364 COXE r S TRAVELS IN NORWAY .
we feldom obferved a cluder of more than four or five; the churches (landing alraodfingly, their fpires rifing above the furrounding trees, were pi&urefque objedts.
We (lopped a (hort time at Mofs, to examine the iron-works belonging to Mr. Ber-nard Anker, of Chridiana. The fituation of Mofs is exceedingly romantic ; it is dividedby a lively torrent, daflnng over a craggy bed, and (lands on the fhore of a beautifulbay, the rifing banks adorned with fine hanging woods, a few villas, and numerousfarm-houfes. The iron-works, which principally fupport the place, were eftablifhed in1705; for fome time the proprietors only manufactured bar iron, grates, (loves, andiron utenfils; but lately they have cad cannon, which are moltly exported to Copen-hagen . The works employ about one hundred and fifty men.
We paffed the night at Skydjord, a fmall village in a mod delightful fituation, wherawe found an inn with comfortable accommodations, and two very neat bed-chambers.As we approached Chridiana, the country was more wild and hilly, but dill fertile andagreeable; and at the didance of two miles from the town, we enjoyed, from the topof a mountain, as fine a view as I ever beheld. The grounds, laid out in rich inclofures,gradually (loped to the fea; below appeared Chridiana, fituated at the extremity of anextenfive and fertile valley, forming a femicircular bend along the (hore of a beautifulbay, which being inclofed by hills, uplands, and foreds, had the appearance of a largelake. Behind, before, and around, the inland mountains of Norway rofe on hills co-vered with dark foreds of pines and fir, the inexhaudible riches of the north ; the moddidant fummits were capped with eternal fnow. From the glow of the atmofphere, thewarmth of the weather, the variety of the productions, and the mild beauties of the ad-jacent fcenery, 1 could fcarcely believe that I was nearly in the 60th degree of northernlatitude. We at length forced ourfelves from this enchanting fpot, enjoying, as we gra-dually defcended, the fcenes before us, and at mid-day reached Chridiana.
Chridiana is thirty Englilh miles from the open fea; the navigation of the bay isfomewhat difficult, but it is diffidently deep for the larged veffels, having fix or fevenfathom water clofe to the quay.
Chridiana is edeemed the capital of Norway , becaufe it contains the fupreme courtof judice. It lies in latitude 59 0 6' 37", and dands in a femicircular form on the north-ern extremity of the bay of Biorning, an inlet of the fea, forming the northern extre-mity of the gulf of Chridiana, whofe rocky (hores are overfpread with thick foreds-The town is divided into, 1. the city, and the three fuburbs of Waterlandt, Peterwigen,and Fierdingen ; 2. the fortrefs of Aggerhuus; and 3. the old town of Opfloe or An-floe. The city contains four hundred and eighteen houfes, the fuburbs fix hundredand eighty-two, Opfloe four hundred, including the epifcopal palace * ; and the num-ber of inhabitants amount to about nine thoufand. The city formerly occupied the fiteof Opfloe, and was rebuilt in its prefent fituation by Chridian the Fourth, after a plandefigned by himfelf; the dreets are carried in draight lines, and at right angles to each-other, are uniformly forty feet broad, and very neat and clean.
The Latin fchool, endowed in 1635 by Chridian the Fourth, is governed by a rectoror upper mader, a corrector or under mader, and three affidants; but contained, in1784, only thirty-feven fcholars. They are divided into fix clafles, and indru£ted in.Latin, Greek, and Hebrew . A collection of fix thoufand volumes, lately left tothe town by Mr. Deichman, a native, will ferve to form the beginning of a public li-brary.
The