General Observations on Norway. 3263 



and a hundred others of every form and description, continually pre- 

 sent themselves to the lover of the picturesque : there is every variety 

 of fall, from the thundering cataract and the roaring rapid, to the si- 

 lent, thin, silver-like threads of foam which, falling from the precipi- 

 ces above, seem to lose themselves in mist in their descent, but which 

 regather their misty, floating, wandering waters below, and again rush 

 on as babbling torrents. These falls of every kind, so fascinating to 

 the eye of the artist, are often inwardly if not outwardly reviled by the 

 angler, for they form a barrier (perhaps at the very mouth of the river) 

 to the salmon, and compel him to content himself with some lower 

 pool, or to seek some more friendly river. But though he be disap- 

 pointed of salmon, the angler will find trout above and below the falls 

 in every stream, and in the lakes many other fish will give him sport. 

 These inland lakes are very numerous, and frequently form a perfect 

 chain through the valleys, connected together by the streams that feed 

 them. On their banks the peasant's picturesque log-hut, or the richer 

 bonder's farm-buildings, look out from amidst well- cultivated gardens 

 and orchards, and fields of rye, and closely-cut meadows. Indeed, 

 on the sloping banks of the inland lakes, some of the most fertile parts 

 of Norway are to be seen, as well as some of the most rich and beau- 

 tiful scenery, forming an excellent contrast to the stern, rugged, bar- 

 ren views found among the dark granite-bound fjords. So smiling 

 and sunny are the banks of some of these inland lakes, that they have 

 been compared to the lakes of Como and Maggiore, and indeed they 

 do bear some resemblance to them in the summer; but in winter, 

 when covered with thick ice and deep snow, and traversed by fur- clad 

 people in sledges, all similarity between them would quickly vanish. 



Such then is Norway; such are its fjelds, its fjords, its forests, its 

 rivers and its lakes, whither so many of our water-fowl and some of 

 our land-birds retire at the approach of spring to breed, and whence 

 they return in such numbers every autumn and winter. To the natu- 

 ralist r there can be no greater treat than to follow them to their sum- 

 mer quarters, and with them enjoy for a time a retreat from the more 

 civilized world, 



" Far from the busy hum and haunts of man," 



among these wild and most picturesque mountains, valleys, and lakes. 

 The easy communication now opened with Norway by means of a 

 steamer from Hull; the extreme cheapness of living and moving about 

 in that country ; the honest, open-hearted, character of the people, 

 which more than counterbalance their extreme inquisitiveness and 

 want of cleanliness ; the beautiful, bright, and brilliant summers, 



