390 



NATURE 



[August 25, 1892 



publishers. It is remarkably moderate in price, and we 

 trust that it will be so well supported by societies and 

 private purchasers that Dr. Bramwell will be encouraged 

 to continue so admirable an enterprise. 



MODERN DEVELOPMENTS IN NORWAY. 

 Handbook for Travellers in Norwiy. Eighth Edition, 



Revised. (London : Murray, 1892.) 

 "\TORWAY now shares with Switzerland the privilege 

 of being "the playground of Europe," and would 

 even take precedence were it not for the sea voyage 

 there and back. The recent progress of tourist invasion 

 is curiously displayed by reference to the various editions 

 of Murray's Handbooks. 



We have before us the tattered remnants of our old 

 traveUing companion and oracle — Part i of the " Hand- 

 book for Northern Europe," including Denmark, Norway, 

 and Sweden (1849). We are there told that by the last 

 census in 1835 the population of Christiania was 33,000. 

 The last edition tells us that its population is now 

 156,000. This is good progress for a capital city, but 

 that of the chief town of Arctic Norway is still more 

 remarkable. Tromso (lat. 69° 38' N.) had in 18 16 only 

 300 inhabitants. Its present population is above 5,700, 

 in spite of the fact that for more than two months the 

 sun is continuously below the horizon. On the 22nd 

 January, when it makes its first appearance over a crag 

 to the south of the town, there is much jubilation, general 

 holiday, and gun firing. In the old handbook the 

 journey from Tromso to the North Cape is described as 

 an adventurous expedition demanding special prepara- 

 tions, which are described, and ladies are warned not to 

 attempt it. Now it is as easy as a trip from London 

 Bridge to Ramsgate, in steam packets incomparably 

 superior to those wh'ch carry passengers down the 

 Thames. 



In the old handbook the Skjeggedalsfos,justly described 

 in the present edition as " more grand and picturesque 

 than any other waterfall in Europe," is unnoticed, as also 

 in the next edition (1858). It was then unknown to the 

 outer world, including Norway itself, until a solitary 

 English pedestrian— the writer — ventured to explore the 

 valley of the Tyssedal, to climb further on, and sojourn 

 for a night in the Ringedal. It was first described in 

 1859 in "Through Norway with a Knapsack." Now it 

 is one of the primary "lions" of Norway; there is a 

 regular passenger boat on the lake, so solitary and 

 desolate before 1859, professional guides, and an hotel 

 in course of erection. The other grand region of Nor- 

 way — the wildest of all — the Jotunhjem, which in the 

 early editions of the Handbook was merely referred to in 

 a single paragraph of a few lines, and in 1874 in two 

 paragraphs bracketed as a side route, was made the 

 subject of a special section of fifteen pages in the edition 

 of 1880, illustrated by a special map of the district. 

 This is continued in the present edition. 



The Norwegian Tourist Club has strong claims upon 

 the gratitude of all Norwegian tourists. Besides publish- 

 ing in its transactions the record of explorations which 

 have opened up many interesting districts, it has erected 

 NO. 1 191, VOL. 46] 



huts for refuge in the Jotunhjem, rendered a visit to 

 the foot of the Voringfos and many similar places 

 possible, and set up many useful sign-boards indicating 

 paths to waterfalls, points of view, &c. The assistance 

 thus freely given to tourists in Norway contrasts very 

 remarkably with the twopenny tricks of British landlords, 

 who, for a consideration, permit their tenants to put up 

 gates and charge admission to so many of our little 

 dribbles designated waterfalls, and other natural objects 

 of interest. 



The present Handbook is brought up to date, and im- 

 proved in many respects, notably by being printed on 

 thinner paper than heretofore, and by setting the bye 

 routes in smaller type, as Baedekker does. There is 

 j a valuable feature altogether new, viz., a Guide to 

 ! Cycling Routes in Norway. The old accounts of the old 

 \ hilly roads — which are now greatly improved or wholly 

 \ superseded — led to false impressions on the subject. 

 , The writer delivered a lecture on " Cycling in Norway " 

 to the Society of Cyclists some years ago which corrected 

 these impressions, and induced many cyclists to do 

 Norway ; this appendix to Murray's Handbook will 

 doubtless have still greater effect. In one important 

 respect Norway offers the cyclist unrivalled advantages, 

 viz., its admirable national organization of " Stations " 

 for bed and board at regular intervals of about eight 

 miles apart, and the annual publication of an authorized 

 guide to all the roads and all the stations thereon, of 

 which Mr. Bennett publishes an English translation with 

 additions and maps, which render it a very valuable 

 handbook. 



An ideal handbook of Norway is, however, still 

 demanded. The country being a narrow strip extending 

 from 58^ to 72^ of latitude, it lends itself to a scheme of 

 simple mapping, in horizontal strips of one degree each, 

 which would require no cross folding. Each degree on 

 the scale of Munck's map would occupy only the depth 

 of one of Murray's pages. The scale of this map is 

 sufficient for pedestrians, cyclists, and carriole tourists. 

 With such a series of maps and a small key map, the 

 I only handbook reference demanded would be designation 

 j of latitude. In 1880 the writer constructed such a series 

 from Munck, and suggested its adoption by the publishers, 

 but the suggestion was not carried out. The develop- 

 ment, or rather creation, of hotels in Norway is marvellous. 

 The night before last we stopped at the Stalheim Hotel, 

 ' dined in a magnificent salon, with roomy seats for 300 

 guests ; music at dinner ; concert in capacious smoking- 

 room every evening ; several drawing-rooms and 200 

 beds ; all the salons lighted by electricity. Formerly — 

 at the time of our first visit — the only provision here for 

 travellers was a very inferior " station," a little hut with 

 two or three questionable beds ; no such luxury as white 

 bread. Much of this is due to the modern development 

 of cruising in what may be called cooperative yachts, such 

 as the Ceylon and the larger vessels of the Orient Com- 

 pany and others, which carry about a hundred passengers 

 on each cruise, visit the finest fjords, and halt for inland 

 trips, thus rendering a short holiday available for 

 Norway, so far as the outer fringe of its grand scenery 

 is concerned. W. M. W. 



Odde, August 13, 1892. 



