\iitie$;1 kh(f ^eatr'dld6ttt^efttferit.-!-‘ Ahnoft ev&y inn
and jfet^hii^nofcthe 6sly
W^Mci' kn<5WiY ’ tcr’ffid frtiirt * rtty 'own experience. I P lN diocefe
of Drohlb’dftv' fe'the orf^cflte I h a v e I
. made.fonje ftay, t and always took tiflji&lBfi iM n d t 1 P p a Ja ^m y
- ^?as'*ai)le7fe iatisfy ^xlpy qfi^fiio&s tiatiitre and
circuAeftances1 of\fie coujitry». 6ut the diocefe bP Bfeigeif, as will
Be eafily imagined, is ifie country of which I BBye tferf the moft
jtefffedt kho^fegC, both1 from ^pCfiedc^'Mia fofofrhdtiom Thefe
Xarbtnfa ufually take tip two cfr tfiAe-tadnths;3afid?leavang me
-feofc'^Wfetot- tinae; i l& i
proved*, ihake i-'Virfcue of* fceeffftjf H m fa d in g part, of the
time in converfation with thA gdider and driver^, appointed at
different ftations to attend upon me with’ ear Ages;: Their- am-
iwers • to my Icveral queftroiis, X afterwards exatnine with the rtii—
-mftt^oiNfae'parilhesrarfenwet^ «With
the cotirftfy, and Whatever I hear confirmed by feveral ‘teftimohieS,
o r riot-controverted, Or doubted C^T ethercmong tay rntfcelMe-
-on^ byefvsftions, ’ and *- a^ kny retifeh^lfoirhCy compare; them1 with
.^ttefcriptionV of eekufttteSi irfpet&tt/^feilhohhxMibhs^or
Which are in any other refpeft iriafogous to Norway. ;Thefe annual
tours I have afib improved towards making a finall icdlledibh
of natuAKd: of Norway,1 fiiai
fggp ftafls, mufeks,' uncbAihttochfid§ 'fifties, add1 the M e ; o f the
moft rCtharkkbte’ of which, for the' |fatifieatibh' of thC' reader,1 I
havCcaufed prints to^be l&hnfexedr
Laffly, on the fubjedt of the NQrway-birds, andjnore p^rdcu-
kriy'fife 'fifKj 1 hkvi^Raii tddbuke5 ‘to":the »Bfervatibnshf men
whofe dwellings and employments, give them opportunities of eit-
^HHiiing more minutely things,1 which do hut feMom fall under
generid^bbferVdtion. As to fifh 'ihid'r^rihc-afflMTs/'a gftat&r
■ variety, ahd ftranger tribes are feen hereabouts, and offNofdlMcf,
timn iin any1 part bf Europe; bur a fuperftition whi|h prefals
among
among the lower clafs of people, deprives us! of maft of thefe, foj,
when they) happen to catch a.ififoa£:arfoahge,;fingtikr figure,
confequently the greater fubjedt of curiofity, they are hare immediately
to throw it over-board; to thafecqfithe mbhffrops.fpecies
the peaiants give the general appellation of trold, devil, or trold-
SS; 'devS-fifhj1 ^ndlasre'iVeak enough to. imagine!, that nnfcfs it be
immediately let at liberty, their fi thing will be unfoccefsful, and
fomething or other amifs will certainly befall them.
I have now, delivered what I principally intended in this preface,
I fhall only repeat the before-mentioned declaration, that I
do nbt lend this eflay abroad as a mafter-piece, and fhall rejoice
to fee it improved by more Interefting articles, and more refined
observations; and to fee a complete feperftrudture raifed on this
foundation, by perfons of more leifore and opportunity.
However, I own myfelf entirely in the fentiments of a very
eminent writer on the like occafion, who, in his firft efiay of a
natural hiftory of Hungary, afierts the c la im of an orij^nal writer
to the indulgence of the public* in the following words; “ Res
omnino remotas e foa, ut fta dicam^ barbarie primus exemi;
propterea veniam me^ir| nee omnia eruerhn,
nec omnia correele . . ^ fentio inefie multa qua corrigi, deeife
quae valeant foppleri * . Haa Tnot judged this work to ftand
in need, or to admit of any amendment, I ftiould not lb frequently
have called it an eflay in this preface; but it is, indeed,
the firft eflay on this fobjedt, and of courfe encumbered with
difficulties too great for the application and talents of one man;
and on this ground, I hope that every candid judge, who knows
How little leifore my indifpenfiblfe funflions leave toe, will not
require more, or a more perfect work of this kind from one, who
may appear to have performed more than could be expedited, who
has denied himfelf many hours of natural repofe, if not Jtiffered
* Aloyfius Comes Marfilli in Danub. Panoni MyBc'. Tom. i. Pnefat.
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