COXE’s TRAVELS IN NORWAY.
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turefque views. The planks are (hipped clofe to the houfe. From thence Mr. PeterAnker drove in a low phaeton, drawn by two active Norwegian ponies, to Bockftadt,a country-houfe which he has juft built on the banks of a fmall but beautiful lake, fourmiles from. Vickery, in the midft of an eridlefs foreft, and furrounded by mountains.He (hewed us his grounds, which are kid out pleafantiy, and carried us into his kitchen-garden, which produces all kinds of vegetables, excellent cherries, pears, apples, apri-cots, currants, goofeberries, and in a favourable feafon tolerable peaches. He pointedout a fmall plantation of the principal trees which are indigenous in Norway . I remark-ed the plane, afpin, afh, mountain alh, oak, elm, beech, birch alder, willows, and va-rious fpecies of pines and firs, which form the riches of thefe parts.
Mr. Peter Anker has lately introduced various fpecies of Engifth huftandry; parti-cularly he has fown crops of clover, which fucceed well, and has lately cultivated tur-nips.
Chap. III.— Silver Mines of Kongjlerg. — Cobalt Works of Fojfum. — Journey into the'
SEPTEMBER 10. We quitted Chriftiana with much regret, after having expreffedcur acknowledgment to Mr. Bernard Anker for his extreme politenefs and hofpitality. Healfo increafed cur obligations by (kefching out a tour through the inland parts of Nor-way , and by giving us a circular letter, which we found a paffport of introdu&ion, anda means of procuring accommodations and information,
A little beyond Giellebeck, the fecond poft-houfe from Chriftiana, we pafled, nearthe high road, a quarry of whitifli grey marblf, which was opened to fupply the ftonesfor the new church at Copenhagen , but is no longer worked. In the middle of thequarry (lands a marble column, eredted in honour of the late King Frederic the Fifth,who viftted this fpot. The houfes, and even cottages, in the neighbouring villages, areornamented with ftaircafes of this beautiful marble.
From this quarry we afcended through forefts of pines and firs to the fummit calledParadilberg, or the Mountain of Paradife, fo denominated from the fine profpecl, butwhich, in my opinion, was inferior to that we enjoyed from the eminence overhangingChriftiana. The general features of this profpedt are views of diftant mountains rifingabove mountains; rich and extenfive forefts, and below a fertile valley 'watered by theD ramme, with the three towns of Brasgnetz, Strotnfoe, and Tanger, (landing at fmalldiftances from each other at the bottom of fome rugged rocks, and on the margin ofa bay.
Thefe three towns are known by the general name of Dramme, becaufe they are fitu-ated on that river, Each has its own church and feparate jurifdiction. The inhabitantsare induftrious, and carry on a confiderable trade. The principal exports are timberand planks; the imports, chiefly corn, and lead from England for fmelting the filverore at Kongfberg.
We changed horfes at Brsegngtz, which lies on the fide of the river oppofite toStromfoe and Tanger, and continued our route, coafting the Dramme, through a de-lightful valley, extremely rich in corn and pafture, fo thickly peopled, that every fiftyyards we obferved a cottage, and for feveral miles together feemed to pafs through acontinued village. The (loping declivities which bound this vale are fo thickly coveredwith trees, that at fome diftance they appeared as if clad with herbage. The inhabi-tants of this pleafant diftridt chiefly derive their fuftenance from the tranfport of cornand merchandize to Kongfberg, and in carrying back the filver coined at the mint of" af that