N A T y R A L H I S T O R Y o f N O R W 4 Y.
C H A P . III. :
O f the W A T E R S.;;
c t . I, The fea-coafl, ijlands\ and harbours of'N orw ay:: S e c .t . II;. Bottom o f
the fea along'the coajis. Se c t . III. Bottomlefs depths ■even in the narrow
Jlreams and creeks which run up the country. S.ec t . IV. Weight o f the jea -
- water. Se c t . V. Its colour. Se c t . VI. Its faltnefs. S ect VII. Its
fatnefs. Sec t. VIII. Its corufcations, ahdtbrightnèfs in. the,night. Sect., IX. Its
agitations by winds,x ebb, and flood. Sec t. X 22* Mojkoe -rider-inNordland,
- is not what it appears to be a t a dijlance. Se c t . XI. Vrejh-wdter, p a rticularly
Springs, in Norway. S e c t . XII. Rivulets, currents', livers, frejh--
water lakes, and floating ijlandsin them. ~ Se c t ; XIII. The great advantage
fJu cb -w a ters fo r the conveyance and exportation :ofUmber. Sect. XIV.. Wa~
ter fa lls , or Catara5ts,from th é rocks in to .the- rivers. Se c t . X V . Bridges
over the rivers, -and the wonderful conflruSUon o f fame o f them:- Sect. XVI. Eafy
- way of-travelling in the w inter over the fro zen waters. '
. S ■1y:jC ; 5 .y: IJ
N our. Purvey e>f the element o f water,' ih' and ahoUt Norv#yy
the firft obje<9: which prefents itfidf tr i*u s ;is: a-part-of thé
north or large. Atiaiïtie fea, wtóch follow^^the' ctoaJl? ;<#-N-orwa£y
for three hundred leagues, and by many fkribW'’ channels forma
a multitude of final! and large iflahds, fome of- thehi bèing frofli
three td fix or nine leagues in length, and not;barren-j ■ hiit-nfoft
of them are lb fmall, that they are inhabited only i f e p h e fiftier-
men and pilots, who keep a few heads q f cattle, which* they fend
out for pafture to the rieareft little iflarids, rocks, and Sheers..- -By
fuch a rampart, which pofllbly may coufift o f a million tojfrtore
of Hone columns, founded in die bottom ^of the fea; the Capitals
whereof fcaree rife higher than lbme fathoms abóvè the waves, ,al~
m o ll the whole weftern coaft o f Norway^is defended ji and thro’
the providence of the wife Creator,' there.are many advantages,
which arife from them. Among thefe the firft is, fecurity againft
any naval power of an enemy, whofe lhips, without a pilot from
the country itfelf, would not dare to venture within the Sheers,
and then they are in danger from the lead: ftorm, which herer
abouts gives no warning, infomuch, that in an inftant, unlels they |
have the good fortune, of fecuring themfelves in a good harbour,
they may be dafhed to pieces, in the creeks, which are all inclofed
1 ■ f with
iH A T t J R A L H 1 S T O R Y o f N O R W A Y . 67
with fteep rocks. , This coaft* indeed, affords fo many and fuch
good 'harbours as.few other .maritime countries, can. boaft-of; and
this fe another .^vantage sof ;dffife nufdberlqi rocks and Sheetsl
Yet a -laigfe?#ip^ which canflot make pfe o f oars, will be in danger
o f not reaching the harbour, before the wjnd, ©rithe current,
which are very jwoleu t in the]Straits, daflivk -agajaft’ the fteep rocks
in .the neighbourhood. , Jn ordgr^apr^vjen.t tljis>|danger, feveral
hundreds o f large, iron rings,, ‘have, ‘ b y ‘órdéR;©f the government,
dpecially here"5about Bergen, Bèèn fixed in' thb‘ ro ck sm b e Sian ’
two fathoms above' w a te r,'a’s mëörings to the lhips, when there
is nöt TÖomt Vfór' ariehorage. T he Coafters find the advantage 'of
fo many-Sheers and rocks, as thefe' ■ prefect ‘them in a fcalrh'W&tër,
againft the Violence of d ie ' waves,t which is greatly abated b y
breaking agaShft .the röcksl' On;'thé "other b in d ,’ a '^ ëw open
places, fuch as theharibour o f the town, and that :dïfö!My before
Jeder, are -.dangerous. tó pafs, th at many lives are lo ft there
every year* the waves o f ,the weftern ocean, wlïen driven b y a
ftorm towards the land., m a k in g 'a very K0H0W and -terrible
entrance. JP
T h e bottom o f the fea is fterè, as evexy where, full 9piiie^i|4;Bottomoftlie
liries, and in this refpeét, hötdéfs varied .tHkn thé land, .whieh ®|pl
■ isYfreqHebt'ly aft alternate fueeéflión o f high triHnWfalns-, and deeji
vallies. T h e -analogy 'is f:tfcé-HÊme- in- the fiibfttóeerif thé
tom of the. fea, according to the obfervation o f pilots, -from the
end'df theft leads, wherg ($hey; fqqaetimcs find' ftones, vfemetimes
play,’l(chaik| mud, and fpmetimes white or Mo^n|Tan4 and in
many places, a t is bver-run, not only with all kinds o f fea-grafs,
but with fieyefal forts oi^ a-b é es , fbme o f which are pretty large,
with corals^ and rthe like ftony vegetables*. A clear view or
thefe, and Iikewife o f the i^crediblq multitude^ o f fea-animals,
monfter§, .&c. inpft o f them unknown, to which' thefe ^vegetables
partly ferve .as aliment, could not but e^citg'in'ps t^he greateft
aftonifhment; for from the fea-wpgetpblesj which ^fomptinaes hang
at the lines, or cahèf implement^ q fth e filhermen, .and oft which
.1. have a large colledHom. w,e myft conclude,, th^t tne bottom o f
* Sylvas f^ifuibinarinas mare Vubrum. fat fuperqve* dbçét, ex cujus fufdo'iÈibindê
ingens a pifeatoribus corallinamm arbonim copia, cerafo noftro vix cedentium uti
Arabibus rubri mans aecolis non. femebaadivi, eruitur. ^lieKeni&'MnaÆiSUtiffibr
P- H H
P a rt I. T the