244 THE ALTEN AND THE TANA. 



not been spoiled by the Namsen." But the great drawback 

 to these rivers is, that from being situated near to ice-peaked 

 mountains, " they are not fishable," according to that gentle- 

 man, " before the 20th of July, and are probably still better 

 in August." 



The Alten, situated in latitude 70, and not far from the 

 North Cape itself, has deservedly gained much celebrity 

 amongst fishermen. 



Sir Hyde Parker was, I believe, the first of our country- 

 men who visited this fine river for the express purpose of 

 salmon fishing; and he was well rewarded for his pains, 

 " having had," he wrote me, " great sport." This was in 

 1836, if I remember rightly. 



Subsequently the Alten has been visited by several of 

 our countrymen, amongst the rest by Mr. Edward Brettle, 

 who met with most extraordinary success. In fifteen days, 

 or parts of days, between the 4th of July and the 12th of 

 August, he captured one hundred and ninety-four salmon, 

 weighing two thousand seven hundred and fifty-two pounds, 

 or on the average some fourteen pounds each. His greatest 

 day was thirty-three fish, weighing together five hundred 

 and eighteen pounds. 



In a memorandum of his performances in the Alten, with 

 which Mr. Brettle favoured me, were noted down numbers of 

 salmon of twenty pounds and upwards, five upwards of thirty 

 pounds, and one of forty pounds ! 



At some sixty to eighty miles, in a direct line, to the east- 

 ward of the Alten, though very considerably more if one 

 follows the sinuosities of the coast, is another large river, 

 called the Tana, which, by all accounts, abounds with salmon, 

 and those of a very large size. A friend, indeed, wrote me 



