562 



DALECARLIA. 



Dalecarlia. (gneiss), which towards the north and north-west sinks 

 into a level plain. Over the lower side of this height 

 passes transversely a bed of limestone, and a little to 

 the north of it at Utanmyra sandstone occurs. 



The curvilinear extent of this bed from Rattvik near 

 Boda, Ore, Skaturgby, and Orssa, to Vattnas in Mora, 

 amounts to about 4o" T English miles. Its breadth may 

 be estimated at about 6£ English miles; but this breadth 

 varies considerably in different places. 



2. Sandstone and limestone, which sometimes con- 

 tains posterior beds of clay slate and marl slate, inter- 

 mixed and composed of the substances that have been 

 named in the preceding table of the transition rocks. 



The sandstone in this tract, as is the case with the 

 same rock in other parts of the kingdom, constitutes al- 

 ways the lowest bed. Beds of it with limestone are 

 seen at Solleron, near the grindstone quarry in Orssa, 

 a quarter of a mile (ly English mile) from Dalby in 

 Ore, and in a variety of other places. These beds 

 dip to the north-north-west and north, at an angle of 

 between 30 and 40 degrees ; while the limestone dips 

 to the west at an angle of about 49 degrees. At Stygg- 

 forss in Boda, the sandstone beds lie immediately over 

 the primitive rocks, and are accompanied by marl slate 

 and limestone. At Solleron, and by Vikarby, limestone 

 beds are found lying immediately over granite. 



Limestone, with intermingled beds of clay slate and 

 marl slate, constitute the uppermost bed. The clay 

 slate and marl slate are found only in the upright beds, 

 surrounded by the common limestone, to which the 

 strata are parallel, though the beds are not particularly 

 level. Examples of this may be seen on the north-west 

 side of the cliff of Osmundsberg, at Styggforss, at Ska- 

 tungbyn, in the enclosure near the river Ore, where 

 layers of thin slaty clay slate, running east and west, 

 and dipping at an angle of 23 degrees to the north, are 

 surrounded with parallel beds of limestone. By Vikar- 

 by in Rattvik, the whole height upon which the vil- 

 lage is situated, rising gradually from Siljar, consists 

 of beds of limestone running in an east-north-east and 

 west-south-west direction, and dipping at an angle of 

 25 degrees towards the north-north-west. Near a wind- 

 mill in the same place occurs a bed of grey clay slate, 

 22 feet thick, running in the same direction, and dip- 

 ping at a similar angle with the surrounding limestone. 



The rocks that lie over these beds are dissimilar both 

 in age and materials. North-east from Siljar, Orssa 

 lake, and Ore river, the covering rocks consist of tran- 

 sition porphyry and trap. About the eighth part of a 

 Swedish mile from the limestone beds, south from the 

 village of Vongsgj'ard, on the road to Mora, at the foot 

 of the Digerberg, there is a red conglomerate of quartz 

 and jasper, and beside it a rock composed of quartz and 

 halleflinta. Farther down about one-eighth of a Swe- 

 dish mile nearer the north in Mora, there is a com- 

 pound rock, consisting of blackish brown heavy green- 

 stone and yellowish, reddish, and greenish quartz, with 

 cornelian red lines and streaks ; but, in consequence of 

 a multitude of rents and cracks, so brittle that it falls 

 to pieces upon the smallest blow. 



3. The position of the beds is very various. One 

 hah" of them retain their primitive position, and are 

 either horizontal, or elevated a few degrees by the pri- 

 mitive rocks on which they lie. Others are raised al- 

 most to a perpendicular position. At Utanmyra near 

 Sollerbn he sandstone beds nearly in a horizontal posi- 

 tion. The same thing occurs at the whetstone quarries 

 between Kalmora and Nederberga. Horizontal beds 

 of limestone are found at Vombus, Vika, Solleron, 



Mineralo- 



Farndal, and Dalby. At Grano they dip north-north- Dalecarlia. 

 west and north, at an angle of about 10 degrees. On the 

 contrary, there occurs a whole tract of limestone, the 

 beds of which are either perpendicular, or incline at g ^* 

 an angle at least greater than 40 degrees. This tract is 

 situated between Boda chapel and the hill of Osmund. 



The hill of Osmund, half a Swedish mile from Boda, 

 constitutes the highest point of the whole tract. The 

 summit of it is 40 fathoms above the surface of the 

 nearest lake. This hill is composed of the following 

 beds: immediately under the soil, loose brown clay 

 slate (slate clay), 12 feet — coarse grey fuller's earth, 4 

 feet — dark grey fine clay slate (slate clay), 1 foot — 

 brown limestone, 1^ foot — loose brown clay slate (slate 

 clay), ^ foot — greyish brown limestone, 1^ foot — loose 

 clay slate (slate clay), decrepitating in the fire — com- 

 pact brown limestone, 1 foot — loose brown clay slate 

 (slate clay), with balls of limestone from an inch to a 

 foot in length, and containing a great deal of petroleum, 

 2 feet — bituminous limestone, -| foot — brown clay slate 

 (slate clay), -§ foot — blue clay, containing some silver, 

 1 inch — below all these comes the common primitive 

 limestone of the country. 



4. The sandstone is composed of fine siliceous mat- 

 ter mixed with oxide of iron and clay, and often con- 

 tains some lime. The varieties of it are as follows : 



Light grey fine grained sandstone, varying in colour 

 from white to dark grey, and differing in hardness. 

 Found at Kallmora, Styggforss, Solleron. 



Light grey sandstone, with streaks of red iron shot 

 clay. Kallmora. 



Pale red fine grained sandstone, lighter and darker 

 coloured. Kallmora, Galleros. 



Pale red fine grained sandstone, with round white 

 spots. Styggforss, Karfsos. 



The limestone exhibits the following varieties. 



Compact limestone, sometimes grey, sometimes red- 

 dish brown, in distinct beds ; the former with green 

 spots, the latter with green and yellow veins. 



Limestone, with a splintery fracture, translucent, 

 reddish, yellow, and white, with cavities filled with cal- 

 careous spar, stalactites, and petroleum. At Dalby lime 

 quarry. 



Grey and reddish limestone, mixed with sand. The 

 hill near Rattvik' s church. 



Red and white lumachella with small white anomiae 

 and entrochi, in reddish brown limestone. At Karfsos. 



Calcareous spar. At Gliskarna, Forndal, &c. 



Grey and red marl slate. At Styggforss." 



The inhabitants of Dalecarlia differ very much from Inhab 

 the rest of the Swedes, both in appearance and man- tants. 

 ners, and, like the Scotch High-landers, whom they in 

 many respects resemble, they have always been cele- 

 brated for their integrity and courage. The porters 

 and labourers in Stockholm are from this province, and 

 wherever they go, they retain the original chess of their 

 country. The men wear long coarse coats of a whitish 

 grey colour, with buttons of horn or leather. They use 

 a leather girdle ; and their hats are like those of the 

 Quakers of this island. Their military character stands 

 very high, and their bravery has frequently saved Swe- 

 den. The Dalecarlian regiment enjoys the same re- 

 putation in the Swedish army as the 42d does in ours. 



The language of the Dalecarlians is supposed to re- 

 semble that which is spoken in the Lowlands of Scotland; 

 and Dr Thomson mentions, that a Dalecarlian who land- 

 ed at Aberdeen was understood by the people of. that 

 town. Professor Eubergius states, that the Dalecarlian 

 tongue is so like the Icelandic, that when the latter is 



Lan<niac:c. 



