NORWAY, the most hiteresting, but the least known, of all the countries comprised in the ancient Scandinavia, is situated between the 57th and 71st de grees of north latitude, and between 5° 20' and 18° 20' of east longitude from Greenwich. It extends about 950 miles from north to south. Its breadth, in the southern provinces, is between 150 and 240 miles ; but, beyond the 67th of north latitude, does not exceed 60, nor in some places even 30 miles. It is bounded on the south by the Scaggerac Sea, on the north and west by the Northern Ocean; and on the east by Russian Lapland and Sweden. On the side of Russian Lapland, the li mits are very uncertain; but from Sweden it is separat ed, for the space of 350 miles, by a chain of lofty 'noun tains, which form a natural frontier to the two kingdoms, and which was more precisely delineated by a treaty be tween the two governments in 1751.
Norway is distributed into four governments, Chris tiania, or Aggerhuus, in the south-east, the richest and most populous province in the kingdom. Christian sand, or Stawanger, in the south-west, a fertile and well watered tract, but scarcely half so extensive as the for met ; Bergen, a rugged ancl barren territory, stretching along the western coast nearly 200 miles ; and Dron theim, the most northerly of all, a long narrow moun tainous region, covered by a broken and dangerous shore. The first of these contains the provinces of Ag gerhutis, lictlernarken, Christian, Iluskertid, Snio lehnene, Bransberg, Laurvig, Jarlsberg ; and its princi pal towns are Christiania, Kongsberg, Flieclerickshald, 13ragernass, anti Stromsoe. The second contains the provinces of Nedenas, Mandal, Stavanger; anct its principal towns are Christiansand, Stavanger, and Arendal. The third contains the provinces of Sondre Bergenhuus, and Noorde Bergenhuus; and its principal towns are Bergen, Vossevang, Evinrivig, Ous, Kinser vig, Lindoos, and Manger. Tne fourth contains the provinces of Drontheirn, Romdal, Nordland, and Fin mark; and its principal towns are Dronthenn, and Christiansand.
The mountains of Norway generally strctch in con tinued chains of considerable extent, chiefly from north to south, though sometimes from cast to west, but oc casionally appear in separate masses, and in the most fantastic forms. The most elevated of these ridges is that of Durrefieldt,* nearly in- the centre of the king dom, between 62° and 65° of north latitude, and forming a part of the immense chain which separates Norway from Sweden. The highest of this groop is Sneehattan, the summit of which was reached, for the first time, in 1797, by Esmark, who ascertained its height to be about 8115 English feet. From Dovrefieldt, a long branch, decreasing in elevation as it proceeds, stretches northward between Norway and Swedish Lapland, form ing at its farthest extremity the mountains of Kiolen. Another branch, from the same central point, extends to the south-cast, forming the common boundary between Norway and Sweden, and is sometimes called Sevebcrg, which is again subdivided into the ridges of Butelielclt, Sulefieldt, and Skarsfieldt. A third brant..h, called Langfieldt, proceeds westward and then southward to wards the Naze, dividing Norway into two principal regions, Sondenfieldts and Nordenfieldts. Several of these lofty suinmits ale real glaciers, covered with per petual snow and ice : but these are not always either the most elevated or the most northerly. Immense avalanches, sometimes dragging with them musses uf rock, are frequently precipitated from these mountainous ridges into the plams and valleys ; and, besides the im mediate devastation produced by their fall, they often oc casion the most destructive inundations, by interrupting the course of the rivers, or causing- an overflow uf the lakes. The mountains along thc cuast are remarkably rocky in their surface, and varied in their forms. Those of the interior are less barren, but usually destitute of all vegetation on their summits.