374 Geoloaij. 



manner, the best nieans of rendering tliis practice as ccncr:i| 

 through the kingdom as circumstances will admit, — the gold 

 medal. To be sent to the board on or before the first Tues- 

 day in November 1804. 



[To be continued.] 



LXX. I/Uelligenpe find Miscellaneous Articles. 

 Geology. 



iVlu. EsAfARK of Kongsberg, on his travels through Nor- 

 way, has hitely made some very interesting researches to 

 determine the snow-line and line of vegetation. Of all the 

 mountains which he ascendc:d the Sneeiiutten on Dovre- 

 iicld is th.c highest, its altit\ide above the level of the sea 

 •being more than SOOO Rhinlandic feet. It is continually 

 covered with snow, and in some places, where the ^low had 

 tumbled down, it appeared to consist of twenty-five strata, 

 each cover<;d with a perceptible incrustation of ice. The 

 uppermost stratum, which has an undulated form, was in 

 the hollows. between the waves of snow weak and of an 

 amethyst colour, as has been observed in thp Alps. lu 

 places where the rays of the sun fall in an oblique direction, 

 which is the case towards the north and no)'th-east, the 

 snow-line is placed at tlie height of 300t» feet above the 

 level of the sea ; but towards the soutli and west, where the 

 sun is more powerful, the snow melts at the height of 7000 

 feet above the sea. The highest points w hich Mr. Esmark 

 ascended consist of nncaceous schistus, except the 

 mountain of Tronfieldet between Tonstel and Foldalen, the 

 summit of which consists of a kind of stone hitherto un- 

 known,, which is a mixture of green feldspar and schiller 

 spar, about 4.500 feet above the level of the sea. This stone 

 is so magnetic that it changes the direction of the magnetic 

 needle at the distance of four feet. It is susceptible of a 

 fine polish ; and in regard to colour has a great similarity 

 to the Labrador stone. The height of the line of vegetation 

 in Norway is diflerent, as well as the kinds of trees and 

 plants, which are more or less capable of enduring the cold. 

 At the height of lOOO feet several species of fruit-trees 

 thrive and produce abundant crops. The silver fir can bea,r 

 in Norway a g'-eatcr degree of cold than (he spruce fir. The 

 lattei' grows only at the height of 2000 feet j on the other 

 hand, the former is foimd at the height of 3000 feet. The 

 l)irch thrives very v.ell to the height of 3000 feet; at a 

 greater altitude nothing is found but the Bclnlnnoiia, toge- 

 ther with some willows and the juniper, which, however, 

 1 docis 



