rupt mountains, and penetrate far
into the land--frequently to the distance of a hundred miles. The
general direction of the valleys is parallel to the line of the coast,
intersecting the fjords at nearly a right angle, so that they, in
connection with these watery defiles, divide the mountains into immense
irregular blocks, with very precipitous sides and a summit table-land
varying from two to four thousand feet above the sea level. For this
reason there is no continuous road in all western Norway, but alternate
links of land and water--boats and post-horses. The deepest fjords reach
very nearly to the spinal ridge of the mountain region, and a land-road
from Bergen to this line would be more difficult to construct than any
of the great highways across the Alps. In proportion to her population
and means, Norway has done more for roads than any country in the world.
Not only her main thoroughfares, but even her by-ways, give evidence of
astonishing skill, industry, and perseverance. The Storthing has
recently appropriated a sum of $188,000 for the improvement of roads, in
addition to the repairs which the farmers are obliged to make, and which
constitute almost their only tax, as there is no assessment whatever
upon landed property. There seems a singular incongruity, however, in
finding such an evidence of the highest civilisation, in connection with
the semi-barbaric condition of the people. Generally, the improvement
of the means of communication in a country is in the ratio of its social
progress.

As we were obliged to wait until morning before commencing our voyage,
we set about procuring supper and lodging. Some dirty beds in a dirty
upper room constituted the latter, but the former was a doubtful affair.
The landlord, who persisted in calling me "Dock," made a foraging
excursion among the houses, and, after some time, laid before us a
salted and smoked leg of mutton, some rancid butter, hard oaten bread,
and pestilential cheese. I ate as a matter of duty towards my body, but
my companions were less conscientious. We deserve no credit for having
risen early the next morning, neither was there any self-denial in the
fact of our being content with a single cup of coffee. The boatmen, five
in number, who had been engaged the evening before, took our carrioles
apart and stowed them in the stern, while we three disposed ourselves
very uneasily in the narrow bow. As we were about pushing off, one of
the men stepped up