30 
Lord Sheffield in his ** Obfervations on 
the Commerce of America,” looks upon 
the United States as dangerous rivals to 
€anada in the fourtrade. Briffot, in his 
«¢ Commerce of America with Europe,” 
fays that the proximity of the great 
eftiablithments © which the Americans 
form at prefent at Pittfburg, and m many 
other places of their poffeflions beyond 
the nrountains, muft infenfibly give them 
great advantages in this commerce, and 
make them partake with Canada a large 
fhare of the profits.” ‘ Thefe advantages,” 
he adds,’ will be ftill more certain when 
the Englifh fhall have evacuated the forts 
ef Niagara, the great eftablifhment of 
the Straight, and that of the Michillima- 
kinack, a period which the Englith look 
forward to with pain.? Thele evacuati- 
ons have fince been made; and the lols, 
#f any, accruing from thence to the Bri- 
tith nation ought, if it can be done con- 
fiftently with juftice, to be made up elfe- 
where. 
They have an undoubted right to trade 
to the North- Weft Coaft of America; and 
#f the Eaft India Company, who alone 
during the exiftence of their charter can 
benefit by it, be minded to turn it to 
advantage, the articles of barter (the 
principal of which, iron, would go as 
ballaft) may be eafily conveyed to China 
in their fhips, and put,on board 2 or? 
more veflels of 100 tons each. Thefe 
veflels would be fufficiently large, as the 
articles which they carry out and bring 
home lie in a fmall compals. The Bri- 
tith, in their trafick of furs thus pro- 
enred, would be enabled to underfell the 
Rufans, and the amount of them in 
bullion would be retained in Great Bri- 
tain. As the Eaft India Company would 
fele&t properer perfons for traffick than 
ean be fuppofed to be met with in king’s 
fhips, it does not feem to admit of a 
doubt, but that the undertaking would 
be very beneficial to them, and prevent 
foreign nations from reaping the fruits of 
our difcoveries. 
A FRIEND TO COMMERCE. 
For the Monthly Magazine. — 
TRAVELS iz NORWAY, by J. C. FABRI- 
 cius.—Lately publifhed at Leipfic. 
(Continued from page 516, Vol. xvi.) 
ETWEEN Hellebeck and Ranzdz- 
burg, our travellers enjoyed a variety 
of noble and interetting views of the Gulph 
and its environs, plains, mountains, and 
woods. ‘They travelled by night between 
Randfburg and Chriitiania, through a 
ccwury which, though hilly, they found 
2 
Travels in Norway, by Ff. C. Fabricius. 
[Feb. 1) 
to be fertile and well cultivated. The 
fummer nights are, in thofe northern re- 
gions, exceedingly agreeable. The {unis 
no fooner down, than dawn begins again 
to appear in the eaft. - The interval be- 
tween fun-fetand fun-rifing is merely afhort - 
twilight. ‘The night is light almoft as 
day, but without its torrid heat. A 
thick mitt hangs over the waters ; but has 
the beneficent effect of moiftening and re- 
frefhing the plants, which were almoit 
burnt up by the heat of the day. 
Chriltiania, the capital of Norway, at 
which Mr. Fabricius and his friend arrived 
on the rft of July, ftands at the mouth of 
a gulph which enters far inland, through 
a wide and fertile plain. A fmall river 
pafles through the town, and falls in- 
to the bay. Chriltiania ts a handfome 
town; its ftreets regular and {paeious 5 
1s houfes, moftly built of ftone; its caftle 
ftand on a fmall peninfula, and looks to- 
ward the fea. 
bay, are the remains of Alftadt, confifting 
of the ruins of the cathedral and a few other 
buildings. It appears to have been deferted 
on account of the luperior advantageswhieh 
were found here for trade, and for the 
conveyance of provifions. The principal 
_trade of Chriftiania is in timber ; of which — 
the greater part goes to England, the reit 
to France and to Denmark. Chriftiame 
is the feat of the bifhop, of an intendant, 
and other officers of the government, of a 
military {chool, and a ftrong garrifon. Its. 
population may be from 8,000 to 19,000 
fouls. The arm of the fea on which it 
ftands, extends many leagues inland, and 
is navigable up to the town even for thips 
of war. 
hind which is a hill, of which the ttrata, 
On.the oppofite ide of the 
At Alftadt, by the hofpital, is’ 
an alum manufacture; immediately be- 
io, 
being black aluminous {chiftus, afford the _ 
material for this manufacture. The more 
the {chifius is grealy to the feeling, glifter- 
ing, black, tender, and brittle; fo much 
the richer is it in alum. No petrefactions 
nor impreffions of bodies, vegetable or 
animal, are found among thefe ftrata. 
The fchiftus in the ftrata is eafily wrought 
with the hammer, or by a very flight 
blafting with gunpowder. In the manu- 
faéture, it is firft roafted in oblong heaps 
on a bed of wood, which is a foot and 4 
half high ; the wood is then fet on fire, 
and the combuftion extends through all ~ 
parts of the heaps of {chiftus. 
On the 
roafted {chiftus, trefh parts are heaped 
during the roafting: and thefe, while they 
keep the a€tion of the fire ftronger upon 
the matter which is under them, are them- 
felves partly roafted. After this roafting, 
the {chiftus is caft into a bafon full of wa- 
Fi ters 
