VI.

point of the passage; but at mid-day we CHAP. arrived upon the summit, and immediately estimated the temperature of the atmosphere. The weather was remarkably clear and fine; scarcely a cloud was visible. Before we could take the thermometer from the case in which it was contained, the mercury had fallen below the freezing point; and in five minutes it fell to 27° of Fahrenheit. We then found the air so keen and piercing, that we did not give it a longer trial. This point is the greatest elevation of the road Harein the whole passage of the Dovrefield: its height, as stated by Von Buch', is four thousand five hundred and seventy-five English feet above the level of the sea. The hill itself is called the Harebacken. Upon this elevated spot we detached from a rock, as the only memorials of

backen.

(1) Von Buch's Travels, p. 96. Lond. 1813.

(2) "The Norwegian language is rich in names for the different forms of mountains. Aus (Ohs) is a very long-extended row of small hills; Kullen, is an insulated prominent head; Nuden, a round and less prominent hill; Egg, a sharp ridge, an edge; Hammer, a rocky cape, which juts out, either into the sea or the plain; Bakke, is a little hill; Fieldt, on the other hand, is the highest mountain, rising beyond every ordinary human habitation; Tind, a point or peak on the mountain, the horn of the Swiss, and the aiguiller of SAVOY; Fond, an ice-hill; Bräe, or Gökul, among the Laplanders geikna (jäkna), a glacier. In Christiansandstift, a distinguished height visible at a great distance, is called heien or hei-eidsheien." (Von Buch's Travels, p. 52, Note.) The natives of Finland, in their language, have almost as many names for the different forms and modifications of snow.

CHAP. the place we could bear away, some specimens

VI.

Descent

from

of one of the most elegant mosses we had ever seen, with minute hoary divergent branchlets (Lichen pubescens ?). It reminded us of Darwin's beautiful allusion to the singular locality of plants of this genus'. Upon the moss, exceedingly small scales of silver mica might be discerned, glittering among the leaflets: and the same curious mineral decoration of the hairs of the Mountain-moss was also extended to the leaves and branches of the Salix myrsinites, which we found near the same spot. Perhaps something similar might first have suggested to antient nations the custom of powdering their hair with arenaceous mica. The Emperor Gallienus, according to TREBELLIUS POLLIO, “crinibus suis auri scobem aspersit.'

'Immediately after passing this place, a descent Dovrefield. begins towards the south; and from regions of ice and snow the traveller is suddenly conducted into the most beautiful valley that the imagination can conceive. From the summit we had a very extensive view of all this chain of mountains: their tops appeared below us,

1)

"Retiring Lichen climbs the topmost stone,

And mid the airy ocean dwells alone."

Botanic Garden, Part II. v. 295. p. 29. Lond. 1815.

VI.

covered with snow. The moment we began to CHAP. descend, a change took place; and in three quarters of an hour we passed from a frigid to a temperate climate. Long before we reached Tofte, we were able to collect plants in flower. The snow vanished-trees appeared-the road was dry and in good order—and in the space of forty-five minutes from our leaving the summit, the mercury had risen in the thermometer to 36°. Nothing can be more remarkable than this sudden transition, in descending Dovrefield towards the south. The change is much more rapid than on the northern side: the season, consequently, was much less advanced. All the trees excepting the birch retained their green foliage; but the leaves of the birch had changed, and were falling. The mountains on Geological this side appeared of an astonishing height, and rose more abruptly on each side of the passage than in the northern declivity. Their summits were visible above us, capped with snow.

Phano

mena.

(2) We collected seeds of the Astragalus alpinus, Pinguicula alpina, and Pyrola uniflora: also, near the summit of Dovrefield, in descending towards the south, we discovered that rare plant the Saxifraga Cotyledon, in flower; together with Saxifraga nivalis, and Saxifraga oppositifolia. The other plants in flower, added to our herbary in the course of this descent, were, Hieracium alpinum, Gentiana campestris, Vicia sylvatica, a dwarf alpine Geranium, for which we have no other name, and various species of Lichen.

CHAP. Everywhere the rocks consist of mica-slate; in

VI.

Tofte.

which the only variation arises from veins of
quartz, and sometimes from contiguous and
parallel masses of gneiss or schistose granite. As
we descended, firs and juniper-trees began to
make their appearance again; extending for a
certain distance up the sides of the valley:
above them were naked rocks. The principal
plants near the road were wild Myricas and
Vaccinium. At an earlier season of the year,
as we were afterwards informed, our friend
Mr. Otter had found this part of the Passage of
Dovrefield the best place for botanical pursuits
he had ever seen. The Primula Norvegiensis,
and many new plants, were here added to his
herbary. The inn at Tofte was remarkably neat
and clean. We dined here, upon some of the
Sno-Ripas we had brought with us, and a soup
made of eggs, milk, and sugar; in fact, what
we should call custard in England. The women
here were handsome: they had fair complexions
and agreeable countenances. In all parts of our
journey through Norway, we were struck with
the superiority of the Norwegian above the
Swedish women. One of the
One of the young women here
was upon the eve of being married: she was

Marriage very handsome. Her lover was present: we had

Customs.

therefore an opportunity of seeing them in the

VI.

full dress worn by the peasants upon such an CHAP. occasion. There was nothing very remarkable in the dress of the young man, beyond what we have before described; excepting that his clothes, shaped according to the uncouth fashion already noticed, were of a white colour, and that he wore very large buckles in his shoes. The girl was dressed in a jacket and petticoat of brown cloth. Upon her head she had a cap of black silk, edged with silver lace, over which she wore a black silk handkerchief as a turban : this head-dress was further set off by a little pink riband tied under the chin, part of which fell down the neck behind. Her shift was fastened in front by a neat silver broach. She had high heels to her shoes, that were soled with iron; and also wore large buckles. She had rather a dark complexion, with the most regular arched eyebrows and dark hair, aquiline features, and the liveliest bloom upon her cheeks. Judging from the warm hue of her complexion, and the form of her countenance, one might have imagined her to be rather a rative of the north of Italy, than of the mountains of Norway. Yet such a cast of features belongs to the female peasants of this country, who are thereby remarkably distinguished from the Danish women. Her mother had been also extremely beautiful: