Mountainftoves.
carriages *, the way is marked all along: with' pofts, at two or three
hundred paces diftance, that in fnowy or dark wehther;:£hia traveller
may n©t lpfe hinifelf-in foefe delart wilds, wherènna’living
creature is to be met With, except here andilhere a lew raitt?deer^
anti which cannot be conftantly inhabited, iinlels by Tinlappers,
who, as their dwelling is among the Roeien chain in Nbrdland,
and Finmark, io o miles, farther north, may'live very eommo-
dioufly here. In the valley called Smiddédal, there were formerly
iron-works, but they ha^é long fince been diTccaitiaued,
fufficient quantities of iron-ore having beemfoUnd in.otiher.more
convenient places; forbefides the fcarcity óf birch and alder, the
extreme cold, and the {now, with which the' grouhd is covered
nine months of the year, Hunt the growth of trees, i:
In fome meafure to relieve and refrefli :the, traveller, two
mquntain-ftoves, or reft^-hpufeS;; are maintained fin:Slefield.safe
the public charge, and three on Dofrefield, and furnifhed With fire,
light, and kitchen utenfils. ' There is büt She wpy of avdiding this'
r-hain of mountains in the road from Sweden tOiNordenfields; where
it deems as.it were interrupted by a long and deep vaHey,’ reaching
from Romfdale to Guldbrandfclale; and this;.road many prefer in
their journies from the highlands towards the. fea-coafts,' . to
Romfdale market with corn, butter, hides and furrs, which they
barter for fifh. It was in their march through this long defile,®
that a body of 1000 Scotch, lent over in . i b r 2, af. auxiliaries to
the Swedes, .were, together with Sinclair their commander, put to
the' {word by the pealants o f Guldbrand, who. never give quarter.
In thefe precipices anTharrowpaffbs confift the beft ’förtifica-
fions of Norway, and to them it was owing,, that in the laft war
numbers of Swedes met with the feme fate as thofe Scoteh; t particularly,
in the hollow-way near Krogkoven, where 200 men
were cut off by lieutenant Cocheron, affifted by the. peafantsJ •*/!
* At.a fmatt.diftance from the road is a chapel called St. Thomas's, oné óf"the
Votive-churches, as they are called, it having been an ancient cüftöm, ih iïèknëfsi
(M*‘any. Other diffrefs, to vow an offering there. There )S; (till a fermon wice a ,year,
on the Vifitation of the Bleflèd Virgin, which inftitution pöuibly arofe ffotn “trie
hi’ftory of this day, that Mary was gone early.upon the mountain, Soqie |uperftjnqus,
tho’ poffibly,'-well meaning people, rfefort hither with their offerings, m :difcharge-of
their vows 5 whilft óthers maké. the journey, as the minifter complained, a‘pretence
for caroufals, aflignations, and all manner of licentioufnefs and diforders.
S E C T,
^ S ¥ C T V. ™
.To,the,other tdafsf.of mountains, ^according to ipy former <di- i«®*
vifion, belong-tfipfi which {land fmgle, and amdjfperfed over the taimunaiith«
country, thpugfijJjfey may iigdie^k b^cpnfidered; as branches or
{hoots, fofinging’ frppi thg, gxtepded,. repots v d L thpjpfiains. Thefe,
likewife, are. gengra|ly foijg in. ^lggjfi^mjjjdndj.Mke, the ©filers,?,:
ftretch.away^omjUorth-Jg^fquthj -.but wjtfi .fruitful vales 1 betwixt-
tbprn, watered. witbiCGnayenlpjj^d^ersp by.which the‘floats o f timber
are, conveyed tp the fea-,fide for exportation.’. The inhabitants
find .thpfe. ffttle mdp^tan^ ppnfe^ntforidwellingj they
being exceedingly fruitful, pf thprjippv.ered with fields and
woods, whilft their fuajinitg afforcf plenty of pafture for the cat-
tip a n d w iljd a j|s ; . b qf i dps ; j f i i e i r * of
filver, copper,; iron, a^d pthprGjpetg.lsA. tyhiph, both here.and jin
Sweden, ;are lodged in. file fin^fer^apd npt in thpfe yaft mountains;
ger|aink;^g^dqqs .(^%^tjqqTpf.^<Srea$5y,lttt> fiLriljtsas
the- labour of jnfojng.T^|pf4; and. Quip, in Tellemark, jp e jhid' .to
be the higheft mountains iipjthaf part, called Soendenfiekfi.’ The'
diocefe of Bergen, unqueftionafily, derives its:name ^ h ic h figni-j'
fres fims) .fiam the ta^
^aiqsji. u d ^ ^ ia c e ^ pm e ^ ap p g ^ tfijetEfl9^?»; oris,the fe^-epafti
and o f diqfe ^S&en, Ulricfi,. and ^ytkjhoom, are the higheft in
tiiis mocejp^. t:hough Meldilk in Rofendale, Smper-ftak in Hpugf-
gield, A.lden,. Qr. the (fifljfcu Hwnpl in-Nordfiord,
SSSnOTn and f Skoplhprnp, pp.'^undmper, 1; Rpmdalfhorn, and
Others', tqo ^many^tp be Jieye .enumerated, . .^u^?paqre diftinguifhed
by their height *Vt The perpendicular height of thefe fteep moun-f
tains, acpprdmg to Sppear^cp,. report of tfie people living
near' them, may p e. cpmput^fi^a|>b^twixt g or.-is.po. yards,; .
consequently they are' higher, than i f ten common church-fteeples
were placed one over the otfiesr. , !3trabonthinks the rneafurt of'the
higfieft mouii|ains ip; thp
43 ;G Miny. e^pods|Mt |to ,.4 ^ ^ 0^nd,iRippi^5ta 51 ;bpt:M.
* It ^.obferVable,' ith4# is-'mffly
called Horn, fome qf the moll diftmguiie.d mountains, lfi^wj^etland bew the fame
appellation, as SchreckhdrK, !>%etttrhbifii, ‘ ‘ Roe^ifc^orn,f ffuchhpwi', *cfp, which,;
fhews mankindi.d' agree .eyen ^Wnej;^ they
haye no commVnication with <kbh'ouier.'
...Scheu-.