WASTGOTA RESA ROUND LAKE VENERN 203 



and here he was driven indoors by a long slow rain 

 that would not let him keep dry. He went on Sunday 

 forenoon to AmSl Church. In the afternooon Mr. Ver- 

 sasser and he walked out into the country to take 

 lessons in old-wives' knowledge of Dal botany. He 

 says the old women here have considerable knowledge, 

 and he gives a long account of what he learnt. 



On the 28th he set out for Karlstad, an immense 

 journey through the lake district of the Wermland 

 Dal, where even thus late he heard the cuckoo. He 

 passed the Aswelsater, keeping the hills on the left 

 hand, and slept at Gastakrog. On again across the 

 Rarnsunds Bridge to Maloga ; across the Stottsbro, a 

 long bridge, to Karlstad on the Klara River, now an 

 important town, destroyed by fire, and entirely rebuilt, 

 since 1865. It was then a medium-sized town with 

 fine schools and medicinal springs. Night fell on him 

 with thick darkness. The lofty black forest appeared 

 in the dark as high again as itself, and like a wall, 

 visible in the lightning playing all around. The weather 

 cooled, but he was glad to get to shelter after this toil- 

 some journey. 



On July 31 he came late eleven at night to 

 Norum. Here he was shown the tallest tree in Sweden 

 a Scotch fir. 1 These firs, he says, are known to live 320 

 years in Finland. 



On August 1 he stayed at the priest's house at Njed, 

 arriving at Philipstad on the 2nd, where he looked over 

 1 Pinus sylvestris. 



