530 



NORWAY 



its tributary the Hallingdal (113), Xummedal 

 Laagen (143), and onn.-n (140). Some of these 

 streams in their lower courses exiiand into long 

 n:\rrow lakes of considerable size : Lake Mjosen in 

 80 miles long, and its Untom in 1(S<) feet I*|ONV 

 tlx- level of the sea; others are Kandsfjord (43 

 mill's long), Tyrifjord (19 miles), and Fa-muml 

 (33 miles (aw '">' 1 230 f 68 * aliove sea-level). 

 The slo[>es of these valleys, especially in the 

 Hiiithern and eastern parts of the country, are 

 planted for miles upon miles with forests, chielly 

 lir. In these forest regions the elk is still found, 

 and the blackcock, ca|ereail/.ie, anil bud-groOM 

 alKiuiid. The trees are felldl principally in winter, 

 and floated down the streams in early spring to the 

 sawmills at their mouths. 



Geology. The great mass of the Norwegian 

 plateau consists almost entirely of Archiean rocks, 

 rhii'tly granite ami gneiss, with nuart/: and horn- 

 lilemle sehi.-( s in a subordinate degree, in very many 

 cases clearly Htratilie.l. In central and western 

 Norway (the fje'.d region) the primary rocks are 

 covereil with layers of metamorphosed clay-slate 

 and i|ii:irt/ite, whilst large mosses of eruptive rocks 

 of later date, such as granite, syenite, gabbro 

 (especially in the Jotun Kjeld), porphyry, green- 

 stone, labradprite, serpentine, have piereM through 

 iMith formations and overspread them in broad 

 sheets or coverlets. The prevailing formation in 

 eastern Norway is calleil Bparagmite, a loose 

 accretion of conglomerates and breccia.*, sandstone 

 and quartz. Bands of Silurian rocks extend across 

 the southern part of the country from south-west 

 to north-east, the two most dearly-defined belts 

 stretching from Hardanger Fjord to Trondhjem 

 and from Skien Fjord (on the south coast) to Lake 

 Mjosen. Most of the rocks of the plateau have 

 been greatly crumpled, folded, twisted, crushed, 

 and dislocated. The prevailing formation through- 

 out northern Norway is granite. Nearly all parts of 

 the country bear conspicuous traces of the scratch- 

 ing, grinding, and polishing to which the structural 

 rocks were subjected during the Glacial age and 

 the period of its departure. Incised and striated 

 line-, and polished surfaces, occur at all altitudes 

 up to 5000 feet, and generally follow directions 

 radiating outwards from the highest mountain- 

 knots of the peninsular rampart. lioulders litter 

 the surface of the country nearly everywhere; 

 moraines are numerous, and transverse ridges of 

 glacial detritus block the months of many of the 

 valleys; 'giant kettles,' the basins that received 

 the glacial cataract*, occur in numerous districts 

 near the sea. Moreover, the lines of ancient 

 In- 1. -lies, whether of the ocean or of glacial lakes, 

 are distinctly traceable at many |M>ints along the 



coa-t fr Bwgen to the North Cape; sometimes 



there are two, or even more, one aliove another. 

 The coast of northern Norway is estimated by some 

 authorities to have risen lietween 400 and 600 feet. 

 I PHI. \V.U. \M> Si IISIUDXCK. 



liiilii.ttni-x <nnl Or, H/I n/inii.<t. Norway's natural 

 wealth lies in her li-herics, her forests, and her 

 shipping; her manufactures, her mines, ami her 

 agriculture are all unable to meet the home 

 demands. 



By far the most important of the fisheries are 

 the cod and herring. Coil are taken by 80,0(H) to 

 90,000 men on the west coast from January to 

 April. They are cured chietly in two ways, being 

 either dried on wooden frames (hence called fur fist 

 'dry fish') or slightly salted, carried to the 

 mainland, split open, and dried on the nicks (hence 

 l.li/ititk = 'split tish'). The former are cx|M>rtiil 

 to Italy to the average annual value of i':t74.<XK>. 

