TWO SUMMERS IN NORWAY.

THESE tours by the author of The Angler in Ireland, very strik- ingly indicate the activity and locomotive habits of the English people. It is not so much that.their author twice visited Norway in search of saltnon-fishing and the picturesque, and travelled fif- teen hundred miles, through a thinly-peopled country, where the wanderer must drive his own carriole, and carry his own comforts, in order to fish in a certain river ; for he has a strong movement- mania, which has led him to explore Ireland as an angler, the Alps as a chamois-bunter, and the Bay of Naples for its beau- ties—all the time, probably, having two volumes in his mind's eye. But within two degrees of the Arctic circle, he was sud-

denly joined by a friend, who had penetrated still further North, in order "to see the sun at midnight" : on the occasion of his second visit to the banks of the litr-off Namsen, he found an Eng- lishman there before him : besides which, "two other countrymen" came after him, and "occupied the best portion of the river during the best portion of the season "; whilst the more Southern streams of the country are "fished" by the English so as to diminish the sport.

The matter which was the object of our author's travels is by far the most interesting portion of his book, even to those who take no particular interest in the "gentle craft." The account of his travels is deficient in the clearness to be imparted by a distinct narrative of the route, unmixed with extraneous matters. Ills de. seriptions of towns and landscapes are slight, superficial, and devoid of character—trippingly read, but leaving no impression on the mind, with the exception of a few scenes whose surpassing beauty compelled perforce their own reflection upon paper. But all which bears upon angling is full, satisfying, and inffirming in matter, as well as animated in style. For the benefit of such brethren as may follow his steps, he describes the best modes of getting to Norway, and the preparations be should make for his voyage thither, and his inland journey. With these he mingles much practical information as to the manner of travelling ; the modes of living amongst the people, to which the traveller must accommodate himself; with the prices of provisions, and so forth. But it is when he opens the campaign of the Namsen that his genius shines forth, from the nar- rative of his triumphs, or the hairbreadth scapes of the "monster" salmons, to his general directions as to the best mode of accom- plished angling with the fly : for " beginners have no business on the Namsen—they must commence with more pastoral streams and the various " killing-baits " of prepared salmon-roe, &e. he looks upon as " but one degree removed above worm-fishing, and but two degrees above netting; and totally unWorthy of any fair angler, who fishes for sport, not for the pot."

The Namsen, which lies at about 65 degrees North, is, from the breadth of its stream and some other characteristics, scarcely ac- cessible from the banks or by wading, at least in the places most favourable for the angler. Recourse must therefore be had to boats : which is in one sense unfavourable to the display of skill ; for the most difficult feat in the art—that of casting a fly far and well—is done away with : but there are perils on the rough water, and in the crazy boat, of which " beginners" on the banks of " pastoral streams" have no idea ; and a nerve and readiness are required to capture the hooked monsters, of which none but those who have been so dir North can have a notion.

FISHING-BOATS AND BOATMEN ON THE "INTAMSEN.

There is an abundance of excellent boats the river being used in preference to the roads as the chief highway for the transit of all heavy goods. They are built entirely of' fir, sharp pointd, and rising high at each end, aml as light as a cotk. They bound safely on the top of the breakers, down the most fearful- looking rapids, which again they ascend in a way 1 have nowhere seen so much or so well practised as on the Namsen. Oars are out of the question to overcome so violent a stream ; each man, therefore, standing at either end of the boat, takes a long, but light fir pole, which they rapidly and simultaneously strike into the water on the side next the land, and thus push their buoyant canoes up the strongest currents at a rate scarcely conceivable. Very great dexterity is required to guide a boat in this manner among the reeks and rapids they have to encounter ; at some of the worst places, it is occasionally necessary that one should go on shore with a long rope while the other remains in the stern with his pole.

PASSING A RAPID.

The "Long Rapid" may be described as an inclined plane of seater 1100 or SOO yards in length, 'and full of huge stones just beneath the surthce, which by their resistance throw back the rushing torrent in so many tumultuous waves. It requires the utmost dexterity and presence of mind to steer safely through these breakers, any one of which Win) lit swamp the boat. It is hut a momentary operation : the boat is carefully: placed stern foremost at the head of the rapid; yam see S forint vista of wild waves below you ; tlw frail bark shoots down with lightning speed ; in an instant more, the glancing waters rise fiercely on alter side, as if to overwhelm you ; von seem just to elude their grasp ; and beihre you have time to ascertaiii whether you are frightened Or not, you are safely arrived at the hot 101(1. The narrow stream issuing limn the Foss Pool, named the " Foss Rapid," though shorter, is still more dan- gerous ; but an accident at eithe.: spot must necessarily be fatal; and I confess it was not until experience had convinced Inc of the dependence I might repos,: On my boatmen, that I learned to encounter either passage with perfect equa- nimity.

