Prof. Hausmann on the Physiognomy of Scandinavia, TT 



lakes of Wener and Wetter, are fifty or more miles in length. 

 They are hence, almost without exception, longer than they 

 are broad. The principal direction of the inclined strata of 

 the fundamental mountain-rock, which is here crystalline, in ge- 

 neral corresponds to the length of the lakes ; and the length of 

 the lakes has a similar direction with the course of the rivers, 

 of which the lakes are but a widening. Likewise the breadth 

 of the lakes, as well as their frequency, increases in proportion 

 to their distance from the principal mountain chains. Hence 

 southern Sweden, as far as the 60th degree of latitude, is sin- 

 gularly full of lakes. 



The solid rock, which so often bursts through the layer 

 of vegetable soil, gives a character to the Swedish hilly plains 

 very different from ours. The above characters prevail in 

 the greater part of east and west Gothland, a part of Nerike, 

 Westmanland, Sudermanland and Bleking. In the whole of 

 the middle and southern part of Europe, solid bare rock 

 and plain rarely occur together. But in the Swedish plains, 

 on the contrary, we very often see a naked cliff arising 

 amidst corn fields and meadows, a rock, too, which will not 

 give sustenance to a blade of grass. While we see our plains 

 intersected by streams, which run quietly on their course; 

 we will be, on the contrary, frequently surprised by the noise 

 of a foaming river, enclosed in a deep rocky bed, and mak- 

 ing its way over fragments of rocks, in the^ countries above 

 alluded to. In imagining to myself the celebrated cataract of 

 Trollhatta in Westgothland, there was immediately associated 

 with it in my mind the idea of a considerable mountain range. 

 How much was I surprised, when an extensive plain, covered 

 with corn fields, which bordered the seemingly boundless mirror 

 of the Wener lake, brought me opposite to the thrice renewed 

 fall of the broad Gotha Elbe, which, at a great distance, pro- 

 claimed its presence by its thundering noise. The above plain 

 has some isolated hills which are more distinguished by their 

 flattened form above, than by their height. Such contrasts, 

 unfruitful rocks amidst rich corn fields ; a raging, never rest- 

 ing waterfall, which swallows up what is within its reach, and 

 gradually wastes away the firmest rocks;— such contrasts make 



