JRIVERS. *3 



distance varying with circumstances are moist, though at 

 a greater distance the ground may be arid and sterile. 

 To this is attributable the growth of those trees in the 

 situations indicated. 



But these rivers have attractions for others besides 

 students of forest science. 



It is the wild and varied scenery produced by rock and 

 river, fiord and forest, and mountain and lake, which makes 

 Norway interesting to many British tourists, while its 

 salmon fishings in rivers and lakes makes it also attractive 

 to others. 



' Of all the contrasts which Norway presents to other 

 mountainous countries/ says Forbes in his volume entitled 

 Norway and its Glaciers, 'the abundance of running 

 water is perhaps the most striking to a stranger ; its 

 noble rivers, and its impressive waterfalls, are perhaps the 

 features of the scenery most generally dwelt upon, and 

 many tourists seem to make the latter the sole arid main 

 object of their search. This I think is a mistake. A 

 cascade is a noble object as forming part of a landscape, 

 but it is often situated so as to be well seen only when 

 every other part of the landscape is excluded. If dwelt 

 upon exclusively it becomes a mere lusus naturae, not an 

 element of scenery ; and if made the exclusive object of a 

 laborious journey, it can scarcely fail to disappoint. I have 

 not seen the most celebrated falls of Norway, for my other 

 objects of enquiry did not lead me near them ; but having 

 visited those of other countries I have come to the con- 

 clusion that, setting aside the curiosity and variety of a 

 lofty cascade, small waterfalls, unexpectedly discovered 

 in picturesque situations, convey a truer sense of pleasure 

 and beauty to the mind than the thundering shoots which 

 tumble often into nearly inaccessible gorges. In the 

 former class Norway abounds beyond calculation ; running 

 water of a bright and sparkling green is seen on every 

 side, at least in the valleys ; it pours over cliffs often in a 

 single leap, but more frequently, and more effectively, in a 



