giving a short sketch, with which I was furnished 
 of the state of the royal navy. 
 
 The Norwegian navy consists at present of one 
 frigate, two sloops of war, two brigs, three schooners, 
 140 gunboats ; of which the double gunboats, as they 
 are called, are armed with two sixty-four pounders, and 
 have a crew of sixty-five men ; the smaller boats are 
 
 R 3
 
 246 ROYAL NAVY. 
 
 armed with one sixty-four gun and thirty-five men. 
 There are seventy-seven officers belonging to the 
 royal navy, consisting of one admiral, whose pay is 
 1992 spec. doll. ; one commodore, 1644 spec. ; three 
 commodore captains, 1140 spec, each: twelve cap- 
 tains, 792 spec; twelve captain-lieutenants, 504 spec; 
 twenty-four premier lieutenants, 312 spec. ; and 
 twenty-four second lieutenants, 216 spec. Besides 
 their yearly pay the officers, when on service, have 
 allowances for victuals, and other emoluments. The 
 seamen's wages on board a man of war are from ten 
 to twenty skillings per month. Only a small number 
 are kept in constant pay, and employed in the navy- 
 yards and such vessels as are in commission. When 
 seamen are wanted for the royal navy, every sailor, 
 mate, and master in the mercantile service, is liable to 
 serve, and the number required are taken in turn by 
 ballot from the lists, on which about 20,000 men are 
 registered. But no man is compelled to serve in 
 a lower rank than he has previously held on board a 
 merchant vessel, so that a mate is only liable to a 
 mate's duty, and a master takes that of a lieutenant. 
 Besides the vessels enumerated, there are a few 
 steamers which are employed in the packet service. 
 They are fine boats, and the commanders of those in 
 which we made our passages between Christiania and 
 Travemunde, were intelligent and gentlemanly men, 
 and spoke English, as I believe most of the officers 
 in the sea -service of Norway do. While we were 
 at Bergen the steamer arrived, in which, during the
 
 STEAM-BOATS. 247 
 
 summer months, the voyage round the coast from 
 Christiansand to Drontheim and back is accomplished 
 once in three weeks. From the latter place another 
 steamer carries on the line to Hammerfest, near the 
 North Cape ; while Christiansand is similarly con- 
 nected with Christiania. In this manner a com- 
 munication is established all round the southern and 
 western coasts, the steamer calling at the principal 
 places on the route. An opportunity is thus afforded 
 to travellers of seeing the coast scenery with compa- 
 rative ease; and of landing at the principal towns, 
 which are all situated on the sea-coast ; but the plan 
 is not to be recommended to those who, regardless of 
 fatigue and inconvenience, are desirous of becoming 
 acquainted with those striking features of the country, 
 which can only be realised by crossing at least the 
 best-frequented passes of the fjelds. 
 
 B 4
 
 248 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MODE OF TRAVELLING POST — CARRIOLES — THE FORBUD. LEAVE 
 
 BERGEN ARRIVE AT VOSSEVANGEN. VALLEY ABOVE GUD- 
 
 VANGEN. — NAVIGATION OF THE SOGNE-FJORD TO HIERDAL- 
 SOREN. 
 
 In one of the earlier Chapters containing a rough 
 sketch of our intended route, I took occasion to ob- 
 serve that, on leaving Bergen, two plans for our 
 future progress were open to us. The one was, to 
 ascend the Sogne-Fjord to its extreme point near 
 Fortun, at the base of the Skagtolstind, and then, 
 tracking across the country to the north-east, to 
 visit an encampment of Laplanders on the Swedish 
 frontier; afterwards descending the valley of the 
 Glommen to Christiania. The other plan was to 
 take the post-road from Bergen to Christiania over 
 the Fille-Fjeld, and descend the Miosen-Yand, or the 
 Rands-Fjord, in the way to the capital. 
 
 Having recruited ourselves and seen every thing 
 worthy of notice at Bergen, it became necessary to 
 decide upon our future operations. In so doing I 
 abandoned, though not without great reluctance, the 
 prosecution of the former project. Without troubling 
 the reader more than is necessary with what is merely 
 personal, it suffices to say that what I had suffered 
 in the passage of the Hardanger-Fjeld, and the sub-
 
 TRAVELLING BY POST. 249 
 
 sequent march across the country to Bergen, con- 
 vinced me that I was unequal to the undertaking. 
 I however prevailed on my more robust companion 
 to carry out the original design, while I should pur- 
 sue the easier, but still very interesting, scheme of 
 crossing the Fille-Fjeld and descending the Miosen- 
 Vand or the Rands-Fjord in my way to Christiania. 
 
 The distance from Bergen to Christiania by the 
 main post-road is 48 Norsk, or nearly 340 English 
 miles. The journey is usually accomplished in seven 
 or eight days. There are stations at which relays 
 of horses can be procured, at the distance of about 
 a Norsk mile from each other, on all the lines of road 
 in Norway which are practicable for carriages. The 
 service is regulated under the authority of the go- 
 vernment; and the system generally is both ad- 
 mirably adapted to the country, and in many respects 
 unrivalled by any other with which I am acquainted. 
 Certain farms in the neighbourhood of each station 
 are under obligation to furnish in turn, on the sum- 
 mons of the post-master, such horses as the traveller 
 may require. The charges are fixed by a tariff 
 which is exhibited at every station. As the farms 
 are frequently from a quarter of a mile to a mile 
 Norsk distant from the nearest station, you may have 
 to wait one, two, sometimes three hours (as we 
 had discovered by sad experience while occasionally 
 resorting to this mode of travelling), before horses 
 can be procured. But the regulations of the service 
 provide against that inconvenience ; it being the duty
 
 250 TRAVELLIKG POST 
 
 of the post-master, on the requisition of the traveller, 
 to send forward a messenger to the nearest station, 
 ordering horses in advance; from thence the mes- 
 sage is despatched to the next ; and so on through- 
 out the entire course of the intended journey. 
 
 And let not the reader imagine that this forbud^ 
 as it is called, bears any resemblance to the avant- 
 courier who heralds the approach of the '■'■ milordi^^ 
 in more favoured regions. It is generally a bare- 
 footed boy, sometimes a young girl, who is so em- 
 ployed ; and the remuneration fixed by the tarifi" for 
 the service is as moderate as the pretensions of the 
 individual by whom it is performed. But even that 
 expense is reduced by another regulation according 
 to which, on the post-roads, the traveller is enabled 
 to have the relays ordered by the courier in charge 
 of the mails. In either case, tickets (printed forms 
 of which can be obtained) are filled up with the day 
 .and hour and the number of horses required at each 
 station. The extent of the several days' journeys and 
 the periods of arrival at the intermediate stages re- 
 quire to be precisely calculated in advance ; and when 
 the plan of the route is thus settled, it must be ad- 
 hered to with the greatest punctuality, as it is evident 
 that otherwise the whole machinery will be thrown 
 out of order. After waiting the regulated period of 
 three hours, the horses return to the farms, and the 
 traveller will have to wait till they are again pro- 
 cured ; and one link in the chain being thus broken, 
 the whole plan of his journey will be deranged, besides
 
 IN NORWAY. 251 
 
 his being mulcted in fines at the several stations for 
 the loss of time to which he has subjected the horse- 
 masters for whose attendance he has issued the re- 
 quisition. 
 
 On his part, he is entitled, in case of default in 
 providing fresh horses at any station, to proceed 
 an additional stage with those he has brought from 
 the last, so as to prevent any break or interruption 
 in his progress from such neglect. The owner of the 
 horses is also liable to a fine for the detention. A 
 book is kept at every station, in which the traveller 
 is required to enter his name and destination, with 
 the number of horses he uses-; and there is a column 
 in which he is to state any complaints he may have 
 to make of the insufficiency of the horses, or of the 
 conduct of the post-master or conductor. This is not 
 mere matter of form, for the books are periodically 
 inspected by an officer of the government, the charges 
 are investigated, and the parties complained of are 
 fined according to the exigency of the case. The 
 JDagbog also contains the posting regulations, and the 
 distances to the neighbouring stages, with the rate 
 of charges; and the giesigiver is liable to a penalty 
 for not producing it. 
 
 The ordinary charge is 24 skillings, or half an ort, 
 per horse for a Norsk mile, to which is added the 
 station master's tilsigelse, of 4 skillings, and 4 
 skillings more when a carriole or car is hired with 
 the horse. The forbud, if sent by post, costs an ad- 
 ditional 4 skillings. The boy or man who accom-
 
 252 TRAVELLING POST 
 
 panies the horse sometimes expects a small gratuity, 
 the drikke penge, and is very well satisfied if he gets 
 3 or 4 skillings for the stage ; but this is quite op- 
 tional. Altogether, the charges thus enumerated 
 amount to about two pence halfpenny per English 
 mile for a single traveller, or three pence if the forbud 
 is not forwarded by post ; a very low rate according 
 to English ideas of expenditure. There is an extra 
 charge allowed at town and fast stations Avhich are 
 of rare occurrence. On the whole, travelling with a 
 carriage, which I purchased for the journey, I did not 
 find the expense exceed, on the average, the moderate 
 sum above calculated. 
 
 The carriole is the best vehicle for travelling in 
 Norway. The carriage, which is very, light and will 
 hold only one person, is fixed on long elastic shafts 
 which serve for springs, and the seat is so low, that 
 the rider cannot easily be thrown out by the joltings 
 ,on the road. The back rising high and well padded 
 is a great support, and behind is fixed a foot-board, 
 on which the post-boy sits or stands, and to which 
 the traveller's baggage is attached. Light cars may 
 be procured at the several stations, but they are not 
 calculated for long journeys ; and it is usual for 
 travellers to purchase a carriole, which they have to 
 part with on the termination of their journey at a 
 loss of from 20 to 50 per cent. It is a bad specula- 
 tion between Bergen and Christiania, for at the 
 former place there is no great choice, and at the 
 latter carrioles are at the greatest discount. How-
 
 IN NORWAY. 253 
 
 ever, the indefatigable Mrs. Sontum, after a good 
 deal of inquiry, procured me a vehicle for 18 spec, 
 dollars, which, though not of the best, was pro- 
 nounced equal to the journey. The loss in the 
 worst of markets could not be a very serious affair. 
 
 I was fortunate enough to have the assistance of 
 Lieutenant Fingenhagen, one of our convives^ in 
 making out the forbud tickets. As before observed, 
 it must be done with great accuracy ; but in the 
 first instance, the time which he may choose to allot 
 for accomplishing his journey is entirely at the travel- 
 ler's own option. He may proceed two stages a day 
 or ten ; but he must arrange his forbud accordingly. 
 The only limit to his choice of time is the necessity 
 of having some regard to the selection of stations at 
 which he may find some decent accommodations for 
 the night. My rate of travelling was fixed at from 
 fifty to seventy miles per day, according to the nature 
 of the road, which is as much as could be accom- 
 plished on the line of route which lay before me. 
 The post for Christiania left Bergen about thirty 
 hours before the time proposed for our own depar- 
 ture ; and it was the duty of the courier in charge of 
 the mails to leave the tickets at the several stations 
 on the route. 
 
 Wonderful is the precision with which the whole 
 service is performed, considering that the post-horses 
 are outlying, and are often bespoke for some days 
 before ; still there is no neglect or irregularity. Not 
 only in this journey, but during the whole of our
 
 254 TRAVELLING POST 
 
 travels by post in Norway with forbud, the joint sum 
 of which amounted to upwards of 500 miles, neither 
 my friend nor myself were ever compelled (except on 
 one occasion) to take the same horse an additional 
 stage for default of being supplied with a fresh one. 
 Nor do I recollect being delayed for five minutes at 
 any post-house. As we drove up to the station, there 
 was the relay waiting our arrival. While the change 
 of horses was made, we counted out the fare for the 
 past stage from a bag of small coin slung by the side, 
 dismissing the parting post-boy, entered our names in 
 the Dagbog, and handing the " tilsigelse" to the giest 
 giver with a civil " farvel," stepped into the low car- 
 riage, the long rope reins in hand, and were again 
 bowling along the road, the whole occupying a very 
 few minutes. The rate of travelling cannot be taken 
 at more than a Norsk mile in an hour. The horses 
 will not draw even the gentler slopes of the hills at 
 •the steady pace of English posters ; and in many of 
 the stages there are steep acclivities, at which they 
 stop every few hundred yards, and the wonder is how 
 they ever surmount them at all. So that the average 
 rate of travelling is only maintained by the headlong 
 and fearful speed with which they dash down the 
 steepest hills. To this they are encouraged by the 
 owners, who are, nevertheless, on other occasions 
 extremely careful of their cattle, and resent any 
 attempt to push them beyond what tliey think is 
 reasonable. 
 
 The precision and regularity of the mode of travel-
 
 IN NORWAY. 255 
 
 ling by forbiid is an additional incentive to what 
 seems the natural impulse of an Englishman, when 
 fairly started on a high post-road. The traveller is 
 " due " at certain fixed periods and stations along a 
 line of, say from 200 to 300 miles. Considerable 
 inconveniences attend any want of punctuality ; his 
 spirit is roused ; vires acquirit eundo. No difficulties 
 of the way, no stress of weather (often so inclement 
 in the mountainous districts) will be allowed to 
 impede his progress. No sense of fatigue, though he 
 may have reached his quarters for the night late, wet 
 and wearj^, will induce him to prolong his morning 
 sliunbers ; and every other feeling will yield to and 
 be concentrated in one intense desire to get on. It 
 must, however, be confessed that the excitement of 
 travelling under such circumstances is, in the main, 
 highly pleasurable. Few things are more exhilara- 
 ting than to be Avhirled along through ever varying 
 scenery in a light carriole dra\vn by spirited horses 
 that seem insensible to fatigue, with such frequent 
 relays that they are never exposed to it. But de- 
 lightful as this may be, it is not on post-roads and at 
 post-stations that the real character of any country 
 and its people can be satisfactorily learnt, much more 
 of such a country as Norway. The forbud may be 
 often used with advantage in reaching distant points, 
 from which it is advisable to diverge for the purpose 
 of examining in detail the most interesting features 
 of a particular district ; but the secluded dal, the 
 primeval forest, the wild passes of mountain ranges,
 
 256 LEAVE BERGEN. 
 
 the upland farm, the hunter's lodge, and the saeter 
 dairy can only be reached by "rambles" on foot. 
 Slow and often toilsome must be the progress, but 
 how richly is the toil repaid ! 
 
 I turned with a sigh from the retrospect of plea- 
 sures probably never to be renewed, as I made the 
 arrangements for my altered mode of travelling. The 
 remaining rolls of concentrated beef, invaluable re- 
 source, were transferred to my friend's havresack; 
 packets of "Assam" were duly apportioned, fresh 
 stores were laid in, and all our equipments put in 
 good trim for the road. We procured a sufficient 
 supply of small coins ; and, discharging the reckoning, 
 which, for our joint apartment and the board of 
 each, was at the rate of a dollar and a half per day 
 (a very moderate charge for the treatment we had 
 received), were ready for an early start. I was to 
 have the satisfaction of my friend's further com- 
 panionship for the next two days, our road being the 
 same as far as Lierdalsoren, on the Sogne-Fjord. 
 
 At six o'clock in the morning of the 17th July, 
 two carrioles (one for my fellow-traveller furnished 
 from the station) drove up to the door, and in a few 
 minutes we were trotting through the long streets ; 
 and soon clearing the suburbs, through which were 
 scattered some charming villas, we pulled up at the 
 top of a hill about a mile from the town, to turn and 
 bid it farewell. The view of Bergen from this spot 
 is striking : beyond a green valley and some water, 
 the houses are seen clustered on an isthmus stretch-
 
 ROUTE TO VOSSEVANGEN. 257 
 
 ing out into the harbour, the castle of Wallensdorf 
 and the church-towers being prominent objects. On 
 either hand lofty mountains bound the valley and the 
 fjord, which parts into channels closed in by the 
 points of several islands ; one of which, Sartoro I 
 believe, presents its long broken ridge in the extreme 
 distance to seaward. While my friend was making 
 a sketch of this landscape, I was interested by the 
 sounds which proceeded from a school-room on the 
 road-side, where the scholars were chanting the Lord's 
 Prayer in measured cadence : " Fader vor, du som er 
 i Himlene I llelliget vorde dit navn ! " &c. ; and at the 
 same time I was amused by the appearance of a 
 domestic group, consisting of a man leading b}'' a 
 halter, and a woman following and holding by the 
 tail, a diminutive cow, which nevertheless seemed 
 perfectly tractable, and which eitlier of them, for 
 they wTre stalwart peasants, might have easil}' car- 
 ried on their shoulders. 
 
 The road for the first two staa;es from Bero^en is 
 the same which we had travelled on the evening of 
 our arrival. Soon after leavino; the neio-hbourhood 
 of the city there were few signs of cultivation ; we 
 passed some birch woods, but the general character of 
 the country was open moor-land, extremely hilly and 
 with some fine views of distant mountains. We 
 changed horses at Houge, about a Norsk mile from 
 Bergen ; and at Garna3S, a mile and a half further, 
 where we had before landed, we embarked on the 
 Sonden, the southern Oster-Fjord. It is an English
 
 258 KOUTE TO 
 
 mile or mile and a half broad. We pulled up it for 
 about eighteen miles, keeping the eastern shore. The 
 mountains rose precipitously from the water's edge, 
 except where occasionally there were slopes at the 
 base, formed of the debris washed down from the 
 upper regions. All such spots, as I have before ob- 
 served, are occupied as small farms; on these the 
 people were now busy with their hay, the green slopes 
 and haycocks forming charming objects among the 
 dark ranges of woods and mountains. The scene was 
 also continually enlivened by waterfalls, which threaded 
 the fissures, or tumbled in white sheets from the 
 summits of the cliiFs. 
 
 We landed at Dalevaagen, then crossed a rugged 
 country for half a Norsk mile to Daleseidet ; and, 
 asain taking: boat, had half a mile of water on a nar- 
 row branch of the Oster-Fjord, which here runs due 
 east ; and. then a. quarter of a mile by land to Bol- 
 stadoren. We afterwards coasted the Evano-er-Vand, 
 a fresh water lake, about a Norsk mile in length, 
 surrounded by lofty mountains, in part sprinked with 
 stunted birch and pine ; reaching the village of Vos- 
 sevangen at the head of the lake, at an early hour of 
 the evening. Our day's journey was a curious spe- 
 cimen of Norwegian travelling. Of the distance we 
 had accomplished, about fifty miles, as nearly as 
 possible one half had been performed by water ; and 
 this, it will be recollected, on the great post-road from 
 Bergen to Christiania. However the frequent changes 
 did not occasion much delay ; the forbud had done
 
 VOSSEVANGEN. 259 
 
 its office by water as well as by land, and we found 
 the boatmen in everv instance waitino- our arrival. 
 The carriole is so light that it is easily transferred 
 to and from a boat ; the principal inconvenience was 
 occasioned by the necessity of taking off the wheels, 
 as the boats are too small to allow the carriao;e to be 
 otherwise shipped. 
 
 The church and prasste-gaard of Yossevangen were 
 striking objects as Ave approached along the eastern 
 shore of the lake ; and we found the village to consist 
 of a number of o-ood houses interrainoled with s'ardens. 
 That of the giesthuus supplied us with an excellent 
 salad and some potatoes for supper. We had brought 
 beefsteaks from Bergen ; a wise precaution, for though 
 at a good inn and a regular halting-place on the road, 
 no substantial viands of any description were to be 
 obtained. On the move at our usual hour of five the 
 next morning, the road carried us beside a chain 
 of lakes in a lovely valley, the mountain slopes 
 covered with verdure ; and then along the windings 
 of the Rundals-Elv, a large and rapid stream which 
 we crossed several times, to Yinje. After this stage, 
 we began rapidly to ascend ; and, as was our in- 
 variable practice, walking up the long hills and leav- 
 ing the horses to the care of the post-boys, we had 
 leisure to enjoy the wild scenery through which the 
 road wound upwards, among rocks and pine woods, 
 and on the brink of deep ravines ; commanding from 
 one point a view of the lake and church of Opheim. 
 
 As we passed along the road, we observed at
 
 260 SNOW-PLOUGHS. 
 
 frequent intervals boards fixed on poles by the way 
 side, and indicating, as we were given to understand, 
 the name of the farmer whose duty it is to maintain 
 that particular part of the highway, and the number 
 of " eZ/m," for the care of which he is answerable. 
 This system appeared general, each of the neighbour- 
 ing farms being liable for the repairs of a section of 
 the road, in proportion to the extent of the property. 
 There are, therefore, few or no tolls payable for roads 
 or bridges in Norway; as there is also an ancient 
 tax since the Danish times, of small amount, which 
 the government is empowered to levy on the farms 
 for more general repairs and the construction of new 
 roads and bridges. But this is considered a grievance, 
 and attempts have been made to get rid of it, which 
 will probably be successful, as the farmers are the 
 dominant power in the legislature. 
 
 We also frequently saw lying by the way side the 
 snow ploughs used in clearing the roads in winter. 
 The machine is made of two stout planks ten or 
 twelve feet long, joined together in the form of a 
 wedge by cross pieces morticed into a beam in the 
 middle, like the double mould-board plough used for 
 earthing up ridges of potatoes in England. When 
 fresh snow falls, the communications are stopped till 
 the sledging is able to be continued by means of these 
 machines, which being dragged by horses along the 
 road, restore the former track by throwing part of 
 the snow into ridges packed closely on the sides like 
 a wall, and levelling the remainder. Of course it is
 
 GUDVANGEN. 261 
 
 then impossible for a traveller to leave the benten 
 track. 
 
 Tlie valley we descended on approaching Gudvan- 
 gen struck us as one of the finest things we had seen 
 in Norway. The mountains at the head of the valley 
 are nobly grouped ; one grand rounded mass in the 
 shape of a sugar loaf standing insulated in a semi- 
 circle of other lofty summits from which it is detached. 
 Just beyond the post-house at Stalheim you look down 
 on the long line of the valley, a thousand feet below, 
 while the ranges rise probably twice that height above 
 the point where you are standing. The valley is so 
 narrow that it seems a mere chasm rent by some 
 mighty convulsion in those enormous masses of solid 
 rock. There is only space for the torrent which 
 rushes down the bottom ; the bases of the rocks ap- 
 proaching so near, that the road is cut in the cliffs 
 alono; the edo;e of the stream. On the rif>;ht a water- 
 fall throws itself at one leap from the height of 2000 
 feet, to join the torrent below. There is another at 
 the bottom of the valley, which is said to have a 
 still greater fall, but the volume of water is not suf- 
 ficient to produce any great efi'ect. It is the profound 
 depth of the narrow fissure riven through those 
 gigantic clifi's which gives the scene its magnificent 
 character. The head of the valley is walled up by a 
 mountain mass scarcely less precipitous than those 
 which form its sides, and the road is carried en 
 echelle down the face of the cliff, by an exercise of 
 engineering skill which does the highest credit to the 
 
 s 3
 
 262 GUDVANGEN. 
 
 Norwegian officer who conducted the work. The 
 zig-zags are of easy gradient, and have wide sweeps 
 at the angles of return, and the whole is firmly fenced 
 against the precipice by strong posts and rails of pine 
 timber. We walked onward down the pass, till look- 
 ing back our carrioles appeared like mere children's 
 toys in the distance, on the enormous scale of every 
 thing around. The valley, occasionally winding, pre- 
 sented the same features, deep and narrow and 
 walled in by an unbroken line of cliiFs, the whole 
 way to Gudvangen, a distance of eight English miles. 
 The stream rushes sparkling and clear over a bed of 
 very white shingles, the debris of the quartz rocks 
 which had been blasted to form the road. From what- 
 ever cause, the colour of the water was of the most 
 brilliant azure ; and the effect of those bright tints in 
 that deep profound which the sun never penetrates, 
 was singularly beautiful. 
 
 The rest of our day's journey from Gudvangen to 
 Lierdalsoren was to be performed by water. The 
 distance is about thirty-six English miles.* The 
 branch of the Sogne-Fjord, on which we here em- 
 barked, seems to be a continuation of the deep valley 
 we had just descended, being inclosed by a prolonga- 
 tion of the same chain of lofty mountains, which 
 
 * There was a steamer on the Sogne-Fjord, which made the 
 passage at regular intervals between Lierdalsoren and Gudvangen; 
 but the travelling even on the line of route between Christiania 
 and Bergen was found insuflBcient to pay the expenses, and the 
 packet was withdrawn.
 
 I -ir-^jjatsAiSi a ^^.isivC, J ^tj ^\4 iH' Jciftii^J 'ferjS i-J
 
 NAVIGATION OF THE SOGNE-FJORD. 263 
 
 impend over the narrow channel in a manner ahnost 
 terrific. Seated in the boat, we had leisure to scan 
 the dark features of those inaccessible cliffs, which 
 shut us in as with a solid wall on both sides, their 
 summits lost in the clouds, while sea-birds wheeled 
 screaming in wide circles about their base. It was a 
 grand and gloomy scene. But on the whole, the 
 scenery of the Sogne-Fjord is not on the same scale 
 of grandeur as that of the Hardanger. The higher 
 mountains, with some exceptions, do not rise so 
 directly from the water ; their elevations are not 
 so great; and there is less variety in the outline 
 of its shores. Still it is a magnificent sheet of 
 water, penetrating in its main channel 150 English 
 miles into the interior, independently of its numerous 
 branches. 
 
 That on which we were now embarked ranges 
 about fifteen miles to the northward before it joins 
 the main channel, whose course is nearly due east 
 and west, with an average breadth of perhaps 
 two English miles. We had taken three boatmen 
 from Gudvangen, who pulled four oars, but our pro- 
 gress was slow ; the Norwegians are not good rowers, 
 and the oars are mere paddles. They almost inva- 
 riably hug the shore, coasting every little bay and 
 having to pull round the projecting points, so as 
 much to increase the distance. The inlet widening 
 and a little breeze springhig up, our men hoisted a 
 small lug-sail and lay on their oars. However this 
 did not mend matters ; the wind was scant and died 
 
 s 4
 
 264 NAVIGATION OF THE SOGNE-FJORD 
 
 away, and the men very reluctantly and not without 
 losing much time, took to their oars again. Thus 
 we continued alternately hoisting and taking in sail, 
 till, according to custom, we landed for the mid-dag's 
 mad. It was under a scrubby wood of birch, in 
 which some women were cutting boughs with which 
 to load a boat lying alongside a shelf in the rocks, 
 to eke out the stores of winter fodder at some little 
 shore-side farm. 
 
 We continued to follow closely the outline of the 
 western shore, a scene of almost unvaried sterility, 
 till coming opposite Froningen, which stands at the 
 foot of a bluff point on the opposite coast, where the 
 inlet joins the main channel, it became necessary to 
 stand right across. AYe had scarcely altered our 
 course and got from under the lee of the land, when, 
 as ill luck would have it, a squall came on accom- 
 panied by heavy rain ; and in the mid channel we 
 encountered a heavy sea, in which the boat pitched 
 considerably. She was ill calculated for carrying 
 the carriole, which was stowed forward, the shafts 
 protruding like a double bowsprit. At this time we 
 were under sail, the wind coming in sudden gusts, 
 which increased our difficulties. Both my companion 
 and myself had some experience as sailors, and were 
 fully aware of what the emergency demanded. One 
 handled the tiller, and the other sat with the sheet of 
 the lug-sail in hand, ready to let it fly if any more 
 violent squall should threaten to capsize us ; while 
 the men forward occasionally dropped their oars to
 
 TO LIERDALSOREN. 265 
 
 keep the head of the boat to the seas. Presently the 
 wind eho})pcd round and came right ahead, the sail 
 was taken in and the boatmen had a heavy pull 
 against wind and waves till we at length rounded 
 the point. We cast wistful looks at Froningen. It 
 is a regular station on the fjord where boats are 
 changed ; and a neat house on the bank among trees 
 and green fields gave promise of comfortable quar- 
 ters. But our forl)ud was laid for Lierdalsoren, 
 which, wet and cold as we were, must be reached 
 that niMit. 
 
 We had yet seventeen or eighteen miles to go ; but 
 soon afterwards the squall abated, and having now 
 gained the main channel of the fjord, we had again 
 the shelter of the land. Once more a light but 
 favourable breeze sprung up, which again fell as the 
 evening closed in ; but the boatmen, upon promise 
 of an additional drikke penge^ took more heartily 
 to their oars than they had hitherto done. In 
 powers of endurance at least, the Norwegian boatmen 
 are not wanting : ours on this occasion underwent 
 nearl}^ ten hours of almost incessant and frequently 
 severe' toil. It was approaching eleven o'clock at 
 night when, having entered a channel which gradually 
 narrowed to the north-east, and pulled a short dis- 
 tance up a river which discharged itself into the 
 inlet, we landed at Lierdalsoren.
 
 266 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PASSAGE OF THE FILLE-FJELD. COMPARED WITH THE HARDANGEE. 
 
 — QUARTERS AT NYSTDEN. THE LITTLE 3IIOSEN. SYLVA OF 
 
 NORAYA Y. SCENERY OF THE STRAND-FJORD, CROSS THE RIDGE 
 
 TO BRDFLAT RANDS-FJORD. FLUBERG. CROSS TO THE 
 
 MIOSEN-VAND. — EMBARK IN STEA3I-B0AT FOR LILLEHAMMER. 
 
 LiERDALSOEEN ofFers to the traveller a good hotel, 
 with accommodations much superior to most of the 
 stations which are the regular halting-places on the 
 road. Its centrical position, approachable either by 
 the fjord or the post-road over the Fille-Fjeld, makes 
 it a desirable point from whence excursions can be 
 made into some of the finest scenery of Norway. It 
 was the pivot of some of our respective movements 
 in the " rambles " of both years. 
 
 Late as it was when we landed, we found the people 
 of the hotel stirring. We were in no hurry, and 
 lingered long over our meal. It Avas the last we 
 should take together, for here we were to part. We 
 had travelled in company, by land and by water, 
 upwards of 1500 miles, with entire unity of purpose 
 and great congeniality of feeling. We were nearly 
 that distance from home, and our respective paths 
 were not without chances of accident, particularly 
 my friend's wild and unfrequented route. / feared 
 that he would be rash ; and he was apprehensive least 
 I should be visited with an access of the malady
 
 PASSAGE OF THE FILLE-FJELD. 267 
 
 under which I was already suffering. At last we lay 
 down ; but not, I believe, either of us to enjoy much 
 sleep. We had lain about two hours when the drums 
 of the landva3rn stationed in the village, roused us 
 from our uneasy slumbers. It was five o'clock. 
 The forbud had commanded a horse for my carriole 
 at six, and immediately afterwards my companion 
 was to take boat for the upper branch of the Sogne- 
 Fjord on his way to Fortun. He assisted in packing 
 the carriole ; the hearty " Farewell," and fervent 
 "God bless you" were exchanged — not an empty 
 phrase, but an earnest prayer — and I was off. 
 
 The road led up a very pretty valley, at the head 
 of which it ascended the face of the mountain in a 
 zigzag, like that we had passed the preceding day on 
 coming down to Gudvangen, only on a somewhat 
 less scale. The work of the engineers had been con- 
 tinued through a magnificent pass in which the road, 
 carried along above the stream, was in many places 
 cut through the solid rock, and crossed the torrent 
 by a bridge pitched high from rock to rock. At 
 Lisne I changed horses, and was rather surprised to 
 be sent on without a post-boy. Relieved of that 
 additional weight, the spirited little animal with 
 which I was supplied, cantered up the easy declivi- 
 ties and charged down the falls of the road at a pace 
 which accomplished the stage of a Norsk mile and a 
 quarter in little more than an hour, and I reached 
 Haig shortly before the time fixed by the forbud 
 ticket for the relay. I was afterwards sorry to find
 
 268 PASSAGE OF 
 
 that between Husum and Hasg I had hurried by, 
 Avithout being aware of it, the church of Borgund, 
 one of those curious relics of the old timber build- 
 ings of Norway, of which I have already spoken. 
 If it had occurred during our " rambles " on foot, it 
 could scarcely have escaped observation. 
 
 From this station there was to be no relay till I 
 had crossed the plateau of the fjeld, a distance of 
 thirty miles. The road still kept along the banks 
 of the Lierdals-Elv, the same stream whose course, 
 receiving the waters of numberless falls and cas- 
 cades by the way, I had traced upwards from 
 Lierdalsoren. The scenery of the pass became 
 savagely wild ; huge masses of rock were scattered 
 at the base of the cliffs, at first intermingled 
 with patches of stunted birch, but before I reached 
 Maristuen almost all signs of vegetation had ceased. 
 There is here a large and roomy, but dreary, post- 
 house, at which we unharnessed for half an hour 
 to bait the horse, and I got once more a bowl of 
 mountain milk. Immediately afterwards we gained 
 the summit of the pass. People are in raptures 
 at its magnificent scenery, and it is certainly 
 very picturesque ; but I confess I was disappointed. 
 Had I not crossed the Hardanger, I should have 
 had very little idea of the true character of a 
 fjeld : I saw no snow-drifts, nor any of those vast 
 platforms of bare rock, occasionally carpeted by 
 mosses and lichens, no distant views of snowy 
 peaks ; and that breadth of outline, and the feelii ^
 
 THE FILLE-FJELD. 269 
 
 of utter solitude, which gave a mysterious grandeur 
 to the vast ranges of the Hardanger-Fjeld, were 
 wanting. No doubt, the plateau of the Fille-Fjeld 
 would present many of the same features to any one 
 Avho should explore its broad ranges, but the post- 
 road destroys the charm ; and it is of course traced 
 over the least-elevated part of the mountain. 
 
 Soon after leaving Maristuen, we entered a birch- 
 wood ; and in about half a Norsk mile I found the 
 waters running eastward. Tliere was no interval 
 between those which discharge themselves ultimately 
 into the Christiania-Fjord and tlie sources of the 
 Lierdals-Elv, which joins the Sogne-Fjord at Lierdal- 
 soren. The road appeared- newly and admirably con- 
 structed. AVe passed a pillar on the right, marking 
 the boundary between the Bergenstift and the Aggers- 
 huusstift ; and shortly after stopped suddenly at a 
 solitary house on the banks of a small and dreary 
 lake. This I found was Nystuen, and here Ave were 
 to pass the night. Though it was yet early, I rejoiced 
 to get under cover, for it had come on to rain heavily 
 just after leaving Maristuen, and I was very wet and 
 the cold was piercing. We were still on the fjeld, 
 and the elevation was upwards of 3000 feet above the 
 level of the sea. However desolate the exterior of 
 this station, it presented many comforts within. The 
 principal of these Avas a stove which Avas immediately 
 put in requisition. The guest-room Avas a very large 
 apartment, Avith AvindoAvs looking out on the lake. 
 It furnished a dish of the delicate red trout, for which
 
 270 DREAHY QUARTERS. 
 
 it is famous ; but somehow I had Uttle appetite for 
 my sohtary meah The building set apart for the 
 accommodation of travellers is quite distinct from the 
 dwellino-.house of the station-master, from which it is 
 separated by a yard. The good woman of the house, 
 who had done every thing in her power to make me 
 comfortable, departed, and I was left alone, sole tenant 
 of the lone building. The tempest howled without, 
 whirlino^ in wild o-usts over the wide waste of the 
 fjeld, and the rain beat violently against the creaking 
 windows. I heaped more fuel on the stove, and for a 
 time beguiled the lonesomeness of a long evening by 
 writing. Drowsiness succeeded, and I was glad at an 
 early hour to seek the rest which the raging of the 
 storm failed to interrupt. 
 
 The morning broke with heavy clouds hanging 
 over the lake, and torrents of rain. There could be 
 no respite : the forbud, like inexorable fate, sum- 
 moned me on. Nystuen is on the edge of the fjeld, 
 and the descent soon became fearfully steep, through 
 scenery rugged and grand in the highest degree. We 
 charged down the sides of the mountain at a pro- 
 digious rate. Familiarity had made me insensible to 
 danger, and I felt a wild pleasure in the excitement 
 of the rush ; animating the spirited little horses to 
 their utmost speed by the peculiar chirrup to which 
 they are accustomed, the use of whip or lash being 
 almost unknown. However there is generally little 
 occasion to urge the horses on the descent of the hills, 
 and it would be hardly possible to restrain them ; so
 
 DESCENT FROM THE FJELD, 271 
 
 that the nervous man would do wisely not to engage 
 in travelling by carriole in such a country. Once 
 only in the course of the morning, I encountered what 
 threatened to be a serious accident. In descending a 
 hill, the off-rein broke, and being caught by a knot 
 in the perforated wooden collar through which it 
 passed, I was not immediately aware of it ; so that in 
 gathering up the reins for the descent, the pressure 
 fell on the near-side and causing the horse to swerve, 
 threw him over the edge of the bank. Providentially 
 the near- wheel was caught by a large stone, and there 
 was footing for the horse a few feet below the brink 
 of the road, before the ground fell away precipitously 
 into a deep ravine. Alighting on this ledge, the 
 sagacious little animal planted himself firmly ; the 
 shafts of the carriole protruding over the declivity on 
 the edge of which the body of the carriage remained 
 suspended, the stone having checked its further 
 progress. With the help of the post-boy, a young 
 urchin seated on the footboard behind the carriao:e, 
 who exhibited a marvellous nonchalance^ 1 released 
 the horse from the harness, and with some difficulty, 
 so steep was the declivity, we succeeded in backing 
 the carriole into its proper line in the centre of the 
 road, and putting matters to rights. Fortunately 
 when the accident occurred, we had only just passed 
 the crest of the hill, and the horse had not settled into 
 a pace which it would have been impossible to check ; 
 for nothing could then have saved us from being pre- 
 cipitated to the bottom of the glen.
 
 272 LITTLE MIOSEN-VAND. 
 
 There were numberless places where such a cata- 
 strophe must have ensued, for the road is cut along 
 the steep sides of the hills, with rarely any parapet, 
 though the fall on the side is often nearly vertical, to 
 the depth of many hundred feet. This was par- 
 ticularly the case after reaching the banks of the 
 Little Miosen-A'and, which we coasted for several 
 miles. It is a scene of dreary grandeur, the dark 
 waters of the solitary and unfrequented lake below, 
 and a mountain of upwards of 4000 feet in height 
 (along the face of which the road is carried) frown- 
 ing above. This wild scenery was relieved by the 
 charming aspect of the village of Oilo, situated in a 
 hollow at the end of the lake, among smiling fields and 
 slopes covered with birch-wood. At the foot of the 
 Little Miosen-Yand *, I drove through a fine grove 
 
 * My friends, in tlieir excursion of 1849, met with a dwarf 
 willow near the Little Miosen, which I think is rare. They called 
 it the sweet-scented loilloiv, having been attracted to it by its 
 delightful scent. It grew on damp mossy ground near the lake. 
 The shrub was three or four feet high ; leaves downy on the under 
 surface, and much resembling those of the ordinary willow. I am 
 indebted for this note of it, and for some of the other botanical 
 notices, to a young friend who was the junior member of the ex- 
 ploring party of 1849. 
 
 I have frequently mentioned the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea, 
 var. polaris, I believe), which climbs the highest of all the herba- 
 ceous tribes. One sees its gray leaves and brown twigs among the 
 patches of snow on the border of the snow line. It grows from 
 one to two feet high. The leaves gray and downy, and, with the 
 twigs, have a bitter taste when chewed. 
 
 My friends also found on this east side of the Fille-Fjeld, near 
 Krogleven, a curious plant (name unknown), bearing eatable
 
 THE SYLVA OF NORWAY. 273 
 
 of aspen-trees. The aspen is very common in the 
 woods of Norway, which it enlivens with its smooth 
 white bark and delicate leaves, changing early on the 
 rocky declivities to a bright yellow. 
 
 It is a mistake to suppose that the forest scenery 
 of Norway is monotonous, composed of firs or pines 
 only. It is true that there are only two species of 
 the fir tribe indigenous in the country ; the Finns 
 sylvestris^ which we commonly call the Scotch fir, and 
 the Pinus ahies, the spruce fir ; the one producing the 
 red and the other the white deals and timber of our 
 builders. But even in the pine forests there is fre- 
 quently an undergrowth of various ages, the young 
 spruce, in particular, feathering out and clothing the 
 
 berries close to the stem. It grew on damp mossy ground in the 
 valleys. The berries were of a transparent amber colour, the taste 
 was pleasant and astringent. Leaves resembling those of the 
 myrtle. 
 
 I should not omit to mention, in even a cursory notice, the 
 Multehcer (Rubus Choemapmorus), which grows on all the higher 
 mountains, on damp boggy ground, near the snow line. It bears 
 red and white berries, which make an excellent preserve, and the 
 peasants collect large quantities. Its growth is six inches ; the 
 leaves like those of the geranium. Flowers red and white. 
 
 My young friend found the Gentian (? Gentiana nivalis) on 
 the Gousta-Fjeld, and on heathy mountain sides, between that and 
 the Mios-Vand. Its height was four feet, and it bore spikes of 
 yellow flowers. 
 
 He also noticed a showy plant, which had attracted my attention, 
 growing above the Rjukan-Foss, and not far from the snow line, 
 name unknown. It grew six or seven feet high, with pink and 
 white flowers ; the leaves fleshy and downy of a dark green, Tlie 
 bark of the shrub was also dark green.
 
 27-4 THE SYLVA OF NORWAY. 
 
 ground among the boles of the taller trees with a 
 natural shrubbery ; and when the surface of these 
 forests is generally bare, the ravines and sides of 
 water-courses are fringed with an underwood of birch, 
 alder, aspen, and ash. Of deciduous trees, the hedge- 
 row elm and the shapely beech are of rare occurrence, 
 in the sylva of Norway ; and oak-woods are confined 
 to the southern districts, where we saw them clothing 
 the hills on the shores of the Skaggerack. The wych- 
 elm, sycamore, and maple are more common ; and in 
 the course of this day's journey, I passed some most 
 magnificent poplar-trees, the spreading branching 
 Populus alba, of great size and beauty, growing in a 
 meadow near the head of the Rands-Fjord. Of the 
 birch I have often had occasion to speak, whether grown 
 to the size of trees with rugged and silvery bark and 
 light pendulous foliage, as they were sometimes seen 
 in the valleys, or clothing with underwood the islets 
 and promontories of the lakes, and spreading among 
 the gray cliiFs up the mountain sides, above the 
 region of the pine, to the very confines of vegetation 
 and the verge of perpetual snow. The birch grows 
 at elevations of 3500 feet, and the limit of the pine 
 may be taken at 2500; though occasionally a few 
 stunted firs may be found among the birch-woods 
 higher up the sides of the mountains, while at the 
 latter elevation the pine-woods are seen bristhng the 
 crests of the ridges. These computations, though 
 sufficiently correct, as applying to the districts we 
 visited, are of course subject to variation by circum-
 
 SCENERY OF THE STRAND-FJORD. 275 
 
 stances of climate and exposure. Even the limit of 
 perpetual snow varies considerably on the different 
 fjelds, as I think has been pointed out in some of my 
 fellow-traveller's notes. 
 
 I think I saw nothing in Norway more exquisite 
 than the scenery of the Strand-Fjord, the head of 
 which I struck after a heavy stage from the Little- 
 Miosen. The road followed the left bank of the fjord, 
 for about fifteen Enolish miles. The hard lines and 
 
 o 
 
 rugged features of the elevated region from which 
 I had just descended were here succeeded by gentle 
 swells, in which tlie mountains fell to the level of the 
 fjord. The shores were studded with villages and 
 hamlets, clustered amongst groves of timber, which 
 encircled pastures and corn-fields, straggled up the 
 sides of the hills, and richly clothed point and pro- 
 montory, jutting out into the fjord, and headlands 
 and islets breaking its outline, and giving infinite va- 
 riety to its winding shores. T counted no less than 
 four or five churches on the western bank, a very rare 
 aggregation in this thinly populated country. The 
 most distinguished of these is Slidre, conspicuous 
 with its accompanying praeste-gaard, the fertile glebe 
 of which, sloping down to the water's edge occupied 
 the space between two of the wooded points. Through 
 this delightful scenery the road wound, following 
 the undulations of the ground ; near or slightly re- 
 ceding from, sometimes keeping the level, at others 
 threading the birch-woods just above the margin, of 
 the lake. The " turn out" from Stee was excellent ; 
 
 T 2
 
 276 SCENERY OF 
 
 a light active post-boy, and one of the cleverest nags 
 I had met with. Cream coloured, with black mane 
 and tail, his shape was perfect, and, high mettled, he 
 bounded along through this delightful scenery ; whilst 
 one almost regretted a speed which made the enjoy- 
 ment so transient. The weather had cleared up in 
 the course of the preceding stage, and the sun now 
 shone out gloriously, lighting up hill sides, green in- 
 closures, and the still surface of the fjord with most 
 enchanting effects of colouring. The banks on the 
 road side were hung with clusters of the wood straw- 
 berry and wild raspberry, of which I plucked hand- 
 fulls as I walked by the side of the carriole up the 
 gentle slopes ; and the edges of the corn-fields were 
 decked by a profusion of bright flowers*, among 
 
 * The well known foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is very 
 common along the road on the eastern side of the Fille-Fjeld, and 
 grows freely in the pine forests, especially near Brufladt. 
 
 I do not know of any plant of the sliowy kind that struck me 
 more than the monkshood, which we found growing luxuriantly 
 on the lower slopes above the valleys of Tellemarken, and else- 
 where, at a moderate elevation. It first attracted our attention on 
 the Sunday we spent at Midbo in Lohoden, in the woods near the 
 cascade, remarkable for its free growth, broad indented leaves, 
 and pyramidal spikes of flowers. My younger friend, to whom I 
 have already referred, favoured me with the following notice of it: — 
 
 Aconita napellus, Anglice the monkshood, used in medicine, 
 principally externally. Found about the Voi'ing-Foss, and in the 
 Sogne-Fjeld, but not much in Hardanger, I saw a little near 
 Odde on the fjord. Locality, dry mountain sides, where there is but 
 a small depth of earth, and no moss, and at an elevation not greater 
 than that of the pines. The highest I saw was at Vettie-Saeter, 
 opposite to Skagtolds-Tind. Flowers ; purple, helmet-shaped.
 
 THE STRAND-FJOKD. 2/7 
 
 which large patches of the delicate blue pansy con- 
 trasted with those of more brilliant hues. The peasants, 
 in picturesque costume, were busy with the hay ; and 
 near the prasste-gaard I passed some ladies walking ; 
 and sign of return to civilised life, carrying parasols ! 
 The temperature was delicious. Stripped of my 
 drenched wrappings, which were S2:)read in the sun 
 about the carriole, I felt the genial influence in every 
 limb be-numbed by the cold rains and blasts, and 
 stiff with alternately scrambling up the slippery steeps 
 of the mountain ranges, and sitting in the carriole in 
 a deluge of wet, which no coverings could effectually 
 exclude. It is impossible to conceive a greater 
 change than a few hours had effected. I had slept at 
 Nystuen, at an elevation of 3000 feet : the level of the 
 Strand-Fjord is little more than one third of that 
 height. I had rapidly exchanged the region of 
 storms, of wild desolation, of almost unbroken soli- 
 tude, for valleys teeming with population and ra- 
 diant with every imaginable beauty. The sky, the 
 lake, the temperature were Italian ; the features of 
 the people, and the character of the buildings, and of 
 the vegetation, were those of another clime. 
 
 Threading this charming landscape under such 
 
 Leaves ; jagged, like the fingers of a liand. Grows to about four feet 
 higli. Tlie leaves and other parts contain a most powerful poison, 
 called acoiiitina, which is an alkaloid, like morphia and strichnia." 
 Aconita iiapellus, which grows so profusely, might be made a 
 source of profit to the Norwegians, as it is at present an expensive 
 drug. 
 
 T 3
 
 278 SCENERY OF THE STRAND -FJORD. 
 
 circumstances, I felt almost an intoxicating sense of 
 delight. All the difficulties of the journey were over- 
 come, the mountain barrier was passed, and the road 
 to the capital would be a succession of similar scenes. 
 Hopes, destined to disappointment, like many a san- 
 guine anticipation of a sunny hour ! For the remain- 
 der of this day, ho^^iever, every thing continued 
 auspicious. Towards the bottom of the fjord, where 
 it much narrowed, but was still a fine sheet of water, 
 it was spanned by a long bridge of most picturesque 
 appearance, resting on twenty piers of timber. Soon 
 after this we crossed a rapid stream, and the charac- 
 ter of the country again changed. We entered a pine 
 wood, and I had once more the pleasure of winding 
 among its deep glades. We afterwards crossed some 
 steep ridges; the river, which debouched from the 
 Strand-Fjord, accompying us all the way to Fryden- 
 lund, where we arrived at an early hour. 
 
 It is a considerable village, with a church and par- 
 sonage, and a large but not very comfortable station- 
 house. The giest-giver was very civil, and almost 
 ludicrously anxious to understand and suppl}^ my 
 Avants, which, however, I had the greatest difficulty 
 in making him comprehend. With persons naturally 
 intelligent (by far the greater majority of those with 
 whom I had to do) I got on very well. The wonien, 
 excellent creatures ! were particularly quick in catch- 
 ing my meaning, and sedulous in attention to the 
 traveller's wishes. The good housewives sometimes 
 reminded me of the Kellcren of the Tyrol ; but there
 
 CROSS MOUNTAINS TO BKUFLADT. 279 
 
 was no Kelleren here. Neither was any kind of viand 
 to be procured but flad-brod and gammel-ost — rye 
 cakes and old cheese : my haversack supplied the need- 
 ful ; and a fire in the stove was very welcome. Long 
 before daylight I was awoke by the crash of the 
 casements which, not having been firmly secured, 
 were driven in by a violent gust of wind. It blew a 
 hurricane, accompanied by torrents of rain. Xor had 
 it abated when, at the appointed hour, I took ray seat 
 in the carriole. A pedestrian traveller, limited to the 
 lightest possible weight in his equipments, is ill pre- 
 pared for other modes of travelling. The light over- 
 coat, however water-proof, is a very scanty envelope 
 for use in a boat or an open carriage. The apron of 
 the latter will not prevent heavy rain from driving 
 under it, and pouring down the thighs and knees. I 
 was speedily in a pitiable condition ; but to such ca- 
 sualties one becomes inured by habit. It had rained 
 almost daily since we commenced our rambles ; the 
 Norwegians said that the sunnner was unusually wet. 
 I should not, however, recommend travellers to com- 
 mence their journey in this country before the middle 
 of July, when the weather generally becomes more 
 settled. 
 
 My favourable anticipations, during the bright 
 hours of the preceding day, of a pleasurable progress 
 failed in every point. The passage of the mountain 
 from Freydenlund to Brufladt was a more severe trial 
 than any thing I had met with in crossing the Fille- 
 Fjeld. The ascent is long and desperately steej), the 
 
 T 4
 
 280 CEOSS MOUNTAINS TO BRUFLADT. 
 
 inclination of the road being often at an angle of 60 
 degrees. It was with extreme difficulty that the 
 empty carriole was dragged up some of the heights. 
 I walked the whole way in a deluging rain, contend- 
 incj with a bafflino; wind. The summit is 4043 feet 
 above the level of the sea. In about four or five miles 
 we mounted upwards of 2000 feet, and were nearly 
 three hours in accomplishing it. From this the 
 severity of the ascent may be calculated. I observed 
 little of the scenery ; for the greater part of the way 
 we were enveloped in a thick fog ; but what I did see 
 was on a scale of fearful grandeur. In fine weather 
 the toil of the ascent may be compensated by the 
 magnificent view of the Strand-Fjord underneath, 
 backed by the snowy summits of the Hurungerne- 
 Fjeld far away to the northward. After crossing 
 the p^a^^a?^ of the mountain, when I again found 
 myself among drifts of snow, the descent on the other 
 side to Brufladt was equally rapid. It stands at the 
 head of a long valley Avatered by the Etne-Elv, which 
 we descended along the course of the river, by an 
 excellent road, through woods of spruce fir, and 
 among good farms with rich meadows on the water's 
 side, till we struck the head of the Rands-Fjord. 
 
 Approaching it through a wood of magnificent 
 spruce firs wdiich clothed its eastern shore, this 
 noble sheet of water presented, though on a much 
 larger scale, some of the features wdiich had so de- 
 lighted me on the preceding day. But the Rands-Fjord 
 is more than six Norsk (upwards of 40 English]) miles
 
 THE RANDS-FJOED. 281 
 
 long, in a direction nearly south ; its bays take wide 
 sweeps, and the farms on its banks and on the slopes 
 of the hills indicate, by the extent and number of 
 the inclosures and the size and character of the 
 buildings, a degree of opulence in the holders far 
 beyond any thing I had yet witnessed. It is by no 
 means singular that on descending from great eleva- 
 tions the temperature of the valleys should be found 
 serene and undisturbed by the storms which are 
 raging in the upper regions of the mountains ; and 
 there is nothing very remarkable in the weather, 
 which has been foul in the earlier part of the day, 
 clearing up about noon. It was my good fortune 
 that these very common events, on two successive 
 days, occurred precisely so as to give the fullest effect 
 to the landscape, and at the very period of time at 
 which 1 happened to touch its most interesting points 
 of view. Now, as I was passing through the spruce 
 wood at the head of the fjord the surface of the 
 water, seen through the boles of the tall firs, was 
 gleaming like a sheet of molten gold ; the sun having 
 just burst through masses of cloud which still threw 
 some of the headlands and woody slopes on the op- 
 posite shore into deep shade. There was a partial 
 shower ; the feathering branches of the young spruce 
 steamed mth fragrance, and subdued light softly 
 gleamed on farmstead and corn-field, glancing more 
 vividly through an opening in the clouds on the pic- 
 turesque form of a church some three or four miles 
 forward on the hither bank, and bringing out the
 
 282 PARSONAGE 
 
 warm tints of its brio;]it colour in strons; contrast 
 Avith the fir- woods out of which the tower rose clearly 
 defined : this was Fluberg. 
 
 At the station of Land just beyond, the route 
 marked out for me by the forbud ceased, as I pro- 
 posed leaving the direct road to Christiania and 
 makino; a diversion to the Miosen-Yand. Findino- some 
 difficulty in obtaining directions for my further pro- 
 gress from the man who had accompanied me from 
 the last post-house, I pulled up at the gate of the 
 prseste-gaard which stood by the roadside, to make 
 inquiries. My arrival brought several members of 
 the family to the door. The pra^sten was from home ; 
 but he was represented by his son, a student of the 
 university, who gave me satisfactory information, ac- 
 companied with pressing instances that I would delay 
 my journey and spend the night, or a day or two, if 
 possible, at the parsonage. Such was the hospitable 
 feeling towards an entire stranger. I could only 
 accept the invitation to stay dinner, which was on the 
 point of being served ; my kind entertainers promising 
 in the mean time to send to the station for a fresh 
 horse which would convey me to Mustsed, a village 
 on the road to Hun, on the shore of the Miosen. I 
 learnt that a steam -boat would call there on the fol- 
 lowing morning, which would take me up the lake to 
 Lillehammer. My new friend talked a little English ; 
 and having received this satisfactory information, I 
 was delighted to spend an hour or two in such agree- 
 able society as the family at the parsonage aftbrded.
 
 OF FLUBERG. 283 
 
 AVe sat down to table a party of twelve ; the mother, 
 a venerable grandmother, seven young ladies (five 
 daughters and two visitors), the young man, a fellow- 
 student, and myself. The meal was abundant and 
 well served. I particularly recollect the profusion of 
 strawberries at the dessert, a large bowl of which, 
 floating in cream, was placed before each individual. 
 On rising from table, with the usual ceremonies, we 
 retired to a handsome saloon. The hall was strowed 
 with tops of the small branches of spruce-fir. The 
 student read to the young ladies. My friend showed 
 me his books, and I gave him a lesson in Shakspeare. 
 AVe walked out ; the premises were spacious ; a large 
 yard was surrounded by buildings of every descrip- 
 tion ; home manufactures, in all the stages of spin- 
 ning, weaving, fulling, and bleaching were going 
 on. The mistress, an excellent motherly creature, 
 was everywhere busy among her handmaidens. The 
 glebe extended to the banks of the fjord ; a large 
 field of hay was cut, the rye was nearly ripe, and 
 luxuriant crops of barley were in full ear. The soil 
 in this neighbourhood is very fertile ; the farms 
 are large, and the owners opulent. I learnt that 
 there were proprietors worth 30,000 dollars, an ample 
 fortune in Norway. Those possessed of from 5000 
 to 20,000 are independent. The district of Land 
 contains five parishes, of w^hich Fluberg is the 
 mother or principal church, Hoved-KirJc. M. Aabel 
 the praesten, has an assistant; and they serve the 
 Annex-Kirker alternately. The clergy here live on
 
 284 PARSONAGE OF FLUBERG. 
 
 the best of terms with their parishoners. In the 
 course of the afternoon several of the neighbour- 
 ing gentlemen dropped in. There was a large garden 
 at the back of the house, in which they played at 
 bowls. Again, we assembled in the saloon for coffee, 
 our party further reinforced. It was a most agreeable 
 and unexpected reunion. A few hours before I had 
 been battling with storms at a vast elevation, among 
 wreaths of perpetual snow and scenery of the wildest 
 and most desolate character ; what a contrast with 
 the views now presented from the windows of the 
 saloon, which looked over the gardens and glebe to 
 the rich farms on the opposite shore of the lake ! And 
 then, the circle with wliich I was surrounded of edu- 
 cated men and elegant and accomplished women. 
 Some of the girls were extremely beautiful. There is 
 a clearness and brilliancy in the complexion and a 
 softness in the expressive features of many of the 
 Norwegian women that is charming. 
 
 I should have been delighted to have prolonged my 
 visit, but time wore on, though it had passed rapidly. 
 The passage of a high ridge between two lakes I 
 had generally found to be a very formidable affair, 
 and I began to be uneasy, as it was seven o'clock 
 before the expected horse was harnessed to my car- 
 riole, and I bade adieu to these worthy and hospitable 
 people. Crossing the main road just opposite the 
 gate of the praeste-gaard, I entered a pine-wood, 
 ascending rapidly. Arrived at some elevation, the 
 Rands-Fjord, and the scenery of its shores, such as I
 
 EVENING RIDE. 285 
 
 have already described, spread out far beneath, were 
 seen to the greatest advantage. The lights Avere 
 mellow, and on one particular spot at the head of the 
 lake, the sun's rays were concentrated as on a mirror 
 of burnished silver under a vast mass of the deepest 
 shade. The forest glades opened from time to time 
 into upland farms, and the tinkling bells of herds of 
 co^'S browsing on the outskirts of the woods, or 
 straggling homcAvard to the folds, gave my evening 
 ride a very different character from what I appre- 
 hended. As I crossed the summit of the ridge, I 
 cauoi'ht a view of a broad reach of the Miosen, indis- 
 tinctly seen in the gray twilight, far away to the 
 south east. The descent to the village of Mustaed, 
 through the same scenery of partially wooded slopes 
 and scattered farms, was rapid ; and I found quar- 
 ters at the station, which fully answered the recom- 
 mendation of them received from M. Aabel. 
 
 I had desired to be called early, and soon after 
 four o'clock the good woman of the house made her 
 appearance at my bedside with the accustomed cup of 
 coffee. I had leapt from my bed, and was enjoying 
 from tlie open casement the effects of a glorious sun- 
 shine on the grassy falls of the hills, and breathing 
 the perfume of a hayfield underneath the windows, 
 when she returned, unsummoned, with some articles 
 of dress, and seeming quite prepared to assist at my 
 toilet, proferring all sorts of aid, with a disregard of 
 the proprieties, which was a common occurrence, till 
 a repeated and rather peremptory ta hort induced
 
 286 APPROACH THE MIOSEN. 
 
 her to retreat with the coffee tray. Presently the 
 bell rung from a neighbouring farm to call the 
 labourers to their work. Most of the farms in this 
 district are furnished with bells, and the cuj^olas in 
 which they are hung add to the picturesque effect of 
 the buildings. The road to Hun was down an open 
 valley, the sides of the hills in many places cleared 
 of wood and well cultivated. The Miosen was in 
 full view below, sweeping its broad sheet of water 
 from north to south, as far as the eye could reach. 
 I found at Hun a large station-house. A plentiful 
 breakfast was served in a spacious apartment, decked 
 with flowers in garden pots, and ornamented with 
 portraits of Charles XII. of Sweden, Carl Johan the 
 late king of Xorway, Galileo, Newton, Ludvig Hol- 
 berg, Rubens, and Lieutenant-General Stubell, " chef 
 for den Aggershuus inf. -brigade;" a selection that 
 did credit to the taste and patriotism of the pro- 
 prietor. There was a large garden in the rear of 
 the house, looking down on the lake and full of roses 
 and fruits. A small steamer shot out from under a 
 woody point, and darting across the bay stopped off 
 a little pier about a mile below the station. Again 
 she cut the bright water, proceeding southward on 
 her voyage to Minde, at the foot of the lake. It was 
 the signal for my departure, for the arrival of the 
 " Jan Bart," was to be shortly succeeded by that of 
 the " Droningen," on her upward voyage. 
 
 Leaving the carriole and part of my baggage in 
 the care of the giest-giver, till my return on the
 
 stp:amer on the miosen. 287 
 
 following Monday, I shouldered my knapsack and 
 walked, down to the pier. Again there was a dim 
 speck on the smooth surface of the Vand, a little 
 cloud of smoke, then came into sight the gaily 
 painted hull of a long narrow boat, the red ensign 
 of Xorway floating at the stern. The Droningen 
 rapidly approached the jetty ; I threw my knapsack 
 into a skiff, and was paddled alongside. As I 
 ste2:)ped on the deck, my hand was seized, and I was 
 asked if I were an Englishman. The questioner 
 was a countryman : I had not seen one for a long 
 time. Of his history something may be said here- 
 after. But we were away, steaming up the lake at 
 a great rate, ten or twelve knots an hour. A 
 steamer on a Norwegian lake was an unlooked for 
 occurrence. There are strong objections to the search 
 after the picturesque in such a mode of conveyance; 
 the associations are any thing but agreeable. It had 
 been my design to follow the road of the western 
 shore to Lillehammer at the head of the lake, and to 
 return by the eastern bank. The information I re- 
 ceived from M. Aabel changed my plan. It offered 
 an easier and quicker course, which saved me a 
 journey of 120 or 130 miles, for which I had no 
 horses bespoke ; and it spared the wheels of my old 
 carriole, which had become shaky with crossing the 
 mountains. 
 
 It must be confessed too, that the deck of a steamer 
 affords good views of both the shores of such a sheet 
 of water as the Miosen, whose general width is about
 
 288 SHORES OF THE MIOSEN. 
 
 two or three English miles. They are studded with 
 numerous villages on each side, at which we took 
 in and disembarked passengers. This was a source 
 of much interest and amusement. The population 
 seemed to be considerable, and the soil fertile ; many- 
 parts of the banks of the lake, and wide breadths of 
 the hill slopes being under cultivation, while on 
 others the woods of birch, alder, and other deci- 
 duous trees sweep down to the water's edge. The 
 outlines however seemed tame, and the heat was op- 
 pressive, after the bold and rugged scenery and the 
 pure mountain air to which I had been lately accus- 
 tomed. The shores of the Miosen doubtless present 
 charming landscapes, but to my apprehension they 
 should be seen before the traveller proceeds further 
 into the interior. Then the Nisser-Yand, the Tind- 
 Soe, and the Mios-Vand would present a succession of 
 scenes continually increasing in the scale of grandeur, 
 and the fjords on the western coast would complete 
 the climax. I am persuaded therefore that there are 
 good reasons for making Christiania the termination 
 instead of, as is generally the practice, the starting 
 point of the tour, the inquiring traveller having then 
 opportunities of concentrating and correcting the 
 results of the information he has acquired in his 
 previous rambles, by aids which are best obtained in 
 the capital.
 
 289 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LILLEHAJIMER. — MANUFACTORY OF CORN-BRANDT. STORE- 
 KEEPERS AND TRADE. — SUNDAY. CHURCH SERVICES. OB- 
 SERVANCE OF "the sabbath." — FORMS OF THE NORWEGIAN 
 
 LUTHERAN CHURCH DIFFER FROM THE ROMAN CORRESPOND 
 
 WITH THE ANGLICAN. — REFLECTIONS. NO SECTS IN NORWAY. 
 
 — HAUGER AND HIS DISCIPLES. — NORWEGIAN CLERGY. — STATE 
 OF EDUCATION. ECCLESIASTICAL STATISTICS. 
 
 As we advanced towards the head of the Miosen- 
 Vand, the character of the scenery improved ; the 
 hills becoming loftier, and the mountain ranges which 
 bound the valley of Gulbrandsdal folding in with 
 picturesque effect. Our course from Hun had been 
 five Norwegian miles. About four o'clock in the 
 afternoon the anchor was dropped in a little haven 
 at foot of the hill on which Lillehammer stands. The 
 town was formerly of considerable extent and the 
 seat of a bishoprick. It is said to have had a ca- 
 thedral and a monastery, both founded about 1160 
 by Adrian, an Englishman, at that time the pope's 
 legate in Norway. He afterwards became a cardinal, 
 under the name of Nicholas Breakspear ab Albano; 
 and pope, under the title of Adrian lY.* The place 
 
 * It gives some idea of the predominance of Norwegian power 
 in the northern seas during the middle ages, when we learn that 
 this pope invested the Bishop of Drontheim with metropolitan 
 jurisdiction over Iceland, Greenland, the Faro Islands, Shetlands, 
 Orkneys, and Hebrides, and even the Isle of Man. 
 
