Sep., 1890. through Norway with the vesey club. 
193 
THROUGH NORWAY WITH THE VESEY CLUB. 
Amongst the countries which the British nomad overruns 
during his restless season few or none have grown in favour 
with such remarkable rapidity as has the so-called “ Land of 
the Midnight Sun.” Owing, on the one hand, to the width 
of the silver streak and the terrors of the Dogger, and, on 
the other, to the difficulties of locomotion in the country 
itself, it will probably never enter into serious competition 
with the present “playground of Europe;” but, while thus 
the number of inland visitors will remain relatively restricted, 
it needs small skill in prophecy to foresee a huge extension 
of the present yachting system, whereby, with a minimum of 
labour, a minimum of responsibility, and a minimum of incon¬ 
venience, the best parts of Norwegian scenery, its western 
fjords, can be visited and enjoyed. But Norway has other 
interests, even exceeding that of her unique scenery. Her 
people, bound by ties of common blood to our own, kindly 
and courteous, hospitable to strangers, and, despite the evil 
influence which American and English tourists always leave 
in their wake, even yet more friendly to the visitor than to 
the visitor’s gold; her mountains,lakes, and valleys, exhibit¬ 
ing phenomena of metamorphism and of glacial action with 
the most remarkable beauty ; her flora, surpassingly rich in 
Alpine, boreal, and Arctic types, and telling, with no uncertain 
voice, a tale which is as strange as the wildest speculations of 
the geologist ; all combine to make Norway as intensely 
interesting to the naturalist as she can possibly be to the 
sightseer. Hence I feel bound to forgive my co-editor for the 
suggestion that the recent visit of the Vesey Club to Norway, 
combining, as it did, serious scientific work with pleasure, 
may have features of interest to the readers of the “ Midland 
Naturalist,” and to comply with his otherwise scarcely appre¬ 
ciated request that I should give some account of it for our 
pages. I must premise that this sketch can be in no way 
formal or complete, even as regards the scientific part which 
I myself had the opportunity of playing, and those who wish 
for a fuller account of the scientific results of the expedition 
will have to wait for the Report which will be issued hereafter 
under the auspices of the Vesey Club. 
It may not be amiss in the first place to say a few words 
as to the Vesey Club itself, for, although this excursion has 
caused considerable sensation, in London as well as in the 
Midlands, the Club is too young for its nature and objects to 
be clearly known. 
The Vesey Club, then, simply described, is an association 
of persons with literary, artistic, or scientific tastes, who 
