BOOK value. In all caufes , furpaffing that value an appeal lies to the
— -v— > fupreme court at Copenhagen.
Qpiloe was the fite of the old town, which was burnt in 1624,
and now contains only about 400 houfes, and the epifcopal palace.
The biihop of Chriftiania is metropolitan of Norway.
Chriftiania has a very excellent harbour, and carries on a con-
fiderable trade. The principal exports are tar, foap, iron, copper,
planks, and deals; allum manufactured at theCobal works forabout
£• 3,000 ; iron from the four works of Borum, Edfwold, Nark-
edahl, and Ondahlen, about j~. 14,000; copper from Foldahl, at
£• 10,000 ; planks and deals £.90,000, principally to England.
The planks and deals are of fuperior eftimation to thofe fent
from America, Rulfia, and the other parts of the Baltic, becaufe
the trees which yield them grow on the rocks, and are therefore
firmer, more compaCt, and lefs liable to rot than the others, which
chiefly ihoot from a landy or loamy foil. The planks are either
red or white fir or pine. The red wood is produced from the
Scotch fir, and the white wood, which is in fuch high eftimation,
from the fpruce fir. This wood is the moft demanded, becaufe
no country produces it in fuch quantities as this part of Norway.
Each tree yields three pieces of timber, eleven or twelve feet in
length, and is ufually fawed into three planks. A tree generally
requires feventy or eighty years growth before it arrives
at its greateft perfection.
The environs of Chriftiania not yielding fufficient planks for
exportation, the greateft part of the timber is brought from the
more
more inland parts. The trees are hewn in the forefts, and
floated down the rivers and catarafts. Saw-mills are ufed for
the purpofe of cutting the planks, but muft be privileged, and
can only cut a certain quantity.. The proprietors are bound to
declare on oath, that they have not exceeded that quantity; and
if they do, the privilege is . taken .away, and the faw-mill de-
ftroyed.
There are 136 privileged faw-mills at Chriftiania,. of which
100 belong to the family of the Ankers. The quantity of
planks permitted to be cut, amounts to 20,000,000 ftandard
deals, twelve feet long,, and one inch and a quarter thick.
During our ftay at Chriftiania we received great civilities from
the Ankers, the richeft and moft commercial family in Norway.
Mr. Bernard Anker, who is Fellow of the Royal Soeiety, fpeaks
Engliih nearly as well as a native, pofleffes an excellent houfe
in. Chriftiania,. elegantly furniftied in the Engliih tafte, and ornamented
with a good collection of pictures, which he purchafed
in Italy. He lives in a ftile of elegant magnificence, and receives
all travellers with unbounded politenefs and hofpitality.
He has an excellent library, a good apparatus of natural philofo-
phy from England, and a curious collection of the minerals and
marbles of Norway.
We alfo accompanied Mr. Anker to Vickery, a neat villa belonging
to his family, about four miles from Chriftiania. It
ftands pleafantly on the bay, and commands many piCturefque
views. The planks are lhipped clofe to the houfe. From
thence