was ever made; and the little we gave at parting always afforded an ample satisfaction. Here we began to observe the first symptoms of a difference, which was afterwards more strikingly manifested. Our hostess was covetous and imposing; and as we proceeded, we found it difficult to satisfy avarice, by paying whatever they asked. The cause of this may easily be explained: the country is more inhabited and more wealthy, and, the means of subsistence being more easily attained, the stimulants to active industry are less severe. Intoxication, rare among the Swedes, is common in Norway. The Norwegians are a less virtuous, but they are a more lively people, and possess many amiable and valuable qualifications. Hospitality is not rendered oppressive, as is often the case in Sweden; but among the higher order of Norwegians, it is most liberally bestowed: there cannot be found upon earth a more generous or disinterested race of men'. In the post-book at Hoff, we again saw the names of our two friends, with the date of their visit, July 23. One of them had been collecting, in this, as in

(1) There may be some appearance of anticipation, in making these remarks; but upon entering the country, the author wished to prepare the reader for the observations that follow.

IV.

other parts of Norway, facts, to elucidate a work', CHAP. which, after the opposition it experienced from half-witted writers, has at length classed him in that degree of eminence as a philosopher, to which, by his great abilities, he is so justly entitled.

Leaving Hoff, the grandeur of the scenery increases at every step. We arrived at some smelting-houses, situate in a profound abyss, surrounded by cataracts, and in the midst of the roaring waters. The mine, whence the ore here smelted is taken, lies in a neighbouring mountain. This ore differs from that of Röråås, in being a purer sulphuret of copper, and in having a richer aspect. The diaphanous quartz, for which the Röråås mine has been celebrated, is also obtained here, and in finer specimens: also, very brilliant and beautiful cubic crystals of the sulphuret of iron. There are masses full of these crystals, possessing a high degree of lustre, and of the size of dice. A continuation of the same grand Alpine scenery delighted us the whole way to Sohnas. The road following the course Soknæs.

(2) An Essay on the Principle of Population;" or a view of its past and, present effects on human happiness, &c. by T. R. Malthus, A.M. late Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and Professor of History and Political Economy in the East-India College, Hertfordshire.

IV.

Farms above the clouds.

of the Guul, was generally in the depth of pro-
found valleys; but sometimes, traversing the
side of a mountain, we overlooked the river
from a lofty precipice, and saw flocks and herds
grazing over all the pastures near it, and up the
sides of the mountains to their very summits.
One of the most remarkable sights is here
afforded by the farm-houses, which seem to
hang upon cultivated spots, one above another,
until they reach the clouds. We often saw
clouds skirting the side of a mountain, with the
prospect of a rich harvest standing far above
them; cattle, corn-sheaves, and labourers, in
places apparently inaccessible. The fact is,
that a preference is often given to such an
elevated situation; for the higher the land is,
the more sun it gets. A fine evening-sun shone
warmly on the fields, where harvest was col-
lecting towards the tops of the mountains,
when all below was dark or shadowy: between
Sindsåås and Soknæs, this kind of scenery is
particularly striking. We observed, before
and after our arrival at Bogen, high perpendi-
cular naked rocks, with woods and farms upon
their summits. We passed a very
We passed a very remarkable
mountain: its form was perfectly conical; but
it was very lofty, and covered with trees. We
observed great cleanliness in the habits of the

people throughout this route, excepting in the inn at Soknæs, which was more dirty. Here we gained the high road leading from Christiania to Trönÿjem, which we were very eager to reach. The son of the owner of the poor inn had a genius for painting, and delineated the costumes of the country with humour and accuracy: His chief employment consisted in painting sledges, trunks, and the walls of his father's house.

The next morning (Sept. 25) we set out for Trönÿem, and crossed the Guul by a ferry: its waters, limpid as the purest crystal, ran rapidly at the feet of mountains, presenting, towards the river, precipices of many hundred feet of naked rock, tinted with vivid colours. Tempted by the delightful appearance of this river, the author was induced to bathe: when he plunged into it, the temperature of the water was nearly that of ice, and he felt the effects of his folly a long time afterwards. The chill that it gave to his blood was such as he never felt by coldbathing, during the hardest winter in England; yet the climate here cannot be very severe. Hazel-trees, bending with nuts, grow plentifully by the side of the road; and other trees appeared in much greater variety and luxuriance than in Sweden. The landscape now became bolder and more open; the corn still standing; the

CHAP.

IV.

IV.

Resem

blance to English Customs.

CHAP. road broad and excellent. Farms in great number appeared on all sides, affording, by the variety and singularities of their situation, the most beautiful objects. We passed many elegant country-seats. The outsides of all of them were painted red; they had sashed windows, and the frames of the windows were painted green. The form and neatness of these rural retreats shewed their owners to possess a good deal of taste: they were generally oblong buildings, consisting of one floor. But the farm-houses afforded the most interesting sight, to us. If any one wishes to see what English farmers once were, and how they fared, he should visit Norway;-immense families all sitting down together at one table, from the highest to the lowest. If but a bit of butter be called for, in one of these houses, a mass is brought forth weighing six or eight pounds; and so highly ornamented, being turned out of moulds, with the shape of cathedrals set off with Gothic spires, and various other devices, that, according to the language of our English farmers' wives, we should deem it "almost a pity to cut it." Throughout this part of Norway, the family plate of butter seemed to be the state-dish of the house. Wherever we sat down to make a meal, this offering was first made, as in the