 U
 
 290 DISTILLEKIES OF BRANDY. 
 
 was burnt by the Swedes in the 17th century. It 
 is again rising in importance, being the centre of an 
 extensive traffic with the farmers of the rich valleys 
 of Gulbrandsdal and the Heidemarken. It consists 
 of a large open area with neat detached houses round 
 the church, and a long street on the northern road, 
 in which every other house is a store or shop. There 
 is a distillery, newly erected at a cost of 18,000 spec, 
 dollars, calculated for the consumption of 100 tons 
 of potatoes per day, in the manufacture of brandy ; 
 a deplorable waste of food in a country which does 
 not produce sufficient corn for the support of its in- 
 habitants, and which is compelled to import near a 
 million barrels of barley every year.* I fear the 
 accounts given of the extent to which the people are 
 addicted to the use of ardent spirits may be consi- 
 dered but too well founded, although no signs of the 
 abuse came under my immediate notice. It was stated 
 to me that 5,000,000 gallons of corn-brandy are dis- 
 tilled yearly, consuming in the manufacture about 
 250,000 quarters of grain, or a proportionate quan- 
 tity of potatoes. 
 
 There was little to interest at Lillehammer, except 
 some charming views of the Miosen, from the neigh- 
 bourhood of the town. Having accomplished the 
 day's journey at an early hour, I found that I had 
 
 * The average is between 700,000 and 800,000. In 184-7, the 
 importation was above 1,900,000 barrels, or 950,000 quarters of 
 grain.
 
 CHURCH SERVICES. 291 
 
 too much time on hand, and the sudden revulsion 
 from the excitement of my late mode of travelling 
 was far from agreeable. However I was in posses- 
 sion of a snug apartment, prettily furnished in the 
 French style, commanding views of the lake, the 
 church, and its surrounding area ; a vase of flowers 
 stood on my writing-table, which I wheeled round to 
 the window, and determined to turn my season of 
 repose to good account. 
 
 On the following morning the village green was 
 enlivened by groups of people waiting the arrival 
 of the praesten for the performance of divine service. 
 Cars and carrioles brought in others from the neigh- 
 bouring district. I followed them to the church, a 
 wooden structure in the form of a Greek cross, with 
 a belfry and spire in the centre. There were galleries 
 in each of the transepts, which were filled by the 
 gentry of the place. The rest of the congregation 
 sat below ; the men on one side, the women on the 
 other. The chancel, which occupied the whole of 
 the eastern limb of the cross, was divided from the 
 rest of the church by a screen reaching to the roof. 
 It contained only the baptismal pew on the left, 
 the minister's on the right, and a long desk for 
 the choir, consisting of men and boys, and the kirk- 
 songer or praecentor. The altar was covered with 
 a white cloth, and above it rose an entablature 
 carved in wood and gaudily painted and gilded. It 
 presented in several compartments, first, on the 
 lowest, the Lord's Supper carved in high relief;
 
 292 CHURCH SERVICES. 
 
 then a crucifixion, with the Blessed Virgin on one 
 side, and St. John on the other. In a niche above 
 was our Saviour ascending ; and, in the highest com- 
 partment, sitting in glory with his feet upon a globe. 
 On each side were images of the apostles. No part 
 of the church was painted or onamented but the 
 altar, except that the royal crown of Denmark was 
 carved in the chancel-screen, and over the pulpit. 
 The pine-logs, of which the walls were formed, the 
 round boles of which were laid one above another in 
 fluted tiers, gave it an air of great simplicity, as well 
 as of massive solidity. Branches of young fir-trees, 
 the spurs of which being polished resembled the 
 tines of stag's horns, were suspended as hat-pins. 
 
 When I entered, the priest was giving the benedic- 
 tion to a number of young persons kneeling at the 
 altar-rails, placing his hand on the head of each in 
 succession. I failed to comprehend the nature of the 
 office he was thus engaged in. Was it Confirmation ? 
 The rite is especially regarded in the Norwegian 
 church, and the preparation of the candidates for it 
 is attended to with particular care ; but I had been 
 led to believe that the performance of that rite is 
 reserved exclusively to the bishop. The priest was 
 habited in a black gown with close sleeves ; over this, 
 the young people being dismissed, he endued him- 
 self with the assistance of the praecentor, in a surplice 
 very much resembling that used in our own churches. 
 He then turned to the altar and chaunted the collect 
 for the day ; after which followed the epistle, the
 
 CHURCH SERVICES. 293 
 
 people standing. He then divested himself of the 
 surplice, and retired to the sacristy behind the altar, 
 while the people sang one of those Bede-psalmer, 
 or prayer-psalms, which form the staple of their 
 share in the public worship, four of them being in- 
 troduced into the services of each day. Meanwhile 
 the priest had ascended the pulpit, and the singing 
 being concluded, offered a short extempore prayer, 
 followed by the Lord's prayer. He then read the 
 Gospel for the day, the people standing. It being the 
 fifth Sunday after Trinity, it was (like that of our 
 own Church) taken from a chapter of St. Luke, which 
 relates the miraculous draught of fishes. Some of 
 the present accompaniments to the recital of that 
 striking narrative gave it a peculiar interest. The 
 western door of the church stood open, and beneath 
 were seen the placid waters of the Miosen, that 
 inland sea, and the ships drawn to land in the repose 
 of the sacred day. The fishermen had gone out of 
 them; perchance they were among the worshippers 
 and followers of Him, one of whose many wonderful 
 and merciful works on the favoured shores of the sea 
 of Galilee was offered to our meditation. I was in 
 hopes that the preacher would select it for the subject 
 of his discourse, though I could have very imperfectly 
 caught his meaning. But he preached from a passage 
 in the prophecy of Isaiah. His manner was grave, 
 earnest, and impressive, his figure commanding, his 
 brow and features expansive and full, his hair and 
 whiskers touched with gray. Such as he stood in the 
 
 V 3
 
 294 CHURCH SERVICES. 
 
 close gown and starched ruff, familiar in the portraits 
 of the foreign reformers, he reminded me of a Luther 
 or Melancthon. 
 
 At the conclusion of the sermon, the priest gave 
 the benediction, making the sign of the cross with the 
 fore-linger, the people standing and receiving it with 
 great reverence. The occupiers of the galleries then 
 departed, but the whole of the congregation in the 
 body of the church remained. The office of Baptism 
 was then administered. Its forms very nearly cor- 
 responded with those of the English church. The 
 infants were wrapped in long mantles of figured silk, 
 tied in front with knots of white ribbon. At the con- 
 clusion of the service, the women who carried the 
 children, went in turn round the back of the altar, 
 and coming to the south side, laid an offering of 
 money upon it, making a reverence to the priest ; the 
 same ceremony was also performed by six or eight 
 men, who advanced in succession from the body of 
 the church. 
 
 ' The office of Baptism was followed by the celebra- 
 tion of the Holy Communion, the congregation still 
 remaining. Preparatory to this, the priest having 
 returned to the altar, the prsBcentor invested him, 
 over the surplice, with a rich vestment or cope of 
 crimson satin embroidered with a broad cross of 
 silver tissue before and behind.* Kneeling before 
 
 * I had seen them of velvet witli gold embroidery, but the colour 
 was invariably crimson.
 
 CHURCH SERVICES. 295 
 
 the altar, he prayed for a short time in silence. Then 
 standing with his face towards the altar, he chaunted 
 some versicles in a low voice, the choir responding. 
 The prayer of consecration followed, also chaunted 
 in low measured tones of fine modulation ; in the 
 course of which he passed his hand over the elements 
 on the altar, and took the patina and chalice in his 
 hands. The communicants had now approached, and 
 were kneeling at the rails, the women separated from 
 the men. The sacrament was administered by the 
 priest inserting the consecrated wafer into the mouth 
 and holding the chalice to the lips, saying, in a low 
 voice, to each. " This is the true body (blood) of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ ! " Dette er Jesu sande* Legem. 
 Dette er Jesu sande Blod. Having completed the 
 circuit of the rail, standing before the altar with 
 the cup in his hand, he gave a short address to the 
 communicants, who then retired and gave place to 
 others. The choir continued singing while the ad- 
 ministration was taking place. When all had com- 
 municated, the priest again chaunted some collects, 
 the choir responding, and then gave the benediction 
 to the people, making the sign of the cross, as he had 
 done before at the conclusion of the sermon. He 
 then laid aside the surplice and cope, which the prse- 
 centor having placed on the altar, and advancing to the 
 chancel gate, recited some prayers ; while the priest 
 himself communicated, kneeling in front of the altar. 
 
 * Sand, true, right, certain, sui'e. — Dictionary. 
 V 4
 
 296 FEMALE COSTUME. 
 
 The bell in the steeple then rang, and the people 
 departed. The number of the communicants was 
 about ninety, the general congregation being from 
 four to five hundred. Almost all had books contain- 
 ing the Bede-Psalmer and prayers. Nothing could 
 exceed their grave and reverend demeanour during 
 the whole of the service. With the exception of the 
 ladies in the galleries, who were dressed as others of 
 their class would be in most of the towns of Europe, 
 there was little apparent inequality of condition. 
 The men had nothing remarkable in their costume. 
 The women wore braided jackets and stomachers, and 
 petticoats gaily bordered. The general head-dress 
 was a skull cap of silk or satin with a broad border 
 of white lace, not plaited but fitting close and smooth 
 to the side of the face. It was continued in a collar 
 round the back of the neck, where it was met by a 
 knot of ribbons corresponding to the colour of the 
 cap. Those of the older women were black; but 
 there were brighter colours in abundance. Some 
 Wore a kerchief, generally white, folded to a smooth 
 keen edge over the forehead, and gathered into folds 
 under the chin, the point hanging loose down the 
 back behind; a costume familiar in the pictures of 
 the Madonna by Carlo Dolci, and some still finer ones 
 by Sassa Ferrata, and giving a fine oval to the con- 
 tour of the face. The hair was not seen in either of 
 these head-dresses, which harmonised with the fair 
 complexions, blue eyes, and soft expression of the 
 features. Young girls wore their hair parted from
 
 THE MENAGE OF THE GIESTHUUS. 297 
 
 the front in the present fashion, but drawn above the 
 ears and gathered into a knot neatly braided at the 
 back of the neck; a simple and graceful coiffure. 
 
 The menage at the Giesthuus was conducted by five 
 young women, some of them singularly handsome, 
 the master and mistress giving themselves little 
 trouble about it, being apparently people of wealth, 
 and possessed of a large farm. These damsels served 
 the early dish of coffee before I rose in the morning, 
 entering the chamber on all occasions without the 
 slightest reserve; a custom on which I have before 
 commented, and which argues either great innocence 
 and simplicity, or great laxity of manners. I am 
 inclined to attribute it to the former. I found dinner 
 prepared on my return from church ; and it may give 
 an idea of the scarcity of butcher's meat in this coun- 
 try, that in such a town as this, a red trout from 
 the Laagen-Elv was the only dish, besides a plate of 
 excellent white soup. I had thought of procuring a 
 carriage and going some way up the valley of Gul- 
 brandsdal, which, watered by the Laagen-Elv, ex- 
 tends from Tofte, at the foot of the Dovre-Fjeld, to 
 Lillehammer and along the banks of the Moisen; 140 
 English miles. The valley is narrow, inclosed by 
 chains of pine-clad and lofty mountains. Highly cul- 
 tivated, it is the garden of Norway. The scenery, 
 which has been described by almost every traveller, 
 is represented to be extremely beautiful. I found 
 that I must be satisfied with their reports, as my dis- 
 posable time would not allow me to penetrate far
 
 298 OBSERVANCE 
 
 enough to form any idea of its peculiar attractions. 
 I contented myself with a stroll in the environs of 
 the town. Passing through the long street, the shops 
 were all open. Among them was a bookseller's, which 
 I entered, and was surprised at the number of volumes 
 of a superior class which I found on the shelves. 
 They contained also a large collection of Bibles, 
 Prayer-books, and other religious works. 
 
 Speaking of what we should call the desecration of 
 the Sabbath, Mr. Laing remarks in his Residence 
 in Norway^ that "it is a peculiarity in all Lutheran 
 countries" (he might have said in all foreign coun- 
 tries, Catholic or Protestant), " which strikes the 
 traveller, especially from Scotland, that the evening 
 of the Sunday is not passed in quiet and stillness at 
 least, if not in devotional exercises. He must be a 
 very superficial observer, however," he adds, " who 
 ascribes this to a want of religious feeling. It arises 
 from the peculiar, and in the pure Lutheran Church 
 universally received, interpretation of the Scriptural 
 words, that ' the evening and the morning made the 
 first day.' The evening of the Saturday and the 
 morning of Sunday make the seventh day, or Sab- 
 bath, according to the Lutheran Church." 
 
 " "Whether," continues Mr. Laing, " this interpre- 
 tation of the Scriptural words defining the Sabbath 
 be theologically right or wrong, it is politically wrong 
 and injurious to society. The half day of Saturday 
 is little regarded. The labourer cannot leave his 
 work, make himself clean, and go to a distant church,
 
 OF SUNDAY. 299 
 
 for a portion of a day. The half day of Sunday also 
 is more liable to be encroached upon than if the 
 whole were, as with us, a day of rest, on which no 
 manner of work was to be done." * 
 
 Mr. Laing adds some sensible observations on the 
 position of the educated and religiously disposed work- 
 ing-man in Britain, as compared with that of the 
 ignorant and uneducated of his fellow-labourers, who 
 having no demands upon their time but the calls 
 for food and rest, he is therefore in a worse condition 
 than the untaught labourer, who has only his animal 
 wants to supply. The conclusion is, that " the pro- 
 gress of education in Britain will probably make it 
 necessary to unite the two plans, and at no distant 
 time, to make the half of Saturday a period of rest 
 by political institution, as well as the whole of Sun- 
 day by divine institution." There seem of late to be 
 some movements among us in the right direction, and 
 consonant to the wants and habits of a people ad- 
 vancing in mental and, it is to be hoped, in moral 
 culture. AYishing them all the success their im- 
 portance merits, it will not be unseasonable if I pass 
 to some general observations on the religious system 
 of Norway. The subject occupied my thoughts 
 during the quiet evening of the Sunday I spent at 
 Lillehammer, and as I shall not again have occasion 
 
 * Laing's Resideyice in Korwaij, pp. 190, &c. The whole of 
 Mr. Laing's remarks on this subject are worthy of mature attention. 
 I would refer the reader to them, as mj space does not allow me 
 to quote them more at large.
 
 300 LUTHERAN CHURCH COMPARED 
 
 to revert to matters connected with it, the result of 
 the reflections I then made shall complete the present 
 Chapter. 
 
 Travellers, looking at the surface of things, have 
 generally asserted that the performance of religious 
 worship in the Norwegian Church is so essentially 
 ceremonial, as to differ but little from that of the 
 Roman Catholic. They have been startled by the 
 array of images on the altars ; the display of rich 
 vestments in the celebration of the Eucharist ; and 
 the use of the unleavened wafer, together with a high 
 degree of reverence accompanying the administration 
 of that sacrament ; and from these appearances have 
 been led to conclusions which are, I consider, by no 
 means justified. Let us see how matters really stand. 
 With respect to the images, there is not the slightest 
 ground for supposing that in the Lutheran Church 
 any mode or degree of worship is ever addressed to 
 them, or that the saints are invoked in any form of 
 supplication, public or private, as among the Roman 
 Catholics. As to the assumption of an additional and 
 peculiar vestment in the celebration of the Eucharist, 
 I believe the cope is recognised, and has been in use in 
 our own Church since the Reformation. The use of 
 the wafer, instead of leavened bread, is surely a 
 matter of little importance ; perhaps it is more con- 
 sonant to the usage of the primitive Church and the 
 original institution of the sacrament. The Lutherans 
 reject the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation, but 
 they hold that of a spiritual and ineffable union of
 
 WITH THE ROMAN AND ANGLICAN. 301 
 
 the Divine nature with the elements, the substance of 
 which remains unchanfjed. This is called consub- 
 stantiation. But the doctrine of a real presence, 
 the mode mysterious and undefined, and beyond all 
 human power of comprehension is admitted by the 
 formularies of our own Church, and has been held 
 in every age by numbers of its most pious and learned 
 members ; and it is as far removed from the Romish 
 tenet as it is from the Zuinglian and Hoadleyan 
 system, which reduces the sacred ordinance to a mere 
 naked symbol. This doctrine in any shape involves 
 a hio;her dcCTee of reverence in the administration 
 and participation of the sacrament. 
 
 I consider it would be more correct to say that the 
 public worship of the Lutheran Church essentially 
 differs from the Roman Catholic, and has a close 
 affinity to that of the Church of England. It is 
 indeed ceremonial and liturgical, marked features 
 which distinguish its ritual, as well as our own, from 
 the forms of worship of the other foreign reformed 
 Churches, and of the various classes of dissenters 
 among ourselves. And, so far, both the former 
 coincide with the Church of Rome. All three unite 
 in deriving the staple of their formularies from the 
 earlier ages of the Church ; and these are still nearly 
 identical in their general scope and in many portions 
 of their details. But at the time of the Reformation, 
 the Lutheran and Anglican Churches, protesting 
 against the corruptions of the Church of Rome, purged 
 their ritual of the errors and excrescences which had
 
 302 LUTHERAN CHURCH COMPARED 
 
 crept into it in the course of time, and brought it 
 back to the pure standard of primitive antiquity. 
 
 The Lutheran Church, then, essentially differs 
 from the Church of Rome; for there is nothing 
 superstitious in her ceremonial, and her ritual, like 
 our own, contains nothing that is contrary to the 
 Word of God. 
 
 I have given minute details of the services of the 
 Norwegian Church, at which I had recently, as well 
 as on other occasions, assisted, for the purpose of 
 showing how analagous they are in their general 
 character to our own forms. Celebrated in the com- 
 mon language of the people, the congregation in the 
 Bede-psalmer take their share in the performance ; 
 and the tone of the whole liturgy, as far as I was 
 able to understand it, and have learnt from a sub- 
 sequent examination, is spiritual and evangelical, in 
 conformity with the title which the communion esta- 
 blished in Norway assumes, of the "Evangelical- 
 Lutheran Church." The liturgy and offices for ad- 
 ministration of the sacraments are contained in a 
 book set forth by the authority and under the sign- 
 manual of Christian king of Denmark, in 1688. It 
 would require a volume to point out in detail its 
 close approximation to our own Book of Common 
 Prayer. Suffice it to observe, that many of the 
 collects are nearly identical; there is a litany, 
 shorter than ours, but presenting similar forms of 
 supplication. The Christian year is divided into the 
 same course of seasons from Advent to Trinity ; and
 
 WITH THE ROMAN AND ANGLICAN. 303 
 
 the passages selected for the Epistles and Gospels 
 for each Sunday are the very same as those adopted 
 in the English Church. The beautiful office of Bap- 
 tism scarcely differs from our own in language or 
 ceremony. The slight variations in the administra- 
 tion of the Holy Communion have already been 
 pointed out. The tenet of " Consubstantiation," what- 
 ever it means, seems, as it is generally accepted, to 
 convey nothing further than is contained in the 
 words, " This is the true {sande) Body of Jesus 
 Christ," corresponding with the language of our own 
 office and of the catechism. There is no worship or 
 elevation of the Host, and the elements in both kinds 
 are administered to the laity. 
 
 ^Tien in connection with this close identity to our 
 own forms of worship, now widely diffused in the 
 eastern and western hemispheres, it is recollected that 
 the Lutheran Church is not only established in 
 Norway, in Sweden, in Denmark, but that large 
 portions of the population of Prussia, and several 
 states of Germany are of the same communion, it 
 must afford satisfaction to persons of a truly catholic 
 spirit to reflect that, throughout so wide an extent 
 of Christendom and the world at large, there is a 
 general community, not only in the faith, but in the 
 institutions and public services of the several branches 
 of the Christian Church. We do not stand alone. 
 There is a broader basis for the constitution, and a 
 closer unity even in the exterior forms of the great 
 majority of the " Protestant " Churches than is gene-
 
 304 OTHEK PROTESTANT 
 
 rally supposed. The ground on which we take our 
 stand, between Romanism on the one hand, and Cal- 
 vinism or Puritanism, so to speak, on the other, is 
 not so narrow but that it is occupied by the people of 
 many nations and languages as well as our own. It 
 is surely an ennobling thought that, among all these, 
 the voice of prayer periodically ascends clothed in 
 " common " or similar forms of supplication ; the 
 same identical passages of Holy Writ are recited for 
 the edification of the faithful in the services of the 
 day ; and usages, consecrated by the practice of the 
 primitive Church, are adhered to with a common uni- 
 formity. 
 
 In making these remarks, I would be understood 
 to make no uncharitable reflections on other reformed 
 Churches abroad, or nonconformist communities at 
 home. One cannot help thinking that the present is 
 an imperfect state of things, allowed for a season 
 for wise and good purposes ; a scene in the grand 
 drama which, before the consummation of all things, 
 will be followed by the restoration of that visible 
 unity of which the Scriptures, taken literally, seem to 
 speak, and which subsisted in the first and best ages 
 of the Church. Still a truly catholic spirit, making 
 allowances for that diversity of opinion which seems 
 inherent in the constitution of the human mind, and 
 for circumstances which, at and after the time of the 
 Reformation, led to the breaking up of the Christian 
 community into a variety of sects and parties, will 
 embrace, at least in a certain bond of brotherhood, all
 
 COMMUNITIES. 305 
 
 who profess the true faith, however they may diifer 
 in shades of opinion and modes of worship. The 
 circles are concentric, thougli somewhat fainter as 
 they successively recede from the common centre ; 
 but that centre is one and the same. 
 
 I can easily understand that, if it were thought 
 allowable to reject ihe testimony and the practice of 
 primitive ages, which favour the form of government, 
 the discipline, and the ceremony retained in most 
 national Churches, and we had to form a new system 
 from " the Bible, and the Bible alone," there would be 
 much to be said on behalf of simpler, more popular, 
 and, apparently, more spiritual forms. The germs, 
 indeed, of a liturgical service and hierarchical consti* 
 tution may be discovered in the Acts of the Apostles 
 and the Epistles ; but not so distinctly, perhaps, as 
 authoritatively to enjoin the same practices as of 
 paramount necessity or importance. The services of 
 the Synagogue may appear more conformable to the 
 genius of Christianity than those of the Temple, 
 however modified ; and the " upper room " of the in- 
 fant Church may be fairly appealed to as the model 
 of the conventicle, with its service of reading, preach- 
 ing, singing, and extemporaneous prayer, devoid of 
 all appliances of vestment and external ornament, 
 and bare of all ceremonial, except the breaking of 
 bread, the sprinkling of water, and the laying on of 
 hands. Such views may not unreasonably be held by 
 those who are unwilling to acknowledge that in the 
 first years of the infant Church curtailed rites were 
 
 X
 
 306 NO SECTARIANISM. 
 
 permitted under a temporary necessity imposed by the 
 persecuted state of the Church, and who regard all 
 subsequent additions to its exterior forms as corrup- 
 tions of its primitive simplicity. Great allowances 
 ought therefore charitably to be made for the class of 
 persons who, in the exercise of the right of private 
 judgment and appealing to the Bible, and the Bible 
 alone, as their standard (the two distinguishing prin- 
 ciples of Protestantism), reject all modes and obser- 
 vances which are not distinctly injoined in the New 
 Testament. 
 
 Sectarianism has found no footing in Norway. If 
 religious divisions are a great evil, contrary to the 
 spirit and the literal injunctions of the Gospel, a snare 
 to the doubting, a triumph to the unbeliever, and 
 injurious to the frame of society, as I believe they 
 are, — notwithstanding all that can be said of the 
 advantages of religious controversy in quickening 
 the intellect, stimulating inquiry, and awakening men 
 from the passive state of mind produced by uninqui- 
 ring conformity, — from such evil Norway is happily 
 exempt. Out of the pale of the Evangelical-Lutheran 
 Church, there is no place of worship, except, I believe, 
 a Roman Catholic chapel at Christiania. 
 
 Towards the close, indeed, of the last century, a 
 party was formed, it cannot be properly called a sect, 
 for it never seceded from the established communion, 
 having nearly the same character with the move- 
 ment which had its origin about the same period in 
 England, and corresponding with the original phase
 
 HAUGER AND HIS DISCIPLES. 307 
 
 of Methodism. Hanger, the founder, who has been 
 called the John Wesley of Norway, was a man of 
 earnest, but by no means enthusiastic zeal. He in- 
 culcated on his followers a tone of higher spirituality, 
 the necessity of conversion, the new-birth, in short, 
 what are generally called the doctrines of grace. But 
 his piety was eminently of a practical kind : a la}^- 
 man and a merchant, he amassed a considerable for- 
 tune, which he was ever ready to devote to the service 
 of others and the promotion of objects of national 
 importance. In the journeys which he undertook for 
 the purpose of propagating his opinions, he embraced 
 every opportunity of detecting new resources in tlie 
 national economy. His shrewd eye marked localities 
 where sawmills and ironworks might be established, 
 and moor-lands drained with advantage ; and he not 
 only pointed out these capabilities, but liberally ad- 
 vanced money to such as chose to adventure in the 
 suggested speculations. 
 
 Although his strong religious opinions led him to 
 attack the clergy, whom he accused of lukewarmness 
 and worldly-mindedness ; to deny the necessity of 
 ordination (holding that all who felt an inward call, 
 and even women, were entitled to preach) ; and to 
 repudiate Episcopacy ; he was, like his compeer 
 AVesley, indisposed to make a schism in the Church, 
 and his followers remained in its communion and 
 joined in its services. They grew rapidly under the 
 influence of his teaching and his voluminous writ- 
 ings ; and still form a considerable, but not, I under- 
 
 X 2
 
 308 HAUGER AND HIS DISCIPLES. 
 
 stood, an increasing, body. Cultivating a more spi- 
 ritual life and stricter practice, their adherence to the 
 established forms of worship has spared the country 
 the evils of a divided communion. They occupy, I 
 should conceive, very much the position of what is 
 called the Evangelical party in the English Church. 
 
 Notwithstanding the forbearance of Hauger and 
 his first disciples, and the care with which he incul- 
 cated upon them all the offices of good citizens in 
 common life, his zeal drew on him persecution. He 
 was frequently imprisoned, his fortune was confiscated, 
 though afterwards in part restored ; his health sunk 
 under the repetition of his confinements, and he died 
 in 1824, worn out by his labours and sufferings of 
 mind and body. 
 
 It would be presumptuous for me to pretend to 
 ■offer any opinion on the state of religion in Norway 
 as a vital principle. What I heard and saw left a 
 favourable impression. I found religious books in 
 ■almost every house ; the churches were well filled, 
 and the congregations devout and attentive. Many 
 of the farmers and their families came long distances 
 to attend public worship. There is one feature in 
 the Church system which must essentially contribute 
 to form the character of its Communicants, and that 
 is the importance attached to the rite of Confirmation, 
 and the extraordinary care with which the candidates 
 are prepared for its administration. After a long 
 course of private instruction by the parochial minister, 
 there is a strict and public examination by the Bishop
 
 TLURALISM. 309 
 
 or probst, in the presence of the congregation, into the 
 young people's knowledge of their moral and religious 
 duties ; so conducted as to be a searching trial into 
 the real state of their religious knowledge, and to 
 ascertain that each individual attaches the real mean- 
 ing to the Avords he makes use of, and actually under- 
 stands what he has been taught. The clergy devote 
 themselves with great assiduity to this duty. 
 
 The service of the churches is, indeed, the smallest 
 part of the duty of the clergy of Norway, though the 
 number of the annex-kirJcer in each living renders that 
 sufficiently laborious. It may be wondered, perhaps, 
 that with a government so popular and eminently 
 practical, and a people so disposed to attend public 
 worship, the provision for its performance is on so 
 low a scale. I have had to observe, on more than 
 one occasion, the number of parishes, each having 
 its own church, which are united to form one living, 
 to the extent of five or more. These are served alter- 
 nately, and even with the aid of a candidatus as 
 assistant to the pastor, the annex-kirher are frequently 
 without any service for two Sundays out of three^ 
 The praesten are pluralists on a large scale. Here 
 are parishes and churches of old foundation ; they 
 only require pra3ste-gaards to be erected, and resident 
 pastors with competent incomes. There are hundreds 
 of candidates qualified and anxiously waiting for the 
 vacant benefices. The unions above mentioned secure 
 to the present incumbents rather a high rate of aver- 
 age income. Some Church reformers would readily 
 
 X 3
 
 310 CHURCH REFORM? 
 
 solve the question. The formula would be; dissolve 
 the unions as they fall in, divide the incomes, and 
 give to each parish a resident minister. But the 
 Norwegian legislature is not disposed to reduce the 
 incomes of the national clergy, to the pittance which 
 is thought adequate to the support of a clergyman 
 in the majority of our own vicarages or newly formed 
 parochial districts. 
 
 The Norwegian clergy are at present placed in a 
 respectable and becoming position. They form, with 
 their families, a valuable link in society, and have 
 many important duties to execute, and there is no 
 wish to lower their status and reduce them to the 
 necessity of struggling with a narrow income and 
 insufficient means. The widow of the parish priest, 
 it has been already remarked, has a residence and a 
 maintenance provided in one of the farms belonging 
 to the Church. With these arrangements the govern- 
 ment hesitates to interfere, dreading as prudent men 
 to meddle too freely with old institutions. Perhaps it 
 may be thought that the advantages of such a new 
 arrangement would be dearly purchased by changes 
 which would tend to substitute a class of men of in- 
 ferior qualifications for the present enlightened and 
 highly educated clergy. It may be that so much 
 importance is not attached to frequent services. 
 That which is obtained at intervals and with some 
 difficulty, is sometimes most highly prized. So plu- 
 ralism and nonresidence are allowed to remain under 
 a system of government essentially democratic and
 
 SCHOOLS. 311 
 
 economical. In the mean time it must be allowed, 
 that the clergy are indefatigable in their ministra- 
 tions, both public and private, among their parishi- 
 oners ; and the people are not wanting, on their part, 
 in making the most of their opportunities. 
 
 The deficiency, if it had been felt, might have 
 been supplied in another way. The church of Nor- 
 way was of old richly endowed. Since the new order 
 of things, all its property, except the glebes of the 
 parochial clergy and certain other reserved farms, 
 have been sold, to the amount of two millions of 
 dollars. The capital has been funded or invested on 
 securities. There is an "appropriation clause" in 
 the constitutional act, under which the proceeds are, 
 I believe for the most part, applied to educational 
 purposes. But if the Storthing had been of the 
 opinion that the demand for the endowment of the 
 annex-kirker had been predominant, here was a fund 
 ready formed and at their disposal for the purpose. 
 
 There are schools in every parish, supported by 
 rates (which are compulsory) and a small payment 
 by every scholar. In these are taught reading, writ- 
 ing, arithmetic, singing, and geography. The clergy 
 use great efforts to promote education among the 
 lower classes, superintending the schools, and examin- 
 ing the scholars in their proficiency. Sunday schools 
 have also been extensively established, and it is rare 
 to find any young person in Norway who cannot at 
 least read and write. The children on the farms 
 which lie scattered in the remote districts, are in- 
 
 X 4
 
 312 CHURCH STATISTICS. 
 
 structed by itinerant teachers, who migrate from house 
 to house. 
 
 Besides these primary schools, there are in certain 
 of the towns others of a superior description, in which 
 the classics, mathematics, and modern languages are 
 taught. These are preparatory to the university ; 
 and, as I have elsewhere observed, certificates of pro- 
 ficiency from the rectors of these schools are required 
 of candidates before their matriculation. 
 
 The statistics of the Norwegian Church may be 
 shortly stated. There are five bishopricks, whose 
 annual revenues average 4000 spec, dollars each. 
 The oldest and most valuable of these is Drontheim. 
 The Preeste-gields, or mother-churches, are in number 
 336, many of the parishes being very extensive. 
 Some in the northern districts of the kingdom reach 
 from the coast to the Swedish frontier, and contain 
 from 5000 to 10,000 inhabitants. The incomes of 
 the parochial clergy in country parishes, range from 
 800 to 1600 dollars, arising from commuted tithes 
 of grain, the rents of farms attached to the livings, 
 accustomed, but voluntary, offerings at Christmas, 
 Easter, and Pentecost, and for marriages, baptisms, 
 &c. ; with excellent glebes. By the assistance of these, 
 which supply the main staple of the household con- 
 sumption, and according to the style of living in the 
 fashion of the country, the clergy and their families 
 are placed in comfortable circumstances, and able to 
 maintain the hospitality and charities becoming their 
 station. Their incomes are equal to double the amount 
 in Enirland.
 
 CHURCH STATISTICS. 313 
 
 A certain number of parishes is superintended by 
 one of the parochial clergy under the title of probst, 
 who, with functions similar to those of an archdeacon 
 or rural dean, and in communication with the bishop 
 of the diocese, superintends the fabrics of the churches, 
 the buildings and property of the Church, and the 
 due performance of their duties by the parochial 
 clergy within his district. 
 
 The ecclesiastical patronage is vested in the Crown. 
 On the vacancy of a living, the bishop recommends a 
 candidate, Avho is presented by the council of state. 
 A report of all such appointments and other eccle- 
 siastical affairs is made to the Storthing, of which 
 there is a committee appointed for Church affairs; 
 a wise institution, which might be adopted with ad- 
 vantage in our own administration of ecclesiastical 
 concerns, so far as they come under the cognisance 
 of the House of Commons. Experience shows that 
 a large popular assembly, composed of members of 
 different creeds, is ill fitted to regulate even the 
 exterior relations of the Church. Might not these, 
 when legislative interference is required, be dealt 
 with on the report of a committee composed of intel- 
 ligent and experienced members of its own com- 
 munion ? Unhappily, however, with us there are not 
 only schisms without, but divisions within the 
 Church, which might render unity of counsel un- 
 attainable even in so select a body.
 
 314 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 RETURN VOYAGE ON THE MIOSEN. — STEAMERS. — TRADE. — BATHS 
 OF EIDSVOLD-BAKKEN. — CONSTITUTION-HOUSE. — CONVENTION 
 
 OF 1814. PROCEEDINGS OF THE DELEGATES. THE GRUND- 
 
 LOV, OR BILL OF RIGHTS ITS LEADING PROVISIONS AND 
 
 CHARACTER. — JOURNEY TO CHRISTIANIA. 
 
 There were two steamers on the Miosen, which per- 
 formed the voyage between Minde and Lillehammer 
 alternately; one starting from the former place which 
 lies at the foot, and the other from the latter at the 
 head of the lake, every day. It is, I understand, a 
 very prosperous speculation, as, independently of the 
 number of passengers carried between those extreme 
 points and various stations on both shores, the quan- 
 tity of merchandise transported is enormous; and 
 many packages were daily left at Minde for want of 
 room. The Droningen (or Queen), in which I had 
 arrived at Lillehammer on the Saturday afternoon, 
 and again embarked on the return on the following 
 Monday, was an iron boat, which, with her machinery, 
 had been manufactured in England, and was sent 
 out and put together at Lillehammer. The English- 
 man who had hailed me on my first setting foot on 
 her deck, was the foreman of the works who had been 
 sent over to superintend her construction. He in-
 
 STEAM- BOATS. 315 
 
 formed me that he had experienced great difficulty 
 in getting the work accomplished ; not only was it 
 novel, but the Norwegian in general, he remarked, 
 is accustomed to put his hand to so many trades 
 that he is master of none. So spoke the English 
 overseer, used to skilled artisans and the division of 
 labour. The wages of his operatives were from one 
 to two marks (five to a dollar) per day ; those of the 
 common labourer ten or twelve skillings (sixpence) 
 and their maintenance. The Droningen cost 20,000 
 spec, dollars. Even her figure head was sent out 
 from England, though the Norwegians are skilful 
 carvers. It was intended for an angel ; but the name 
 of the boat having been altered, the wings were sawn 
 off, and, Avith this slight change, at the same time 
 economical and flattering, it now represents the beau- 
 tiful Josephine, queen of Oscar the First. My honest 
 friend had been twelve or fifteen months in the 
 country, and talked the language pretty fluently ; he 
 had become quite at home in the habits of the people, 
 and described the classes with whom he had been 
 familiar as kind-hearted worthy folk. He had come 
 to Lillehammer to wind up his affairs and take leave 
 of his friends, and was now on the point of returning 
 to England. He had set up another iron steam-boat, 
 also sent out from England, and now plying on 
 the Rands-Fjord. She had not so much regular pas- 
 senger and goods traffic, but was employed in towing 
 rafts of timber down the fjord in their transit for 
 shipment at Drammen. These steam-boats on the
 
 316 PROPOSED RAILWAY. 
 
 inland waters of Norway will give a new impetus to 
 its trade. I had made some acquaintance with one 
 of the proprietors of the Droningen, who was owner 
 of a large general store at Lillehammer. He informed 
 me that it was their intention to import from England 
 a larger and more powerful boat ; and he hoped that 
 ere long, in connection with the transit by the lake 
 into the interior, a railway would be made from 
 Christiania to Minde. An English engineer, Mr. 
 Stephenson I think, had surveyed the line, about 
 six Norwegian miles, and reported favourably. The 
 traffic, as I myself had an opportunity of observ- 
 ing, is very considerable. It was proposed that the 
 Storthing should find half the money, and the residue 
 be raised in shares. At the period when the survey 
 was made, they hoped for aid from England; but 
 times are changed. English capital has often been 
 worse applied. It appears, however, by the importa- 
 tion of steam machinery of which I now heard, as well 
 as of the improved engines of English fabric which 
 I saw in the ironworks at Moes, how England bene- 
 fits by the advances of other countries in the arts 
 of civilisation. My friend complained of the heavy 
 customs-duties. He imj^orts largely from London, 
 as well as Hamburgh. The cottons of Germany come 
 cheaper ; but the patterns were not so good, nor the 
 colours to be depended on like those of the fabrics of 
 Manchester. He, as well as others of the mercantile 
 classes whom I met, complained that the farmers had 
 it all their own way in the Storthing ; trade and com-
 
 impout duties. 317 
 
 ■merce were burthened to support the revenue, while 
 all taxes bearing on the land had been repealed. I 
 afterwards had an opportunity of testing his state- 
 ments by inquiries of Mr. Crowe, our intelligent 
 consul at Christiania. He informed me that the im- 
 port duties on cottons were from 30 to 40 per cent ; but 
 as they are taken by weight, they bear heavily on 
 the coarser goods which are most in demand. I do 
 not know what our free traders would say to import 
 duties on corn (on wheat and rye at os. Qd. barley at 
 2s. 6c?. and on oats at is. dd. per quarter) in a country 
 where nearly a million of barrels are required to be 
 annually imported for food* ; but, as my friend from 
 Lillehammer observed, the protectionists here have 
 it all their own way. Mr. Crowe however said that 
 it was a duty imposed, not for the purpose of protec- 
 tion, but of revenue. 
 
 My first impressions of the Miosen were confirmed. 
 It has all the grandeur of so noble a sheet of water, 
 and all the beauty which shores, for the most part 
 teeming with cultivation and studded with farms and 
 villages, can present. But it lacks the bold and 
 picturesque features of other Norwegian scenery. 
 After calling at several stations (at one of which we 
 took up the amptman, or lieutenant, of the county, 
 his family and servants), a large and interesting 
 
 * The average prices of corn were stated to me as, for wheat, 
 4i spec, dollars; rje, Sh spec; barley, 2 spec. 2 marks; 
 oats, 1 spec. 3 marks, per tdnde. The tonde being taken at the 
 rate of 1| to an English quarter.
 
 318 THE MIOSEN TO MINDE. 
 
 party of almost eveiy grade in society were assembled 
 on the deck of the Droningen. I was struck with the 
 kindly tone which prevailed in the communications 
 between the various classes, so entirely different from 
 what one sees elsewhere ; frank and respectful on 
 the one hand, and gracious and familiar on the other. 
 We sat down to table in the saloon on the afterdeck, 
 which was light and airy, and painted a brilliant 
 green, a goodly circle of ladies and gentlemen. The 
 fare was excellent, including a fine red trout eighteen 
 pounds weight. It was from the Laagen-Elv, where 
 they are sometimes caught weighing thirty-six 
 pounds. 
 
 The Miosen, like all the waters of central Norway, 
 has its course somewhat to the south of east. Its 
 broadest reach is about the centre, where, opposite 
 the island of Helgo, it expands to the width of seven 
 or eight English miles, and there is a deep inlet run- 
 ning up to Vang, which shares with Lillehammer the 
 claim to have been the site of an ancient bishoprick, 
 under the name of Stor-Hammer. After this the 
 scenery becomes still more tame in its outlines, till 
 we reach Minde, charmingly placed among sloping 
 woods at the foot of the lake. So much time had 
 been spent in taking in passengers and goods at the 
 several stations, which, there being no piers (for these 
 things are in their infancy, and movements are slow in 
 this country), Avere brought off in boats, that it was 
 late in the afternoon when, rounding the point of 
 Minde, we entered the Vormen, which discharges the
 
 BATHS OF EIDSVOLD-BAKKEN. 319 
 
 waters of the Miosen into the Glommen. Eunning up 
 the Yormen between banks feathered to the water's 
 edge with birch and alder copse, we dropped anchor 
 at the little port of Eidsvold-Bakken. The scene here 
 was busy; a great number of cars were bringing 
 down shop goods of all descriptions from Christiania, 
 and waiting to receive the freight of the Droningcn ; 
 and there was the bustle of disembarking the pas- 
 sengers, for some of whom post-horses were in readi- 
 ness. Others were bound to the baths, for Eidsvold- 
 Bakken possesses a mineral spring, and is a place of 
 considerable resort in the summer. 
 
 Anxious as I was to reach Christiania the same 
 night, I could not have accomplished it but for the 
 assistance of my friend the merchant of Lillehammer, 
 whose carriole was standing ready harnessed, and who 
 kindly undertook to order relays for me on the road. 
 Having seen my own carriage, which we had taken 
 on board at Hun (where I left it on the preceding 
 Saturday) disembarked, I had time, while a horse for 
 the first stage was procured from the station, to 
 saunter about the environs of the baths. They are 
 placed at the top of the bank, at the foot of which 
 the Droningen lay at anchor, and the busy scenes con- 
 nected with the lake traffic were going on. From 
 the buildings — a long boarding-house for the accom- 
 modation of the company, and a bathing-house in a 
 wooded glen — there were pretty views down the 
 ravine and over sloping meadows towards the river 
 and the lake ; and groups of gaily dressed ladies gave
 
 320 THE CONSTITUTION. 
 
 a very different character to the scene from that of 
 any with which I had lately been familiar. 
 
 Eidsvold has been called the Runnymede of Nor- 
 way. It was there that the constitution of 1814, 
 which secured its liberties, was framed by the as- 
 sembled representatives of the nation. Soon after 
 leaving the baths, I passed the building in which 
 they met and deliberated ; a spacious white-fronted 
 house of timber, standing on a bank above a stream 
 which is tributary to the Vormen. The place was 
 formerly an ironwork; at the time referred to it 
 had become the property of the Kammerherr Anker, 
 and was afterwards purchased by subscription as a 
 national memorial of the great work of which it had 
 been the scene. There is a graphic account in Mr. 
 Latham's book of the proceedings of the delegates, 
 compiled from the papers of the Pastor Wergeland, 
 at that time one of its members, and afterwards, when 
 Mr. Latham visited him, clergyman of the parish. 
 Henrik AYergeland, the son, has a name distinguished 
 in Norwegian literature. On that subject I am not 
 qualified to offer any remarks : those who wish to 
 pursue it, will find some agreeable sketches in Mr. 
 Latham's work. The Norwegian constitution is a 
 subject of some interest, at a time when many theories 
 are afloat, and new experiments are hazarded in 
 various quarters, in what are called liberal institu- 
 tions. I shall shortly have occasion to make a few 
 passing observations on its present working and 
 future prospects ; meanwhile, the reader may wish
 
 OF NORWAY. 321 
 
 to learn something of its origin and general cha- 
 racter. 
 
 The period when the representatives of the people 
 assembled at Eidsvold was a ffreat crisis in the his- 
 tory of Norway. It had for many centuries been 
 virtually a province of Denmark. Reference has been 
 already made to the circumstances under which it 
 was agreed to be made over to Sweden as an indem- 
 nity for the cession of Pomerania and the Isle of 
 Rugen, and an inducement to the Swedish govern- 
 ment to join the grand alliance. The time was now 
 come for the stipulations of the treaty of Kiel to be 
 carried into execution. The king of Denmark had 
 abdicated : he had absolved his Norwegian subjects 
 from their allegiance to himself; and the king of 
 Sweden, Charles XIY. had issued a proclamation to 
 the people of Norway, declaring that the treaty had 
 imposed upon them the indispensable duty of contract- 
 ing with the crown of Sweden the same obligations 
 which had previously attached them to the Danish 
 monarchy. The Norwegians took exceptions to this 
 transfer of their allegiance. They had not been con- 
 sulted in the matter ; they were generally unfriendly 
 to the Swedes, their neighbours and rivals, and, on 
 the whole, loyal and attached to their Danish rulers. 
 Christian Frederick, the hereditary prince of Den- 
 mark, was then resident in Norway, as viceroy. The 
 hearts of the people were with him : he was pro- 
 claimed prince regent. From Drontheim to Christi- 
 ania they flocked round him, determined on resist- 
 
 Y
 
 322 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ance. He promised a constitution ; took the oath as 
 regent in the cathedral of the latter city ; and the 
 Danish flag was hauled down, a dead march being 
 played the while, and the colours of Norway were 
 hoisted in its stead. 
 
 It was under such circumstances that the repre- 
 sentatives of the nation, drawn from every class, 
 nobles, clergymen, statesmen, lawyers, and peasants, 
 assembled at Eidsvold to frame the constitution. 
 The prince regent was there, but did not interfere 
 with their deliberations. The delegates commenced 
 their proceedings by attending Divine service in the 
 parish church. A select committee was appointed to 
 prepare the draught of the fundamental act, the bill 
 of rights, or " Grund-lov" of Norwegian independence. 
 
 " I have often asked," observes Mr. Laing, who 
 wrote before any detailed account of the proceedings 
 of this convention had been given to the English 
 reader, " by whom this constitution was originally 
 framed ? From the contrivance of the safeguards 
 with which it is protected against everything but the 
 hand of open violence, it aj)pears more like the work 
 of some philosophic mind, a Sieyes or a Bentham; 
 long meditated upon before it was produced in such 
 perfection in all its details. On the other hand, 
 although the principles and machinery of this consti- 
 tution might lead to the supposition that it was the 
 production of one of these master-minds, the perfect 
 adaptation, from the first, of every arrangement, to the 
 local and very peculiar circumstances of the country,
 
 OF NORWAY. 323 
 
 as to law, property, and state ol society, could only 
 have been the work of a native." 
 
 The author of a pamphlet containing some severe 
 strictures on Mr. Laino-'s work, as vauntino- too 
 highly the democratic spirit which prevails in the 
 Norwegian constitution, throws some light on the 
 sources from which the committee derived the frame- 
 work of their scheme. The pamphlet is attributed 
 (I believe correctly) to Count Bjorstjerna, the late 
 Swedish ambassador at the court of St. James's.* 
 
 " This masterly production," says the author, " is, 
 with few modifications, a translation of the constitu- 
 tion framed at Cadiz in 1812. The Spanish consti- 
 tution itself was a copy of the French constitution of 
 the year 1791, which led in the short time of two 
 years to that of the national convention and comite 
 de salut j^uhlic. To this ground-work was added 
 whatever the Swedish constitution of 1809 contained 
 restrictive of the power of the crown." 
 
 Mr. Latham gives the following account of the 
 affair from pastor Wergeland's memoranda : — " The 
 committee have had all sorts of models to go by ; con- 
 stitutions being things of which the supply is always 
 greater than the demand. Amateur legislators, with 
 names and without them, contribute to their collec- 
 tion. The Swedish constitution of 1809 was accu- 
 rately looked into. So were the printed works of 
 
 * " On the Moral State and Political Union of Sweden and 
 Norway, in answer to Mr. S. Laing's Statement." — Murray, 1840. 
 
 T 2
 
 324 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Adler and Falsen. Gyllenberg, a Swede, sent in an 
 anonymous plan of one, which was presented to the 
 meeting by Sorenskriver Falsen. So did Wrideman, 
 a Norwegian, So did not Bentham, an Englishman. 
 The essentials are ready, the trimming and paring, 
 and modifying and qualifying, and drawing up, are 
 all that had to be done." 
 
 From whatever sources the founders of the Nor- 
 wegian constitution, assembled at Eidsvold, drew 
 their materials, there is no doubt of the purely 
 patriotic spirit which animated the whole, and the 
 ability which inspired the leading members, of that 
 body. Neither concocted in the closet of a phi- 
 losopher, nor struck out under the influence of a 
 revolutionary spirit, whatever be its defects, it has 
 had a not merely ephemeral existence, and seems on 
 the whole adapted to the peculiar circumstances of 
 the country. The practical character of its provisions 
 constitutes its main, if not its only value, and has 
 given it a prospect of permanency, which it would 
 have been idle to expect from any merely theoretical 
 production of a " master-mind." The traditions of 
 the country afforded no guide to the labours of the 
 committee. Its annals would have been searched in 
 vain for a wittenagemot, an assembly of the states, 
 any exhibition of the popular element in the govern- 
 ment. Though they adopted for the title of their 
 legislative body the venerable name of the " Stor- 
 Thing," the Great Assembly, the ancient Things 
 were mainly courts of judicature, held in the open air,
 
 OF NORWAY. 325 
 
 and had neither legislative nor fiscal functions.* 
 That the Grund-lov was the work of only four days 
 has been stated with a sneer. And such is the 
 truth as respects the original draught of the constitu- 
 tion framed by the committee. But there was good 
 reason for this seeming haste. While the patres con- 
 scripti were in the senate, the enemy was thundering 
 at the gates. Reports were received that an embargo 
 had been laid upon the Norwegian vessels in Danish 
 ports, and that 20,000 Swedes and 12,000 Russians 
 were ready to pour into Norway the moment the sea 
 was clear. The embassy to England had failed ; the 
 ministry there took one view of the question, popular 
 feelino; the other. The national force was to be 
 oro;anized for defence. The finances were in dis- 
 order. There was much to be done. No time was 
 wasted in speeches and speculative theories. Great 
 unanimity prevailed in the assembly, and in about a 
 month, after some debates upon a few of the most 
 important clauses, the frame of the constitution, with 
 little variation from the original draught presented 
 by the committee, was finally adopted. 
 
 * Mr. Laixig endeavours to show that the assemblies of the 
 people called Things had certain constitutional powers, especially 
 that their assent was required in the election or acknowledgment 
 of the kings of Norway. This may have been the case ; but with 
 regard to the statement in the text, I should have hesitated in 
 making it, not having an opportunity of consulting tlie authorities, 
 if the character of the ancient Things had not been so represented 
 to me by one of the best-informed men and most able political 
 writers of Norway. 
 
 T 3
 
 326 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 On the 17th May, 1814, the Prince Christian 
 Frederick was formally elected king of Norway. The 
 next day the members put their signatures to the 
 constitutional act. On closing the sitting, the presi- 
 dent, rising from his seat, pronounced the following 
 words : — 
 
 " The ancient throne of Norway, whereon the 
 Adelstens and Sverres ruled the land with strength 
 and wisdom, is again upreared. God preserve and 
 bless old Norway ! " 
 
 There was no applause or hurraing. The whole 
 of the assembly was too deeply moved. The mem- 
 bers simply rose and repeated the last words of the 
 president, " Gamle Norge ! " 
 
 In the events which rapidly followed, Norway was 
 under the necessity of transferring her allegiance 
 from the old dynasty, but saved her new constitution. 
 The allied powers, England, Austria, Russia, and 
 Prussia, interfered. Their envoys demanded an ab- 
 solute cession of the kingdom to Sweden. On their 
 departure unsatisfied, recourse was had to arms. The 
 coast was blockaded by an English fleet : the Swedish 
 army, under Bernadotte, the crown prince, crossed 
 the frontier. It was gallantly met ; but against such 
 odds as the combined powers, prolonged resistance 
 was vain and success hopeless. However, the Nor- 
 wegians succeeded in obtaining such terms as their 
 national honour, and the sturdy spirit of indepen- 
 dence which they had manifested, demanded. 
 
 By the Convention of Moss, entered into on the
 
 OF NORWAY. 327 
 
 14tli of August of the same year, Christian Frederick 
 resigned his brief authority, and Charles XI Y. of 
 Sweden was acknowledged king of Norway. The 
 king engaged to accept, and afterwards solemnly 
 swore to the maintenance of the new constitution. 
 
 The advocates of great organic changes are apt to 
 refer to the institutions of Norway as models for 
 other countries, and successful examples of the happy 
 effects of a social equality, and of the predominance 
 of the democratic principle. Some observations have 
 been already offered on the actual results of the for- 
 mer of these ingredients in its social and political 
 system.* As to the latter we shall shortly have op- 
 portunities of examining its bearings. It may, how- 
 ever, be fairly admitted that, if " Une mojiarchie 
 entouree d" institutions republicaines " has ever been 
 realized, it is certainly in Norway. In the mean 
 time, a passing glance at the principal features of 
 the Norwegian grund-lov will prepare the reader for 
 forming a distinct idea of the points of view in which 
 we shall have to present its character and operation. 
 
 At the very threshold of the discussions in the 
 assembly at Eidsvold, there was some slight question 
 as to the title of the state and its chief magistrate ; 
 there were whispers about a regent or a president, 
 but the first article of the constitution, as to " the 
 form of government," was voted with unanimous 
 consent. 
 
 * See remarks on the operation of the udal tenure, Chap. IV. 
 
 T 4
 
 328 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 " The kingdom of Norway is a free, independent, 
 indivisible, and inalienable kingdom ; united with 
 Sweden under one king. The form of its government 
 is that of a limited hereditary monarchy." 
 
 By subsequent articles the executive power was 
 vested in the king ; who was to be assisted by a 
 council of state, selected by himself, of Norwegian 
 citizens. The king appoints, having heard his coun- 
 cil, all civil, spiritual, and military officers. He is 
 invested with the supreme command both of the land 
 and sea forces ; and with the power of declaring war 
 and of concluding peace, forming and breaking off 
 alliances, and sending and receiving ambassadors, 
 first consulting his council, but " determining as he 
 thinks best for the kingdom." 
 
 The king has power, in the council of state and 
 with their concurrence, to pardon all oifenders, even 
 after the sentence of the high court has been passed 
 upon them. 
 
 His person is sacred. He is neither to be blamed 
 nor accused. The responsibility lies with the mi- 
 nisters. 
 
 In all these provisions, and in other matters of 
 less importance, the royal prerogative is established 
 to the fullest extent admissible in a constitutional 
 monarchy. 
 
 It was limited with respect to the power of creating 
 titles of nobility, which was disallowed. A warm dis- 
 cussion took place in the convention on the subject 
 of abolishing those which were already in existence.
 
 OF NORWAY. 329 
 
 The argument in favour of the suppression was sus- 
 tained, not by any reference to feudal rights or ex- 
 elusive privileges burthensome to the people, for such 
 there had never been ; nor by any apprehensions 
 that the Norwegian aristocracy was sufficiently for- 
 midable to threaten the stability of a popular con- 
 stitution ; but from the unsuitableness of titles 
 of nobility in a small state, and in such a general 
 equality of fortune and condition. As the deputies 
 could not come to any agreement on the subject, it 
 was referred to the decision of the next Storthing. 
 
 Another class of restrictions was added to the 
 grund-lov, on the ratification of the union with 
 Sweden, not so much, as it appears to me, for the 
 sake of limiting the royal prerogative, as of jealously 
 guarding the independence of the people of Norway 
 against every possible danger of encroachment on the 
 part of the Swedish cabinet. These are of the most 
 stringent description. 
 
 The king is required to reside in Norway a portion 
 of each year, unless weighty hindrances prevent him. 
 None but the crown prince, or his eldest son, is en- 
 titled to be viceroy. The king may appoint a lieu- 
 tenant or stath older, who may be either a Norwegian 
 or a Swede ; but no Swede can be a member of the 
 council of state, and none but Norwegian citizens can 
 hold any office in the country. No Swedish or other 
 foreign troops can be admitted into the kingdom (ex- 
 cept as auxiliaries in the case of a foreign invasion), 
 without the consent of the Storthing. The Norwe-
 
 330 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 gian troops are not to be employed in Sweden ; and 
 the men-of-war of the one nation are not to be 
 manned by sailors of the other, except as volunteers. 
 
 Whenever the king is in Sweden, he is to be at- 
 tended by the Norwegian minister of state and two 
 members of the council. Their duties and their con- 
 stitutional responsibilities are the same with those of 
 the government at home. The king is required to lay 
 before them all matters appertaining to Norway; and 
 they are answerable for the acts of the Swedish, cor- 
 responding with those of the Norwegian part of the 
 ministry. Finally, all matters connected with Nor- 
 way, as well as all proclamations, must be drawn up 
 in the Norwegian language. And Norway was to 
 have her own treasury, coinage, and national flag. 
 
 We now come to the popular element in the con- 
 stitution. The chapter which regulates the legisla- 
 tive power is introduced by the following significant 
 article : — 
 
 " The people shall execute the legislative power in 
 the Storthing." 
 
 The chapter contains forty-two sections ; but with- 
 out going into unnecessary details, its general scope 
 may be thus given : — 
 
 The franchise is vested in Norwegian citizens, of 
 not less than twenty-five years of age, consisting of 
 those that are or have been in ofiicial situations, 
 landowners or occupiers of above five years' standing, 
 and the burgesses of towns, or owners of houses and 
 lands in them of the value of 300 dollars. The elec-
 
 OF NORWAY. 331 
 
 tive franchise is lost by having been condemned to 
 the workhouse, slavery, or degrading punishment ; 
 by entering foreign service ; or by being convicted of 
 bribery in an election. 
 
 The voters do not directly name their representa- 
 tive, but choose certain electors, who subsequently 
 elect the member who is to represent the district in 
 the Storthing.* 
 
 The whole number of representatives is limited to 
 100 ; and it is enacted that, if at any time the town 
 representatives constitute more or less than a tlmd 
 of the whole, the Storthing shall make the necessary 
 alterations in the representation, subject to the law that 
 the town representatives shall he to those of the country 
 as one to two ; a provision which permanently secures 
 the predominance of the landed interest in the Nor- 
 wegian parliament. 
 
 No member of the council of state, no person 
 holdinof high office under orovernment, no attend- 
 ant of the court, and no pensioner, is eligible as a 
 representative. 
 
 * The voters assembled triennially in the council-houses in 
 towns, under the presidency of the chief magistrate, and in the 
 chief parish church of the county, under that of the parish priest, 
 choose electors, in the proportion of one for every fifty voters in the 
 towns, and one for every hundred voters in the country. These 
 electors subsequently assemble, and name, in the towns one-fourth 
 of their own number, and in the counties one-tenth to be members 
 of the Storthing. The members may be selected from among the 
 electors or the body of voters. But the number sent by any single 
 town is limited to four.
 
 332 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 The members are allowed their travelling-charges 
 and expenses of living during the sitting of the Stor- 
 thing ; they are free from arrest, and are not account- 
 able for language held in the debates. 
 
 The Storthing meets of its own right, and without 
 any royal summons, every third year ; and continues 
 its sittings, without the power of prorogation by the 
 crown, as long as it deems necessary, so that it does 
 not exceed three months, unless by permission of the 
 king. He has the power of calling an extraordinary 
 Storthing, and dissolving it when he thinks fit.* 
 
 Strictly speaking, there is but one chamber in the 
 legislature of Norway ; but the Storthing names one 
 fourth of its members at a lag-thing ; the other 
 three-fourths constitutes the odels-thing. But the 
 Lagthing is virtually nothing but a select committee, 
 to which bills are referred. It has neither the 
 power of originating or of ultimately rejecting them. 
 The mode of proceeding is this : — All bills are first 
 laid before the Odelsthing, either by an " independent 
 .member" or by the government. If they pass, they 
 are sent to the Lagthing, which may, in the first in- 
 
 * The Storthing has the power of making and repealing laws ; 
 of imposing taxes and other public burthens (such ordinances to 
 be in force only till the ensuing triennial meeting of the assembly) ; 
 of raising loans ; of voting all supplies ; of determining the amount 
 of yearly grants to the king and royal family ; of revising and 
 altering all salaries and pensions ; of deciding upon the procotols of 
 the government in Norway and tlie Norwegian states'-minister and 
 councillors in Sweden ; and of " taking a part in all treaties and 
 alliances which the king shall enter upon with foreign powers."
 
 OF NORWAY. 333 
 
 Stance, either approve or reject. If the latter, the 
 bill is returned to the Odelsthing, with the reasons 
 for so doing. It is then either laid aside, or again 
 sent back to the Lagthing, with or without alteration. 
 AVhen a bill has been twice sent up to the Lagthing 
 and twice rejected, the whole Storthing meet upon 
 the question, which, if the bill be approved by two- 
 thirds of the aggregate members, then passes. 
 
 When a bill has passed the Storthing, it is pre- 
 sented to the kino; for his sanction. If it be dis- 
 allowed, the refusal is couched in courteous terms, 
 corresponding with the phrase recognised by our 
 own constitution, Le rot s'avisera. In that case the 
 resolution cannot be sent up a second time by the 
 same Storthing. It may be presented again by a 
 different Storthing, and again rejected. But if it be 
 a third time considered by an ordinary Storthing and 
 passes both the Odelsthing and the Lagthing without 
 alteration, then it is sent up to the king, with a re- 
 quest " that he will not withhold his consent from a 
 measure which, after the maturest deliberation on 
 the part of the Storthing, seems advantageous to the 
 nation." The resolution then becomes law, even if 
 the king still withholds his sanction. 
 
 The constitutional act contains a variet}^ of other 
 provisions; but I shall only notice the following: — 
 The "Evangelical Lutheran" is declared to be the 
 religion recognised by the state. Jesuit and monastic 
 orders are not tolerated; and Jews are wholly ex- 
 cluded from admission into the country.
 
 334 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 The king is required to profess the established 
 religion, and to defend and advance it. He is to 
 regulate all matters connected with the religion of 
 the state, the public worship, and all meetings and 
 convocations on ecclesiastical matters ; and to see 
 that the public teachers of religion follow the canons 
 prescribed to them. It is also provided that all per- 
 sons appointed to offices of state shall profess the 
 established religion. 
 
 Such are the leading features of the Norwegian 
 constitution. Notwithstanding the praises that have 
 been lavished on it, the reader will not have failed 
 to observe that in many points it falls very short of 
 the purely democratic spirit which might have been 
 expected to prevail, and is attributed to it. 
 
 For a liberal code its exclusiveness in matters of 
 religion is remarkable ; particularly as it asserts a 
 merely abstract principle, there being no dissenters 
 from the state religion to whom its restrictive clauses 
 can apply.* 
 
 The executive power is vested in the sovereign, as 
 has been already remarked, with hardly any restric- 
 tions but such as are inseparably connected with a 
 limited monarchy. 
 
 The democratic element in the legislature appears 
 in its triennial sessions, as of its own right and not 
 
 * By a recent act of the Storthing, I understand, all forms of 
 religion are tolerated ; but the exclusion of Jews from the country 
 is continued.
 
 OF NORWAY. 335 
 
 subject to prorogation ; a single chamber ; paid re- 
 presentatives ; the number of the members being 
 proportioned to the population ; and the limitation 
 of the royal veto, which ultimately vests the whole 
 power of legislation in the representatives of the 
 people. 
 
 On the other hand, we neither find " annual par- 
 liaments," " vote by ballot," nor " universal suffrage." 
 They were never, I believe, even mentioned in the 
 convention of Eidsvold. The right of election is 
 either attached to freeholds on somewhat of a high 
 scale, or to parties occupying a position of personal 
 indej^endence. There are other important checks to 
 the influence of the popular element, in the provisions 
 which interpose a select body of electors between the 
 mass of the voters and the members returned to the 
 Storthing, whereby all immediate sympathy between 
 the representative and his constituents is destroyed ; 
 and in the limiting of the town representation to a 
 proportion with that of the country, which effectually 
 secures the preponderance of the landed interest. 
 
 In conclusion, the clauses which limit the exercise 
 of the royal veto, though intended to secure, as tliey 
 undoubtedly do, the ultimate prevalence of the po- 
 pular will, are accompanied by reservations which 
 must afford important checks to its sudden and too 
 great effervescence. The power of the veto, to the 
 extent to which it is allowed, is not, as in our own 
 case, a constitutional fiction which can never pro- 
 bably again practically be resorted to, but an acknow-
 
 ;S36 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ledged principle of the Norwegian constitution which 
 has been acted upon, and no doubt would be resorted 
 to again on fitting occasion, without any injurious 
 results. Now, the power of postponing a measure, 
 which may seem to the government dangerous or in- 
 expedient, for nine years, and until it has been three 
 times under the consideration of successive parlia- 
 ments, is no slight safeguard against rash and incon- 
 siderate legislation. 
 
