tions, and adts.with greater energy. In.ourj northernsigaidens, it ‘1
is indeed feldom that the winter, fruits can attain-to their , proper .
maturity; but thofe ofithe fummer,heep,pace with;thofe-of Denmark,
where ftrawberries, cherries, and the like, are ripe fa early
as the firft ó f J u ly .}. CounfeUor Carbiner has^more than once had
ripe figs, in his. garden at Bergen ; and in Chrjiliana, lyt. 'V^iljter,
an* apothecary, has feveral years .brought grapes to a degree yeiy
litde fhort o f perfect maturity. ■
: S £ C T. X.
s From théfe inftances, I prefume; ToreignePs: will have: the candor
to admit, that however natural arid- lasting thë^çpfi may be
in Norway, ; yet the impartial Sovereign' o f n&tdrfe has not fo
far neglected us, hut that we may pals our days^igreearay ifmfpe-
cially, i f it bé dorifideted, that what, the climate bf'Noiÿfây11 dèmes,
it abundantly compenlates mother advantages; o f which I
fhall hereafter have oceafion to adduct: feveral proofs, partly ill
praifc o f the Creator, and partly for the mto’f mation* or fore^ner^,
and the confutation. of. that \erm falfe çidea; which, :;êuôftîïi my
own country, men entertain o f l the rigorous- and hnppafkmieli-
mate o f Norway ; which is leldöör mentioned but î®ith aKqdfn-
miferation, ó f which, itds not a:preîîirig:obje£ti;'Bht fib ediiccit is
more ablurd than that o f Simon Patrick, a native o f England, -and
in other refpeéts a writer o f gçeat learning and worth ; . who tepre-
fents a Norwegian às’one: who hâd.never feen a-ipfe^hiGh is aytecy
common .flower in Norway) - and was afraid to? touch it, Jmagipr
ihgTf^rBe~fire^v-~^yh o would
could be fuch a ftranger to Norway, and an.Engmhman too, who
ought to know it better from the. equality, ofi its ifituatjou with *th;e
North o f Scotland, this being nearly in the fameidegree’ o f latitude
with the bifhopric o f Bergen ; n©ttto;mention the frequent
* This pafiage occurs in â piecé o f his, imwljich he inftrü&s’ahd 'cajitions’ji friend
againft lukewaripnefs and apoftafy from the Chriftian religion.' His words are tt>-
the following import : “ The poor, Norwegian, as . hiftory inform^:' us ( I afk what-
hiftory P) was afraid at:the' firft fight- of a rolVtb totfch it;-'being apprehenflvebf
burning his fingers ; he was aftonifhed that trees, as he imagined, fliould produce
' flames and fiery flowers ; he moved his hand towards it to warm himfelf, but could
not be prevailed with to touchit; but as h e y iè. over-joyed to be delivered from.fuch
a grofs miftake, being afterwards brought riot only to touch1 Biit I 1 1 this innocent
flower, which at firft appeared tp him to' be a Èfë, Jb it will be with us, &c.”
And juft fo would it have beëniwifh'the worthy author; had it been his fate to have
come to Norway, and there to have feen the rofes growing every 'where.
voyages
N A T U R A L H IS. T O R Y of N O RW ;AT. 2.3.
voyages .of' the Englifh to Norway, rfqmc of whpiri arc.very well
pleafed to fettle there ;. or.-the conftant. voyages of Norwegians to
England, who, if the trade would turn|to any account, might fur-,
nifl-i the Englifh abundantly with rofc-watcr.. -
, I P| C ' T . I S
If the air of Norway he confidered in refpedt to,health and Quality of the
ficknefs, particularly as .to the natives^' it will appear to. be pure to health and
and falubrious from many inflanccs of perfpns, of a'very;, advanced
age, efpecially among .the peafants. JvJn Jonas Ramus,
in,fhis-'Chor.ographic4 Defcription, qfy Norway, is .of opinion that
a .mp^ejhealtEy; air in
tljian ip- N-oiway wth'eugh I imif); cpnfcfs,- f?hgt. this v^rigyAccor.4T
ing to the fituation of places. The mqft-.pure and kindly air, I
judge to be, in the middle of the country, efpecially about the
mountains, whet^rthq*;inhath-Wf8 hate -hardly op {jcknefsj
.unlefs it be hereditary., or contracted by intemperance* It
isTreported,j though I .yihiiqt,warrmkfhfi, fruth o fifr. that in the
rtale’pf Guldbrand, which is regularly vifited By ;yery "ialubrious
gil^Sj cijjecially in jgfraparifh o f flieic ari? porfons pf fuch
an .jejstrqm?-; of logger life, they get
themfelvcs-.-sembved elfewhere in order to die the fooper; that
fartjher in fhejpovmceof Valders, aqd.in otb^pp^r^ teeal may
be,ke[pt i many: yeats fwithputcibfifeg , wprSaTe^Cfh on any. pther dgr
mage,; which-.aipounfcs^to' a demonftrapqn of the purity,- w-holT
lbmnefs, arid drynefs of -the air. Butrin the other hand, on the
ica-coafls, and here in Bergen, I account the air to be lets
healthy from the abundance f of humid;, and| faline .vapours -from
the fta, efpecially-in whiter, when the.mifis'arid, ram afe mote,frequent
than clear froft; yet with ther. afthmafic,f . this-. mqift air
.agrees Better than a finer or drier, which may be more piercino-;
a proof of this I had .in an intimate acquaintance -of mine,- who
found his. breaft': and lungs cbnfiderably eafed after his arrival jfoom
Denmark,; which I attribute to the air here, as more humid than
that of Copenhagen,. tho’ the latter in winter is., not without frequent
fogs and rains.*-
_; * This may poliibly be the cauTe that Arluihs coiifemptive petforis'
by too B y y W y y weak lungs, anctb.y detaching ind carrying off tob •
Pa^t h ' " H ‘ Gene