HER 



274 



B E R 



When the fishing season at Ifuden is over, the place 

 become* as de*oUte at it WM before animated; but when 

 the fi*h i* to be taken down it become* lively again. This 

 period, a* appointed In law. commence* on the 12th of 

 June, previou* to which, it is prohibited under penalty ol 

 flue* to remove tho fish. 



In order to give an idea of the immense quantity of fish 

 taken here, the number of hands employed, and the amount 

 of capital invested in this the most important fishery of 

 Norway, in the districts of Lofoden and Westeraalen n)y, 

 we need but mention that during the winter fishing in 

 1827 the number of boat* was 2916. and of yacht* 1'JI, 

 manned with 15.324 men: 16,456,000 Cull were token, 

 which gave -13,060 barrel* of liver. If the fish is valued at 

 one half dollar per vog (containing about thirty fish), the 

 liver at seven dollars the barrel, and 6000 barrels of salted 

 roes at one dollar the barrel, the whole will amount to 

 430.987 dollar*, about 72.000/., which is tile value of the 

 produce of the fishing at Lofoden during a period of eight 

 week*.* Taking into account the value of the yachts, boats, 

 and fishing utensils, together with the yearly expenses for 

 their repair, a* well as the support of the fishermen during 

 the season, we have, on a moderate calculation, a capital of 

 about 919,000 dollar*, which must be considered very great 

 when we reflect that it is furnished by simple peasants. 

 The fishery of 1836 ha* been more productive than that of 

 five or six preceding yean. 



Although the fishing at Lofoden is productive, the net 

 income of each individual is not very considerable, partly in 

 consequence of the number of fishermen, and partly owing 

 to the damage which the expensive utensils suffer from 

 storms and other contingencies. 



The income of each man from a fishing trip is estimated 

 at 40 voger of rund-fUh, 3 barrels of oil, and 500 raw fish, 

 being altogether worth about 48 dollars in money : after de- 

 ducting the expenses, which are reckoned at 27 dollars, he 

 has a net profit of 21 dollars remaining (3/. ni.v.). It may 

 be remarked, that the produce of the fishing depends much 

 on good boats and utensils, as well as on experienced 

 and orderly fishermen. As they are generally obliged to 

 bnn^ their fish to Bergen or Tronclhjem, they may chance 

 to lose the whole, or to have the greater part of it damaged 

 by bad weather. 



It may appear extraordinary that the Nordlandman 

 should bring his produce to so distant a market as Bergen 

 (about 5<>o English miles), while he hag other towns much 

 nearer, as for instance Trondhjera, Christiansand, and Mulde. 

 His object, however, is not only to obtain a sale for his pro- 

 duce, but also a market where there is sufficient competition 

 among the buyers to prevent a depression in price's, and 

 where he can, at the cheapest rate, be provided with the 

 articles which he requires. Such a market he finds in 

 Bergen, whose credit as the principal place for the exporta- 

 tion of fish ia so well established abroad, that he is always 

 sure of a quick sale for his commodities, and is likewise, 

 by the confluence of merchandise of every description, 

 enabled to obtain what he may require, at the lowest prices. 

 In exchange for their fish, the Nordlandmen pnrch 

 H'Ti-cn, corn, meal, oaken barrel*, coffee, sugar, and different 

 articles of necessity or luxury. 



Every Nordlandman who brings his produce to Bergen 

 ha* generally a certain merchant there who buys it of him, 

 and supplies him in return with such articles as he may re- 

 quire, or with ready money. Most commonly the merchant 

 remains hi* creditor, and has then a claim on the produce 

 of the following year's fishing. Thug the Nordlandmen are 

 continually in debt to the merchants of Bergen, though not 

 so much now a* formerly. In 1763, for instance, the total 

 amount of their debt wa* estimated at 5p,000/. That the 

 fcnlity of obtaining credit should incline the men to luxuries, 

 equally dangerous to their moral* and unfavourable i 

 nomy, is a very natural consequence. A singular en 

 prevail* in Bergen of the merchant*, in an assembly, fi\in- 

 the price* of the fish for each year, in order to present ihnn 

 from ruing too high by competition ; but as no one is com- 

 pelled strictly to adhere to those pricos, it ho* happened thai 

 they have risen more than 100 per cent, above the price 

 greed on. The great competition always prevents the prices 

 from falling too low. 