 This forms some equivalent for the want of the 
 peculiar functions of a second chamber. The founders 
 of the constitution intended to supply this deficiency 
 by means of the Lagthing, which, though its consti- 
 tution is so imperfect*, and the powers with which 
 
 * Mr. Laing compares the Lagthing to the British House of 
 Lords. 
 
 "Is this a joke?" asks Count Bjorstjerna. "The Storthing 
 generally transfers to its so called first chamber (which is nothing 
 else than a subdivision of the Storthing itself, under the name of 
 the Lagthing) the members of whom it wishes to get rid in the 
 second chamber. Thus, in the last Storthing, the great majority 
 of the members of the Lagthing consisted of peasants, non-commis- 
 sioned officers, parish clerks, provincial vaccinators, and the rest of 
 lawyers. Is this a chamber," he repeats, " to be compared with 
 the British House of Peers?" 
 
 " But," he continues, " let us set aside all comparison ; and taking 
 the chamber on its own merits, it cannot even fulfil the intention 
 of the Norwegian (or Spanish) legislator, that of arresting the 
 second chamber in its too precipitate measures, inasmuch as it does 
 not possess any thing like the veto, so indispensable for the inde- 
 pendence of a branch of the legislature. For as soon as its opinion 
 differs from that of the second or larger fraction of the same cham- 
 ber (named Odelsthing), it is resolved into the latter, and as its 
 members are composed of only one fourth, it is clear that amal-
 
 OF NORWAY. 337 
 
 it is vested are so restricted, may afford some time 
 and opportunity for the reconsideration of question- 
 able measures. 
 
 AVitli these remarks I dismiss, for the present, the 
 subject of the grund-lov of Norway. The reader 
 has been made acquainted with its aspect and general 
 bearings, and will be able to form his judgment on 
 what I may have to offer hereafter in reference to its 
 past and present operation and its promise for the 
 future. The Storthing was now sitting at Chris- 
 tiania, and in the capital I had reason to expect that 
 the points of view from Avhich these might be consi- 
 dered would best be obtained. 
 
 Enough then of Eidsvold, and the reminiscences 
 which it suggested. I wished to have paid a passing 
 visit to the halls in which a transaction so important 
 in the history of Norway — its new birth, the cradle 
 of its independence — had place ; but the evening was 
 
 gamated with the latter it must constantly be in the minority, and 
 does not possess any means of arresting the impetuous course of a 
 democratic faction. 
 
 " The history of the world," observes the count in conclusion, 
 " confirms in its every page that a national representation formed 
 in 07ie democratical chamber will, besides its frequent mistakes, 
 always be despotic; and will by its single position against royalty 
 get into conflict with it, which must naturally lead either to abso- 
 lutism, or, what is still worse, to anarchy T — Pamphlet in ansioer 
 to Mr, S. Laing's Statement, already quoted. 
 
 Z
 
 338 EIDSVOLD 
 
 closing in, and there were seven long Norwegian 
 miles between me and Christiania. The first of 
 them lay through a deep forest, broken by few and 
 rough patches of cultivation. A Norwegian gentle- 
 man, to whom I had been introduced on board the 
 Droningen, led the way in his carriole. Thanks to 
 my friendly forbud, we found horses in readiness at 
 Raaholdt, and Lie. Soon after it came on to rain 
 heavily ; and at the next station of Kloften my com- 
 panion declared his intention of going no further 
 that night. My impatience to reach Christiania, and 
 the certainty of finding comforts at the end of the 
 journey, which the wretched j)Ost-houses on the road 
 failed to offer, induced me to proceed, after partially 
 drying my clothes and obtaining the refreshment of 
 a draught of milk. 
 
 It was now pitch dark, and it continued to rain in 
 torrents. The country is, I believe, uninteresting. 
 I knew nothing of it but that it was very hilly, and 
 the road of the roughest description, worn deeply by 
 the immense traffic alono- it from Christiania to the 
 
 o 
 
 shore of the Miosen, and full of loose rolling stones. 
 It was with no small difficulty I cleared the trains 
 of cars, which were slowly wending their way to 
 Eidsvold-Bakken, heavily laden with goods to form 
 the freif>:ht of the steamer on the followino; morninof. 
 But the post-horses were excellent ; and, spite of the 
 darkness, rain, and bad roads, I drove at a reckless 
 rate, though my fingers were so benumbed that I 
 could with difficulty handle the reins and tell out
 
 TO CHRISTIANIA. 339 
 
 the small coins in discliaroino- the fare at the stations. 
 At the last post before Christiania I had the good 
 fortune to come up witli the merchant from Lille- 
 hammer, who had acted as my forbud. Delayed by 
 the rain and the attractions of a friendly bottle with 
 a weather-bound acquaintance, his carriole stood at 
 the door of the station as I drove up. We went on 
 together at a more moderate pace ; the rain abated ; 
 and, on reachino; the brow of a lonfi^ hill about a mile 
 from the city, a faint light was dimly gleaming on the 
 waters of the fjord. 
 
 Midnio-ht tolled from the tower of the nei<2:hbour- 
 ino- cathedral, and the watchmen broke into their 
 melancholy chaunt, as, under the conduct of my 
 companion of the road, our carrioles stopped, and I 
 thundered at the gates of the court-yard of the Hotel 
 de Scandinavie in the capital of Norway.
 
 340 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 SBIEDAL. — CROSSING FROM EIFJORD TO URLAXD. WEEK'S 
 
 EXCURSION INTO THE HURUNGERNE. FJELD LIFE. — THE 
 
 S^TER DAIRIES. TRACKING REINDEER IN THE SNOW. THE 
 
 HURUNGERNE PEAKS. THE MORKE-KOLD-DAL. RETURN TO 
 
 LIERDALSOREN. 
 
 Having brought my own narrative up to this point, 
 I interrupt it for the purpose of introducing some 
 account of the rambles of my fellow-traveller in 
 which I was not associated, which will occupy this 
 and the two following Chapters. 
 
 The first contains a short notice of his journey in 
 company, as already mentioned, with two friends in 
 1849, from Eifjord to Lierdalsoren, which was the 
 centre on which all these movements turned ; and to 
 this is added a more detailed account of an excursion 
 they made from thence into the Hurungerne. The 
 two succeeding Chapters comprise his narrative of 
 the long journey he accomplished the preceding 
 year after parting from me at Lierdalsoren, across 
 the centre of the kingdom to the Swedish frontier. 
 Though earliest in point of date, it will be seen on 
 reference to the map, that the proper position is as- 
 signed to this part of the narrative ; regard being had 
 to a o-eographical arrangement of our rambles. 
 
 My fellow-traveller realised his hope of visiting the
 
 VORING-FOSS REVISITED. 341 
 
 Voring-Foss again, in July 1849; having ascended 
 the fjord from Ullensvang to Eifjord, and from 
 thence pursued the same track as the preceding year. 
 It lost nothing of its magnificent character on a 
 second inspection. It Avas in full volume, from the 
 melting of a great accumulation of snow. The con- 
 trast which I had anticipated, from the great dif- 
 ference in the general elevation of the countr}-, as 
 existing between it and the Rjukan-Foss, was fully 
 established. I have described the accompaniments 
 of the latter as beautiful and graceful, as well as 
 sublime. The scenery of the Voring-Foss is alto- 
 gether desolate, the features are stern and vast, the 
 effect terrific ; no fir-forest clothes its base, no birch- 
 woods spread up the mountain sides. Only a few 
 stunted bushes hang about the verge of the black 
 naked crags. On their summit, through a bleak 
 moor, rendered more dreary by patches of snow 
 scattered to the edge of the cliffs, rushes the broad 
 river, and thence madly plunges 900 feet into the 
 caverns beneath. The world offers few scenes more 
 awfully grand. 
 
 Both summers, in passing the mouth of the north- 
 east branch of the fjord, which runs up to Simedal, 
 he had been so much struck by the great apparent 
 depth of the valley, caused by the vast perpendicular 
 escarpments with which it is inclosed, that he deter- 
 mined to cross the fjeld into that valley, instead of 
 returning, as before, to Sa3bo and Eifjord. The view 
 backward from the fjeld after leaving the Voring- 
 
 z 3
 
 342 VALLEY OF SBIEDAL. 
 
 Foss extended far over the folds of the Har danger, 
 above which rose the summit of Harteigen, distin- 
 guished by a rectangular mass of rock in which it 
 terminated; and still further in the horizon, at the dis- 
 tance of forty miles, appeared the dome of the Folge- 
 fond. On approaching the head of the valley, the 
 party saw the top of the Skyttie-Foss, which, issuing 
 from a small lake on the level of the fjeld, curled 
 over and made a fall of 700 feet. Though but little 
 known, it is one of the noblest waterfalls in Norway. 
 The Rembis, another very fine fall, issues from the 
 fjeld at no great distance. They had been told that 
 there was " a fine creature vei " into the Dal. This 
 vaunted path, it turned out, first led down a snow- 
 drift, and then became a winding rugged track in 
 the side of the valley, which was but little out of 
 the perpendicular. A deep and dark valley is Sime- 
 dal ; the cliffs that bound it cannot be less than 
 3000 feet high. The steep stair-like descent, turn 
 after turn, seemed interminable. My friend could 
 not help wishing that it was winter and the snow 
 drift continued the whole depth. What a slide might 
 have then been made ! However the bottom was 
 fertile. The valley led down to a fork of the Har- 
 danger-Fjord, near which a good homestead, sur- 
 rounded by gabled offices of various sizes, stood on 
 a knoll, the sides of which Avere cropped with corn. 
 Afterarough day's journey of thirty miles from Eifjord, 
 the travellers would have been content with fare and 
 accommodations much inferior to what they found ;
 
 ULVIK ON THE FJORD. 343 
 
 but they determined that, coute qui coiite, their next 
 lodging should, if possible, be at the Hotel at Lierdal- 
 soren. 
 
 The following morning they were rowed 1 7 miles 
 under a burning sun ; landing about noon at the 
 little station-house of Ulvik, at the head of the 
 northern branch of the Hardanger-Fjord. Their 
 design was, avoiding the usual route through Yosse- 
 vangen on the post-road, to cross the country to 
 Urland on the Sogne-Fjord, by paths marked in 
 Munck's Map. There was a remote farm called 
 Aldminigen, about four Norsk miles distant, which 
 lay in their track. The roads they knew were ex- 
 tremely difficult, and as their packs were heavy, they 
 wished to obtain some assistance in carrying them ; 
 on inquiry they found that horses could not make 
 the passage, on account of the ruggedness of the path 
 and the depth of the snow. The heat was now quite 
 tropical, and with some difficulty they got on to the 
 last farm at the foot of the pass, where they could 
 obtain help in carrying the knapsacks, and, taking 
 some rest there, be prepared for a cool night march. 
 
 The scenery of the path to these upper farms was 
 new and very beautiful; having more of a Welsh 
 character than any thing they had seen in Norway ; 
 the path winding among knolls of hazel-copse over- 
 hanging a stream which flowed gently through plea- 
 sant meads. It could scarcely be supposed that it had 
 just issued from a half- frozen lake, or that within a 
 mile it commenced a descent of upwards of a thousand 
 
 z 4
 
 344 CROSS THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 feet into the fjord. While supper was cooked, the 
 party refreshed themselves, after the heat of the day, 
 with a swim in a pool of the stream ; and by six 
 o'clock, like prudent travellers, were asleep in a clean 
 storeroom attached to the farm at which they had 
 found quarters. 
 
 They were roused, by appointment, before mid- 
 night ; and, after a cup of coiFee, set forth, attended 
 by two bearers carrying their baggage. Crossing a 
 little cleared space of cultivated ground, they entered 
 the forest. While the morning was yet gray, and no 
 colour tinged the eastern sky, they reached a sseter 
 on the edge of the upper pine-forest on a level space 
 where several valleys opened, from which the tall 
 firs standing out singly or in small clumps told well 
 against the sky. The travellers halted to refresh 
 themselves ; and treading lightly among groups of 
 sheep, goats, and cows, which had settled themselves 
 for the night about the sceter, they struck for the 
 deep defile they had to pass. The valley was only 
 wide enough for a channel to the torrent, through 
 the bed of which the track occasionally led, sometimes 
 crossing huge streams of boulders, at others it was 
 absolutely necessary to leap from rock to rock. Six 
 or seven miles brought them to a yet steeper part of 
 the pass by a frozen lake, where the valley appeared 
 to be altogether closed by a drift of snow, so long and 
 so deep that it seemed impossible to climb it. How- 
 ever the ascent was at last accomplished by slow and 
 measured steps, the party winding up its face, and
 
 TO URLAND. 345 
 
 driving their feet into the snow, which fortunately 
 was firm. Thus, with a few shps, the summit of the 
 pass was gained, an elevation of not less than 4200 
 feet above the level of the fjord. A scene of great 
 magnificence now presented itself. Vast masses of 
 cliffs rose above the snowy valley, which were broken 
 as they receded, and formed the shore of the frozen 
 lake. Then were seen the deep precipices of the 
 defile, and below the windings of the forest valley, with 
 line after line of the fjelds rising from the shores of the 
 fjord, till Jokeln in the far distance towered over all. 
 
 The descent was comparatively easy. The travel- 
 lers reached the river, on the opposite shore of which 
 stood Aldminigen. They were ferried over in a 
 wretched cobble, and proceeded to examine its capa- 
 bilities for furnishing breakfast and the means of 
 proceeding onward. After some hours' delay, two 
 horses were procured to assist them in their march or 
 thirty miles to the Urland branch of the Sogne-Fjord. 
 The track at first was through a valley remarkable 
 only for the difiiculties which it presented to their 
 progress, a combination of tangled birch-thickets, 
 deep bog, and rugged steeps. Towards evening, as 
 they descended into the fertile valley of Flaam-dalen, 
 the scenery became very interesting. At no great 
 distance from the fjord, the last of many falls which 
 discharge their ^^'aters into the valley, is mentioned 
 as one of remarkable beauty. 
 
 The walk of not less than forty miles (for the horses 
 from Alminigen had been of little service), in the
 
 346 EXCURSION INTO 
 
 course of which the travellers had twice ascended to 
 the height of 4000 feet, brought them at eight o'clock 
 in the evening to a farm on the shore of the fjord. 
 After supping luxuriously, the night being fine they 
 procured a boat with three men ; and being comfort- 
 ably stowed in berths arranged in the stem and stern, 
 they speedily sank into a happy oblivion of rugged 
 mountain paths, and, borne on the smooth waters of 
 the fjord, landed at Lierdalsoren early the following 
 morning. 
 
 A couple of days' rest prepared the party for a fresh 
 undertaking. The ^particulars of it — and indeed all 
 the further notices of my friend's wanderings — will 
 be transcribed from his own narrative. There are 
 frequent references throughout these pages, to the 
 phenomena of those mountain ranges, the passes of 
 many of which it was our lot to trace ; but the story 
 of a week spent amongst the recesses of one of the 
 wildest of these, and for the most part at an elevation 
 far above that of any permanent habitation, will give 
 a more complete idea of fjeld life than it would have 
 been otherwise in my power to furnish. 
 
 With this preface, the narrative proceeds. 
 
 " There Avas every reason for our expecting to find 
 much pleasure in our excursion from Lierdalsoren 
 throug-h Aardal, into the district of the Huruno^erne. 
 This range is known to be the most rugged and lofty 
 of all the Norwegian mountains, approaching more
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 347 
 
 nearly to the Alpine character than any we have yet 
 seen. Here, too, it is said the fjelds abound -svith rein- 
 deer ; and we were very anxious to see, in its natural 
 state, an animal which, when domesticated, becomes 
 so gentle and docile. "When wild it, perhaps more 
 than any other, seeks the highest and most desolate 
 mountains. Its food being found only at an elevation 
 where man can find no subsistence, and endowed by 
 nature with the most extraordinary powers of en- 
 during cold, it roams at large over these snowy 
 wastes, almost the only possessor of them. We had 
 hoped to have seen, or perhaps been present at the 
 death of a bear during some portion of our rambles, 
 and this might have been the case if time had allowed, 
 though bears are not to be seen by the road-side 
 even in Norway. One had been killed but a few 
 days previous to our arrival at Lierdalsoren, and the 
 peasants were to gather again in a short time to de- 
 stroy another which had been committing much havoc 
 in a neighbouring valley. But for sport it is neces- 
 sary that one should come regularly equipped, and 
 make Lierdalsoren, or some such place, head-quarters 
 for a time. However, I hoped to find some expe- 
 rienced hunter in the valley of Aardal, who would 
 guide us through the districts we all wished so much 
 to explore, and I was not without expectation of re- 
 turning mth a pair of antlers of my own stalking. 
 
 " We were furnished with a letter to the giestgiver 
 at Aardal, the chief man of the valley ; and, lightly 
 equipped, with but one knapsack between us, and
 
 348 EXCURSION INTO 
 
 having added to our stores a piece of reindeer venison, 
 part of our yesterday's dinner, and a fine trout from 
 the river, we pushed oiF in a boat for our week's ex- 
 pedition. The row to Aardal was not less dehghtful 
 than many other of the sunny cruises on these splen- 
 did fjords, which have been dwelt upon. Four hours 
 of easy pulling (it is all easy pulling in Norway) 
 brought us to the little village or hamlet of Aardal. 
 The Lanliandler^ or shopkeeper, wlio combined also 
 the occupation of giestgiver, we found an intelligent 
 sort of fellow. His information was at first rather 
 jDerplexing. The rivers were flooded, or the bridges 
 had been washed away, so that it was not possible to 
 reach Svaleim, the farm of the guide to whom he 
 wished to have recommended us. This fortunately, 
 on inquiry, proved to be incorrect ; and a boat having 
 been ordered to cross the lake which filled the bottom 
 of the valley for about the length of a Norsk mile, the 
 men were directed to bear a verbal message to the 
 farm, making known our wants and entreating the 
 civility and attention of its owner. High dark preci- 
 pices of many thousand feet rise above the lake, 
 through clefts of which pour streams from the melt- 
 ing of the snows on their summits, exquisitely 
 beautiful in their endless variety, sometimes pouring 
 in a broad sheet of fine-drawn lines, at others a single 
 silken thread curls and waves till wreathing more and 
 more in its descent it is lost in air. Yet we almost 
 Avished these noble cliffs cut away, that we might at 
 once see the tops of the mountains ; but these were not
 
 THE HUEUNGERNE. 349 
 
 yet visible, as we were too immediately under tliem ; 
 and probably, if they had been double the height, we 
 could not have seen them. We landed on the south 
 side of the river. The valley, at first level — the smooth 
 deposit of still water, is well calculated for cultiva- 
 tion, and there are farms and well-cropped fields. 
 
 " A walk of two miles, for some part across rough 
 stony ground, brings us to the river which was sup- 
 posed to be impassable. We cross it by a craz}'- 
 bridge in the icy blast of a fall which the Thy-Elv 
 makes as it descends from a valley running to the 
 southward. The main diil is here completely blocked 
 up by a ridge of debris not less than a hundred feet 
 high, having a steep scarp of uj)wards of 60°. This 
 was apparently formed when the level of the sea was 
 at least 100 feet higher, and when, therefore, the 
 fjord extended far up into the valley. This scarp 
 was at one part fresh and bare ; but where we as- 
 cended by a steep zigzag path, old birch-trees were 
 scattered along the ridge, and grass covered the 
 surface. The bank is just such as might have been 
 formed as a delta to the lateral stream, and the 
 greater part of it was no doubt washed away as the 
 water level fell, and thus the steep scarp was cut 
 down by the river. Traces of this kind are to be 
 met with in many of the valleys in Norway. I have 
 often remarked, where the water current has eddied 
 behind a huge buttress or promontory, the deposit of 
 earth and gravel carried down by the force of the 
 current ; and it is curious to notice how, when the
 
 350 EXCURSION INTO 
 
 debris carried down has become firm, these banks 
 have been pitched upon as the sites for the httle farms 
 above the level of the dill, while all around may be 
 bare granite rocks or streams of immense boulders. 
 
 " A walk of five miles brought us to an open part 
 of the valley, and we halted early in the afternoon at 
 Svaleim. The news that Englishmen were in this 
 remote valley brought some of the inmates to the 
 door ; but the farmer was away at the sseter, a Nor- 
 wegian mile distant, on the fjeld. Our prospect of 
 comfortable entertainment was gloomy enough ; for 
 the state of afixiirs was unsatisfactory in more senses 
 than one, as when the cows are away from the val- 
 leys one great ingredient in the hungry traveller's 
 supper is wanting. However matters afterwards 
 mended ; a lad was despatched to the s^eter, and the 
 farmer arrived about supper-time. As soon as it was 
 finished, the map was unrolled by the light of blazing 
 pine logs, and we pointed out to him the track we 
 wished to pursue. He was a good-humoured fellow, 
 and entered into our plans with much readiness, 
 though there was an air of great independence about 
 him. In person he was well fitted for the rough 
 kind of life which seemed to be his lot — thick-set 
 and strong, and apparently very active. He found 
 for us a sweet resting-place in tlie storeroom, but the 
 beds were not such as to induce us to take ofi' our 
 clothes. Unfortunately I was sufi'ering from a strain 
 in my back which, occasioned in the first instance by 
 runnino; down some snow drifts burthened with a
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 351 
 
 knapsack, had been rendered worse by a fall in my 
 walk to Svaleim. In the morning I was scarcely able 
 to raise myself withont assistance. By the use of 
 fomentations I was enabled to hobble about ; but we 
 were on this account prevented from making an early 
 start, and consequently our guide informed us we 
 could not do more than reach a S£eter situated on the 
 Thy-Elv, about ten miles up. At twelve o'clock our 
 new friend, carrying a wallet stored with four or five 
 days' provisions, and his rifle stuck through the slings 
 of the pack, led the way, and was followed by us in 
 Indian file ; the first bearing our knapsack, the second 
 our three cloaks, and I brought up the rear, scarcely 
 knomno- how soon I should have to give in. 
 
 " Retracing a few miles of our previous march, we 
 entered upon the valley of the Thy-Elv, which we 
 had crossed by the crazy bridge the day before. We 
 at once perceived it to be one of the grandest of 
 Norwegian glens, in distinction from the valley or 
 dill, though it was on a large scale ; a noble torrent 
 bounding down its bottom. It proved to be the most 
 rapidly ascending valley I had yet been in ; the river 
 forming a succession of the most splendid falls, 
 second only to the Voring- and Rjukan-Foss, One 
 which I crawled down to examine was remarkable, 
 the river making a clear leap of upwards of 400 
 feet into a perfectly formed pool, bounded by per- 
 pendicular cliffs. There was a repetition of such 
 falls up the whole course of the river. The path, 
 as may be supposed, was rugged and steep, and the
 
 352 EXCURSION INTO 
 
 party had on my account to proceed very leisurely 
 and make frequent halts. At the end of my ten 
 miles' walk, our last scramble brought us up by the 
 side of a furious rapid to the shore of a little lake, 
 across which, at the distance of a mile and a half, 
 the guide pointed out to us the s^eter we Avere in 
 search of. We gained the other side of the river by 
 a bridge, which crossed it just above its impetuous 
 fall into the valley. The scene, looking up and down 
 the valley, was highly picturesque. Arrived at the 
 sseter, we found the herdsmen preparing to depart to 
 the lower valley with the produce of the dairy ; cheeses 
 of several kinds, butter, and sour milk for the use of 
 the family, a pony carrying what would have been 
 considered a heavy load for the beast on a level 
 road, and the party also being heavily laden. Two 
 girls only remained to tend the flocks and herds 
 belonging to the farm, and to their hospitality we 
 consigned ourselves. 
 
 " The outer apartment of the hut was appropriated 
 to us ; the cooking we performed for ourselves. As 
 the evening drew on, the sound of tinkling bells gave 
 notice of the approach of a part of the flocks. The 
 girls hastened forth to meet them, welcoming the sheep 
 with their voice and caresses, and at the same time 
 treating them to handfuls of salt. A while after came 
 the goats in long files, more boisterous and importu- 
 nate in their demands ; and last, with more sober 
 tread, a goodly file of twenty-five cows came down 
 the snow-drift which lay at the back of the little hut.
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 353 
 
 The business of milking now commenced; each cow 
 was called to the pail, a little salt administered, and 
 the operation over, the quiet animal received another 
 taste, and walked away, another answering to the 
 girl's call. The goats were similarly dealt with ; and 
 soon afterwards the mixed herd settled themselves 
 for the night in picturesque groups on the uneven 
 ground around the sceter. 
 
 " It was now time to seek some resting-place for 
 ourselves. The poor girls had no place but their 
 own bed to offer, on which indeed four people might 
 have closely packed themselves ; but, upon inspection, 
 it did not prove tempting, nor indeed did they pro- 
 pose to relinquish it, as is generally done. The outer 
 apartment had a moist muddy floor, and there was 
 no bench ; but in one corner lay a heap of crooked 
 birch billets, on which the most angular of the party 
 speedily laid himself, glorying in having at any rate 
 a dry couch, though a most uneasy one. Birch- 
 boughs there were none ; but we had noticed abun- 
 dance of reindeer- moss, and of this we soon gathered 
 sufficient to make a bed ; enclosed with the billets, 
 and wrapped in our coats, we succeeded in obtaining 
 some sort of a night's rest. The morrow was Sun- 
 day, and my sprain being still troublesome, it was 
 resolved to remain at the saeter. Milking com- 
 menced the day, and that completed, each animal was 
 turned adrift with a pat on the back, not venturing 
 to depart till thus dismissed. The cows betook 
 themselves up the valley to the more level pasture ; 
 
 A A
 
 354 EXCURSION IN 
 
 the goats were soon seen climbing the dizzy heights 
 that overhung the spot. We spent our noon on the 
 mossy slope of a sunny bank, luxuriating in our day 
 of rest, and enjoying the calm and pure atmosphere 
 of that great elevation. The girls, having completed 
 the operations of the dairy, occupied themselves in a 
 general combing and washing, which is, I grieve to 
 relate, only a Sunday practice. It is much to be 
 wished that they were as cleanly in their persons as 
 they are in all matters connected with the dairy and 
 cooking. 
 
 " The early morn saw us preparing for departure. 
 The clouds had hung low and occasionally com- 
 pletely enveloped us for the last two days, but they 
 were now higher and broken, and promised to dis- 
 perse. I was so far recovered that I Avas able to 
 undertake my share of the burthens. At once striking 
 up the almost perpendicular side of the fjeld, we 
 sought the plateau of the range supposed to be now 
 about 1800 feet above the sjBter. The ascent was 
 steep, leading up ridges of rock, the narrow path of 
 the goats. Soon we came to the long snow-drifts 
 which it is so laborious to ascend. The sun had by 
 this time dispelled the clouds and shone with a fierce 
 heat, creating a most dazzling light. We had halted 
 for rest, after having gained about 1000 feet. Our 
 guide suddenly starting up pointed to a broad track 
 across a snow-drift, which he called rem-schlack^ 
 ' rein-slot, or track.' We hastened to make a minute 
 inspection, and were disappointed at finding it was
 
 TlIK IIUKUNGERNE. 855 
 
 one of the higher paths of the goats. We now kept 
 a watchful look out ; and having again come to halt 
 at a point from whence we could look up a long 
 expanse of snow, we discovered a faint whiter line 
 crossing the drift at some distance above us, which, 
 on inspection through a small telescope, proved to be 
 the stale track of two deer. It was yet some distance 
 to the summit, which climbing Avith great toil we at 
 length reached about 10 o'clock. We were now about 
 4500 feet above the level of the sea, and the prospect 
 looking back to the north took us quite by surprise. 
 We had gained a point of view which commanded the 
 whole range of the peaks of the Hurungerne. Not a 
 cloud obscured our vision, -and there they extended 
 in three groups of most fantastic outline, some of the 
 points actually overhanging the base. Before us was 
 a scene of snowy fjelds — a glacier at no great dis- 
 tance ; we caught a glimpse of the fjord ; and on the 
 right the folds of the mighty Sneebraen stretched 
 away till they were lost in the distance. 
 
 " But while we were gazing on this magnificent 
 prospect, almost beneath our very feet was the trail 
 of fourteen reindeer. These we could easily trace 
 and count, as they had leisurely pursued their way. 
 The deep tread of the old buck, and the lighter and 
 smaller slot of the young hind, was clearly distin- 
 guishable. It proved, however, to be Saturday even- 
 ing's trail, a date I should have assigned it from its 
 appearance. I found, from the guide, that they often 
 follow a trail of that age with success, so we com- 
 
 AA 2
 
 356 EXCURSION IN 
 
 menced the pursuit. The deer had come from the 
 S.E., and appeared to have gone off to the W. The 
 course we had planned lay m the contrary direction ; 
 but however we were willing to try what we could 
 make of following the trail. By looking a-head with 
 the telescope we occasionally crossed the windings 
 they had made ; but often the nature of the ground 
 prevented our seeing above a few yards beyond our 
 feet. The guide, who was quite enthusiastic, dis- 
 played much acuteness and activity. Running for- 
 ward, he would ascertain the direction the deer had 
 taken, and, by a wave of the hand, save us a long 
 circuit. Once we halted on the edge of a steep 
 descent, and could not perceive which way the herd 
 had gone ; and seeing no trail in the original direc- 
 tion, the guide pronounced that they had gone off 
 under a steep to the N.W., to an isolated part of 
 the fjeld, where we should be sure to find them ; 
 but to follow up the chase would entirely change the 
 plan of our excursion. ' Follow ! ' was the word, 
 and again we hit off the trail. Our general course 
 was now down into one of the field valleys ; and here 
 we were again at fault. The deer had separated ; 
 some had tried the river in one place at a ford, 
 and others had attempted to cross a snow-bridge, but 
 apparently not liking the look of it, had retreated. 
 "We could scarcely make out where they had crossed, 
 if they had done so at all. A line in the snow of the 
 opposite height, however, looked like their trail ; we 
 made for it. It was now doubtful how far they
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 357 
 
 might have gone, but still we kept on, till, having 
 gained the height, we halted soon after mid -day on a 
 bare patch, exposed to the rays of the bright sun. 
 We were all glad to rest a while, and partake of some 
 refreshment, but were careful enough about the water 
 we drank, having learnt a severe lesson that snow 
 water is not always to be drunk mth impunity. 
 
 " Having rested an hour stretched on the moss*, and 
 again a-foot, we shaped our course to the westward, 
 and were brought to the edge of another and deeper 
 valley, across which it appeared the deer had directly 
 taken. It was necessary here to decide which plan we 
 should pursue, either continue the chase and make a 
 night of it on the fjeld, or,^ carrying out the original 
 purpose of the excursion, make for the nearest roof, 
 and that a deserted one, little less than two and a 
 half Norsk miles to the S.E., on the Thy-Elv, not far 
 from the lake of that name. For my o^vn part, I 
 was for proceeding after the deer; but considering 
 the hardships and uncertainty attending it, and that 
 
 * " Among the mosses was a curled lichen with beautiful red 
 trumpet-shaped flowers, rising to the height of about three inches. 
 We found it also on Gousta-|Fjeld and on most of the mountains. 
 We noticed also that in some places there were patches of snow 
 of a reddish colour, similar, I apprehend, to those which have been 
 mentioned by Ai'ctic voyagers. The colour is occasioned either 
 by insects or a very minute lichen. As a proof how all things 
 contain life, we were surprised at finding on the summit of the 
 fjeld a number of little black beetle-shaped insects, crawling on 
 the snow. They were quite lively, and apparently enjoying their 
 brief existence. They were about the size of a small pin's-head." 
 
 A A 3
 
 358 EXCURSION IN 
 
 although it was sport to me, it could not be so to 
 the unarmed members of the party, and also that we 
 should probably see no more of the Hurungerne, we 
 left the trail, and crossing steep crag and snow drift, 
 found ourselves, after a long day's work, quite pre- 
 pared to make the most of the deserted, doorless 
 saeter Sletterust. We were obliged to sup without 
 venison, on a most uninviting conglomeration of 
 broken flad-brod and butter well melted, and 
 kneaded together by being carried and shaken about 
 in a hot sun. For drink, we had hot thin soup, 
 which, to save time, we cooled down to drinking 
 temperature as fast as it was boiled, by the addition 
 of snow from the drift close by. Fortunately, there 
 was a stock of fire- wood ready for use, left from last 
 summer. So far up in the fjeld is this saeter that it 
 would not be occupied for yet another week. The 
 valley which here opens is above the line at which 
 the birch grows, and now was occasionally crossed by 
 broad snow patches. Thy-Vand, which we had seen 
 only a short distance off, was still partially covered 
 with ice. It was an inhospitable spot ; yet where the 
 snow had melted from the flat in front of the hut, 
 grass of the greenest hue was springing up, and abun- 
 dance of a species of sorrel of which the cattle are 
 particularly fond. 
 
 " Fortunate in being able to make a good fire, we 
 in some measure tempered the cold of our well-venti- 
 lated apartment. And now (ten o'clock) having col- 
 lected a pile of wood ready to add to the fire, by any
 
 THE HURUNGEKNE. 859 
 
 one of us who might be awake, we huddled together 
 in a corner of the hut, a log forming our pillow, and a 
 scanty sprinkling of moss our mattrass. It had been 
 an arduous day's work, but we were not disposed to 
 grumble at the accompaniment. 
 
 " At three o'clock our sturdy little guide was stir- 
 ring, and said it was no use lying there in the cold any 
 longer, we must start with the daylight, and get a 
 nap in the day-time on some sunny bank ; a practice 
 I fancy they frequently adopt. A little soup was 
 cooked for breakfast, the last of our stock, with the 
 remainder of our rice. Unfortunately our brandy 
 was at a low ebb, and we were forced to adopt the 
 guide's plan of tempering the snow water for quench- 
 ing our thirst with a pungent kind of cheese, of 
 which we had a little with us. The clear sky of 
 yesterday had changed to thick and heavy clouds, 
 but a break here and there gave us hope we should 
 yet have it clear. To-day we were to cross the fjelds 
 to Svaleim-Saeter, still on the look out for reindeer. 
 We were not sorry that we had some inhabited resting- 
 place to look forward to, and resolved that should this 
 day also pass without venison, one of our guide's 
 flock should be sacrificed to our now not unreasonably 
 carnivorous appetite. 
 
 " AYe crossed the river by a bridge of snow, and 
 having gained a considerable height on the eastern 
 side of the valley, we turned to breathe before we as- 
 cended a steep snow drift, and bade farewell to the 
 green patch which pointed out the desolate Sletterust 
 
 A A 4
 
 360 EXCURSION IN 
 
 with far less of interest than we had yesterday 
 welcomed it from the opposite heights. We were 
 soon again on the fjeld ; the day was dark and lower- 
 ing, and masses of mist occasionally enveloped us. 
 Snow extended in every direction, and the scenery 
 was altogether of the most desolate character. Traces 
 of reindeer were abundant ; the deep hollows formed 
 by the night resting-place of more than one herd 
 were seen, but none were recent enough to be worthy 
 of our notice. Our guide assured us there were 
 plenty of reindeer on the fjeld, and promised me if 
 I would come some Norwegian miles further to the 
 eastward, abundance of sport, and the antlers of 
 many a ' storbock.' Following the shore of a frozen 
 lake, we crossed a mass of mixed snow and gravel, 
 which was remarkable at this elevation, appearing to 
 have been brought down from some heights on the 
 south of our track, which, being of a bare, rocky 
 character, were, from their power of attracting the 
 rays of the sun, likely to have melted sufficient snow 
 water to have caused these traces. The whole of the 
 centre of the lake was unbroken ice, covered with 
 a deep coating of snow; our course lay directly 
 across the lake, yet the guide avoided traversing it, 
 though we stepped over several rents and fissures, 
 and coasted along near the shore. We now met mth 
 the trail of eleven deer, two days old, and, almost 
 immediately after, the morning's track of two deer, 
 which had gone at a gallop up the hill-side to the 
 southward. At the look of this, our guide at once
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 361 
 
 shook his head : ' They may have gone for ever ! ' he 
 said. The trail of the eleven deer led round the 
 lake shore, rather in the direction we were taking, 
 but neither seemed to promise much ; so we pro- 
 ceeded. Soon after, our guide remarked that he had 
 killed many deer hereabouts, and one, a fine buck, 
 just in this spot, last season, late in the evening. He 
 skinned it, and buried it in the snow, putting large 
 stones over the pit, to keep off any stray bears or 
 wolves. A little further on, he showed us a place he 
 had cleared out under a sheltering rock, and had 
 built up a little berth where he had slept, comfort- 
 ably wrapped in the warm skin of the beast he had 
 just slain. At ten o'clock we halted to rest and eat 
 on a green bank overlooking the frozen lake, a spot 
 of rare occurrence in these wilds. We found here 
 abundance of a plant like wild celery, which we 
 found pleasant eating. We had seen it before, and it 
 was not a bad addition to our soup ; we now devoured 
 it with avidity. After a short rest, we again set 
 forth ; the spot was too exposed for a nap, and, alas ! 
 there was no sun, and no prospect of obtaining a view 
 of the Hurungerne peaks. We should now have been 
 at a desirable distance to have seen them distinctly. 
 
 " Xot long after we had again resumed our march, 
 keeping a watchful look out for the track of the 
 eleven deer, which our guide knew if we did not cross, 
 it must be a proof that they were still at no great dis- 
 tance, as all that part of the fjeld was bounded by 
 deep valleys ; we espied a long way off a single dark
 
 362 EXCUESION IN 
 
 speck on the snow of an opposite height moving 
 towards us. This our guide soon pronounced to be 
 a man, and soon after, by the aid of the glass, made 
 out the figure of an old hunter well known to him. 
 We sat down and awaited his coming. It was re- 
 markable and interesting enough to meet with a 
 human being so far in the wild. How surprised 
 were we to find that the hunter was so old that he 
 required the assistance of a stick in each hand to assist 
 him down the snow-drifts and over the rough ground 
 of the fjeld. His rifle was slung horizontally behind, 
 in the sling of his wallet. His astonishment at 
 meeting a party of Englislimen was as great as his 
 relish of the welcome sup of brandy we gave him. 
 Our guide had now a consultation with him on the 
 deer-schack. He seemed anxious to follow it, and I 
 was no less so, if I could be relieved of the pack I 
 was carrying. After some consultation, it was de- 
 cided that my two companions, having the bearings of 
 the S£eter distinctly given them, should by compass, 
 if the weather was thick, and by the assistance of the 
 old man's trail, make their way over the fjeld to the 
 appointed resting-place. We therefore parted, and 
 I could see them for miany a mile, like specks on the 
 snow, as they made their way up one mountain-side 
 and we another in a half retrograde direction ; the 
 old hunter followed us as well as he could, while the 
 young one pushed rapidly on. In an hour's walking 
 we expected to meet the trail, but having been unsuc- 
 cessful, and being suddenly surrounded by clouds, we
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 363 
 
 sat down on the edge of a precipice till it should 
 clear. The guide and I were glad to roll ourselves 
 up and take a nap, an example the old man fol- 
 lowed also. We might have been so occupied about 
 an hour, when, rousing ourselves and finding it 
 clearer, we descended, and found the trail at the foot 
 of the precipice. We followed it rapidly for some 
 time, but the deer having doubled, and it coming on 
 thick again, we were unable to look a-head and get 
 sight of the trail at a distance ; we could therefore 
 make nothing of it, and were obliged unwilhngly to 
 give up the chase. Wet and weary, we were not 
 sorry to make our way direct to the saeter, not above 
 seven or eight miles off, and we soon left the poor 
 old "hunter far behind. 
 
 " My hunger was now extreme, and I was deter- 
 mined to carry into execution my threat of having a 
 young lamb killed. I found my friends, satiated with 
 grud and cream, resting their weary bones on a clean 
 pallet in the comfortable saeter. But, although fresh 
 porridge had been prepared for me, my craving for 
 animal food was not to be baulked. I proceeded, there- 
 fore, to examine the flock, and a young kid was selected, 
 which, after some little bargaining, was purchased 
 for three orts, or thirty pence of English money, and 
 it was immediately sacrificed to my wants. The neces- 
 sary processes were effected amusingly near to the 
 sleeping-place of my two friends, whose disgust was ex- 
 treme ; notwithstanding which they contrived to enjoy 
 a second supper of goat's-flcsh. The scene we thought
 
 364 EXCURSION IN 
 
 would appear very shocking to well-fed people at 
 home, but let them have worked as we had done for 
 the last two or three days, and their nice feelings 
 would have given way to the demands of their appe- 
 tites. At the same time the family attacked a mess 
 of porridge, made with the broth and blood of the 
 animal. 
 
 " Our hunting friend seemed quite a wealthy fellow. 
 This is the summer farm for his cows and horses ; his 
 goats and sheep and a herd of reindeer are in the 
 Hurungerne, on the other side of the great valley. 
 We were not very early in taking our departure on 
 the morrow. The morning was not very clear, and 
 toasting choice morsels of our goat's-flesh on sweet- 
 scented juniper- skewers, we made our breakfast a 
 long affair. Although Svaleim actually lay about 
 seven miles below us in this valley, we should make 
 our journey twenty -five, by the route we wished to 
 take by Koldedal and Vettie. We left the rifle at the 
 sseter ; our knapsack and the remainder of our goat's 
 flesh we sent direct to Svaleim; and were thus in 
 light order for our march. It was a snowy walk of 
 ten or twelve miles to Koldedal, into which we slid 
 from the fjeld at a frightful velocity down a snow- 
 drift. Some fine tinds* rise over Koldedal, which 
 holds a small glacier. But the view from the foot of 
 the first descent was inconceivably grand. The 
 clouds occasionally concealed the whole horizon, and 
 
 * " Tinds" answer to the Aiguilles of Swiss scenery. The 
 " Braen" are Domes.
 
 THE HURUNGERNE. 
 
 365 
 
 then breaking revealed the jagged peaks of Hurun- 
 gerne rismg above them in wild fantastic confusion ; 
 — Skagtols-Tind, the highest mountain in Norway, 
 reachino; the heio'ht of 7670 Eno-lish feet. Beneath 
 a bell-shaped snowy valley penetrated into the moun- 
 tains, and was closed by a vast glacier. Almost all 
 
 the points Avere black and bare, rising like aiguilles 
 from the masses of snow which overspread the lower 
 ranges of the fjelds ; the summits themselves, though 
 they are from 7000 to 8000 feet high, being too steep 
 to hold snow on their surface, and attracting power- 
 fully the sun's rays, the slight coating of snow is soon 
 melted. We were disposed to linger long in view of 
 this glorious spectacle, and it was with difficulty our
 
 366 EXCURSION IN 
 
 guide drew us away. Our path lay down the Koldedal 
 (cold valley), soon coming among birch-woods, and 
 afterwards entering the most splendid fir-forest I 
 have yet met with. Gigantic trees lay about in all 
 stages of decay ; some stood scathed with naked arms 
 bleachino; in the weather ; others were vigorous and 
 of enormous growth. One we measured was nearly 
 four feet in diameter. To increase the grandeur of 
 the forest scene, the peaks of the Hurungerne were 
 seen rising above the pines in the background. 
 
 " We halted at the sacter of Vettie — our last call 
 at the sasters, and prepared for the descent from the 
 fjelds to the valley on our return to Svaleim. A steep 
 zigzag led down the declivity of 2500 feet. The 
 scenery of the Morhe-Kold-Dcil (the dark cold valley) 
 had every feature of grandeur which its profound 
 depth, the narrowness of the defile, the frowning pre- 
 cipices which overhang it, snowy fjelds and falling 
 waters can give. The path was very rugged, and 
 after the soft tread of the snow was extremely pain- 
 ful to our feet ; the higher temperature too of the 
 valley, of which we were sensible after the severe 
 cold of the mountains, made us persj)ire profusely. 
 In one part of the defile the path leads close in the 
 face of a prodigious waterfall, from which rushed a 
 stream of cold air and damp mist, which would soon 
 have chilled and wetted us, had we not materially 
 quickened our pace. The guide pointed out to us 
 the ofable of a little farm at the entrance of a lateral 
 valley, from which this torrent flowed, at least 1 000
 
 
 £xmtedj)jr HuHiaandel fc Wako-n- 
 
 from Ike IF® H.!! SIT ®1? ^^.©ILDSmjAIL.
 
 rf:
 
 THE IIURUXGERNE. 367 
 
 feet above us. The only path to the farm led up the 
 almost perpendicular face of the cliff. It appeared 
 to us almost inaccessible ; but the guide merely ob- 
 served that it was rather difficult to get a horse up it 
 in the winter. However, he had taken his mare up 
 with 200 lb. weight on her back. 
 
 " We reached Svaleim, the home of our sturdy and 
 good-humoured guide, from which we had taken our 
 departure for the ascent of the fjelds, in the evening. 
 The return to Lierdalsoren was all that remained for 
 the morrow. It was anticipated by all the party with 
 much satisfaction ; for greatly as we had enjoyed our 
 rambles in the Hurungerne, to have slept for six con- 
 secutive nights in our clothes, for the most part in 
 damp exposed situations, was enough to make us look 
 forward with pleasure to the good quarters we had 
 left. 
 
 " We were surprised to find an English yacht 
 anchored at Aardal. Her taut appearance so far up 
 these inland waters, on a coast so wild, liad a pleas- 
 ing effect. We called on board to offer any assist- 
 ance or information which our experience might 
 enable us to give; and obtained in return for our 
 civility some numbers of the Times, which agreeably 
 engaged our attention during the return-voyage to 
 Lierdalsoren."
 
 368 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 JOURNAL OP ROUTE FROM LEERDAL OVER THE SOGNE-FJELD. — 
 
 VOYAGE ON THE SOGNE-FJORD. REACH FORTUN AT FOOT OF 
 
 THE FJELD. ASCENT TO MOUNTAIN SiETER. FALL IN "WITH 
 
 HERD OF REINDEER. CROSS THE SUMiHT OF THE FJELD. 
 
 DESCEND TO THE OTTE-FOE. — lERIGATED VALLEYS. — ARRIVE 
 AT VAAGE. 
 
 We now proceed with Lieut. Biddulph's Journal 
 from the time of his parting with the author at 
 Lierdalsoren, as mentioned in a former chapter, till 
 his arrival at Christiania, where the lines of their 
 respective wanderings were to meet. 
 
 " Lierdalsoren to Skiolden. 19th July, 1848. — 
 Henceforth my wanderings were to be solitary. I 
 was bent on tracing the course of the fjord to its 
 furthest extremity; my fellow-traveller had passed 
 his highest point of latitude and turns southward. 
 "His carriole was at the door at 6 a. m. ; I assisted in 
 packing and strapping on his baggage, and having 
 watched him amble out of sight in the direction of 
 the Fille-fjeld, I hastened to effect my own departure 
 on the Sogne-Fjord. Buckling up my knapsack and 
 finishing a delicious basin of wild raspberries and 
 cream, I complete my preparations. A boat was or- 
 dered over-night: two men who make themselves 
 known to me as my boatmen present themselves, and 
 carry my traps to the boat, which they say is gang
 
 THE SOGNE-FJOKD. 369 
 
 ferdig^ 'quite ready.' Following them through the 
 ■winding street of this curious conglomeration of 
 wooden huts and cattle-pens, I find myself on the 
 little wooden jetty we had landed on at midnight a 
 few hours before. It is about seven when we shove 
 off; my boatmen are two civil young fellows ; and the 
 promise of schnaps, if they pull well, makes them 
 settle to their work in earnest. 
 
 " Several boats are on the fjord, breaking the 
 stillness of the morning with measured stroke ; some 
 in-shore are only to be distinguished, in the deep 
 reflection of the mountains, by the track of liglit 
 caused by the ripple of their wake. It is indeed a 
 lovely morning; and to-diiy, reclining in luxury 
 on a bed of birch-boughs, travelling is quite a dif- 
 ferent thing to what it was yesterday, cramped as 
 we then were between the wheels of the carriole, 
 with scarcely room to sit in comfort, much less to 
 recline at full length. 
 
 " Stern and grand as the shores of this fjord are, 
 they appear less interesting after having seen the 
 Hardanger. There is less wood, and for many miles 
 of continuous bare and ragged cliff scarcely a farm 
 or patch of corn appears. Shortly after entering the 
 main fjord we fall in with a boat pulled by a man 
 and woman, making the same course as ourselves. 
 Having progressed in company four or five miles, 
 the customary gossip results in a proposal that I 
 should exchange boats. No party loses by tlie trans- 
 action ; the boatmen are spared a long pull ; the 
 
 B B
 
 370 NAVIGATION OF 
 
 man and woman are glad of a passenger. A lusty 
 fair one she was truly, pulling a stout oar, and at 
 the same time chatteriug away like others of her sex. 
 I manage to keep up a conversation with her, she 
 being interested in my account of my travels. 
 
 " Entering the Lyster-Fjord, we meet a head wind, 
 and we creep close along shore. Boats and men, 
 women and children, are all employed in fetchiug 
 home loads of birch-boughs, grass, &c. for the winter 
 provender of their cattle. They come long distances, 
 and in some instances seem to stay the night ; as 
 smoke issues out of the clefts of the rocks where they 
 are cooking their meals, and the heap of skins for 
 bedding under a high rock points out one of their 
 resting-places. The head wind delays us a good deal, 
 and I take a hand at the oar, the woman at first 
 being rather unwilling to believe me able to imder- 
 take it. We do not see Solvern till we are close to 
 it : it lies in a bight of the fjord. It is past noon 
 when we arrive there. The giesthuus is also a country 
 shop, and some curious wooden houses built upon 
 piles out in the fjord, are rude warehouses ; for it is 
 here very unusually shallow, and the boats are thus 
 enabled to land their goods easily. There are one or 
 two respectable houses, and the soren-scriver of the 
 district resides here. Corn patches and small farms 
 stretch up the slope of the mountains, which is 
 gentle ; and a pass appears to open through them 
 with a fair road north-west to Hafslo, where there is 
 lake and river, and excellent fishing. Changing my
 
 TllH SOGNE-FJORD. 371 
 
 boat here, I had to wait for a fresh crew, for no one 
 is in a hurry in this country. While they are being 
 procured, I contrive to get the good woman of the 
 house, who is most opportunely frying pancakes, to 
 give me meddag's-spise. The lovely morning had given 
 place to a small steady rain ; but well wrapped up in 
 the stern of the boat, I was very comfortable, and 
 will not be positive that I did not go to sleep. Our 
 course lay to the north-east. We pass Urnaes on the 
 opposite shore, prettily situated on a promontory, 
 and apparently a flourishing little place. We cross 
 the mouth of the branch of the fjord which runs up 
 to A^egedal, and Justedal (the icy valley). I had 
 entertained the hope of visiting it, and the sno^vy 
 range of Sneebraen and its glaciers. I knew that 
 it was possible to reach the Otte-Soe by that valley, 
 but it would take more time than I could spare. The 
 route I intended to pursue afforded the gratification 
 of following up the fjord to its farthest recess, and 
 the appearance on the maps of the many peaks of 
 Hurnngerne, and above all the lofty summit of 
 Skagtols-Tind in this direction, promised much. I 
 had not time for both schemes ; so, not without hesi- 
 tation and regret, I desire the boatmen to make for 
 Fortun.* 
 
 " The fjord becomes more wild and picturesque as 
 we proceed — the ridges more lofty and broken ; but 
 few birch and pine woods now clothe the steeps, and 
 
 * This disappointment led to the excursion into the Hurungerne 
 in the following year, which is detailed in the preceding Chapter. 
 
 B B 2
 
 372 FORTUN, AT FOOT OF 
 
 those of a stunted growth. A little below Lyster is 
 a fine foss, with a large body of water of not less 
 than 600 or 700 feet fall — the Teizum-Foss. I un- 
 expectedly find a good giesthuus at the head of the 
 fjord, and I accept the recommendation of the boat- 
 men, and halt here instead of proceeding to Fortun, 
 half a mile or more (Norsk) up the valley. The 
 men take their fare contentedly, and there is no 
 grumbling. One sees at once that this is not a fre- 
 quented track, and there seems to be quite an earnest 
 desire in the people to assist me and to hear my 
 adventures The woman here is kind and obliging, 
 understandino- all I want, and relievinsf me from the 
 trouble of cooking. I get supper over, and have a 
 long evening to finish a sketch or two and make 
 notes in my journal. It is my first solitary evening : 
 I am in one of the wildest parts of Norway alone. 
 This very spot I put my finger on as to be visited, 
 when tracing my intended route on the map. I sit 
 gazing in wonder at the fjord : there is a distant 
 roar of waters, as of the surf; but the coast is more 
 than 100 miles off, and yet we have here the salt, 
 blue, and almost unfathomable sea pent in within 
 these mighty barriers. 
 
 " Fortun to Vaage. Thursday, 20th July. — I was 
 full of hope last night that the morning would prove 
 fair ; but the first glance down the fjord led me to 
 expect louring and stormy Aveather. Had it been 
 favourable, I should have been off by sunrise to have 
 spent the day in rambling upon the fjeld in the
 
 THE SOGNE -FJORD. 373 
 
 direction of Skao^tols-Tind, if not in ascendino- its 
 summit. But I knew that it was no day for the 
 fjeld, and did not hurry myself, as I could not cross 
 it in the direction of Lomb, without first arranging 
 with a guide overnight. At Skjolden two valleys 
 meet : one, desolate and wild, runs to the north ; my 
 road lay up the other in a north-eastern direction. 
 A little girl ferried me across the river, and con- 
 ducted me to a house where I was to procure a guide. 
 The path was a rough horse-road, rising at first over 
 a small lake, the waters of which as well as those of 
 the river were of a light blue. Though I was nearly 
 approaching the highest mountains of Norway, there 
 were no points of any remarkable elevation, that is 
 to say, more than 3000 feet, which was about the 
 height of the sides of the valley. There were woods 
 of pine, birch, and alder, the river rushing among 
 islands covered with the latter. I saw several weirs 
 in the eddies of the river ; and from them and what 
 my guide said, I fancy there are abundance of salmon 
 here. About four miles brought me to corn-fields, 
 and beyond them lay the remote village of Fortun. 
 Seeing a saw-mill perched a little above the road, 
 turned by a mountain torrent, I went to examine its 
 machinery — simple and rude enough, but very ef- 
 fective. The shaft from the crank was of wood, the 
 wheel merely ten or twelve paddles or blades set on 
 a spindle, the force of rapidly descending water being 
 tremendous. 
 
 " Arrived at Fortun, which lies at the base of the 
 
 B B 3
 
 374 ASCEND THE FJELD. 
 
 range, I had to find out how far across the fjeld it 
 was to the first habitations, and whether it were pos- 
 sible to lessen the work of the actual passage by 
 makino^ a short march this afternoon. I learnt that 
 it was about five Norsk miles (thirty- five English) to 
 the first SEeter on the other side of the fjeld, and that 
 I could go one mile to Fortun-seeter, on the way, this 
 evening. I might hire a horse for seven marks ; how- 
 ever, I preferred walking to scrambling along on the 
 back of a small pony. This was all clear; and I 
 should start for the sseter about three o'clock. In the 
 mean time I spent an hour in trying the river for fish, 
 but without success. On leaving Skj olden in the 
 morning, a dog had rushed out and barked at me; 
 and being rather a handsome black shaggy fellow, I 
 held out my hand to him, and he came and licked it, 
 and afterwards followed us. I supposed he would 
 have gone back with the guide, and took no further 
 notice of him ; but I afterwards found that we were not 
 soon to part company. At three I set forth, leaving 
 the little rude wooden village with its church, by a 
 path which, ascending rapidly, wound up the almost 
 perpendicular face of a clifi' to the valley above, per- 
 haps more than 1000 feet above the village. It was 
 a well-worn track, evidently the one used as a general 
 thoroughfare to all the saBters from the farms below. 
 Still the valley ascended rapidly, and the course of 
 the path up and down was most harassing. In the 
 bottom a furious torrent roared, dashing over rugged 
 ledges through deep narrow chasms, and worked into
 
 ASCEND THE FJELD. 375 
 
 a state of snowy whiteness. There were several 
 farms at tlie entrance of the valley and quite a little 
 hamlet of them on the opposite side. The corn was 
 very green here, scarcely in ear, and much beaten 
 down by the heavy rains : — rain indeed ! it has rained 
 almost every day since we crossed the Hardanger. 
 When I get over the mountains there are hopes of 
 finer weather, as much less rain falls on the eastern 
 side of the range. 
 
 " Happening to mention reindeer to my guide, he 
 tells me there is a large herd of them on the fjeld 
 about half a Norsk mile to the southward. This is 
 quite unexpected, and puts me on the alert. I ask if 
 we shall go at once up the steep side of the valley to 
 find them, but he gives me to understand that we 
 should go to the sa3ter first. One hour and a half 
 brings us past the growth of birches and grass, and 
 indeed all vegetation but the mosses and lichens, and 
 we turn to the southwards up a still steeper ascent. 
 At five we reached the s^eter, one of half a dozen 
 rude huts situated on a grassy slope. All around 
 rise stern snowy ranges of the fjelds, and rugged 
 peaks wreathed with heavy masses of clouds that at 
 times completely envelope them. The summit of 
 Skagtols-Tind, whicli I only saw bare for a few 
 seconds, towers over them all. 
 
 " It was refreshing after niy walk to taste again the 
 delicious saeter milk. With this restorative and a 
 few minutes' rest, the evening having cleared a little, 
 I was quite prepared for a start to tlie fjelds in search 
 
 B B 4
 
 376 PURSUIT OF 
 
 of the reindeer. We turned at once towards the highest 
 ranges, rising rapidly through low brush of a green 
 myrtle-leaved plant and dwarf willow, over moss and 
 lichen, a carpet of most varied hues. Advancing up 
 a valley we approached a glen of peculiarly wild and 
 picturesque character, backed at its far end by a 
 rugged peak, and on its sides lay immense masses of 
 snow and apparently a glacier. We passed it, and 
 rose yet more, coining soon to a higher level over- 
 spread with fields of snow. Here the guides seemed 
 to expect to find the deer, looking about for them in 
 every direction. My friend from the lower valley 
 still accompanied me, having got one of his relations, 
 a hardy mountaineer, to give us the assistance of his 
 better knowledge of these wilds. We had been about 
 an hour in the ascent. The view from hence back- 
 wards, over the wild valley winding upwards, and 
 the region of fjelds beyond, was magnificent. The 
 sceter looked like a speck far below. The guides 
 pointed out to me my course to the north-east for 
 to-morrow. Again we mount for another hour, and 
 we are in full possession of a most splendid panorama. 
 We cannot be less than 5000 feet high. Close above 
 us is a rocky summit, bare and pointed, in the clefts 
 of which lie masses of snow and ice. To the south 
 and south-west are distant views of fjelds far away, 
 the northern extremity of the Hardanger glowing 
 pink in the evening light. To the westward, fold 
 after fold of the snowy ridges of Sneebraen, between 
 which and us intervenes, unseen, the deep valley of
 
 A HERD OF REINDEER. 377 
 
 the Sogne-Fjord — a spectacle of indescribable gran- 
 deur. It is here one sees the true character of the 
 fjelds of Xorway. 
 
 " My attendants seemed much puzzled to find the 
 deer. There were traces of them on the snow which 
 appeared quite fresh, and handfuls of their winter 
 fur lay on the moss here and there, showing how 
 they frequented this elevated region. I sat down to 
 rest, while the guides made a short round, returning 
 without success. It was now time to retrace our 
 steps, and I was anxious to get some good rest, to 
 prepare myself for the fatigues of crossing the wilds 
 to-morrow, which I saw would be of no ordinary 
 kind ; but we still kept a -sharp look out, and se- 
 parated to cover a greater breadth of countr3^ The 
 mountaineer and myself, finding ourselves at last 
 near the brink of the deep glen we had first seen, 
 were mutually bending our steps that Avay. He was 
 a little in advance below me, and I saw him come to 
 a stand, looking right dov\'n into the valley and 
 shading his eyes. A wild shout intimated that he 
 had discovered the deer. Upon my joining him, he 
 pointed them out to me, but they were scarcely 
 visible, and I am not quite sure that I saw them at 
 all, so great was the height we were above the 
 valley ; and yet, from the vastness of the scale of 
 the scenery, the distance appeared but small. To 
 descend was now the difficulty, the fall of the ground 
 being almost perpendicular. A little beyond, a broken 
 line of huge stones and rocks promised a rugged path,
 
 378 FALL IN WITH 
 
 such as few would have been able to descend as we 
 did, by leaping down from rock to rock, and striding 
 from one point to another ; it needed a good eye and 
 sure foot, such as my scrambling days of old had 
 inured me to the practice of. To have gently eased 
 oneself from stone to stone would have taken half 
 a day ; but, as we dashed onwards at the risk of 
 dislocated bones, or at least of broken shins, it was 
 the work of a very short time to reach the bottom 
 of the glen. 
 
 " A few minutes' walk up the valley brought us 
 in sight of the herd, about 200 yards off. They 
 were standing on a slight eminence close to the 
 glacier and an immense field of snow which filled 
 up the end of the valley. The glimmer of these 
 white masses in the ofrowino- dusk formed a fine 
 relief to the outline of their heads and branching 
 horns. The deer were grouped in all positions, 
 with their heads turned towards us, keenly alive to 
 our approach, presenting a spectacle singularly pic- 
 turesque, heightened as it was by the grandeur of 
 the background. I had promised myself no small 
 pleasure in meeting with them ; the whole of our 
 search had been full of interest, and I was not dis- 
 appointed. I lingered for some minutes in contem- 
 plation of the scene, but the guide was soon among 
 them, and almost lost behind their tall heads and 
 branching antlers. They were so tame, though suf- 
 fered to roam at large in these boundless wastes, 
 that they not only allowed him to approach them,
 
 A HERD OF REINDEEK. 379 
 
 but crowded round to receive handfuls of salt, 
 which be doled out to them. Our coming had been 
 announced by a wild and not unmusical call, with 
 which they seemed familiar; but they were some- 
 what alarmed at the approach of a stranger, and 
 stared at me with their bright full eyes, and with 
 heads erect, presenting a show of antlers truly for- 
 midable. However, they were soon re-assured, and, 
 finding that I had salt to give them, pressed round 
 me to receive it. I had not imasrined that the rein- 
 deer were such noble animals as I found them. I 
 could not cease admiring their beautiful eyes, their 
 wide and branching horns of varied shape, covered at 
 this season with skin and a soft down — their sleek 
 bodies and fine clean limbs. There were at least 
 200, of all sizes, from the little fawns, and the neatly 
 shaped young does, to the majestic-antlered bucks, 
 some of whose horns were not less than five or six 
 feet across. One or two of the older ones had flat 
 projecting branches over the eyes and forehead ; and 
 none were exactly alike. A curious cracking noise 
 was produced by the joints of their legs and feet as 
 they moved about. Some of them were yet partially 
 covered with their winter coat, presenting a singular 
 appearance, as the fur is about two inches longer than 
 the summer coat, and of a much lighter colour. I 
 pulled off handfuls of it. The perpetual changes of 
 attitude and position of these graceful animals, some 
 lying on the ground, some breaking into groups, 
 gave endless variety to a scene which I scarcely knew
 
 S80 PASSAGE OF 
 
 liow to quit. At last we leave them in full posses- 
 sion of their romantic resting-place ; and, as I gaze 
 back, I see them fast settling themselves for the night 
 on the mossy ground. I learned that the herd is 
 shared among the farmers of Fortun, who purchased 
 it from a party of Finmarkers. I think the value of 
 a reindeer is about ten or twelve dollars. 
 
 " Returned to the hut there was more than usual 
 satisfaction, after such a day's work, in changing 
 damp shoes and socks by a blazing fire, cooking soup 
 of rice and the never-failing bouilli, and finally in de- 
 vouring a supper for which there is no preparation 
 equal to a mountain ramble. The women who had 
 the care of the dairy were much amused with the ex- 
 pedition of my cookery, and well pleased also with 
 the taste of English beef. I was now in some anxiety 
 about my resting-place. There was a bed in one 
 corner of the hut, in which reposed the women and a 
 few children besides, but for certain reasons it was a 
 place to be avoided. A stone bench ran along one 
 side, the lowest of a range of shelves which held the 
 bowls of milk. On its being very innocently pro- 
 posed that I should share the bed with the women, I 
 gave them to understand that I would sleep on the 
 bench, but of this they would not hear. So the sheep- 
 skin blankets were smoothed and the straw arransred, 
 and the women having disappeared, there was nothing 
 to be done but to take to the bed. Carefully wrapped 
 in my coat of mail, I invaded the enemy's country.
 
 THE SOGNE-FJELT). dol 
 
 In the morning I found myself with two bed-fellows 
 — they were both masculine. 
 
 " It was somewhat before five when I turned out : 
 my hopes of a fine day vanished ; it blew a hurri- 
 cane, with torrents of rain. However I prepared 
 myself for proceeding. My guide for crossing the 
 fjeld was introduced to me last night — a handsome 
 fresh-coloured young fellow wearing a slouched red 
 cap. On his appearing this morning, I asked him if 
 he was ready. He shook his head, and replied, ' We 
 cannot go to the fjeld to-day.' The women and all 
 present protested against my making the attempt. I 
 represented to them that I' had a long way to go, 
 and must be in London by a certain time. At 
 length, seeing me in earnest, it Avas settled that we 
 should start at seven o'clock. I did not know whe- 
 ther there was any real danger to be apprehended, 
 though I confess that I thought of the Aasgaards 
 rija*, and the disastrous crossing of the fjeld de- 
 scribed by Miss Bremer. The distance to the first 
 saeter was four miles by their account — a good seven 
 hours' walk. 
 
