196 
THROUGH NORWAY WITH THE YESEY CLUB. 
Sep., 1890. 
own hotel, the “ Victoria,” by the Kaiser’s suite, the party 
had to take as a substitute the “ Grand,” but as compensation 
for this a place was given them on one of the official steamers 
which went down the Christiania Fjord to meet the German 
vessels, and they had an opportunity of interpolating an 
English “ hurrah ” amongst the volleys of sharp Norwegian 
“ li’ra”s. I understand, too, that they gave a dinner in 
Christiania, to which were invited numerous notables, political, 
literary, and scientific, that they kept the festivities up till— 
well, never mind what time in the morning—and that, in the 
words of the portier at the Grand Hotel, “ they all got very 
jolly,” but. for the good repute of my friends, I hasten to 
explain that the expression did not bear quite the significance 
that would be liable to be attached to it in England.* A 
railway ride from Christiania to Eidsvold, at the southern end 
oftheMjosen Vand(Lake), and a steamboat trip along the length 
of the lake, and the party reached Lillehammer, where the land 
journey proper began. From Lillebammer to Trondhjem is 
approximately 200 English miles. The road first traverses a 
valley known as the Gudbrandsdal, and at about half-way, at 
Domaas, it bifurcates, the direct line being continued W.N.W. 
through the Komsdal, giving thence water communication 
with Molde, and another road striking away to the north by 
east, over the high table-land of the Dovreljeld, till it ends, 
as before said, at the ancient capital Trondhjem. Taking 
this latter road the party reached Jerkin, on the highest part 
of the l)ovre, on Saturday, July 5th, and at this point we 
ourselves had arranged to join them. 
I have already said that we were unable to start with the 
overland party, and as the steamers to Christiania run only 
once a week, it was necessary for us to select some other 
route. Ultimately we chose a boat from Hull to Gothenburg 
(Goteborg) in Sweden, leaving Hull early in the morning of 
Wednesday, July 2nd, reached Gothenburg early on the 
morning of Friday, and left it by train, for an all-night 
journey, the same evening. A wet morning at Gothenburg 
was followed by a fine afternoon, and gave a welcome oppor¬ 
tunity for a walk. Gothenburg is an undeniably interesting 
town, situated a few miles up the Gota Kiver, and intersected 
by several broad canals, giving to it a strikingly Dutch 
* One point of special interest with regard to this dinner I must 
mention. While it was going on, the Norwegian Storthing, or Lower 
House of Parliament, was holding a sitting, and at the dinner the 
announcement was first publicly made that during the sitting the 
Storthing had voted the sum of 200,000 krone (£11,000) for a new 
polar expedition, under the guidance of the famous Greenland 
traveller, Dr. Nansen. 
