Several of the small uninhabited islands are considered as valuable property, on account of the eggs of the sea fowl, chiefly the sea-mew, which breed upon them, and which do not easily leave the place which they have once chosen for that purpose. When the proprietor of one of these egg vars comes in quest of the egp, the birds having become acquainted with his appearanc,:, remain quiet, and only fly to a short distance, as only the supeifluous eggs are taken away, and one or two always left in the nest, to which they soon return. But when foreign vessels and strangers happen to arrive and carry off the whole of the eggs, the whole flock, to the number of many thousands, rise in the air with the most piercing cries, and fall down again npon the nests as in despair. Upon a repetition of such spoliation, they completely forsake the place. In several of the northern islands, eagles are very common, and so fero cious, that, besides destroying the lambs and smaller animals, they are said even to attack and sometimes to overcome the oxen. In order to effect its purpose, the bird first plunges in the sea, and when completely wet, rolls itscll on the shore till the feathers are covered with sand; then rising into the air, and hoveting over the ox, shakes the sand and small stones into the eyes of the animal, and flaps his face with its powerful wings. The blinded oxen run about in terror and !age till they fall down completely exhausted, or dash themselves to death ovCr a precipice, when the eagle devours them at its leisure.* All kinds of hunting and fowling are entirely unfettered by game laws; and an attempt made in 1730 to restrict this freedom, produced such increase among the wild animals, that it was found necessary to repeal the new enactments.
The lakes, rivers, ancl coasts of Norway are fre quented by shoals of fish, particularly cod, ling, whiting, salmon, mackerel, and herring; and a great propoition of the inhabitants along the western coast, lind their principal employment in the fisheries. IE is thought in deed, that, notwithstanding the various advantages of this occupation in a national point of view, too many individuals are attracted to the pursuit, which, though often highly lucrative, is attended with great risks and losses, and diminishes the nutnbcr or hands W110 might be employed in improving the agriculture of the coun try. Von Buell calculates that fully the half of all the grown men who inhabit the Nordlands, through an ex tent of 100 geographical niiles, are collected at the fishing station ol Lofodden evely spring, besides 300 vessels from the southern ports, each filled with seven or eight men, so that in this single station there ale more than 20,000 individuals engaged in fishing during the months of February and March. He calculates also, that at these islands of N'aage nearly sixteen millions of large cod and tusk are taken every year. The fish arc supposed to seek the shelter of the calm straits among the islands for the repose w hich they require in spawning, and they also pursue one another as prey. The smelt or lodde, supposed to he the salnzo eperlanus, (so remalkable for their odour, that the fishermen dis tinguish their approach at the distance of ten English titiles,) first inake their appearahce in pursuit of the sca crab, and are followed by the cotl and sey, the former of which chives them into the fiords, while the latter endeavours to surround the shoals and ke.ep them out at sea. These again arc put sued by numbers of whales; but on account of the set %ice which they, ale supposed to reticle], by (hiving the lish towards the coast, they are not attacked, and only the small whales which enter the fiords are taken. In the cod fishing, lines and hand lines are used, especially by the poorer fishermen ; hut large nets above twenty fathoms in length are generally employed, and ale f mud to be much more successful.
lt is still so much the pi uctice in Norway fur every family to fabricate a great part of the articles which they require for domestic purposes, that manufactures, and even the ordinary trades, have made little progress in the country ; and the distance at w hich the peasants commonly live flom each other, tends to continue this state of things. The following list of persons employed
in distinct trades at Christiania in 179.3, among a po pulation of 10,000 people, may convey a curious view of the subject.
In 1801, Von Buch represents the same town as con taining 110 shop-keepers, 220 retail dealers, and 24 mas ter aruzans.
The peasantry not only make the CO3VSC C10111 with which they are clothed, but also their furniture, uten sils, tools, shoes, boots, saddles, and harness: and in the most retired spots, among rucks and mountains, are found even self-taught clock and watcla•makers, and carvers in wood and stone, whose works discover an astonishing degtee of native genius and intelligence. There are nevertheless a few public manufactories in some of the towns, soap-works, and houses for refining sugar ; cloths, carpets, and flannels made in the correc tion houses, linen manufactories at Drammen, townies at Christiania, Fredericshald, and Drontheint, salt and saltpetre works at the lust mentioned place, besides a recent esta..:)lishnient for preparing colouring matter from lichens. A great deal of work is done in the preparation of iron; and in most of the establishments for this purpose, kettles, pans, iron plates, and nails, are fabricated. At Mioss there is a large foundery for cast ing cannon, and a manufacture of works in iron and steel. There are four extensive glass-works fox the supply of these establishments at home, as well as for exportation to other countries ; great quantities of pot ash and soda are prepared every year. Earthen ware is made in several places, but the largest manufactory ol that article is at Stordalshalsen ; and at the same place are WOI ks for burning tiles and lime. At Vardal, a village in the Drontheim, gloves are made in a Irani cular mnnner, which are held in high estimation for their supetior softness, and highly agreeable smell. The pi eparation used for this purpose is kept secret, but is supposed to he made or the bark of the elm tree. One of the greatest and most lucrative of the Norwe gian manufactures, (if the mere preparation of the raw materials can be so named,) is the cutting and dressing of masts, beams, rafters, planks, and laths, most of which is done by saw-mills on the rivers; but even in this species of work, rough as it may appear under the name of manufacture, there is a nicety required, which the eye of the merchant can distinguish, and which has considerable effect upon the foreign dernand. " The scrupulous and precise Englishman rejects the deals of Drontheim, and sends them to his less fastidious neigh bours in Ireland, though the price of those of Christia nia and Frederickstadt is much higher. This is not so much owing to the superior quality. of the tree, as to the uniform thickness of the plank, and the accurate parallel of its two planes, with several other minute circumstances known only to the sawyer and the delicate English merchant." The floating of the timber down the river, and the carriage of the smaller planks by sledges from the mountains, forms a considerable por tion of the national industry. The quantity of timber thus collected in the magazines of the ports, particu larly at Christiania, resembles wooden towns laid out in streets and avenues. The noise of the country people bringing the timber continues without interruption so long as the snow lasts. They deliver over their boards to the overseers, who mark on their backs nith chalk in letters and figures the place to which the boards were brought, and the number of them. It is a singular enough sight to see these boors hurrying away with all possible expedition to the counting-houses of the mer chants, in the quartale, with this original species of ob ligation on their shoulders. By stopping on their way, or engaging in any other business, they might rub out the marks on their coats, and thus extinguish for ever all evidence of their debt. When they appear before the treasurer, they have no occasion to say a single word. They present their shoulders, and are immediately paid.