 " It blew rather less, and the rain and sleet drove 
 somewhat less heavily f, when my guide led the Avay 
 
 * Tlie Spirits of the storm that fatally sweep over the wastes, 
 according to Norwegian tradition. See the tale Strife a7id Peace. 
 
 f From all that appears in these pages of the difficulties attend- 
 ing the passage of the fjelds, which are by no means exaggerated, 
 future travellers may learn to be prepared for the enterprise, by 
 being effectually, though lightly, accoutred. An amiable gentleman 
 who walked over the Hardanger under a silk umbrella, and pre-
 
 382 PASSAGE OF 
 
 from the s^ter, carrying the heaviest of my traps. 
 Descending to the torrent which I followed up yes- 
 terday, we crossed it by a rude bridge of pines, and 
 soon after commenced the ascent. I was surprised 
 to find that the track still continued to be visible, 
 and ajDparently was much used. There were well- 
 built roadmarks in parts where the road runs 
 near the precipice. Occasionally, when the clouds 
 lifted, I perceived how much I lost from the state of 
 the weather. The track led through a fjeld much 
 grander than the Hardanger, though that is more 
 vast in extent. Two hours brought us to a lake 
 under a very high and precipitous point, on the 
 sides of which lay a glacier extending into the lake, 
 which was almost covered with ice. We Avaded 
 through large tracts of snow, and crossed several 
 snow bridges ; but fortunately found no rivers to 
 ford, as we had done in the Hardanger. Two hours 
 more, and we halted and lunched under the shelter of 
 a great rock, in view of a very extensive glacier. 
 
 " We now struck the head of the valley leading 
 down to Lomb on the Otte-Vand, which I had re- 
 solved to reach on the morrow. A river flows into it 
 
 sented the tattered relics, a mere skeleton, to the saeter girls (who 
 must have been at some loss what to make of the adventure and 
 the gift), seems to have been but ill-informed, ^and neai'lj perished. 
 Properly equipped, the traveller, in his rambles in NorAvay, 
 need — 
 
 " Fear no evils — 
 Nor hunger, nor rough weather." 
 — Editor's note.
 
 THE SOGNE-FJELD. 383 
 
 from the glacier. "We met here pack-horses straying, 
 and saddles and goods were lying by the wayside 
 without a human being near : strange accompani- 
 ments to the desolation of these fjelds ! I learned 
 from my guide that this is the frequented track from 
 Gulbrandsdalen, by which all supplies, such as gro- 
 ceries, salt, &c., are conveyed from the head of the 
 Sogne-Fjord. Arrived at the long-talked of saeter, 
 whose hospitable smoke we had seen far away down 
 the valley, I was glad to halt and obtain some milk. 
 The poor dog who followed me yesterday, and had 
 been tied up outside the hut all the preceding night, 
 was also indebted to the dairy- woman for a meal. I 
 had given him no encouragement, but he seemed re- 
 solved on attaching himself to my fortunes. There 
 was nothing to tempt him from his home. Our 
 acquaintance commenced with rough weather and 
 long and weary marches. He was my companion 
 during the rest of my rambles, and is now with me in 
 England. I got a horse at the saeter, and Norge 
 trotted along b}'^ my side. Three hours and a half 
 brought us to the end of the stage, but it was only 
 six o'clock, and I would still get forward. One never 
 thinks of stopping in this nightless land. But all my 
 persuasions and the offer of extra clrikhe penge failed 
 to induce my new conductor to proceed any further. 
 ' The giesthuus was over the bridge ; I could get a 
 horse, or I could sleep there.' But I well knew what 
 it was to wait till a horse could be procured ; so 
 shouldering my now rather weighty pack, though I
 
 384 DESCENT TO LOME, 
 
 felt stiff from a cold ride after a laborious march in a 
 strong gale in the morning, I walked on. Here the 
 atmosphere was calm and clear, as I was now on the 
 eastern side of the fjelds. As I plodded down the 
 valley, which seemed interminable — point after 
 point, and still another bend — I called at several 
 places to get some one to carry my knapsack, but 
 without success. I was very glad when, having 
 hailed some men in a field above me, one of them 
 came to my assistance. However, he did not go 
 far with me ; and finding from him that there was a 
 giest-giver at Hoft, one ' herding ' onward — having 
 accomplished altogether forty-seven English miles, I 
 sought quarters there, obtaining the promise of a 
 horse to Lomb in the morning. 
 
 " The morning was lovely ; no cloud obscured the 
 clear sky of that northern latitude. The valley was 
 less striking than many I had seen. Its bounds are 
 Jaigh and rocky, and sometimes a snow-capped fjeld 
 reared itself at the head of some branch glen. The 
 whole valley is irrigated from the streams which de- 
 scend from the mountains, conveyed in troughs made 
 of hollowed pines, which are carried along the sides 
 of the hills for miles, forming a picturesque aqueduct. 
 The farms are numerous, and inclosures of corn and 
 grass abound. I find that there is no boat to be pro- 
 cured at Lomb, and a horse must be taken as I am 
 too stiff to walk to the next station — eleven miles. 
 Rather than wait I leave my knapsack to be brought 
 on l)y the postboy, and saunter along the shore of the
 
 ON THE OTTE-VAND. 385 
 
 lake. The Otte-Vand is less grand than the Mios, 
 which I had expected to find it resemble. The 
 church at Lomb stands on a promontory above the 
 mouth of the river which forms a small delta. It 
 comes in well, with its gables and spire, in the view 
 up the lake, which I stop to sketch. The mountains 
 descend to the edge of the water in the beautiful 
 sweeps peculiar, I think, to Norwegian scenery. This 
 time yesterday I was among ice and snow, now I find 
 the heat excessive. I plunge into the cool waters of 
 the lake, and then again sauntering on for some 
 time, I resolve to sit by the way-side till the horse 
 comes up. The liund, my now faithful companion, 
 stretches himself at length, and is soon asleep. I 
 follow his example. How long I might have re- 
 mained in this happy state I cannot tell ; certain it is 
 that it was late in the afternoon when I was awoke 
 by a hearty shake from the postboy. I find the 
 arrangement of stirrups and saddle rather more un- 
 comfortable than walking. I -was wondering yester- 
 day where the pines w^ere obtained for the houses and 
 troughs in the valleys I have left. I find them here 
 in abundance. Leaving the shore of the lake, the 
 road crosses into another valley, and descending it 
 returns to the lake at Gardmo. This valley is irri- 
 gated in the same way ; the long lines of troughs 
 give a pleasing efii'ect to the view, and speak the in- 
 dustry of the people. Another delay of not less than 
 an hour and a half — during Mdiich I am impatient for 
 my supper — and a boat appears from the opposite 
 
 c c
 
 886 COUNTRY CHURCH. 
 
 shore. A pleasant cruise of ten miles and a walk of 
 one mile bring me, about half-past eleven o'clock, to 
 a most substantial giest-giver's, where I am well 
 entertained. 
 
 " Vaage. Sunday, July 23. — I thoroughly enjoy 
 a day of rest, and all the comforts attending it. 
 There is a fine old church of timber here, with a 
 lofty spire, the roof covered with shingles in the form 
 of scales, with encircled crosses surmounting each 
 gable. The church I saw yesterday had curiously 
 carved dragons' heads similarly placed. This had 
 a detached belfry, which shook to the ground with 
 the tolling of a good bell. There were stone crosses 
 at the graves in the churchyard, but no flowers, as 
 we had seen at Sillejord. I watched the picturesque 
 groups of country people approaching the church 
 from a distance, and sitting and standing about wait- 
 ing the commencement of the service ; the sombre 
 colour of their dress gaily relieved by the white ker- 
 chiefs of the women and the red slouched caps of the 
 men. I attended the service, and was much impressed 
 by the grave ceremonial of the worship, and the 
 devout and earnest attention of the congregation. 
 Afterwards I wrote out the forbud tickets for the 
 morrow's journey, and sent them forward ; somewhat 
 anxious about it, as these are cross roads, and the 
 people seem but little familiar with the requisitions 
 of travellers who wish for despatch."
 
 387 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONTIXUATION OF JOURNAL. — VALLEY OF THE LAAGEN-ELV. — 
 
 ASCEND THE DOVKE-FJELD ITS WILD SCENERY. STATION 
 
 AT JERKIN, NEAR TOE SUinilT. VALLEY OF THE FOLDA. 
 
 TOWN OF RORAAS. EXCURSION OVER THE FRONTIER INTO 
 
 SWEDEN. SCENERY OF THE BORDER. VISIT TO AN ENCAMP- 
 MENT OF LAPPS THEIR MODE OF LIVING. — HERD OF REIN- 
 DEER. RETURN TO RORAAS. JOURNEY BY POST TO CHRIS- 
 
 TIAJSTA. 
 
 ^^Vaage to Romas. July 24th. — Five o'clock this 
 morning found me, breakfast completed — my knap- 
 sack strapped to the foot-board of a carriole which 
 was standing in the courtyard — and prepared to 
 test the accuracy of yesterday's calculations and the 
 arrangement of the forbud. It matters little in 
 w^alking whether the intended point be reached. A 
 night's lodging is found somewhere, and to the weary 
 traveller his wallet should furnish a supper, with the 
 addition of milk, which is to be found everywhere ; 
 and six feet of clean board, with a mattress of birch 
 or spruce spray, is often preferable to a bed appa- 
 rently more inviting. On the present occasion seventy 
 miles, over cross and mountain roads, was an under- 
 taking which caused me some anxiety. 
 
 " I am fortunate in my first driver ; he is chatty, 
 
 c c 2
 
 388 VALLEY OF THE 
 
 and anxious that I should be in good time at the 
 next station. The road from Vaage, after following 
 the bottom for about a mile, commences a gradual 
 ascent along the side of the valley ; and as I trudge 
 up the hill I have leisure repeatedly to turn back and 
 drink in the beauties of the fair scene I am leaving. 
 Vaage stands in the level plain at the foot of the Otte- 
 Soe, where also another valley pours its tributary 
 stream into the river, which here sweeps among islets 
 green with alder-copse. High fjelds rise to the 
 westward — their snowy tops tinted with the morn- 
 ing sun. The dog trots along in front, occasionally 
 returning to bark out his delight at our new mode of 
 travelling. At length — the summit of the ridge 
 gained in one Korsk mile — we rattle down a lateral 
 valley to the great dal of the Laagen-Elv. The 
 skyds-karl, pleased with my having walked up four 
 or five miles of the hill, is not satisfied with my driv- 
 ing, but, taking the reins into his own hands, makes 
 us rush down into the valley with incredible rapidity. 
 If a strap or a pin were to give way, the consequences 
 must be tremendous ; but of these one learns to think 
 nothing, in the pleasurable excitement of thus dashing 
 onwards. The fourteen miles (English) are got over 
 in two hours, being a quarter of an hour within the 
 time allowed. On driving up to the station at Laur- 
 gaard I find a car and horse standing ready for me. 
 I enter my name in the road-book, pay the tilse' 
 gelse and am off in three minutes. We are now on 
 the great road from Christiania to Drontheim, which
 
 LAAGEN-ELV. 389 
 
 is not inferior to any of our own post-roads. The 
 valley of the Laagen-Elv here begins to enter the 
 Dovre-Fjeld. Below Laurgaard it is open and flat, 
 and the farms appeared rich. It is in fact the 
 commencement of the fine vale of Gulbrandsdal, the 
 most fertile in Norway; which is watered by the 
 Laagen till, very far below, that river discharges its 
 waters into the Miosen-Vand. 
 
 " Here I have come again to the pine forests, which 
 I have scarcely seen since I crossed the Hardanger. 
 The valley soon contracts, and the road, leading over 
 a shoulder of the mountain, leaves the river roaring 
 through a rocky channel many hundred feet below. 
 The scenery is very beautiful, and such fine views of the 
 fjelds on the right are obtained, that I could not help 
 stopping to take a hasty sketch. After passing the 
 next station the valley again opens, and the road fol- 
 lows the river, though occasionally rising over consi- 
 derable limbs of the mountain. The village of Dovre 
 lies above the road, prettily clustered with its church 
 on the side of the valley. The farms become smaller 
 and less fertile, and every thing betokens the approach 
 of the fjelds. Already the bare masses rise nobly im- 
 mediately above the right side of the valley of the 
 Laagen. The road through Romsdalen to Molde is 
 seen still winding up it to the north-west. Near 
 Tofte we turn to the right, and at once facing the 
 side of the valley through pine forests, commence the 
 ascent of the Dovre-Fjeld in right earnest. All the 
 usual indications of increased elevation appeared. 
 
 c c 3
 
 390 CROSS THE 
 
 The pine gradually became more stunted and thinly 
 scattered, birch was the only wood; grass disap- 
 peared, and the mosses, lichens, and the fjeld plants 
 covered the wastes. 
 
 " I find I am losing time, and the day is wearing 
 on; and unfortunately, before coming to Fogstuen, 
 the road being for some distance impassable, we are 
 obliged to make a considerable detour, and pick our 
 way across streams and over the rocky surface of 
 the fjeld. The station is somewhat off the road to 
 the left, a wild-looking place. There is a little in- 
 closure for hay ; the height, 3000 feet, being far above 
 that at which corn will grow. But the farm has a 
 large herd of cows, which must be supported in the 
 house for many months on hay at this inhospitable 
 elevation, unless, indeed, there is a farm attached in 
 the valley below, this being used as its sseter. It is 
 one of the fjeld stuer, or mountain-huts originally 
 built for the accommodation of the early kings of 
 Norway in their journeys over the Dovre-Fjeld to 
 Drontheira. There was some unusual delay, as the 
 horse was not ready, but it gave me the opportunity 
 to refresh myself with a little of the mountain-milk, 
 which at any rate one gets good here. 
 
 " The road continues at the same elevation, follow- 
 ing a hollow in the fjeld. A stream flowing to the 
 eastward, and forming a chain of tarns, is the com- 
 mencement of the Folda-Elv, my future companion 
 to the Glommen, the banks of which I ascend to 
 Roraas. The rugged tops of Sneehattan are seen to
 
 DOVRE-FJELD. 391 
 
 the left over folds of the brown moor. The scene 
 was deeply solemn ; the silence of nature broken only 
 by the cries of the plover, or the whirr of an occa- 
 sional ptarmigan. High poles along the track inform 
 you that in winter the whole face of the country is 
 covered with deep snow. How much more solemn 
 must these wastes be then ! These high unbounded 
 solitudes have a charm for me, and I longed to be 
 rambling over them gun in hand, instead of hurrying 
 along a post-road. My companion, an immensely 
 powerful mountaineer, informed me that there were 
 reindeer on the fjeld on each side. He was at first 
 rather sulky, especially when I told him to get down 
 and walk up the hills. I thought it as well to con- 
 ciliate him with a view to both my objects — one 
 being to get on, and the other to escape a drubbing 
 at his hands, which I should not at all have relished. 
 So I offered him some corn-brandy, and his eye 
 brightened, and he became a communicative pleasant 
 fellow. 
 
 " Approaching the station of Jerkin, herds of 
 mixed sheep, goats, and cows are passed, tended by 
 young girls, a subject fit for an artist of Landseer's 
 ability. Jerkin stands on the fjeld's side — by no 
 means an inhospitable collection of buildings, with 
 one or two inclosures. I was surprised to find a 
 station so remote offering very superior accommo- 
 dation. One could stop here for any length of time 
 in the very heart of the Dovre- Fjeld. There can be 
 no lack of sport, and consequently of good cheer; 
 
 c c 4
 
 392 THE FOLDA VALLEY. 
 
 and no one can be more desirous to please than the 
 station-master. He was anxious that I should stay 
 the night, and I should have been very glad to have 
 spent a day there, but my horses onward were 
 bespoken, and I told him that I must be in Roraas 
 the followino; nio-ht. He shruo;o;ed his shoulders, and 
 said, 'it was too much.' He provided me with a 
 carriole — a great luxury; for I was beginning to 
 feel the effects of the jolting of the cars. 
 
 " The road to Drontheim is seen winding up the 
 steep, and shortly after attains an elevation said to 
 be upwards of 4000 feet, the highest point in the 
 road being not far from this station. I had yet 
 upwards of twenty miles before me. Striking into 
 the valley of the Folda, we soon rattled down to the 
 region of the birch. Some hours are required to 
 get over twenty miles on a cross road in a sandy soil. 
 The valley is not remarkable for beauty : it is barren ; 
 but I notice that the forests of Scotch firs have the 
 surface of the soil uniformly clothed with the yellow 
 moss which is the same in appearance with the rein- 
 moss, but which is here called the cow-moss ; and 
 they gather it for winter fodder. Wearied with a 
 long day's work, the latter part of it in a thick rain, 
 I at length found myself pulled up at the station in 
 Grimsbu in Folda, where I had appointed to sup 
 and sleep. A fine benevolent looking old man, of 
 not much less than seven feet stature, welcomed me 
 to his house, and a most good-natured old woman 
 proceeded to administer to my wants.
 
 ROUTE TO RORAAS. 393 
 
 ^'' Rbraas. Tuesday, July 25th I was carefully 
 
 roused by my handsome host, who, with regimental 
 salute, informed me that it was past four, and time to 
 be stirring. My few hours of rest had been undis- 
 turbed, and I found myself fresh and up to another 
 day's jolting. The good dame had been moving some 
 time, and prepared my coffee, which was brought 
 into my room before I was half dressed. A bowl of 
 rice and milk, which I had ordered the night before, 
 completed my repast. Few things are more suitable 
 than rice and milk for an early and hasty breakfast. 
 To make a meal on the crisp flad-brod is a work of 
 time and no little labour. 
 
 " It was five o'clock when I and my host fixed our- 
 selves in a little low four-wheeled car, a magnified 
 child's toy in appearance. I may well say fixed, for 
 its lateral dimensions were so small that, I believe, it 
 might have been toppled over and over without 
 shaking us out. With this affair, drawn by his good 
 mare, than which perhaps nothing on earth was 
 more dear to him, save the good old dame his mo- 
 ther, who bade us lykkelig reise at the door, my host 
 looked peculiarly proud at being my guide. I thought 
 we should have probably followed the Folda-Elv to 
 its confluence with the Glommen, but I found that 
 crossing the river by one of those picturesque wooden 
 bridges the road strikes at once in a direct line over 
 the fjeld, avoiding the immense circuit of the river. 
 From the bridge there is one of the finest views of a
 
 394 ROUTE TO RORAAS. 
 
 range of fjelds, the Rundane, I have yet seen in 
 Norway. 
 
 " One does not go to Norway to find views of dis- 
 tant Alpine ranges of long mountain chains. There is 
 scarcely a mile' of level ground in the country, or a 
 lake or fjord that does not wind so as to shut out all 
 but very narrow glimpses of the mountains. Skagtols- 
 Tind, within ten or twelve miles of the Sogne-Fjord, 
 is not seen from the water ; nor the point of Gousta- 
 Fjeld (6000 feet high) from the Tind-Soe. The 
 dalens of Norway are its sweetest attractions ; of the 
 fjelds you can know nothing of their immensity and 
 solitude without crossing them. I sketched from the 
 bridge, and, quickening my pace, regained my 
 guide, commencing what promised to be a long 
 ascent; winding through a forest of Scotch fir, no 
 sound broke the stillness, save our voices and the 
 bark of the dog. I found the old fellow communi- 
 ,cative, and anxious to hear of England and of my 
 journey. Again, as we rise into the birch district, 
 there is another splendid view of the Rundane. AVhen 
 I regain the car, I find that we are on the open fjeld, 
 moss only covering the bold sweeps; with a view 
 looking back over the forest of Folda valley, and away 
 in the distance fold after fold, the blue points of 
 Sneehattan in the Dovre-Fjeld, fifty miles off. One 
 stops at a saeter for a bowl of milk as naturally as 
 one looks for a glass of ale at a road-side inn. 
 
 " The views descending were excellent, and this 
 morning without a cloud. Few things are more
 
 ROUTE TO RORAAS. 395 
 
 interesting in a view of open country than the wind- 
 ing road occasionally seen far onward. 
 
 " But this admiration of scenery, and sketching, 
 and drinking milk at the saeters, sadly runs away with 
 the time, and my companion is uncommonly fond of 
 his horse, and does no more than coax him on ; so that 
 at half-past ten I am vexed to find myself on the 
 wrong side of a broad river, which we have to ford. 
 The horse had to be taken out of the car and sad- 
 dled, and the baggage strapped on, and finally we botli 
 mounted — a weight which made no unnecessary bal- 
 last, for the current was very strong. The dog 
 failed to get over at the first attempt, but succeeded 
 upon having sagaciously made another a long way 
 up the stream. I find I am an hour behind my time 
 at Stie ; but I get a carriole and good horse, and, as 
 the road promises well, I hope to fetch it up. The 
 valley is wide, the pine forests stretching up each 
 side. There seems to be a large population, and the 
 farms are good. There are corn and grass in abund- 
 ance, though the crops are late, and the soil inferior, 
 being of a loamy sand. 
 
 " Tonsret is a large village, and the posting-house 
 quite an inn. It was curious to see a number of 
 men drinking cofiee at two o'clock in the day. I here 
 join the high road from Christiania to Roraas, fol- 
 lowing the right bank of the Glommen, the longest 
 river in Xorway, which I shall trace nearly to its 
 source before I turn southward. At Tonsajt it is 
 about the size of the Towy at Carmarthen. The
 
 396 ROUTE TO RORAAS. 
 
 pines are fine here, and the roads lead through the 
 forest where their tall naked stems run up without 
 branches, but not straight as in some of the forests 
 we have passed through, but at all angles. The 
 poor dog gets tired ; seventy-seven miles yesterday 
 was a long trot for him, but I cannot persuade him 
 to ride in the carriole unless he is held in. After 
 Tolgen the pine becomes scarce, and soon after ceases 
 altogether. We have changed our climate both by 
 latitude and elevation, though not much by the latter, 
 as the country gets more level and open and lies in 
 long sweeps of moor-land, the sides of the hills being 
 well covered with birch woods, which are finer than 
 any T have seen. 
 
 " We got a distant view of Roraas, when 
 about six or seven miles off, lying on the side of 
 one of these long slopes ; a cheering prospect after 
 two long days' work. We cross the river here, 
 running still and deep ; and the road to the town 
 leads over a regular Irish bog, from which turf is 
 being cut. The suburb of the town at first puzzled 
 me much. It consists of little sheds, each in a small 
 inclosure, well fenced, of excellent grass. Probably 
 the inhabitants of the town keep their cows in them. 
 My last skyds-karl was a merry fellow, rattling away 
 more like an Irishman than a Norwegian. It is 
 nine o'clock when he pulls up at the house of the 
 landsman, where he says is the best logis in Roraas. 
 I though tit singular to go to the magistrate's for a 
 hotel ; but I found it was all right. Fire and supper
 
 RORAAS. 397 
 
 are quickly prepared, wheaten cakes, sliced beef, and 
 tea, with the landsman himself to talk to in broken 
 Norsk the while — I am tolerably comfortable in this 
 outlandish place. We get on famously in our chat, 
 and it is 11 o'clock, when, having told my tale and 
 explained my wants, the landsman wished me sove 
 goclt, ' sleep well.' 
 
 " I have determined to rest a dav, and then set 
 forth on my last expedition to the fjeld. The 
 post for Christiania leaves to-morrow; and I must 
 arrange my forbud for the south. Homewards ; — 
 home ! there is a charm in the thought, and inter- 
 esting as this tour has been,' it will be not the least 
 of its pleasures to be travelling with one's face to- 
 wards it. 
 
 " Roraas. July 26th. — If a man wants to enjoy 
 rest, let him travel 150 miles in two days in these 
 little cars ; for if he is not sore in every limb, he 
 must have been bred to be a carter. I find there is 
 little to interest me here, independent of my intention 
 of crossing the Swedish border to the encampment of 
 Lapps, said to be somewhere in that quarter. The 
 town is 3000 feet above the level of the sea, and in 
 62°30' North latitude. The landsman finds me at 
 breakfast ; and entering into my plans, renders me 
 much assistance in making out my forbud tickets to 
 Christiania, a distance of 210 miles. I determine to 
 start on Monday; and having assured him that I 
 have travelled 70 miles a day for the last two days,
 
 398 EXCURSION OVER 
 
 he agrees to divide the distance into three days 
 work, though he says he generally makes four of it. 
 That accomplished, I had further to ask for inform- 
 ation respecting my intended excursion. I learned 
 from him that the border was about three or four 
 miles off, in the direction I wished to proceed ; and 
 it was finally arranged that a man named Eric, 
 who every week carries the mail over the border into 
 Sweden, should accompany me, for which I was to 
 give him 2 spec, dollars. I promised him a third if he 
 brought me to the Lapps, or Fins as they here call 
 them. The landsman is also the station-master, and 
 a man of no little importance. He is the first person 
 in Norway who has asked me for my passport. He 
 seems, however, quite satisfied on my telling him 
 that I have parted from my friend, and that he has 
 taken it with him to Christiania. My commission, 
 with the queen of England's signature, is quite satis- 
 . factory to him, and he does not rest till he has taken 
 it, as well as many other English novelties, to show 
 to his wife. 
 
 " 27th. — Eric, holding a strong little pony the 
 property of the landsman, was at my service at six 
 this morning. I took with me a supply of wheaten 
 bread, a luxury I had been without since I left 
 Bergen. From Roraas, a tolerable road leads to the 
 north, to the copper mines on that side of the town, 
 about one Norsk mile, crossing extensive brown 
 moors of an immensity and heaviness of outline 
 strange to me. All the usual accompaniments to the
 
 THE SWEDISH FRONTIER. 399 
 
 works of a mine were to be noticed here : water- 
 wheels, used in pumping the water from a depth of 
 1500 feet; sheds, and huge banks of rubbish, and the 
 ore itself in heaps by the road side. Having passed 
 the mines, our track leaves the road, and striking 
 over the moors, soon enters a birch forest on the 
 shores of Oresund-Soe. The trees of great age, ap- 
 parently uncut, are most grotesque in their growth. 
 A winding path in a birch forest I should imagine to 
 be the crookedest of all crooked things. After jour- 
 neying parallel to the south shore of the lake, we at 
 length halt on a grassy glade on the lake side. Oc- 
 casionally in the forest we had come on a small flock 
 of sheep ; but though a little farm was sometimes 
 passed, the population is very small in this district, 
 the whole country being at a great elevation. Corn 
 does not grow, and the farmer's operations are con- 
 fined to tending his herds, and cutting hay on 
 scraps of ground in the forest and on the grassy 
 bogs of the fjelds. We made a halt by the lake side. 
 It was solitude itself, but far from being a desert ; 
 the wooded shores run softly down to the lake, and 
 now fresh in all the leaf of midsummer, appeared 
 even rich. The lazy plash of the trout in the water, 
 and the hum of myriads of mosquitos, were the only 
 creature sounds one heard. A hail from Eric brought 
 a light skiff from the other shore. The horse was 
 leg-tethered (hobbled), and left to his own pleasure, 
 and we crossed. 
 
 " A short pull brought us to the opposite shore, and
 
 400 EXCURSION OVER 
 
 we halted for mid-day's meal at a little farm called 
 Klokkervold. Here Eric seemed quite at home. He 
 was a jovial fellow, and his weekly rounds as post- 
 man made him quite familiar in the few scattered 
 households of this frontier district. I found here a 
 poor woman suffering from an ulcerated wound. She 
 would believe that I could afford her some relief, and 
 her gratitude was profuse when I applied some adhe- 
 sive plaster to it. Our course now lay to the N.E. 
 up a high valley watered by one of the tributaries to 
 the Glommen. Occasionally we fell in with small 
 pasture farms, but there were no signs of cultivation. 
 After a great deal of rugged walking, we halted to- 
 wards evening at a farm called Vauldalen, a little on 
 this side the Swedish border. To my repeated in- 
 quiries whereabouts the Lapps were to be found, I 
 could only hear in reply that they were in the moun- 
 tains three or four Norsk miles off. The guide, after 
 having held a long consultation with the people of the 
 farm, rather unwillingly started afresh ; for he was 
 reluctant to leave good quarters late in the afternoon, 
 there being no other habitation this side of the 
 border. The country was now an upland tract of 
 moor-land, full of swamps and marshy pools. These 
 fed the streams which, on one side, swelled the waters 
 which discharged themselves into the North Atlantic 
 Ocean, and on the other into the Gulf of Bothnia. 
 The line of the watershed marks the frontier between 
 the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. Presently 
 Eric stopped suddenly on crossing the line, pointing
 
 THE SWEDISH FRONTIER. 401 
 
 right and left. There was formerly a trench drawn 
 the whole length of the boundary Ihie, like our own 
 Wandsdike. Nothing was to be seen now but a nick 
 in the mountain, and one of the boundary-stones or 
 pillars, which he pointed out at some distance. They 
 are all numbered and fixed, as appears by Forsell's 
 map, at intervals of from a half to one Norsk mile the 
 whole extent of the frontier. 
 
 " I was now in Sweden, and began to follow the 
 waters which run to the eastward. Leavino; the 
 swampy moors we gradually descended to birch- 
 Avoods, and finally halted at a sa3ter about a Norsk 
 mile from the farm we last left, having met with no 
 other signs of habitation, nor indeed of life, except a 
 brood of young grouse and some plover. It was now 
 eight o'clock. Eric thundered at the door of the 
 hut, but, gaining no admittance, we sat down to wait 
 patiently tlie arrival of the inmates, and in the mean 
 time I sketched the view some distance down the 
 valley into Sweden. Presently they came with the 
 herds trooping through the birch underwood from 
 their pasture to the steter. They told us that the party 
 of Lapps were expected to move that very day to fresh 
 ground for the pasturage of their deer in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the sreter. The general level of the 
 country was now so high, tliat the slightest elevation 
 brought us to the mossy fjeld. T rather wished to 
 have spent the night in the encampment, and a young 
 girl {l>i'J<2) was despatched to endeavour to cross 
 their track, and ascertain whether they had moved. 
 
 D D
 
 402 EXCURSION OVER 
 
 Meanwhile Eric and I amused ourselves with flogging 
 the stream, and caught some trout for our supper, 
 but we were annoyed by clouds of mosquitos, which 
 were so troublesome that I could hardly take the fish 
 off the hook. 
 
 " The sa3ter, though only a summer residence, was 
 very superior to any place of the kind we had met 
 with in Norway. It consisted of two small but clean 
 apartments with boarded floors. Nothing could ex- 
 ceed the civility and hospitality of the people, and 
 as pige returned without any intelligence of the 
 Lapps, I was prepared to make myself comfortable 
 for the night. There was abundance of milk-mad,, as 
 they call butter and cheese and all the produce of the 
 dairy ; and the family and ourselves were soon at sup- 
 per by a blazing fire of birch logs, which enabled me 
 to examine more particularly the features of the in- 
 mates of this frontier farm. There was an air of great 
 kindness about the farmer and his wife, and one of 
 the girls, of which there were several, was very pretty. 
 The father was a Norwegian, the mother a Fin, and 
 this girl, who was short of stature, inherited the slen- 
 der and delicate form and small feet and hands of her 
 mother's race. It showed how the bringing up in the 
 comparative comfort of a farmer's life had developed 
 the natural beauties ; for the Lapps or Fins are deli- 
 cately formed, and only acquire their haggard and 
 shrivelled appearance from the life of exposure and 
 hardship they lead. 
 
 " At two o'clock in the morning, the farmer, who
 
 THE SWEDISH FRONTIER. 403 
 
 was to be our guide to the encampment of the Lapps, 
 roused us from our slumbers. We left the cattle 
 sleeping round the s^eter, and made our way over 
 moor and swamp in a northerly direction towards 
 some high fjelds which we had seen the day before. 
 We had proceeded about seven miles without seeing 
 road or track, house or saster, when we fell in with 
 some people employed in cutting grass on a bog. This 
 is done, when the ground admits, at a long distance 
 from the farms. The hay is stacked round a pole, 
 firmly planted and stayed, to prevent its being over- 
 thrown by the winds, and it is sledged home in the 
 winter when the whole surface is covered with snow. 
 These people gave us some tidings of the objects of 
 our search ; but it was not till eight o'clock, after a 
 walk little short of eighteen miles, tliat we came on 
 fresh tracks of the reindeer. A short search now 
 brought us in sight of the Lapland huts, in a little 
 valley just beneath. Close by was a rude inclosure, 
 formed by branches of birch, for herding the deer. 
 The hut was a circular conical structure, sixteen or 
 eighteen feet in diameter, formed of stout poles in- 
 clined together in the centre, and covered with sods 
 and birch bark. A deer-skin, stretched on a frame, 
 served for a door. On entering, I found the party to 
 consist of a very old woman, the grandmother (for 
 there were three generations), the master, who was 
 about forty, his mfe, and three younger women, with 
 a number of children. They were all dressed exclu- 
 sively in skins. I did not see even a single article of 
 
 D I) 2
 
 404 ENCAMPMENT 
 
 woollen among them. The garments they now wore 
 were made of the summer coat of the reindeer, but 
 they have much warmer ones made of the skins taken 
 in the winter, when the fur is thicker. They all wore 
 girdles made of leather thongs, and tight buskins on 
 their legs. One of the women was making a pair of 
 shoes, and the old grandmother was drawing out 
 with her teeth sinews of the deer into threads for 
 sewing. 
 
 " The Lapps were all short of stature ; none of the 
 men, I think, exceeding five feet in height, and the 
 women being about four feet eight inches. They were 
 slender in all their proportions, and I remarked tliat 
 their hands and feet were particularly small. The 
 cheek-bones were high, and their foreheads low and 
 projecting ; the skin of a dusky yellow. Their ap- 
 pearance altogether conveyed at once the impression 
 of their being an original and distinct race, but whence 
 derived is, I believe, undetermined. I was received 
 with the greatest civility ; a fresh deer-skin was 
 spread for me on the floor, in the middle of which a 
 fire of larffe birch loo;s was burnino-, the smoke es- 
 caping through a vent in the roof A camp-kettle, 
 hung from hooks fixed in the poles above, was sus- 
 pended over the fire. From pegs in the roof were 
 also hung several coffer-like cradles, in which the 
 babies of the good wives were lashed, and when they 
 became querulous, these machines were set swinging, 
 and kept oscillating in the smoky atmosphere above. 
 
 " Coffee was prepared for me ; and reclining on our
 
 OF LAPLANDERS. 405 
 
 soft couches of reindeer hides round the fire, I had, 
 by the aid of Eric, some interesting conversation with 
 the master of the family, who was very intelhgent, 
 and could speak Xorsk as well as the language wdiich 
 is peculiar to the Lappish race. He told me that a 
 party of Englishmen from Sweden had visited his en- 
 campment three or four summers before. His winter 
 quarters were four or five Norwegian miles to the 
 north of their present station. His herd consisted of 
 250 or 300 reindeer. The family subsists almost en- 
 tirely on the milk, and its produce in cheese. In 
 the winter they sell the flesh of those they kill at 
 Roraas and other towns, and from the produce of the 
 sale of the venison and the skins and horns obtain 
 meal and the very few luxuries they require. They 
 carry them to market on their pulks or sledges, which 
 the reindeer will draw eight Norsk miles in a day. 
 These they had left at their winter-quarters, having 
 brought their baggage here in packs on the backs of 
 the deer. 
 
 " The barking of the dogs lying round the fire an- 
 nounced the approach of the reins ; and presently the 
 men who had been herding them on the fjeld during 
 the night made their appearance in their warm 
 dresses of the thickest skins ; and the reindeer came 
 at a trot from the heights, and were easily driven 
 into the inclosure. They were of all ages ; some 
 steers for fattening, some fine old bucks with noble 
 antlers. The process of milking then commenced. 
 
 » D 3
 
 406 LAPLANDERS. 
 
 The men singling out the milch docs, threw a kind of 
 lasso with wonderful dexterity over their heads, and 
 leading them to one of the birch trees which were 
 purposely enclosed in the fold, lashed them to it. 
 The herd were extremely docile. The quantity of 
 milk yielded by a single doe is small, compared Avith 
 that of a cow, but it is infinitely richer. The dairy 
 was in a place excavated under ground. Their deer- 
 skins and other moveable property were stored on a 
 platform raised on poles in the open air, and well 
 covered with hides lashed down with thongs and 
 loaded with stones to prevent their being swept off 
 by the violence of the winds. Before my departure I 
 purchased a fine winter skin, for which I paid five 
 dollars. 
 
 " Altogether I was much interested in these good 
 people. They seem happy and contented in their 
 simple and primitive manner of living, in which pro- 
 bably there has been little change from the earliest 
 times. I understand that there is a great number of 
 these families scattered over the whole range of the 
 high lands forming the frontier of Norway from 
 about the lat. 62° 30', in which I now was, to the 
 North Cape.* They wander on the i:ilateau of the 
 
 * Mr. Laing estimates the number on the Norwegian side of 
 tlie border at about 6000. They wander, at their convenience, 
 between the Norwegian, Swedish, and Russian territories ; the 
 whole of tlie Lappisli people probably does not exceed 12,000. He 
 considers them a distinct race from the Fins or Quans, who form 
 the greater part of the population of the provinces of Finmark 
 and Nordland.
 
 REINDEER. 407 
 
 fjelds in summer, shifting their encampments as often 
 as fresh pasturage is wanted for the reindeer ; their 
 winter habitatioiis being fixed in some of the higher 
 valleys. Though leading this nomadic life, and ad- 
 hering to the customs of their forefathers, they are 
 not to be considered as altogether an uncivilised race. 
 They learn reading and writing, and receive religious 
 instruction, being members of the Lutheran Church ; 
 and in winter attend the services of the parish which 
 lies nearest to their settlement. 
 
 " Their herds of reindeer constitute the whole of 
 their wealth ; indeed, their very existence depends 
 upon them. Such a herd as I now saw, affords a 
 sufficient maintenance for a family, but some of the 
 more opulent Lapps possess much more numerous ones. 
 The milk and the flesh provide them with food, and, 
 in the way of barter, as I have before said, with all the 
 extra comforts they need, to which the skins and 
 horns contribute ; the former also supplying them 
 with summer and winter clothing, and furnishing the 
 soft and warm couches on which they lie in their 
 huts. Add to these various uses the service which 
 the reindeer render to their masters in their frequent 
 migrations, loaded with the burthens of their movable 
 property, or drawing them on pulks or sledges in the 
 snow, and it will be perceived that their value has 
 not been overrated. 
 
 " I had now repeatedly seen herds of those beautiful 
 and useful animals, so shy and so free in their wild 
 
 D D 4
 
 408 RETURN FROM EXCURSION. 
 
 state, ranging over the vast solitudes, and climbing 
 the -highest peaks of the fjelds, and living among 
 their eternal snows — so patient and docile in their 
 habits when domiciled and subject to the control of 
 man : yet, even then, true to their nature, they lan- 
 guish unless they breathe the fresh mountain air ; and 
 no herbage more rank than the delicate mosses and 
 lichens of the mountain tops can long preserve them 
 in health. 
 
 " Noon was past when, having taken leave of the 
 friendly Lapps, and dismissed the farmer who had 
 been our guide from the sa^ter at which we slept, 
 Eric and myself struck across the country in a direct 
 line on our return to Roraas. We pursued our march 
 across moor and fjeld, mountain and morass — a 
 complete wilderness — for several hours, till at last 
 we struck our track of the day before, and stopped at 
 a house not far distant from the frontier farm at 
 which we had halted the preceding evening. There 
 was nothing to be got for our refreshment, as Eric, 
 who seemed to have a perfect acquaintance with the 
 means for good cheer of every house within his 
 weekly circuit, had predicted with melancholy antici- 
 pation. So we speedily resumed our march, and 
 about five o'clock in the afternoon struck the north 
 branch of the lake, on the shore of which we had left 
 our horse the day before. It was ten miles to that 
 point, but Eric undertook to pull me to it in a cobble 
 which he procured; and, after a walk of between 
 thirty and forty miles, I was not disinclined to the
 
 JOURNEY TO CHRISTIANIA. 409 
 
 change. But the cold at that great elevation was 
 severe, and a cutting wind bloAving from the north- 
 ward obliged us to keep to the line of shore. I suf- 
 fered so much that I was glad to take the paddles, 
 and endeavour by violent exercise to restore the cir- 
 culation. It was eight o'clock in the evening when 
 we reached the farm at which the pony had been left. 
 Eric had to start the following morning from Roraas 
 with the mail, and it was yet fourteen miles distant. 
 However, Eric was fertile in expedients ; and after 
 busying himself in brewing a kettle of hot coffee, he 
 harnessed the little nag to a car which he borrowed, 
 and conducted me safe, though late, to the door of 
 the hospitable landsman." 
 
 " I rested the next day, and on the following morn- 
 ing was early on my route for Christiania. I pursued 
 the great post-road, having horses bespoke by the 
 forbud tickets which I had forwarded by the post 
 which left Roraas two days before. The distance is 
 about 220 English miles, it was divided into three days' 
 journeys, and having the use of a carriole, which it 
 was wished to forward to Christiania, I accomplished 
 the journey with facility, though not without the 
 fatigue inseparable from such a mode of travelling 
 performed by hasty journe57S, as I was seldom in bed 
 more than four or live hours. For two-thirds of the 
 distance I followed the course of the Glommen, and
 
 410 JOURNEY TO CHRISTIANIA, 
 
 then leaving it and the road which still follows it 
 southward to Konsvingen, I crossed to the Miosen- 
 Yand, and coasting its eastern shore to Miiide, late 
 in the night of the third day I reached Christiania, 
 which had been arranged between the companion of 
 the earlier part of my travels and myself to be the 
 terminus of our Rambles in Norway/'
 
 411 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CHRISTIANIA — CITY AND NEIGHBOUEHOOD. THE NEW PALACE. 
 
 HALL OF THE STORTHING. SITTINGS. STATE OF POLITICAL 
 
 PARTIES. — CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY AND PROSPECTS. 
 
 Norway boasts its three capitals — Drontlieim, the 
 most ancient, its cathedral, in which the kings are 
 still crowned, being the seat of the oldest bishopric ; 
 Bergen, yet the chief place of trade; and Christiania, 
 the seat of government and the modern metropolis. 
 The population of the three cities is respectively 
 somewhere about 15,000, 25,000, and 30,000 ; that 
 of Christiania having greatly increased since the 
 census of 1835. 
 
 I consider it to be a less interesting city than 
 Bergen, wanting both the bold features of the sur- 
 rounding scenery, and the picturesque appearance of 
 its old buildings, and of the mixed population that 
 throngs its streets. Those of Christiania are broad 
 and well laid out, but have little to distinguish it 
 from other modern towns. Pipes for lighting the 
 city with gas were being laid down ; an improvement 
 which has found its way here under English auspices, 
 the contractor for the works being an Englishman. 
 The houses are mostly built of brick, since an ordi- 
 nance, rendered expedient by the frequent fires, pro-
 
 412 CHRISTIANIA. 
 
 hibited buildings of wood. Some new mansions, of 
 handsome elevation, have been recently erected at 
 the " west-end," which is here, also, considered the 
 fashionable quarter. At its extremity, on a gentle 
 elevation, stands a new palace, which has been long 
 building, and is not yet completed. It is a massive, 
 square building, without any pretensions to archi- 
 tectural ornament, except a lofty pillared portico. 
 Its appearance is naked, no " ancestral trees" re- 
 lieving its bright colour and sharp outline. Alto- 
 gether it looks a thing of yesterday, like the royalty 
 of which it is the type. When completed, it is to be 
 inhabited by the crown prince, as viceroy of Norway. 
 It commands, however, charming views of the fjord, 
 which, with its winding shores and fine expanse of 
 smooth water, more like a freshwater lake than an 
 arm of the sea, and broken by wooded islands, to- 
 gether with the great beauty of the environs, redeem 
 -the somewhat dull and monotonous character of the 
 city. 
 
 The only picturesque building is the old castle of 
 Aggershuus, with its church and citadel crowning a 
 point jutting out into the fjord. It is surrounded by 
 a deep moat, and commands the entrance of the 
 harbour. Within the exterior works is a spacious 
 place d'armes, with some fine avenues of trees, and 
 a delightful promenade on the ramparts overlooking 
 the fjord. 
 
 The hall in which the Storthing holds its sittings 
 has a very plain and unadorned appearance. It is
 
 THE STORTHING. 413 
 
 a small oblong apartment, with windows on one 
 side, in the centre of which the president sits on a 
 platform slightly elevated. The members are seated 
 on the other side, in long rows, before desks furnished 
 Avith Avriting materials. At the time when Mr. Inglis 
 was at Christiania, some of them wore the distin- 
 guishing costume of their several districts. The as- 
 sembly must then, as he represents, have exhibited 
 " a very motley and almost ludicrous appearance." . . . 
 " Several of the deputies," he says, " wore jackets 
 and girdles." These he recognised as the natives of 
 Tellemarken, through which district he had recently 
 passed ; " others, whose coat's were as much beyond 
 the length of an ordinary coat, as the jackets of the 
 former were shorter, and who might be seen Avalking 
 to the hall, their heads covered with something of the 
 shape and colour of a Kilmarnock nightcap," he was 
 informed, " were the deputies of Gulbrandsdalen. 
 The appearance of the assembly altogether was not 
 superior to that collected at a second-rate cattle-show 
 in England, but infinitely more grotesque." 
 
 Things are now changed ; there is nothing remark- 
 able in the appearance or dress of the members, 
 though great part of them are farmers. The deco- 
 rum and temper with which they are described as 
 conducting their deliberations, are still exemplary, 
 and might be imitated Avith advantage by assemblies 
 of higher pretensions. Lounging on the benches, 
 wearing of hats, and unseemly interruptions of the 
 speakers, are unknown in the Storthing. There is an
 
 414 THE STORTHING. 
 
 air of business, and a dignified simplicity, in its pro- 
 ceedings, which are very characteristic. The tone of 
 debate is frequently almost conversational, the effect 
 of which is aided by the small dimensions of the 
 apartment and the limited number of the represent- 
 atives. Long and set speeches are seldom made, but 
 I have heard addresses of considerable warmth and 
 fluency. 
 
 A gallery running the whole length of the hall is 
 open to strangers. I had several opportunities of 
 attending the sittings. The first time I did so, the 
 subject of discussion was a proposal to increase the 
 workings of the silver mines of Kongsberg. The 
 government derives a revenue of about 100,000 spec, 
 dollars from them. The amount is limited by the 
 number of men employed in the works. In the 
 present depressed state of trade, and the dearth of 
 ways and means, which had induced the government 
 to propose having recourse to a loan, some member 
 had brought forward a resolution for pushing the 
 workings beyond the usual average. When I took 
 my place in the gallery, Professor Sweigaard, one of 
 the most able men in Norway, was speaking against 
 the proposal. A farmer succeeded, and then a mer- 
 chant. I regretted that I could not follow their 
 speeches. As far as I could understand and they 
 were explained to me, the argument against the 
 proposition was to the efi'ect that to overwork the 
 mines would be " killing the goose." It was a re- 
 source to be reserved for a rainy day. I believe the
 
 THE STORTHING. 415 
 
 resolution Avas ultimately negatived ; a determination 
 accordant with the good sense and frugal habits of 
 the people. 
 
 There is one singularity in the constitution of the 
 Storthing, which must be of great practical inconve- 
 nience. Not only are members of the government 
 excluded from the representation, but they are not 
 even admitted to sit and speak in the assembly. 
 When a government bill or royal message is to be 
 presented, it is brought in by a counsellor of state, 
 who lays it on the table and retires. On such occa- 
 sions there is no want of respectful courtesy. He is 
 received with great ceremony ; a deputation of mem- 
 bers is sent out to usher in the royal messenger ; he 
 enters the folding-doors in full court dress, is received 
 by the president and members standing, and walks 
 up to a table placed for him on the floor of the house. 
 After a bow to the president, and another to the 
 members, he reads an open letter under the royal 
 signature, with the great seal attached to it, autho- 
 rising him to appear before the Norwegian Storthing 
 and deliver this special proposition, which he lays 
 upon the table. lie then retires through the folding- 
 doors, repeating his bows. 
 
 There can hardly be said to be n. government party 
 in the house to take up and carry forward its mea- 
 sures. So great is the jealousy of any interference 
 with the exercise of the franchise, that I was given to 
 understand the very suspicion of it would be fatal to 
 the pretensions of any candidate. The advantage,
 
 416 CONSTITUTIONAL 
 
 for the despatch of business, of having a member of 
 the government who could explain its views, and 
 give official information, has been admitted ; and in a 
 former Storthing, a proposition was made to allow 
 the ministers of state the right of sitting and speak- 
 ing, without voting, in the assembly. But it was 
 preferred to submit to the inconvenience of the pre- 
 sent arrangement rather than admit of an innovation 
 which would in some degree increase the influence of 
 the Crown ; and the motion was rejected, and has not, 
 I think, been renewed. Not to change the Grund-lov 
 of Norway has been the resolute determination of the 
 representatives of the people. 
 
 The short annals of its constitutional history have 
 been distinguished by successive struggles to main- 
 tain its principles and carry out its provisions. The 
 earliest of these began in the first Storthing, that of 
 1815, to which, as we have already stated, the ques- 
 tion of the abolition of hereditary titles was referred. 
 The assembly passed a resolution affirming the pro- 
 position; but as the royal assent was withheld, it 
 failed to become law. The resolution was renewed in 
 the session of 1818 with the same result. In the third 
 Storthing, in 1821, if again passed, it would, according 
 to the constitutional act, become law, even without the 
 royal assent. Every means were used to induce this 
 Storthing to abandon the measure. The king repaired 
 in person to Christiania and sent a message to the 
 assembly, professing his readiness to abolish such of 
 the privileges of the aristocracy as were inconsistent
 
 HISTORY. 417 
 
 with the public welfare. It is even said that Swedish 
 troops were marched into the neighbourhood to over- 
 awe the proceedings of the Storthing. The nobles 
 themselves could offer but little resistance to the 
 popular feeling. Their number was small; few of 
 them possessed any great territorial wealth or in- 
 fluence ; no ancient historical 2?)^estige dignified their 
 order. Its fate was sealed. The resolution for the 
 abolition of titles of nobility passed the third Storthing 
 with only three dissentient votes, and thereupon be- 
 came, ipso facto, law. A reservation was made in 
 favour of " vested rights ; " and the present holders of 
 titles and their children were to retain them during 
 their respective lives. I understand the number is 
 already reduced to two or three. 
 
 In the ensuing Storthing, in 1824, counter resolu- 
 tions were offered, which, amongst others, proposed 
 to allow the king an absolute veto on all acts of the 
 legislature ; to give the minister the sole right of 
 initiatino^ laws : and to limit the business of the 
 Storthing to such acts as the king should submit to 
 it, before other business could be taken up. In the 
 prevailing temper of the Storthing and the nation, 
 such important modifications of the fundamental law 
 could have no chance of being urged with success, 
 though the king ushered them in with the pregnant 
 observation (the truth of which recent events in other 
 countries have fully confirmed), that " Liberty can- 
 not be durable unless the government be strong." 
 
 In still later Storthings the great subject of dis- 
 
 E E
 
 418 CONSTITUTIONAL 
 
 pute was the national flag. The constitutional act 
 declared that Norway should have her own. The 
 enactment had been disregarded. " Europe," said 
 the representatives in 1836) ''do not look upon our 
 commerce as independently and exclusively Norwe- 
 gian. She grows accustomed to think that the Nor- 
 wegian flag and insignia are only to be recognised, 
 inasmuch and so far as they may be Swedish. 
 Foreign consuls have gone so far as to enjoin our 
 vessels to hoist Swedish colours. Norwegian vessels 
 are to be entered as Swedish in the shipping lists. 
 All this is an encroachment on our national equality. 
 Pray we then the king to interpose in obtaining a 
 full recognition, in all foreign ports and harbours, of 
 a separate Norwegian mercantile flag; i)ray we also 
 that the arms of Norway may be used, as well as 
 those of Sweden, in the coinage and on public seals." 
 The king professed ignorance of any national flag of 
 Norway, and somewhat ungraciously reminded the 
 deputies, that for nearly three hundred years their 
 country had been a province of Denmark. But re- 
 newed remonstrances on the subject were not to be 
 disregarded. It touched the feeling, perhaps more 
 than the interests, of the nation. The claim was 
 recognised, and Norway has now her own flag, and 
 the ancient arms of the kingdom are impressed on 
 her coinage and all public documents.* 
 
 * The national flag of Norway is a red ensign, with a cross or 
 blue and white on a canton of the same. The ancient arms of 
 Norway, now restored, are a lion, crowned and rampant, holding 
 a battle-axe in the dexter paw.
 
 IIISTOTIY. 419 
 
 There is reason to think that, throughout these 
 struggles, jealousy of Swedish ascendancy animated 
 the Norwegian Storthing quite as much as opposition 
 to the royal authority. I can easily conceive that, as 
 king of Norway alone, Carl Johan might have ob- 
 tained those modifications of the constitution which 
 were rejected under the suspicion that they had been 
 suggested by the Swedish cabinet, and that amalga- 
 mation -with Sweden was the ultimate design. It 
 might, I should think, have been easy to satisfy 
 reasonable men that the provisions of the Grund-lov^ 
 which virtually vested the whole powers of the state 
 in a popular assembly, were dangerous to the stability 
 of the institutions on which the security of their 
 liberties depend ; and that a system, hastily adopted, 
 was open to reconsideration in more settled times. 
 The king, Carl Johan, was personally popular; he 
 w^as moderate and sagacious; and had he been con- 
 stantly resident, and free from the influence of a 
 foreign ministry, his own authority in Norwegian 
 affairs would have been greater ; and it might have 
 been thought safe to entrust to a native monarch 
 powers which, in the hands of a king of Sweden, 
 seemed liable to abuse. As it is, so far from " bear- 
 ing in its provisions the mark of profound delibera- 
 tion, and the most careful considerations of every 
 possible circumstance which might affect its stability ; 
 so that the hand of power may overturn it violently, 
 but it is not to be shaken by any action within 
 itself which human foresight could have provided
 
 420 CONSTITUTIONAL 
 
 ao;ainst" * — the Norwegian constitution owes its 
 existence thus far, and its prospects of permanence, 
 to the good sense and moderation of the people, 
 rather than to any safeguards provided by its funda- 
 mental law. So imperfect are the checks on the free 
 exercise of the popular will, that it is more likely to 
 be subverted by demagogues, melding the democracy 
 for their own factious purposes, than by monarchical 
 encroachment. 
 
 Hitherto it has been worked with great temper 
 and in strict adherence to the letter of its enactments. 
 Even in the first struggle, for the abolition of titles 
 of nobility, the royal veto^ interposed in two succes- 
 sive Storthings, was submitted to without exciting 
 any clamour against the exercise of the prerogative. 
 Biding their time, the Storthing patiently waited for 
 nine years, till the forms of the constitution allowed 
 their resolution to have the force of law. On this 
 and all other occasions on which the representatives 
 of the people have been at variance with the govern- 
 ment, the constitutional principle prevailed, that the 
 king can do no wrong, and that his ministers alone 
 are responsible for all the acts of the government. 
 
 These contests have now for some time been at an 
 end. The national independence has been established 
 and vindicated, the constitutional rights acknow- 
 ledged and uninterruptedly exercised, and successive 
 Storthings have been mainly occupied with measures 
 
 * Lainff.
 
 HISTORY. 421 
 
 of national utility. The discharge of the public debt, 
 reduction of taxes, the establishment of a national 
 bank, the restoration of the currency, the encourage- 
 ment of mines and fisheries, and the construction of 
 new public roads — measures of the utmost import- 
 ance to the prosperity of the country — have from 
 time to time eno;aofed their attention and received 
 their sanction. There is no doubt that its prosperity 
 has materially advanced since the union with Sweden, 
 and under the new system of self-government. 
 
 Thus far all has gone well ; and so long as this 
 material prosperity prevails among all classes, and 
 the powers of the constitution are exercised with the 
 same moderation and good sense, its forms may remain 
 unchanged. Compared with other newly created 
 constitutional states, — Spain, Portugal, Xaples, — 
 Norway stands out in highly favourable contrast.* 
 The revolutionary spirit which has recently con- 
 vulsed almost the whole of Europe, has found no 
 echo there. Standing in this position, and pointed 
 to as a model for other countries, it might be won- 
 dered from what quarter arising, and founded on 
 
 * Since these observations were written, another batch of Con- 
 stitutions, the fruits of the general movement in 1848, has been 
 added to the catalogue of these political experiments. It would 
 be a waste of time to speculate on the probabilities of their success. 
 May it be better than has been the fate of those mentioned in the 
 text ! That depends, I am inclined to think, upon the question, 
 wliether, as in Norway, the new institutions are suited to the 
 genius of the people, and are likely to be worked with temper and 
 disci'etion. 
 
 E E 3
 
 422 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTOKY, 
 
 Avliat grounds, any apprehensions can be entertained 
 of the stabiUty of her constitutional system. 
 
 It must not, however, be concealed that the demo- 
 cratic spirit in Norway is yet unsatisfied ; that it 
 prevails among great numbers of the people and a 
 large section of the students of the University, and 
 that it counts among its leaders individuals of great 
 talent and intelligence. One of the most enlightened 
 men in Christiania said to me, " The farmers are all 
 radicals^ and they have a majority in the Storthing." 
 In the present session they carried an address to the 
 king to dismiss his ministers. With us, the majority 
 must have prevailed ; but the king did not dismiss 
 his ministers, and the Storthing did not press ulterior 
 measures. But what must be the position of a 
 government having to carry on its administration in 
 the face of a powerful majority which has recorded 
 a vote of want of confidence in the ministers ? The 
 Tlaugerites, though essentially a religious party, have 
 strong opinions in politics, and are well represented 
 in the Storthing; and though they conform to the 
 national Church, their principles are adverse to an 
 establishment. On the whole, I was given to under- 
 stand that a considerable section, comprising some ot 
 the most active spirits of the country, is embued 
 with republican principles. Many of the emigrants, 
 who annually embark for America, are as much 
 actuated by admiration of its institutions, as by the 
 desire of bettering their fortunes. 
 
 At present the farmers, thougli the majority of
 
 AND PROSPECTS. A2o 
 
 them are radicals, having things their own way, are 
 satisfied with matters as they are ; and tlie other 
 classes, being in the minority, and the administration 
 of affairs being on the whole satisfactory, submit. 
 
 No one can examine the Norwegian constitution 
 with any degree of care, without perceiving that its 
 main drift is to centre all power in the owners of 
 land. The royal authority is reduced within limits 
 which might satisfy even a republican. The privi- 
 leges and even the existence of an aristocracy arc 
 swept away. The suffrage, far from approaching to 
 universal, or even to household suffrage, is reserved 
 to landowners and occupiers- of five years' standing, 
 and in towns to burgesses and owners of houses and 
 lands of a certain value. Still further to limit it, 
 and secure the permanent ascendancy of the landed 
 interest, it is enacted that the town representatives 
 shall be to those of the country as one is to two. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive a monopoly more ex- 
 clusive. And how has it worked ? In most essential 
 points for the advantage of those to whom it is 
 secured. The establishments of the country cost 
 somewhat more than two and a half millions of dol- 
 lars (about 600,000/.) a year. Of this sum nearly 
 two millions are raised by customs duties. As the 
 peasants live almost entirely on the produce of their 
 farms, and make use of articles of home manufacture, 
 consuming very few imported luxuries, the great 
 burthen of taxation falls on the higlier classes, and 
 those who live in towns. The land-tax for the whole 
 
 £ £ 4
 
 424 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, 
 
 of Norway is only 5000 dollars — 1000/. The go- 
 vernment is anxious to reduce some of the import- 
 duties ; but to enable them so to do, it would be 
 necessary to provide a substitute in an increase of 
 the land-tax, which there is little probability that, 
 with a legislature so constituted, they will be able to 
 effect. 
 
 Thus it works with respect to the independent 
 and commercial classes. Take that of the lower 
 orders employed in the towns and in the fisheries 
 along the coasts, to whom bread is the staff of life. 
 Norway does not produce corn sufficient for the con- 
 sumption of its population : a million barrels of rye 
 and barley are imported annually. There are duties 
 on the import. The consul may have been right in 
 saying that they are " more for the purpose of 
 revenue than of protection ; " but in a country where 
 tillage on any considerable scale is confined to some 
 . of the most fertile of the valleys, and the population 
 is sometimes on the brink of starvation, surely an 
 import duty on corn is the last mode of taxation that 
 should be resorted to. 
 
 The lower orders are not sufiiciently enlightened 
 to be sensible of the grievance of their entire exclu- 
 sion from the suffrage ; but I never met with any 
 individual of the mercantile and trading community 
 who did not complain of the import duties, and 
 lament the little weight those classes had in the 
 legislature. 
 
 A parliament of peasants is a novel and striking
 
 AND PllOSPECTS. 425 
 
 object ; and it is very creditable to the national 
 character that, on the whole, things are managed so 
 well as they are. But, as we have seen, there are 
 causes of dissatisfaction in classes which are excluded, 
 or are made subordinate in, the representation, and 
 have practical grievances in consequence, that may 
 some time or other work mischief. Will the towns, 
 as they increase in wealth and population, always 
 submit to the monopoly of power secured by the 
 farmers ? Were those interests cordially to second 
 the government, as they are already disposed to do 
 (forming almost its only support in the Storthing), 
 still their joint objects could only be obtained but 
 through alterations in the fundamental law, which 
 would not be effected without struggles tending to 
 dislocate the whole system and give rise to entirely 
 new combinations. 
 
 The inadequacy of the present checks on the legis- 
 lative power, should the majority be at any time 
 disposed to wield it injuriously, we have before con- 
 sidered. The mischievous effect of the arrange- 
 ment, — that wheel within wheel, — by which the right 
 of nominating the representatives of the people is re- 
 served to a small ju7ita of the voters, is already 
 apparent. The secrets of that select conclave are not 
 so unfathomable, but that it is known to afford op- 
 portunities for jobbing and cabal ; and entirely 
 destroying all direct sympathy between the people 
 and their representative, it has produced the result 
 of their taking but little interest in the elections ; so
 
 426 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTOKY, 
 
 that a continually decreasing number of the consti- 
 tuents entitled to the suffrage, have exercised their 
 right. This still further narrows the representation, 
 and places it more under the control of interested 
 parties. Then comes the provision for the payment 
 of the members of the legislature, a system with 
 which I confess I have no sympathy under any cir- 
 cumstances ; least of all under those where the rate 
 of remuneration is fixed so high in proportion to the 
 ordinary expenses of living, as is the case in Norway, 
 that the fruits of a sessional labour may with ordi- 
 nary care amount to a pretty considerable sum ; and 
 there is a direct personal interest of the most sordid 
 kind to be served by obtaining the nomination to a 
 seat in the legislature. 
 
 I made particular inquiries as to the state of edu- 
 cation among the farmers, who contribute so largely 
 to the composition of the legislative body, and re- 
 gretted to find that it was very deficient; their 
 acquirements being, for the most part, limited to such 
 elementary knowledge as is obtained in the provincial 
 schools. It is unusual for the wealthiest of them, 
 unless intended for some one of the professions, to 
 study at the University ; so that having little asso- 
 ciation with highly educated persons, and seldom 
 stirring from home, except to attend the sittings of 
 the Storthing, their minds are not enlarged, and they 
 bring to the task of legislation little beyond their 
 natural powers of shrewdness and good sense, and
 
 AND IIIOSPECTS. 427 
 
 such other qualities as may have recommended them 
 to the choice of the electors. 
 
 A rigid economy is, as may be supposed, the car- 
 dinal virtue of the Storthing. Some one has said that 
 " every member of it is an impersonation of Joseph 
 Hume." A hundred thousand dollars (about 20,000/.) 
 cover the allowances to the king and his family ; 
 the army and navy cost a million and a quarter 
 (250,000/.); the civil administration something less. 
 The whole budget is squared by the revenue of two 
 millions and a half of dollars ; and we have seen that 
 at least two thirds of it is drawn from persons en- 
 gaged in trade and commerce, or depending upon it 
 for the comforts and luxuries required by their style 
 of living. Such is the parsimony of the farmers, 
 particularly when their own interests are concerned, 
 that a small tax which, under the Danish laws, the 
 government Avas empowered to levy on the lands for 
 making new roads, though it only amounted, as I 
 was informed, to two dollars on a property worth 
 four thousand, is considered a grievance, and mea- 
 sures were taken in the present Storthing for getting 
 rid of it. The farmers, indeed, repair the roads 
 throughout the country ; but as it is done somewhat 
 after our own old fashion of " statute labour," and 
 not by money payments, the burthen is little felt. I 
 conclude those splendid specimens of engineering skill 
 which we saw in the passes of the Fille-Fjeld, and 
 the new line of road constructing between Arendal
 
 428 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, 
 
 and the Nisser-Yancl form items in the general ex- 
 penditure of the state. 
 
