► Frelh'-watérs
'partictilarj^.,
ïp rings, v in||
Norway.
Ja Diflertati--
ö^e Yle Medi-
camentisNor-
vegiaefuffici^
entibfar£j-Ia|n'. I
xi. ■
From the north-fea, and the falt-wateiis; F now proceed to the
frelh iprings, rivers', and lakes. Here, as in- other places, ..thefe
are not -equally Jight, pure, and wholfom, their qualities depending
on their bottom, or the’ f e t a o f .earth or 'ftbrie which
they meet with in their courfe, generally bringing with them
particfe o f what they have carried o ff by the way. As to this cir-
cumftancfc, bur Norway iprings are ’not nmch ,to be boafted o f;
for their beds, or bottoms, fhew them to have fo much chalk,
day, or oaker in them, that a drop on a plate, leaves a white,
brown, or yellow foot. However, -the frefti-water in. Norway, in
general, may be confidered ,as good and falubripus, I may fay,
very good, in companion with others, as the water, together with
the air, unqueftionably, contribu^s greatly to the vigour o f the
inhabitants, who enjoy an uninterrupted health, to a ]ength of
days; more general, and far beyond the period allotted to the in--
habitants of mod other parts, o f Europe. The com mon people If-
pecially, hold out to a very advanced ag e; for they live more
upon water, than wine and other ftrong liquors.- The-metal, of
which .there is mod: .abundance; both here and in' Sweden, and
which confequently moil of nil tinges the freffi-waters, is iron, for
thé aqueous particles being analyfed, there remains a ferruginous
matter fubfided, which the magnet attrafls^ and which has upon
moil people .a laxative effect. .
There is likewife, no doubt, that our country affords, feveral
kinds of medicinal forings, tho’, for want of due fearch, few filch
are become known; as the learned M. Lochftor complains in the
following words, which I the rather iufert, .as they at the fame
time mention one of the afore-mentioned medicinal Iprings.
(f Coronidis loco monendum duxi, baud deeife Norvegi® fontes
medicates, deeife autemf qui in hornrn vires’ e.t principia inqui-
rant, fojertes haturalium rerum ftudiofos. Memini enim, me vi-
diffe fonteni. (quem paucis abhinc annis invenit fedulus naturte
ferutator avunculus -mpus: Carolus Roblham in dkecefeos Chriflia-
nieftfis diitribtu, cui nomen Hackedalen, circa villam quam habi-
tat vulgo Büraas. diéiam) minerali quadam aqua fcaturientem, a
ctrjul iafu convaiuere vaiiis morbis laborantes, ita ut etiam fama
mm . ad
ad exteros venerif, qii-i magnam hujus aquae copiam fifei apportari
curarunt.” About two years ago, when 1 made a vifit to Coun-
fellor Swerdrup, proprietor• of the iron nianufafchire at Hakkedal,
he carried me to a 'formg,-r which is probably that; mentioned by
. M. Lpchftar; upon tailing it, I found the water light’fend palatable,
and, as the, proprfofot .informed me, it is very, falubrious;
especially in hypocondriac pafes, by attenuating and redifying the
infoinated blood. ' _ ^
Mr. Peter Nicholas Undaljri, in his défcription.' of Norway, relates
from an old book, Called' Speculum Morale (dou'btlefs
a manufeript now loft) that the water of Birkedahl fen' in Sund-
moer, in this diocefe,1 has a petrifying quality,' and that within
three years it tfofos.haizle 'into ftorie,' but not elder, which grows
near it. As fetch a power is inherenrmtomp waters*, and I myfelf
have feveral undeniable, petrefadioris of beech, hazle, willow, énd
other wood, I made-no difficulty of giving credit to this acfcpui.it;
and tho’ it appeared a little fufoicirius, when I firft received feme
-ófiÖlis prëtèndëa' 'petferadion 'from "the ' f e n o f ’ Sfendrdó'er, yet I
feïfoended my judgment, till’laft fummer; when ,on my' vifital ion,
I had an opportunity of informing myfélf more particularly from
the mmifter of the place, Mr. Jver Munthfc, at Yolden.' . I found
that there' was nofuch thing fes ‘petrifying, water in ‘BirkedaX-fenJ(
but that ofofohe -fide o^fo there is a piece of an Ami^tnus,kor
Albeftos rock, which being, divifeble into long pliant threads, like
flax, and'being more like wood than itohe, has been given out
for petrified wood; and Drought the neighbouring morafsj into
gre^Lt arid pnaelervea horfout: and reputation. This is fo far from
being any tiring' new, that it "is a. very ancient tradition, and
many intelligent perfons have been deceived by i t ; among others,
Girald Cambrenfis, as appears from his Topograph. Hibern.
cap. viii. where he fays, “ Eft et in Norvegia fons fimilis naturae,,
fed tanto tarnen efficaci'è majoris, quanto. ad frigidam zonam
magis accedif. Tn hob enim non tantum ligna, fed et lina Iineae-
que telae per annum irripofit® duriffimum in lapidem congelantur,
. * The water doth aóUiaUy^erêafïéj/.iè-iiiher longitudinally or tranfverfally,: the minute
mter'ftices of ‘the wbod, filB-jt' w,ith lapideous particles,, dilates- it,land when
by1 S-Jcaiuftic -corrofive power, wliiclf it.-derives %>iwlimej ..-it lias d'edFpyèd'the-wóöd, '
it then appears: in.the form of the vegetable into Which it penetrated. Hamb. Mag.
Vél. II. pt-.ifiSri-fc
unde