er more easy for his successor.

I must confess, in justice to the peasants, that they were very indignant
when I told them of the dishonesty of their countryman, and did not
attempt to prevent my complaint.

To conclude my journey, I need only remark that, although the rain had
ceased, the sky was still covered with clouds, and the country shrouded
in mist. I therefore took the shorter road to Christiania, by which I
had come, although I thereby missed a beautiful district, where I should,
as I was told, have seen the most splendid perspective views in Norway.
This would have been on the road from Kongsberg over Kroxleben to
Christiania. The finest part is near Kroxleben.

But the time was too short to take this round, and I returned by way of
Drammen. In the village of Muni, about five miles from Kongsberg, where
I arrived at seven o'clock in the evening, the amiable host wished to
keep me waiting again two hours for a horse; and as this would probably
have happened at every station, I was obliged to hire a horse for the
whole distance to Christiania, at a threefold price. I slept here for a
few hours, left in the night at one o'clock, and arrived at Christiania
the following afternoon at two.

On this journey I found all those people very kind and obliging with whom
I came into no sort of pecuniary relation; but the hosts, the boatmen,
the drivers, the guides, were as selfish and grasping as in any other
country. I believe that kindness and disinterestedness would only be
found in any district by him who has the good fortune to be the first
traveller.

This little excursion was very dear; and yet I think I could now travel
cheaply even in this country, universally acknowledged to be dear. I
would go with the steamer along the coast to Hammerfest, buy a little
vehicle and a good horse there, and then travel pleasantly, and without
annoyance, through the whole country. But for a family who wished to
travel in a comfortable covered carriage, it would be incalculably dear,
and in many parts impossible, on account of the bad roads.

The Norwegian peasantry are strong and robust, but their features are not
the most comely, and they seemed neither wealthy nor cleanly. They were
generally very poorly clad, and always barefooted. Their cottages, built
of wood and covered with tiles, are more roomy than those of the
Icelanders; but they are nevertheless dirty and wretched. A weakness of
the Norwegians is their