Now see, you anglers of England who fish at home at ease, the perilous sport of

SALMON-FISHING IN NORWAY.

After shooting some capereailzie in the morning, I took my boat into the Foss Pool, which I had not been able to try before. There was still so large a body of water as to render this a difficult, and with any other than F itch ex- cellent boatmen as I had, a dangerous operation. The thundering river that dashed over the lofty fall threatened every monsent to sweep its away, as we shot across the rapid torrent. However, we accomplished it in safety, although drenched with the heavy spray as mach its if we had been exposed to the pelting a the most pitiless storm. From a ruck that advanced as near to the fall as I could possibly penetrate, I rose an immense fish in the very breakers, I am quite confident not less than forty pounds in weight. It was, without doubt, the wildest spot in which I ever hooked a large fish ; and he proved the wildest of his tribe. He plunged at once into the very centre of the cataract, apparently with an intention of sounding its lowest depths; my line was nearly .run out, yet I scarcely knew where the fish ails, NAM I suddenly saw hint 'springing amidst the foaming surge more than one hundred yards front me. He next made the most desperate efforts to escape into the lower pool, whither I could not follow him, except by shooting a rapid of so perilous a character, that I preferred holding him by main force, notwithstanding all his struggles. I expected each instant that some part of my rod or line would break ; but so good was my tackle, that it bore the enormous pressure upon it, without giving way ; and I had already brought the monster some distance up the violent stream, and he was showing evident symptoms of weakness, when after half an hour's most splendid play, the hook came out of his mouth, and he escapsd. Without wasting time in useless regrets, I returned to the same rock, and at the first cast hooked another fine salmon, which I at once saw was some dozen pounds less than the one I had just lost. Yet did be look most magni- ficent, from the elevated spot where 1 stood, as he darted through the eddying foam to seize the fly. He pursued exactly the same tactics as his predecessor; and when, finally, he persisted, in spite of all my efforts, in rushing, down the impetuous stream, I resolved at all hazards to follow him, not choosing to lose two such fine fish, without a brave effort at least.

We were dreadfully knocked about, and nearly swamped in the attempt ; however, we safely entered " Karnen's Pool" with the salmon, whom I then easily killed; and he weighed upwards of twenty-eight pounds. I can scarcely conceive it possible to enjoy finer sport than I had with these two fish: more vigorous salmon, or a wilder spot to play them in, I never saw.

But happiness like this is too great to last : it seems, indeed, already on the wane. Besides, the English who have penetrated thus fin., and will induce more to follow in their wake, the natives, confound their impudence, have taken to fish in their own waters!

" But still more than this, many of the natives had taken up angling its the English method. I have before observed that, though the Norwegians are not endowed with inventive talent, they sltow a great turn for imitation ; and either by rowing in the boats with Englishmen, or by watching them from shore, they had picked up enough of the art to annoy us at least, if not to se- cure much sport for themselves. Their tackle was of the rudest description ; but yet sufficient at least to rise the most taking fish. If these were small, they were frequently killed ; if they were strong, away went the flimsy gear ; but at all events the passage of the boats and flies over the pools, much diminished the chance of any better artist who followed them. " I was also grieved to find that hut may had this newly-developed passion for fly-fishing made them unusually jealous of their supposed rights on the river, but also that those who were not employed as boatmen had begun to grudge their more favoured neighl.ours that were inlisted in the Englishmen's service. The fintr orts, or 3s. 4d., which we gave for two men and a boat per diem, with a liberal share of fish and other perquisites, were too great an object of envy in this poor dis,trict. COI u soittently, all wanted to pull in my boat; and es I had no idea of !wing dietlitual to in a nutter on which my chance of sport so much depended as die selection of my boatmen, I had some trouble in silencing, I sviil not say satisfying, their conflicting claims. " The first year I was on the Narnsen, all whom I employed, or to whom I gave fish, expressed the greatyst gratitude ; this summer, it seemed that those 'who were excluded btok. offence, while tin: others received our guerdon almost as a right. I am inclined to believe that much of this wrong'freling was at- tributable to the conduct of some Englishmen in the preceding year, who from an ignorance of the language and customs of the country, had not only fished on the Sabbath, which gave deep onence, but had halntually taken them Fosaland boatmen to all parts of the river where they had no shadow of right, and haul never made a fair distribution of the salmon among the farmers irt I whose water they were taken. They consequently left an unfitvourable cha- racter behind them, except with t hose who were immediately benefited by ! their expenditure, and a load of oblopy for their countrymen to fight against. Should this feeling and the pai.ssion for angling increase, the beaux fours of the

