Dec., 1890. 
THROUGH NORWAY WITH THE VESEY CLUB. 267 
routes which tourists are likely to pass over. The station is 
often nothing but a farm house, in which, though in case of 
emergency no doubt travellers would stay, yet little or no 
special provision is made for their accommodation. But 
many of the stations on the frequented routes have one, or 
sometimes several, guest houses, generally separate from the 
dwelling house of the owner, and are capable of providing 
very comfortable quarters for sometimes forty, fifty, or more 
people. Of this kind is the station at Jerkin, which, in addi¬ 
tion to providing accommodation for travellers and short 
stayers, is also a well-known sanatorium. Its guest accom¬ 
modation is in three separate large buildings. 
The Norwegian horses are usually small, rarely more than 
14J hands, and, of course, vary much in quality. Not infre¬ 
quently the best horses come from, in other respects, the 
most indifferent stations. The vehicles for ordinary travelling 
are of two kinds. The national vehicle is the carriole, the 
body of which, shaped something like a slipper, and carrying 
only one person, is placed upon a pair of long shafts and 
forward of the axle, its relative ease in travelling being due to 
the elasticity of the shafts. On the better modern roads, new 
and improved carrioles are coming slowly into use, in these 
the body being mounted on springs. Behind the axle a board 
connects the shafts, and on this the luggage is fastened, and 
surmounted by your post-boy (or girl). The other vehicle in 
use is the stolkjaerre, or country cart, rather like a coster¬ 
monger’s cart, with a seat placed across and slightly elevated, 
and accommodating two side by side. Here also modern 
innovations are improving the quality, but even this year I 
have had to ride in one of these, the seat of which was simply 
placed across from side to side of the springless cart-body. 
Altogether, however, great improvements have been made in 
recent years, and the cushions which, warned by past experi¬ 
ence, we took with us, though still as “ grateful and comfort¬ 
ing ” as any conceivable cocoa, were not so thoroughly 
essential as of old. The harness, too, has improved, and 
repairs by means of string and extemporised wooden pegs are 
not such hourly features of travel as they were wont to be. 
Boat travelling, whether on inland lake or western fjord, 
is subject to the same general conditions as that on land; 
and there are boat stations, fast and slow, akin to the horse 
stations already described. The boats are pointed at the 
stem and stern alike, and probably have in no way changed, 
whether for better or for worse, for hundreds of years. There 
are no rowlocks, but the oar passes through a roughly-made 
loop of willow, or more often juniper. Though in more 
