up a subscription on this side the Channel, which should enable them to purchase the paternal acres, and restore them to their late owner. M. de Lamartine was written to on the subject, but declined to accept the proffered generosity, being determined to rely solely on his own literary exertions for the re-establishment of his affairs.' Such a resolution is worthy of all respect. Some very curious and instructive facts have come to light in the evidence taken before the late parliamentary committee on public libraries; and the blue book' in which that is reproduced is one of the most valuable that have of late been published by authority.' Certain results come out which are said to make unfavourably against our country. For instance, the proportion of books in public libraries to every hundred of the population is, in Great Britain and Ireland, 63; while Russia and Portugal show from 76 to 80; Belgium, Spain, and Sardinia, 100; France, 129; Italy, 150; Austria and Hungary, 167; Prussia, 200; Sweden and Norway, 309; Denmark, 412; some of the smaller German states, 450. There has been a good deal of talk about this; but those who point to British deficiencies omit to inquire whether the books in countries so liberally furnished are really read by the people. The presence of books does not necessarily imply much reading; and if it were possible to poll real readers, there is reason to believe that the balance would be on the other side. We Britons are a domestic race; we like to see books on our own shelves, and to read them at home. It does not follow that a comparatively small number of public books betokens a deficient number of readers. With the return of short days and long nights come the season's pursuits, pleasures, and recreations. Our twenty-two theatres are doing somewhat in the way of amusement: casinos, saloons, bowling-alleys (an impor ta tion from the United States), and exhibitions, are getting into full swing. Music-concerts and oratorios-is liberally furnished, of good quality, and at little cost. The improvement of public taste in the matter of sweet sounds within the past two or three years is not less striking than gratifying. But with the decline of coarseness, care must be taken to avoid the creation of a censorious fastidiousness: a willingness to be amused is by no means an unfavourable trait of character. Mechanics' Institutes are publishing their programmes, and in several of these there are also signs of improvement. A course of fifteen or twenty lectures on as many different subjects is no longer considered as the most improving or desirable. Real instruction is not to be conveyed by such means; and now two or three suitable topics are to be chosen, and each discussed in a series of four, five, or six lectures. In this way we may hope that hearers will be able to carry home with them clear and definite ideas, instead of the meagre outline hitherto furnished. Apropos of lectures: a striking characteristic of the time must not be overlooked. The attempts recently made towards a just acknowledgment and recognition of the worth and status of the working-classes in society have aroused similar efforts here in the metropolis. To mention only one instance: a course of lectures to working-men is to be delivered during the month of November, by gentlemen whose name and character are a guarantee for the value of their teachings. The subjects are-On the advantages possessed by the working-classes for their social advancement-On the importance of this advancement to the nation at large-On the franchise as a public trust—and On the favourable influence of religion on the intelligence, liberty, virtue, and prosperity of states. Each lecture, after having been given at the London Mechanics' Institute, Chancery Lane, will be repeated the same week at Finsbury. The topics are good ones; and if the working-classes do really feel an upward tendency, now is the time to prove it. Another fact which I must not forbear to notice is the Evening Classes for Young Men in London,' first set on foot last winter by several public-spirited clergymen and others. A few passages from the prospectus will not only explain the objects, but serve as a guide to those who may wish to bestir themselves in similar efforts in other places. The range of subjects,' thus it proceeds, will be nearly the same as that adopted at King's College, London; but, generally speaking, of a more elementary character, so as to suit the requirements of young men whose time is otherwise much engaged. All young men of the metropolis and suburbs are admissible on producing a note of introduction from a clergyman, a subscriber, or a respectable householder, and paying 2s. 6d. per term for each class. ... The year of study will be divided into three terms- Michaelmas, Lent, and Trinity; that is, from October to July, with short vacations at Christmas and Easter. A record of the attendance of pupils will be kept in each class: certificates of regular attendance can be obtained; and these may be found very useful in after-life, as indicative of steadiness of conduct, and of a wise application of leisure time.' There is a liberal spirit in this programme, which is no unimportant essential towards a realisation of the promoters' aim. As soon as twenty young men in any part of the metropolis unite to form a class, a teacher is appointed for them. For the present (Michaelmas) term there are more than forty such classes, the subjects of study being Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, English; history, general, Scriptural, and ecclesiastical; natural philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, drawing, writing, and singing. When I tell you that Dr M'Caul conducts the Hebrew, and the Rev. C. Mackenzie the Greek class, you will be able to form a fair idea of the value of the instruction imparted. Besides the weekly class-lesson, a lecture, free to all the members, is given on two evenings of the week. Those who have long laboured to prove the rectifying and elevating influence of education, will take courage from the facts which I have here set down. After this long discourse about learning and literature, I may turn to a few minor subjects of gossip. One is the Westminster improvements: the new line of street by which it is proposed to connect the royal palace at Pimlico and Belgravia with the grand centre of law and legislation, is now laid open nearly in its whole length. It is to be 80 feet wide; and with a view doubtless to its becoming the royal route, a good breadth of buildingland has been reserved on each side. The making of this avenue has removed a mass of squalid dwellings, nests of filth and fever, which is of course a public bencfit; but it is hard to imagine what becomes of the late squalid occupants; one can only suppose that they force themselves into dismal districts already too thickly peopled. Southey discovered the 'lost tribes, and a few others, in London; and it would not be difficult to find a Dismal Swamp here as well as in Virginia. Besides this, there is again talk of a new bridge at Westminster, to be built a little lower down the stream than the present unsightly structure, by which means a better view than at present will be obtained of the nineacre legislatorial palace. We shall perhaps learn something definite on this pontine business when Sir John Burgoyne's report comes out. Meantime a lion' is not lacking; for sight-seers go to look at Mr Hope's new mansion at the corner of Down Street, Piccadilly. It is a magnificent building, in the Renaissance style, and makes one long to see whole streets of such architectural innovations on the dreary uniformity of West-end thoroughfares. With slight exceptions, the whole of the works have been executed by foreign workmen. Some silverplate for the dining-rooms was on view' at the last exhibition by the Society of Arts, and was greatly admired by those who love revivals of ancient art. Of course you have heard of the dismissal of the first Sewers' Commission, and the appointment of a new one, with Lord Ebrington as chairman? we must hope not without an intention of real work. The call for competing drainage-plans was answered by not less than 143 projects being sent in, among which no single one is found efficient; the schemes, in fact, comprise all sorts of possibilities and impossibilities. A good many are mere modifications or reproductions of the plan proposed by Mr J. Martin many years ago, which included a continuous sewer on each side of the Thames from Vauxhail to be heard of Sir John Franklin by way of Behring's Straits or Russia. Notwithstanding the sums already lavished on these next to useless expeditions, a search must still be made for the party who have now been four years exposed to polar frosts. Our Rotherhithe, to be surmounted by a terrace to serve as a public thoroughfare. Could this noble scheme be realised, Londoners would have what has long been a desideratum- -a river promenade. Cleaning of streets and water-supply come in as part of the same subject: in some parishes bands of street orderlies,' as they are called, have been set to work. They wear a broadbrimmed, black-glazed hat, and a blue blouse, and in appearance remind one of the cantonniers' who work on the roads in France. The orderlies are provided with a broom and shovel, and remove all litter as fast as it accumulates. So well do they do their work, that crossing-sweepers are not needed in their districts. As regards water, it is a prime subject of discussion at present, and it is to be hoped that something will come of it. Several schemes are advocated: to bring water from the Thames at Henley, some thirty miles distant; to tap Bala Lake, and so introduce the pure element from North Wales; to bore Artesian wells. If Bala will give us all we want, in name of the Naiads let us have it! for those who are learned in subterrane matters declare the Artesian supply to be an impossibility, and we don't want to drink the out-poured refuse of Reading or Henley. At all events, the Duke of Wellington has authorised the sinking of an Artesian well within the precincts of the Tower, that the garrison may, for once in their lives, know the taste of good water. It will be a proud day for Cockneydom when it ceases to drink the superflux of sewers and cess-lessly promised or expended. To show how lines are pools! A CHEAP CLASS OF RAILWAYS. A SHORT time ago (October 13) we took occasion, in speaking of the present railway system, to hint at the possi bility of constructing a class of useful railways, auxiliary to the great lines, at a very moderate expense. observations have drawn the attention of the conductors of Herapath's Railway Journal' to the subject, which is discussed by them in two able articles (Nov. 3 and 16), of which we take the liberty of offering an analysis, along with some general remarks. Touching miscellaneous matters, there is the machine for making envelopes lately invented at