 On the whole, the constitutional system of Nor- 
 way is regarded, as I have reason to know, by some 
 of its most enlightened men as an experiment, the re- 
 sult of which cannot yet be calculated. I have noticed 
 some of its defects, and, with more pleasure, have 
 admitted that thus far, with few exceptions, it has 
 worked well. The enthusiasm with which it was 
 hailed by the people, as the first fruits of their long- 
 lost and lately recovered independence, has given it a 
 value in their eyes, which perhaps intrinsically it did 
 not merit ; and the moderation and good sense which, 
 for the most part, have marked its administration, 
 attended as they have been by national prosperity, 
 have tended to consolidate its influence and give con- 
 sistence to a somewhat crude and hasty code. If a 
 certain degree of apathy has followed the first exube- 
 rance of the popular exultation, the people are the 
 less accessible to the arts of agitators ; and, averse as 
 they are from all innovations, and thinly scattered 
 througli districts intersected by natural barriers, it 
 would be difficult for agitation to make way among 
 them. Still the patriotism of the Norwegians is ar- 
 dent, and they would be roused by the cry of " Gamle 
 Norge" to whatever its honour and welfare required ; 
 but they are too shrewd easily to mistake their true 
 interests. 
 
 If I were to judge only from the numerous por- 
 traits of Carl Johan and Oscar, which I saw orna-
 
 AND PROSPECTS. 429 
 
 raenting the walls of kitchen and parlour in the farm- 
 houses of the remotest valleys, I should have no doubt 
 that the Norwegians are a loyal people. The Danish 
 nionarchs found them so, though their dominion was 
 absolute, and their Norwegian subjects knew little of 
 them but through the medium of officials from Copen- 
 hagen. They would have risen en masse to resist the 
 transfer of their allegiance ; and at the present mo- 
 ment I found throughout the country the greatest 
 interest taken in the success of their former king in 
 his struggle against the German powers. Many were 
 the questions I had to answer about the progress and 
 probable result of the war. They extdted in a divi- 
 sion of Norwegian troops being engaged in his su];)port, 
 and I believe that half of the able-bodied men of Nor- 
 way would have volunteered to reinforce it. 
 
 The spirit of loyalty had during ages of subjection 
 been kept alive throughout her remotest valleys by 
 legends of her Erics and Hakons, when Norway was 
 powerful and free ; and when the late king, Carl 
 Johan, had in due course succeeded to the throne, 
 and Norway was again an independent kingdom 
 governed by a prince worthy of their homage, all the 
 traditionary loyalty of the people burst forth. They 
 flocked to meet him on the road from Christiania 
 to Drontheim. The farmers assembled on horseback 
 to escort him from station to station. They were his 
 only guards. The king came among them without 
 pomp or state. When the crowds pressed too closely 
 upon him, he begged them in broken Norsk " to make
 
 430 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, 
 
 room for their old father." He appeared as a father 
 among an affectionate and kind-hearted people, who 
 approached him with a respectful familiarity. " How 
 art thou, King ?" I am told, was the address of the 
 sturdy bonder, conscious of his own higher lineage, 
 derived from sea-kings of the heroic times, but ready 
 to pay all manly homage to a renowned warrior, the 
 adopted ruler of his country. 
 
 The present King, Oscar*, has succeeded to even 
 more than his father's share of popularity. Well 
 formed, and with a most intelligent countenance, 
 though its swarthy hue tells of his origin far away in 
 the sunny South, he is perhaps the most accomplished 
 of European monarchs. Great acquirements, en- 
 lightened views, and a liberal policy, distinguish a 
 prince of whom any nation might be proud. He 
 commenced his reign with the graceful act of con- 
 ceding to his Norwegian subjects the national flag, 
 which his father had been induced to withhold ; and 
 he has recently instituted an order of merit, under 
 the title of " St. Olave," the patron saint of Norway, 
 which, with all their jealousy of rank, they know how 
 to appreciate. The completion of the new palace at 
 Christian ia will afford opportunities for a closer and 
 
 * There was something prophetic in the name given to the son 
 of Bernadotte, long before there was the slightest probability of its 
 taking a distinguished place in modern Scandinavian annals. It 
 was adopted, I have heard, from the admiration of Ossian which 
 Frenchmen of that day, and among others Bonaparte himself, are 
 represented to have entertained.
 
 AND PROSPECTS. 431 
 
 more frequent intercourse, tending still further to 
 l)romote a mutual good understanding, and to cement 
 the union between the king and the people of Nor- 
 \va3\ 
 
 The monarchical element in the Norwegian con- 
 stitution is, I consider, safe. Whether, when all fears 
 of Swedish ascendancy have passed away, and confi- 
 dence in the personal character of the king and his 
 freedom of action in Norwegian affairs is confirmed, 
 the nation may not be disposed to relax somewhat of 
 that rigorous restraint with which the constitution 
 has limited the executive power ; and whether, on 
 the other hand, other classes- than that which has 
 monopolised the powers of government may not claim, 
 and be admitted to, some further and more propor- 
 tionate share in the representation, remains to be 
 seen. With such modifications, if they can be safely 
 made, the poAvers of the Norwegian constitution -will 
 be so nicely adjusted, and so fairly balanced, that its 
 stability will no longer be a doubtful problem. With- 
 out them, the patriotism, the good sense, and mode- 
 ration of all parties may still continue to prevent evils 
 which, in the present day, with almost any other 
 people of Europe, there Avould be reason to fear. 
 
 The majority in the Storthing, though radical in 
 one sense — as resolutely hostile to inequality of 
 rank, and to all power, whether monarchical or aris- 
 tocratical, which is not derived from the people — 
 must yet be conservative, as representing the great 
 body of the landed proprietors. If the voice of the
 
 432 CONSTITUTIONAL PROSPECTS. 
 
 country, and the good of the country, should ever 
 call for some sacrifice of its exclusive privileges, I feel 
 a strong persuasion that, with the patriotism which 
 distinguishes Norwegians, it will not refuse its assent 
 to such changes as time and circumstances may re- 
 quire.
 
 433 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 ARTILLERY PRACTICE. JnLITARY SCHOOL. CADETS' CAilT. 
 
 BOTANICAL GARDEN. MUSEUM M. ESSJLVRK'S COLLECTION. 
 
 CLIMATE OP NORWAY. — ENGLISH FARMERS. — PUBLIC GARDENS. 
 
 — NATIONAL SONG EMBARK ON THE CHRISTIANIA FJORD. — 
 
 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 I WENT one morning early to an elevated plain, 
 about two miles from Christiania, to see the artillery 
 practice. It is the Woolwich Common of Norway, 
 and the place where reviews and other military 
 evolutions are enacted, for which it is well adapted. 
 Several batteries of artillery were in daily practice. 
 The men marched to the ground at 5 a. m. and, after 
 two hours' drill, rested for a while ; and then, resum- 
 ing their practice, returned to the city about noon. 
 
 I reached the ground during the interval of the 
 drill. The scene was very picturesque. A line of 
 tents was pitched on the edge of the common, in 
 in some of which the officers were taking breakfast*; 
 
 * When Lieut. B, was on the ground the following year observ- 
 ing the drill and taking a sketch of the scene, the officers invited 
 him to their tents ; and, finding that he was in the English service, 
 were profuse in their attentions. Early the next morning, an 
 orderly, with a horse for his use, was at the gate of his hotel, and 
 after witnessing the evolutions of the battalion, breakfast was 
 served in the marquee. The toasts " Queen Victoria" and " Gamle 
 
 F F
 
 434 ARTILLERY 
 
 suttlers' booths supplied refreshments for the men. 
 The band was playing. The guns were ranged in a 
 long line in the front, consisting of eighteen six 
 pounders of iron. The horses, about 200, were 
 picketed in the rear and on the flanks. 
 
 The bugles sounded ; the men fell in, and were 
 drilled at the guns for about an hour, twelve men 
 being the complement to each gun. After standing 
 at ease, the bugles sounded to horse, and the men 
 were in their saddles in quick time. Six horses 
 were attached to every gun ; and, besides the drivers, 
 there were six men mounted with each. They 
 advanced in line, broke into divisions, advanced and 
 retired, and performed much the same evolutions as 
 our horse-artillery. The horses were slighter than 
 ours, but active and in good wind, and some of the 
 movements were executed with great rapidity. The 
 men were rough-and-ready fellows, in uniform of 
 blue jackets faced with red, dark blue trowsers with 
 red stripes, leather helmets, and cross belts of orange, 
 one supporting a small cartouch-box for the ammu- 
 nition of the horse-pistols, the other a short sword. 
 They were not over-nice as to the state of their 
 accoutrements, but smart and handy in person ; and. 
 
 Norge" were given in turn, and all that hearty good feeling dis- 
 played -which may be supposed to prevail between brothers in arms 
 and of the same branch of the service. There was some good 
 practice with Shrapnel-shells, and the discovery that their guest 
 was nearly related to the inventor added to the enthusiasm of the 
 hour.
 
 PRACTICE. 435 
 
 considering that they were mostly recruits, the prac- 
 tice was very respectable. 
 
 Being, for the most part, young farmers, accus- 
 tomed to horses from their early years, they must, 
 in one essential particular, form excellent materials 
 for the service. Indeed, speaking of it generally, the 
 late king, Carl Johan, is said to have declared that 
 it was the best artillery in Europe. I heard this 
 from so many quarters, that there would seem to be 
 some truth in the report ; and I suppose there were 
 few better judges than Bernadotte. 
 
 While this was going on, a party of infantry were 
 eno:ao;ed in firino- at a mark with ball cartrid^-e, 
 on another part of the common. The target was a 
 figure in the red uniform of a Danish soldier. Each 
 man in succession advanced from his squad and 
 fired ; an officer sitting beside on a chair, and noting 
 in a book his name and the range of his fire. On 
 another part of the common there was practice of 
 light infantry movements. The surface was irre- 
 gular, broken into hollows, and skirted by straggling 
 woods, with slopes of pine forest in the background. 
 It was peculiarly favourable to such evolutions, and 
 gave an unusual interest to the scene. 
 
 There is a fine view of the city and the fjord from 
 the edge of the common. In returning I passed 
 through a suburb which is the site of the ancient city 
 of Opslo, which, — founded in 1058 by King Harold 
 Ardraade (the same prince who fell in the battle 
 fought at Stamford against Harold, the last of the 
 
 F F 2
 
 436 MILITARY 
 
 Saxon kings of England), — became, after the union 
 with Denmark, the capital of the kingdom. It was 
 entirely destroyed by fire in 1624, when Christian TV. 
 removed its site to the present position, and gave his 
 own name to the new city. 
 
 I mentioned before that there is a military school 
 at Christiania, at which the officers of every arm 
 receive their education. It is called the Krig- (or 
 military) school; after passing through it, the cadets 
 intended for the artiUery and engineers are two years 
 in another, called the " High-school," devoted to 
 studies connected with their particular branches of 
 the service. The staif of the Krig-school consists 
 of a lieutenant-colonel (the commandant), a captain, 
 and two subalterns. All the professors are also 
 officers. The cadets live and board in private lodg- 
 ings in the town, where, as I understood, it is the 
 duty of the subalterns to pay them frequent visits. 
 -They assemble daily at the academy, at which there 
 is a yard for drill, a library, and apartments in 
 which the cadets receive their lessons from the pro- 
 fessors. They are admitted at fifteen or sixteen, and 
 it takes from four to five or six years, according to 
 their proficiency, to pass through the lower school. 
 
 I found that the cadets of the High- school were 
 disbanded for the summer vacation ; but hearing that 
 those of the Krig-school were at present encamped at 
 Sandvigen, about eight miles from the city, I felt 
 some interest in paying them a visit. 
 
 Following the Dramraen road — which winds
 
 SCHOOL. 437 
 
 through an undulating and cultivated country on the 
 banks of the fjord, studded with the gay villas and 
 trim gardens of the merchants of Christiania, and re- 
 lieved by slopes of pine forest and some bold project- 
 ing lieights which bound the valley — an hour's drive 
 brought me within sight of the camp. Gaining the 
 summit of a gentle elevation, at a distance of about a 
 mile below, on a meadow of the freshest verdure, 
 stood the white tents of the encampment ; over which 
 floated from a flag-staff the red ensign of Norway. The 
 meadow was washed on one side by a branch of the 
 fjord, and surrounded on the others by gently swell- 
 ing hills, broken into great variety of outline, and, 
 like the low islets and jutting promontories which in- 
 dented the surface of the fjord, feathered to the base 
 with thickets of birch, alder, and ash. 
 
 Crossing the water and landing in the meadow, 
 I found eight tents dressed in line for the cadets ; 
 with a guard tent at one end, and another in which 
 they made fair copies of their rough sketches in 
 reconnoissance at the other. Four marquees for the 
 officers formed another line. Having an introduction 
 to the Captain, he kindly led me to his. It was well 
 arranged with camp-bed and stools, a writing-table 
 and chest. The cadets sleep on mattresses spread on 
 the ground, a dozen or more in each of the tents. 
 They all mess in a large farm-house, which stood pic- 
 turesquely shrouded in the groves in the rear of the 
 encampment. They are served with meat twice only 
 in the week. The cadets mount guard at night, with 
 
 F F 3
 
 438 cadets' 
 
 regular reliefs. They clean their own arms and 
 accoutrements, being allowed no servants. They en- 
 camp here for thirty days every summer, to inure 
 them to field-duty, and to practise military survey- 
 ing, sketching, and reconnoitring. The number of 
 the cadets is about sixty. 
 
 I found the company drawn up in line, and prac- 
 tising battalion drill. The lieutenant-colonel on 
 horseback gave the word of command. Two drum- 
 mers were beating a march. The cadets were a 
 manly-looking set of fellows, smartly, but rather 
 coarsely, dressed in blue jackets with red facings, 
 white trousers, and foraging caps. They wore black 
 cross-belts, and very short blunt-pointed (Roman) 
 swords. Their parade dress is a blue coat, with the 
 same facings and trousers (exchanged for gray with 
 red stripes in winter), and a shako with white plume. 
 Their rifles are excellent pieces, ingeniously contrived 
 to load at the breech, which turns upon a pivot for 
 that purpose, and when the charge is inserted is shut 
 down and firmly secured. With these they practice 
 at a mark — distance 200 or 300 yards. This rifle is 
 also the arms of a portion of the regular troops. 
 Gymnastics and swimming are not considered merely 
 as recreations ; but are taught, so to speak, as part of 
 the drill, under the inspection of the oflicers. 
 
 On my inquiring, whether there were many ofiicers' 
 sons in the academy, the reply was " not many;" 
 their finances did not permit them to afford the ex- 
 pense. It amounts to about 200 spec, dollars a year.
 
 CAMP. 439 
 
 The officers had been led to suppose that the pay in 
 our army is much larger than is actually the case ; 
 and seemed painfully to contrast their position with 
 that of the English officer. Though (considering the 
 difference in the style of living) they were not alto- 
 gether correctly informed, one could not but regret 
 to see men of finished education and gentlemanly 
 bearing so inadequately endowed. But if the " Ord- 
 nance " and " Army Estimates " in this country are a 
 frequent source of cavil and debate, what can be ex- 
 pected in a country where the Storthing is so parsi- 
 monious, and the executive power so circumscribed ? 
 The officers of the cadet-company spoke French ; they 
 treated us with the most polite attention, obligingly 
 entering into all the details in which we felt an 
 interest. 
 
 The camp was on the point of being broken up, 
 after the company had undergone its annual inspec- 
 tion by a General Officer. My fellow-traveller saw it 
 on the march to Christiania, fully accoutred with 
 knapsacks, great coats, and pouches, in heavy march- 
 ing orders a baggage-waggon following with the 
 camp implements, &c. 
 
 Captain Petersen recommended my returning from 
 Sandvigen by a detour which would enable me to visit 
 Bogstad, the seat of the Countess Wedel-Jarlsberg, 
 who inherited it, I believe from her father, j\I. Anker, 
 one of the greatest statesmen Norway has produced. 
 It was no object of my " Rambles " to visit show- 
 houses ; but the name, as here pronounced, reminded 
 
 F F 4
 
 440 BOGSTAD. 
 
 me of Boxted, the Earl of Liverpool's place in 
 Sussex ; and I felt an inclination to compare the seat 
 of a Norwegian, with that of an English prime 
 minister, as well as to see an object of rare occurrence 
 in Norway, a lordly residence, the seat of one of the 
 last of her nobles. The chief place of the family is 
 at Jarlsberg, near Drammen. It was a most lovely 
 day, and just the sort of sky and temperature to be 
 in unison with the placid scenery of the Christiania- 
 Fjord, over which we had at some points of the road, 
 from a considerable elevation, the finest views of the 
 kind I had met with. Bogstad is situated on a 
 plateau of high land, amongst well-cultivated farms. 
 The mansion stands on the bank of a small lake, to 
 which lawns intersected by shady walks extend from 
 the house ; but there was wanting, as in most Conti- 
 nental places, that air of finished neatness and high 
 keeping which are the distinguishing features of En- 
 glish country-places. In Norway smooth lawns are to 
 be sought on the slopes of the mountain-farms, where, 
 with the short and slightly curved scythes used by 
 the peasants, the grass is closely shorn with an eco- 
 nomy that speaks its value. The kitchen-gardens 
 were extensive and in excellent order ; and, with the 
 forcing-houses, which were on a large scale, abounded 
 with every description of fruit. The mansion con- 
 tains a fine suite of apartments, particularly a saloon 
 of noble proportions. The walls are hung in profu- 
 sion with a collection of paintings, many of them 
 being of great merit, and, I conclude, acquired by the 
 Count while he was ambassador at Naples.
 
 BOTANIC GARDEN. 441 
 
 As I am not writing a guide-book, and the objects 
 that usually attract attention at Christiania have 
 been often described, my notices of them will be 
 brief. I thought the plants at the Botanic Garden, 
 the site of which is finely placed about a mile from 
 the city, particularly healthy. The connection of 
 the Danish government with Iceland and Greenland 
 enriched it Avith a large collection of Arctic plants. 
 The exotics looked sickly, though there were double 
 sashes to the houses, as a precaution against the se- 
 verity of a northern winter. It is to be hoped that 
 the Storthing, which has been liberal in its grants to 
 the University, may be induced, ere long, to provide 
 funds for buildings on improved principles as to light 
 and heat. 
 
 The museum attached to the University contains a 
 fine collection of antiquities, similar to those which 
 we saw at Bergen. Here are deposited the gold 
 ornaments described as of Eastern origin in my notices 
 of the museum of that city. The most interesting 
 exhibition in Christiania, as it struck me, is Mr. 
 Essmark's fine collection of indigenous birds, fishes, 
 and insects. The specimens have almost all been 
 obtained by himself, and his exact knowledge of the 
 character and habits of the different tribes, acquired 
 during his wanderings through every part of the 
 country in his favourite pursuit, has enabled him to 
 give a spirit and animation to the preserved speci- 
 mens, an air of real life, as far above the ordinary 
 effect of zoological preparations, as the statue of an
 
 442 M. essmark's museum. 
 
 artist surpasses the work of a merely mechanical 
 imitator. Mr. Essmark kindly opens his museum to 
 gentlemen desirous of examining its treasures; and 
 his conversation, full of information on all subjects 
 connected with natural history, together with the 
 charming position of his residence, close to the astro- 
 mical and magnetical observatories, and commanding 
 an enchanting view of the fjord, its straits and 
 islands, will make hours passed in his society, among 
 so many objects of interest, by those who have the 
 good fortune to obtain an introduction to so distin- 
 guished and amiable a man, not easily forgotten. 
 
 Report speaks highly of the society of Christiania, 
 but a winter residence is required for its enjojnnent 
 with true zest. At present many of the residents of 
 the higher classes, including most of the professors, 
 were absent ; and, but for the sitting of the Storthing, 
 the city would at this season have been still more de- 
 serted. Nothing, I was assured, can exceed the charms 
 of the climate in the neighbourhood of Christiania, 
 which, for so high a latitude, appears to be singularly 
 temperate. It is screened from violent winds; and 
 even in winter, though the cold is severe, the weather 
 is seldom variable, but bright and settled, and free 
 from damp and fog. In summer, as I can testify, the 
 climate is delicious; warm, but not sultry, so light 
 and buoyant is the atmosphere; and most of the 
 fruits of more southern climes ripen in the open air. 
 
 According to Professor Hanstein's observations, in 
 a series of years the mean temperature at Christiania
 
 TEMPERATURE OF NORWAY. 443 
 
 in July, the warmest month, has been 105°; and in 
 February the coldest, 18°6'. The thermometer there 
 has sometimes fallen in the winter as low as 31° 
 below zero ; while at Bergen, lying nearly in the same 
 latitude, it is seldom below zero, so that snow and ice 
 are not very common. In the interior the frost is 
 far more severe than along the coast ; and it is a ge- 
 neral rule in Norway that an elevation of 500 feet 
 above the level of the sea has the same influence on 
 the temperature as 2° of latitude, and that the ther- 
 mometer under both circumstances falls 1°. The air 
 is generally throughout the southern districts serene 
 and clear ; — fog very seldom occurs, perhaps not 
 more than three days in the whole year. The weather 
 is not in general very rainy, except at Bergen, where 
 a great deal more rain falls than in any other part of 
 the country, occasioned, it is probable, by the clouds 
 gathering on the summits of the high surrounding 
 mountains. 
 
 According to many observations, the mean temper- 
 ature is at the North Cape, in 71° 10' N. lat., 32°2'; 
 on the sea shore at Salten, in 67° N. lat., 34°2' ; at 
 Drontheim, in 63°30' N. lat., 39°6'; at UUensvang, in 
 60° N. lat. (about the same as Bergen), 48°; at 
 Christiania, which also lies in about 60° N. lat., the 
 mean temperature is 41°8'. In the Hardanger, the 
 mean temperature in the three coldest months is 
 31°3' ; in the three warmest months, 61°2'.* 
 
 * These observations, originally made on the scale of Reaumur, 
 have been calculated on that of Fahrenheit.
 
 444 FARMING 
 
 In some of the southern districts, particularly 
 about Drobak on the eastern, and from Drammen to 
 Laurvig on the western side of the Christiania-Fjord, 
 there are tracts of level country, on which farming 
 operations are carried on upon a better system than 
 that which prevails generally in Norway. There are 
 also good districts beyond Ringerike, on the Tyri- 
 Fjord, — in the Heidemarken, and in some parts of 
 the Drontheim-Stift ; and I have remarked, in pass- 
 ing, on the fine farms on the banks of the Eands- 
 Fjord. In the localities first mentioned, their being 
 at so great a distance from the fjelds as to have 
 no sffiters for summer pasturage appurtenant to the 
 farms, may be one reason for soiling, and such im- 
 proved methods of managing the live stock. Differ- 
 ence of climate and the occupation of extended 
 levels favourable to cultivation, is another. The 
 introduction of improved modes of cultivation may 
 also have been encouraged by the example of farmers 
 from Scotland, who occupy estates in some of the 
 districts enumerated. 
 
 I have been often asked the question whether an 
 Englishman, who wished to engage in agricultural 
 pursuits with a view to profit, would do well to emi- 
 grate to Norway ? The distance is so trifling, and 
 (as it must have already appeared in the course of 
 these pages) the state of things socially is so far 
 favourable to such an undertaking, that it may be 
 worth while, before I bring my somewhat desultory 
 notices of Norwegian affairs to a conclusion, to give
 
 IN NORWAY. 445 
 
 some answer to this inquiry. It is a question not 
 devoid of interest in the present condition of our 
 own country, when outlets are eagerly sought in all 
 directions, and by all classes of persons wishing to 
 find relief from the straightened and burthened posi- 
 tion in which a crowded and highly artificial state of 
 society has placed them. 
 
 The subject has been treated by Mr. Laing with 
 his usual practical good sense ; and I cannot do better 
 than refer the inquirer to the very judicious observa- 
 tions he has made upon it. The result amounts to 
 this — that a person whose means and whose Avishes 
 were alike moderate, who could reconcile himself to 
 the degree of seclusion, not without its share of sport 
 and recreation, which a country life in Norway in- 
 volves, and who would adopt for the most part the 
 habits and style of living of a Norwegian bonder of 
 the higher class, may find in Norway most of the 
 advantages he would propose to himself by colonial 
 emigration, without the expense and inconvenience 
 of a long voyage, and unaccompanied by the evils at- 
 tendant on a new and unsettled condition of society. 
 In a word, he might go farther and fare worse. If 
 the emigrant will be thus content and, instead of car- 
 rying mth him English notions of expense, "will learn 
 thoroughly to comprehend the value of money in his 
 adopted country, he will find, to use Mr. Laing's sig- 
 nificant remark, that a specie dollar of Norwegian 
 currency, expended as a native counts it, will go as
 
 446 FARMING IN NORWAY. 
 
 far, for most purposes, as the pound sterling of his 
 English income or capital.* 
 
 * Mr. Laing occupied for some time a small udal estate of 
 about sixty acres, the stock on which was three horses, eight cows, 
 and a score of sheep. There was a seeter on the fjeld attached. 
 About eleven acres were under tillage. There were two housemen 
 on the property. Their wages were eight skillings per day and 
 their food. The rent paid for the farm was forty-one dollars per 
 annum ; but deducting eleven dollars allowed in their work by the 
 housemen for their holdings, the clear rent was thirty dollars. The 
 taxes were twelve. — Residence in Norway, pp. 299, &c. 
 
 IMr. Laing extracts from the Morgen-hlad newspaper an adver- 
 tisement for the sale of an estate, which may give some idea of the 
 value of landed property. 
 
 It consisted of a two-story house with numerous outbuildings, a 
 good kitchen-garden, a fishery, and a considerable wood, with the 
 right of cutting timber in the forest. Also a saeter on the fjeld, and 
 a houseman^s farm, which would keep two cows and six sheep ; and 
 arable land to sow one barrel and a half of grain and six barrels 
 of potatoes. 
 
 The estate would keep two horses, eight cows, and forty sheep. 
 There was arable land to sow eight barrels of grain and twenty- 
 five or thirty of potatoes. 
 
 The property adjoined a good high-road, within four Norsk (28 
 English) miles of Christiania. 
 
 The estate was offered in the advertisement at the price of 4000 
 dollars. It should be observed that, within thirty miles of Christi- 
 ania, land and stock are from twenty to thirty per cent dearer 
 than in more remote districts. 
 
 I have letters before me, of recent date, one of which says — 
 " Generally, land is to be bought in any part you like, and at this 
 time there are many farms for sale. For SOOl. or lOOOZ. you can 
 very easily get a place in a good neigbourhood, where you can 
 keep two or three horses and twelve or fourteen cows." 
 
 These letters contain so much useful information on the rural 
 economy of the southern districts of Norway, that I propose making 
 further extracts from them in the Appendix.
 
 HOTELS, ETC. 447 
 
 But I am warned that I have already exceeded the 
 Imiits assigned to my task, and must be brief in what 
 remains. The few days I spent at Christiania were 
 agreeably and satisfactorily employed. Besides visit- 
 ing its public establishments, I had much information 
 to gain, many points to clear up, which had suggested 
 themselves in the course of my rambles as requiring 
 explanations. The assistance which, now as well as 
 on other occasions, I received from persons well qua- 
 lified to give me valuable information, has enabled 
 me to arrive, I think, at safe and trustworthy conclu- 
 sions on a variety of topics connected with Norway 
 and her institutions, and therefore I venture to sub- 
 mit them to the reader with some degree of confi- 
 dence. 
 
 I had free access, as a stranger, to the Athenaium, 
 where there is a good collection of French and English 
 newspapers, which could not fail of interest, after 
 being for many weeks out of the way of any regular 
 intelligence. The table was well served, and I ex- 
 perienced great civility at the Hotel de Scandinavie, 
 to which I had been introduced by my fellow-tra- 
 veller from Lillehammer, though that du Nord I 
 found is most frequented by Englishmen, and off'ers 
 superior accommodations. In the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood is the great square, where a daily market 
 is held, through which it was pleasant to saunter 
 among the country people, who bring in a profusion 
 of flowers and ripe fruit. I spent my last evening 
 at the public gardens near the palace, which are
 
 448 PUBLIC GARDENS. 
 
 kept by an Italian. Refreshments are served in the 
 saloon, and at tables set in the open air under the 
 shade of trees. The ground was prettily planted and 
 well laid out. A band of German performers attends, 
 and in the fine season the gardens are much fre- 
 quented. I found it crowded with a throng of well- 
 dressed persons. In the intervals of the music the 
 promenade was the only amusement. But when my 
 friends visited it in 1849, there had been an addition 
 made to the attractions of the place. A train of 
 imitative railway carriages had been constructed, to 
 which a miniature locomotive was attached. These 
 revolved on a platform, something after the fashion 
 of a roundabout at a country fair. But the engine 
 was innocent of fire or smoke, except such as pro- 
 ceeded from the pipes of some of the worthy citizens 
 who selected it as their favourite post, and appeared 
 to perform the functions of stoker and engineer, the 
 train being really propelled by machinery under the 
 platform. The fair Frohen and Jom-frue crowded 
 train after train, happy in being so easily amused. 
 The whole afi'air seemed to give unmingled satisfac- 
 tion. It will be long, I fear, before the good people 
 of Norway will have a more practical acquaintance 
 with railway travelling, unless the project for the 
 line from Christiania to Minde, almost the only forty 
 miles of practicable ground in the kingdom, should 
 be carried into efi"ect. 
 
 But on the evening I visited the gardens the music 
 was the principal attraction ; and well did the soft
 
 TWILIGHT AND MUSIC. 449 
 
 melody of some of those German airs harmonise with 
 the peculiar character of a Norsvegian twilight. It 
 was late before the sun sunk below the horizon ; and 
 the sky still retained the glow of its setting rays, 
 melting away so gradually, that it seemed as though 
 it would scarcely disappear before the east should give 
 token of its re-appearance. There was none of that 
 raw chilly feeling which so frequently follows sunset 
 even in the best climates. The atmosphere between ten 
 and eleven o'clock was warm and genial. The music 
 floated voluptuously on that clear serene air. But the 
 strain changed, and, most unexpectedly, the notes of 
 our own national anthem broke upon my ear, and put 
 an end to the reverie into Avhich I had fallen ; — spirit- 
 stirring sounds to an Englishman wandering in a 
 foreign land, or in any of the far-away dominions of 
 his native sovereign. I believe I was the only repre- 
 sentative of my country present ; and I could not but 
 feel proud of belonging to it, with all its faults, even 
 amongst that happy, well ordered, and high-spirited 
 people. But their turn was to come next. The 
 music ceased for a while, and then burst out again 
 into the full swell of the national air of Norway. It 
 is never heard without the most lively enthusiasm, 
 and the whole population is ready to join in the 
 chorus. 
 
 The song, though it breathes the spirit of the old 
 times, is a modern composition by a living poet, 
 Bjerregaard, written since the recovery of the na- 
 tional independence. The following stanzas from 
 
 G G
 
 450 NATIONAL SONG. 
 
 it will show how well adapted it is to rouse the 
 patriotic feeling. I take them from a translation 
 given in Mr. Latham's Book. 
 
 Minstrel, awaken the harp from its slumbers, 
 
 Strike for Old Norway, the land of the free I 
 High and heroic, in soul-stirring numbers. 
 Clime of our fathers ! we strike it for thee. 
 Old recollections 
 Awake our affections ; 
 They hallow the name of the land of our birth : 
 Each heart beats its loudest, each cheek glows its proudest. 
 For Norway the ancient, the throne of the earth. 
 
 n. 
 
 Spirit ! look back on her far flashing glory, 
 
 The far flashing meteor that bursts on thy glance ; 
 On chieftain and hero, immortal in story, 
 They press to the battle like maids to the dance. 
 The blood flows before them ; 
 The wave dashes o'er them ; 
 They reap with the sword what they plough with the keel. 
 Enough that they leave to the country that bore them. 
 Bosoms to bleed for her freedom and weal. 
 
 in. 
 
 The shrine of the Northman, the temple of freedom. 
 
 Stands like a rock, where the stormy wind breaks : 
 The tempests howl round it, but little he'll heed them ; 
 Freely he thinks, and as freely he speaks. 
 The bird in its motion, 
 The wave in its ocean, 
 Scantly can rival his liberty's voice ; 
 Yet he obeys, with a willing devotion, 
 Laws of his making, and kings of bis choice.
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 451 
 
 IV. 
 
 Land of the forest, the fell, and the fountain ! 
 
 Blest with the wealth of the field and the flood ! 
 Steady and trustful, the sons of thy mountain 
 
 Pay the glad price of thy rights with their blood. 
 Ocean hath bound thee ! 
 Freedom hath found thee ! 
 Then flourish Old Norway ! thy flag be unfurl'd ! 
 As free as the breezes and breakers around thee, 
 The pride of thy children, the front of the world. 
 
 The following afternoon saw me embarked in 
 the steamer which once a week makes the passage 
 to Travemunde, a small seaport in the Baltic, 
 whence there is easy communication to Lubeck and 
 Hamburgh. These vessels, which accomplish the 
 trip in about forty-eight or fifty hours, belong to the 
 Royal Navy, and are commanded by naval officers. 
 They are fine boats and their accommodations are 
 excellent. In the society of the captain and of an 
 English gentleman who is engaged in a large mining 
 speculation in the interior of Norway, there was no 
 danger of ennui, even if the scenery of the Chris- 
 tiania-Fjord were less enchanting than it is. We 
 threaded our way down its long channel, among 
 islands clothed with verdure, and ran along shores 
 wooded or cultivated, and broken by promontory and 
 bay into the greatest variety of outline ; calling at 
 Drobak, Moss, and other stations to receive and dis- 
 embark passengers, a never-failing source of amuse- 
 ment. At a late hour we made our last call oif 
 Frederikstad, the principal arsenal of Norway, and 
 
 G G 2
 
 452 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 then bid adieu to its shores. 1 watched the lights 
 twinkling on the land till they finally disappeared as 
 the vessel rapidly ploughed her way into the broad sea 
 which divides the coast of Norway from that of Jutland. 
 
 No one, I am inclined to think, has ever returned 
 from wandering amongst the romantic scenery of 
 Norway, without feeling that his anticipations have 
 been more than realised. The features of other 
 Alpine countries may be on a wider and bolder 
 scale ; but the combination of forest, lake, cataract, 
 dal, fjeld, and fjord is certainly unrivalled ; and of 
 these, at least the last two are exclusively her own. 
 
 No traveller can have familiarly associated with 
 the inhabitants of this romantic land, without return- 
 ing favourably impressed by the frequent proofs he 
 Avill have received in the course of his rambles — 
 among whatever classes he may chance to have been 
 thrown — of their frank, kindly, and hospitable dis- 
 position ; nor have failed to mark the manly but well 
 controlled spirit of independence which distinguishes 
 the national character. 
 
 Nor is it possible for any one to have investigated, 
 with any degree of care, the institutions and the 
 social system of this ancient people, and not to feel 
 satisfied that, with slight exceptions, they are well 
 calculated to foster and perpetuate the happy state of 
 affairs, both public and private, which it has been his 
 good fortune to witness.
 
 CONCLUDING OBSKRVATIONS. 453 
 
 Norway, in ti'uth, besides her great natural beau- 
 ties, presents at this moment a moral picture of ex- 
 treme interest. It offers to the world the spectacle 
 of a poor, comparatively insignificant, and recently 
 disenthralled people, who, by not abusing their new 
 constitutional privileges, even where abuse might 
 have been apprehended, have consolidated their 
 freedom ; and, by enlisting the sympathies and 
 commanding the respect of other nations, have 
 acquired for their country a moral strength far 
 greater than its limited territory, population, and 
 means could have created. It exhibits a state of so- 
 ciety in which the means of subsistence and the com- 
 mon comforts of life are very equally diffused, and the 
 connection between the different classes is harmoni- 
 ously maintained. In short, it presents the spectacle 
 of a free, a high-spirited, a self-governed, but a united 
 and contented people. And of what other country, 
 without any single exception — however great its 
 wealth, and improved its civilisation, and superior its 
 power, and whatever be the character of its political 
 institutions — can as much be truly affirmed ? 
 
 The crisis through which Norway passed in 1814 
 has terminated far better than was anticipated. 
 Her advance in general prosperity has been already 
 great, and she has entered on a career which pro- 
 mises every' success consistent with her position and 
 natural resources. To improve these has been one 
 of the first cares of a native government and a na- 
 tional legislature. Nothing, perhaps, can better aid 
 
 <a G 3
 
 454 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 this design than the encouragement given to the 
 ablest of her students, the professors of her Uni- 
 versity, and the engineer-officers of her mihtary 
 school, to travel in foreign countries. Norway has 
 to recover from the effects of ages of neglect; and 
 in the schools of England, France, and Germany she 
 wisely seeks to acquire a knowledge of all those im- 
 provements in science and in art which are essential 
 to her own future progress. 
 
 If a stranger (speaking however, he believes, the 
 sentiments of the most intelligent natives) may be 
 permitted to make a passing observation on each of 
 the two great branches of national wealth, agricul- 
 ture and commerce ; he would say that, in both, 
 the present systems are susceptible of great ame- 
 lioration. With respect to the former, things can- 
 not be in a sound state when so large a proportion of 
 the corn required for the subsistence of the people 
 is imported, while the exports in return are so 
 limited. Nor can it be right that, under such cir- 
 cumstances, duties should be levied on the import- 
 ation of foreign corn. It would be preposterous to 
 expect that with a climate so severe as that of a 
 considerable part of Norway, and with the land so 
 generally divided into small farms, agricultural 
 operations and improvements can be conducted on a 
 great scale. But still there is abundant room for 
 draining and irrigation; large tracts of straggling 
 forest-land call for clearance and cultivation; and 
 with the sseter-dairies scattered among the pasturages
 
 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 455 
 
 of her boundless fjelds, the produce should form no 
 inconsiderable item in the exports of the country. 
 The opening of markets and communications with the 
 interior, and some slight change in the diet of the 
 population, would lead to this improvement in its 
 rural economy. 
 
 With respect to commerce, it is generally felt that 
 the trade is too much in the hands of the Hamburgh 
 merchants, the remains of the system by which it 
 was enthralled in the times of the old Hanseatic 
 league. It is obvious that native enterprise and 
 improved capital are the best remedies for this state 
 of things. But perhaps these might be aided by a 
 revision of the import duties, which press heavily 
 on the people, and, moreover, are said to give rise 
 to a great deal of smuggling. The feelings and the 
 interests of the commercial classes in Norway point 
 to a more intimate connection with England*, and 
 they are sensible of the superiority of her fabrics to 
 those of the German manufacturers. But of the two 
 staple exports of Norway, France takes eight-tenths 
 of the timber, and Spain, Portugal, and the ports of 
 the ]\Iediterranean receive the greater portion of the 
 produce of her fisheries. Norway imports from Eng- 
 land the materials for constructing her iron steam- 
 
 * This would be greatly promoted by the establishment of 
 direct steam communication between the two countries, arrange- 
 ments for which are now in progress ; and it is to be hoped that 
 private enterprise will here be assisted by the governments of both 
 countries. Vacation tourists will have much reason to hail its 
 establishment. 
 
 G o 4
 
 456 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 boats and her gas-works, the coals consumed in them, 
 and machinery of all descriptions ; besides manu- 
 factured fabrics and colonial produce. 
 
 The greatly disproportionate duty levied in Eng- 
 land on Norwegian timber (it being 20s. per load on 
 deals, and 1 55. per load on square timber, whereas Ca- 
 nadian timber is admitted at Is. and 25. per load), is the 
 principal obstacle to the increase of this commercial 
 intercourse. Should parliament be induced to relax 
 these duties, and English capital, now that the navi- 
 gation laws are repealed, should give employment to 
 the shipbuilders of the Norwegian yards, and an ad- 
 ditional share in the carrying trade to her vessels, the 
 result would be an increased demand for our manu- 
 factured goods ; and the government of Norway * 
 would have their hands strengthened in urging on 
 the Storthing a reduction of the import duties on our 
 cotton and woollen manufactures. An intercourse 
 . so beneficial to both parties it is our interest to en- 
 courage. 
 
 But while Norway looks to England, the wealthier, 
 the more powerful, the more intelligent community, 
 for the furtherance of her material prosperity — 
 perhaps, in time of need, for the guarantee of her 
 
 * It appears that the government of Sweden and Norway takes 
 an enlightened view of commercial questions, for it has been one 
 of the first to meet the advances of this country in a spirit of reci- 
 procity. "While these sheets are passing through the press a pro- 
 clamation of King Oscar's has appeared, placing British vessels in 
 the ports of his kingdom on the same footing as Swedish ships 
 are admitted into those of Great Britain.
 
 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 457 
 
 political independence — England may learn from Nor- 
 way the great moral lesson which her social condition 
 teaches. The absence of any very marked disparity 
 in wealth or position among the people of Norway is 
 not only the source of her social welfare, but the 
 basis on which the permanence of her political insti- 
 tutions rests. The literal adoption of the leading 
 features of the Norwegian polity is, indeed, imprac- 
 ticable in a country very differently circumstanced, 
 and whose system, though founded on principles the 
 very reverse, has, like her own, become in the course 
 of ages interwoven with the very frame of society. 
 A radical change could not be effected but through a 
 revolution of the most fearful character, and the 
 results of such experiments have hitherto been any 
 thing but encouraging. 
 
 But the contemplation of the social state of Norway 
 may do more than awaken those feelings of admira- 
 tion, perhaps of envy, which it is calculated to excite. 
 It may afford us a clue to the solution of the difficul- 
 ties of our own position ; and its pervading spirit, duly 
 comprehended, and influencing our own acts, both 
 individual and collective, may at least tend to alle- 
 viate the evils under which we labour. In a free 
 country, property cannot be accumulated in a few 
 hands and political power confined to certain privi- 
 leged classes, without exciting envy in the masses 
 daily growing in intelligence, and coveting material 
 and political advancement. Nor can a state of society 
 be considered healthy, in which the upper and middle
 
 458 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 ranks are enjoying, in the fruits of wealth, an exube- 
 rance of luxury and comfort such as perhaps has 
 never before fallen to the lot of any nation, while 
 large sections of the population are either entirely 
 destitute of the means of subsistence, or earn them 
 by a degree of unremitting toil to which probably no 
 other race of freemen has ever submitted. 
 
 If the rights of property are to be preserved, and 
 the claims of station respected, if the dangers that 
 threaten our social and political organisation are to 
 be averted, the crisis must be met by timely and 
 voluntary concessions. The selfish and exclusive tone 
 too prevalent among many of the higher and wealthier 
 classes, must be abated ; a feeling of mutual good-will 
 must be sedulously nourished, and efforts, both public 
 and private, must be made on a much larger scale than 
 any that have been yet originated, to ameliorate the 
 condition of the great mass of the population, to 
 foster well-regulated habits of independence, and to 
 extend the benefits of sound moral and intellectual 
 training ; in short, to give to those large sections of 
 the people, which seem now excluded from its pale, a 
 real membership in the body corporate. There must 
 ever be, in every human society, inequalities of means, 
 of station, of intelligence. But the vital Christian 
 principle of the equality of all men before God being 
 recognised, it involves a distinct right in every well 
 conditioned member of the community to due per- 
 sonal consideration, and to such substantial benefits 
 as will prove to him that his interests are not neg-
 
 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 459 
 
 lected, and that his individual welfare forms a unit in 
 the sum of the national prosperity. 
 
 Should the author have contributed in ever so small 
 a degree to further the objects he has had in view 
 in these concluding observations, the moral he would 
 draw from his Rambles in Norway, and his notices of 
 the social condition of the people of that country, 
 will be of far greater importance than any amuse- 
 ment which may be derived from his sketches of its 
 romantic scenery.
 
 460 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 Since the preceding pages were in the press, Lieut. 
 Biddulph has communicated to the author some in- 
 teresting observations on the field sports of Norway, 
 accompanied by practical suggestions for persons 
 contemplating a sporting tour in that country. As 
 they were not received in time to form a Chapter 
 in the body of the work, a place is here assigned 
 them distinct from the extracts which form the 
 Appendix. 
 
 " Norway, being a wild country, is deficient in the 
 immense numbers of small birds we are used to in 
 our own ; though, as I afterwards learned from an 
 examination of the excellent collections at Christiania, 
 there are many more varieties to be found than I 
 should have imagined from my o^vn observations while 
 passing through the country. The birds of passage, 
 which migrate to the south for the sake of our 
 milder winters, return in the spring to their secluded 
 haunts for the breeding season. Fieldfares and 
 starlings are constantly to be met with during the 
 summer, in the course of a day's ramble in the valleys 
 of Norway. The swallows arrive at the beginning of 
 summer, and depart at the same season as they leave 
 the coasts of England. The woodcock and snipe, more
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 40 1 
 
 shy in their habits, are not to be seen without being 
 sought for. They abound most, I beheve, about the 
 fjords of the western coast and in the northern districts. 
 Wild ducks are to be met with occasionally in pairs 
 throughout the country, but they too are to be 
 found in greater numbers in the Drontheim-Stift and 
 the districts approaching the northern coast. The 
 rocky islets on these shores are tenanted by innu- 
 merable flocks of the eider duck, the do"svn of which 
 forms a considerable article of commerce. I noticed the 
 snow bunting and mountain finch on the high fjelds. 
 " Of the carouse, the birds most interestino^ to a 
 sportsman, there are several varieties, and they are 
 found in great abundance. The wood-grouse, or 
 capercailzie (Tiiir), Tetrao urogallus, a noble bird, 
 attaining to the size of a turkey and the weight of 
 twelve to fourteen pounds, is met with in all the pine 
 forests, though it is less common on the western 
 side of the fjelds. It is not to be found without 
 dogs (setters or spaniels) except in the spring, when, 
 contrary to the game laws, it is shot, in a most un- 
 sportsmanlike manner, in the trees while calling its 
 mate. In winter it draws towards the neighbourhood 
 of the farms. The blackcock ( Urhane), Tetrao Tetrix, 
 lies in the higher pine forests and the birch woods, to 
 the verge of the open fjelds. The white grouse, 
 Tetrao Lagopus fnibaljjimis, is found in the upper 
 birch woods, at the height of from three to four 
 thousand feet. This variety is distinct from the 
 red grouse of the British Isles, Tetrao Scoticus, which 
 is unknown in Norway. It is larger than tlie ptar-
 
 462 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 migan, and, as I believe it lies close, would afford 
 good sport with setters. 
 
 " The ptarmigan (^Ryper)^ Tetrao Lagopus Alpinus^ 
 confines itself to the open fjeld, where it subsists on 
 the berries of the Alpine plants. It is a stupid bird, 
 flying but a short distance, and perching among the 
 grey rocks of the high fjelds. They are abundant in 
 all parts of the mountains, and the deer-hunter, in 
 default of venison, would have no difficult}^ in pro- 
 viding himself with a supper of ptarmigan. 
 
 " The western districts of Norway abound in noble 
 birds of prey, — the golden eagle, the sea eagle, the 
 osprey, the Jer-falcon, or Icelandic falcon, so famous 
 in olden time. Several of these, no later than the 
 summer before last, were taken in the Dovre-Fjeld, 
 and carried to Holland or Belgium, hooded and jessed, 
 as I was informed by Mr. Essmark, at Christiania. 
 The Peregrine falcon is common throughout the 
 country. 
 
 " Of wild beasts the wolf and the bear, long ex- 
 tinct in our islands, are here still abundant. The 
 gaupe^ a species of lynx {Felis Lyyix)^ is found in the 
 wild forest districts. Standing about two feet high 
 and five feet long, and strongly made, it is a far 
 more formidable animal than the wolf. The marten 
 {^Martis sylvatica) is found, but the wild cat of the 
 wilder districts of our own country is unknown in 
 Norway. It may be added, that the beaver, which 
 is still sometimes met with on the Swedish frontier, 
 is becoming extinct ; and the glutton, an animal of 
 strange, uncouth appearance, allied to the marten by
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 463 
 
 the teeth and head, but with feet ajDproaching in 
 character those of the bear, is to be found generally 
 throughout the country. 
 
 " The white hare {Lepus Borealis) is, I understand, 
 common enough, though I had not the good fortune 
 to see one. The elk is occasionally found in Oster- 
 dalen ; red deer, chiefly confined to the islands lying 
 off the western coast, are yet to be found near Kosen- 
 dal, on the Hardanger-Fjord. Reindeer abound on 
 the whole length of the central range; during sum- 
 mer they frequent the 'plateau of the fjelds, at an 
 elevation of not less than 4000 feet. They are most 
 abundant in the districts lying north of the Fille- 
 Fjeld, and extending thence to the Dovre-Fjeld. 
 
 " The capabilities of Norway for affording sport 
 must not be overrated; and I should not wish to 
 delude the reader with the idea that he can go to 
 Norway, and find, readily at his command, such good 
 shooting as he may get on the moors of Scotland. 
 However, it is certain that for a sportsman, whose 
 destructive propensities are confined within moderate 
 bounds, the sport would be good enough ; and the 
 pursuit of it would lead him by many an arduous 
 walk, calculated to try the vigour of his sinews, into 
 scenes of wonderful wildness and magnificence, on 
 which his imagination will afterwards delight to 
 linger, and his tongue to descant ; though he will feel, 
 with me, that no one can describe these scenes satis- 
 factorily. Let the sportsman who is fond of the 
 grand and beautiful, as well as eager in his pursuit, 
 follow the advice which I shall presently give him,
 
 464 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 and should he some day meet me in the wilds, he will 
 tell me that my suggestions have not issued in dis- 
 appointment. 
 
 " Salmon fishing in Norway has already been 
 made familiar by the published accounts of several 
 English gentlemen, and a useful abstract of one of 
 the best of these by Mr. Belton, in his ^'■Tivo Summers 
 in Norway^'' is furnished in Mr. Murray's Hand-book. 
 But no one, as far as I am aware, has given any 
 hints of a sufficiently practical kind for the guidance 
 of the sportsman. In default of more able assistance, I 
 will make an attempt to supply the deficiency, though 
 I feel my own inability to deal with the subject as it 
 deserves to be treated. Mr. Lloyd has written w^ith 
 spirit on the sport of bear-shooting in Scandinavia. 
 There are few who, like him, sometimes single- 
 handed, and generally with one attendant, would not 
 only attack a bear, but kill him too ; though I do 
 not say that some of those for whom I write may not 
 rival his achievements ; and a bear-skin to bring 
 home will be no mean trophy. 
 
 " What then are the qualifications for a sportsman 
 in Norway ? To be active, wiry, and strong (nay, I 
 need not say strong, for if he has spirit, and can 
 sleep and fare hard, he will get strong), with two or 
 three months, say July, August, September, a mode- 
 rate sum of money — say fifty pounds at the outside — 
 at his disposal, and, if possible, a companion similarly 
 qualified and of congenial disposition. A voyage of 
 seven days, — it may be four, it may be ten at the most, 
 — will land them at Bergen, Stavanger, or some port
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 465 
 
 on the south coast : vocabulary in hand, let them take 
 no interpreter or guide, who, in the mountains, would 
 be utterly useless, but, pursuing one of the great post- 
 roads or of the long fjords, proceed at once to Lierdal- 
 soren, Vaage, Jerkin, or some such place, where com- 
 fortable quarters are to be found at which they can 
 complete their arrangements, and make their start. 
 At Lierdalsoren, they may buy two or three horses at 
 from 5^. to 11. each, for the very best, and guides and 
 attendants, if any are wanted, can be hired. A good 
 guide, as he gives up the superintendence of his farm, 
 and would have to supply his own place there, would 
 ask from three to five orts or marks a day. A mere 
 attendant on the pack-horses would not require more 
 than one or two. A pack-horse will carry, day after 
 day, through the most difficult country, 150 lbs., which 
 Avill allow more than sufficient for every item of the 
 equipment, of which the follo"\\ang suggestions may 
 give some idea. If the traveller intends to ride, it will 
 be best for him to bring his own saddle and bridle 
 (snaffle) for a horse of about thirteen hands high : the 
 country contrivances of pack-saddles, &c. are the 
 best, and are cheap enough. His clothing, which 
 (v/here starching and ironing are little known) need 
 not consist of a superfluity of articles, may include a 
 respectable suit for use in the towns, if his views 
 should render it necessary. He should be provided 
 with woollen socks, and shoes, not iron-shod as for 
 shooting at home, for the extreme slipperiness 
 of the rocks occasions unavoidable falls. For the 
 fjeld and walking on snow, the moccasin sort of 
 
 H H
 
 466 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 shoe, used by the country people, should, if pos- 
 sible, be adopted : it is thin, and well fitted to 
 the foot ; those used by the Lapps, I observed, have 
 an upper leather reaching some way up the leg. 
 They defend the foot from being bruised on rocky 
 ground by thick padded stockings or inner soles. 
 Warm woollen gaiters are recommended ; and the 
 trowsers should be of Scotch or Welsh shepherds' 
 plaid homespun, strapped on the seat and knees with 
 pliable leather after the Norsk fashion. Warm mits 
 or gloves will be necessary. As it will frequently be 
 necessary to sleep for nights on the fjeld, far away 
 from human habitations, a small tent will be required 
 for each person, and these should be just large enough 
 to admit of sleeping in them ; indeed, I, for my part, 
 should wish to be entirely independent of the wretched 
 accommodation of the sseters and remote farms. A thin 
 air mattress 6^ feet long, with a pillow, would weigh 
 about six to eight lbs., and would cost about 21. 10s. 
 There should be a sheet sewn up in the shape of a 
 bag, which the traveller will do well to use on all 
 occasions, except where the accommodations are 
 knoAvn to be good. This, tied round at the neck, and 
 met by a long nightcap, for those whose skins are 
 not proof against the attacks of fleas, will form a 
 complete armour. Of blankets, there might be two, and 
 these also are best sewn into long bags ; and one, for 
 sleeping on the open fjeld, should be covered with 
 waterproof canvas, and into this, if it be made long 
 enough, one may creep, and weather a cold night com- 
 fortably. For making hunting excursions from the
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 467 
 
 camp, a wallet or light knapsack for provisions will be 
 necessary. This must be strong, to stand knocking 
 about, and well stiffened, as otherwise the grub will 
 not travel Avell in it. The slings will carry the rifle, 
 according to the Norwegian fashion, horizontally, by 
 having a slip for it on each. The arm should be a dou- 
 ble-barrel gun, of No. 1 4-bore, with spare rifle-barrels, 
 packed for travelling, powder-horn and all et ceteras, 
 in a waterproof canvas case. There should be a 
 salmon rod and tackle among the party, but if neither 
 of them have practised angling, it might be well to 
 be provided with a small seine, which for the smaller 
 lakes and tarns might be of very moderate size. 
 The setting nets used by the country people for 
 catching trout in the lakes would perhaps be more 
 useful. They are netted of very fine twine scarcely 
 thicker than packthread, with a mesh large enough 
 to admit four fingers ; sixty to seventy feet long, and 
 four feet deep. They are set, like herring nets, perpen- 
 dicularly in the water at the bottom, where the water 
 is not very deep, and at right angles to the shore. 
 They require no leads, as slings may be fitted to 
 tliem to use stones for the purpose of sinking them. 
 As there is no current they do not require any moor- 
 ing, one end coming to the shore. Boats may be 
 found on many of the lakes, and some makeshift 
 could be obtained on others, when the sportsman 
 wishes a change from venison or ptarmigan. One or 
 two of these nets would not weigh much, and they 
 might be found very serviceable. 
 
 "A few culinary articles, tin cup, and canteen, pewter
 
 468 rOSTSCRTPT. 
 
 plate, spoons, &c,, are necessary, and a coffee pot must 
 not be forgotten ; — a small axe, and a hunting knife, 
 should form part of the equipment. Meal may be 
 carried in a waterproof bag ; biscuits travel best in tin 
 cases. Brandy, preserved beef, and a little rice and 
 suo-ar should be added to the stock. Two cases should 
 
 o 
 
 contain all these articles and the clothes required by 
 each person. They must be of some waterproof ma- 
 terial, defended at the corners by stout leather, as 
 they are intended to be carried one in each of the 
 panniers on a pack-horse ; and each should be fur- 
 nished with a long plain strap, which will be found 
 always useful. The only dogs required for the party 
 will be two first-rate setters, used to feed on barley 
 bread. They will do all the work required in 
 wood or on fjeld ; couples and chains must not be 
 forgotten. 
 
 " The sportsman thus fitted out, with a trusty fol- 
 lower, and with Miinclis Map to consult, may trust 
 himself independently to the open plateau of the fjeld, 
 and wander where he will, in pursuit of reindeer and 
 ptarmigan. Sneehattan may be ascended ; the Hurun- 
 gerne explored ; the Justedal glaciers visited, far 
 more comfortably and satisfactorily in this way than 
 any other. The rambles may be occasionally diver- 
 sified by a halt near some hamlet, where the people 
 may be about to assemble to destroy some huge bear 
 that has been committing his ravages on their herds. 
 As soon as the traveller has had enough of it, and 
 the cold nights of the end of September bid him 
 leave the fjelds, — journeying down to Bergen or
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 469 
 
 Trondjcm, carrioles may be bought, and his own 
 horses will take him, at the rate of forty miles a da}', 
 through the fine scenery of GuUbrandsdalen or the 
 Little Miosen and Rands-Fjord to Christiania, where 
 most probably he may sell his horses for more than 
 they cost him. 
 
 "The map should be uncut, but varnished and rolled 
 on a roller, with a waterproof case ; convenient slips 
 being provided on one of the panniers to carry it, so 
 that it may at any time be easily referred to. MuncKs 
 map can be obtained of Mr. Saunders at No. 6. 
 Charing Cross. A good telescope will of course be 
 invaluable. Pocket compasses should be taken ; and 
 I should also recommend, as an interesting adjunct, 
 one or two of the aneroid barometers, by which very 
 accurate ideas of the difference of altitude travelled 
 over during the day may be readily gained. 
 
 " The following sketch will give an idea of the tent 
 I have suirirested. The head should be round, 
 
 stretched between 
 two circular boards 
 whicli form the tops 
 of both the ends 
 of the tent, which 
 \ll!. '\\ 6f'lu^=='. then appears trian- 
 gular, only with 
 the upper angle rounded off. Poles screw into 
 these boards passed through slips in the canvas, to 
 complete the form of the ends. These shod with iron 
 may easily be driven into the ground, and the tent 
 will require little staying besides. The poles need 
 
 ir II 3
 
 470 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 not be longer than 4 feet 6 in., or so; perhaps less, 
 as it is not necessary to be able to stand up in the 
 tent. An area of 6 feet 6 in. long, by 6 feet wide, 
 would be space large enough to hold the sportsman 
 and his packages. On a day's deer- stalking, the burden 
 to be borne by the sportsman or his guide will be the 
 rifle, telescope, ammunition, axe, knife, wallet with 
 two or three days' provisions, the waterproof blanket 
 bag, and a light over coat (also waterproof), and 
 weighing, if of proper material, 1 lb. at most. 
 
 " It is unnecessary that I should enter into any fur- 
 ther details, as a sufficient idea of what deer-stalking 
 on the fjeld is, may be gathered from the account of 
 my excursion into the Hurungerne, communicated in a 
 former Chapter. Tlie experience which I then gained 
 gave rise to the present suggestions, as to the best 
 mode of taking the field." 
 
 " I take the present opportunity of making a few 
 additional remarks on the great ridges of debris which 
 are found throughout the whole of Norway, completely 
 crossing the valleys, and other efl'ects of glacial action, 
 to which I have already referred in a former Chapter. 
 
 " Geologists have concluded that the temperature 
 of Northern Europe was at one ^^eriod much lower 
 than it is at present, which accounts for the great 
 glaciers that appear to have poured down the Nor- 
 wegian valleys. It has also long been a favourite 
 conjecture with those who have speculated on the 
 boulder deposit, that it was produced by a violent
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 471 
 
 flood or great oceanic wave from the North ; the 
 course of the Scandinavian blocks to Germany, and 
 those of Canada to the United States, showing that 
 they have travelled from higher to lower latitudes in 
 distant parts of the Northern hemisphere. This con- 
 jecture accords with the theory that floating ice has 
 been mainly instrumental in the transport of erratics, 
 inasmuch as the prevailing direction both of icebergs 
 and coast ice is from polar to temperate latitudes. 
 The deposit of boulders of gneiss, syenite, and other 
 primary rocks on the low, and formerly submerged, 
 lands of Jutland, Sleswick, and Holstein, accom- 
 panied by sand and gravel of the same formation, is 
 thus accounted for. I observed them this summer 
 on the shores of the Baltic in Holstein. They are 
 identical in character with the rocks of the mountains 
 of Norway ; and deposits of the same origin are said 
 to be found even as low as the borders of Holland and 
 the eastern coast of England. The glaciers, as I have 
 remarked, come down at present to within a thousand 
 feet of the sea, and it is not difficult to conceive that 
 immense masses must have been occasionally detached, 
 and that these Icebergs bore their freight of rocks and 
 gravel to be deposited during their passage, and left 
 in still greater quantities on the banks on which they 
 ultimately grounded. 
 
 " I observe that Mr. Chambers, in the ' Tracings of 
 Northern Europe^^ lately published in his ' Journal,' 
 and which have particular reference to this subject, 
 describes a mass of detritus at Laurgaard, which 
 attracted my particular attention, and which is un- 
 
 II H 4
 
 472 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 cloubtedly the moraine of the glacier of that valley, 
 now no more. These old moraines are frequently 
 to be met with throughout Norway, appearing as 
 mounds of unstratified earth and stones, often di- 
 vided by subsequent floods into hillocks, and cross- 
 ing the valleys like ancient earthworks or embank- 
 ments made to dam up the rivers. The mass at Odde, 
 crossing the valley below the lake, is one. I remarked 
 its peculiar character, — unlike the delta created by 
 some lateral torrent, which is generally formed with 
 some degree of regularity as to the position of rocks, 
 stones, gravel, or sand of different sizes. Here huge 
 boulders, of thirty or forty feet cube, lie in connec- 
 tion with other boulders or masses of smaller stones, 
 gravel, and sand or mud, such as I noticed at the 
 foot of the Jordal's glacier ; only in so much greater 
 quantity as is proportionate to the difference in the 
 size of a glacier of a few hundred yards and that of 
 more than a mile in breadth. The polished or grooved 
 appearance of the surface of the rocks which I ob- 
 served on the sides of the valley above the lake is 
 also another mark of the former action of glaciers in 
 situations where they no longer exist. It is the result 
 of the grinding action of the glacier in its progressive 
 motion down the valley. The masses forming the 
 dams of lakes close to the heads of the branches of 
 the fjord at Eidfiord, Aardal, and Fortun, are also 
 undoubted moraines. The summit of all these is 
 about 100 feet above the level of the fjord. 
 
 M. S. B." 
 " Jem. 8. 1850."
 
 473 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Page 135. 
 
 THE LEMMING. 
 
 Account of the Lemming, from Captain De Capell Brooke's 
 Travels to the A^orth Cape. 
 
 " That very singular creature, the Lemming," he says, " about 
 wliich so many endless conjectures are formed, though in other 
 countries it is I believe unknown, is a small animal about the size 
 of a rat, and is supposed to inhabit the long chain of mountains 
 called the Lapland Alps, running between Sweden and Norway. 
 In length it is five and a half inches ; its ears are round and small ; 
 it has long black whiskers ; the belly is of a whitish yellow ; the 
 back and sides are tawny, variegated with black ; the tail is half 
 an inch in length ; the feet are five-toed ; the upper lip is divided, 
 and in each jaw there are two teeth. 
 
 " Their appearance is sudden and uncertain, sometimes not being 
 seen for twenty years, and at other times observed in some parts 
 generally every three or four. When, however, they commence 
 their migrations, it is in such inconceivable numbers that the 
 country is literally covered with them ; marching in these bodies 
 always, as it is said, in a straight direction, and never suffering 
 themselves to be diverted from their course by any opposing 
 obstacles, even crossing rivers " (as it is elsewhere observed) " on 
 the floating bodies of the foremost, which form a bridge for the 
 passage of the main body of the column in the line of march. 
 
 " I confess," continues Captain Brooke, " that I never heard any 
 satisfactory opinion respecting the causes of their extraordinary 
 migrations, which generally happen about once in four or five 
 years, and not a Lemming is ever said to be seen between them. 
 This, I think, a little attention would prove not to be the case, as,
 
 474 APPENDIX. 
 
 during the subsequent winter, I saw numerous marks of them in 
 the snow on the mountains of Qualoen or Whale Island, where I 
 resided. Their appearance, however, is always partial, or the 
 country would be overrun. They are supposed always to come 
 from the mountains, which at least is correct ; and it is probable 
 that they choose the highest grounds from a natural instinct, as in 
 the lower situations their burrows would be liable to continual 
 inundations from the melting of the snow. 
 
 " The universal opinion of the lower orders respecting them is 
 that they fall from the clouds ; and many old men have affirmed 
 that they have seen them drop. The superstition of the country- 
 people leads them to suppose that the appearance of these swarms 
 forebodes evil, and is the forerunner of war and disaster. The latter 
 must readily be when they make their appearance in the more 
 cultivated parts, since total destruction to the crops and vegetation 
 in general must follow. 
 
 " At the little island of Carlsoe every blade of grass was literally 
 alive with them ; they swarmed on the sea-shores, and were run- 
 ning about the small garden-patch in front of the parsonage ; the 
 outhouses were filled with them. The pra3sten, who could not ac- 
 count for their appearance in these extraordinary numbers, said it 
 was some years since they had been seen at Carlsoe. 
 
