Two forts of
mountains.
the. feus, which is laid to be an indication of^oal-minesi appears
in great quantities in Jeverai pkceSi IfcQal could be - Mild in
thofe provinces, wHcit are nbt QTCiftqekfid with» wo«!, it might
^dfiourage the.openipg of more mines, theeountry almofFevery
where abounding in metallic mines, befides thofe already wrought^
H M C T . III.’
From freatkig of the low and level foil of Norway, w^ 'are na-*
turally led to the mountains and rocks, with which the greateft
part .©fNorway is covered. Fes' the more: accurate description
of .thefe they mull be divided into, two forts; feme being general*
and extending themlelyes thro’ the whole length of the country,
whilft others are fcattered about, or lurrounded with afeyelcou»-
tfy, tho’ many of thefe may be confidered as branches,or excre-
fgenqes* Ipringing-from the roots o f the former..
§ S E: G t IV.
The firft fort of thele mountains are fech; a§ are properly palled
jfuga Montium Goncatenata, or a’ long.continued chain of mountains;
the direction -of them here i's not tranfVerfal, but'from tie
fouth towards the north pole *. M. i^ahuef siedfeHibrg^hi his
Mfcellanea Gbfemta, p.' 7 & 9, affigns the cahfe*’to'&e winds
prevailing at the time of the deluge,: whfcfiggib this |)bfitidh gnd
figure to the matter firft hardened: 1 Obfervari pofeff plerorfm-
que horum montium dorla a ftptenUione va-ftis" auftiruni' tendjefe,
&c. Extendi dorfa verfiis auftrum et boreatri mtikriq etjferl
ventos Qomtoiunr 'teii crrfte in1 «eeano ctiluv'iaEio, qui jam in noftro
oceano.” "’At the extremity of Finmark begins tharriMI of filgh
and rocky mountains called Koele, inhabited by the wandering
Finbppers, • who dwell Ibmetimes on the weft-fide of the rlHge
which belongs to Norway, and fometiffles on the eftft-fide which
appertains to Sweden -f*. This ridge, which in itsd6uj^4gof|hy fe-
vefal names, according to thefeverat places contiguous to it, feparates
itfelf as it were into two arms; the firft of which, in its progref-'
* This is contrary to the other European chains of mountains, wfeeifin Hungary,
Switzerlgp^j Fraijpe^ andSpaip,&c. run eaft and weft,. Buy, foe American Cpr-
dilieros, are»in the fame,, direction as our northern. foiffon’i Nat- Hift. B. u
Article’g, ' .
A worthy acquaintance, who when young was a. millionary in Finmark, in-*,
forms me,, that the'Koelen ridge, in many places,, breaks info large valiies, and con»!
fequently is not fo 'continued as further towards the fouth; and that it feldom reaches
above four leagues in a continued cbaitU-
3 lion,
fion, ?fefves almoftfor ft boundary betwixt? Ihe two aforementioned
northern mohafthies, and is* called-' Rudfield, Sudefield, Skars^
fifeld *, or riiofe^gemfetaMy S^vebierg,' ‘ br ‘the (Seven mountains. The
modern SwediftFliiftorian, Olaus Dalin, tin his hillory of Sweden,
T oin‘. '1. p. i t l -Inkles thus -fef<the ;prtgbefs of the thaihj «‘ it=pfo-
Cedes as it Were undef* wafer- frdm'FMtenbtirg,: -to a promontory
in Jutland, called the Skager Riff, ahd fdrifts a bahk, or mound,
hot fo deep as t'he'fef'Wbou^ if, wMxfe'is the belt flfhing in all
thole parts. The dthet m^&i- -arm-bf the Koelen Chain, begitis
likewife to change-its Uanie^n the cKdefefe »of Drontheim, Where,
at fame dfftancfo it likewife 'alters its pofition fot-the^ipace of ten
Norway miles, firft bending Weftward, as far as RoemMal, and afterwards
m-afiiming its prdgrefe cowards the foA&, betwixt the ditid
cefes of Aggerfhuus, Bergen, ahtiChriftianfatid'; ftkd in the: latter;
about three Norway miles: from Lifter, terminates in a prodigious
precipice, the*-lake’of which is to be feen in wiy few parts of the'
world. Tbrs/aranpas
latibnsv ftctjbrdiffg to the ftdjacei* cduhtridythd firft is Etoftefield,
near-GoldbrftjSdfdal'i, then: Mow iff eider Lomsfield, SogffefieltiJ
Filefield, Halnefield, Fj^ftngirfield, ^ cjdkMddr ^yglefield,
Ileeklefield, and, dftftlyf ^^Lftn^Seld, which^^laft. is likeWife-a ge-;
frieral ftppeSati-on comprehending' the whole
Md is by folSfe cdled cMy TahgfiddenCy teg( mbtijfitamg.T
TMs »mountain it k which divWeg-Norway into the diftrixft called
So^dte^fdsY U eojaS^Sh^htlihg1 the dio-
Celeof Aggermuus, and half thdt-df GJteiftiftnfandy and the diftrfei
<klled Norderifiyds; i:. e. fhe northern' moudthin, tho’, With refpedi
tov^ fitufttiafiYit'mi^t* as well be cdled WeftetifieMs; i. e. Wefthill,
corrfiftihg dftiie other half bfitHediocfefebf-Chriftikifah^^ arid
ffioft;t5f Bergen andDronthdhS. Theheight and breadth of
tenfiveyhain are both very different, the mountain Hardahger being
fourteen Norway miles over, whereas Filefield,* Computing“ from
Laef dsdd,'; h 'Icarciff ten. | GbffefieM is* accourtteff the higheft 'mountain
of this cpifrltry, i f hof o f1 all1 EUrpper f^s^pe¥phdu:Qiap:fee^ght',
indeed is- not fbafily’ determinable, withohffckfeulating i f by' the
* Ola^s Magnus, in Hift. n. Cap.'xii. .fays’, .that .ap entrance-or paffage
through n t6 'Bodfiff ^aSTBwrWl twfBy^fii# lsSfoui^^i@^6StoyW £ :
but.this is very ranich doubted,' arid fhthwjoaked upon 'as a^Sbmmum de,porta •
Eburnea; ytsleaft; if is ^hat no Norwegjini ever .informed me of.
Baro