place with any Swede. The post therefore remained vacant for
seven years.
The radical changes which the July revolution brought about,
made themselves also felt throughout Norwegian society, as the
broader strata of the nation now began to take part in the political
life and thè social and national development. This transition
time is generally called in Norwegian history, the «Norwegianism
Period». With regard to intellectual life, efforts were made to escape
from the Danish influence in language and literature acquired in
the days of fellowship. In politics, the public officers, who had
hitherto bèen the constitution’s best defence, were looked upon as
wandering spirits from the old time of absolute government, while
the peasants and those who Joined them, were the only true
patriots. The peasantry were also now beginning to understand
that the constitution had placed the greatest influence upon the
affairs of the country in their hands; and the Storthing of 1883
was the first «Peasant Storthing». The peasant Storthings-men,
who at first distinguished themselves chiefly by their great parsimoniousness
in the administration of the public revenue, found a
leader in O l e G a b r i e l D e l a n d , a west-country man. He was an
unusually clever, able, and influential politician, and was a member
of every Storthing from 1833 to 1869.
Carl Johan would have liked the peasants in this way to
have gained the upper hand in the Storthing, as he hoped that
they would be more willing to agree to his proposed alterations in
the constitution than the civil officers had been. But it soon appeared
that in this respect he was mistaken. The tension between
the kingly power and the legislature reached its height in the
Storthing of 1836, when the royal constitution-proposals were laid
on one side without passing through committee, and various steps
towards greater independence were taken. It was pretended that the
attitude of the Storthing attracted the attention of the diplomacy in
Stockholm, and that the Eussian government urged upon Carl Johan
the desirability, under these circumstances; of dissolving the Storthing.
L h v e n s k io l d , one of the cabinet ministers, who had been
informed of the pretended Eussian demand, alone advised the king to
dissolve thè Storthing, while the other members of the council dissuaded
him from taking such a step. The Storthipg was then sent home
precipitately. At the last moment the -Odelsthing (one section of
the Storthing) impeached Lavenskiold, and he was sentenced to
a fine of 4000 rixdollars (16,000 kroner), but retained his post.
C o l l e t t , on the other. hand, was dismissed, the king laying the
blame of Lovenskiold’s sentence upon his passivehess towards the
Storthing;• and unity was brought about in the government by the
appointment of Count Wedel-Jarlsberg as statholder of Norway.
From this time, however, there was a steady, sincere drawing-
together of the king and the people; and whereas Carl Johan
in his later years was disliked by the Swedes, the Norwegians
regarded him with increasing veneration and devotion.
This turning-point is marked by the extraordinary Storthing-
of 1836—37, and its address, in which various desires are expressed
relative to the.placing of Norway on an equality with Sweden, in
accordance with what had been resolved on the occasion of the
union of the kingdoms in 1814, and unequivocally expressed in
, subsequent negotiations with the foreign Bowers. These desires
were on the subject of the naval flag, the arms of the kingdom,
the treatment of diplomatic matters, and the representation of the
kingdoms at foreign courts.
For several years Norway had to be content with exceedingly
unsatisfactory signs of the equality of the kingdoms. When the
union was entered upon, it was resolved that Norway should have
her own merchant flag, and that the naval flag was to be a union-
flag. But the merchant flag, was in reality nothing more than the
Danish- one, although the Norwegian arms were introduced into
the upper corner next the pole. On the other side of Cape Fi-
nisterre, this flag could not be used, and Norwegian, vessels had
to sail under the Swedish flag, as the Norwegian state, on account
of the hardness of the times, could not afford to pay tribute to
the pirates who infested the Mediterranean. The form of the
naval flag was still less satisfactory to the national feeling. It was
simply the Swedish flag, except that the upper square next the
pole was, a white St. Andrew’s cross on a red ground. After
1818, Norwegians had been allowed to carry this flag in distant
seas, instead of the Swedish one.
In 1821, the Odelsthing and Lagthing resolved unanimously
that henceforward the Norwegian flag should be scarlet,. divided
into four by a dark blue cross with white borders. The king
refused Ms sanction to this- measure, but, by royal letter, gave
permission for the use of the proposed flag on nearer waters, while
beyond Cape Finisterre, the naval flag only was to be carried.