ALTEN, HAMMERFEST, &C. 479 



us the only station with which he was acquainted, for a species 

 of rose ; it is a pretty small shrub, with deep purple-crimson 

 flowers and red-barked stems. I had previously noticed it 

 cultivated in Madame Klerck's garden, and learned that the 

 roots had been procured from the forest. It does not exactly 

 agree with Rosa cinnamomea of our gardens, but may perhaps 

 be R. majalls, if that be not, as Sir J. C. Smith suspects, 

 merely a variety of cinnamomea. 



Gentiana nivalis was abundant on the grassy hills, accompa- 

 nied by a less showy, but much rarer species, G. involucrata. 

 Ranunculus flammula var. reptans also occurred commonly on 

 the half-dried mud of little pools in low ground. 



Again accompanied by Mr. Norager, we made a second ex- 

 cursion beyond the Alten river, which we crossed very near its 

 mouth. A very extensive sandy flat was in some places lite- 

 rally covered with Laikyrus pisiformis, which the peasantry 

 were busy cutting for hay; the two gentians were abundant, and 

 I also met with another species, G. serrata. Almost close to 

 the Fiord was abundance of Elymus arenarius the seeds of 

 which, as Mr. Norager informed us, are sometimes gathered and 

 eaten in time of scarcity. 



Astragalus alpinus was in many parts mixed with the La- 

 thyrns. 



In some marshes adjoining the river I found many plants of 

 a Primula, out of flower, which appeared to be the same as the 

 one I had found on the island of Soroe. It might, however, 

 be P. strieta, Flor. Dan., which much resembles it in the leaves. 

 A heathy piece of ground was quite a sheet of white from the 

 immense quantity of Trientalis Europcea, with which it was 

 covered, and I found that this flower has a very delicate honey- 

 suckle smell, which is perhaps hardly perceptible in a single 

 flower, but was now very apparent. 



We proceeded up the valley of a small river which falls into 

 the Alten, and soon came to a very romantic part, where it rushes 

 for a considerable distance over a succession of rocky ledges. 

 A saw-mill and house were picturesquely situated on a point of 

 rock just over the principal fall. The proprietor, Mr. Jakob- 

 sen, received us very kindly, and his good lady spread for us 

 a very inviting repast, to which we were not backward in 

 doing justice. The river above the falls forms a strange con- 

 trast to its appearance below them. It flows slowly along 