as1i5en are past."

The condition of the people from a succession of unfavourable seasons, however, appears to be such that no one could wonder at their resorting to any means that would furnish food.

" Poor people ! they were generally suffering- privations such as, even in Ireland, would be considered grievous. Scarcely any of the better farmers could afford to eat pure barley bread Ivithout any mixture of fir-bark ; and very many were compelled to live on bark-bread. alone. The stock of the district being exhausted, all who could scrape the money together, sent some of the family to purchase corn, after the patriarchal lIsshion, at the nearest markets while along the sea-coast. They. seldom could obtain it at a less distance thatlic

or eighty miles : the price is very high, mid the quality indifferent ; toil of poling up such a strewn as the Namsen with a heavily iladen boat, may be imagined.

" Under such circumstances, even thus little addition to their stock of food which my rod and gun afforded, was an objeet of some consequence ; still more CO was the money I dislitirsed among them. Even the better class of farmers, though able to hive in tolertille comiltrt upon the produce of thLir land in ordinary- seasons, have littie or no opportunity of realizing money. They have nothing to sell ; and tli ert2 is no one to buy ; forasmuch

as each of' their countrymen supplies hiniself, in the same manner that they do, with the three great neees,anies of human existence. • tire, food, and clothes.' The small sums, I herell ire, that I ributed to my hosts and boatmen, woe an

object of eolopiiiit iii. » hick as W e have seen, occasioned some bickering at first ; nay, I was men favoured with a such of round-robin on the sulject front fonr of the farmers of Crony:. However, by just dealing and the poweri-nl asidstance of my friend t he priest, 1 eventuallv sueeev.led in anaying this feeling, so as to part trout all not only on the most amicable terms, but apparently with deep regret."

in addition to the usual sketches of a tour, and the full account of piscatorial sports, with an occasional tale of rein-

deer-shooting, there is a chapter on the geology of Norway,

and another on the character of' the people and the nature of their constitution. On those points, thoty,h a general admirer of the Norwcgian, our author is touch less sanguine than \l r. LAING ; %%huse " exaggeratel praises," he S:1.N s, the more intelligent Nor- is laugh at. Agreeing with .1r. LAIN6 ill the moral cha- rac:cr or the people, and their love of liberty, he maintains that

their democratic constitution is only adapted for a country like

Norway, where the population is scanty and properties are small. Even there, the jealousy of the Exceutive, carried as it is to such

venience—that the management of every detail in legislation is thrown upon persons who have no minute knowledge of the subject ; and consequently, all is a long time adoing, and much is done slovenly, or left undone,—an evil bearable in Norway, but certain to produce incilculable mischief where the business brought before the Legislature was more considerable. Upon the effect of that Democracy, which implies as much equality of fortune and station as is compatible with the existence of society, the writer thus remarks-

" One of my chief objections to the Norwegian character is in a great mea- sure connected with this very abundance of the commonest necessaries of life which the owners of the hula certainly can command. The comparative faci- lity with which their sensual wants to a certain extent can be satisfied, makes them pay far too much attention to the body, too little to the mind. Eating and drinking are of infiuitelv too great importance in Norway; while inter- lectual pleasures seem very little regarded.

i " The power of reading s very general, through a compulsory system I shall shortly have occasion to allude too; but except in the towns, where the news- papers afford the chief field for its exercise, little advantage seems to be made of it. In the country, and during the summer at least, it is very rare to see any Norwegian, of any station, employed in reading ; and the very scanty sup- ply of books that a Norwegian house ever contains proves the fact.

