$i NORWAY* 



Commerce. ...The exports of Norway are timber, hemp, flax, tar* 

 turpentine, fish, tallow, copper, iron, hides, and the skins of bears*, 

 lynxes, and foxes. The annual export of deal alone, is reckoned at 

 175,000/. and that of iron at -70,000/. They export annually 80,000 

 raw hides, and 1000 manufactured The whole exports of Norway, 

 in 1768, were stated at above 1,700,000/. sterling; and the imports at 

 less than 1,240,000/. which seems to indicate a considerable balance 

 in favour of the country. 



Government, laws. ...Norway is governed by its own laws, con- 

 tained in a particular code called the Norway Law, compiled by 

 Griffelfield, by order of Christian V, the great legislator of his coun- 

 try. By this law, the palladium of Norway, the peasants are free, a 

 few only excepted, on certain noble estates near Fredericstadt. The 

 laws are administered by provincial courts and officers. The gover- 

 nor is president of the supreme court at Christiania. 



Revenue, army, navy. ..Denmark derived from Norway a revenue 

 of about 300,000/. per annum. The Norwegians maintain an army of 

 32,000 infantry, and 10,000 cavalry ; besides these, they have a regu- 

 lar militia, amounting to 40 ; 000 men, they can also supply about 14,000 

 excellent seamen. 



Religion. ...The religion of Norway, like that of Denmark, is 

 Lutheranism. The country is divided into four dioceses, or provinces, 

 mentioned above, each of which has its bishop ; but the see of Chris- 

 tiania has precedence. The annual revenue of each is 400/. excepting 

 the bishop of Christiansand, who has 600/. 



Literature, language. ...In the principal town of each diocese 

 there is a seminary called a Latin school ; and at Bergen one named 

 Frederic College. The language of Norway is the Danish, with a 

 mixture of Swedish words, and Swedish pronunciation, among the 

 inhabitants of the eastern parts bordering on Sweden ; but the gen- 

 try, and inhabitants of the principal towns, we are told by Wilse, a 

 native of Norway, speak purer Danish than is usual even in Copen- 

 hagen. 



History. ...The first inhabitants of Norway were probably tribes 

 of the Finnish race, the ancestors of the modern Laplanders. These 

 were conquered and driven out by the Goths. Norway, till about the 

 latter end of the ninth century, was divided into ten or twelve small 

 states, under their several chiefs, which were then united into one 

 nation by Harold Harfagre, who subdued the other petty princes, and 

 rendered himself sovereign of the whole country. From that time 

 Norway remained a distinct and independent kingdom, except that 

 twice in the tenth and eleventh centuries it was subjected, for a 

 short time, to Denmark ; and in the thirteenth united likewise, for a 

 time, with Sweden. At length, by the marriage of Hagen king of 

 Norway with Margaret of Denmark, and the succession of their son 

 Olaf, in 13S0, it became annexed to the dominions of the crown of 

 Denmark, with which it remained united till 1813, when it was ceded 

 by treaty to the crown of Sweden. 