Formerly, and especially during the Hanscatic cstablish- 



~n*n t> (Thltntljr n mor hr In the calculation : th .-> , 

 pno <f a banclut Inrii W are inlutnml by a -rnlUmiu) whabu b-n la 

 BM trad* thai a ban*' ..f Inert It worth two dollar! or Iru I! , i er-i. 

 pete. tflc4aUM .111 ut HTM wttklhal of oar Nonc.ian , 



ment, the Nordlandmen were frequently exposed to fraud 

 from the merchant* of Ilergfii ; but at present this is n<it 

 considered to be the case, and the circumstance that the 

 people continue to visit Bergen instead of their nearer 

 neighbours, seems to confirm this supposition. 



The annual arrival of the yacht* from Nordland occasion* 

 extraordinary Ufa in the port and on the quay* ; the harbour 

 i* almost blocked up with vessels: frequently the whole n._-ht 

 is employed in transporting, packing, and prepn. 

 SO that till* season may be considered as a 



Tho trade of Bergen with the other pa. 

 by no means so important as that with Nordland. I 

 the interior of the country Bergen i. n -manufac- 



tures, gloss, tiles, &c. : from the towns in the diocese of 

 Trondbjcm, some copper, with millstones and grindstones. 



Of foreign trade that with the Baltic is \er\ considerable. 

 Bergen exports thither large quantities of herrings and 

 oilier fish, and skins : receiving in return hemp, glue, hops, 

 canvas, linen, Sic. The trade with Denmark is extctii\e, 

 but is for the most part carried on in Danish vessels, which 

 bring corn, pork, and other provisions. From Hamburgh, 

 Bergen is inundated with merceries, cloth, cotton goods, and 

 colonial articles of every description, which far exceed the 

 value of Norwegian produce exported to Hamburgh. The 

 trade with Holland is not inconsiderable: the Dutch im- 

 port dyes, drugs, linseed-oil, cheese, paper, and files, the 

 value of which greatly exceeds the amount of the articles 

 which they take in return, among which, the moss used fur 

 dyeing hag of late years become one of the most important. 

 With England tho trade is less considerable than formerly 

 coals, clolh, and manufactured goods are received in ex- 

 change for fish, lobsters, tallow, and skirns. Sweden sup- 

 plies Bergen in her own vessels with iron, nails, vitriol, 

 alum, and staves, taking in return li.-h, particularly what is 

 called the spring-herring. From France, Berpen imports 

 large quantities of salt, wines, brandy, colonial article 

 and sends thither large quantities of fish, oils, salted roe* 

 for the sardine fishing, and planks: this trade U < 

 on chiefly in native vessels. Bergen has considerable trade 

 in the Mediterranean : the imports consist of salt, sweet-oil, 

 wines, and fruits; the exports of large quantities of dry ti-li 

 and klip-fish, of which there is a very considerable 

 sumption in the Catholic countries during the fasts. 



Bergen has scarcely any commerce at all with places out 

 of Europe, except that from time to time a vessel sails to 

 the West Indies. 



In the year 1829 Bergen's export of fish, lobsters, k. ., 

 was as follows : 



Dry and smoked fish 68,905 skibpunds (a skibpund is about 



3-iO Ibs. English). 



Klip-fish . . 23,269 skibpundg 

 Salt-fish & herrings 188/278 barrels 

 Sajted roes . . 13,928 

 Train-oil , . , 16,818 

 Lobsters .... 250,582 pieces. 



In 1 828, the exports of these goods amounted (o about 

 20 per cent. more. 



The most considerable article of import is corn, of which 

 there was imported, in 1829, 176,137 barrels, besides 

 barrels of peas : in 1828, 181,753 barrels of corn, and 2547 

 barrels of pea* were imported. The other articles im- 

 ported in 1828 were 126,7^1 barrels of salt, 35 I, OHO Ibs. 



. 145,000 Ibs. coffee, 4172lbs. tea. 2-1 5,000 Ibs. tob 

 938,000 quarts wine, 2,939,000 staves Tor barrels, and 

 1,656,000 "hoops, to which must be added a large quantity 

 of manufactured goods. 



In I*'.".) Hertren possessed 205 vessels, with a tonnage of 

 5475 C'liinmerce Lasts, and about 700 seamen. 



In the .same year, 622 vessels, with a tonnage of 22,2-19 

 Commerce Lasts, were cleared inwards at the custom-house, 

 of which 237 were Norwegian, with 7756 Commerce I 

 the remainder were for -. About the same num- 



ber, and in the same proportion, cleared outward*. 



Bergen has been several times visited by threat calnmi- 

 n the years l:M8and 1.150 the black pestilence, which 

 was broimht thither by an English vessel, carried off the 

 greater part of the population. At other different dates, 

 in the years 1618, 1629, and 1637, the plague destroyed 

 about .lOdO of the inhabitants each time. It ha 



'ni' by fire, of whfch the most dcstruclive was 



th.it happened on the 19th of May, 1702, whereby 



arly the whole town was reduced to ashes. 