 " In former times a curious exorcism, accompanied by fasts, was 
 used by the clergy to drive away these pests : — ^ Exorciso vos, 
 pestiferos vermes, mures, aves, seu locustas aut animalia alia, per 
 Deum, etc., >i< ut confestim recedatis ab his campis, etc., nee am- 
 plius in eis habitatis, sed ad ea loca transeatis in quibus nemini 
 nocere possitis ; et ex pai'te Dei Omnipotentis, et totius curia; 
 celestis et Ecclesite Sanctaj Dei vos maledicens, quocunque ieritis 
 sitis maledicti, deficientes de die in diem et decrescentes quatenus 
 reliquijB de vobis nullo in loco inveniantur; quod prestare dignetur 
 qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos et sa3culum per ignem. 
 Amen.' — ' I exorcise you, pestiferous worms, mice, birds, or locusts 
 or other animals, by God the Father, &c., * that you depart im- 
 mediately from these fields, or vineyards, or waters, and dwell in 
 them no longer, but go away to those places in which you can 
 harm no person ; and on the part of the Almighty God, and the 
 whole heavenly choir and the Holy Churcli of God, cursing you 
 whithersoever you shall go, daily wasting away and decreasing
 
 APPENDIX. 475 
 
 till no remains of you are found in any place. Which may He 
 vouchsafe to do who shall come to judge the living and the dead 
 and the world by lire. Amen.' " — Travels to the North Cape, 
 pp. 154, he. 
 
 The author has not been able to find any specimen of the Lem- 
 ming among the collections at the British Museum. Tliere are 
 several cases containing the family of Lemurs in the Mammalia 
 Saloon, from Madagascar and the islands of the Indian Areihipclago ; 
 but they differ materially from the Norwegian Lemming as figured 
 in Captain Brooke's work. 
 
 Page 230. 
 
 TUE SEA-SERPENT. 
 
 Captain Brooke-, in his Travels to the North Cape, gives the 
 following account of the result of his inquiries : — 
 
 " As I had determined, on arriving at the coast, to make every 
 inquiry respecting the truth of the accounts which had reached 
 England the preceding year, of the sea-serpent having recently 
 been seen off this part of Norway, I shall simply give the different 
 reports I received during my voyage to the North Cape, leaving 
 others to their own conclusions, and without expressing, at least 
 for the present, any opinion respecting them. 
 
 " The fishermen at Pejerstad said a serpent was seen two years 
 ago, in the Folden-Fjord, the length of which, as far as it was visible, 
 was sixty feet. 
 
 " At Oterseen, the postmaster, Captain Scliilderup, who had 
 formerly been in the Norwegian sea-service, and seemed a quick 
 intelligent man, stated that the serpent had actually been off the 
 island for a considerable length of time during the preceding 
 summer, in the narrow pai'ts of the Sound, between this island and 
 the continent ; and the description he gave was as follows : — 
 
 " ' It made its appearance for the first time in the month of 
 July, 1819, off Oterseen. Previous to this he had often heard of 
 the existence of these creatures, but never before believed it. 
 During the whole of that montli the weather was excessively 
 sultry and calm ; and the serpent was seen every day nearly in 
 the same part of the Sound. It continued there while the warm
 
 476 AprENDix. 
 
 weather lasted, lying motionless, and as if dozing, in the sun- 
 beams. 
 
 " ' The number of persons living on the island, he said, was 
 about thirty. The whole of whom, from motives of curiosity, 
 went to look at it while it remained. This was confirmed to me 
 by subsequent inquiries among the inhabitants, who gave a similar 
 account of it. The first time that he saw it, he was in a boat, at 
 the distance of about 200 yards. The length of it he supposes to 
 have been about 300 ells or 600 feet. Of this he could not speak 
 accurately ; but it was of considerable length, and longer than it 
 appeared, as it lay in large coils above the water, to the height of 
 many feet. Its colour was grayish. At the distance at which he 
 Avas, he could not ascertain whether it were covered with scales ; 
 but when it moved it made a loud crackling noise, which he dis- 
 tinctly heard. Its head was shaped like that of a serpent ; but he 
 could not tell whether it had teeth or not. He said it emitted a 
 very strong odour ; and that the boatmen were afi'aid to approach 
 near it, and looked on its coming as a bad sign, as the fish left the 
 coast in consequence.' Such were the particulars he related 
 to me." 
 
 " The merchant at Krogoen confirmed in every particular the 
 account of Captain Schilderup, and said that many of the people 
 at Krogoen had witnessed it. 
 
 " On the island of Lekoe I obtained from the son of Peter 
 Greger, the merchant, a young man who was employed in the 
 fishery, still further information respecting the sea-serpent. It 
 was in August of the preceding year, while fishing with others in 
 the Viig or Veg-Fjord, that he saw it. At that time they were 
 on shore, hauling in their nets, and it appeared about sixty yards 
 distant from them, at which they were not a little alarmed, and 
 immediately retreated. What was seen of it above water, he said, 
 appeared six times the length of their boat, of a gray coloui', and 
 lying in coils a great height above the surface. Their fright pre- 
 vented them from attending more accurately to other particulars. 
 In fact, they all fairly took to their heels when they found the 
 monster so near them. 
 
 " At Alstahoug I found the bishop of the Nordlands. The 
 worthy prelate was a sensible and well-informed man, between 
 fifty and sixty years of age. To the testimony of others respect-
 
 APPENDIX. 477 
 
 ing the existence of the sea-serpent, I shall now add that of the 
 bishop liimself, who was an eye-witness to the appearance of two 
 in the bay of Shuresund or Sorsund, on the Drontheim-Fjord, 
 about eight Norwegian miles from Drontheim. He was but a short 
 distance from them, and saw them plainly. They were swimming 
 in large folds, part of which were seen above the water, and the 
 length of what appeared the largest he judged to be about 
 100 feet. They were of a darkish gray colour; the heads hardly 
 discernible, from their being almost under water, and they were 
 visible for only a short time. Before that period he had treated 
 the account of them as fabulous ; but it was now impossible, he 
 said, to doubt their existence, as such numbers of respectable 
 people, since that time, had likewise seen them on several occa- 
 sions. He had never met with any person Avho had seen the 
 kraken, and was inclined to think it a fable. 
 
 " During the time that I remained at Hundholm, a curious 
 circumstance occurred. One day, when at dinner at Mr. Black- 
 hall's house, and thinking little of the sea-serpent, concerning 
 which I luul heard nothing for some time, a young man, the master 
 of a small fishing-yacht which had just come in from Drontheim, 
 joined our party. In the course of conversation he mentioned 
 that a few hours before, whilst close to Hundholm, and pi'evious 
 to his entering the harbour, two sea-snakes passed immediately 
 under his yacht. When he saw them he was on tJie deck, and seizing 
 a handspike, he struck at them as they came up close to the vessel, 
 upon which they disappeared. Their length was very great, and 
 their colour grayish ; but from the very short time they were 
 visible, he could not notice any further particulars. He had no 
 doubt of their being snakes, as he called them, and the circum- 
 stance was related entirely of his own accord." 
 
 Captain Brooke sums up the reports he received, with the fol- 
 lowing general observations : — 
 
 " Taking, upon the whole, a fair view of the different accounts 
 related in the foregoing pages, respecting the sea-serpent, no 
 reasonable person can doubt the fact of some marine animal of 
 extraordinary dimensions, and in all probability of the serpent 
 tribe, having been repeatedly seen by various persons along the 
 Norway and Finmark coasts. These accounts, for the most part, 
 have been given verbally from the mouths of the fishermen, a
 
 478 APPENDIX. 
 
 honest and artless class of men, who, having no motive for mis- 
 representation, cannot be suspected of a wish to deceive ; could 
 this idea, however, be entertained, the circumstances of their 
 assertions having been so fully confirmed by others in more distant 
 parts, would be sufficient to free them from any imputation of this 
 kind. 
 
 " The simple facts are these : in traversing a space of full 700 
 miles of coast, extending to the most northern jioint, accounts 
 have been received from numerous persons respecting the ap- 
 pearance of an animal called by them a sea-serpent. This of 
 itself would induce some degree of credit to be given to it ; but 
 when these several relations as to the general appearance of the 
 animal, its dimensions, the state of the weather when it has been 
 seen, and other particulars, are so fully confirmed, one by the 
 other, at such considerable intervening distances, every reasonable 
 man will feel satisfied of the truth of the main fact. Many of 
 the informants, beides, were of superior rank and education ; and 
 the opinions of such men as the Amptman (governor) of Finmark, 
 Mr. Steen, the clergyman of Carlsoe, Praisten (Dean) Deinbolt*, 
 of Vadsoe, and the Bishop of Nordland and Finmark, who was even 
 an eyewitness, ought not to be disregarded. There does not appear 
 the least probability, or even possibility, that any other marine 
 animal, at present known on the northern coast, could have been 
 confounded with the sea-serpent. The finners, a species of whale 
 already mentioned, are too well known to occasion any mistake ; 
 and the total want of similarity in shape, appearance, and size, if 
 they were even rare, would be suflficiently obvious. Ideas of the 
 existence of some marine animal, far exceeding in bulk every 
 othei", have been entertained from the earliest times. The men- 
 tion made of the monster in the Book of Job f is unquestionably 
 the most curious and interesting. There the animal itself is 
 minutely described in language terribly sublime, and from which 
 every one is enabled without difficulty to judge whether this 
 description be applicable to any of those creatures inhabiting tlie 
 
 * " He is well known for his literary attainments, and has a pleasing collection 
 of subjects relating to natural history. The account of the Serpent received by 
 him from several persons on that part of the coast agreed with those which have 
 been already given." 
 
 f Job, chap. xli.
 
 APPENDIX. 479 
 
 deep, witli the forms and appearance of which we are yet familiar. 
 Many attempts have been made by naturalists to soften down in 
 some measure this description of the Leviathan, and to render it 
 applicable to some of those animals at present existing and known. 
 AVhile these, however, have failed in rendering the comparison at 
 all adequate, it has been supposed by others, with more reason, to 
 refer to some monster the race of which has been long since 
 extinct. The probability that the abyss of the great deep contains 
 at the present age so fearful an animal as the former, seems never 
 to have been contemplated ; and the numerous relations concerning 
 the existence and appearance of the sea-serpent have invariably 
 been treated as fabulous and unworthy of the least credit. Ad- 
 mitting, however, that what has been mentioned in these pages 
 concerning it is deserving of some attention, it will be found in 
 some respects singularly to accord with part of the chapter of 
 Job just referred to. 
 
 " The missionary Egede, to whose worth and persevering bene- 
 volence Crantz pays so just a tribute, gives a remarkable account 
 of his having met with a sea-serpent on the 6th of July, 1734, 
 when on his second voyage to Greenland, in the lat. 64° and off 
 the colony. The veracity of Egcde, in his interesting description 
 of Greenland and his mission there, has never been impugned ; 
 and every one must admire the courage and fortitude with which 
 this good man indured the numerous hardships and diificulties 
 that attended his arduous undertaking to propagate Christianity 
 in that country, after he had voluntarily given up all he hoped in 
 his own for the object he had at heart." — Travels through 
 Sweden, Korway, and Denmark, to the North Cape, in the 
 Summer of 1820, by A. de Capell Brooke, 
 
 Page 300. 
 
 OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY. 
 
 The following observations, referred to in the text, are extracted 
 from ]\Ir. Laing's Residence in Norivay : — 
 
 " The progress of education in Britain will probably make it 
 necessary to unite the two plans, and at no distant time, to make 
 the half of Saturday a period of rest by political institution, as
 
 480 APPENDIX. 
 
 well as the whole of Sunday, by divine institution. The educated 
 working man in Britain is, at present, in a worse condition, in 
 consequence of his education, than the untaught labourer, who 
 has only his animal wants to supply. Take the most simple case. 
 The educated working man generally wishes to read a portion of 
 the Scriptures daily in his family. This is surely the most simple 
 and immediate result of education. He must occupy some portion 
 of time in doing so, over and above the time which his family, in 
 common with the families of all the ignorant and uneducated 
 of his fellow-labourers, must take for the ordinary business of 
 life, for sleeping, cooking, eating, washing, marketing, and such 
 household occupations. But this time will cost him money or 
 money's worth. It cannot well be less than half an hour, in- 
 cluding the assembling of the family, if he is to read at all. Now 
 half an hour a day comes to three hours a week ; and in half a 
 year of twenty-five working weeks, it comes to no less than one 
 week of six working days of twelve hours ; and by so much, by 
 one week's work in twenty-five, can the untaught labourer under- 
 sell the educated one in the labour market. It is this advantage 
 of uneducated labour which it seems to be the object of trades- 
 unions and combinations to exclude. 
 
 " The educated labouring man of the present day is, in fact, well 
 entitled to say to the rest of the community, ' You have educated 
 me, you have given me the wants, and tastes, and habits of a moral, 
 religious, thinking being ; you must give me leisure to use those 
 endowments without prejudice to my means of subsistence ; other- 
 wise, you have sunk my condition below that of my fellow-labourer, 
 who requires only what is absolutely necessary for existence.' 
 
 " It is very possible that when the formation of trades -unions, 
 for raising the rate of wages, lessening the number of working 
 hours, and such objects as are scarcely compatible with the unre- 
 strained productive power of capital employed in manufactories, 
 is traced to its causes, these will be found to be intimately con- 
 nected with the wants and habits of a people advancing in mental 
 culture. It is very possible that a day may come when it will be 
 necessary to decide whether the education of the people of Great 
 Britain shall be abandoned, as incompatible with the utmost pro- 
 ductive powers of labour ; or those powers, as called into action 
 by capital, be regulated by laws. The uneducated man can work
 
 APPENDIX. 481 
 
 fourteen hours a day, having no demands upon his time but for 
 food and rest ; while tlie other cannot exceed twelve hours, if he 
 is to enjoy any benefit or gratification as an educated man. Thii 
 dilemma, in fact, exists now, although Lord Brougham, Mr. Ilumc, 
 and the other friends of the education of the people are afraid to 
 look it in the face. The uneducated labourer reduces the edu- 
 cated labourer to work the same hours of day that he works, in 
 every trade ; and that number is not compatible with any of the 
 purposes or uses of education, not even that of giving religious or 
 moral instruction to his own family. If the Church of England 
 were to make good a claim on the half of Saturday, preserving at 
 the same time the whole of Sunday, as at present, and make it a 
 period of rest from all work, it would be a remedy for the hard 
 fate of the educated working man." — Laing's Residence in Nor- 
 way, pp. 191, &c. 
 
 Page 446. 
 
 FARMING AND VALUK OF LAND. 
 
 Extracts from Letters recently received. 
 
 A correspondent, who resides in a southern district, says : — 
 " There is generally land to be bought in any part of the 
 country you like ; but it is seldom any large farms are sold by 
 public auction. The prices vary con.siderably, depending upon 
 whether there are any waterfalls, fisheries, or woods belonging to 
 the property. In this part of the countiy, there are very few- 
 farms that could feed a family, the land being in general divided 
 in very small lots. Our labourers are paid very poorly here, 
 the daily wages being from one shilling to one and sixpence 
 English money. A man-servant (in the house) has generally from 
 twenty-four to thirty-six specie dollars a year (o/. to 8/.), a female 
 servant from 11. to 3Z." 
 
 lie then gives some agricultural statistics. " The whole pro- 
 duce of Norway was, in 1835, 183G, after deducting the seed, 
 4273 quarters of wheat, 33,530 quarters of rye, 203,752 quarters 
 of barley, 134,508 quarters of barley and oats mixed, 508,588 
 quarters of peas, and 1,012,472 quarters of potatoes. The reason 
 so much oats are raised, though it does not pay so Avell as other 
 surt> of grain, especially rye, is that in many parts of the country 
 
 I I
 
 482 APPENDIX. 
 
 the ground is too poor to raise the heavier sorts of grain, and that 
 the straw of oats is far better for winter food for the cattle than 
 that of wheat and rye. The quantities are given by the farmers 
 tliemselves, and therefore less than they actually are, because they 
 are afraid of returning the full produce, apprehending it may 
 have an influence on their taxes. The production of Nordland 
 and Findland is a mere trifle in proportion to the whole. The 
 number of horses, cattle, &c. kept in the whole country, in 1835, 
 was 113,163 horses, 644,414 oxen and cows, 1,028,945 sheep, 
 184,518 goats, 79,874 pigs, and 82,225 reindeer; the latter, with 
 few exceptions, in the provinces of Drontheim, Nordland, and 
 Finmarken." ^ 
 
 The following Extract is interesting, inasmuch it gives the 
 actual details of a young farmer's recent establishment and his mode 
 of farming ; Avhich, as it includes "summer soiling" of the cattle, 
 and the introduction of " green crops," indicates an enlightened 
 advance on the ordinary routine of the country. The writer's 
 property is situated in a very good district on the eastern side of 
 the Christiania Fjord, about thirty miles from the capital. 
 
 " I have bought a farm," he says, " near this town. It contains 
 about 500 or 600 Norwegian maal, or 300 English acres; but it 
 has not been correctly measured or mapped. All this land is cul- 
 tivated ; but in addition I have some bogs which can be culti- 
 vated, and a good little forest of different kinds of wood. I bought 
 it for about 12,000 Norwegian specie dollars, or about 2200/. 
 sterling. I am alloAved twenty years to discharge the purchase- 
 money ; in the meantime paying a rent of 41. per cent. In good 
 years I hope to pay off a larger sum than I am bound by the 
 contract to do, and thus discharge the whole in a shorter time 
 than that allowed. Regarding the proportion of cattle I can 
 feed, you must remember that in England the farmers keep not 
 many cows, but bulls and oxen, for their meat ; but with us it is 
 necessary to keep a large stock of cows for the milk, which we 
 boil to sup, and for making butter and cheese. I think to keep at 
 first thirty cows, and eight working horses, with pigs, and some 
 sheep. 
 
 " I propose to feed the cattle in the house, for the sake of the 
 manure, the whole year round, except two or three hours daily in 
 the summer, when they will have the run of a field. In regard
 
 APPENDIX. 483 
 
 to the system of farming, I seek to follow the Scottish method as 
 much as possible. I mean to grow wheat (in small quantities), 
 rye, barley, and oats, with all the usual greeii crops. There had 
 been sown here last year 11^ tonde of barley, and the return 
 was 194. That is a fine crop ; is it not? 
 
 " As there were not any buildings on the estate which would 
 serve me for a residence, I was obliged to begin building one. 
 yij dwelling-house will be under roof the first days of April next, 
 and, two months after that, the other erections. They are all 
 being built of timber, which I partly cut in my own forest, and 
 partly buy; wishing to spare my own timber, and the prices in 
 the beginning of winter having been very low. I calculate on 
 6000 dollars for all the buildings, with the dwelling-house, in 
 complete order. 
 
 " Regarding the superabundance of stock you have seen in the 
 mountains; the farmers drive the cattle down to the lower countries 
 and the neighbourhood of the towns in the months of September and 
 October, and then the butchers buy them. The price of a good 
 cow is generally 4/. to 61., and of a good horse from 15/. to 20/. 
 From the milk of the large herds of goats you saw in Tellemarken 
 in the summer, the people make cheese, which we call mys-ost. 
 
 " Generally, land is to be bought in any part you like, and at 
 this time there are many farms for sale. For 800/. or 1000/. you 
 can very easily get a place in this environ, where you can keep 
 two or three horses and twelve or fourteen cows." 
 
 THE END.
 
 LoNiio.r : 
 
 Spottiswoodes and Shaw, 
 
 New-street- Square.
 
 NEW WORKS 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS & GENERAL LITERATURE, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 Messrs. LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, and LONGMANS, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. 
 
 Claddifielr Jittrejr* 
 
 Agrieuttureaiid Rural Affairs. 
 
 Pages. 
 
 Baylilon On raining Rente, &c. - 4 
 
 Crocker's Land-Suneving - - 7 
 
 Johnson's Farmer's IvDCTclopsedU II 
 
 Louilon's Acrirulture - - - 17 
 
 " Self-Instruction - - 17 
 
 " Lady's Country Compan. 17 
 
 Low's Elements of .\grii.Tilture - IS 
 
 " Cattle Breeds " - - - 18 
 
 " On Landed Propejty - - 18 
 
 " On the Domesticated .\nimal9 18 
 
 Pamell Un Roads - - - 23 
 
 Thftmson On Fattening Cattle - 30 
 
 Arts and Manufactures. 
 
 ker*8 Railway Kngineering - 3 
 
 11 on Manufacture of Tea - - 3 
 
 > Dictionary of Science, &c. 5 
 
 'liner's Guide ... 5 
 
 The Prite) ... 6 
 
 ivil Eneineerine - - 7 
 
 art's History of Art - 7 
 
 i.allery - ... 8 
 
 On Oil Painting - - 8 
 
 , "Sugar-Planter's Manual - 9 
 
 'in ()n Architecture, fee. - 9 
 
 i ncycUip. of Architecture II 
 
 . ' »n Painting and Design - 11 
 
 > Manufactures in Metal - 15 
 
 r. s Sacred and LegendaryArt 14 
 
 V Rural Architecture - i» 
 
 ■ Engineering - - - 22 
 
 irr s .Manufacture of Silk - - 15 
 
 " Pc.rcelain& Glass 15 
 
 id (Dr.) On ■\'entil,ition - - 24 
 
 n't rn Hn vujar Manufacture - 26 
 
 ^ the Artisan Club 3 
 
 nting - - - SI 
 
 ..fArts, &c. - 31 
 
 ids • - - 32 
 
 Biography. 
 
 Andersen's (H. C.) Autobiography 3 
 
 iell's Eminent British Poets - 15 
 
 :ullins's Life of Collins - 6 
 
 Junham's Early British 'Writers - 15 
 ' Lives nf British Dramatists 15 
 
 •^r'- -^VL-mrn - - ' - 14 
 
 - 10 
 
 ilers - 15 
 
 -pondence 10 
 
 ■ a - - 15 
 
 - 14 
 
 - 16 
 -f s,r T. More - 19 
 
 |)hical Treasury- 21 
 
 Lawyers - . 15 
 
 ..: ..^..-d Correspondence 4 
 
 iicUcy 8 LiUrary Men of Italy, tec. 15 
 
 " French Writers - - 15 
 
 outhey'B British Admirals - - 15 
 
 '* LifeofWes.ey - - 28 
 
 '* Life and Correspondence 28 
 
 tephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 29 
 
 ■■ ylor's Loyola - - - - 30 
 
 'ownsend's Eminent Judges - 31 
 
 I'aterton's .Autobiography & Essays 32 
 
 Rooks of General Utility 
 
 ...r'.rnoV.ry .... 3 
 
 <'n Brewing • • 4 
 
 - 6 
 
 ^tic Economy - 15 
 
 Me - - - 12 
 
 u.l»iin'-T"i.i utor's Guide - .13 
 
 " On Making Wills . . 13 
 
 Pages. 
 
 Loudon's Self Imtmction - .17 
 
 '* Lady's Companion - 17 
 
 " Amateur Gardener 17 
 
 Mannder's Treasury of Knowledge 20 
 
 •' Biographical Treasury 21 
 
 " Scit-ntific Treasury - 20 
 
 " Trea.sury of History - 21 
 
 " Natural History - - 20 
 
 Parkes's Domestic I>utie8 . .23 
 
 Pocket and the Stud ... 21 
 
 Pycroffs English Heading - - 21 
 
 " Collegian's Guide . . 24 
 
 Reader's Time Tables . - 24 
 
 Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 24 
 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries - .25 
 
 Robinson's Curing, Pickling, &c. 25 
 
 " British 'Wines . . 25 
 
 Rowton's Debater - . - . 25 
 
 Short Whist 27 
 
 Suitor's Instructor - - - 29 
 
 Tliomson On the Sick Room - - 30 
 
 Thomson's Interest Tables . - 30 
 
 Webster's Domestic Economy - 32 
 Zumpt's Latin Grammar . .32 
 
 Botany and Gardening, 
 
 Ball On the Cultivation of Tea - 3 
 
 Callcott's Scripture Herbal - - 6 
 
 Conversations on Botany . . 6 
 
 Evans's Sujrar-Planter's Manual . 9 
 
 Henslow's Botany . - - • 15 
 
 Hoare On Cultivation of the Vine - 1'- 
 
 " On the Roots of Vines - li 
 
 Hooker's British Flora - - - 12 
 
 ** Guide to Kew Gardens - 12 
 
 Lindley's Theory of Horticulture . 16 
 
 " Orchard & Kitchen Garden 1« 
 
 " Introduction to Botany - 16 
 
 " Synopsis of British Flora 16 
 
 Loudon's Hortus Britannicus . 18 
 
 ** ** Lignosis Londinensis 18 
 
 •* Amateur Gardener - 17 
 
 " Self-Instruction - - 17 
 
 ■• Trees and Shrubs - . 17 
 
 ** Gardening - - - 17 
 
 " Plants . - - 17 
 
 Rivers's Rose Amateur's Guide . 25 
 
 Rogers's Vegetable Cultivator - 25 
 
 Schleiden's Botany, by Lankester 26 
 
 Chronology. 
 
 Allen On Prerogative ... 3 
 
 Blair's Chronological Tables • 4 
 
 Bunsen's Ancient Egypt - . 6 
 
 Nicolas's Chronology of History . 15 
 
 Riddle's Ecclesiastical Chronology 25 
 
 Commerces^ Mercantile Affairs. 
 
 Banfield and Weld's Statistics • 3 
 Gilbart's Treatise on Bankixg - 10 
 Gray's Tables of Life ("ontingencies 11 
 Lorimer's Letters to a "Voung 
 
 Master Mariner .... 17 
 M*Culloch'sC'omraerce & Navigation 19 
 Reader's Time Tables ... 24 
 Steel's Shipm:i$ter's Assistant - 29 
 Thomson's Interest Tables - - 30 
 Walford's Customs' Laws . .31 
 
 Geography and Atlases. 
 
 Butler's Geography and Atlases 5 & 6 
 De Straelecki'B New South Wales - 8 1 
 Erman'sTnuels through Siberia - 9i 
 Forster's Geography of Arabia - 10 i 
 Hall's Large I. ibra'ry Atlas - - 111 
 M'Cullochs Geographical Dictionary 19 
 Mitchell's Australian Kxpedition - 21 
 Murray's Encvclop. of Geography- "22 
 Parrot's Ascent or Mount Ararat 23 
 
 History and Criticism. 
 
 Page*. 
 
 Barrett's Bible Criticisms - - 4 
 
 Bell's History of Russia - - J5 
 
 BUir's Chron. and H istor. Tables . 4 
 
 Bloom6eld's Edition of Thucydides 4 
 
 " Translation of do. . 4 
 
 Bunsen's Ancient Eg\pt - . 8 
 
 Coads Memorandum' ... 6 
 
 Cooley's History of Discovery - 15 
 
 Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul 6 
 
 Crowe's History of France - - IS 
 
 UeSismondi's f'all of RomanEmpire 15 
 
 " Italian Republics - 15 
 
 Dunham's Spain and Portugal - IS 
 
 " Middle Ages - - 15 
 
 ** German Empire . - 15 
 
 " Denmark, Sweden, &c. 15 
 
 " Poland . - - 14 
 
 Dunlop'sHistory of Fiction - - 8 
 
 ^ Eastlake's History of Oil Painting 8 
 
 I Ecclcston's English .Antiquities - 9 
 
 • Fergus's United SUUa - . - 15 
 
 1 Fergusson On .Art .... 9 
 
 j Foss's English Judges - . - 10 
 
 Foster's European Literature - 10 
 
 Gibbon's Roman Empire - - 10 
 
 Grant's .Memoir & Correspondence 10 
 
 I Grattan's Netherlands - . . 15 
 
 GrimblofsWm. 111. & Louis XrV. 11 
 
 Harrison On the English Language 11 
 
 Havdoa On Painting and Design . 11 
 
 Historical Pictt. of the Middle Ages 12 
 
 Humphreys' Black Prince - - 13 
 
 Jeffrey's (Lord) Contributions . 14 
 
 Keigh'tley's Outlines of History . 15 
 
 Kemble's Anglo-Saxons • 14 
 
 I Laing's Kings of Norway - - 16 
 
 Macaulay's Crit. and Hist. Essays 18 
 
 History of England - 18 
 
 Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works 16 
 
 " History of England - 15 
 
 M*CulIoch'sGeograpfiicalDictionary 19 
 
 ' Maunders Treasury cif History - 21 
 
 I Merivale's History of Rome - - 21 
 
 I Milner'B Church History - - 21 
 
 Moore's History of Ireland - - 15 
 
 Mnslieim's Ecclesiastical History 22 
 
 Mure's Ancient Greece . 22 
 
 Nicolas's Chronology of History - 15 
 
 Passages from Modern History - 28 
 
 Ranke's H istory of the Reformation 24 
 
 Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 24 
 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries . .25 
 
 Rome, History of - . - .15 
 
 Rowton's Britisli Poetesses - - 25 
 
 Russell's Bedford Correspondence 4 
 
 Scott's History of Scotland - - 15 
 
 Sinnetts B\-wa78 of History . - 27 
 
 Smith's St. Paul .... 28 
 
 Soames' Latin Church - . - 28 
 
 Southey's The Doctor, &c. - - 28 
 
 Stebbing's History of the Church - 15 
 
 " History of Reformation IS 
 
 Stephen's Church of Scotland . 29 
 
 " (Sir T.) Essays . - 29 
 
 Switzerland, Histoqr of'- - - IS 
 
 Sydney Smith's Works - - - 28 
 
 Tavlor's LovoU .... 30 
 
 Thirlwall's flistory of Greece . 30 
 
 Tooke's History o(^ Prices - - 31 
 
 Turner's History of England . 31 
 
 Twining's Philosophy of Painting - 31 
 
 Zumpt's Latin Grammar . 32 
 
 Juvenile Books. 
 
 Amy Herbert - - - - IS 
 
 Gertrude - - - - 26 
 
 Howitt's Boy's Country Book - 13 
 
 ( Mary Children's Year - IS 
 
 Laneton Parsonage - - - 26 
 
 .Mrs. .Marcet's Conversations - 19 & 2(t 
 
 Margaret IVrcival - - . .26 
 
 Mairyat's Maaterman Ready - - 20 
 
 " Mission - ' - . 20 
 
 " Settlers in Canada . 20 
 
 ■' Privateer's Man - 20 
 
 Pa.«sages from Miw'em History . 28 
 
 Pycroh's English Reading - . 24
 
 Medichie. 
 
 Pages. 
 
 Bull's Hints to Mothers - - - 5 
 
 " Manaflement of Children - 6 
 
 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine - 7 
 
 EUiotson's Human Physiology - 9 
 
 Holland's Medical Kot<-s - - 12 
 
 Latham On Diseases of the Heart - 16 
 
 Pereira On Food and Diet - - 23 
 
 Thomson On Food - - - 30 
 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
 Allen On Prerosative - - - 3 
 
 Cartoons (The Prize) ... 6 
 
 Coad's Memorandum - - - 6 
 
 Cotton's Lacon - - - - 6 
 
 De Jaenisch on Chess Openings - 7 
 
 De la Gravi^re's Last Naval War 8 
 
 De Morgan On Probabilities - 15 
 
 De Strzelecki's New South Wales - 8 
 
 Disney's Museum Disneianum - 8 
 
 Dresden Gallery - - - - 8 
 
 Dunlop's History of Fiction - - 8 
 
 Graham's English - - - - 10 
 Grant's Letters from the Mountains 10 
 
 Hooker's Kew Guide - - - 12 
 
 Hewitt's Rural Life of England - 13 
 " VisitstoRemarkablePlaces 13 
 
 " Domestic Life of Germany 13 
 " Colonisation c& Christianity 13 
 
 Jeffrey's (Lord) Contributions - 14 
 
 Loudon's Lady's Country ('omp. - 17 
 
 Macaulay'sCrit.and Hist. Essays W 
 
 Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works 18 
 M'Culloch On Succession to Property 20 
 Maitland's Church in the Catacombs 19 
 
 Necker De Saussure On Education 23 
 
 Pascal's Works, by Pearce - - 23 
 
 " Provincial Letters, by do. 23 
 
 Plunkett On the British Navy - 24 
 
 Fycroft's Collegian's Guide - - 24 
 
 " English Reading - - 24 
 
 Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 24 
 
 Richter's Levana - - - - 25 
 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries - - 25 
 
 Roirton's Debater - - 25 
 Seaward's Narrative of his Shipwreck26 
 
 Sir Roger de Coverley - - - 27 
 
 Smith's (Rev. Sydney) Works - 27 
 
 Southey's Commonplace Book - 28 
 
 " The Doctor, &c. - - 28 
 
 Stephen's Essays - - - - 29 
 
 Suitor's Instructor - - - 29 
 
 Thomson On Food - - - 30 
 
 Walker's Chess Studies - - - 31 
 
 Zximpt's Latin Grammar - - 32 
 
 Natural Hiitory. 
 
 CatloWs Popular Conchology - 6 
 
 Doubleday's Butterflies and Moths 8 
 
 Gray and Mitchell's Birds - - 11 
 
 Kirby and Spence's Entomology - 15 
 
 Lee's Taxidermy - - - - 16 
 " Elemeutsof Natural History 16 
 
 Maunder's Natural History - - 20 
 
 Stephens's British Beetles - - 29 
 Swainson On Study of Natural Hist. 15 
 
 nals 
 
 *' Taxidermy - - 15 
 
 ** Quadrupeds - - 15 
 
 " Birds - - - - 15 
 
 " Animals in Menageries - 15 
 
 " Fish, .\niphibia, &c. - 15 
 
 ** Insects - - - - 15 
 
 " Malacology - - - 15 
 
 ** Habits and Instincts - 15 
 
 Turton's Shells oftlie Britishlslands 31 
 
 Waterton's Essays on Natural Hist. 32 
 
 Westwood's Classification of Insects 32 
 
 Novels aitd Works of Fiction. 
 
 Dunlop's History of Fiction - 8 
 
 Ebtvos* Village Notary - - - 5 
 
 Hall's Midsummer Eve - - - 11 
 
 Lady WiUoughby's Diary - - 32 
 
 Lander's Fountain of Aretliusa - 16 
 
 Madame De Malgnet - - - 19 
 
 Marryafs Masterman Ready - - 'iO 
 
 " Settlers in Canada - 20 
 
 ** Mission - - - - 20 
 
 " Privateers-man - - 20 
 
 Senior's Charles Vernon - - 26 
 
 Sinclair's Sir Ed IV ard Graham - 27 
 
 Sir Roger de Coverley - - - 27 
 
 .Sketches (The) - - - 27 
 Sputhey's The Doctor, &c. - - 28 
 Twelve Years Ago : a Tale - - 31 
 
 Ivol.CyclopediasdiDiclionaries. 
 
 Blaine's Rural Sports - - - 4 
 
 B rande's Science , Literature , & Art 6 
 
 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine - 7 
 
 Cresy's Civil Engineering - 7 
 
 Gwilt's Architecture - - - U 
 
 Johnson's Farmer's Lncyclop»dia 14 
 
 Loudon's Agriculture - - - 17 
 
 ** Rural Architecture - 17 
 
 London's Gardening - - - 17 
 
 " Plants - - - - 17 
 
 " Trees and Shi ubs - - 17 
 
 M'Culloch's Geographical Dictionary 19 
 
 " Dictionary of Commerce 19 
 
 Murray's Encyclop. of Geography - 22 
 
 Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c.- - 31 
 
 Webster's Domestic Economy - 32 
 
 Poetry and the Drama. 
 
 Aikin'B (Dr.l British Poets - - 3 
 
 Chalenor's Walter Gray - - 6 
 
 Flowers and their kindred Thoughts 9 
 
 Fruits from Garden and Field - 10 
 
 Goldsmith's Poems illustrated - 10 
 
 Gray's Elegy, illuminated - - 11 
 
 Hey's Moral of Flowers - - - 12 
 
 " Sylvan Musings - - - 12 
 
 L.R. L.'s Poetical Works - - 16 
 
 Linwood's Anthologia Oxoniensis - 17 
 
 Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome 18 
 
 Mackay's English Li^kes - - IS 
 
 Montgomery's Poetical Works - 21 
 
 Moore's Poetical Works - - 22 
 
 " Lalla Rookh - - - 22 
 
 " Irish Melodies - - - 22 
 
 " Songs and Ballads - - 22 
 
 Rowton's British Poetesses - - 25 
 
 Siiakspearc, by Bowdler - - 26 
 
 Songs, Madrigals, and Sonnets - 28 
 
 Southey's Poetical \\ orks - - 28 
 
 " British Poets - - - 28 
 
 Swain's English Melodies - - 29 
 
 Thomson's Seasons illustrated - 30 
 
 " edited by Dr. A. T. Thomson 30 
 
 Political Economy &; Statistics. 
 
 Banfield and Weld's Statistics - 3 : 
 
 Gilbart's Treatise on Banking - 10 
 
 Gray's Tables of Life Contingencies U 
 
 M'Culloch'sG«og. Statist. &c. Diet. 19 \ 
 
 " Dictionary of Commerce 19 
 
 ** Political Economy - 19 
 
 " Statistics of Gt. Britain 19 
 
 " On Funding & Taxation 19 
 
 Marcet's Political Economy - - 19 
 
 Tooke's Histories of Prices - - 31 
 
 Religions and Moral Worki 
 
 Amy Herbert - . - - 26 
 
 Barrett's Old Testament Criticisms 4 
 
 Blakey tin Christianity - - - 4 
 
 Bloomfield's Greek Testament - 4 
 
 *' College and School do. 4 
 
 '* Lexicon to do. - - 4 
 
 Book of Ruth (illuminated) - - 5 
 
 BunsenontheChurchofthe Future o 
 
 Burder's Oriental Customs - - 5 
 
 Burns's Christian Philosophy - 5 
 
 " " Fragments - 5 
 
 Callcott's Scripture Herbal - - 6 
 
 Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul 6 
 
 Cooper's Sermons - - - - 7 
 
 Coquerel's Christianity - - - 7 
 
 Dale's Domestic Liturgy - - 7 
 
 Dibdin's Sunday Library - - 8 
 
 Discipline - - _ - . -6 
 
 Ecclesiastes, illuminated - 9 
 
 Englishman's Greek Concordance 9 
 
 Englishman'sHeb.&Chald.Concord. 9 
 
 Etheridge's Acts and Epistles - 9 
 
 Forster's Hist. Geography of Arabia 10 
 
 From Oxford to Rome - - - 10 
 
 Gertrude ----- 26 
 
 Hook's Lectureson Passion Week 12 
 
 Home's Introduction to Scriptures 13 
 
 " Abridgment of ditto - 14 
 
 Jameson's Sacred Legends - - 14 
 
 " Monastic Legends - - 14 
 
 Jebb's Translation of the Psalms - 14 
 
 Jeremy Taylor's Works - - - 14 
 
 Kip's Christmas in Rome - - 14 
 
 Laneton Parsonage - - - 26 
 
 Letters to My Unknown Friends - 16 
 
 Maitland's Cliurcli in the Catacombs 19 
 
 " On Prophecy - - 19 
 
 Margaret Percival - - - - 26 
 
 Marriage Service (illuminated) - 20 
 
 Maxims of the Saviour - - - 21 
 
 Milner's Church History - - 21 
 
 Miracles of Our Saviour - - 21 
 
 Moore On the Use of the Body - 21 
 
 " " - Soul and Body - 21 
 
 " 's Man and his Motives - 21 
 
 Morell's Philosophy of Religion - '22 
 
 Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History- 22 
 
 Neale's Closing Scene - - - 23 
 
 Parables of Our Lord - - - 23 
 
 Parkes's Domestic Duties - -. 23 
 
 Rest in the Church - - - 24 
 
 Riddle's Letters from a Godfather - 25 
 
 Sandford's Parochiaha - - - 26 
 
 '* Female Improvement - 26 
 
 *' On Woman - - 26 
 
 Sermoni.n the Mount (The) - - 26 
 
 Shunammite (The Good) - 27 
 
 Sinclair's Journey of Lite - - Ti 
 
 •• Business of Life - - 27 
 
 Pages. 
 
 Smith's (G.) Perilous Times - - 27 
 
 " " ReligionofAnc. Britain 27 
 
 " " Sacred Annals - - 27 
 
 '* (Svdnev) Sermons - - 27 
 
 " (J'l St! Paul - - - 28 
 
 Soames' Latin Church - - - 28 
 
 Solomon's Song, illuminated - 28 
 
 Southey's Life of Wesley - - 28 
 
 Stephen's Church of Scotland - 29 
 
 Tate's History of St. Paul - - 29 
 
 Tayler's Lady Mary - - - 29 
 
 " Margaret; or, the Pearl - '29 
 
 " (Isaac) Loyola - - 30 
 
 Thumb Bible (The) - - - 30 
 
 Tomline's Introduction to the Bible 30 
 
 Turner's Sacred History - - - 31 
 
 Twelve Years Ago - - - 31 
 
 Walker's Elementa Liturgica - 32 
 
 Wiirdlaw's Socinian Controversy - 32 
 
 Wilberforce's View of Christianity ,32 
 
 Wilson's Lands of the Bible - - .32 
 
 Wisdom of Johnson's Rambler, &c. 14 
 
 Woodcock's Scripture Lands- - 32 
 
 Rural Sports. 
 
 Blaine's Dictionary of Sports - 4 
 
 Ephemera on Angling - - - 9 
 
 Hawbuck Grange - - - 11 
 
 Hawker's Instructions to Sportsmen 1 1 
 
 Loudon's Lady's Country Comp. - 17 
 
 Pocket and the Stud - - - 24 
 
 Stable Talk and Table Talk - - 29 
 
 The Stud, for practical purposes - 29 
 
 The Sciences and Mathematics. 
 
 Baker's Railway Engineering - 3 
 
 Brande's Dictionary of Science, &c. 5 
 
 Brewster's Optics - - - - 15 
 
 Conversations on Mineralogy - 6 
 
 C'resy's Civil Engineering - - 7 
 
 De laBeche'sGeology ofCornwall.&c. 8 
 
 Donovan's Chemistry - - - 15 
 
 Farey On the Steam Engine - - 9 
 
 Fosbroke On the .\ncient Arts, &c. 15 
 
 Gower's Scientific Phenomena - 10 
 
 Herschel's Natural Philosophy - 15 
 
 " Astronomy - - - 15 
 
 *' Outlines of Astronomy 12 
 
 Holland's Manufactures in Metal - 15 
 
 Humboldt's Aspects of Nature - 13 
 
 '* Cosmos - - - 13 
 
 Hunt's Researches on Light - - 14 
 
 Kane's Chemistry - - - - 14 
 
 • Kater and Lardner's Mechanics - 15 
 
 Lardner's Cabinet CyclopEedia - 15 
 
 " Hydrostatics&Pneumatic3l5 
 
 '* and Walker's Electricity 15 
 
 ** Arithmetic - - - 15 
 
 " Geometry - - - 15 
 
 " Treatise on Heat - - 15 
 
 Low's Chemistry - - - - 18 
 
 Marcet's (Mrs.) Conversations 19, '20 
 
 Matteucci on Physical Phenomena 'M 
 
 Memoirs of the Geological Survey 21 
 
 Moseley's Practical Mechanics - 22 
 
 *' Engineering&Architecture 22 
 
 0\«en's Lectureson Comp. Anatomy 23 
 
 Peschel's Elements of Physics - 23 
 
 PhUlips's Fossils of Cornwall, &c. 24 
 
 *' Mineralogy, by Miller - 24 
 
 ** Treatise on Geology - 15 
 
 Portlock's Geology of Londonderry *24 
 
 Powell's Natural Philosophy - - 18 
 
 I Ritchie On Railwavs - - - 25 
 
 Schleiden's Scientific Botany - 26 
 
 Steam Engine (The) - - - 3 
 
 Thomson's School Chemistry - 30 
 
 Travels. 
 
 Borrer's Algeria - - - - J 
 
 CosteUo's North W^Ies - - 7 
 
 Coulter's California &c. - - 7 
 
 " Pacific - - - . 7 
 
 De Strzelecki's New South Wales - 8 
 
 Dunlop's Central America - - 8 
 
 Erman's Travels tlirough Siberia - 9 
 
 Gardiner's Sights in Italy - - 10 
 Head's Tour in Rome - - - 
 
 Humboldt's Aspects of Nature - 13 
 
 Kip's Holydays in Rome - - 14 
 
 Lamg's Tour in Sweden - - 16 
 
 Mackay's English Lakes - - 18 
 
 Marryat's Borneo - - - - 20 
 
 Mitchell's Australian Expedition - 21 
 
 Parrot's Ascent of Mount .\rarat 23 
 
 Power's New Zealand Sketches - 24 
 
 Seaward's Narrative - - - 26 
 
 Von Orlich's Travels in India - 31 
 
 Wilson's Travels in the Holy Land 32 
 
 Woodcock's Scripture Lands - 32 
 
 Veterinary Medicine, 5fc. 
 
 Pocket and the Stud - . - 24 
 
 Stable Talk and Table Talk • - 2» 
 
 Stud (The) . - . - 28 
 
 Thomson On Fattening Cattle - 'JO
 
 NEAV WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 Messrs. LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, and LONGMA.NS, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. 
 
 ACTON-MODERN COOKERY, 
 
 In all its Branches, reduced to a System of Kasy Practice. For the use of Private Families. 
 In a Series of Recoiiits, all of which have been strictly teste*l, and are given with the most 
 minute exactness. By FIliza Actox. Xew Edition : with Directions for Carving, and other 
 Additions. Fcp. 8vo. with Plates and Woodcuts, 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 " The whole of Miss Acton's recipes, * with a few trifling exceptions, which are scrupulously specified, are con 
 fined to such as may heperfectly depended on, from having been proved beneath our own roof, and under our own 
 pergonal inspection.' We add, moreover, th;tt the recipes are aU reasonable, and never in any instance extravagant. 
 They do not bid us ^orifice ten pounds of excellent meat, that we may i;et a couple of quarts of gravy from it ; 
 nor do they deal with butter and eggs as if they cost nothing. Miss Acton's book is a good book in every way; 
 there is right-mindedness in every page of it, as well as thorough knowledge and experience of the subjects she 
 handles." Medica.l Gazettk. 
 
 AIKIN.-SELECT WORKS OF THE BRITISH POETS, 
 
 From Ben Jonson to Beattie. With Biographical and Critical Prefaces by Dr. Aikix. New 
 Edition, with Supplement, by Lucy Aikin ; consisting of additional Selections from more 
 recent Poets. 8^-o. 18s. cloth. 
 
 ALLEN ON THE ROYAL PREROGATIVE.-AN INQUIRY 
 
 into the RISE and GROWTH of the ROYAL PREROGATIVE. By the late Joh.v Allen, 
 Master of Dnhvich Collesre. New Edition, with the Author's last corrections: preceded by 
 M. B^renjer's " Happort" on the Work read before the Institute of France; an Article on 
 the same from the Edi.vburgh Revikw; and a Biographical Notice of the Author. To 
 which is added, an Inquiry into the Life and Character of King Eadwig, from the Author's 
 MS. 8vo. [Nearly ready. 
 
 ANDERSEN.-THE TRUE STORY OF MY LIFE : 
 
 A Sketch. By Hans Christian Andersen, Author of "The Shoes of Fortune," "The 
 Nightingale," " O. T.," " Only a Fiddler," " The Improvisatore," &c. Translated by 
 Maky Howitt. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 THE ARTISAN CLUB -A TREATISE ON THE STEAM 
 
 ENGINE, in its Application to Mines, Mills, Steam Navigation, and Railways. By the 
 Artisan Club. Edited by John Bourne, C.E. New Edition. With 30 Steel Plates and 349 
 Wood Engravings. 4to. 27s. cloth. 
 
 BAKER -RAILWAY ENGINEERING ; 
 
 Containing the most approved Methods of laying out Railway Curves, and of setting out the 
 Cuttings, Embankments, and Tunnels of Railways : with a General and two Auxiliary Tables, 
 for the Calculation of Earthworks of Railways,' Canals, &c. Also, the Investigation of the 
 Formula for the Superelevation of the exterior Rail in Curves. By T. Baker, Surveyor ^nd 
 Civil Engineer. 8vo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 BALL.-AN ACCOUNT OF THE CULTIVATION AND MANU- 
 
 FACTURE of TEA in CHIN.\ : derived from Personal Observation during an Official Resi- 
 dence in that Country of upwards of Twenty years ; and illustrated by the best Authorities, 
 Chinese as well as European. With some Reriiarks on the E.\periments now making for the 
 Introduction of the Culture of the Tea Tree in other parts of the World. By S. Ball, Esq., 
 late Inspector of Teas to the East India Company in China. 8vo. with Plates and Woodcuts, 
 14s. cloth. 
 
 BANFIELD AND WELD.-THE STATISTICAL COMPANION; 
 
 exhibiting the most interesting Facts in Moral and Intellectual, Vital, Economical, and 
 Political .Statistics, at home and abroad. Compiled from Official and other authentic Sources, 
 by T. C. Ban field, Statistical Clerk to the Council of Education ; and C. R. Weld, .Assistant- 
 Secretary to the Royal Society. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth.
 
 BARRETT.-A SYNOPSIS OF CRITICISMS UPON THOSE 
 
 PASSAGES of the OLD TESTAMENT in which Modern Commentators have differed from 
 the Authorised Aversion : together with an Explanation of various Difficulties in the Hebrew 
 and Eng-lish Texts. By the Rev. Richard A. F. Barrett, M.A. Fellow of King's College, 
 Cambridge. Vols. I. and II. 8vo. 28s. each, cloth; or, in 4 Half-vols. 14s. each. Also, 
 Half-vol. V. 14S. cloth. 
 
 BAYLDON.-ART OF VALUING RENTS AND TILLAGES, 
 
 And the Tenant's Right of Entering and Quitting Farms, e.xplained by several Specimens of 
 Valuations; and Remarks on the Cultivation pursued on Soils in different Situations. 
 Adapted to the Use of Landlords, Land-Agents, Appraisers, Farmers, and Tenants. By 
 J. S. Bayldon. New Edition ; corrected and revised by John Donaldson. Svo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 BEDFORD CORRESPONDENCE. -CORRESPONDENCE OF 
 
 JOHN, FOURTH DUKE OF BEDFORD, selected from the Originals at Woburn Abbey 
 (1742 to 1770). With Introductions by Lord John Russell. 3 vols. Svo. with Portrait, 
 48s. cloth. 
 
 BLACK -A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON BREWING, 
 
 Based on Chemical and Economical Principles : with Formulae for Public Brewers, and 
 Instructions for Private Families. By William Black, Practical Brewer. New Edition, 
 with considerable Additions. 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 " It is a 2ood many years since we noticed Mr. Black's Treatise, a« we have chronicled at intervals its successive 
 editions and" their improvements. For the practical purposes of the professional or family brewer, we suppose it is 
 the best book extant." Spectatoe. 
 
 BLAINE -AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RURAL SPORTS ; 
 
 Or, a complete Account, Historical, Practical, and Descriptive, of Hunting, Shooting, Fishing, 
 Racing, and other Field Sports and Athletic Amusements of the present day. By i3elabere 
 P. Blaine, Esq. Author of" Canine Pathology," &c. Illustrated by nearly 600 Engravings on 
 Wood, by R. Branston, from Drawings by Aiken, T.Landseer, Dickes, &c. Svo. ^'2. 10s. cloth. 
 
 BLAIR'S CHRONOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL TABLES, 
 
 From the Creation to the present time : with Additions and Corrections from the most authen- 
 tic Writers ; including the Computation of St. Paul, as connecting the Period from the Exode 
 to the Temple. Under the revision of Sir Henry Ellis, K.H., Principal Librarian of the 
 British Museum. Imperial Svo. 31s. 6d. half-bound in morocco. 
 
 BLAKEY -THE TEMPORAL BENEF [TS OF CHRISTIANITY ; 
 
 Exemplified in its Influence on the Social, Intellectual and Political Condition, of Mankind, 
 from its First Promulgation to the Present Day. By Robert Blakey, Author of the 
 " History of the Philosophy of Mind," &c. Svo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 BLOOMFIELD -HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR. 
 
 By Thucydides. A New Recension of theTe.xt, with a carefully amended Punctuation; and 
 copious Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory, principally original, partly selected 
 and arranged from the best Expositors : accompanied by full Indexes, both of Greek Words 
 and Phrases explained, and matters discussed in the Notes. Illustrated by Maps and Plans. 
 By the Rev. S. T. Bloom field, D.D. F.S.A. 2 vols. Svo. 38s. cloth. 
 
 BLOOMFIELD.-HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR. 
 
 By Thucydides. Translated into English, and accompanied by very copious Notes, 
 Philological and Explanatory, Historical and Geographical. By the Rev. S. T. Bloo.mfield, 
 D.D. F.S.A. 3 vols. Svo. with Maps and Plates, Jt.2. 5s. boards. 
 
 BLOOMFIELD.-THE GREEK TESTAMENT : 
 
 Vrith copious English Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory. Especially formed for 
 the use of advanced Students and Candidates for Holy Orders. By Rev. S. T. Bloo.mfield, 
 D.D. F.S.A. New Edition. 2 vols. Svo. with a Map of Palestine, rf2, cloth. 
 
 BLOOMFIELD.-COLLEGE & SCHOOL GREEK TESTAMENT: 
 
 With shorter English Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory, formed for use in. 
 Colleges and the Public Schools. By the Rev. S.T. Bloomfield, D.D F.S.A. New Edition, 
 greatly enlarged and improved. Fcp. Svo. 10s. Cd. cloth. 
 
 BLOOMFIELD -GREEK AND ENGLISH LEXICON TO THE 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT: especially adapted to the use of Colleges, and the Higher Classes in 
 Public Schools ; but also intended as a convenient Manual for Biblical Students in general. 
 By Dr. Bloomfield. New Edition, enlarged and improved. Fcp. Svo. 10s. 6d. cloth.
 
 THE BOOK OF RUTH. 
 
 From the Holy Scriptures. Embellished with brilliant coloured Borders, selected from some 
 of the finest Illuminated MSS. in the British Museum, the Bibliothfeque Nationale, Paris, the 
 Soane Museum, &c. ; and with highly-finished Miniatures. The Illuminations e.xecuted by 
 H. N. Humphreys, Illuminator of •' A Record of the Black Prince," &c. Square fcp. 8vo. 
 unifonn in size with " Parables of our Lord," &c. ; in deeply embossed leather covers. 
 
 [In the Autumn. 
 
 BORRER -NARRATIVE OF A CAMPAIGN WITH A FRENCH 
 
 COLUMN against the KABAJLES of ALGERIA: with the Mission of M. Suchet to the 
 Emir Abd-el-Kader, for an Exchange of Prisoners. By Dawson Borrer, F.R.G.S. Membre 
 Correspondant de la Society Orientale a Paris ; Author of '• A Journey from Naples to Jeru- 
 salem." Post 8vo. 10s. 6d. boards. 
 
 BRANDE.-A DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE, LITERATURE, 
 
 AND ART; comprising the History, Description, and Scientific Principles of every Branch 
 of Human Knowledge ; with the Derivation and Definition of all the Terms in Geneial Use. 
 Edited by W. T. Brande, F.R.S.L. & E. ; assisted by Dr. J. Cauvin. 8vo. with Wood En- 
 gravings. [iVetc Edition, nearly ready. 
 
 BULL-HINTS TO MOTHERS, 
 
 For the Management of Health during the Period of Pregnancy and in the Lying-in Room : 
 with an Exposure of Popular Errors in connexion with those subjects, &c. ; and Hints upon 
 Nursing. By Thomas Bull, M.D. New Edition, carefully revised and enlarged. Fcp. 8vo. 
 5s. cloth. 
 
 BULL.-THE MATERNAL MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN, 
 
 in HEALTH and DISEASE. By T. Bull, M.D. Member of the Royal College of Physicians; 
 formerly Physician-Accoucheur to the Finsbury Midwifery Institution, and Lecturer on Mid- 
 wifery and on the Diseases of Women and Children. New Edition, carefully revised and 
 enlarged. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 BUDGE -THE PRACTICAL MINER'S GUIDE. 
 
 Comprising a Set of Trigonometrical Tables adapted to all the purposes of Oblique or Diagonal, 
 Vertical, Horizontal, and Traverse Dialling; with their application to the Dial, Exercise of 
 Drifts, Lodes, Slides, Levelling, Inaccessible Distances, heights, &c. By J. Budge. New 
 Edition, considerably enlarged. 8vo. with Portrait of the Author, 12s. cloth. 
 
 BUNSEN.-EGYPT'S PLACE IN UNIVERSAL HISTORY: 
 
 An Historical Investigation, in Five Books. By Christia.n C. J. Bunsen, D.Pli. & D.C.L. 
 Translated from the German, by C. H. Cottrell, E>q. M.A. — Vol. I. containing the First 
 Book, or Sources and Primeval Facts of Egyptian History: with an Egyptian Grammar 
 and Dictionary, and a complete List of Hieroglyphical Sign's; an Appendi.x of Authorities, 
 enibracing the complete Text of Manetho and Eratosthenes, .Egyptiaca from Pliny, Strabo, 
 &c. ; and Plates representing the Egyptian Divinities. 8vo. with numerous illustrations, 
 28s. cloth. 
 
 BUNSEN.-THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH OF 
 
 the FUTURE. A Practical Explanation of the Correspondence with the Right Hon. William 
 Gladstone, on the German Church, Episcopacy, and Jerusalem. With a Preface, Notes, and 
 the complete Correspondence. By the Chevalier C. C. J. Buxse.v, Ph. D. D.C.L. Translated 
 under the superintendence of, and with Additions by, the Author. Post 8vo. 9s. fid. cloth. 
 
 BURDER.-ORIENTAL CUSTOMS, 
 
 Applied to the Illustration of the Sacred Scriptures. By Dr. Samuel Burder. New Edition, 
 with Additions. Fcp. 8vo. 8s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 BURNS.-THE PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY; 
 
 containing the Doctrines, Duties, Admonitions, and Consolations of the Christian Religion. 
 By JoH.v Burns, M.D. F.R.S. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 BURNS.-CHRISTIAN FRAGMENTS ; 
 
 Or, Remarks on the Nature, Precepts, and Comforts of Religion. By John Burns, M.D. 
 F.R.S. Author of " The Principles of Christian Philosophy." Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 BUTLER.-A SKETCH OF MODERN AND ANCIENT GEO- 
 
 GRAPHY, for the use of Schools. By Samuel Butler, D.D. late Lord Bishop ci Lichfield 
 and Coventry; and formerly Head Master of Shrewsbury School. New Edition, revised by 
 the Author's Son. Svo. 9s. boards.
 
 BUTLER. -A GENERAL ATLAS OE MODERN AND ANCIENT 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. By the late Dr. S. Butler. Consisting of Forty-five coloured Maps, and 
 Indices. New Edition, re-engraved ; with corrections (in the Modern Maps) from the Govern- 
 II ent Surveys and other recent sources of information, and (in the Ancient Maps) from the 
 most approved writers on Ancient Geography. 4to. 24s. half-bound. 
 
 (The Ancient Atlas. 22 coloured Maps. 8vo. 12s. half-bound, 
 beparately ^.pjjg Modern Atlas. 23 coloured Maps. 8vo. 12s. half-bound. 
 
 THE CABINET LAWYER : 
 
 A Popular Digest of the Laws of England, Civil and Criminal; with a Dictionary of Law 
 Terms, Maxims, Statutes, and Judicial Antiquities ; Correct Tables of Assessed Taxes, Stamp 
 Duties, Excise Licenses, and Post-Horse Duties ; Post-Office Regulations, and Prison Disci- 
 pline. Fourteenth Edition, enlarged, and corrected throughout, with the Legal Decisions and 
 Statutes to Michaelmas Term, 10 and U Victoria. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth. ' 
 
 CALLCOTT.-A SCRIPTURE HERBAL. 
 
 With upwards of 120 Wood Engravings. By Lady Callcott, Square crown 8vo. 25s. clotb. 
 
 CARTOONS.-THE PRIZE CARTOONS EXHIBITED 
 
 IN WESTMINSTER HALL, .^.d. 1843. Published under the Sanction and Patronage of 
 Her Majesty's Commissioners on the Fine Arts. Eleven large folio Engravings, in a neat 
 Portfolio, do. 5s. ; Proofs before Letters, £S. 8s. 
 
 CATLOW.-POPULAR CONCHOLOGY; 
 
 Or, the Shell Cabinet arranged: being an Introduction to the Modern System of Conehology: 
 with a sketch of the Natural History ol the Animals, an account of the Formation of the Shells, 
 and a complete Descriptive List of the Families and Genera. By Agnes Catlow. Fcp. 8vo. 
 with 312 Woodcuts, 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 CHALENOR.-WALTER GRAY, 
 
 A Ballad, and other Poems. By Mary Chalexor. New Edition, including the Author'* 
 Poetical Remains. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 COAD.-A MEMORANDUM OF THE WONDERFUL PRO- 
 
 VIDENCES of GOD to a POOR UNWOR'l HY CREATURE (from 12th of June 1685 unto 
 the 24th of November lfi90)on and after the Revolution betweene the Dukeof Monmouth and 
 King James. ByJoHNCoAD. Square fcp. 8vo. [Nearli/ ready. 
 
 " The best account of the sufferings of those rebels who were sentenced to transportation is to be found in a very 
 curious narrative written by John Coad, an honest Godfearing carpenter, wlio joined Monmouth, was badly 
 wounded at Philip's Norton, was tried by Jefi'reys, and was sent to Jamaica. Ttie original manuscript was 
 kindly lent to me by Mr. Phippard, to whom it belongs." Macadlw's Eiujlaml, vol. i. p. 647 (note). 
 
 *»* This work is printed, by permission of Mr. Phippard, from the MS. referred to in the 
 above note by Mr. Macaulay. 
 
 COLLINS. - MEMOIRS OE THE LIFE OE WILLIAM 
 
 COLLINS, Esq. R.A. Including Selections from his Journals and Correspondence, Notices 
 of many of his eminent Contemporaries, and a Description of his principal Works. By his 
 Son, W, WiLKiE Collins, Esq. W^th Portrait after Linnell, and 2 Vignettes from Sketches 
 by the Painter. 2 vols, post 8vo. 21s. clotb. 
 
 COLTON.-LACON ; OR, MANY THINGS IN FEW WORDS. 
 
 By the Rev. C. C. Colton. New Edition. 8vo. r2s. cloth. 
 
 CONYBEARE AND HOWSON.-THE LIFE AND EPISTLES 
 
 (.f S.\1NT PAUL; comprising a complete Biography of the Apostle, and a Paraphrastic 
 Translation of his Ivpistles inserted in Chronological Order. Edited by the Rev. \V. J. 
 CoNYBKARE, MA. late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; and the Rev. J. S. Howson, 
 M.A. late Principal ot the Collegiate Institution, Liverpool. 2 vols. 4to. richly illustrated by 
 numeions Engravings on Steel and Wood of the Principal Places visited by the Apostle, from 
 Original Drawings made on the spot by W. H. Bartlett ; and by Maps, Charts, Coins, &c. 
 *»* To be published in Monthly Parts, price 2s. each; the F'irst of which will appear 
 
 on January 1st, 1850. 
 
 CONVERSATIONS ON BOTANY. 
 
 New Edition, improved. Fcp. 8vo. 22 Plates, 7s. 6d. cloth ; with the plates coloured, 12s. cloth. 
 
 CONVERSATIONS ON MINERALOGY. 
 
 With Plates, engraved by Mr. and Mrs. Lowry, from Original Drawings. New Edition, 
 enlarged. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 14s. cloth.
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROW^, AND CO. 
 
 COOPER-PRACTICAL AXD FAMILIAR SERMONS, 
 
 Desiirned for I'arorhialatid Domestic Instruction, liy Rev. Edward Cooper. New Edition. 
 7 voU. 12nio. .^'1. 18s. boards. 
 
 COOPER-SERMONS, 
 
 Chiefly de-sij-ned to elucidate some of the leading: Doctrines of the Gospel. By the Rev, 
 Edward Coopkr. New Edition. 2 vols. 12ino. 10s. boards. 
 
 COPLANI).-A DICTIOxNARY OP PRACTICAL MEDICINE ; 
 
 coniprisin<^ General Pathology, the Nature and Treatment of Diseases, Morbid Structures, 
 and the Disorders especially incidental to Climates, to Se.x, and to the dift'erent Epochs of 
 Life; with numerousajjproved Fonnulsof the Medicines recommended. By Jam i;s Copland, 
 .M.D. Consulting Physician to Queen Charlotte's Lyins-in Hospital, &c. &c. Vols. I. and II. 
 8vo. .i 3, cloth ; and Parts X. to XIV. 4s 6tl. each, sewed. 
 
 COaUEREL.-CHRISTIANITY; 
 
 Us perfect adaptation to the Mental, Moral, and Spiritual Nature of Man. Bv Athanase 
 CoaCKREL, one of the I^iitors of the lYench Prote.'.tant Church in Paris. Translated bv the 
 Rev. D. Daviso.v, M..\. With an introdnctory Notice of the State of the Protest^mt Cli'urch 
 of France, drawn up by the Author especially for the English Edition. Post 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 COSTELLO.-THE FALLS, LAKES, AND MOUNTAINS 
 
 OF NORTH WALES; beinif a Pictorial Tour throuirh the most interestiug parts of the 
 Country. By Miss Louisa Stuart Costello. Illustrated with Views, from Orij^inal 
 Sketches by D. H. M'Kewan, engraved on wood, and lithographed, by T. and E. Gilks. 
 Square 8vo. with Map, Us. cloth. 
 
