88 NATURAL HISTORY of N RWAT. 



SECT. XL. 



F ^3S ers ' From the north-Sea, and the Salt-waters, I now proceed to the 

 grings, in f re fh fprings, rivers, and lakes. Here, as in other places, thefe 

 are not equally light, pure, and wholSom, their qualities de- 

 pending on their bottom, or the ilrata of earth or ftone which 

 they meet with in their courfe, generally bringing with them 

 particles of what they have carried off by the way. As to this cir- 

 cumftance, our Norway fprings are not much to be boafted of; 

 for their beds, or bottoms, fhew them to have fo much chalk, 

 clay, or oaker in them, that a drop on a plate, leaves a white, 

 brown, or yellow ipot. However, the frefh-water in Norway, in 

 general, may be considered as good and falubrious, I may fay, 

 very good, in comparifon with others, as the water, together with 

 the air, unqueftionably, contributes greatly to the vigour of the 

 inhabitants, who enjoy an uninterrupted health, to a length of 

 days, more general and far beyond the period allotted to the in- 

 habitants of moft other parts of Europe. The common people es- 

 pecially,' hold out to a very advanced age ; for they live more 

 upon water, than wine and other Strong liquors. The metal, of 

 which there is moft abundance, both here. and in Sweden, and 

 which confequently moft oS all tinges the SreSh- waters, is iron, ior 

 the aqueous particles being analySed, there remains a Serruginous 

 matter Subsided, which the magnet attracts, and which has upon 

 moft people a laxative effect. 



There is likewiSe, no doubt, that our country affords Several 

 kinds of medicinal fprings, tho', for want of due Search, Sew Such 

 are become known ; as the learned M. Lochftor complains in the 

 Sollowing words, which I the rather inSert, as they at the Same 

 time mention one of the afore-mentioned medicinal fprings. 

 inDiffertati- " Coronidis loco monendum duxi, haud deeffe Norvegise fontes 



one de Medi- i rr • • 1 • ..... 



camentisNor- medicatos, deeiie autem, qui in norum vires et prmcipia mqui- 

 Ssiial rant, folertes naturalium rerum ftudioSos. Memini enim, me vi- 

 I744 ' diffe fontem (quern paucis abhinc annis - invenit fedulus naturae 



fcrutator avunculus meus Carolus Robfham in diaecefeos Chriftia- 

 nienfis diftri&u, cui nomen Hackedalen, circa villain quam habi- 

 tat vulgo Buraas diclam) minerali quadam aqua fcaturientem, a 

 cujus ufu convaluere variis morbis laborantes, ita ut etiam fama 



i ad 



