dscape analogous with the other objects.

Never was a southern sky more beautiful, nor more soft its gales. Indeed,
I am led to conclude that the sweetest summer in the world is the
northern one, the vegetation being quick and luxuriant the moment the
earth is loosened from its icy fetters and the bound streams regain their
wonted activity. The balance of happiness with respect to climate may be
more equal than I at first imagined; for the inhabitants describe with
warmth the pleasures of a winter at the thoughts of which I shudder. Not
only their parties of pleasure but of business are reserved for this
season, when they travel with astonishing rapidity the most direct way,
skimming over hedge and ditch.

On entering Moss I was struck by the animation which seemed to result
from industry. The richest of the inhabitants keep shops, resembling in
their manners and even the arrangement of their houses the tradespeople
of Yorkshire; with an air of more independence, or rather consequence,
from feeling themselves the first people in the place. I had not time to
see the iron-works, belonging to Mr. Anker, of Christiania, a man of
fortune and enterprise; and I was not very anxious to see them after
having viewed those at Laurvig.

Here I met with an intelligent literary man, who was anxious to gather
information from me relative to the past and present situation of France.
The newspapers printed at Copenhagen, as well as those in England, give
the most exaggerated accounts of their atrocities and distresses, but the
former without any apparent comments or inferences. Still the
Norwegians, though more connected with the English, speaking their
language and copying their manners, wish well to the Republican cause,
and follow with the most lively interest the successes of the French
arms. So determined were they, in fact, to excuse everything, disgracing
the struggle of freedom, by admitting the tyrant's plea, necessity, that
I could hardly persuade them that Robespierre was a monster.

The discussion of this subject is not so general as in England, being
confined to the few, the clergy and physicians, with a small portion of
people who have a literary turn and leisure; the greater part of the
inhabitants having a variety of occupations, being owners of ships,
shopkeepers, and farmers, have employment enough at home. And their
ambition to become rich may tend to cultivate the common sense which
characterises and narro