NOR 
itfelf underground; from whence 5 t again burft forth 
with fuch violence, that the earth and ftones thrown up 
by the eruption filled the valley, and formed a dam ; which, 
however, was foon broken and walhed away by the force 
of the water. Divers churches, 48 farm-houfes, with 250 
perfons, were deftroyed on this occafion. Otteroen, a 
large river, taking its rife from the mountain Agde, runs 
about thirty leagues through Seeterdale and Efie, and 
difembogues itfelf into the catarafl of Wiland. The 
river Syre rifes near the mountain Lang, and winds its 
courfe through the Vale of Syre into the Lake of Lunde 
in the diocefe of Chriftianfand ; thence it continues its 
way to the lea, into which it difcharges itfelf through a 
narrow llrait formed by two rocks. This contraction 
augments its impetuofity, fo that it (hoots like an arrow 
into the fea, in which it produces a very great agitation. 
Nid and Sheen are two confiderable rivers, ifl'uing out of 
Tillemark. Their water-falls have been diverted, with 
infinite, labour, by canals and palfages cut through the 
rocks, for the convenience of floating down the timber. 
Tyrenord of Dramme, is in the neighbourhood of Ho- 
nifofl'e joined by two rivers from Oedale and Hadeland, 
and difembogues itfelf into the fea near Bragnefs. Loven 
riles in the highelt part of Nummedal, and runs through 
Konfberg to the fea near Laurwig. Glomen is the largeft 
river of Norway ; derives its origin from the mountain 
Dofre, from whence it winds all along the plains of Oef- 
terdale and Sole; then joins "the Vorme, another confi¬ 
derable river riling out of Mioes and Guldbrandfdale. 
Thefe,beingjoined, traverfe the Lake Oeyern ; and, thence 
ifl'uing, run on to Sarp near Frederickftadt. 
At any great diltance from the fea, the rivers of Nor¬ 
way are not navigable for veflels of confiderable burden ; 
for, though in many places there be fufficient depth of 
water, yet the falls caufed by the intervening rocks and 
cliffs are infurmountable obftacles; the ftream precipitat¬ 
ing itfelf from a height of fix, eight, or ten, fathoms, 
where only malls and fuch timber can be floated down, 
and many of thefe are deftroyed ; yet the greateft part get 
fafely through, and are fecured by their owners at the 
lentzes, having been previoufly marked. Thefe are large 
booms, fortified with iron bolts, and laid acrofs feveral 
parts of the river for flopping the timber. The breaking 
of one is of fuch ill confequence to the timber-merchants, 
that in 1655, when fuch an accident happened by an in¬ 
undation of the Glommel, it occafioned many bankrupt¬ 
cies. The yearly charge of fuch a lentz or boom may, 
in fome places, amount to 3 or 400 rix-dollars; but in re¬ 
turn it yields to the owner no lefs than 1000 or 1100, for 
at leaft 30.000 dozen of large pieces of timber pafs through 
it, of which each makes fix or eight planks. The bridges 
over the rivers are not any-where walled, but framed of 
timber, of which are made the ftone-cafes ; thefe are large 
and quadrangular, and ferve as pillars or fupports, being 
filled with ftones in order to fettle them. The largeft of 
this kind hereabouts is the bridge of Sunde, in Gulbrandf- 
dale; this bridge, of which it is laid that it is never finilhed, 
iome repairs being always necelfary, is a thoufand paces 
long, and confifts of forty-three Hone cates. In the dio¬ 
cefe of Bergen, where carriages can be very little ufed, 
it is not thought worth the while to build ftrong and lad¬ 
ing bridges. In many places they are conftrutled thus : 
where the nan ownefs and rapidity of the current will not 
admit of finking any ftone cafes, thick marts are laid on 
each fide of the ftiore, with the thiGkert ends flattened to 
the mountains; one maft being thus laid in the water, 
another is placed upon it, reaching a fathom beyond it; 
and then a third or fourth, in like progreflion, to the 
middle of the ftream, where it is joined by another con¬ 
nection of marts from the oppofite fide, and this without 
any other cement than their contact; fo in the paflage 
over it, efpecially in the middle, the bridge feems to 
fwing, which to thofe who are not ufed to it appears fo 
dangerous, that they alight from their horfes tiil they ima¬ 
gine themfelves out of danger. The belt paflage in win- 
W A Y. 231 
ter is by the rivers, efpecially up the country. As they 
are every-where deeply frozen, the peafants find a very 
great conveniency in them for conveying their goods to 
the towns in fledges. 