Birmingham, where it was exhibited to several members of the British Association. It is constructed on the pneumatic principle, is beautifully simple and effective, and can be produced at a cost of L.25. You are to imagine the prepared sheets of which the envelopes are to be formed placed in a small chamber or receptacle, upon which a bellows-box descends, lifts off the upper sheet, transfers it to a mould, which gives the size, and pinches the corners; then, instead of metallic thumbs to rub down each angular flap, a blast of air enters and effects the purpose; away goes the envelop to be gummed, and drops finished into the receiver, at a rate, it is said, exceeding anything yet accomplished. Then there are Professor Schroeter's experiments on phosphorus, producing what he calls the allotropic condition.' In few words, when exposed to light and heat of different temperatures, phosphorus undergoes remarkable changes; no real chemical alteration takes place, yet there seems to be an entire conversion into other substances. One effect of the modifications is to render the manipulation of phosphorus harmless without destroying its properties; and the professor, more fortunate than scientific men generally, has received a liberal sum from a Birmingham manufacturer as the price of his discovery. And last, what think you of a mechanical leech, to supersede the little black snake which so often makes patients shudder? A scientific instrument with such a name has been invented by M. Alexander, a civil engineer in Paris. It has been tried in some of the hospitals, and according to the reports, is a more effectual leech than the natural one. In a former gossip' I mentioned Dr Mantell and his iguanodon he (the doctor, not the reptile) has a batch of new Wonders of Geology. An arm-bone of a saurian, nearly five feet in length, the original possessor of which must have been as much larger than the iguanodon as the latter is than a modern crocodile: the monster is to be called the Colosso-saurus. In addition there is a consignment' of dinornis bones from New Zealand, still further exemplifying the gigantic scale of pre-Adamite creation. They will doubtless be brought before the public in some of the doctor's popular lectures. The return of Sir James Ross and Sir John Richardson from the Arctic regions without any intelligence of Franklin and his adventurous band of explorers has created both surprise and pain. Sir James, it appears, was driven home by ice-drifts against his will and against his instructions, and the consequence will be another expedition next spring, should nothing in the meantime The first thing noticed by Herapath is the unnecessarily large cost at which most of the existing railways have been constructed. While the railway mania lasted, cost was of inferior consideration. In the inordinate hurry of the moment, engineers gave only a rapid glance at the proposed route; they thought nothing of tunnelling hils and crossing deep valleys, rather than go a mile or two out of their way; and then, to avoid local opposition, or to promote local jobbing in land, enormous sums were reckprojected,' says Herapath, we remember that there was one for which a bill was actively and zealously prosecuted in parliament in the eventful year 1845, which tunnelled and cut nearly all the way from Liverpool to Leeds. From the extent of its works, this line, though not a very long one, would have taken fifteen or twenty years to make. At the head of this hopeful project was an engineer ranking high amongst the talents of the day, a gentleman who had made one of our longest railways, and in support of it as a feasible project it numbered amongst its directors or committeemen gentlemen of the first respectability. It narrowly escaped the sanction of | the legislature, which would no doubt have been granted had not a strong opposition been raised to it by parties interested in a competing line. But even where there is opposition to expose merits and demerits, it is not always that parliament can be depended upon to sanction the better of two lines proposed; the best line remains most likely undiscovered by engineers. In the case of the Brighton line, of three proposed, parliament actually selected the worst, the most expensive, and the shortest only by a trifling distance. There was a route proposed, which, passing through a natural gap in the hills, avoided the necessity of tunnelling, and the enormous outlay and permanent inconvenience consequent upon it. This superior route parliament discountenanced, and favoured the present long-tunnelled and costly line. The parliamentary expenses, caused by the opposition of rival companies and landowners, told also most seriously on the initiatory cost of the lines. There probably never was a bill passed without having to encounter great opposition, because there probably never was a bill for a railway prosecuted in quiet ordinary times. There must be, it would seem, a mania to bring forth railways, and then all the world comes out with railway schemes. It is opposition which engenders expense; and a mania is the hotbed for the raising of opposition. One of our railway companies had to fight so hard for their bill, that they found, when at length they reached the last stage namely, that of receiving the royal assent that their parliamentary expenses had mounted up to half a million of money. Half a million of money spent in barely acquiring from parlisment the right of making a line of railway