﻿101* 



NORRSKA. FIELLBN. 



N0RR8KA FIELLEN. 



lOW 



then deMaod* io a northarn direoUon to tb* vallay of the Driv Elf, 

 TUMnn through a depreMion in the mouotaisi into the valler of the 

 Orkel Elf, and through another depreaiioD into that of the Ouul Elf, 

 which it follows to the vicinity of Trondbjem. A oarriage-road leadi 

 from Trondbj<-m to Roraas, by which the produce of the copper-minea 

 of the lut'iuentioned place is brought to the port to beahipped. Tbia 

 road follows the road to Chriatiania as far as it lies in the valley of the 

 Quul Elf, and then runs along this river to its source, where it crosaea 

 a mountain-side, probably more than 3000 feet above the aea, west of 

 the Lake of Oreinind, wlienoe it deaoends to Roraas, which is some- 

 what more than 3500 feet above the sea. 



The most freqaented road ia that which lies in the deep depression 

 of the mountains between 63° 45' and 64° N. lat, which divides the 

 Norrska Piellen from the Ktolen Mountains, and by which the western 

 districts of Swedish Norrlaod briug their produce to the harbour of 

 Trondbjem, in preference to tnking it to the harbours on the Qulf of 

 Bothnia. It runs from the town of Oresuod in Oresunds Ltin, on the 

 northern side of the Lake of St<>r.<jon, and after passing along the 

 southern base of Mount Areskutau, which is 4775 feet above the sea- 

 level, it traverses the boundary-line between Sweden and Norway, and 

 its highest level occurs west of Stalstugan, where it is little more than 

 2000 feet high. Hence it descends in the valley of the Suul Elf to 

 the eastern extremity of the Trondbjem Fiord, along the shores of 

 which it contiDues to the town of that name. 



Korth of the depression in which this road lies begin the KilHtn 

 Mtyftaint, or the northern part of the Scandinavian range: they 

 present the character of a neatly continuous ridge, which iu general 

 occupies a space of 25 miles in width. Between 64° and 68° N. lat. 

 the range extends in a north-north-east direction, but farther north 

 it runs north-east, and towards its northern extremity, north of 

 69° 30' K lat., east-north-east. Between 64° and 65° N. lat nearly 

 the whole w^idth of the mountain mass lies within the territories of 

 Norway ; but farther north, up to 69° N. lat, it is nearly equally 

 divided between Norway and Sweden, the water^ed contititutiug the 

 boundary-line between these countries. Farther north the Kiolen 

 Mountains belong to Norway, except a small tract along the apper 

 course of the Muonio River, which is under the dominion of Russia. 



South of 66° N. lat the highest part of the rauge is in the middle. 

 It does not generally rise to a groat elevation, though .ilways above the 

 line of trees ; a few isolated summits are always or nearly always 

 covered with snow. The declivity towards the east ia not very steep, 

 deacending, in a distance of about ten or twelve miles, about 2000 

 faet to the base of the mountains, which is about 2000 feet above the 

 •ea-level. The lower offsets of the range extend however farther 

 eastward to a distance of about twenty miles; they are commonly 

 below the line of trees, and the vidleys embosomed by them are often 

 from six to eight miles wide, and generally covered with woods. The 

 western declivity is exceedingly steep and broken. It descends, in a 

 space of ten or twelve miles, from an elevation of about 4000 feet to 

 the level of the sea. Rugged and precipitous masses of rock inclose 

 long and wide valleys ; the rocks are usually bare, or covered with 

 heath and lichens, and sometimes with brushwood, but the valleys 

 contain forests of fine timber-trees, especially that of the Nauisen Elf. 

 The elevated rocky masses extend to the very shores of the sea, which 

 consist of a succession of deep inlets and projecting headlands. The 

 Folden Fiord penetrates seventy miles into the rocky masses. 



