CHAPTER XV.
JOURNEY THROUH EAST GOTHLAND.
Account of Norkoping—Valley of Motala—Granite Veins—Linköping—Slowness of
travelling—Lake Vetter—Beauty of the Country—Ancient Castle—Waters of Medvi
—Geognostic Constitution of East Gothland—Floetz Track—Porphyry at Grenna—
Mineralogy of East Gothland.
W E reached the city o f Norkoping about eleven at night, and, in consequence
o f the great scarcity of inns in the Swedish towns, it was with
great difficulty we got lodgings. What increased the difficulty at Norkoping,
it happened to be market-time, and the town o f consequence
was crowded with people; and, to add to the crowd, there were 500
soldiers quartered on the inhabitants. We drove from one place to
another, and were not a little puzzled what to do. At last, just after
having been assured by the people of a particular house that it was
quite full, and while we were considering where to go next, we met
the landlord coming down the street. He spoke to us, and after he
had been made acquainted with what we wanted, he requested us to
drive into his yard, and informed us that he could easily accommodate
us with lodgings for the night. Accordingly he showed us up into a
room; but it was one o’clock before we could get supper over: of
course it was late next morning before we rose.
Norkoping is a town o f considerable size, and is reckoned the fourth
in Sweden. It occupies a large space of ground, and is even said to be
ten miles in circumference; but that is a gross exaggeration. The
streets are scattered, and imperfectly filled up with houses, somewhat
similar to Manchester, where great gaps are perceptible in almost all
the streets of the town. The number of inhabitants in Norkoping
amounts to about 10,000. I was able to walk from one extremity of
the town to the other in less than half an hour, so that I do not
conceive the greatest length to amount to more than two English
miles. The breadth is inconsiderable. Norkoping has a good deal o f
commerce. The river Motala runs through it, and is navigable, fot
small vessels, nearly up to the town. This river, or at least a branch
o f it, runs out of the lake Vetter, at Motala, and passing through a
considerable number o f small lakes, at last falls into the bay of
Bronic, a little to the east o f Norkoping. A t the west end o f Nor-
kdping it divides into four distinct streams, which flow with considerable
rapidity, and, indeed, constitute a series o f cataracts. These
streams all unite in the middle o f the town, and form a river of no
contemptible size. Except the Gotha and the Dal, it is the largest
river which I saw in Sweden. There are three wooden bridges thrown
over it within the town, two of them for foot-passengers only, and
the other for carts and carriages. This last bridge is wide and convenient;
it lies nearest the mouth of the river, and a little below it a
considerable number o f small vessels were lying. Norkoping is a
manufacturing town, particularly of cloth. There are likewise a great
many corn-mills along the river, and a great deal of corn is exported
from this city. Indeed, it lies at the extremity of by far the finest
corn country that I saw in all Sweden. The other manufactures at
Norkoping ,‘are inconsiderable. There is a sugar-house or two in the
town, and a manufactory of snuff. I did not learn whether the brass-
foundery formerly ¡established there still exists. The day on which I
was at Norkoping being Sunday, prevented me from seeing the manufactures
to any advantage.
W e left Norkoping about half-past ten on Sunday, and were drawn
by the two most miserable horses that I had yet seen in Sweden.
The road was hilly, and we fpund it absolutely i impossible to get on