OUR NEIGHBOURS 107 



of the desire of the first Bernadotte to have 

 the kingdom of Norway to fall back on in 

 the event of his losing Sweden, where he felt 

 very insecure. The extreme Separatists were 

 supposed to be ready even to throw themselves 

 into the arms of Russia to obtain assistance 

 against the Swedes. But owing to the out- 

 rageous treatment of Finland by the Russian 

 Government, a great revulsion of feeling has 

 taken place in Norway. And in fact Norway, 

 which in the extreme north marches with 

 Russia, has much to fear from her neighbour. 

 The northern harbours, which, owing to the in- 

 fluence of the Gulf Stream, are free from ice all 

 the year round, may some day prove an irresis- 

 tible attraction to the greater power ; and we in 

 England may have to face a North of Europe 

 question and the prospect of a Russian Naval 

 Station within a few days' sail of our shores. 



Yet threatened nations live long. The late 

 Mr. Samuel Laing, writing in 1835 ("Journal of 

 a Residence in Norway"), spoke of the danger 

 of Russian aggression as imminent. Many 

 salmon have ascended the rivers since then. 



The peasants here are no great sportsmen. 

 There is little or no game on the hills, and the 



