This river Glomme is not navigable in any part of its courfe
from the lake Miofs to Fredericsftadt, its ftream being interrupted
by fuch frequent catarails and ihoals as in fome places render it
neceflary to drag the trees, which are floated down, over the
ground. At leaft 50,000 trees are annually floated to Fredericsftadt.
September 6. We ferried over the Glomme at the gates of the
town, and continued our journey, anxious to reach Chriftiania.
The country is in general extremely fertile and agreeable, it rifes
in gentle hills, and though rocky in many parts, is covered
with a rich foil, producing abundance of corn, and clothed with
forefts of ■firs and pines, intermixed with oak, beech, poplar, and
mountain aih. The face.of the country is prettily fprinkled with
numerous lakes and .rivulets, and thickly dotted with cottages,
rudely though not unpleafantly fituatedon rocky eminences in the
midft of the luxuriant foreft. Thefe cottages are moftly covered
with red tiles, and .appeared larger and more commodious than
thofe we had juft quitted in Sweden. They Were fo much fcat-
tered over the hills, that we feldom obferved a clufter of more
than four or five in one fpot% and the churches {landing almoft
fingly, -their fpires rifing above the furrounding trees, were
pidturefque -objedts.
We flopped a fhort time at Mofs, in order to examine the iron
works belonging to Mr. Bernard Anker, of Chriftiania. The
fituation of Mofs is exceedingly romantic. It is divided by a
lively torrent, which daihes over -the crags, and turns feveral faw
mills.
mills, and ftands on the fhore of a beautiful bay or inlet, the
rifing banks adorned with fine hanging woods, a few gentlemens’
feats, and numerous farm houfes. The iron works which principally
fiipport the place were firll eftabliihed in 1705; for
fome time the proprietors only manufadlured bar iron, grates, and
floves, and a variety of iron utenfils ; but lately they have call
cannon, which are moftly exported to Copenhagen. The works
employ about 150 men.
We palled the night at Skydjord, a fmall village in a moil delightful
fituation, where we found an inn with very comfortable
accommodations, and two very neat bed-chambers.
As we approached Chriftiania, the country was more wild and
hilly, but flill very fertile and agreeable; and about two miles
from the town we came to the top of a mountain, and burfl
upon as fine a view as I ever beheld. From the point on which
we flood in raptures, the grounds, laid out in rich enclofures, gradually
Hoped to the fea; below us appeared Chriftiania, fituated
at the extremity of an extenfive and fertile valley, forming a femi-
eircular bend along the fhore of a moil beautiful bay, which being
enclofed by hills, uplands, and forefts, had the appearance of a
large lake. Behind, before, and around, the inland mountains
of Norway rofe on mountains covered with dark forefts of pines
and fir, the inexhauflible riches of the north. The moil diflant
fummjts were capped with eternal fnow. From the glow of the
atmofphere, the warmth of the weather, the variety of the pro-
dudtions, and the mild beauties of the adjacent fcenery, I could
V ol. III. X fcarcely