 COULTER -ADVENTURES ON THE WESTERN COAST OF 
 
 SOUTH A.MERICA and in the INTERIOR of CALIFORNIA ; including a Narrative of Inci- 
 dents at the Kingsmill Islands, New Ireland, New Britain, New Guinea^ and other Islands in 
 the Pacific Ocean : with an .\ccount of the Natural Productions, and the Manners and Customs, 
 in Peace and War, of the various Savase Tribes visited. By John Coulter, M.D. Author 
 of " Adveutm-es in the Pacific." 2 vols, post 8vo. 16s cloth. 
 
 COULTER-ADVENTURES IN THE PxVCIFIC : 
 
 With Observations on the Natural Productions, Manners, and Customs of the Natives of the 
 various Islands ; Remar s on the Missionaries, British and other Residents, &c. By John 
 Coulter, M.D. Post 8vo. 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 CRESY -AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, 
 
 Historical, Theoretical, and Practical. By Edward Cresy, F.S.A. C.E. Illustrated by 
 upwards ofTliree Thousand Engravings on Wood, explanatory of the Principles, Machinery, 
 and Constructions which come under the Direction of the Civil Engineer. One very large 
 Volume 8vo. jiS. 13s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 CROCKER'S ELEMENTS OF LAND SURVEYING. 
 
 New Edition, corrected throughout, and considerably improved and modeniized, by T. G. 
 Bunt, Land Surveyor. To which are added, TABLES OF SIX-FIGURE LOGARITH.MS, 
 &c., superintended by R.Farley, of the Nautical Almanac Establishment. Post 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 D'AGINCOURT.-THE HISTORY OF ART, BY ITS MONU- 
 
 MENTS, from its Decline in the Fourth Century to its Restoration in the Sixteenth. Trans- 
 lated from the French of Serou.x D'Agixcourt, by Owe.v Jones, .\rchitect. In 3,335 Sub- 
 jects, engraved on 328 Plates. Vol. I. .\rchitecture', 73 Plates; Vol. II. Sculpture, 51 Plates; 
 Vol. III. Painting, 204 Plates. 3 vols, royal folio, ^5. 5s. sewed. 
 
 DALE.-THE DOMESTIC LITURGY AND FAMILY CHAP- 
 
 L.\IN, in two Parts : the First Part being Church Services adapted for domestic use, 
 with Prayers for every day of the week, selected e.\clusively from the Book of Common 
 Prayer ; Part II. comprising an appropriate Sermon for every Sunday in the year. By 
 the Rev. Thomas Dale, M.A., Vicar of St. Pancras. Post 4to., 21s. cloth: or,'bound by 
 Hayday,3!s. 6d. calf lettered; ^2. 10s. morocco. 
 
 DE JAENISCH & WALKER.-DE JAENISCH'S CHESS PRE- 
 
 CEPl'OR : A New Analysis of the Openings of Games. By C. F. De Jaenisch, of St. 
 Petersburgh. Translated from tlie French, with copious Notes, by George Walker, 
 Author of " Chess studies," and various other Works on the Game of Chess. Svo. 15s. cloth. '
 
 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 DE LA BECHE.-REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OE CORN- 
 
 WALL, DEVON, and WEST SOMERSET. By Henry T. De la Beche, F.R.S. &c.. 
 Director of the Ordnance Geological Survey. Published by Order of the Lords Commissioners 
 of H.M. Treasury. 8vo. with Maps, Woodcuts, and 12 large Pates, 14s. cloth. 
 
 DE LA GRAVIERE.-SKETCHES OE THE LAST NAVAL 
 
 WAR. Translated from the French of Capt. E. Jurien de la Graviere, with an Introduc- 
 tion and Notes, by the Hon. Capt. Plunkett, R.N. Author of "The Past and Future of 
 the British Navy." 2 vols, post 8vo. with 9 Plans of Naval Actions, 18s. cloth. 
 
 DE STRZELECKI.-THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES and VAN DIEMAN'S LAND; accompanied by a Geological Map 
 Sections, and Diagrams, and Figures of the Organic Remains. By P. E. De Stuzelecki. 
 8vo. with coloured Map and numerous Plates, 24s. cloth. 
 
 DIBDIN.-THE SUNDAY LIBRARY: 
 
 Containing nearly One Hundi'ed Sermons, by eminent Divines. With Notes, &c. by the Rev. 
 T. F. DiBDiN, D.D. 6 vols. fop. 8vo. with Si.x Portraits, 30s. cloth ; or, £%. 12s. 6d. neatly 
 half-bound in morocco, with gilt edges. 
 
 DISCIPLINE. 
 
 By the Author of " Letters to my Unknown Friends," " Twelve Years Ago," and "Some 
 Passages from Modern History." ISmo. 2s. cloth. 
 
 DISNEY-MUSEUM DISNEIANUM : 
 
 Being a description of a Collection of Ancient Marbles, Bronzes, and various other Specimens 
 of Ancient Art, in the possession of John Disney, Esq. F.R S. F.S.A. at the Hyde, near 
 Ingatestone. With numerous Plates and Wood Engravings. 1 vol. 4to. comprising 120 
 Illustrations, £'4. 14s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Part I. Marbles. Comprising Fifty-nine Plates, chiefly Busts, with some whole-length 
 
 Statues, and some Bas-reliefs. 
 Part II. Miscellaneous Antiquities, chiefly in Bronze. Comprising Five Statues, many 
 
 Lamps, Tripods, Patinae, &c. 
 Part III. Vases and Fictilia.— Sold separately, only to the puixhasers of the First and 
 Second Parts, ^"2. 2s. cloth. 
 
 DOUBLEDAY AND HEWITSON'S BUTTERFLIES. - THE 
 
 GENER.\ of BUTTERFLIES, or DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA ; comprising their Generic 
 Characters — a Notice of the Habits and Transformations — and a Catalogue of the Species of 
 each Genus. By Edward Doubled.ay, Esq. F.L.S. &c., Assistantin the Zoological Depart- 
 ment of the British Museum. Imperial 4to. uniform with Gray and Mitchell's Ornithology ; 
 Illustrated with 75 Coloured Plates, by W. C. Hewitson, Esq. Author of " British Oology." 
 *;f* Publishing in Monthly Parts, 5s. each ; each part consisting of 2 coloured plates, with 
 Letter-press giving the Generic Characters, a Short Notice of the Habits, and a Catalogue of 
 the Species of each Genus. To be completed in about 40 Parts, of which 31 are now ready. 
 
 DRESDEN GALLERY.-THE MOST CELEBRATED PICTURES 
 
 of the ROYAL GALLERY at DRESDEN, drawn on Stone, from the Originals, by Franz 
 Hanfstaengl : with Descriptive and Biographical Notices, in French and German. Nos. I. 
 to LIV. imperial folio, each containing 3 Plates, with Letterpress, price 20s. to Subscribers; to 
 Nou Subscribers, 30s. Single Plates, 12s. each. 
 
 *tr- To be completed in 6 more numbers, price 20s. each, to Subscribers. Nos. LI. to LX. 
 contain each Four Plates and Letterpress. 
 
 DUNLOP.-TRAVELS IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 With a Journal of nearly Three Years' Residence in the Countrv. To which are added, a 
 Sketch of the History of the Republic, and an Account of its Chmate, Productions, Com- 
 merce, &c. By Robert Glasgow Dunlop, Esq. Post 8vo. with Map, lOs. Cd. cloth. 
 
 DUNLOP.-THE HISTORY OF FICTION : 
 
 Being a Critical Account of the most celebrated Prose Works of Fiction, from the earliest 
 Greek Romances to the Novels of the Present Age. By John Dunlop, Esq. New Edition, 
 complete in One Volume. 8vo. 15s. cloth. 
 
 EASTLAKE. - MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF OIL 
 
 PAINTING. By Charles Lock Eastlare, Esq. R.A. F.R.S. F.S.A. ; Secretary to the 
 Royal Commission for Promoting the Fine Arts in connexion with the rebuilding of tlie Houses 
 of Parliament, &c. 8vo. 16s. cloth. 
 
 *** Vol. II. On tlie Italian Practice of Oil Painting, is preparing for publication.
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 
 
 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 
 
 The Words of the Preacher, Son of David, Kinsf of Jerusalem. From the Holy Scriptures. 
 Beina^ the Twelve Chapters of the Book of Ecclesiastes. elesrantly ilhiminated, in the Missal 
 Style, by Owen Jones. Imperial 8vo. in very massive carved covers, 42s. ; or handsomely 
 bound in morocco, 50s. 
 
 ECCLESTON -AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH ANTI- 
 
 QUrriES. Intended as a Companion to the History of Eni^land. By James Eccle 
 STON, B.A. Head Master of Suttoa Coldfield Grammar School. 8vo. with numerous En- 
 gravings ou Wood, 21s. cloth. 
 
 ELLIOTSON -HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY : 
 
 With which is incorporated much of the elementary part of the " Institutiones Physiolog-ica;" 
 of J F. Blunienbach, Professor in the University of GiHtinaren. By John Elliotso.n, hl.U. 
 Cantab. F.R.S. Fifth Edition. Svo. with numerous Woodcuts, j^2. 2s. cloth. 
 
 THE ENGLISHMAN'S GREEK CONCORDANCE OF THE 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT: being an Attempt at a Verba! Connexion between the Greek and the 
 English Texts ; including a Concordance to the Proper Names, with Indexes, Greek-English 
 and English-Greek. New Edition, with a new Inde.x. Royal Svo. 42s. cloth. 
 
 THE ENGLISHMAN'S HEBREW AND CHALDEE CON- 
 
 COUDANCEofthe OLD TESTAMENT ; being an attempt at a Verbal Connection between 
 the Original and the English Translations : with Indexes, a List of the Proper Names and 
 their occurrences, &c. 2 vols, royal Svo. 4Sr3. 13s. 6d. cloth; large paper, j£'4. 14s. 6d. 
 
 EOTYCiS-THE YILLAGE NOTARY : 
 
 A Romance of Hungarian Life. Translated from the Hungarian of Baron Eotvos, by Otto 
 Wexckstebv. With Introductory Remarks, written expressly for the present Translation, 
 by Fkancis PuLSZKY. 3 vols, post Svo. [Nearly readi/. 
 
 EPHEMERA.-A HAND-BOOK OE ANGLING ; 
 
 Teaching Fly-fishing, Trolling, Bottom-fishin-r, Salmon-fishing; with the Natural History of 
 River Fish, and the best modes of Catching them. By Ephemera, of " Bell's Life in 
 London." New Edition, enlarged. Fcp. Svo. with numerous Woodcuts, 9s. cloth. 
 
 ERMAN.-TRAYELS IN SIBERIA: 
 
 including Excursions northwards, down the Obi, to the Polar Circle, and southwards to the 
 Chinese Frontier. By Adolph Ermax. Translated by W. D. Cooley, Esq. Author of 
 "The History of Maritime and Inland Discovery;" Translator and Editor of Parrot's 
 " Journey to Ararat." 2 vols. Svo. veith Map, 31s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 ETHERIDGE.-THE APOSTOLICAL ACTS AND EPISTLES, 
 
 From the Peschito, or Ancient Syriac. To which are added, the remainiTg Epistles, and the 
 Book of Reve'ation, after a later Syrian Text. Translated, with Prolesrom ;na asid Indices, by 
 J. W. Etheridsre, M.A. Doctor in Philosophy of the University of Heidelberg, and iMember of 
 the Asiatic Society of Paris. Royal 12mo. 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 EVANS.-THE SUGAR PLANTER'S MANUAL : 
 
 Being a Treatise on the Art of obtaining Sugar from the Sugar Cane. By W.J. Evans, M.D. 
 Svo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 FAREY.-A TREATISE ON THE STEAM ENGINE, 
 
 Historical, Practical, and Descriptive. By John Farev, Engineer. 4to. with 23 Plates, 
 and numerous Woodcuts, ^5. 5s. boards. 
 
 FERGUSSON.-AN HISTORICAL INQUIRY INTO THE TRUE 
 
 PRINCIPLES of BEAUTY in ART, more especially with reference to ARCHITECTURE. 
 By James Fergusson, Esq.; Author of " An Essay on the Ancient Topography of 
 Jerusalem," " Picturesque Illustrations of Ancient Architecture in Hindostan," &c. With 
 5 Copperplates, a coloured Lithographic Engraving, and upwards of 100 Woodcuts. Imperial 
 Svo. 30s. cloth. 
 
 FLOWERS AND THEIR KINDRED THOUGHTS : 
 
 A Series of Stanzas— On Hope, Innocence, Modesty, Childhoorl, Humility, Joy, Love, Con- 
 stancy, Fascination, Timidity, Fine Taste, Thoughts, Recollection, and Friendship. By 
 Mary Anne Bacon. Illustrated by the Snowdrop, Primrose, Violet, Harebell, and Pimpernel, 
 Lilley of the Valley, Hawthorn, Rose, Honeysuckle, Carnation, Convolvulus, Fuchsia, Pansy, 
 Forget-me-not, and Holly ; designed and printed in Colours by Owen Jones. Imperial 8v6. 
 31s. 6d. elegantly bound. 
 
 c
 
 10 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 rORSTER.-THE TIISTOKTCAL GEOGRAPHY OE ARABIA; 
 
 or, the Patriarchal Eviilences of Revealed Religion. A Memoir, with illustrative Maps 
 and ail Appendix, containing Translations, with an Alphabet and Glossary of the Ha- 
 myaritic Inscriptions recently discovered in Hadramaut. Uy the Rev. Charles Forster, 
 Author of " Mahometanism Unveiled." 2 vols. 8vo. 30s. cloth. 
 
 EOSS.-THE JUDGES OE ENGLAND : 
 
 with Sketches of their Lives, and Miscellaneous Notices connected with the Courts at West- 
 minster from the time of the Conquest. By Edward Foss, F.S.A. of the Inner Temple. 
 Vols. I. and II. 8vo. 28s. cloth. 
 
 FOSTER —A HANDBOOK OF MODERN EUROPEAN LITE- 
 
 RATURE: British, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish and Rus- 
 sian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. With a full Biographical and Chronological Index. 
 By Rlrs. Foster. Fcp. 8vo. 8s. Cd. cloth. 
 *»* The object of this book is, not so much to give elaborate criticisms on the various writers 
 in the language to whose literature it is intended as a guide, as to direct the student to the 
 best writers in each, and to inform him on what subjects they have written. 
 
 FROM OXFORD TO ROME; 
 
 And, How it fared with some who lately made the Journey. By a Companion Traveller. 
 New Edition, revised and corrected. Fcp. Svo. with Frontispiece, 6s. cloth. 
 
 FRUITS FROM THE GARDEN AND THE FIELD. 
 
 A Series of Stanzas. By Mary Anne Bacon, Author of "Flowers and their kindred 
 Thoughts." With beautiful Illustrations of Fruit, designed and printed in Colours by Owen 
 Jones. Imp. 8vo. uniform with " Flowers and their kindred Thoughts," 31s. 6d. [Nearly ready. 
 
 GARDINER-SIGHTS IN ITALY : 
 
 With some Account of the Present State of Music and the Sister Arts in that Country. By 
 William Gardiner, Author of "Sacred Melodies," " Music of Nature," &c. ; Member of 
 the Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome ; and of the Class of Fine Arts de I'Institut Historique de 
 France. Svo. with engraved Music, 16s. cloth. 
 
 GIBBON'S HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE 
 
 ROMAN EMPIRE. A new Edition, complete in One Volume. With an Account of the Author's 
 Life and Writings, by Alexander Chalmers, Esq. F.A.S. Svo. with Portrait, 18s. cloth. 
 *»* An Edition, in 8 vols. Svo. 60s. boards. 
 
 GILBART.-A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON BANKING. 
 
 By James William Gilbart, F.R S. General Manager of the London and Westminster 
 Bank. 5th Edition, with Portrait of the Author, and View of the " London and Westminster 
 Bank," Lothbury. 2 vols. Svo. 2-ls. cloth. 
 
 GOLDSMITH. - THE POETICAL WORKS OF OLIVER 
 
 GOLDSMITH. Illustrated by Wood Engravings, from Designs by Members of the Etching 
 Club. With a Biographical Memoir, and Notes on the Poems. Edited by Bolton Corney, 
 Esq. Square crown Svo. uniform with "Thomson's Seasons," 2ls. cloth; or, bound in 
 morocco, by Hayday, £1. 16s. 
 
 GOWER.— THE SCIENTIFIC PHtENOMENA OF DOMESTIC 
 
 LIFE, familiarly explained. By Charles Foote Gower. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. with 
 Wood Engravings, 5s. cloth. 
 
 GRAHAM.-ENGLISH ; OR, THE ART OF COMPOSITION : 
 
 explained in a Series of Instructions and Examples. By G. F. Graham. New Edition, 
 revised and improved. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 GRANT.-LETTERS FROM THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Being the Correspondence with her Friends, between the years 1773 and 1S03. By Mrs Gr.\nt, 
 of Laggan. New Edition. Edited, with Notes and Additions, by her son, J. P. Grant,] 
 Esq. 2 vols, post Svo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 GRANT.- MEMOIR AND CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 
 
 late Mrs. Grant, of Laggan, Author of "Letters from the Mountains," "Memoirs of an 
 American Lady," &c. Edited by her Son, J. P. Grant, Esq. New Edition. 3 vols, post Svo. 
 with Portrait, 31s. 6d. cloth.
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 11 
 
 GRAY'S ELEGY (ILLUMINATED). 
 
 Grav's Elegy, writtkn in a Country Churchyard. Illuminated, in the Missal style, 
 by Owen Jones, Architect. Imperial 8vo. 31s. 6d. elegantly bound. 
 
 GRAY-TABLES AND FORMULA FOR THE COMPUTATION 
 
 of LIFE CONTINGENCIES; with copious Examples of Annuity, Assuraace, and Friendly 
 Society Calculations. By Pistkr Gray, F.R.A.S. Associate of the Institute of Actuaries of 
 Great Britain and Ireland. Royal 8vo. 15s. cloth. 
 
 GRAY AND MITCHELL'S ORNITIIOLOGY.-THE GENERA 
 
 C)f BIROS ; comprising their Generic Characters, a Notice of the Habits of each Genus, and 
 an extensive List of Species, referred to their several Genera. By George Robert Gray 
 Acad. Imp. Georg-. Florent. Soc. Corresp. Senior Assistant of the Zoological Department! 
 British Museum ; and Author of the " List of the Genera of Birds," &c. 3 vols, imperial 4to.' 
 illustrated with 350 coloured and plain I'lates, by David William Mitchell. 
 
 *»* Parts I. to XLIX. imperial 4to. 10s. 6d. each.— Part L., with Title, Inde-xes, Tables, 
 &c. completing- the work, in 3 vols., is nearly ready. 
 
 GRIMBLOT.-LETTERS OF WILLIAM III. AND LOUIS XIV. 
 
 and of their Ministers. Illustrating the Domestic and Foreign Politics of lingland from 
 the Peace of Rys«ick to the Accession of Philip V. of Spain (1697 to 1770). Edited by Paul 
 Grisiblot. 2 vols. 8vo. 30s. cloth. 
 
 GWILT.-AN ENCYCLOMDIA OF ARCHITECTURE ; 
 
 Historical, Theoretical, and Practical. By Joseph Gwilt, Esq. F.S.A. Illustrated with 
 upwards of 1,000 Engravings on Wood, from Designs by J. S. Gwilt. 8vo. 52s. 6d. cloth 
 
 SIDNEY HALL'S NEW GENERAL LARGE LIBRARY ATLAS 
 
 OF FIbTY-THRKE MAPS (size 20 in. by 16in.), with the Divisions and Boundaries care- 
 fully coloured ; and an Alphaljetical Index of all the Names contained in the Maps, with their 
 Latitude and Longitude. An entirely New Edition, corrected throughout from the best and 
 most recent Authorities ; with all the Railways laid down, and many of the Maps re-drawn 
 and re-engraved. Colombier 4to. £b. 5s. half-bound in russia. 
 
 " This is one of the very best of the larger collections of maps with which we are acquainted, for clearness and 
 accuracy, as well as its very reasonable cost. Several striking improvements characterise the edition before us. It 
 has again undergone compaiison with the best authorities, contains many corrections consequent on the latest 
 Government surveys, supplies all the various lines of railway neatly laid down, gives quite new maps where necessary 
 and IS enriclied with an alphabetical index of mo'e than scicHfy Wioii^oid names of places contained in the collection 
 with their degrees of latitude and longitude. This index, which is quite invaluable, is printed with exquisite clear- 
 ness ; and we have examined a sufhcient number of names and places to be convinced of its general and faultless 
 accuracy. Of Maps, it has been properly said that they are works always in progress. They can never be considered as 
 finished,- because they unceasingly wait corrections to be supplied by the science and enterprise of succeeding ages, 
 A glance at the beautiful volume before us, and the most cursory comparison of it with the best collections at Ule 
 opening of the present century, will shew us the astoundinir rapidity w-ith which, in such matters, both enterprise 
 and science have advanced of late, and the more Uian equal pace that is kept with both by all whose duty it is to 
 popularise ;ind make accessible their re.-ults. Such a book as this could as little have been placed within tiie reach of 
 moderate means half a century ago, as tlie information it contains could have been even guessed at." — Examinee. 
 
 HALL.-MIDSUMMER EVE : 
 
 A F'airy Tale of Love. By Mrs. S. C. Hall. With nearly 300 Wood Engravings from Designs 
 by D. Maclise, C. Stanlield, T. Creswick, T. Landseer, and other eminent Artists. Square 
 crown 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 HARRISON.-ON THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT 
 
 STRUCTURE of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. By the Rev. M. Harrison, M.A. late 
 Fellow of Queeh's College, Oxford. Post 8vo. 8s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 " An able, enlightened, and philosophical work. From the erudite and scholarly manner in which the author has 
 treaicil the subject, he has contrived to make his work not only excellent for the sjiecial purpose for which it is intended, 
 but, from the mass of curious information which it contains, really interesting to all classes of readers." — Sunuay Times. 
 
 HAAVBUCK GRANGE; 
 
 Or, the Sporting Adventures of Thomas Scott, Esq. By the Author of " Handley Cross ; or, 
 the Spa Hunt." With Eight Illustrations by Phiz. 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 HAWKER.-INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN 
 
 In all that relates to Guns and Shooting. By Lieut. -Col. P. Hawker. New Edition, 
 corrected, enlarged, and improved: with Eighty-five Plates and Woodcuts by Adlard and 
 Branston, from Drawings by C. Varley, Dickes, &c. 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 HAYDON.-LECTURES ON PAINTING AND DESIGN : 
 
 Delivered at the London Institution, the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, to the University 
 of Oxford, &c. By B. R. Haydon, Historical Painter. With Portraits of the Author and of 
 Sir David Wilkie, and Wood Engravings, from Designs by the Author. 2 vols. 8vo. 24s. cloth.
 
 12 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 SIR GEORGE HEAD -ROME : 
 
 A Tour of Many Days. By Sir Gkorge Head. 3 vols. 8vo. 36s. cloth, 
 
 ** The roads, the streets, the palaces, the churches, the fountains, the public buildinijs, and the private houses of 
 any note, the baths, the fortifications, the arches, the cemeteries, the walls, the villas, the temples, the monuments, 
 the theatres, the forums, the ruins, and the relics of every kind, and the inhabitants also, are all set before us in the 
 best possible order. In short, it is a standard work, to last like Rome !" Literary Gazette. 
 
 SIR JOHN HERSCHEL.-OUTLINES OE ASTRONOMY. 
 
 By Sir John F. W. Herschel. Bart. &c. &c. &c. 8vo. with Plates and Woodcuts, 18s. 
 
 " We toke our leave of this remarkable work, which we hold to be, beyond a doubt, the most remarkable of the 
 works in which the laws of astronomy and the appearances of the heavens are described to those who are not mathe- 
 maticians nor observers, and recalled to those who are." Athenaeum. 
 
 MRS. HEY.-THE MORAL OE ELOWERS ; 
 
 Or, Thoughts gatherer! from the Field and the Garden. By Mrs. Hey. Beino^ a New Edition 
 of "The Moral of Flowers ;" and consisting of Poetical Thoughts on Garden and Field 
 Flowers, accompanied by Drawings beautifully coloured after Nature. Square crown 8v"0. 
 uniform in size with "Thomson's Seasons illustrated by the Etching Club," 2ls. cloth. 
 
 MRS. HEY.-SYLVAN MUSINGS ; 
 
 Or, the Spirit of the Woods. By Mrs. Hey. Being a New Edition of the "Spirit of the 
 Woods ;" and consisting of Poetical Thoughts on Forest Trees, accompanied by Drawings of 
 Blossoms and Foliage, beautifully coloured after Nature. Square crown 8vo. uniform in size 
 with "Thomson's Seasons illustrated by the Etching Chib," 21s. cloth. 
 
 HINTS ON ETIQUETTE AND THE USAGES OF SOCIETY : 
 
 With a Glance at Bad Habits. By Aycoyos. " Manners make the man." New Edition, 
 revised (with additions) by a Lady of Rank. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 HISTORICAL PICTURES OE THE MIDDLE AGES, 
 
 In Black and White. Made on the spot, ft-om Records in the Archives of Switzerland. By a 
 Wandeking Artist. 2 vols, post 8vo. 18s. cloth. 
 
 HOARE.-A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CULTIVATION 
 
 OF THE GRAPE VINE ON OPEN WALLS. By Clement Hoare. New Edition. 8vo. 
 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 HOARE.-A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OE A NEW METHOD 
 
 of PLANTING and M.\NAGING the ROOTS of GRAPE VINES. By Clement Hoarr, 
 Author of "A Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape Vine on Open Walls." 12mo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 HOLLAND.-MEDICAL NOTES AND REFLECTIONS. 
 
 ■ By Henry Holland, M.D. F.R.S. &c. Fellow of the Royal Collesje of Physicians, Physician 
 Extraordinary to the Queen, and Physician in Ordinary to His Royal Highness Prince Albert. 
 New Edition. 8vo. 18s. cloth. 
 
 HOOK.-THE LAST DAYS OF OUR LORD'S MINISTRY: 
 
 A Course of Lectures on the principal Events of Passion Week. By Walter Farquhar 
 Hook, D D. Vicar of Leeds, Prebendary of Lincoln, and Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen. 
 New Edition. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 HOOKER.-KEW GARDENS; 
 
 Or, a Popular Guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew. By Sir William Jackson 
 Hooker, K.H. D.C.L. F.R.A. & L.S. &c. &c. Director. New Edition. l6mo. with numerous 
 Wood Engravings, 6d. sewed. 
 
 HOOKER.-THE BRITISH FLORA, 
 
 In Two Vols. Vol.1.; comprising Phanogamous or Flowering Plants, and the Ferns. By Sir 
 William Jackson Hooker, K.H. LL.D. F.R.A. and L.S. &c. &c &c. New Edition, with 
 Additions and Corrections ; and 173 Figures illustrative of the Umbelliferous Plants, the 
 Composite Plants, the Grasses, and the Ferns. Svo. with 12 Plates, 14s. plain; with the 
 Plates coloured, 24s. cloth. 
 
 Vol. II. in Two Parts, comprising the Cryptogamia and Fungi. Svo. 24s. cloth. 
 
 HORNE.-AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CRITICAL STUDY 
 
 and KNOWLEDGE of the HOLY SCRIPTURES. By Thoma* Hartwell Horne, B.D. 
 
 of St. John's College, Cambridge; Rector of the united Parishes of St. Edmund the Kin^ 
 and Martyr, and St. Nicholas Aeons, Lombard Street ; Prebendary of St. Paul's. New 
 Edition, revised and corrected. 5 vols. 8vo. with numerous Maps and Facsimiles of Biblical 
 Manuscripts, 63s. cloth; or ifc 5, bound in calf.
 
 rUBLISPIED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 13 
 
 HORNE.-A COMPENDIOUS INTRODUCTION TO THE 
 
 STUDY of the BlliLE. By Thomas Haktwkll Horne, B.U. of St. John's College, 
 Cambridge. Being an Analysis of his "Introduction to the Critical :5tudy and Know- 
 ledge of the Holy Scriptures." New Edition, corrected and enlarged. 12mo. with Maps and 
 other Engravings, 9s. boards. 
 
 HOWITT.-THE CHILDREN'S YEAR. 
 
 By Mary Howitt. With Four Illustrations, engraved by John Absolon, from Original 
 Designs by Anna Mary Howitt. Square 16ino. 5s. cloth. 
 
 HOWITT.-THE BOY'S COUNTRY BOOK: 
 
 Being the real Life of a Country Boy, written by himself; exhibiting all the Amusements, 
 Pleasures, and Pursuits of Children in the Country. Edited by William Howitt. New 
 Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with 40 Woodcuts, 6s. cloth. 
 
 HOWITT.-THE RURAL LIFE OF ENGLAND. 
 
 By William Howjtt. New Edition, corrected and revised. Medium 8vo. with Engravings 
 on wood, by Bewick and Williams, uniform with " Visits to Remarkable Places," 21s. cloth. 
 
 HOWITT.-VISITS TO REMARKABLE PLACES; 
 
 Old Halls, Battle-Fields, and Scenes illustrative of Striking Passages in English History and 
 Poetr>'. By William Howitt. New Edition. Medium Svo. with 40 Engravings on Wood, 
 21s. cloth. 
 SECOND SERIES, chiefly in the Counties of NORTHUMBERLAND and DURHA.M, with a 
 Stroll along the BORDER. Medium Svo. with upwards of 40 Engravings on Wood, 
 21s. cloth. 
 
 HOWITT.-THE RURAL AND SOCIAL LIFE OF GERMANY : 
 
 With Characteristic Sketches of its Chief Cities and Scenery. Collected in a General Tour, 
 and during a Residence in that Country. By William Howitt. Medium Svo. with 50 
 Engravings on Wood, 21s. cloth. 
 
 HOWITT.— COLONISATION AND CHRISTIANITY: 
 
 A Popular History of the Treatment of the Natives, in all their Colonies, by the Europeans. 
 By \Villiam Howitt. Post Svo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 HOWSON AND CONYBEARE.-THE LIFE AND EPISTLES 
 
 of SAINT PAUL. By the Rev. J. S. Howson, M. A., and the Rev. \V. J. Conybbare, M.A. 
 2 vols. 4to. richly illustrated. [Seepage 6. 
 
 HUDSON.-THE EXECUTOR'S GUIDE. 
 
 By J. C. Hudson, Esq. late of the Legacy Duty Office, London ; Author of "Plain Directions 
 for Making Wills," and "The Parent's Hand-book." New Edition. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 HUDSON.-PLAIN DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING WILLS 
 
 In Conformity with the Law, and jjarticularly with reference to the Act 7 Will. 4 and 1 Vict. 
 c. 26. To which is added, a clear Exposition of the Law relating to the distribution of Per- 
 sonal Estate in the case of Intestacy ; with two Forms of Wills, and much useful information, 
 &c. By J. C. Hudson, Esq. New Edition, corrected. Fcp. Svo. 2s. 6d. cloth. 
 *»* These two works may be had in one volume, 7s. cloth. 
 
 HUMBOLDT.-ASPECTS OF NATURE, 
 
 in Different Lands and in Ditterent Climates. By Ale.xaxder Vox Humboldt. Translated, 
 with the Author's sanction and co-operation, and at his express desire, by Mrs. S.\bine. 
 2 vols. 16mo. uniform with Murray's " Home and Colonial Library'." 
 
 BARON VON HUMBOLDT'S COSMOS ; 
 
 Or, a Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe. Translated, \vith the Author's sanction 
 and co-operation, under the superintendence of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Sabine, R.A. 
 For. Sec. R.S. New Edition. IDmo. uniform with Mr. Murray's "Home and Colonial 
 Library." Vols. I. and II. price Half-a-Crown each. 
 
 *»* The authorised " Library Edition," in post 8vo., Vols. I. and II. price 12s. each, may 
 still be had. 
 
 HUMPHREYS.-A RECORD OF THE BLACK PRINCE; 
 
 being a Selection of such Passages in his Life as have been most quaintly and strikingly nar- 
 rated by the Chroniclers of the Period. Embellished with highly-wrought Miniatures and 
 Borderings, selected from various illuminated MSS. referring to Events connected with 
 English History. By Henry Noel Humphreys. Post Svo. in a richly carved and pierced 
 binding, 21s.
 
 HUNT -RESEARCHES ON LIGHT : 
 
 An Examination of all the I'henomena connected with the Chemical and Molecular Changes 
 produced l)y the Influence of the Solar Rays; embracing all the known Photographic Pro- 
 cesses, and new Discoveries in the Art By Robert Hunt, Keeper of JNIining Records, 
 Museum of Economic Geology. 8vo. with Plate and Woodcuts, 10s. tid. cloth. 
 
 JAMES.— A HISTORY OE THE LIFE OF EDWARD THE 
 
 BLACK PRINCE, and of various Events connected therewith, which occurred during the 
 Reign of Edward III. King of England. By G.. P. R. James, Esq. New Edition. 2 vols. fcp. 
 8vo. Map, 15s. cloth. 
 
 MRS. JAMESON.-LEGENDS OF THE MONASTIC ORDERS: 
 
 comprising the History of the Franciscans, as connected with the Revival of Art ; Legends 
 of those Royal Personages who died in the Religious Habit ; and Notes on the Remains of 
 English Legendary Art. By Mrs. Jameson, Author of "Sacred and Legendary Art," &c. 
 Square crown 8vo. with numerous Illustrations. [Nearly ready. 
 
 *»* To be followed by " Legends of the Madonna," by the same Author, similarly illustrated. 
 
 MRS. JAMESON.- SACRED AND LEGENDARY ART. 
 
 By Mrs. Jameson. AVith numerous Wood Engi'avings, and Sixteen Etchings by the Author. 
 2 vols, square crown 8vo. 42s. cloth. 
 
 JEBB. -A LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF 
 
 PSALMS ; intended to illustrate their Poetical and Moral Structure. To which are added, 
 Dissertations on the word " Selah," and on the Authorship, Order, Titles, and Poetical 
 Features, of the Psalms. By the Rev. John Jebb, A.M. 2 vols. 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 JEFFREY. - CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDINBURGH 
 
 REVIEW. By Francis Jeffrey, nowOneof the Judges of theCourt of Session in Scotland 
 New Edition. 3 vols. Svo. 42s. cloth. 
 
 BISHOP JEREMY TAYLOR'S ENTIRE WORKS : 
 
 With the Life by Bishop Heber. Revised and corrected by the Rev. Charles Page 
 Eden, Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. Vols. II. III. IV. V. and VI. 8vo. 10s. 6d. each. 
 
 *»* In course of publication, in Ten Volumes, price Half-a-Guinea each.— Vol. I. (the last 
 in order of publication) will contain Bishop Heber's Life of Jeremy Taylor, extended by the 
 Editor. — Vol. VII. is in the press. 
 
 JOHNSON.-THE FARMER'S ENCYCLOPJiDIA, 
 
 And Dictionary of Rural Affairs: embracing all the recent Discoveries in Agricultural Che- 
 mistry; adapted to the comprehension of unscientific readers. ByCuTHBERT W.Johnson, 
 Esq. F.R.S. Barrister-at-Law ; Editor of the "Farmer's Almanack," &c. Svo. with Wood 
 Engravings, A"2. 10s. cloth. 
 
 JOHNSON.-THE WISDOM OF THE RAMBLER, ADVEN- 
 
 TURER, and IDLER: comprising a Selection of 110 of the best Essays. By Samuel 
 Johnson, LL.D. Fcp. Svo. 7s. cloth. 
 
 SIR ROBERT KANE.-ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY, 
 
 Theoretical and Practical: including the most Recent Discoveries and Applications of the 
 Science of Medicine and Pharmacy to Agriculture and to Manufactures. By Sir Robert Kane, 
 M.I'. M.R.I. A. 2d Edition, corrected and greatly enlarged; illustrated by 230 Wood En- 
 gravings. In One large Volume, Svo. of about 1,100 pages, 28s. cloth. 
 
 KEMBLE.-THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND : 
 
 a History of the English Commonwealth till the period of the Norman Conquest. By John 
 Mitchell Kemble, M.A. F.C.P.S., &c. 2 vols. Svo. 28s. cloth. 
 
 KINDERSLEY.-THE VERY JOYOUS, PLEASANT, AND 
 
 REFRESHING HISTORY of the Feats, Exploits, Triumphs, and Achievements of the Good 
 Knight, without Fear and without Reproach, the gentle LORD DE BAYARD. Set forth in 
 English by Edward Cockburn Kindersley, Esq. With Ornamental Headings, and 
 Frontispiece by E. H. Wehnert. Square post Svo. 9s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 KIP.-THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 
 
 By the Rev. W. Ingraham Kip, M.A. Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. Fellow and 
 Tutor of E.xeter College, Oxford. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.
 
 PUBLISflED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 15 
 
 KIRBY&SPENCE.-AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY; 
 
 Or, Elements of the Natural History of Insects : comprisins: an account of noxious and useful 
 Insects, of tlieir Metamorphoses, Food, Stratagems, Habitations, Societies, Motions, Noises, 
 Hvhernation, Instinct, &c. By W. Kirby, M.\. F.R.S. & L.S. Rector of ]?arliam ; and \V. 
 Sp'ence, Esq. F.R.S. & L.S. New Edition. 2 vols. 8vo. with Plates, 31s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LARDNER'S CABINET CYCLOPAEDIA; 
 
 Comprising a Series of Orig:inal Works on History, Biop-aphy, Natural Philosophy, Natural 
 History-, Literature, the Sciences, Arts, and Manufactures. By BisHor Thirlwall, Sir 
 James Mackintosh, Sir John Herschel, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Moore, 
 Robert Southey, and other eminent Writers. 
 
 The Series, complete, in One Hundred and Thirty-three Volumes, d'39. 18s. 
 separately, Cs. per volume. 
 
 TTie works. 
 
 THE SSRIES COMPBISMS: 
 
 1. Bell's History of Russia 3 vols. 
 
 2. Bell's Lives of British Poets . . 2 vols. 
 
 3. Brewster's Treatise on Optics. 1 vol. 
 
 4. Cooley's Maritime and Inland 
 
 Discovery 3 vols. 
 
 5. Crowe's History of France 3 vols. 
 
 6. De Morgan On Probabilities. . 1 vol. 
 
 7. De Sismondi's History of the 
 
 Italian Republics 1 vol. 
 
 8. De Sismondi's Fall of the 
 
 Roman Empire 2 vols. 
 
 9. Donovan's Chemistry 1 vol. 
 
 10. Donovan's Domestic Economy 2 vols. 
 U. Dunham's Spain and Portugal, 5 vols. 
 
 12. Dunham's History of Den- 
 
 mark, Sweden, and Norway. . 3 vols. 
 
 13. Dunham's History of Poland . 1 vol. 
 
 14. Dunham's Germanic Empire. . 3 vols. 
 
 15. Dunham's Europe during the 
 
 Middle Ages 4 vols. 
 
 16. Dunham's British Dramatists, 2 vols. 
 
 17. Dunham's Lives of Early Wri- 
 
 ters of Great Britain 1 vol. 
 
 18. Fergus's History of the United 
 
 States 2 vols. 
 
 19. Fosbroke's Grecian and Ro- 
 man Antiquities 2 vols. 
 
 20. Forster's Lives of the States- 
 
 men of the Commonwealth . . 5 vols. 
 
 21. Forster, Mackintosh, and Cour- 
 
 tenay's Lives of British 
 Statesmen 7 vols. 
 
 22. Gleig's Lives of Military Com- 
 
 manders 3 vols. 
 
 23. Grattan's History of the Ne- 
 
 therlands 1 vol. 
 
 24. Henslow's Treatise on Botany 1 vol. 
 
 25. Herschel's Astronomy 1 voL 
 
 26. Herschel's Preliminary Dis- 
 
 course on theStudy of Natural 
 Philosophy 1 vol. 
 
 27. Histoi-y of Rome 2 vols. 
 
 28. History of Switzerland 1 vol. 
 
 29. Holland's Manufactures in 
 
 Metal 3 vols. 
 
 30. James's Lives of Foreign States- 
 
 men 5 vols. 
 
 31. Kater & Lardner's Mechanics, 1 vol. 
 
 32. Keightley^s Outlines of History 1 vol. 
 
 18s. 
 
 33. 
 
 12s. 
 
 34. 
 
 6s. 
 
 33. 
 
 
 36. 
 
 18s. 1 
 
 
 18s. ' 
 
 37. 
 
 6s. ! 
 
 
 
 38. 
 
 6s. 
 
 
 
 39. 
 
 12s. 
 
 
 6s. 
 
 
 12s. 
 
 40. 
 
 308. 
 
 41. 
 
 18s. 
 
 42. 
 
 6s. 
 
 43. 
 
 18s. 
 
 
 
 44. 
 
 24s. 
 
 
 12s. 
 
 45. 
 
 6s. 
 
 46. 
 
 
 47. 
 
 12s. 
 
 48. 
 
 12s. 
 
 49. 
 
 30s. 
 
 50. 
 
 
 51. 
 
 42s. 
 
 
 
 52. 
 
 I8S. 
 
 
 
 53. 
 
 6s. 
 
 
 6s. 
 
 54. 
 
 6s. 
 
 
 
 03. 
 
 6s. 
 
 56. 
 
 12s. 
 
 57. 
 
 6s. 
 
 58. 
 
 
 59. 
 
 18s. 
 
 60. 
 
 30s. 
 
 61. 
 
 6s. 
 
 
 6s. 
 
 62. 
 
 Lardner's Arithmetic 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Lardner's Geometry i vol. 6s. 
 
 Lardner on Heat 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Lardner's Hydrostatics and 
 
 Pneumatics 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Lardner and Walker's Electri- 
 city and Magnetism 2 vols. 12s. 
 
 Mackintosh, Wallace, and Bell's 
 
 History of England lo vols. 60s. 
 
 Montgomery and Shelley's 
 Italian, Spanish, and Portu- 
 guese Authors 3 vols. iss. 
 
 Moore's History of Ireland 4 vols. 24s. 
 
 Nicolas's Chronology of His- 
 tory 1 vol. 6s. 
 
 Pliillips's Treatise on Geology. 2 vols. 12s. 
 Powell's Histor>' of Natural 
 
 Philosophy i vol. 6s. 
 
 Porter's Treatise on the Manu- 
 facture of Silk 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Porter's Manufacture of Por- 
 celain and Glass 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Roscoe's Lives of Brit. Lawyers 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Scott's History of Scotland 2 vols. 12s. 
 
 Shelley's Lives of French Au- 
 thors 2 vols. 12s. 
 
 Shuckard and Swainson's Trea- 
 tise on Insects 1 vol. 6s. 
 
 Southey's Lives of British Ad- 
 mirals 5 vols. 30s. 
 
 . Stebbing's History of the 
 
 Church 2 vols. 12s. 
 
 Stebbing's History of the Re- 
 formation 2 vols. 12s. 
 
 Swainson's Preliminary Dis- 
 course on Natural History . . 1 vol. 6s. 
 . Swiiinson's Natural Histors and 
 
 Classification of Animals. .. . 1vol. 6s. 
 Swainson's Habits and In- 
 stincts of Animals 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Swainson's Quadrupeds 1 vol. 6s. 
 
 Swainson's Birds 2 vols. 12. 
 
 , Swainson's Fish, Reptiles, &c. 2 vols. 12s. 
 , Swainson's Shells and Shellfish 1 vol. 6s. 
 , Swainson's Animals in Mena- 
 geries 1vol. 6s. 
 
 Swainson's Taxidermy and Bib- 
 liography 1vol. 6s. 
 
 .Thirlwall's History of Greece 8 vols. 4Ss.
 
 16 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 LAING -THE CHRONICLE OF THE KINGS OE NORWAY, 
 
 From the Earliest Period of the History of the Northern Sea Kiiisfs to the Middle of the Twelfth 
 Century, commonly called THE HEIMSKRIXGLA. Translated from the Icelandic of 
 Snorro Sturleson, with Notes, and a Preliminary Discourse, by Samuel Laino, Esq. 
 3 vols. 8vo. 36s. cloth. 
 
 LAING.-A TOUR IN SWEDEN, 
 
 In 1838; comprising observations on the Moral, Political, and Economical State of the Swedish 
 Nation. By Samuel Laing, Esq. 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 LANDOR.-THE FOUNTAIN OF ARETHUSA. 
 
 By Robert Eyres Landor, M.A. Author of "The Fawn of Sertorius," "The InipioiiN 
 Feast," Tragedies, &c. 2 vols, post 8vo. ISs. cloth. 
 
 LATHAM.-ON DISEASES OF THE HEART. 
 
 Lectures on Subjects connected with Clinical Medicine; comprising Diseases of the Heart. 
 By P. M. Latham, M. D., Physician Extraordinary to the Queen ; and late Physciian to St. 
 Bartholomew's Hospital. New Edition. 2 vols. 12mo. 16s. cloth. 
 
 LEE-ELEMENTS OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
 
 For the use of Schools and Young Persons : comprising the Principles of Classification 
 interspersed with amusing and instructive original Accoiuits oi' the most remarkable Animals . • 
 By Mrs. R. Lee. 12mo. with Fifty-five Woodcuts, 7s. 6d. bound. 
 
 LEE-TAXIDERMY; 
 
 Or, the Art of Collecting, Preparing, and Mounting OWfe(#S' of Natural History. For the 
 use of Museums and Travellers. By Mrs. R. Lee. NewEdition, improved, with an account 
 of a Visit to Walton Hall, and Jlr. W'aterton's Method of Preserving Animals. Fcp. 8vo. 
 with Woodcuts, 7s. cloth. 
 
 L. E. L.-THE POETICAL WORKS OF LETITIA ELIZABETH 
 
 LANDON ; comprising the IMPROVISATRICE, the VENETIAN BRACELET, the GOLDEN 
 VIOLET, the TROUBADOUR, and other Poetical Remains. New Edition, uniform with the 
 smaller Edition of Mr. Macaulay's " Lays of Ancient Rome," and Moore's "Songs, Ballads, 
 and Sacred Songs." 2 vols. 16mo. with Vignette-titles. [Nearly reach/. 
 
 *»* Also, an Edition, in 4 vols. fcp. 6vo. with UlustratiCias by Howard, &C-. 38s. cloth ; 
 or ^£2. 4s. bound in morocco. 
 
 LESLIE -MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF JOHN CONSTABLE, 
 
 Esq. R.A. Composed chiefly of his Letters. By C. R. Leslie, Esq. R.A. New Edition, 
 with further Extracts from his Correspondence. With two Portraits (one from a new Sketch 
 by Mr. Leslie), and a Plate of " Spring," engraved by Lucas. Small 4to. 21s. cloth. 
 
 LETTERS TO MY UNKNOWN FRIENDS. 
 
 By A Lady, Author of " Twelve Years Ago." New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LINDLEY.-INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY. 
 
 By J. LiNDLEY, Ph.D. F.R.S. L.S. &c. Professor of Botany in University College, London. 
 New Edition, with Corrections and copious Additions. 2 vols. 8vo. with Six Plates and 
 numerous Woodcuts, 24s. cloth. 
 
 LINDLEY.-A SYNOPSIS OF THE BRITISH FLORA, 
 
 Arranaed according to the Natural Orders. By Professor Jon. \ Linpley, Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. 
 New Edition, with numerous additions and corrections. r2mo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LINDLEY.-THE THEORY OF HORTICULTURE; 
 
 Or, an Attempt to explain the Principal Operations of Gardening upon Physiological Prin- 
 ciples. By Professor John Lindley, Ph.D. F.R.S. 8vo. with Woodcuts, 12s.,cll)th. 
 
 LINDLEY.- GUIDE TO ORCHARD AND KITCHEN GARDEN; 
 
 Or, an Account of the most valuable Fruits and Vegetables cultivated in Great Britain : with 
 Kalendars of the Work required inthe Orchard and Kitchen Garden during every month inthc 
 year. By G. Lindley, CM. H.S. Edited by Professor J. Lindley. 8vo. 16s. cloth. 

 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 17 
 
 LINWOOD.-ANTITOLOGIA OXONIENSIS, 
 
 Sive Florile^ium e lusibus poeticis diversorum Oxoniensiutn Graecis et Latinis decerptum. 
 Curante Gulielmo Linwoo.", M.A. .Edis Christi Alumrao. 8vo. 14s. cloth. 
 
 lORIMER.-LETTERS TO A YOUXG MASTER MARINER 
 
 On some Subjects connected with his Calling". By the late Charles Lorimeu. New Edit. 
 Fcp. 8vo, OS. 6d. cloth. 
 
 *' This edition has been carefullv revised, and some improvements and additions made to it. Nautical matters 
 ore not so much the subjfct of the book as the commercial duties and legal powers and responsibilities of the master 
 miriner, under tlie critical circumstances in which he may continually find himself " Spect.vtor. 
 
 LOUDON -THE AMATEUR GARDENER'S CALENDAR: 
 
 Being: a Monthly Guide as to what should be avoided, as well as what should be done, in a 
 Garden in each Month : with plain Rules how to do what is requisite; Directions tor Layin-j 
 Out and Planting Kitchen and Flower Gardens, Pleasure Grounds, and Shrubberies; and a 
 short Account, in each .Month, of the Quadrupeds, Birds, and Insects then most injuiious to 
 Gardens. By Mrs. Loudon. 16mo with Wood Engravings, 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-THE LADY'S COUNTRY COMPANION; 
 
 Or, How to Enjoy a Country Lite Rationally. By Mrs. Loudon, Author of " Gardening for 
 LadieSj" &c. Xew Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with Plate and Wood Engravings, 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON -SELF-INSTRUCTION FOR YOUNG GARDENERS, 
 
 Foresters, Bailiffs, Land Stewards, and Farmers; in Arithmetic, Book-keeping, GeometiT, 
 Mensuration, Practical Trigonometry, Mechanics, Land-Surveying, Levelling, Planning and 
 M.-^pping, Architectural Urawine, and Isometrical Projection and Perspective; with Examples 
 shewing their applications to ^horticulture and Agricultural Purposes. By the late J. G. 
 Loudon. With a Portrait 6^^Ir. Loudon, and a Memoir by Mrs. Loudon. 8vo. with Wood- 
 cuts, 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON -AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING : 
 
 Presenting, in one systematic view, the History and Present State of Gardening in all Coun- 
 tries, and its Theory and Practice in Great Britain: with the Management of the Kitchen 
 Garden, the Flower Garden, Laying-out Grounds, &c. By J. C. Loudon. New Edition, 
 enlarged and improved. 8vo. with nearly 1,000 Engravings on Wood, 50s. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-AN ENCICUOPEDIA OF TREES AND SHRUBS : 
 
 being the "Arboretum et Fruticetuni Britannicum" abridged: containing the Hardy Trees 
 and Shrubs of Great Britain, Native and Foreign, Scientifically and Popularly Described ; 
 with their Propagation, Culture, and Uses in the Arts; and with Engravings of nearly all 
 the Species. .Vdapted for the use of Nurserymen, Gardeners, and Foresters. By J. C. 
 Loudon. 8vo. with 2,00'J Engravings on Wood, £2. 10s. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-AN ENCYCLOPiEDIA OF AGRICULTURE: 
 
 Comprising the Theory and Practice of the Valuation, Transfer, Laying-out, improvement, 
 and Management of Landed Property, and of the Cultivation and Economy of the Animal and 
 A'egetableproductionsofAsrriculture:' including all the latest impiovemeiits, a general History 
 of .\2:riculture in all Countries, a Statistical View of its present State, with Suggestions for 
 its future progress in the British Isles ; and Supplement, bringing down the work to the year 
 1844. Bv .1. C Loudon. New Edition. 8vo. with upwards of 1,100 Engravings on Wood, 
 j62. 10s. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-AN ENCYCLOPJlDIA OF PLANTS : 
 
 Including all the Plants which are now found in, or have been introduced into. Great Britain ; 
 ariving their Natural History, accompanied by such descriptions, engraved tignres, and 
 elementary details, as may enable a beginner, who is a mere English reader, to discover the 
 name of every Plant which he may find in flower, and acquire all the information respecting 
 it which is useful and interesting. Bv J. C. Loido.v. The Specific Characters by an 
 Eminent Botanist ; the Drawines by J. f). C. Sowerby. New Edition with Supplement, and 
 new General Inde.\. 8vo. with nearly 10,000 Wood Engravings, ^3. 13s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COTTAGE, FARM, AND 
 
 VILL.\ ARCHITECTURE and FURNITURE ; containing numerous Designs, from the Villa 
 to the Cottage ara the Farm, including Farm Houses, Earn eries, and other Agricultural 
 Buildings; Countrv Inns, Public Houses, and Parochial Schools ; with the requisite Fittings- 
 up. Fixtures, and Furniture, and appropriate Offices, Gardens, and Garden Scenery: each 
 Desiarn accompanied bv .\nalvtical and Critical Remarks. By J. C. Loudon. New Edition, 
 edited by Mrs. Locdo'n. 8vo. with more than 2,000 Engravings on Wood, £3. 3s. cloth.
 
 IS TSTEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 LOUDON.-HORTUS BRITANNICUS: 
 
 A Catalogue of all the Plants indigenous to or introduced into Britain. By J. C. Lotjdon. 
 3d Edition, with a New Supplement, prepared, under the direction of Mr. Loudon, by ■ 
 W. H. Baxter, and revised by George Don. 8vo. 31s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOUDON.-HORTUS LIGNOSIS LONDINENSIS; 
 
 Or, a Catalog'ue of all the Ligneous Plants cultivated in the neighbourhood of London. To 
 which are added, their usual prices in Nurseries. By J. C. Loudon. 8vo. 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 LOW. -ON THE DOMESTICATED ANIMALS OF GREAT 
 
 BRITAIN ; comprehending the Natural and Economical History of the Species and Breeds ; 
 Illustrations of the Properties of External Form ; and Observations on the Principles and 
 Practice of Breeding. By David Low, Esq. F.R.S.E. Professor of Agriculture in the Uni- 
 versity of Edinburgh. 8vo. with Engravings on'Wood, 25s. cloth. 
 
 LOW. -THE BREEDS OE THE DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 
 
 Of Great Britain Described. By David Low, Esq. F.R.S.E. The Plates from Drawings by 
 W. Nicholson, R.S.A. reduced from a Series of Oil Paintings, executed for the Agricultural 
 Museum of the University of Edinburgh, by W. Shiels, R.S..\. 2 vols, atlas quarto, with 56 
 plates of animals, beautifully coloured after Nature, i?16. 16s. half-bound in morocco.— Or 
 in four separate portions, as follows : — . ig-el*-;- ; 
 
 The OX. With 22 plates, .€6. I6s. 6d. I The HORSE. With 8 plates, £3. *?>-'**-''' 
 The SHEEP. With 21 plates, ^6. 16s. 6d. | The HOG. With 5 plates, £2. 2s. 
 
 LOW.-ELEMENTS OF PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE; 
 
 Comprehending the Cultivation of Plants, the Husbandry of the Domestic Animals, and the 
 Economy of the Farm. By D. Low, Esq. F R.S.E. New Edition, with Alterations and Addi- 
 tions, and an entirely new set of above 200 Woodcuts. 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 LOW.-ON LANDED PROPERTY, 
 
 And the ECONOMY of ESTATES ; comprehending the Relation of Landlord and Tenant, 
 and the Principles and Forms of Leases ; Farm-Buildings, Enclosures, Drains, Embank- 
 ments, and other Rural Works ; INIinerals; and Woods. By David tow, Esq. F.R.S.E. 
 8vo. with numerous Wood Engravings, 21s. cloth. 
 
 LOW.-AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATUM] OF THE SIMPLE 
 
 BODIES OF CHEMISTRY. By D. Low, F.R.S.E. Authordf*' Elements of Practical Agricul- : 
 ture,""A Treatise on Landed Property and the Economyof Estates," "A Treatise on the 
 Breeds of the British Domesticated Animals," " The Breeds of the Domesticated Animals of 
 Great Britain Illustrated and Described." 2d Edition, enlarged and improved. 8vo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 MACAULAY.-THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND FROM THE 
 
 ACCESSION OF JAMES II. By Thomas Babbington Macaulay. 5th Edition. 
 Vols. I. and II. 8vo. 32s. cloth. I 
 
 MACAULAY.-CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL ESSAYS CON- 
 
 TRIBUTED to Tlie EDINBURGH REVIEW. By Thomas Babington Macaulay.' 
 
 6th Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. 36s. cloth. | 
 
 MACAULAY.-LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 With " Ivry" and "The Armada." By Thomas Babington Macaulay. New Edition.! 
 16mo. 4s. 6d. cloth ; or 10s. 6d. bound in morocco. 
 
 MR. MACAULAY'S LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 With numerous Illustrations, Original and from the Antique, drawn on Wood by George 
 Scharf, Jun. and engraved by Samuel Williams. New Edition. Fcp. 4to. 21s. boards j 
 morocco, 42s. 
 
 MACKAY.-THE SCENERY AND POETRY OF THE ENGLISH 
 
 LAKIiS ; a Summer Ramble. By Charles Mackay, Esq. LL.D. Author of "The Thames 
 and its Tributaries," &c. 8vo. With beautiful Wood Engravings from Ojigiual Sketche«| 
 14s. cloth. 
 
 MACKINTOSH.-SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH'S MISCFILLA- 
 
 NEOUS WORKS; including his cWributions to THE EDINBURGH REVIEW. Edited 
 by RoBRRT James Mackintosh, l^y. 3 vols. 8vo. 42s. cloth.
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 19 
 
 MACKINTOSH.-THE LIFE OF SIR THOMAS MORE. 
 
 Uy Sir James Mackintosh. Reprinted from the Cabinet Cyclopaedia. Fcp. 8vo. with 
 Portrait, 5s. cloth ; or boand in vellum, 8s. 
 
 M'CULLOCH. -A DICTIONARY, PRACTICAL, THEORETI- 
 
 CAL, AND HISTORICAL, OF COM.MERCE AND CO.MMERCIAL NAVIGATION, illus- 
 trated with Maps and Plans. By J. R. M'Colloch, Ksq. New Edition, (1849), corrected, 
 enliirged, and improved; with a Supplement. 8vo. 50s. cloth ; or 55s. half- bound in russia. 
 
 *»* The SuppLEME.VT to the last Edition, published in 1847, may be had separately, price 
 4s. Gd. sewed. 
 
 M'CULLOCH.-A DICTIOxXARY, GEOGRAPHICAL, STATIS- 
 
 TICAL, AND HISTORICAL, of the various Countries, Places, and Principal .Natural Objects 
 in the WORLD. By J. R. M'CuLLncH, Esq. New Edition (1849), revised and enlarged ; 
 including new articles on Australia, Austria, the Britisli Empire, France, &c. : in 2 thick and 
 closely-printed Voluii;es, illustrated witli 6 large iMaps 8vo. .ti. cloth. 
 
 *»* A Supplement to the Edition publishod in 184'j embodies the latest information with 
 respect to the Australian Colonies, New Zealand, Natal, Labuaii, &c. Price Half-a-Crown. 
 
 MjC:ULLOCH.-AN account, descriptive and STATIS- 
 
 TICAL, of the BRITI.-5H EMPIRE; e.Khibiting its E.\lent, I'liysical Capacities, Po))ulation, 
 Industry, and Civil and Religious Institutions. By J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. New Edition 
 corrected, enlarged, and greatly improved 3 thick vols. Svo. 42s. cloth. 
 
 M'CULLOCH. -THE LITERATURE OF POLITICAL ECO- 
 
 NO.MY ; being a Classitiod Catalogue of the principal Works in the dilt'erent departments of 
 Political Economy, with Historical, Critical, and Biographical Notices By J. R. M'Culloch, 
 Esq. Svo. 14s. cloth. 
 
 M'CULLOCH.-A TREATISE ON THE SUCCESSION TO 
 
 PROPERTY Vacant by Death: including Inquiries into the Influence of Primogeniture, 
 Entails, the Law of Compulsory Partition, Foundations, &c. over the Public Interests. By 
 J. R. M'Culloch, Es(|. Svo. 6s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 M'CULLOCH.- A Treatise on the principles and 
 
 PRACTICAL INFLUENCE of TAX.VnON and the FUNDING SYSTE.M. By J. R. 
 M'Culloch, Esq. Svo. lOs.iCloth. 
 
 MADAME DE MALGUET : 
 
 A Tale of 1820. 3 vols, post Svo. 31s. boards. 
 
 MAITLAND.-THE APOSTLES' SCHOOL OF PROPHETIC 
 
 INTERPRETATK^N : with its History to the Present Time. By Charles Maitla.nd, 
 Author of " The Church in the Catacombs." Svo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 " We have no hesitation in rccommen.lini; it to the consideration of all students of the prophetical writings, as 
 one of the most valuable works that h.as ever .ippeared on the subject." British M^oazink. 
 
 MAITLAND.-THE CHURCH IN THE CATACOMBS: 
 
 A Description of the Primitive Church of Rome. Illustrated by its Sepulchral Remains. By 
 Charles Maitland. New Edition, corrected. Svo. with numerous Wood Engravings, 
 14s. cloth. 
 
 MARCET.-CONVERSATIONS ON CHEMISTRY ; 
 
 In which the Elements of that Science are familiarly Explained and Illustrated by Experiments. 
 By Jane Marcet. New Edition, enlarged and improved. 2 vols. fcp. Svc. 14s. cloth. 
 
 MARCET.-CONVERSATIONS ON NATURAL PHILOSOPHY; 
 
 in which the'Elements of tlint .Science are familiarly explaineil. By Ja.ne .Makcet. New 
 ■■■,' "ii<lition, enlarged and corrected. Fcp. Svo. with 23 Plates, 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 MARCET.-CONYEKSATIONS ON POLITICAL ECONOMY; 
 
 In which the i:ieiiieiiis of that ncie.icc are familiarly explained. By Jane .Makcet. .New 
 Fidition revised and enlarged. Fcp. Svo. 7s. (id. floth.
 
 20 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 MARCET. - CONVERSATIONS ON VEGETABLE PHYSIO- 
 
 LOGY; comprehending^ the Elements of Botany, with their application to Agriculture. 
 By Jane Marckt. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with 4 Plates, 9s. cloth. 
 
 MARCET.-CONVERSATIONS ON LAND AND WATER. 
 
 By Jaxe Marcet. New Edition, revised and corrected. With a coloured Map, shewing 
 the comparative altitude of Mountains. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 THE MARRIAGE SERVICE (ILLUMINATED). 
 
 THE FORM of SOLEMNIZATION of MATRIMONY. From "The Book of Common 
 Prayer." Illuminated, in the Missal Style, by Owen Jones. Sq. 18mo.21s. [Nearlt/ ready. 
 
 MARRYAT.-BORNEO AND THE EAST INDIAN ARCHI- 
 
 PEIiAGO. By Francis S. Marryat, late Midshipman of H.M.S. Samarang Surveying 
 Vessel. With'niany Drawings of Costume and Scenery, from Original Sketches made on the 
 spot bv Mr. Marryat. Imperial 8vo. with numerous Lithographic Plates and Wood Engrav- 
 ings, 31s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 M iRRYAT.-MASTERMAN READY ; 
 
 Or, the Wreck of the Pacific. VVritten for Youn^ People. By Captain F. Marryat, C.B. 
 Author of " Peter Simple," &c. 3 vols. fcp. 8vo. with Wood Engravings, 22s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 M/VRRYAT.-THE MISSION: 
 
 Or, Scenes in Africa. Written for Young People. By Captain F. Marryat, C.B. Author of 
 "Masterman Ready," &c. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 MARRYAT. -THE PRIVATEER'S-MAN ONE HUNDRED 
 
 YEARS AGO. By Captain F. Marryat, C.B. Author of " Masterman Ready," &c. 2 vols, 
 fcp. 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 MARRYAT.-THE SETTLERS IN CANADA. 
 
 Written for Y'oung People. By Captain F. Ma rryat, C.B. Author of " Masterman Ready," 
 &c. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with 2 Illustrations, 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 MATTEUCCI.-LECTURES ON THE PHYSICAL PH^NO- 
 
 MENA OF LIVING BEINGS. By Signor Carlo Matteucci, Professor in the University 
 of Pisa. Translated under the superintendence of J. fereirafjVf.D.F.R.S. Vice-President of 
 the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society. 12mo. gs.'tlOCTK-^ 
 
 MAUNDER.-THE TREASURY OE KNOWLEDGE, 
 
 And LIBRARY of REFERENCE. Comprising an English Grtimmar; Tables of English 
 Verbal Distinctions ; Proverbs, Terms, and Phrases, in Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian, 
 translated; New and Enlarged English Dictionary; Directions for Pronunciation; New 
 Universal Gazetteer; Tables of Population and Statistics; List of Cities, Boroughs, and 
 Market Towns in tlie United Kingdom ; Regulations of the General Post Office; List of Foreign 
 Animal, Vegetable, and jlineral Productions; Compendious Classical Dictionary ; Scripture 
 Proper Names accented, and Christian Names of Men and Women : with Latin Maxims 
 translated; List of Abbreviations ; Chronology and History; compendious Law Dictionary ; 
 Abstract of Tax Acts ; Interest and other Tables ; Forms of Epistolary Address : Tables of 
 Precedency ; Synop.sis of the British Peerage ; and Tables of Number, Money, Weights, and 
 Measures. By Sajiuel Maunder. 18th Edition, revised throughout, and greatly enlarged. 
 Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth ; bound in roan, 12s. 
 
