viii The AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



hearers, of which we have inftances in many religious books of 

 that kind; but it will befides prove a liberal amufement in their 

 folitude; it will enable them, by much greater opportunities than 

 the learned enjoy in towns, to make ufeful difcoveries or improve- 

 ments, from the products of nature, to the lairing benefit of their 

 country, which it is their duty to promote. I mail mention only 

 one thing, which here in Norway might be of the greateft im- 

 portance, I mean fuch fkill in metallurgy, as to know the fpecies 

 of ores and minerals, to make little experiments by fufion, and 

 thus to form a judgment of the intrinfic value of a mine, and 

 how far it will anfwer the expence of opening. He who is pof- 

 feffed of fuperior knowlege and penetration, may in this country, 

 ever meet with many latent things, which might long fince have 

 occafioned much thought and reflexion, had they been exhibited 

 earlier to public view and examination. 



This leads me to my other motive, for attempting a natural hif- 

 tory of Norway, which carried me thro' it with infinite delight, 

 though I wanted the materials, the time, and the opportunities 

 reqirifite for an efTay of this kind. In the annual viiitations of 

 my diocefe, which lead me into every part of this province, and 

 fometimes form a journey of an hundred Norway miles, I have 

 heard authentic accounts of natural things, and fometimes have 

 feen the originals themfelves, which being unknown to me, put 

 me upon enquiring whether they were fo to others, or whether 

 they had a perfect knowlege of them? The latter being feldom 

 the cafe, it was natural to wifh the improvement of that know- 

 lege, efpecially as thofe mountainous countries are diftinguifhed 

 from others by containing many things, which are met with in 

 the province of Dauphine in France. I refer the reader to the 

 ninth volume of the Memoires de 1' academie royale des infcrip- 

 tions et belles lettres, where he will find the following paffage; 

 " Nature has bellowed on every province fome diftinguifhing 

 advantage, and the curioflties of each country are proportioned to 

 the number and nature of the alterations it has undergone. Con- 

 i fequently, 