North of 66° N. lat the high mountain masses rise to a greater 

 elevation, and occupy a much larger space. Numerous summits lie 

 along the watershed, which are always covered with snow. The largest 

 snow-field in this part of Norway is the Fondalen, which extends 

 through SO' of latitude, between 66° and 67° N., with a breadth of 

 14 to 28 miles, and sends glaciers into the sea at Holands Fiord. The 

 highest of the snow-capped summits is the Sulitelma, near 67° N. lat, 

 which ia 6200 feet above the sea. Here also the eastern declivity is 

 not steep, but exactly resembles the descent farther south ; towards 

 the west however the high mountain masses preserve a great elevation 

 to (he very shores of the sea. Cape Kunnon, near 67° N. lat, consists 

 of rocks which rise in perpendiciil.tr precipices to the height of 1000 

 feat, and at a distance of about four miles inland they attain an 

 elevation of 4000 feet The whole rock is covered with perpetual 

 ■now, the glaciers extending on the south side to the very edge of 

 the sea. This shows that the snow-mass by which this glacier is fed 

 must bo very exteuxive. Other parts of the coast are less elevated, 

 but in several places the mountain* near the coast rise to 8O00 feet 

 _ The islands, which are numerous aJong the coast, must be con- 

 uderad w portions of the range, and the raountnins of which they 

 oouist rise to a great elevation. The island ot Ahlen, which is of 

 modanita extent, rises almost perpendicularly out of the sea, and the 

 ■aven-pointad peaks with which it terminates ascend far beyond the 

 region of mow, rising to more than 4500 feet, whilst the snow-line 

 hardly exoaad* 4000 Icet The mountains on the island of Dimnoe 

 l"he valUyii, which are inclosed between 



' ' ro deep and rather narrow; though 



' contain timber-trees, and the soil 

 i I'l in a fuw places. 



The Sulitelma ia the highest mountain in Europe north of the 

 Polar circle. It has baan examined by Wablenberg, a Swede, who 

 found that the snow-line on tba LspUnd, or eastern side ocoum at 



are above 3000 feet high. 

 tha high maasea of the c - 

 in fanaral well wooded, - 

 ia not adapted to agricult < 



about 8530 feet, on the weatem declivity at 3410 feet The vegetation 

 on the two aidea therefore differs considerably. In Sweden the fir- 

 trees ascend the declivity of the Sulitelma to about 1200 feet, the 

 pines to 1400 feet, and the biroh to 2100 feet A mountaiu on which 

 the birch does not grow is called ' fiell.' Above 21 00 feet only bushes 

 are found, especially birches, and two kinds of willow (glauca and 

 hastat.i). but they disappear at about 2800 feet The mosses on which 

 the reindeer feed extend to 800 feet below the snow-line, and to this 

 height the Laplanders advance with their herds in summer. Ranun- 

 culus nivalis and similar plants are found iu the crevices of the bare 

 rock, projecting out of the snow-masses 500 foet above the snow-line, 

 and Lichenes umbilicati even 1500 feet higher in similar situation<i. 

 Higher up all vegetation disappears, and no animal or bird is mot with, 

 except the Emberiza nivalis. 



North of 08° N. lat the moimtains along the watershed of the 

 rivers (which flow respectively into the Qulf of Bothnia and into the 

 Atlantic), sink to a much lower level, none of tboir summits attaining 

 the snow-line. The highest portion of the range lies along the West 

 Fiorden, or the long strait which divides the Lofoden Islands from 

 the continent, and on these islands themselves. In these parts nume- 

 rous mountain masses rise above the snow-line. The Fsxfield, an 

 isolated mass (near 69° N. lat), rises to 4260 feet ; the mountains 

 along the eastern shores of Lyngen Fiord rise almost perpendicularly 

 above the region of snow to upwards of 4000 feat, and the glaciers 

 descend to about one-fourth of this lieis^ht At 70° N. lat is the 

 Yokle Field, between Quiinanger Fiord and Alton Fiord, which rises 

 to 3500 feet, and is covered with extensive snow masses. It is the 

 most northern snow-mountain of the Kiolen on the continent. In 

 these parts all the mountain masses are isolated, being separated from 

 one another by deap valluys with steep sides, exactly resembling the 

 deep sounds between the islands lying along the shores. The moun- 

 tains on the Lofoden Islands ore hardly inferior in height Snow- 

 capped summits occur in E.ost and West Vaage, and they rise in 

 Hindoo and some smaller islands to 3200 feet above the sea. Farther 

 north they are less elevated, but the last snow-mountains occur on the 

 island of Seiland, where they may be considered as a continuation of 

 the Yokle Field, which stands opposite the island, on the continent.. 

