ffixed at every corner, so that the passer-by always
knows where he is, without the necessity of asking his way.

Open canals run through the town; and on such nights as the almanac
announces a full or bright moon the streets are not lighted.

Wooden quays surround the harbour, on which several large warehouses,
likewise built of wood, are situated; but, like most of the houses, they
are roofed with tiles.

The arrangement and display of the stores are simple, and the wares very
beautiful, though not of home manufacture. Very few factories exist
here, and every thing has to be imported.

I was much shocked at the raggedly-clad people I met every where in the
streets; the young men especially looked very ragged. They rarely
begged; but I should not have been pleased to meet them alone in a
retired street.

I was fortunate enough to be in Christiania at the time when the
Storthing was sitting. This takes place every three years; the sessions
commence in January or February, and usually last three months; but so
much business had this time accumulated, that the king proposed to extend
the length of the session. To this fortunate accident I owed the
pleasure of witnessing some of the meetings. The king was expected to
close the proceedings in September. {49}

The hall of meeting is long and large. Four rows of tapestried seats,
one rising above the other, run lengthways along the hall, and afford
room for eighty legislators. Opposite the benches a table stands on a
raised platform, and at this table the president and secretary sit. A
gallery, which is open to the public, runs round the upper portion of the
hall.

Although I understood but little of the Norwegian language, I attended
the meetings daily for an hour. I could at least distinguish whether
long or short speeches were made, or whether the orator spoke fluently.
Unfortunately, the speakers I heard spoke the few words they mustered
courage to deliver so slowly and hesitatingly, that I could not form a
very favourable idea of Norwegian eloquence. I was told that the
Storthing only contained three or four good speakers, and they did not
display their talents during my stay.

I have never seen such a variety of carriages as I met with here. The
commonest and most incommodious are called Carriols. A carriol consists
of a narrow, long, open box, resting between two immensely high wheels,
and provided with a very small seat. You are squeezed into thi