which is to confer a benefit on the nation! Such is the fact. Without opposition, the same bill would have been passed into an act at a cost not worth naming by the side of that enormous sum.' The result of all this was, that the cost of constructing railways went far beyond what was warranted by pres pects of traffic; and in point of fact, had the traffic not turned out to be greater than was contemplated by the projectors, scarcely a railway in the country would ever have paid a shilling of profit. The usual expense of construction and putting in working order-all outlays included -was L.30,000 to L.40,000 per mile; some lines were executed at L.20,000 per mile; but in several instances the cost was as high as L.300,000 per mile. The mere parliamentary expenses of some lines were L.5000 per mile; and a railway got well off at L.1000 per mile for expenses of this nature. But the primary cost of railways is only one element of calculation as respects the chances of profit another large item is the expense of working. It is now discovered that a railway cannot be worked, to be at all efficient, under the present heavy locomotive system, at a less cost than L.700 per mile per annum. Several branch lines owned by wealthy companies,' says Herapath, do not receive more than L.500 per mile per annum, while the expense of working them cannot be less than L.700 per mile per annum. Here the loss is L.200 per mile per annum in addition to the loss of the capital expended' for construction. The [present] locomotive railway system is of too costly a character to admit of every town having its railway. It is too costly in working as well as in construction. A vast number of places have not traffic sufficient to support railways, though the capital cost of them should be nothing. The working of trains is too expensive to allow of any profit being derived from the traffic conveyed.' The announcement of these truths brings us to the consideration of a new and cheaper kind of railway system. It will naturally occur to every one that there are towns and districts which might find a paying traffic for some species of thoroughfare superior to what is afforded by a common road. A road is a general pathway on which so many cart-loads of stones are laid down to be ground to mud annually, at great labour to horses, and no small pain and loss of time and money to passengers. The way they are supported by toll-bar exactions is in itself a pure barbarism. It is not an advance beyond the rudest stage of social economy. We pity towns that are cut off from the general intercourse of the world by so miserable a class of thoroughfares; and the question we propound is-whether something better, yet not so stupendous as ordinary railways, could be brought into operation? We think there could; yet only provided certain concessions were made. The following is what we propose : twelve to fifteen miles, which we anticipate to be a sufficient maximum speed for railways of this kind, and more would not be expected. The width or gauge might be that commonly employed, and the lines might be in connection with the existing railways. But we would not consider it indispensable for the light trains here spoken of to run into the main lines. It might be proper to run the same wagons on both; but the shifting of passengers would be of less importance. At present, people shift into stage-coaches at certain stations, and they would have no greater trouble in shifting into the omnibuses on the single branch lines. To leave nothing untried as regards saving in the working expenses, it might be preferable to have no station clerks. Stations need only be covered sheds, to afford shelter from the weather; and instead of a class of clerks and porters fixed to a spot, a conductor to sell tickets, and a porter as an assistant, might travel with every train. Such are the leading features of a plan for establishing cheap railways. If no fallacy lurk under our calculations, the expense of working such lines would be comparatively small. The number of attendants would be on the most moderate scale, and so likewise would be the amount of the engines and carriages in active operation. Possibly, in some instances, horse-power would be preferable to that of steam; but on this point it is needless to say much, for the question would be determined by circumstances. Herapath seems to indicate that horse-power might be deemed sufficient in the first instance. He observes, 'It is probable that on railways of the character recommended for local purposes the average traction would be about one-tenth of the common road traction. One horse on a local railway would therefore draw as much as ten on a common road, perhaps more. But even this gives a great advantage over the common road. Horses, in the room of the heavy locomotives now in use, would effect great saving, in carrying a limited amount of traffic, in working, as well as in the repairs of the permanent way. Should the traffic of these local lines increase much, it may then become advisable to put on light locomotives equal to the duty. Improvements are every day being made in the locomotive; and it is highly probable that in course of time we shall have light locomotives fit for the working of branch lines, where there is but a meagre supply of traffic, and where the expense of the giant locomotive now in use cannot be borne.' Railways to be constructed with only one line. The rails to be of a somewhat lighter make than those ordi- The