 The islands farther north up to Mageroe, which contains North Cape, 

 are far less elevated. This is the most dreary part of the Kiolen 

 range. The rocks are naked and the valleys narrow. They contain 

 little wood, and that of a small size. In a few places at the innermost 

 recesses of the friths some few spots occur where potatoes are culti- 

 vated. The aea supplies the scanty population with subsistence. 



The Yokle or Jokuls Field may, in some measure, be considered as 

 the termination of the high range. Rocky masses of considerable 

 elevation separate indeed the great bays called Alten Fiord, Porsauger 

 Fiord, Laxe Fiord, Tana Fiord, and Waranger Fiord, but they dt-crease 

 in elevation as they proceed farther east 'The highest portion of these 

 rocky masses occurs at the extremity of the headlands, on the shores 

 of the Icy Sea, but as they advance south they gradually decre.i8e in 

 height, until at the southern extremity of the fiords they unite in a 

 table-land with an undulating surface, intersected by low long-backed 

 bills of gentle ascent This table-land descends gradually and con- 

 tinually towards the northern extremity of the Qulf of Bothnia ; and 

 it contains the last elevated summits of the Kiolen Mountains. The 

 Vorio Duder, south of the innermost recess of the Porsanger Fiord, 

 probably attains nearly 8620 feet; and Mount Rastekaise, south of 

 the Laxe Fiord, 3200 feet Between the Tana Elf and the Lake of 

 Enora is Mount Peldoivo, an isolated height, rising to 2130 feet but 

 not above the region of the birch. Farther east every trace of moun- 

 tains disappears. This region is somewhat more favoured by nature 

 than that south of Yokle Field. It ia true that the Porsanger Fiord, 

 and the bays east of it, being open to the northern and eastern gales, 

 do not admit any kind of cultivation : but on the Alten Fiord, which 

 is sheltered against these winds by the elevated islands lying before 

 its entrance, barley and potatoes are successfully cultivated, and th? 

 birch-tree attains a considerable size, though this place is in 71° N. lat 

 It is the most northern place on the globe in which grain is grown. 



The Scandinavian range consists mostly of primitive and transition 

 rooks ; secondary rocks occur very rarely. Qneiss constitutes by fur 

 the most prevalent component of this range. Qrauite ia not frequent ; 

 it appears, like the other primitive rocks, in some degree subordinate 

 to gneiss. The transition formation is mostly composed of grauwacke, 

 alum-slate, clay-slate, and limestone ; but it also contains sandstone 

 and other rooks. The rocky sides of the mountains and fiords are 

 almost everywhere scored by glacial action. The cliSs that screen 

 the Sogne Fiord (which is 110 miles in its whole length) are remark- 

 able for the grooves, flutings, and polished channels in the coarse con- 

 glomerates of which they are composed. Qlacier markings indeed 

 are otnervable throughout the whole range ; and the glaciers them- 

 selves present the wrinkles, dirtbands, and morains observable ia tba 

 Alpine ice-fields. 



The Scandinavian mountains are rich in metals. Iron occurs in 

 immense layers on the eastern declivity near its extremities, iu Norway, 

 iu the province of Christiansand, on the south ; and, in Sweden, in 

 Luleu Lappmark, on the north ; in the latter, near the church of 

 Qellivara, there are mountains many hundred feet high consisting 

 entirely of iron-ore. But the rich iron-mines of Sweden are not 