Norway abounds with frelh-water lakes ; the principal 
of which are Ryfvand in Nordland, Snaafen, Selboe, the 
Greater and Leffer Mioes, Siirevand, Sperdille, Rand, 
Veftn, Saren, Modum, Lund, Norfoe, Huidfoe, Farifvand, 
and Oeyevand : all thelp are well (locked with filh, and 
navigable for large vefleis. Wars have been formerly car¬ 
ried on upon thefe inland feas ; in fome of which are fmall 
floating iflands, or parcels of earth, with trees on them, 
feparated from the main land, and probably preferved in 
compaCt mafles by the roots of trees, ftirubs, and grafs, 
interwoven in the foil. In the year 1702, the family-feat 
of Borge, near Frederickftadt, being a noble edifice, with 
lofty towers and battlements, (uddenly funk into an 
abyfs 100 fathoms deep, which was inllantaneoully filled 
by a piece of water 300 ells in length and about half as 
broad. Fourteen perfons, with 200 head of cattle, pe- 
rithed in this cataftrophe, which was occafioned by the 
river Glomen precipitating itfelf down a water-fall near 
Sarp, and undermining the foundation. Of all the water¬ 
falls in Norway, this of Sarp is the molt dangerous for its 
height and rapidity. The current drives feventeen mills, 
and roars with fuch violence, that the water, being dafhed 
and comminuted among the rocks, riles in the form of 
rain, where a beautiful rainbow may be always leen when 
the fun (hines. In ancient times this cataraCt was made 
life of for the execution of traitors and other malefaClors ; 
they were thrown down alive, that they might be dalhesi 
in pieces on the points of rocks, and die in a dreadful com¬ 
motion, analogous to thofe they had endeavoured to ex¬ 
cite in the community. 
Great part of Norway is covered with forefts of wood, 
which conftitute the principal article of commerce in this 
country. They chiefly confilt of fir and pine; for which 
great films are received from foreigners, who export an 
immenfe number of malts, beams, planks, and boards. 
Befides, an incredible quantity is conlumed at home in 
building houfes, (hips, bridges, piles, moles, and fences, 
over and above the valt demand for charcoal to the foun- 
deries, and fuel for domeftic ufes. Nay, in fome places, 
the trees are felled for no other purpoie but to clear the 
ground, and to be burned into allies for manure. A good 
quantity of timber is yearly exported to Scotland and 
Spain; but this is inconfiderable when compared to the 
vaft exports from Drammen, Fredericklhall or Frederick¬ 
ftadt, Chriltiania, Skeen, Arendal, Chriftianfand, Chrif- 
tian’s Bay, and Drontheim. The marts and large beams 
are floated down the rivers, and the reft is divided into 
boards at the faw-mills. Thefe works fupply a vaft num¬ 
ber of families with a comfortable fubfilience. A tenth 
part of all fawed timber belongs to the king. The fo¬ 
refts in Norway are fo vaft and thick, that the people feetn 
to think there can never be afcarcity of wood, efpecially 
as the foil is peculiarly adapted for the production of tim¬ 
ber; they therefore dertroy it with a wafteful hand, info- 
much that more wood rots in Norway than is burned in 
the w hole kingdom of Denmark. The bed timber grows 
in the provinces of Saltan, Helleland, Romfdale, Guld¬ 
brandfdale, Oefterdale, Soloe, Valders, Hallingdale, Sogni- 
fiord, Tellemark, and the lordlhip of Nedenes. 
The climate of Norway is very different in different 
parts of the kingdom. At Bergen the winter is fo mode¬ 
rate, that the feas are always open and practicable both to 
mariners and fifhermen, except in creeks and bays that 
reach far up into the country towards Filefeld, when the 
keen north-eaft wind blows from the land. On the ealt 
fide of Norway, from the frontiers of Sweden to Filefeld, 
the cold generally fets-in about the middle of October 
with great feverity, and lafts till the middle of April; 
during which interval the waters are frozen to a very con¬ 
fiderable thicknefs, and the face of the country is co¬ 
vered with fnow. In the year 1719, 7500 Swedes, who 
intended 