only matters remaining to be discussed are the narily employed. The routes to be accommodated, as mode and cost of construction. It may be as well to far as possible, to the nature of the country. Tunnels, say at once, that unless the landowners and general indeep cuttings, high embankments, and expensive via- habitants of a district cordially concur in establishing ducts, to be avoided. The best levels to be chosen, even such lines, they cannot be made, and the whole proalthough the route should be some miles divergent.ject falls to the ground. It must be regarded in every No sidings of any kind, so that local superintendence to shift points would be altogether avoided. Small locomotives, of not more than ten-horse power, to be employed. Light omnibuses for passengers, and light wagons for goods, only to be used. On the supposition that the lines of this nature shall be made only of from ten to twenty miles in length (larger lines not being immediately contemplated), there ought on no account to be more than one locomotive in use: if there were a second, it should only be as a reserve in case of accidents. This rule for locomotives to form a main feature in the whole plan. The locomotive, with its one or two omnibuses for passengers, or its short train of wagons, or with omnibuses and wagons mixed, to be kept almost constantly going. Instead of standing during long intervals doing nothing, with its steam ineconomically escaping, and its driver idle, let it be on the move, if necessary, the whole twenty-four hours. As soon as it comes in at one terminus, let it return to the other. Let it, in short, do all the work that is to be done; and as by this means there can be only one train at a time in operation, so there can never be any collisions, and sidings would be useless. The speed to be regulated according to circumstances. Trains with coal, lime, or other heavy articles, may go at the rate of six or eight miles an hour; those with passengers may proceed at an accelerated rate of instance as assumed, that the parties locally interested wish for the lines, and will earnestly, and without selfishness, promote their execution. It will, we believe, be very generally found that on a line of ten to twenty miles in length there are not more than six to eight principal landowners. We could mention instances in which lines would go six miles over one person's property. In a variety of cases the lines might run for certain distances alongside the public roads, so as to cause the least possible damage to property or general amenity. In any case, supposing that nothing more than the fair price of the land taken is to be paid for no contest in parliament, and no great works to be attempted-it is reasonable to conclude that the first cost of the lines would be little more than a tenth of what is ordinarily charged. According to Herapath—' instead of L.30,000, L.40,000, or L.50,000 a mile, the cost of a town's or landowner's branch line, constructed on the above principle, would only be a few thousands-probably as low as L.2000, L.3000, or L.4000 a mile. The expense, however, would vary according to the nature of the country to be traversed. Where the ground is flat and sound (not boggy) the expense would be lightest. But in each case an estimate could ascertain-not to a nicety, but nearly what a line would cost. We should advise that, prior to entering upon the construction of a line, the parties should carefully estimate the cost of construction, the charges for working-say by horses-and thus see, before they commenced, that there was no chance of their being on the wrong side. We imagine that lines constructed and worked so cheaply as these would be, would pay well; in dividend far outrival their more costly connections, the great locomotive lines. A wide field is here opened for legitimate and safe speculation; for benefiting all parties, if it be only properly carried out. To raise funds for this purpose, the townspeople and landowners could form themselves into partnerships or companies. We have no doubt they would amply benefit their pockets in a direct manner, by the profitable return such a railway would make upon its capital, as well as obtain railway communications which would enhance the value of their estates and the importance of their towns.' With these explanations, the subject may be left in the hands of the public. Only one obstacle seems to present itself and that is the present disheartened condition of the country respecting all railway schemes whatever. On this account projects such as we speak of would have a difficulty in obtaining a hearing. At the same time, the penalties of neglecting opportunities must be borne in mind. To conclude in the words of Herapath :The local parties interested in lines of this description should not delay directing their attention to the subject; for while they are waiting and dreaming, the trade of their towns may permanently pass away from them, and centre in places provided with railway accommodation. Trade remains with a place for a long time after another place has possessed itself of superior advantages for carrying it on; but when it has passed away, owing to neglect to retain it, it is almost impossible to regain it. Certainly, it may be said, the sooner the inhabitants of isolated places in want of railway communication bestir themselves in this matter, the better for their own interests. In self-defence they will be called upon in the course of years to do