42 N A T U R A L HI S T O R Y of W O RW 4 X
ill II
Barometer;
to Peter Undalin’s Defcriptioh, of Norway, ia ione;0pkGe reach
eighteen; Nor way .miles, and in another twelve j and the road js; fo
winding} that in the wincerr road, Trone■ meets nodefs than: nine
tknes-with the river caRed Urivaae, which winds ip .a ferpentine
form alopg the hde o£ the mountain, ilhe-.bridges aerqfs :thip river
make a dangerous appearance, aS, they are- laid- oVey, roaring cataracts,
or waterfalls, and but indifferently' fattened ^fhe.fteep
rocks, which deters the better fort of travellers ,frp.m qhufing this
road;, tho’ . the fhorteft. The read over Filefield is’the only one
I am acquainted With from my oWn experience; JUfeJLs is a .tedious
afcent," thru/many windings,-from* L_aerdale'tdi®S fommit offhd
mountain, of about fix Norway miles and a half, - Which in a.perpendicular
height tbwdrds ISaerdale, may be computed at half a
Norway pile, or 9060 ells. A proof, among others, of» the great
elevation of this mountain - aboVe the horizon > of ’ the | champaign
country, is the change from heat to cold,' which .within .& ’few
hours becomes fo fenfible, that the traveller may i^eiy well; Rip^-
pofo himfelf fuddenly tranfported from a hot fummer to: a, piercing
winter. I crofled it on.the 28th’ of May ;i'749:>' haying.' the
day before, at my l]eaving .Laerdale, ob^ryed'thej^rlfey to'-be in
feme forwardnefs, and in the narrow, vallies thereabouts, .the
was fo foltry that at noop I was obliged, to fhelter myfelf" at
IJorgen chapel: But after, a few hours progrefs farther up the
mountaSn. of Filefield, I found myfelf rifing as. irw^eyintfi the
u p p e r regtFwt-of,Jttie.s tir , to w ard s
as much in the depth-of winter ksjif it had been d^w^ar’s ^ ^ ,
furrounded with foow and j ice, which were tJ^mmye -painful ta
the" eyes, as having fo, lately enjoyed the pleaijng.,verdure of the
field* and woods. The fun flione but>Atfo;|h
little -heat, that tho’ it . Was within three weeks- pf. midfommer,
all the waters,, and particularly the frefh-water, lake there, called
Utreen, were frozen. I was. very defiious of returning, being diffident
of the attuyances of my guides, that the -ice would bear J/flbr;
as the.&pw-watef lay upon it, I apprehended it might give way :
However, I got over in my fledge-chaife, which, as is here cuf-
tomary, was drawn by peafants, and not by horfes.
Another
nat ural h is TO R T éf NoètXAy:
Another propf of the great height of this lObutftaiti, • is the éx-
tenfive profpfetäjfföhf lit,o-ifl -a
rpdc ftandingi M rihè middle of. the road, I had a Vièw fof the
cataraél of thé river Bang, m \kldersj; a diftanéé of about twelve
Norway, at fifteen Danifh miles, hut on the other fid'e my tyè
reached bifyond HalMttgdäl#, oh thfe hOrdprs of Wä&, ^fife^uehäy'
the cr&tt of thhf mountain,affords a profpèét of thirty' Danifh or
German miles. Another proof of thé prodigious-height of this
mountain, is-, that it eäufes a very fenfible difference, in Wind and
weather, betwixt the north and fout-h fide, of Which I hgvê already I
ubferveff in Mother place, that thë- ilih&bitänts oh this fidè ihë
mountain feldom havfefoeifanie weather' o¥*éÉ/ Wthofo beyond
it, the clouds, in ftrikfog ägainft thëWuhtain, befog te'pelfedt
Hence alfo;it,is, thatthewfods, which in the dibcefeof Agger-
fhuUs caufe fair weather, in that pf Bergen bring rain, arid fo
• vice verfk;
T.he higheft parts of this whole chain o f mountains are every
. w tem fo fmooth and level, that if they wem mÄ cPnftahdy covered
With foow, carriages might travel fouch é a f e that! ih fife lowdr
parts, efpeeially on the mountain near Hardanger,„over which lies
the road to Koiigfberg, along which road large herds o f cattle arè
driven, ahd gnat.quantise* o f goéds carried. But the ütmoft CaU±
1 1 1 is aeceffory hete, oö aèèöUat ó f the ïafgë Chaffosin fife fooW,
Which hath lain there befórë the memory o f man, and is Confoltt
dated j tliefe chafois, ih winter, are covered With foofe foow, and
many perfons not being aWäre o f thérri, have irrecoverably fonk into
an abyfs, from whence the only chance o f an efcäpe, is thro’ holes
made by dié birds for their retreat*; therefore part ofthemoun-
tam towards Quenhcrret, being frequented by fowlers aiidfportfmen,
is therefore called Fuglefang, I. W the plate for bird-catching. Petet
UndaKn, m his Deforiptioh o f N o n ^ V p- S a t ’all tfev
e ^ ig qvcr tlpsimountain is prohibited, except -fovea^
tion o f the crofs, which'is the third o f May, to St. Bartholomew.
Over Filefield, whidi is thé poft-road, and die road for the kind’s D
cjla^ms I® ■tl e. few-^afe dfo ïefeft iii tiie mountainS of Swftägrf^ft “ 1 ft
I K endr-plt,s, ^ jnontagnes de glace, &c, L^.aHemanS let appellent
Gietfchtr nous les appellow des gläaeres, &c. II arrive queiques t ó Welles ft
K f f i S S I Cn bt Sy CC qÜi' ^ Un,btUï h0rrible‘ Souve^ neige couvre telle-*
Ä Ä f u E Tovm°TpurL-e Ieä decoüvrant p°inw r m m
Part I, ' N carri^