*4 n a t ü R a l « 1SJ1RO r Yidf m ^o r m a k
The wife and
bountiful de-
fign of provi-
dence.dn this.
winter rages with fuch fe^rky-jn patts'j&j Norway, diat
all the frdh-waters are frozen, the lakes and Ijsays- are,opeil on
the Weft-fide, thëujjh'lyfn^ in:a difeéi
the air is riiifty and cloudy,’ and the frofts tóldbnr^&re khown* iö
laft a ot thréfe w'éèks; dh'/thh cèhteFöf pèM^iyy.whieR
is two* hlindted' leagiles rfte£iifef thê'lihe, thè wintert ^re^^erifefèTlyj
more 'Fevefc, ' ind 1the Trólfs* ILarpêï1' than’ -iri 1?Hd j^oÖiley tff
Bergen, where1 the inhabitants often wöndëf ter fead’in'khe'public
papers, o f1 frolt ‘and ’"fhow in' Pbland" and (Serrdany,' a
time'When ftri ftfofi HjfeatKet ik'felt here. <’ T|ie’,‘HaihoTa|y óf Am- .
fterdam, ’ HafoBurg",'' Cöpeniilgenf ’ a$$''lÉ|u^cky‘ ajr$ f' ffhzéiï (ièn
times oltMxêr 3di'aü cfors ; Toïptoth! us, it hs ' % y l s S f ^ n
nöt to happen above two 'Or1' three tiünes'in a“dvHdlé éefttiirjë-; ■
and, which isryèt^Jmorèeé&iïiaórtlinary, |whehj3'éié^ Harhbhè
Bergen* h‘ frÖZen, 'tHe'Bëtod^’ stt Paris,!’unhy bgcc<^.uded:1ó,bè
in 'the farhe Condition. ’Thus otir
that 'the1
TriMnen?;’ and it teTddomytfiaStHe *ba^ affld* c ^ ^ ' a r e frffzë
oVct,“ except thofe ih a t reach fin-up tlifeVêimtl^W^^Klfefield,
where they ‘'meet with keen alnd 'dty-north-eaft’ \^4nd^ blowing
fröm-thëU lkiid *. In thè other parfe^ÏDwèM^ïi^^eftrfh^é^aft,
it is btit felcfóm, hs rha^‘ beert before- nbtï^fty^*thati\a^^| hard
winters, o rM in g f r ó f ts /ja ^ b Y a rd ^
Tapscome hom, or beyondf'Filéfield', eaftfaï'd,
lay, théy!‘ha!vè’ Had ^Wêre wiriter^'l;fe^ê, förTëifeè:itiftfe -paft:
This amazing difference is, according to the wife defign of the
creator, jrequifite for the well-being of the country ; .fQr,r as I, have
already obferved, the eafterii pa.rts require a, fiard j winter for their
fubfiftence, and a mild winter, and-.open weather is ho lefs'he-
ceffary to the weftérp ' parts, where
* As far asJthe foïh;:\or 8ad d'égreè, i V l i.7 1 ‘ l
both winter aridfummer,. except in tte cteekst and; alop| the • ffióre-.itl Jinmark,,
Tceiand' and Greenland, from whence the largfc hiaffes; of ice bdng_aeteched, are ieen
to float in the fea. In winters of,extraordinaryJeverityi when the Baltic is frozen-up,
. the fwans, which otherwift are riot to he claifed among the' birds of this counfij,
tranfiriigrate hither, to procure !
ahd' I have been credibly ihform'ed,. t'Karthe few fwans, t^hiCh are fell to beleen at
iJSyndfiordl and' other;.places witHiri;' my ff>enmark, in the
c pars i^gB'apa Wwgi
I tarn
N A T U R A .L H I S T O R Y ?off N O R W A T.
’.tain theinfelyes .by their;foagiftherigs. It is. expedient for them,
that the feafhould.' be open i during ::tM whole-winter; for from
. the middle o f JMuaiy^theFiherriugsy akates; cods,&c. are chafed
. by the whales towards the coaft, when the peafants fally out in
multitudes from the creeks; 'into the" fea-, and thus get a. great
' part of their fubfiftance for the whole year; and feveral thou lands
; :bf the northern peafants o f both fexes, during January and February,
pafs | the whole day upon the open fea, and only towards
. the approach o f night betake themfelves to their huts, in the
neigiibounifig iflands. Tliis mildnefs o f the winter is likewile
necefiary. for curing and lalting the fifh, which in frofty weather
would be fpdiled and ufelefs: for i f the fifh fhould freeze as foon
■ as taken out o f the-water, the fait could not penetrate ;into them,
being obftruclcd by the ice, and i f carried home and kept till a
thaw comes on, they foon become flaccid and putrified at the
ibori%r and cdnfeqhently hnfit fob ufe;«a Sufficient evidence of the
iablblutenecefiity ^ add great benefit of a1 mild winter, to the weftem
paftsSof 'N'dfwayt^
S E C . T. VI.
If it be farther asked, hoiv* is it pofilble that natute can tegii- The natural
•Jat^ herifelf by thet neCelfities of khe'inhabitants,’ and give them “ufe thert*f-
Crofts iSd thav^s at the-fame'time,-under the Tame climate; I an-
fwer, that is-nef miraele,;‘but purely the'refult of the primary
natural dilpofition 6f• things.’ ; It is a general rule, that Norway,
Kavc'' O - J foTCrefwinters 3; blit
the exception from this rule lies-here; the weftem fide o f Norway
lying rieaxeft to the great .occiui, its air muft be fenfibly milrler,
the intenfe froft being warded off by the conftant intermixture o f
warm exhalations, vapours,- and mifts from the fea, which in the
lower region of the air, infenfibly diflolve the almoft imperceptible
•fharp particles o f ice that proceed from the north pole, or congeal
in the cold ripper regions o f thc air, but are melted as foon as they
fall in With the warm , vapours o f the fea. That thefe exhalations
abate the natural rigour :q{ the weather, dannot be' doubted j But
whether they arife from- warm iprings' a t ; the- bottom o f the. fea,
continually boiling by means o f the. eentrial fire; or if this be
.denied, whether this ebullition be the effed of lefler fubterraneous
. P art I. 8 F H p vul-
*5
' Winter-
fiihery.