so; when they find their trade slipping through their fingers they must have railways; and as railway companies will never be allowed to do it for them, they must needs make the lines themselves. Is it not better to set about this work before it is a matter of necessity, before they lose their business, and before others take it away? To our mind there is not a doubt of the propriety of local parties attending to this notice at once; not in haste, but with deliberate judgment, reviewing the local position in which they stand, the capability of forming a cheap line, and the advantages of it both directly and indirectly to themselves.' CURIOUS PECULIARITY IN THE ELEPHANT. W. C. The Bombay Times notices a paper by Dr Impey in the Transactions of the Bombay Medical and Physical Society,' containing an account of the rise of a malignant pustule from contact with the flesh of a dead elephant. It furnishes a curious new fact in the natural history of the animal. It is so seldom,' says the Bombay Times, that tame elephants amongst us die from natural causes, or under such circumstances as permit of dissection, that this peculiarity of the carcase has not, we believe, till now been described, though perfectly well known to the natives. A baggage elephant accompanying the third troop of horse artillery having died on the march betwixt Mhow and Poona at the commencement of the hot season of 1846, the elephant was cut up by some of the artillerymen and attendants, under the supervision of Dr Impey, to see, if possible, to determine the cause of its death. The mochee was ordered to work amongst the rest, but could not be induced to touch the carcase until he had smeared his hands and arms with oil, assigning as the reason of his aversion the certainty of disease supervening, and its liability periodically to attack those who had once suffered from it. This at the time was heartily ridiculed; but the laugh was on the mochee's side when every man employed in the dissection but himself was two days afterwards attacked with acute disease. The character of this was at first purely local: the pain felt like that arising from the bite of a venomous insect; it was accompanied by slight local inflammation. This soon extended, and became a sore. These deepened to the bone, and extended on a manifesting a remarkable degree of sluggishness and tivity. Fever accompanied the earlier symptoms, ex ing a remittent type, and being most severe towards evening. After a fortnight, secondary fever appeared sil The patient had by this time become emaciated, si three weeks elapsed before the sores could be healed. and enervated, so that active dietetic measures required: be taken for his restoration.' DIG DEEP TO FIND THE GOLD. Gems for the queenly head? That they their rays unfold, Dost thou long thy fields should brighten And thy pastures yield in verdure Dost thou sigh for wealth of knowledge, And o'er the bright world of science SCOTLAND IN ENGLAND. C: The great annual Caledonian Ball is soon to com with its accustomed splendour; the Scottish Na pastimes and fêtes are to be celebrated under the continues to keep up the national character for her influential auspices; and the [late] Scotch Led with unwonted liberality aud éclat. A Scotch Bo has won the Derby, an achievement surpassing, int mation of the Cockneys, all the exploits of Lord Another Scotch nobleman has added the spleta of the Five Rivers to the British empire in Inda third is wisely, and ably, and approvingly, rebellion in Canada. Two Scotch noblemen made t speeches, pro and con, on the Navigation-laws. I porary absence from illness of one Scotch member from the Commons is generally lamented. Scotch heard and applauded in the streets despite of the and tramontane attractions of Alboni and Lablece Scotch steamers are universally allowed to be the models of marine architecture in the river. From thes bridges over the Thames-nearly all built [of Scotch by Scotchmen-you are perpetually reminded of th nius of James Watt. Scotel banking is getting ma vogue, and is trenching on the originally Scoten Bank of England. Scotch cakes, Scotch shortbrea gingerbread, Edinburgh buns, and Selkirk bannocks, whisky, ale, saimon, herrings, haddocks, and oats tain their accustomed supremacy. Scotch plaids & tans are in the windows of every clothier, drape tailor's shop; and you scarcely meet a smart female f streets without some part at least of her person being rated in tartan array. In the printshop windows the departure of the Highland Drove the Illicit S the mountain side the Stag at Bay-the Lassie ber Sheep, in juxtaposition with her Majesty the Que her Court at the Coronation.-London CorreSPLA Inverness Courier. [Might we be permitted to add, in the most deli^*** possible, that little is now read but Scotch pest The only thing which seems to keep patriotically at is Scotch sectarianism.] Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, High Street, Elinbur sold by D. CHAMBERS, 20 Argyle Street, Glasgow; WS 147 Strand, London; and J. M'GLASHAN, 2! D'OS Dublin.-Printed by W. & R. CHAMBERS, Edinburgh. EDINBURGH JOURNAL CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, EDITORS OF CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE, CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c. No. 311. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1849. TRACINGS OF THE NORTH OF EUROPE. MR LAING, who spent some days at Laurgaard, gives such a favourable account of it as a sort of Norwegian Arcadia, replenished with milk, strawberries, trouts, and so forth, that I was curious to experience its hospitalities. I quickly found my way to a detached chamber, which he describes with great minuteness as a neat and comfortable place, and within an hour a meal was spread on the board before me. When I looked round the plain little room, furnished with two deal curtainless beds, and observed the homely old landlady coolly tasting with her fingers one of the dishes which she was about to remove, quietly conversing with me all the time, I felt inclined to speak more moderately of travelling in Norway than Mr Laing has done. This was not the only instance in which I found things painted somewhat too attractively in the 'Residence in Norway.' The Norwegians themselves acknowledge that Mr Laing has been partial with respect to them and their country. The Laurgaard station seems, on the whole, a poor one: yet there was good coffee, along with superb cream, at breakfast next morning. The former article is used to an immense amount in Norway, and is generally good. The latter may be described as the one redeeming gastronomic feature of the country. It is an article, by the bye, which civilisation does not, perhaps cannot improve. Bear witness, London, where no mortal living has a true personal acquaintance with the genuine products of the dairy! This is one point in which barbarism must be admitted to have the advantage. Civilisation, it may be said sententiously, sophisticates butter, and annihilates cream. Something set me a-thinking this morning on the value of Norway to the antiquarian traveller, as presenting an unchanged picture of an ancient state of things and of ancient life-the country no more cultivated than ever it was, the houses of the same form and material as they ever have been, the people dressing much as they have done for ages, and thinking as men thought in the days of old. It is affecting to reflect on the eternal sameness of the human condition in this country. One generation simply supersedes another-is merely a link in the chain of our specific immortality-does not advance upon it-or become in anyway distinguished from others. The life of the individual is thus more touchingly presented than in other circumstances. It appears more as the one waking day between the two long sleeps. At Laurgaard the mountains begin to be more lofty; some to the westward are 6000 feet above the sea. The road, after passing the station, enters a deep, narrow, rocky passage called Gulbrandsdalen, beyond which we advance into a comparatively open district of hill PRICE 1d. and valley, lying very high, being in fact the summit of the Dovre Field. Now at Laurgaard, it is seventy miles from Mosshuus, where the first ancient moraine of the Logan valley occurs.* A second we have seen at Sletsvig. All along the valley between Mosshuus and Laurgaard large blocks are seen lying about. One isolated cubical mass I measured, and found to be 45 feet by 24, and about 15 feet high. These have probably been left by the glacier in retiring; for it is evident from their position that they cannot have fallen from the neighbouring hill-faces. At Laurgaard, a third ancient moraine, and one much larger than any of the two former, appears. It is, in reality, a kind of mountain-a pile of huge stones, standing quite out from the sides of the valley, and perfectly distinct from the talus of comparatively small blocks which rests thereon, the modern product of the cliff above. Presently, as we enter the pass, we see that this tremendous pile is connected with certain long sloping terraces composed of detached blocks, which mark the left side of the valley at two different elevations. All the way through the pass we see such piles laid in terrace fashion along the hill-sides. At one place called Rooskalen they are three in number, and the road descends from one to another after passing a little way along each. Altogether, it is a marvellous exhibition of the work of ancient ice. At the same time, the rocks far up the mountain-sides are rounded or mamillated in the usual fashion, insomuch that the trees with difficulty get a footing amongst them. This, it appears, has been a grand though confined passage for the outlet of the mass of permanent snow now shrunk up to the tops of the highest mountains. At one period the glacial stream has gone as far down as Mosshuus; at another and subsequent time it has stopped short at Sletsvig; at a third, it has only been able to disgorge its charge of stones at Laurgaard; and so on. I trust it is not superfluous, even to the most unscientific traveller, to describe these objects so minutely. I found that the tracing of them served exceedingly well to beguile the tedium of a road generally deficient in objects of interest, and which would have otherwise been dull. It was not later than six o'clock when I started from Laurgaard, designing to have a long day's travel, and to surmount the Dovre Field. Although the sun was three hours up, the inn and neighbouring fields still lay beneath the deep shade of the mountain to the eastward. It was exhilarating, half an hour after, to dash into the bright sunshine at the entrance to Gulbrands The surface of the moraine at Mosshuns is 720 feet above the sea. The Laurgaard post-station is 1060 above the same point. Here, as throughout the ensuing pages, English measure is used, the authority followed being that of Mr Keilhau, in his laborious work entitled Gaea Norvegica. |