ecure the good-will and assent of
fifty persons, before he can fish in any part of a river, which is more
difficult to do, as the Norwegians are jealous of their little
privileges. They rarely deny courtesy to a stranger; but they like to
have it in their power to do so if they please. This, however, was not
P----'s case; for through the hearty assistance and recommendation of
the Consul, no obstruction was made to the attainment of everything we
desired.

As all fishermen are aware, it is necessary to angle for salmon, and
indeed many fish, either very early in the morning, or in the cool of
the afternoon, the heat of noon being perfectly inimical to the sport.
At two o'clock, therefore, on Friday morning, the memorable 9th of June,
we started in the gig, stored with abundant provision, for the first
foss, or fall, of the Larvig River.

The scenery of this river was the most beautiful we had yet seen, though
not the grandest, the banks being thickly wooded, and the diversity of
the foliage more striking than at Krokleven, or in the Christiania
Fiord. Nearly four hours elapsed before we reached the spot selected for
fishing; but our passage up the river had been obstructed occasionally
by bars across the water. These bars are large stakes or piles driven,
about twenty feet apart, into the bed of the river, and carried from one
bank to the other, to which the trunks of trees are chained to prevent
the timber from escaping to the sea; and it is no uncommon thing to meet
with an immense field of timber, covering the whole surface of the river
as far as the eye can see. A passage is kept between two of these
stakes, distinguished from the others by a mark, for the ordinary
traffic of the river; and is defended by a huge bar of timber, secured
by a chain, on removing which, the boats are, after a good deal of
bumping, pulled through. The interior of the country being so
inaccessible, the Norwegians have no other alternative but to roll the
timber from the tops of the mountains, and casting it on the rivers,
allow it to float to these artificial havens, where it is collected, and
then, being made into immense rafts, guided by some half dozen men to
the town, whence it is shipped to France or Holland.

P---- had made such excellent arrangements, that two prams were in
readiness to receive R---- and himself when we arrived at our
destination. In some of the salmon rivers it is quite impossible to fish
from the banks, but the