" It is, no doubt, also dependent on this necessity for constant labour, that the Norwegians appear to have no peculiar sports or country amusements whatever. I never saw them engaged in any pastime; nor could 7I hear of any national game. When even they hsh or shoot, it is done entirely for the pot, not for pleasure. This is not to be wondered at. It is easy to understand that after a week of such incessant toil as their position renders imperative, rest 'alone is a sufficieut enjoyment ; and the absence of exertion, with the sedentary relaxations of tobacco and spirits, all that the body requires. "But how fares it with the mind under such a system ? how can the intel- lectual energies be exerted and improved, enlarged, exalted, by that exertion? Low, in short, can all that dignifies mall above the beasts that eat, and fatten, and perish, and that makes him partaker of a better and higher life than that of mere plissical existence, be adequately promoted ? It is very possible in- deed probable, that during their long winters these Northern people may possible, HMI and amuse themselves much more than they do during their brief summers. But it is impossible that their amusements even at that period, as well as their general national character, should not be stamped with more or less of the annitellectual features impressed on them by the peculiarities of their daily life. "The necessity of providing for their deify existence, makes them live only for the present, not for posterity. If they were swept away from the thee of the earth, the Norwegians would leave behind them no monument of human skill, or labour, or intellect, to tell another generation that a great people had so long tenanted the wide extent of Scandinavia. Nature's monuments would indeed stillremain : Norway's Kidder and Fjords would still claim the homage of the admirer of the sublime and beautiful. But no work of public utility or ornament—its two or three cathedrals can scarcely be reckoned an exception— no achievement in science or literature, wherewith the human mind of one pe- riod holds converse with the mind of all times, would exist to excite the regrets and admiration of the future wanderer on these shores. Not only the mighty empires of Egypt and Rome, but even the petty states of Greece, have left records of their existence, which must endure as long as the arts are cultivated or letters are preserved among men ; whereas a single century of oblivion would obliterate all that the Norwegians have yet done fur pesterity."

One of the institutions that most attracted the traveller's ad- miration, was a court of reconcilement ; though he reasonably doubts whether it be capable of transplanting to England. Another main cause, however, besides the alleged inferiority of many of the judges, is the fact that people are generally bad ,judges of the real points cf their own case, vhich it frequently requires much time and patience for a professional adviser to get at. " But the most peculiar court of justice in Norway is that named sea-Commission ; ' that is, Court ot Reconcilement, or Arbitration. There is such a court in every parish ; it consists of three persons, chosen by the pa- rishioners, of whom the priest is almost invariably the chief, with the church- wardens or the lensman as his assessors. Every intended litigation must in the first instance be submitted to this commitsion before it can be brought into a higher court. The parties are there personally heard ; no professional per- son being allowed to appear ; their evidence is canvassed, and a statement even- tually drawn up in which both parties agree, and sign. The assessors then en- deavour to reconcile the parties, usually by proposing some middle course. If both submit to the arbitration, the decii.ion is final : if one demurs, he eau carry the case to a higher tribunal, but at the risk of Laving the expenses to pay should it be decided agaiiet him ; and in no case can any fresh facts be brought forward, other than what are contained in the protocol of the Furligel- sea-Commission.

" Whether any modification of this institution could be beneficially adopted in a ceentry like ours, I am not prepared to say ; but I tbials there can be no doubt, that in a country like Norway it is productive of mirli 1(1:.”-Q eeed than evil, as tending to cut short a great deal of litigation. S7riet legal justice is very probably nnt so much aimed at by a tribunal so constituted, as equity awl conr6rd. But a great deal depends upon the personal character of the It315- 11019, and ettpecially of the privet; if he be intelligent and 'tali:staking, the re- sult is highly satisfactory ; but if he he old and staid, as will sometiniss the rase, material facts are frequently omitted, and the islioie case i seta up in so incomplete, jumbled, and bungling a tom, that I have heard Aintinen deelwre it is totally impossible to ascertain its real merits."

Besides an elaborate map of Norway, and a sketch of the fishable part of the Namsen, an appendix contains a diary of each clay's doings in the way of angling; including the nurnLer " rot-e," ihe nimber caught, the total weight, and other profi:ssional particulars. There is also Fir/rtIO information of the different coin, ; as well as a chapter on the lAnguage, cvhich v, ill suffice for a tourilt to begin with.