Ch. i. in Norway. 263 



the peasants will now marry too young, and that 

 more children will be born than the country can 

 support. 



But, independently of any regulations re- 

 specting the military enrolments, the peculiar 

 state of Norway throws very strong obstacles 

 in the way of early marriages. There are no 

 large manufacturing towns to take off the over- 

 flowing population of the country; and as each 

 village naturally furnishes from itself a supply of 

 hands more than equal to the demand, a change 

 of place in search of work seldom promises any 

 success. Unless therefore an opportunity of fo- 

 reign emigration offer, the Norwegian peasant 

 generally remains in the village in which he was 

 born ; and as the vacancies in houses and employ- 

 ments must occur very slowly, owing to the small 

 mortality that takes place, he will often see him- 

 self compelled to wait a considerable time, before 

 he can attain a situation, which will enable him to 

 rear a family. 



The Norway farms have in general a certain 

 number of married labourers employed upon them, 

 in proportion to their size, who are called house- 

 men. They receive from the farmer a house, and 

 a quantity of land nearly sufficient to maintain 

 a family ; in return for which they are under the 

 obligation of workinsr for him at a low and fixed 

 price, whenever they are called upon. Except in 

 the immediate neighbourhood of the towns, and 

 on the sea-coast, the vacancy of a place of this kind 

 is the only prospect which presents itself of pro- 



