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62 THE ALTEN MINE. [Chap. II.
ing, a sufficient mining population came to the
spot, the Avages of labour fell considerably, and
Alten noAV Avears the appearance of a town. The
Association not only derives a profit from the produce
of the mines, but the same ships which
convey the ore to Swansea, carry back provisions
and comforts to dispose of to the inhabitants.
The ore is generally of the same nature as that
of Roraas, the veins not rich, but numerous and
poAverful, and new lodes are constantly discovered,
to which shafts and adits are conveniently driven
and sunk in the sides of the low hills, that rise immediately
from the shore of the fiord. The lode of
the yellow copper pyrites is disseminated through
a matrix of a compact green stone, occasionally
boidering on chlorite slate. The average produce
is stated to be from 10 to 12 per cent.; but some
of the lodes yield from 15 to 17 per cent.
What an extraordinary people our countrymen
are ! In one of the most desolate and inhospitable
regions of the globe, in the 70th parallel of latitude,
buried for at least five months in ice and snow, to
spend at once a large capital on a doubtful speculation,
which, however, it seems has fortunately
succeeded ! Whither Avill they go next ?
Quid non mortalia pectora cogis,
Auri sacra fam e s !
Having satisfied my curiosity Avith regard to the
Storvartz mine, I proceeded on towards Roraas,
where I arrived in the afternoon, highly gratified
Chap. I I .] RETURN TO TRONYEM. 63
with my little excursion, in spite of the almost
continued rain. I lost no time in despatching a
forebud to order horses to Tronyem, intending to
retrace my steps the following day, being exceedingly
anxious not to be the cause of any detention
in the sailing of the yacht for Iceland.
On the morning of the 4th of Ju ly I left Roraas,
and in the evening got as far as Bogen, Avhere I
passed the night. The weather still continued very
wet; but thanks to Mr. MTntosh, the ingenious
inventor of the India-rubber water-proof cloaks, I
suffered little or no inconvenience from it; it completely
resisted and was impervious to the rain,
long as I was exposed to it, and heavy as it fe ll;
and after such a trial, it may bid defiance to the
worst of our English weather.
I was here treated Avith some veal for dinner, or
rather supper—a kind of meat not commonly met
with in NorAvay—and some very good gammel ost ;
cream and butter of course, some good coffee, and
flat-hrod, with which the poorest peasantry contrive
to treat their friends, being easily made and
said to be cheaper than rye-bread. Should they
happen to be too poor to keep a stock of flour by
them, they can always purchase it of some neighbouring
farmer. The higher classes rarely miss
having flat-brod at their tables, which is used at
meals in preference to bread baked in the oven.
In the Lime des Etrancjers, at Bogen, while
amusing myself by turning over the leaves, and
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