 MAUNDER.-THE SCIENTIFIC & LITERARY TREASURY ; 
 
 A new and popular Encyclopaedia of Science and the Belles-Lettres ; including all Branches of 
 Science, and every Subject connected with Literature and Art. The whole written in a familiar 
 style, adapted to the comprehension of all persons desirous of acquiring infonnation on the 
 subjects comprised in the work, and also adapted for a Manual of convenient Reference to the 
 more instructed. By S. Maunder. NewEdition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth; bound in roan, 12s. 
 
 MAUNDER.-THE TREASURY OF NATURAL HISTORY; 
 
 Or, a Popular Dictionary of Animated Nature : in which the Zoological Characteristics that 
 distinguish the different Classes, Genera, and Species are combined with a Viiriety of interest- 
 ing Information illustrative of the Habits, Instincts and General Econoifiy oC the Animal 
 Kingdom. To which are added, a Syllabus of Practical Taxidermy, and a .Giossarial 
 .\p))endix. Embellished with 900 accurate Engriivings on Wood, from Drawing made 
 expressly for this work. By Samuel SlAT-NnER. NewEdition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth ', bound 
 in roan. 12s. ' _■ 
 
 '|^>-^J > ■ ••< *•»•" ■
 
 PUliLISUEB BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 2] 
 
 MAUNDER.-TIIE BIOGRAPHICAL TREASURY; 
 
 Consisting of Memoirs, isketclies, and brief Notices of al)Ove 12,000 Eminent Persons of all Asje. 
 and Nations, from the Earliest Period of History ; forming a new and complete Dictionary 
 of Universal Biography. By Samuel Maundkk. New Edition, revised throughout, and 
 containing a copious Supplement. Fcp. 8vo. IDs. cloth ; bound in roan, llis. 
 
 MAUNDER.-TIIE TREASURY OF HISTORY; 
 
 Comprising a General Introductory Outline of Universal History, Ancient and Modern, and a 
 Series of separate Histories of every principal Nation that exists; their Rise, Progress, and 
 Iresent Condition, the Moral and Social Character of their respective inhabitants, their 
 Religion, Manners, and Customs, &c. By Samuel Maunder. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. lOs. 
 cloth; bound in roan, 12s. 
 
 MAXIMS AND PRECEPTS OF THE SAVIOUR : 
 
 Being a Selection of the most beautiful Christian Precepts contained in the Four Gospels ; 
 illustrated by a series of lUuniinatioiiM of original character, founded on the Passages— 
 "Behold the Fowls of the Air," &c., "Consider the Lilies of the Field," &c. In a rich 
 binding', in the style of the celebrated opus A.nglicum. Square fcp. 8vo. 21s.; or 30s. 
 bound in morocco. 
 
 .MEMOIRS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GREAT 
 
 BRITAIN, and o; the Museum of Economic Geology in London. Published by order of the 
 Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. Royal 8vo. with Woodcuts and 9 liirge 
 Plates (seven coloured), 21s. cloth; and Vol. IL in T«o thick Parts, with 63 Plates (three 
 
 coloured), and numerous Woodcuts. 42s. cloth, or, separately, 21s. each Part. Also, 
 
 BRITISH ORGANIC REMAINS; consisting of Plates of Figures engraved on Steel, with 
 descriptive Letterpress, and forming a portion of the Memoirs of the Geological Survey. 
 Decades L and II. royal Svo. 2s. (id. each ; or, royal 4to. 4s. 6d. each, sewed. 
 
 MERIVALE.-A HISTORY OF ROME UNDER THE 
 
 EMPERORS. Book the First, " JuUus Caesar." By the Rev. Charles Mkrivale. 
 2 vols. Svo. Nearly ready. 
 
 MILNER -THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 By the Rev. Josei'h Mti,i\KK, A.M. With Additions and Corrections by the Late Rev. 
 Isaac .Milneu, D.D..F.R«S. A New Edition, revised and corrected throughout, by the 
 Rev. T. Grantham, B.D. Hector of Bramber, and Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Kildare. 
 4 vols. 8vo. .^2. 12s. cloth. 
 
 THE MIRACLES ^, OUR SAVIOUR (ILLUMINATED). 
 
 With rich ai;d appropriate Boniers of original Design, a series of Illuminated Figures of the 
 Apostles, from Uie l)ld Alasters, six Illuminated Miniatures, and other embellishments. By 
 the Illuminator of the "Parables." Square fcp. Svo. in massive carved covers, 21s.; or 
 bound in morocco, 30s. 
 
 MITCHELL.-JOURNAL OF AN EXPEDITION INTO THE 
 
 Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
 By LiEUT-CoLONicL Sir '1. L. Mitchell, Knt. D.C.L. Surveyor-General of New South 
 Wales, and late elective Member of the Legislative Council of that Colony. Svo. with Maps, 
 Views, and Engravings of Objects of Natural History, 21s. cloth. 
 
 JAMES MONTGOMERY'S POETICAL WORKS. 
 
 New and only Complete Edition. With some additional Poems, and Autobiographical 
 Prefaces. Collected and Kdited by Mr. .Montgo.merv. 4 vols. fcp. Svo. with Portrait, and 
 Seven other Plates, 20s. cloth ; or bound in morocco, 3Gs. 
 
 MOORE.-MAN AND HIS MOTIVES. 
 
 By George Moore, M.D. Men.ber of the Royal College of Physicians, London, &c. ; Author 
 of "The Power of the Soul over the Body," and "The Use of the Body in relation to the 
 Mind." New Edition. Post 8vo. 8s. cloth. 
 
 MOORE.^lIE POWER OF THE SOUL OVER THE BODY, 
 
 . ' Considered in relation to Health and Morals. By George Moore, M.D. Member of the 
 Royal College of Physicians, London. &c. New Edition. Post Svo. 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 MOORE.-THE USE OF THE BODY IN RELATION TO THE 
 
 MIND. By George Moork, M.D. Member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, 
 &c. New Edition. .Post Svo. 9s. cloth.
 
 32 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 THOMAS MOORE'S POETICAL WORKS ; 
 
 Containing the Author's recent Introduction and Notes. Complete in one volume, uniform 
 with Lord Byron's and Southey's Poems. With a New Portrait, by George Richmond, and 
 a View of the Residence of the Poet. 8vo. 21s. cloth ; or 42s. bo and in morocco. 
 
 *»* Also, an Edition in 10 vols. fcp. 8vo. with Portrait, and 19 Plates, sb'2. 10s. cloth ; 
 bound in morocco. ^\. lOs. 
 
 MOORE-SONGS, BALLADS, AND SACRED SONGS. 
 
 By Thomas Mooke, Author of " Lalla Rookh," "Irish Melodies," &c. First collected 
 Kdition, uniform with the New Edition of Moore's " Irish Melodies," and " Lalla Rookh." 
 IGmo. with Vignette Title. [//» October. 
 
 MOORE'S IRISH MELODIES. 
 
 New and Cheaper Edition, uniform witli the smaller Edition of Mr. Macaulay's "Lavs 
 of Ancient Rome." With the Autobiographical Preface from the Collective Edition of 
 Mr. Moore's Poetcal Works, and a Vignette by D. Maclise, R.A., Engraved on Wood by 
 J. Thompson. 16nio. 5s. cloth ; or 12s. 6d. bound in morocco, by Hayday. 
 
 MOORE'S IRISH MELODIES. 
 
 With Vignette Title, from a design by Corbould. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth ; or, 
 bound in morocco, 13s. 6d. 
 
 MOORE'S IRISH MELODIES. 
 
 Illustrated by D. Maclise, R.A. Imperial 8vo. with 161 Steel Plates, £Z. 3s. boards ; or 
 ^'4. 14s. Cd. bound in morocco, by Hayday. Proof Impressions (only 200 copies printed, of 
 which a few remain), ^d. 6s boards. 
 
 MOORE'S LALLA ROOKH: AN ORIENTAL ROMANCE. 
 
 New and Cheaper Edition, uniform with the smaller Edition ef Mr. 'Macaulay's "Lays 
 of Ancient Rome." With the Autobiographical Preface from the Collective Edition of 
 Mr. Moore's Poetical Works, and a Vignette by D. Maclise, K.A., Engraved on Wood by 
 J. Thompson. 16mo. 5s. cloth ; or 12s. 6d. bound in morocco, by Hayday. 
 
 MOORE'S LALLA ROOKH : AN ORIENTAL ROMANCE. 
 
 With Four Engravings, from Paintings by Westall. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth; 
 or, bound in morocco, 14s. • 
 
 MOORE'S LALLA ROOKH : AN ORIENT.^Ai ROMANCE. 
 
 With 13 Plates from Designs by Corbould, Meadows, and Ste.ntoiioff, engraved under the 
 superintendence of Mr. Charles Heath. Svo'iils. clotb; mordeSnSSs; or, with India Proof 
 Plates, 42s. cloth. • •'■ .^ Cf^ .' 
 
 MORELL.-THE PHILOSOPHY OF' REifiGIONv.^' 
 
 By J. D. Morell, M.A. Author of an Historical and Critical " View of the Speculative Philo- 
 sophy of Europe in the Nineteenth Century." 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 MOSELEY. THE MECHANICAL PRINCIPLES OF ENGI- 
 
 NEERING ANT* ARCHITECTURE. By the Rev. H. Moseley, M.A. F.R.S., Professor of 
 Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in King's College, London ; and Author of " Illustrations 
 of Practical Mechanics," &c. 8vo. with Woodcuts and Diagrams, 24s. cloth/ 
 
 MOSELEY.-ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRACTICAL MECHANICS. 
 
 By the Rev. H. Tut >ei.ey, M.A., Professor of Natural Philosojiliy and Astronomy in King's 
 College, London ; being the First Volume of the Illustrations of Science by the Professors of 
 King's College. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with numerous Woodcuts, 8s. cloth. 
 
 MOSHEIM'S ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, 
 
 Ancient and Modern. Translated, with copious Notes, by James Murdoch, D.D. New 
 Edition, revised, and continued to the present time, by the Rev. Henky Soames, M.A. 
 4 vols. Svo. 48s. cloth. 
 
 MURE.-A CRITICAL HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE AND 
 
 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE, from the Earliest Period to the DAath of Solon. 
 By William Mure, M.P., of Caldwell. 3 vols. Svo. [Jn the press. 
 
 MURRAY.-ENCYCLOPJ]DIA OF GEOGRAPHY; 
 
 Comprising a complete Description of the Earth: exliibitiiiLf its Relation to the Heavenly 
 Bodies, its Physical Structure, the Natural History of each Country, Jtlid tlie Industry, Com- 
 ineice, Political Institutiotis, and Civil and Social State of all Nations. By Hip^ii VIxikray, 
 F.li.S.E. : assisted by other Writers of eminence. New Edition. Hvo. with 82 Maps, and up- ^ 
 wardsof 1,000 other Woodcuts, jfc 3, cloth. j^ . .^ 
 
 __ . . ■■ ,. - , ■• . ^ . < u os * ^: ir- 
 
 ",<■ ,* 
 
 *i> .■ /-v ■ ^
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 23 
 
 NEALE.-THE CLOSING SCENE ; 
 
 Or, Christianity and Infideliiy contrasted in the Last Hours of Remarkable Persons. By the 
 Rev.ERSKiNE Neale, M.A., Rector of Kirton, Suflblk ; Author of "The Bishop's Dausrhter," 
 " Self-Sacrifice," "The Life-Book of a Labourer," &c. New Edition. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 13s. cloth. 
 *»* Separately— Vol. I. (First Series), 6s. ; Vol. H. (Second Series), 7s. 
 
 NECKER DE SAUSSURE.-PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION ; 
 
 Or, Considerations on the Course of Life. Translated and abridg-ed from the French of 
 Madame Necker De Saussure, by Miss Holland. 3 vols. fcp. 8vo. 19s. 6d. cloth. 
 *»* Separately— Vols. I. and H. 12s. ; Vol. III. 7s. 6d. 
 
 OWEN. - LECTURES ON THE COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 
 
 and PHYSIOLOGY of the INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS, delivered at the Royal College 
 of Surgeons in 1843. By Richard Owen, F.R.S. Hunterian Fiofessor to the College. 8vo. 
 with nearly 140 Wood EngravingSj 14s. cloth, 
 
 OWEN.-LECTURES ON THE COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 
 
 and PHYSIOLOGY of the VERTEBRATE ANIMALS, delivered at the Royal College of 
 Surgeons in 1844 and 1846. By Richard Owen, F.R.S. Hunterian I'rofessor to the College. 
 In 2 vols. Vol. I. 8vo. with numerous Woodcuts, 14s. cloth. 
 
 PARABLES OF OUR LORD (ILLUMINATED). 
 
 PARABLES of OUR LORO, richly illuminated, with appropriate Borders, printed in 
 Colours and in Black and Gold; with a Design from one of the early German Engravers. 
 Square fcp. 8vo. 21s. in a massive carved binding ; or 30s. bound in morocco. 
 
 PARKES.-DOMESTIC DUTIES; 
 
 Or, Instructions to Young Married Ladies on the Management of their Househd'.-.ls, and the 
 Regulation of their Conduct in the various Relations and Duties of Married Life. By Mrs. 
 W. Parkes. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 PARNELL.-A TREATISE ON ROADS, 
 
 Wherein the Principles on which Roads should be made are explained and illustrated by the 
 Plans, Specifications, and Contracts, made use of by Thomas Telford. Esq. on the Holyhead 
 Road. By Sir Hen^y P\*n^ll, Bart. New Edition, 8vo. with 9 Plates, 21s. cloth. 
 
 PARROT.— THEkSCENT OE MOUNT ARARAT. 
 
 By Dr. Friedrich.«5*'''^ot, Professor of-Natural Philosophy in the University of Dorpat, 
 Russian Imperial Cdnneillorof State, &c. Translated and Edited by W. D. Coolhy, Esq. 
 Author of the " Uistory*W Maritime and Inland Discovery," &c. 8vo. with a Map by Ar- 
 rowsmith, aiic^ Woodcuts, 14s. cloth. 
 
 PASCAL'S MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS : 
 
 Consisting of Correspondence with Relatives and Friends; Letter on the Death of his Father, 
 in a complete state, from original sources ; Philosophical Treatises ; Discourse on the " Passion 
 of Love" (lately discovered) ; Essay on the Art of Persuasion, and Notes on Eloquence and 
 Style; Conversations— On the Condition of the Great, &c. ; detached Thoughts and Notes, 
 &c. : the jrreater part never before published in this Country, and large portions from 
 Orig^inal MS3. Arranged and translated from the French Edition of M. P. Faug^re, with 
 Introduction, Editorial Notices, Notes, &c. By G. Fearce, Esq. Post 8vo. 8s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 PASCAL'S PROVINCIAL LETTERS: 
 
 With an " Essay on Pascal, considered as a Writer and Moralist," by M. Villemain, Peer 
 of France, late Minister of Public Instruction, &c. Newly translated from the French, with 
 Memoir, Notes, and Appendix, by G. Pea roe, Esq. Post 8vo. with Portrait, 8s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 PEREIRA.-A TREATISE ON FOOD AND DIET : 
 
 With Obsen'ations on the Dietetical Regimen suited for Disordered States of the Digestive 
 Organs; and an Account of the Dietaries of some of the principal Metropolitan and other 
 Establishments for Paupers, Lunatics, Criminals, Cliildren, the Sick, &c. By Jon. Pkreira, 
 M.D. F.R.S. & L.S. Author of " Elements of Materia Medica." 8vo. 16s. cloth. 
 
 PESCHEL.-ELEMENTS OF PHYSICS. 
 
 By C. F, Peschel, Principal of the Royal Militai-y College, Dresden. Translated from the 
 German, with Notes, by E. AVest. 3 vols. fcp. 8vo. with Diagrams and Woodcuts, 21s. cloth. 
 ( Part 1. The Phvsics of Ponderable Bodies. Fcp. 8vo. "s. 6d. cloth, 
 gspar^tely i pa,t 2. Imponderable Bodies (Light, Heat, Magnetism, Electincity, and Electro- 
 l. Dynamics). 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 13s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 • .- T^-^-, 
 
 ,u»-^
 
 24 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 PHILLIPS.-AN ELEMENTARY INTRODUCTION TO MINE- 
 
 RALOGY; coraprisin? a Notice of tlie Characters, Properties, and Cliemiral Constitution of 
 Minerals: with Accounts of the Places and Circuinstanres in which they are found. By 
 William Phillips, F.L.S.M.G.S. &c. A New Edition, corrected, enlarj^ed, and improved, 
 by H. G. t.KOOKE, F.R.S. ; and W. H. Miller, M.A., F.R.S.. Professor of Mineralogy in 
 the University of Cambridge. 8vo. with numerous Wood Enarravings. [In the press. 
 
 PHILLIPS-FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 
 
 PALJiOZOIC FOSSILS of CORNWALL, DEVON, and WEST SOMERSET; observed in 
 the course of the Ordnance Geologrical Survey of that District. By John Phillips, F.R.S. 
 F.G.S. &c. Published by Order of the Lords Commissioners of H.i\L Treasury. 8vo. with 
 60 Plates, comprising' very numerous fio-ures, 9s. cloth. 
 
 PLUNKETT.-THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE BRITISH 
 
 NAVY. By Captain the Hon. E PLUNKirxx, R.N. Second Edition, corrected and enlargred ; 
 with Notes, and new Information communicated by several Officers of Distinction. PostSvo. 
 8s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 THE POCKET AND THE STUD ; 
 
 Or, Practical Hints on the Manaeement of the Stable. By Harry Hieover. Author of 
 " Stable-Tiilk and Table-Talk ; or, Spectacles for Young Sportsmen." Fop. 8vo. with Portrait- ■ 
 of the Author on his favourite Horse '• Harlequin," 5s. half-bound. '^ •' •, 
 
 PORTLOCK. -REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTY* 
 
 of LONDONDERRY, and of Parts of Tyrone and Femianairh, examined and described under 
 the Authoritv of the Master-General and Board of Ordnance. By J. E. Portlock, F.R.S. 
 &c. 8^-o. with 48 Plates, 24s. cloth. 
 
 POWER-SKETCHES IN NEW ZEALAND, 
 
 with Pen and Pencil. By W. Tyrone Power, D.A.CG. From a .lournal kept in that 
 Country, from July 1846 to June 1848. With 8 Plates and 2 Woodcuts, from Drawings made 
 on the spot. Post 8vo. 12s. cloth-. 
 
 ** The book is very pleasantly written, crowded with picturesque sketches by both prn and pencil, and exhibits, with 
 brevity and clearness, a complete review of the past and present relations, complicattd enough in their origin and progress, 
 between the native tribes, the New Zealand Company, the British Government, and the settlers. We have not seen the 
 case ot'New Zealand stated so fairly or so intelligibly elsewhere. Mr. Power's personal narrative considerably enhances 
 the interest and value of his statements. His journeys up rivers and mountains, and in various directions across a 
 trackless couiitry, his intercourse with tlie natives, and the incidents of savage life which every now and then rose upon 
 
 are full of excitement, and bring out in their details an effective pictureof the colony 
 
 ,"-/F^ Bf.ntlet's MiscrLtiNT. 
 
 PYCROFT -THE COLLEGIA:^^'S GUl5fe ; ^ 
 
 Or, Recollections of College Days: setting- fofith the Advantages and Temptations of an 
 Universitv Education. By the Rev. jAMEs'^^rvcROFit B.A., Author of " A Course of English 
 Reading,'' &c. Post 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth.' - 
 
 fi?^1 
 
 PYCROFT.-A COURSE OF ENGLISH RE]?DING, 
 
 ~ Adapted to every Taste and Capacity : with Anecdotes of INlen of Letters. By the Rev, 
 J.\MEs PvcKOFT, B.A. Aiithor of "The Collegian's Guide, &c." Fcp. 8vo. 6s. 6(1. cloth. 
 
 RANKE'S HISTORY OF THE REFOR.MATION. 
 
 Translated by Sarah Austin, Translator of Ranke's " History of the Popes.*' Vols. 1. and II. 
 8vo. 30s., Vol. III. 18s., cloth. 
 
 READER-TIME TABLES 
 
 On a New and Simplified Plan ; to facilitate the Operation of Discounting Bills, and the 
 Calculation of Interest on Baukinar and Current Accounts, &c. : shewing, without calcu- 
 lation, the Number of Days from everv Dav in the Year to any other Day, for any period 
 not exceeding 365 Days. By Thomas Reader. Post 8vo. I4s. cloth ; or 17s. calf lettered. 
 
 REID.- ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PRINCIPLES AND 
 
 PRACTICE of WARMING and VENTILATING, with Preliminary Remarks on Health and 
 Length of Life. By D. B. Reid, M.D. F.R.S.E. Svo. with Diagrams and Woodcuts, 16s. cloth. 
 
 REST IN THE CHURCH. 
 
 By the Author of " From Oxford to Rome ; and. How it Fared with some who lately made the 
 Journey." New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. Gs. 6d. cloth. 
 
 RICH. -THE ILLUSTRATED COMPANION TO THE LATIN 
 
 DICTIONARY AND GREEK LEXICON : forming a Glossary of all the Words representing 
 Visible Objects connected with the Arts, Manufactures, and Every-day Life of the Ancients. 
 With Representations of nearly Two Thousand Objects from the Antique. By Anthony 
 Rich, Jun. B.A. late of Cai us College, Cambridge Post 8vo. with about 2,000 Woodcuts, 
 ?ls. cloth. ,-^
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 25 
 
 RICHTER.-LEVANA ; OR, THE DOCTRINE OF EDUCATION. 
 
 Translated from the Gemian of Jean Paul Fr. Richter. Post 8vo. 10s. Ctl. cloth. 
 
 RIDDLE.-A COPIOUS AND CRITICAL LATIN-ENGLISH 
 
 LEX1C(JX, founded on the German-Latin Dictionaries of Dr. William Freuuil. By the Rev. 
 J. E. RiuDLE, M.A. Author of "A Complete Latin-English and Enfflish-Latin Dictionary," 
 "Ecclesiastical Chronology," &c. I'ost 4to. uniform with " Liddell and Scott's Greek 
 Lexicon," j£2. 10s. cloth. 
 
 RIDDLE.-A COMPLETE LATIN-ENGLISH AND ENGLISH- 
 
 L vl l.\ DICTIONARY, for tlie use of CoUefjes and Schools. Uy the Rev. J. E. Riddle, .\J.A. 
 New Edition. 8vo. 31s. Gd. cioth. 
 
 6d. cloth. 
 
 cloth. 
 
 Separately ^'"^^ English-Latin Dictionary, 10s. 
 <The Latin-Enfflish Dictionary, 21s. 
 
 RIDDLE.- A DIAMOND LATIN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY. 
 
 For the Waistcoat-pocket. A Guide to the Meauinf?, Quality, and ris;ht Accentuation of Latin 
 Classical Words. ]{y the Rev. J. E. Riddle, M.A. New Edition. Royal 32mo. 4s. bound. 
 
 RIDDLE. -ECCLESIASTICAL CHRONOLOGY; 
 
 ( )r. Annals of the Christian Church, from its Foundation to the present Time. Containinjr a 
 View of General Church History, and the Course of Secular Events; the Limits of the 
 Church and its Relations to the State; Controversies; Sects and Parties; Rites, 
 Institutions, and Discipline, &c. By the Rev. J. E. Riddle, M.A. 8vo. 15s. cloth. 
 
 RIDDLE.-LETTERS FROM AN ABSENT GODFATHER ; 
 
 Or, a Compendium of Reli;fious Instruction for Young Persons. By the Rev. J. E. Riddle, 
 M.A. Fcp. 8vo. Gs. cloth. 
 
 RITCHIE.-RAILWAYS : THEIR RISE AND PROGRESS, 
 
 and CO.NSTRUCTIOX. With Remarks on Railway Accidents, and Proposals for their 
 Prevention. By Robert Ritchie, Esq. F.R.S. S.A. Associate of the Institute of Civil 
 Engineers. Fcp. 8vo. with Woodcut and Diagrams, 9s. cloth. 
 
 RIYERS.-THE ROSE AMATEUR'S GUIDE ; 
 
 Containing ample Descriptions of all the fine lading varieties of Roses, regularly classed in 
 their respective Families; then- History and mode of Culture. By T. Rivers, Jun. New 
 Edition, corrected and ^proved. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 ROBINSON.-THE WHOLE ART OF CURING, PICKLING, 
 
 AND S.MOKING ME.\T AND FISH, both in the British and Foreign Modes. With many 
 useful Miscellaneous Receipts, and full Directions for the Construction of an economical 
 Drying Chimney and Apparatus, on an entirely New Plan. By James Robinson, Eighteen 
 Years a Practical Curer. Fcp. 8vo. 48. 6d. cloth. 
 
 ROBINSON.-THE WHOLE ART OF MAKING BRITISH 
 
 WIXES, CORDIALS, and LIQUEURS, in the greatest Perfection; as also Strong and 
 Cordial Waters. To which is added, a Collection of Valuable Recipes for Brewing Fine and 
 Strong Ales, and Miscellaneous Articles connected with the Practice. By James Robi.nson. 
 Fcp, svo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 ROGERS.-THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR; 
 
 Containing a plain and accurate Description of all thedifferentSpeciesof Culinary Vegetables, 
 with the most approved Method of Cultivating them by Natural and Artilicial Means, and 
 the best Modesof Cooking them. Together with a De.scrii)tionof the Physical Herbs in general 
 Use. By J. Rogers, Author of "The Fruit Cultivator." New Edition. F"cp. 8vo. 7s. cloth. 
 
 ROWTON.-THE FEMALE POETS OF GREAT BRITAIN, 
 
 Chronologically arranged : with copious Selections, and Critical Remarks. By Frederic 
 Rowton, Author of "The Debater." Square crown 8vo. 14s. cloth. 
 
 ROWTON.-THE DEBATER ; 
 
 Being a Series of complete Debates, Outlines of Debates, and Questions for Discussion ; with 
 ample References to the best Sources of Information on each particular Topic. By Frederic 
 RowTON, Author of ""The Female Poets of Great Britain." Fcp. 8vo. Cs. cloth.
 
 26 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 SANDBY.-MESMERISM AND ITS OPPONENTS. 
 
 By George Sandby, M.A. Vicar of Flixton, Suffolk. New Edition, considerably 
 enlarged ; with an Introductory Chapter on the Hostility of Scientific and Medical Men to 
 Mesmerism. 16mo. 5s. cloth ; or in 2 Parts, 2s. each. 
 
 SANDEORD-PAROCHIALIA, 
 
 Or, Church, School, and Parish. By John Sandford, B.D. Vicar of Dunchurch, Chaplain 
 to the Lord Bishop of Worcester, and Rural Uean. 8vo. v\'ith Woodcuts, IGs. cloth. 
 
 SANDEORD -WOMAN IN HER SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC 
 
 CHARACTER. By Mrs. John Sandford. New Edition. Pep. 8vo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 SANDFORD.-EEMALE IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 By Mrs. John Sandford. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 7s. cloth. 
 
 SCHLEIDEN.-PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC BOTANY ; 
 
 Or, Botany as an Inductive Science. By Dr. M. J. Schleiden, Extraordinary Professor of 
 Botany in the University of Jena. Translated by Edwin Lankester, M.D. F.R.S. F.L.S. 
 Lecturer on Botany at the St. George's School of Medicine, London. 8vo. with Plates ajid 
 Woodcuts, 21s. cloth. 
 
 " We congratulate our readers o the appearance oF an English edition of tllis remarkable work, by a gentlem' 
 so capable to do full justice to it as Ur. Lankester. It cannot fail to interest deeply all true lovers of Dotani( 
 Science, and we believe it will be considered a valuable addition to our botanical literature.*' 
 
 Jameson's PHiLosoPHicii, Journ.m.. 
 
 SCOFFERN.-THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR, 
 
 In the Colonies and at Home, chemically considered. By John Scoffern, M.B. Lond. ^ate" 
 Professor of Chemistry at the Aldersgate College of Medicine. 8vo. with Illustratious(one 
 coloured) 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 SEAWARD.- SIR EDWARD SEAWARD'S NARRATIVE OF 
 
 HIS SHIPWRECK, and consequent Discovery of certain Islands in the Caribbean Sea: with 
 a detail of many extraordinary and highly interesting Events in his Life, from 1733 to 1749, as 
 written in his own Diary. Edite 1 by Miss Jane Porter. 3d Edition, with a New Nautical 
 and Geographical Introduction. 2 vols, post 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 i 
 
 SENIOR.-CHARLES VERj^f*.: 
 
 A Transatlantic Tale. By Lieut. -Colonies -He^Ry Senior. 2 vols, post 8vo. 21s. boards 
 
 THE SERMON ON THE MOuM^ .w 
 
 Printed in Gold and Colours, in the fessal style; with Ornamental Borders by Owen Jonei 
 Architect, and an illuminated Frontispiece by AV.' Box all, Esq. New Edition. Fcp. 4 ' 
 in a rich brocaded silk cover, 21s. ;' or boimd in morocco, by Hayday, 25s. 
 
 SEWELL.-AMY HERBERT. 
 
 By a Lady. Edited by the Rev. William Sewell, B.D. Fellow and Tutor of Exeter 
 College, Oxford. New Etlition. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 SEWELL.-GERTRUDE. 
 
 A Tale. By the Author of " Amy Herbert." Edited by the Rev. William Sewell, B.D. 
 Fellow and Tutor of Exeter College, Oxford. New Edition. 2 V»te. fcp. 8vo. 9s. cloth. 
 
 SEWELL.-LANETON PARSONAGE : 
 
 A Tale for Children, on the Practical Use of a portion of the Church Catechism. By the 
 Author of " Amy Herbert." Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. Fellow and Tutor of Exeter 
 College, Oxford. New Edition. 3 vols. fcp. 8vo. 16s. cioth. 
 
 SEWELL.-MARGARET PERCIVAL. 
 
 By the Author of "Amy Herbert." Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. Fellow and Tutor 
 of Exeter College, Oxford. New Edition. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. 12s. cloth. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE, BY BOWDLER. 
 
 THE FAMILY SHAKSPEARE; in which nothing is arfiferf to the Original Text ; but those i 
 words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud. By T BowdleB, j 
 Esq. F.R.S. New Edition. 8vo. with 36 Engravings on Wood, fromdesigns by Smirke, Howard, ' 
 and other Artists,2U. cloth; or, in 8 vols. 8vo. without Illu8trntionspt-*;4t 14s. Gd. boards.
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 27 
 
 / 
 
 SHORT WHIST : 
 
 Its Rise, Proifress, md Laws; with Obscnations to make any one a Wliist Player; containing 
 also the Laws of Piqnet, Cassino, ICcarto, (;ril>bau:e, Hack^:amni()n. Uv Major A * * * * *. 
 NewKdition. To which are added. Precepts for Tyros. Ily Mrs. B****.' Fcp. 8vo. 3s cloth. 
 
 THE GOOD SHUNAMMITE. 
 
 From the Holy Scriptures. With Six Original Desisrns by A. Klei.x, and an Ornamental 
 Bonier toeach pasje, in the Missal style, by L. Ghu.ner. printed in Colours and Gold. Square 
 fcp. 8vo. 21s. in massive carved covers ; or 30s. bound in morocco. 
 
 SINCLAIR-SIR EDWARD GRAHAM ; 
 
 Or, Railway .^peculators. Hy Catherine Sinci.aii!, Author of ".Modern Accomplish- 
 ments,'' &c. 3 vols, post 8vo. [^Nearly ready. 
 
 SINCLAIR.-THE BUSINESS OF LIFE. 
 
 ByCATHEiiixE Sinclair, Author of "The Journey of Life," " Modern Society," "Jane 
 Boiiverie," &c. 2 vols. fcapSvo. IDs. cloth. 
 
 " The authoress h,-is succeeded in imparting to reflections of a strongly relicious mture the charms of literary 
 ■ nibeUishment. These essays or reflections will be found full of interist, as well ns of instructive matUr. Miss 
 ■inclair has brought all the resources of a richly stored and hishly cultivated mind to hear upon the suliject of 
 ■ l-iion ; and has eiecuted her ta^k with so Ri-ach good taste, feelins, and judgment, that no one can read the work 
 v.thout deriving pleasure as well as instruction fiom the perusal "— Scndat Times. 
 
 *'SINCL.\IR.-THE JOURNEY OF LIFE. 
 
 ,\. I^y Catherine Sixclair, Author of " The Business of Life," " Modern Society," " Jane 
 Vi Bouveric," &c. New Edition, corrected and eiilarsred. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth. 
 
 '-SINNETT.-BYWAYS OF HISTORY, 
 
 From the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century. By Mrs. Percy Sinnett. 2 vols, post 8vo. 
 18s. cloth. 
 
 SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY. 
 
 From the Spectator. \Yith Notes and Illustrations, and Engravino^s on Wood from Designs 
 by Frederick Tayler, .Member of the Society of Painters in Water Colours. \_Nearly ready. 
 
 THE SKETCHES: 
 
 Three Tales. By the Authors of "Amy HoMlt," "The Old Man's Home," and "Hawk- 
 stone." New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. with 6 Prates^af. cloth. 
 
 SMITH.-TIIE WORKS OfH#REV. SYDNEY SMITH . 
 
 IncludiniT his Contributions to "PflR fefclNBURGH REVIEW, PETER PLYMLEY'S 
 LE'rrERS, and »jther Miscellaneous Writings. New- Edition, with Additions. 3 vols. 8vo. 
 with Portrait, 36s. cloth. '■ 
 
 SMITH.-SERMONS PREACHED AT ST. PAUL'S CATHE- 
 
 dral, the Fouiuiliiig Hospital, and several Churches in London; together with others 
 addressed to a Country Congregation. By the late Rev. Sydney Smith, Canon Residentiary 
 of St. Paul's Cathedral. 8vo. I'Js. cloth. 
 
 SMITH.- SAC PxED ANNALS; 
 
 Or, Researches into the History and Religion of Mankind, from the Creation of the World to 
 the Death of Isaac : deducid from the Writings of .Moses and otherlnspired Authors, copiously 
 illustrated and conlirmed by the .Ancient Recorils, Traditions, and .Mythology of the Heathen 
 World. By George Smith, FA. S. Crown 8vo. 10s. cloth. 
 
 *»* Vol. II. comprising the History and Religion of the Hebrew People, from the Origin 
 of the Nation to the time of Christ, is nearly ready. 
 
 SMITH.- THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT BRITAIN HISTORI- 
 
 CALLY CONSIDERED: or, a Succinct Accountof the several Religious Systems which have 
 obtained in this Island from the Earliest Times to the Norman Conquest : including an Inves- 
 tigation into the Early Progress of Error in the (Miristian Church, the Introduction of the 
 Gospel into Britain, and the State of Religion in England till Popery had gained the ascen- 
 '■■dancy. By Georqe S.mith, F.A.S. New Edition. 8vo. 7s. Cd. cloth. 
 
 SMITH.-PERILOUS TIMES ; 
 
 Or, the Aggressions of Antichristian Error on Scriptural Christianity, considered in reference 
 to the Dangers and D^itje^ of Protestants. By Geo. Smith, F.A.S. Fcp. 8vo. 68. cloth.
 
 SMITH.-THE VOYAGE AND SHIPWRECK OF ST. PAUL: \ 
 
 with Dessertations on the Sources of the Writing's of St. LuVic, and the Sliips and Xavig'ation 
 of the Antients. By James Smith, Esq. of Jordan Hill, F.R.S. 8vo. with Views, Charts, 
 and Woodcuts, 14s. cloth. 
 
 SOAMES.-TIIE LATIN CHURCH DURING ANGLO-SAXON' 
 
 TIMES. By the Rev. Henry Soames, M.A., Editor of" Mosheim's Institues of Ecclesias- 
 tical History." 8vo. 14s. cloth. 
 
 SOME PASSAGES EROM MODERN HISTORY. 
 
 By the Author of " Letters to My Unknown Friends," and " Twelve Years Ag^o." Fcp. 8vo. j 
 6s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 Contents :— 1. Catharine at the Battle of the Pruth ; 2 The Death of Sir Philip Sidney ; 
 3. Some Passag-es from "La Rentre^ Glorieuse" ; 4. Maria Theresa at Presburg-; 5. Tlte 
 English Column at the Battle of Fontenoy ; 6. The Rainbow at Prague; 7. The Death of 
 Gustavus Adolphus; 8. The Queen's Prayer; 9. The Execution of Louis XVL ; 10. The 
 Sleep of Argyle. 
 
 THE SONG OE SONGS, WHICH IS SOLOMON'S. 
 
 From the Holy Scriptures. Being the Six Chapters of the Book of the Song of Solomon, 
 richly illuminated, in the Missal Style, by Owen Jop§s. Elegantly bound in relievo leather. 
 Imperial l6mo. 21s. 
 
 SONGS, MADRIGALS, AND SONNETS : 
 
 A Gathering of some of the most pleasant Flowers of ' Id English Poetry. Set in borders of 
 coloured Ornaments and Vignetts. Square fcp. 8vo. 10s. 6d. ornamental boards; or 17s. 
 bound in morocco by Hayday. 
 
 ROBERT SOUTHEY'S COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS ; 
 
 Containing all the Author's last Introductions and Notes. Complete in One Volume, with 
 Portrait and View of the Poet's Residence at Keswick, uniform with Byron's and Moor f 
 Poems. 8vo. 21s. cloth ; or 42s. bound in morocco. ''7| 
 
 *»* Also, an Edition in 10 vols. fcp. 8vo. with Portrait and igl'Jatfts, ^2^,108. cloth ; bound in 
 morocco, ^4. 10s. 
 
 SOUTHEY.-SELECT WORKS OF THE BRITISH POETS, 
 
 From Chaucer to Withers. With Bjograpfiical Sketches, by R. South ey, LL.D. 8vo. : 
 cloth; with gilt edges, 31s. 6d. "' j;'» ' <* i-, 
 
 SOUTHEY.-THE LATE IR. Sa^E^^ WmMON-PLACE 
 
 BOOK. Edited by his Son-in-Lilw, the Rev. John'Wood Warter. FrKST Series, comprising 
 CHOICE PASSAGES, Moral, Religious, Political, Philosophical, Historical, Poetical, and 
 Miscellaneons ; and COLLECTIONS for the History of Manners and Literature in England. 
 Forming a volume complete in itself. With a medallion Portrait of Southey. Square crown 
 8vo. 18s. cloth. 
 
 " Puch a collection of ' Choice Passages' "we have never previously met with. They are drawn from works of all classes, 
 and from every age of our literature, and bespeak an acquaintance, at once minute and compri-liensive, with the whole 
 ranse of English authorship. It is a book to be taken up tor the hour, and the more frequently its companionship is'' 
 sought the higher will be the opinion formed of its vast treasures. .\n ample Index is happily suf^io^, which serves the 
 purpose of a skilful guide in what would otherwise be a trackless though rich wilderness. The literateur and the general 
 reader will be alike gratified by its pages , in which wit and logic, humour and grave discoursf^poetry, and science, tlie 
 facts of history and the lessons of philosophy, are happily mingled'in due proportions." — £c(,9;tic.Rbvie«'. 
 
 *»* The Second Series, being SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, is in the press. 
 
 SOUTHEY.-THE LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 
 
 LATE ROBERT SOUTHEY. Edited by his Son, the Rev. Charles Cuthbert Soy^HEY, 
 M.A. PcstSvo. {In t/ic prcM. 
 
 SOUTHEY.-THE DOCTOR, &c. 
 
 By the late Robert Southey. Complete in One Volume. Edited by the Autlior'»Son-in- 
 Law, the Rev. John Wood Warter. With Portrait, Vignette Title-page, and Bust of the 
 Author. New Edition. Square crown 8vo. 21s. cloth. 
 
 SOUTHEY.-THE LIFE OF WESLEY; 
 
 And Rise and Progress of Methodism. By Robert Southey, Esq. LUD- New Edition, with 
 Notes by the late Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Esq., and lletuarks on tlie Life.ajjd Character of 
 John Wesley, by the late Alexander Knox, Esq. Editcd^jUy the Rev. <,;HABi.BSi^iHBEBT 
 South ey, A.M. Curate of Cockermouth. 2 vols. Svo. with 2 jjortiaits, 286.''ckk0£'^
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS, LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 29 
 
 STABLE TALK AND TABLE TALK ; 
 
 or, SPECTACLES for YOUN(i SPORTSMEN. By Harry Hieover. New Edition. 
 2 vols. 8vo. with Portrait, 24s. cloth. 
 
 STEEL'S SHIPMASTER'S ASSISTANT ; 
 
 Compiled for the i:se of Merchants, Owners and .Masters of Ships, Officers of Customs, and all 
 Persons connectetl with Sliippinsj or Commerce : containiner the Law and Local Ke°:ulations 
 affectin'j the Owncrsliip, Cliarg'e, and .Manas^ement of Ships and their Cargoes ; together with 
 Notices of other Matters, and all necessary Information for Mariners. New Edition, rewritten 
 througfhout. Edited by Graham Willmore, Es<i. M.A. Barrister-at-Law ; Gboroe 
 Cleme.nts, ofthe Customs, London; and William Tate, Author of" The Modern Cambist." 
 8vo. 28s. cloth ; or, 2<js. bound. 
 
 STEPHEN-ESSAYS IN ECCLESIASTICAL BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 By the Right Hon, Sir James Stephen, K.C.B. 2 vols. 8vo. 248. cloth. 
 
 " As u complete treasury of biography of men whose lives desen-e to be known, we heartily recommend these 
 volumes to all who can admire talent, love healthy reading, and are desirous, not only of rich amusement, but of 
 being furnished with instruction worth the remembering.** Church a>'D State Gazette. 
 
 STEPHEN.-HISTORY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF 
 
 SCOTLAND, from the Reformation ta the Present Time. By Thomas Stephen-, Author of 
 "The Book ot the Constitution," " Spirit of the Church of Rome," &c. 4 vols. 8vo. with 24 
 highly-finished Portraits engraved on steel, 32s. clotii. 
 
 STEPHENS. -A MANUAL OF BRITISH COLEOPTERA, 
 
 or, BEETLE."': containingaDescriptionof all the Species of Beetles hitherto ascertained to 
 inhabit Great Britain and Ireland, &c. With a Complete Index of the Genera. By J. F. 
 Stephens. F.L.S. Author of "Illustrations of Entomology." Post 8vo. 148. cloth. 
 
 THE STUD, FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES xVND PRACTICAL 
 
 . MEN: being a Guide to the Choice of a Horse for use more than for show. By Harry 
 " lIiEOVER, Author of "Stable Talk and Table Talk." Uniform with the"The Pocket and the 
 Stud." With Two Elates, one representing "A pretty good sort tor most purposes;" tlie 
 other " ' Rayther' ai t)ad sort for any puri^ose." Fcp. 8vo. 5s. half-bound. 
 
 " A usehil gnitip, not ©nly to the practised buyer and seller of horse flesh, but to a person who intends to be a 
 p rchaser only on some dpecial occasions. It will giirirJ him against manv a fraud, if it does not quite put him up to 
 the good points ; and after the perus il of tliis little volume it would he dilficult for the knowing ones to take him in. 
 Before buying a hors*,-therefore, we would advise all our readtib to procure and peruse this volume ; they will save 
 the cost ten times awr in the bargain." • . . A -„. CaiTic. 
 
 THE SUITOlie nSTJiJ0C.TOR%THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 COUXTY C( )URTS : JUb^nnig aft the Infomiation necessary for Conducting or Defending 
 a Suit ; the Fe*s^»ayable"Ti each Step ;'Jt)efinitions of fbf Lcg;d Terms used in the Proceedings ; 
 an .Vbstract of the .\ct of Parliament ; the Rules of Practice, &c. &c. Also, a District Directory, 
 giving the Names of all the Streets fand the number of Houses in each Street) which form tlie 
 Boundaries of the Metropolitan Districts, made from an actual Penmbulation arounu each ; 
 and a List of the Country Districts. By a County Court Assistant Clerk. I2mo. 4s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 SWAIN.-ENGLISH MELODIES. 
 
 By Charles Swain, Author of "The Mind, anil other Poems." Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 '* A volume of lyrics which will be read with avidity The iiversity of subjects — the harmonv of rhythm — the 
 
 feeling and khndlinessof bcprt— tbe pathos manifested — must render this book dcservt-dly popular. There is in 
 numbers of the EongS'd strikjn^TW^nality that cannot fail to charm the reader and rivet his alientmn." 
 
 Su.Nu.v\ Times. 
 
 TATE. -THE CONTINUOUS HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND 
 
 ^WKITING.S OF .ST. PAUL, on the basis of the Acts; with Intercalary Matter of S.-icred 
 Narrative, supplied from the Epistles, and elucidated in occasional Dissertations: with the 
 Hor« Mi^ina; of Dr. Paley, in a more correct edition, subjoined. By James Tate, AI-A. 
 Canon Residentiary of .St. Paul's. 8vo. with Map, 13s. cloth. 
 
 TA'YLER.-MARGARET ; 
 
 Or, the Pearl. By the Rev. Charles B. Tayler, M.A. Rector of St. Peter's, Chester, Author 
 of " Lady Mary ; or, Not of the World," &c. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth. 
 
 TAYLER.-LADY MARY; 
 
 Or, Not of tke World. By the Rev. Charles B. Tavler, Rector of St. Peter's, Cliestcr; 
 Author o£" Margaret, or tke Pearl," &c. New Edition, with a Frontispiece engraved by J. 
 AbsoL'ON. " Fcp. 8V0. 68. 6U. cloth.
 
 30 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS 
 
 TAYLOR-LOYOLA : AND JESUITISM IN ITS RUDIMENTS. 
 
 By Isaac Taylor, Author of " Natural History of Enthusiasm," &c. Post 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 " Various books on individual Jesuits, or on the constitutions of their order, have lately appeared, but nothing at all ap- 
 proaching in interest or merit to Loyola: and Jesttitism in its Kuilimcnfs. ... a book that must be carefully read by 
 any one who wishes to form a true idea of Loyola, and an idea of Jesuitism." — Spectator. 
 
 "Mr. T.iylor has thrown tngether, with the powerful grasp of ^ts mind, the principal events and circumstances which 
 gave rise to the institution of the Jesuit order, and sketched out th« character, of its founder with amasterly hand. .Vfter all 
 the trash that has been written on the subject of late, it is refreshing to turn'oi^er the pages of a work in which the subject 
 is handled with the dignity and severity of truth which its importance and theduu-acter of history alike demand." 
 
 /% J<ius Boll. 
 
 TIIIRLWALL.-THE HISTORY OF GREECE. 
 
 By the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of St. David's (the Rev. Connop Thirhvall). A New 
 Edition, revised ; with Notes, Vols. I. to V. 8vo. with Maps, 36s. cloth. To be completed 
 in 8 volumes, price 12s. each. [VoL VI. 7iearlj/ ready, 
 
 " We are ^lad to receive another volume of this edition of Bishop Thirlwall's * Tlistory,' and are quite satisfied, on an 
 inspection otits contents, at the delay which has occurred in its appearance. The work is one of which English scholar- 
 ship may well be proud — uniting sound erudition with elegant taste, an intimate knowledge of the sources of Gret-k 
 hi--tory, with a discriminating' jutfgment, and a very felicitous style of composition. Having repeatedly expressed our 
 opinion on its merits, we shall not now make any attempt at elaborate criticism. ...We know of no classical history which, 
 as a whole, is so entitled to approval and admiration. Bishop Thirhvall his evidently spared no pains to perfect the woik, 
 
 and he will have his reward in the permanent hold it must take on the jpublic mind The present work is up to the 
 
 requirements of the scholarship of the day. It is erudite without being dry, and liberal without scepticism. It bespeaks 
 the learning of a scholar and the manners of a gentleman, and constitutes a record of the past, from which the student 
 and the philosopher of our day may gain an instructive insight into the character and institutions of the Greeks." 
 
 Eclectic REvxErr. 
 
 *»* Also, an Edition in 8 vols. fcp. 8vo. with Vi^ette Titles, ^2. 8s. cloth. 
 
 THOMSON'S SEASONS. 
 
 Edited by Boi.TON CoRNEY, Esq. Illustrated with Seventy-seven Designs drawn o\i M'oo( 
 by Members of the Etching Club. Engraved by Thompson an<l other eminent Emrravers^^ 
 Square crown 8vo. uniform with " Goldsmith's Poems," 21s. cloth ; or, bound in morocco," 
 by Hayday, 36s. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 THOMSON'S SEASONS. 
 
 Edited, with Notes, Vhilosophical, Classical, Historical, and Bicgrapliical, by Anthony 
 Todd Thomson, JI.D. F.L.S. Fcp. 8vo. 7s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 THOMSON.-THE DOMESTIC MANA'GEMENf OF THE SICK 
 
 ROt)IM, necessary, in Aid of Medical Treatment, for the Cure of Diseases. By .\nthonv 
 Todd Thomso.v, M.D. F.L.S. Professor of Materia Medica and 'Oierapeutics, and of 
 Forensic Medicine, in University College, London. New Edition. PoSlSvo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 THOMSON.-T ABIES OF INTER'EST^^ 
 
 At Three, Four, Four-and-a-Half, and tiib- ter'Cent.-,^m Or* Pound to Ten Thousand, and 
 from One to Three Hundred and !-i.xty-five Day.s, in a regular progression of single Days ; i 
 with Interest at all the above Rates, from One to Twelve Mouths, ana from One to Ten Years. I 
 Also, numerous other Tables of Exchanges, Time, and Discounts. By John Thomson, 
 Accountant. New Edition. \2tsU). 8s. bound. ' 
 
 THOMSON.-SCHOOL CPIEMTSTRY ; 
 
 Or, Practical Ruflinients of the Science. By Robf.rt Dund.\s Thomson, M.D. Master in 
 Surgery in the University of Glasgow ; Lecturer on Chemistry in the same University ; and 
 formerly in the Medical Service of the Honourable East India Company. Fep. 8vo. with ['3 
 Woodcuts, "s. cloth. - |' 
 
 THOMSON.-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES ON THE FOOD 
 
 of ANIMALS and the FATTENING of CATTLE: with. Remarks on the Food of Man. Bt 
 RoBEUT DuND.As THOMSON, M.D. Author of " School Chemistry ;--^r. Practical Rudiments 
 of the Science."' Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth. V ■ 
 
 THE THUMB BIBLE; 
 
 Or, Veibum Sempittrnnm. By J. T.\ylor. Being an Epitome of the Old and New 'festa- 
 ments in English Verse. Printed from the Edition of 1693, by C. Whittingham, Chiswick. 
 6inio. Is. 6d. bound and clasped. ,' f. 
 
 TOMLINE.-AN INTRODUCTION TO TH^ STUDY OF THe' 
 
 BIBLE: containing Proofs of the A\ithenticity and Inspiration of thc'^oly Scriptures; 
 a Summary of the History of the Jews; an Account of the Jewish Sects; and a brief 
 Statement of the Contents of the several Books of the Old and Neiv Testaments. ByGKOROE 
 ToMLiNE, D.D. F.R.S. New Edition tjcp. 8vo. 5s. 6d. cloth. ^- * ■*»* '^
 
 PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 31 
 
 TOOKE.-THE HISTORY OF PRICES: 
 
 With reference to tlie Causes of their principal Variations, from the year 1792 to the year 
 1838, inclusive. Preceded by a .'^kctcli of the History of tlie Corn Trade in the last 'IVo Cen- 
 turies, lly Thomas Todke, Esq. F.U.5. 3 vols. Sv'o. jt2. 8s. cloth. 
 
 TOOKE.-THE HISTORY OP PRICES, AKI) OF THE STATE 
 
 of the CIRCULATION froiji I,"-:;!) to 1847, inclusive: with a general Review of the Currency 
 Question, and Reinaiks on the «)| eration of the Acts 7 and SVict. c. 32: being a continuation 
 ot "The History of I'rices, from 1792 to 1838." By T. TooKt, Lsq F.R.S. 8vo. 18s. cloth. 
 
 TO WNSENl).- THE LIVES OF TWELVE EMINENT JUDGES 
 
 of the LAST and of the PHESLN'T CENTURY. Uy W. Chakles Tow.nsend, Esq. M.A. 
 Recorder of Maccleslidd ; Author of " Jleinoirs of the House of Comujons." 2 vols. 8vo. 
 28s. cloth. 
 
 TURNER.-THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 Eroni the Earliest Period to the Death of Elizabeth. Uy Sharon Tuk.nek, Esq. F.A.S. 
 R.A.S.L. New Editions. 12 vols. 8vo. ^8. 3s. cloth.— Or,' separately. 
 
 r 
 
 THE HISTORY of the ANGLO-SAXONS. 3 vols. 8vo. ^'1. 5s. boards. 
 
 THE HISTORY of ENGLAND (firing the MIDDLE AGES. 5 vols. 8vo. £Z, bds. 
 
 THE HLSTORY of the REIGN of HKNUY Mil. 2 vols. 8V0. 26s. boards. 
 
 THE REIGNS of EDWARD VI., MARY, and ELIZABETM. 2 vols. 8vo. 32s. bds. 
 
 LRNER.-THE SACRED HISTORY OF THE WORLD, 
 
 Attempted to be Philosophically considered, in a Series of Letters to a Son. By Sharon 
 Tlk.ser, F.S.A. and R.A.S.L. ' New Edition, edited bv the Rev. Svd.vey Turner. 3 vols. 
 - ' 8vo. 31s. 6«U<Ji«tU..-. - - 
 
 DR. TURTON'S MANUAL OF THE LAND AND FRESH- 
 
 WATER >HE',' ^ of t.f- 'xiKlTl^Il ISLA.NDS. A New EditiDU, thoroughly revised and with 
 coubidei.^'ble A'"J.uons. By John Euwaiiu Gray, Kee, er of the Zoolo-fical Collection in 
 the Bi'N'^h Museum. Post 8vo. with Woodcuts, and 12 Coloured Plates 15s. cloth. 
 
 TWELVE YEARS AGO : A TALE. , 
 
 By the Author of " Letters to my Unknow n FrieiMlS£' 'ii^P- 8vo. Gs.^^il. cloth. 
 
 TWINING.-ON THE PHILOSOPHY'OF PAINTING: 
 
 A Theoretictil and Practical Treatise; coinprisin^ Esthetics in referent"^ to Art— the Appli- 
 cation of Rules to Paintinij - and teneral Observations on Perspective. By H.'I'vs'im.ng, l.sq. 
 lm|)erial 8vo. with numerous Plates and Wood l.ngraviugs, 21s. cloth. '^J^ 
 
 URE.-DICTIONARY OF ARTS, MANUFACTURES, & MINES ; 
 
 Containin^r a clear E.xposition of their iTinci pies and Practice. Bv Anukew Uke, M.I). 
 F.R.S. M.G.S. .M.A.S. Lond.; M. Acad. N.L. Pliilad. ; S. Ph. Soc. N. Germ. Hanov. ; .Mulii. 
 &;c. &c. New Edition, corrected, bvo. with 1,240 Eng^ravings on Wood, 50s. cloth. -Also, 
 
 SUPPLEMENT of RECENT I.MPROVEMENTS. New Edition. 8vo. withWoodcuts, 14s. cloth. 
 
 VON ORLICH. -TRAVELS IN INDIA; 
 
 r-, ,. IncludingScindeandlhePuiijab,in 1842 and 1843. By Capt. Leopold Vo.v Or lich. Translated 
 ^frein theGcrmna, by H: Evans Llovu, Esq. 2 vols. 8\o. with coloured Frontispieces, and 
 uUmcrous Illustrations on Wood, 25s. cloth. 
 
 WALFORD.-THE LAWS OF THE CUSTOMS, 
 
 Compiled by Direction of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty'sTreasury, and published 
 under the Sanction of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs ; with Notes and a 
 General Inde.v. Editedby J. G. Walforx), Esq. Solicitor for the Customs. 8vo. 10s. Gd. cloth. 
 
 WALKER-CHESS STUDIES ; 
 
 Comi)rising One Thousand Gai.es uf Cliess, as really played by the first Chess Players ; 
 forming a complete Encyclopa;dia of Keteicnce, and presentiiig the greatest Collection extant 
 of tine specimens of stratify in every staffe of the Game. Selected and arranged by Georoe 
 Wxlkuu, Author of V: Chess made Easy," \ ■ ^' '- ids. 6d. sew-'d.
 
 32 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS. 
 
 WALKER.-ELEMENTA LITURGICA ; 
 
 Or, the Churclmian's Minor, for the Scholastic Study of the Boi'k of Common Prayer. By 
 G. A. Walker, A.M., of Christ College, Caiiibriilije. New Kdition, entirely rearranged and 
 considerably enlarged. Fop. 8vo. 4s. Cd. cloth. 
 
 WARDLAAV.--DISCOURSES ON THE PRINCIPAL POINTS 
 
 OF THE SOCIxNIAN CONTROVERSY— the Unity of God, and the Trinity of Persons in the 
 Godhead; theSupremeDiviuity of Jesus Christ; the Doctrine of the Atonement; tlic Christian 
 Character, &c. Uy Ralph W'ardlavv, D.U. New Editir ^.Svo. 15s. cloth- 
 
 WATERTON.-ESSAYS ON NATURAL HISTORY, 
 
 Chiefly Ornithology. By Charles Waterton, Esq., Author of "Wanderings in South 
 America." With an Autobiography of the Author, itt^ Views of Walton Hall. New 
 Edition. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. Us. Cd. cloth. -^ 
 
 *,* Separately— Vol. I. (First Series), 8s.; Vol. 11. (Second Series), Cs. 6d. 
 
 WEBSTER.-AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY ; 
 
 Comprising such subjects as arc most immediately connected with Housekeeping : as, 'ITie 
 Construction of Domestic Edifices, with the modes of Warming, Ventilating, and Lighting 
 them — A description of the various articles of Furniture, with the nature of tlieir Materials- 
 Duties of SeiTants, &c. &c. &c. By Thomas Webster, F.G.S. ; assisted by the late Mrs. 
 Parkes. New Edition. 8vo. with nearly 1,000 Woodcuts, 50s. cloth. 
 
 WESTWOOD.-AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MODERN 
 
 CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS ; founded on the Natural Habits and compounding Organi- 
 sation of the ditTerent Families. By J. O. Westwood, F.L S. &c. &c. &c. 2 vols. 8vo. with 
 numerous Illustrations, j62. 7s. cloth. 
 
 WILBEREORCE.-A PRACTICAL YIEW OF THE PREVAIL- 
 
 ING RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS of PROFESSED CHRISTIANS, in the Higher and Middle 
 Classes in this Country, contrasted with Real Christianity. By Wm Wilberfuhce, Esq. 
 M.P. New Edition. 8vo. 8s. boards.— Also, an Edition in fcp. *'0. price 4s. 6(.V cloth. 
 
 LADY WILLOUGHBY'S DIARY. 
 
 So much of the Diary of Lady Willoughby as relates to her Domestic History- and to the 
 Eventful Period of King Charles the First, the Protectorate, and the Restoration ('l635 to 1663). 
 Printed, ornamented, and bound in the style of the period to which The Diary refers. New 
 Edition. In Two Parts. Square fcp. 8vo. 8s. each, boards ; or 18s. each, bound m morocco 
 by Hayday. 
 
 WILSON. -THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE VISITED AND 
 
 DESCRIBED, in an E.xtensive Journey undertaken with special reference to the promotion 
 of Biblical Research and the advancemeni of the Cause of Philanthropy. By John Wilson, 
 D.D. F.R.S. Honorary President of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, &c. 
 2 vols. 8vo. with Maps and numerous Illustrations, ^1. 16s. cloth. 
 
 WOOD.-A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON RAILROADS, 
 
 And Interior Communication in General ; containing numerous Experiments on the Powers 
 of the Improved Locomotive Engines, and Tables of the comparative Cost of Conveyance on 
 Canals, Railways, and Turnpike Roads. By Nicholas Wood, Memb. Inst. Civ. Eiig. &c. 
 New Edition. 8vo. with Plates and Woodcuts, 31s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 WOODCOCK-SCRIPTURE LANDS : 
 
 Bein^a Visit to the Scenes of the Bible. By the Rev, W. J. Woodcock, St. Agnes, Nassau, 
 New Providence. With 4 coloured Plates. Post 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth. 
 
 ** This is a verj entertaining journal. The authtir landed at Beyrout, and passing through Damascus and Tiberias 
 to Jei-usalem, from thence diverged to the most remarkable places in the Holy Land To tliose who take aa interest 
 in the present circumstances oi Judaea we can safely recommend this volume. The author's views of the traditions of 
 the holy places are quite those which we should take ourselves." British Mag.\z|M£. 
 
 ZUMPT'S GRAMMAR OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE. 
 
 Translated and adapted for the use of English Students, with the Author's sanction and 
 co-operation, by Dr. L. Sc.hmitz, F.R.S. K., Rector of the High School of Edinburgh: 
 with copious Corrections and Additions communicated to Dr. Schmitz, for the authorised 
 English Translation, by I'lofessor ZU.M I'l'. New Edition, corrected. 8vo. 14s. cloth. 
 
 ^, [September 30, 1649. 
 
 Ml.Vf, SKINKKU bTI.KB*, SNUWH1I.I., I IV.MMIN
 
 
 ^i rw^i I ms 
 
 
 ^(^Aavagii'^"^ 
 
 y(. 
 
 ^mmiiEr 
 
 .CIIDOAOV/)« 
 
 .^xY•IIRRARY^y^. 
 
 '^^mmn 
 
 ^lOSANCEli 
 o 
 
 
 ^IIIBRAR' 
 
 ^jOFCALlF 
 
 >&Aiiv}ia 
 
 vvlOSANC 
 o 
 
 "^AaaAiN 
 
 ^lOS-ANI 
 o 
 
 %a3AiNn-3V^^ 
 
 ,^WEUNIVERS//i 
 
 5h 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 i'J 
 
 lyOAi-RENEWABLE 
 
 JUL 1 
 
 5 2005 
 
 DUE 2 WKS FROIM 
 
 XLL 
 
 1 1080 Ui^vcs'^lty 
 Box 951 5^S 
 
 ^\J0 1 8 2005 
 
 DATE RECEIVED 
 
 0009S»ir79 
 
 s 
 
 c 
 
 
 r 
 
 & 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 (.3 
 
 -< 
 
 ^.. 
 
 ^^Aavijan-^- "^AavaaiiT^ ^tjijonvsoi^ '^^m 
 
 
 ^<i/0JllV3-JO'^ 
 
 aWEUKIVER% 
 
 ^^il30NVS01=^ 
 
 ^•lOSAKCElf>r^ 
 
 '^/5a3AiNn]UV 
 
 ^^HIBRARY/?/^ 
 
 ^<!/0JnV3JO^ ^-i/i
 
 
 % 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL L 
 
 IBRARY FACILITY 
 
 ^IIIBRARYO/T^ 
 
 
 A 000 105 725 6 
 
 '^(i/OJIWDJO'^ 
 
 so 
 
 <rii3osvsoi^"^ %a3AiNa3A^^ 
 
 ^OFCAIIFO/?^ 
 
 ^(?AaV{i8ill^'^ 
 
 ^.OFCMIfO/?^ 
 
 ^AbVJiaiH^ 
 
 «^^WEUNIVER% ^10SANCEI^> 
 
 -< 
 
 '^'^il^OKYSOl^ %a3AIMnmV^ 
 
 aWEUNIVERS/A 
 
 vvlOSANCElfj-^ 
 
 <rii33Nvsoi^ "^AaaAiNniw^^ 
 
 aweunivers-//. 
 
 ^lOSANCElfx^ 
 o 
 
 ^^lllBRARYO^^ ^ILIBRARYQ^ 
 
 %03I1V3JO^ 
 
 '^.I/OJIIVD-JO'*^ 
 
 ^OFCAllFOfti^ ^0FCALIF0fi»4^ 
 
 ^i'iijONVSov^^ "^/saaAiNa-iwv^ ^^Aavaaiii^'^ >&AHvaan# 
 
 ^lUBRARYQ-c. 
 
 ^IIIBRARYQ^ 
 
 
 ^ii/ojnvjjo'^ 
 
 AMEUNIVERS-/A 
 < 
 
 . ■ ^ O 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 so 
 
 "^/^ajAiNn 3\\v^ 
 
 .^.OFCAIIFO/?^ ^^.OFCAIIFO% ,\\^EUNIVER5'/A. ^vlOSANCElfx> 
 
 ^c/Abvaaii-^N^ 
 
 ^<?Abvaaii-^^ 
 
 r- QC 
 
 
 
 AWEUfJIVERS//, 
 
 vvlOSANCElfj>, 
 
 o 
 
 '^/Sa3AINil3V\^ 
 
 -<^vS^llBRARYG/r -j^^-HBRARYQa 
 
 ^JIIVDJO"^ '^(i/OJIlVJJO'^