 the latter to Spain to a value ranging from I'.V.III.IHKI 

 to 981,0110 a year. Hesi,!,-, cod liver nil is ex- 

 ported to au annual average of 338,000, salted rue 



to 2S!),000, and heads and ollal-. powdered tor 

 manure, to 37,(KK) to <i3.000. Herrings are taken 

 all the \ear round and e\|mrted to an annual value 

 \arving from 575,000 to 039,000. Macki-i. 1 

 .IK)} and ovsters are taken off the south 

 coa-t, am) salmon and sea-trout (43.4OO) and 

 lobsters (26,200) oil' the west coast, nil the north 

 coast of Finmark cod, saithe, flounders, smelt, 

 Vr. ale taken in sumniei and bartered to KH--KUI 

 merchants for Hour; this fishery engagra about 

 l.'i.dtKi men. The fishery in tlie I'olar seas for 

 Nvhales, walrus, seals, aog-ftlh, sharks, &c. is 

 prosecuted by alxmt 1000 men in less than 1(K( 

 small vessels, sailing from Tromsii and Hammer 

 fe-t, with a few from Vardii; their total earnings 

 in a season vary lietNvceii i'l7."),(KX) and .'(7s,IMNi. 

 The inland lakes and rivers contain an abundance 



of salmon, trout, and red chair, and s of the 



southern lakes have also grayling, bream, perch, 

 and pike. 



The forests cover about 24 per cent, of the entire 

 surface, though the area has Wen of late > 

 very greatly diminished. Trees are, however, being 

 systematically planted in several parts. The saw- 

 mills (84(1 in number) give employment to 10,300 

 men, whilst 1600 more are engaged in the prepara- 

 tion of wood-pulp and cellulose ( I 1 -' factories in 

 1885). Timlier of all kinds is exported to a total 

 value of 1,785,000 (1888; 2,111,000 in 1890), 

 Wood-pulp and cellulose to 509,500 (a stcadv in- 

 crease from 130,3(10 in 1880), matches to !7.400, 

 and articles manufactured from wood to 23,600. 



Agriculture is carried on chietly in the vicinity of 

 riiristiania, the lower ends of the east land valley-, 

 in the level district of Jivderen in the extreme 

 south-west, and around Trondhiem. The farms 

 are mostly small ; 94 per cent, of the entire num- 

 ber measure less than 50 acres each, and more than 

 half the fanners own the land they cultivate. Of 

 the total population 53 per cent, are engaged in or 

 connected with agriculture. The rearing of cattle, 

 sheep, and gonts in the north reindeer -are im- 

 portant branches. The area under cultivation is 

 only '2 per rent, of the entire -urface of the country, 

 amf meadow s and grazing land add another 2'8 per 

 cent 



A century ago and down to alxmt 1H70 the 

 eojiper and' iron mines of Kiiros and the siher- 

 mines of Kon^sberg yielded considerable outputs: 

 but they have since greatly declined. The only 

 vigorous mine i- ;it Vignuni (on Karnifi, at the 

 entrance to liukken Fjord), which yields 61, 000 

 worth of pyrites in the year. The total miner;'! 

 output of Norway (iron pyrites, silver, copper, 

 n pat ite, nickel) was worth 181,300 in 1885, one- 

 half the value of 1882. The silver mined is, how- 

 ever, still worth 57,700 a year. Barely 2000 men 

 are employed in this occupation. 



The purely industrial establishments are grouped 

 mainly around Christ iania, and do not employ 

 more than 45,50(1 persons altogether. Itesidcs 

 some already mentioned, the more important 

 textile mannfiK 37 employee* and 14 3 fac- 



tories), machine simp- i -I'Jvj men in ."><> establish- 

 ments), chcmicnl factories (75 with 3002 men), 

 iron and metul work- (117 with 2ssi men), brick- 

 works (105 with '-'X.l men), Hour-mills (3S7 with 

 1787 men ), tobacco-factories (43; 1077), breweries 

 (47; 1411), and in a minor device tanneries, dis- 

 tilleries, and factories for matches, ^-la-s, oil (fish 

 and vegetable), and paper. Water is the favourite 

 motive power, only 500 out of 2000 establishments 

 using steam. 



The Norwegians rank amongst the busiest sea- 

 carriers of the world, close upon nine million Urns 

 of merchandise !>ein^ carried annually in Nor- 

 wegian vessels, in all parts of the world, the 

 owners of which earn the aggregate sum of 



