AT THE UNIVERSITY 61 



interesting of our excursions, nothing but a long 14 hours' tramp 

 over moor and barren hill side, and I only mention it as another 

 illustration of Ramsay's powers of endurance in the seventies. 

 We next descended the Romsdal, and after a day or two spent 

 at Molde went on to Throndhjem, from which we returned by 

 rail to Christiania. 



At Christiania we again met Holland, who showed us over the 

 city and initiated us into the mysteries of Scandinavian politics. 

 We learned then for the first time of the cleavage between Swedes 

 and Norwegians. We had met few Swedes in the course of our 

 trip and had often been struck by this. Even then the movement 

 which subsequently led to the separation of the two countries 

 was in progress. The Norwegian flag, in which the Swedish 

 colours were quartered with those of Norway, was always referred 

 to as the ' dirty ' flag and we were assured that the Norwegian 

 people would never rest satisfied tttl it was cleansed an aspira- 

 tion which was satisfied sure enough but not till many years 

 afterwards. Holland himself was closely identified with the 

 young Norway party and introduced us to several of the nota- 

 bilities in politics and literature at the University club. 



We left Norway after a six weeks' tour with the pleasantest 

 memories of the country and its people. We both returned 

 repeatedly but never again in company. Our passage back was 

 very rough. R-amsay was a good sailor and I a bad one, but I 

 think that was the only advantage he had over me as a traveller. 



After Ramsay's removal to Bristol he continued to visit 

 Glasgow periodically so long as his father and mother were alive, 

 but of course I saw much less of him than formerly, and although 

 we continued to correspond, I have little to tell regarding the 

 period after 1880." 



It has not been thought advisable to interrupt the 

 interesting story told by Sir James Dobbie, but one or 

 two incidents not referred to in these notes are recalled 



