The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-11 00:00:00

when we saw him walking the streets of Christiania in the
full glOry of hill dress uniform and eagle•crested helmet,
that our hem appeared most sublime. We then scarcely
ventured to think how we had laughed at the mountain
misadventures of this magnificent soldier.

Odde is Cie centre of a large number of excursions. Not
so Vik, otherwise Eidfjord. From the latter place you
see the Voringfoss, and that is all. At the station fleas
are as abundant as the frogs in Egypt temp. Moses. We
were very glad to get away, and left the place early one
morning in a small boat forEide. Themorning was sultry,
and not a breath of air moved the surface of the water.
After pulling some five hours there sprang up a sudden
storm. We saw in the distance crests of foam, and soon we
were dancing about in fine style. A little later and the sea
was dashing into our boat, and it was a case of sauve
qui pent. We ran for shelter behind a promontory of
rock, and the boatmen, climbing it, returned shaking their
heads and talking of going back. We persuaded them to
wait a little, and presently the pitch-black clouds began
to break, the sea to quiet itself, and we sallied forth once
more. After ten hours we reached Eide, and but just in
time. Even while we landed the heavens became covered
with a dense canopy of dun cloud, streaked with falling
rain. The sea, which had become like a mirror, in five
minutes came rolling to the shore in great breakers, and
then the clouds were rent bylightning, and the thunder played
grandly among the mountains. Itwas well we were on shore,
and suffering nothing more than a through-and-through
wetting, such as I think only Anglo-Indians have expe-
rienced. We had still a long journey before us over a very
rough road. Night was coming on, and I fairly fell
asleep in the saddle. Vossevangen was as good a harbour
of refuge as could be found in all Norway. It is, indeed
the prince of "stations," and it is situated in the midst of
the choicest scenery. A journey to Norway would be well
repaid by a drive from Eide on the Hardanger, to Gudvan-
gen on the Sogne Fjord. There can scarcely be in all Europe
a fifty miles' journey to compare with this for combined
beauty and sublimity. Beyond Gudvangen is the Sogne
Fjord, concerning which tourists and guide-books are
silent for want of words to express their admiration. I
must be silent for another reason. Our steamer was
three hours late, and the passage was made at midnight
through drenching rain, so that we could see nothing, and
on landing at Lrerclalsoren in the small hours, had to feel
our way to the station.
The choicest part of our journey was now over.
But the ascent, and still more the descent from the
Fillefjeld is very fine. At Nystuen, on the summit of the
Fjeld, we passed a night, and found the thermometer
down to about 45. Then came a drive of thirteen hours in
soaking rain, through very grand mountain scenery to
Fagernns. Still descending, the country became fertile
and more thickly peopled than any other district we had
seen, but the scenery was comparatively tame. What
we had seen spoilt us for all that we were to
see, even the famous Ringeriget district. We
reached Christiania again exactly four weeks after
leaving it. Two days later we renewed our acquaintance
with the Argo, and were soon to witness her behaviour in
as nasty a sea as the best sailor could desire. A lurid
sunset on the Friday—black clouds fringed with gold, and
spaces of green sky between—made our captain foretell a
north-west gale. It came not that night nor the next
morning, and we were beginning to think that he had
happily proved a false prophet, when, as we were off the
Naze, the wind rose and the sea with it, and soon it was a
case of holding on to your seats with both hands, and very
thankful if you were not, in spite of your grip, sent
rolling to the other side. There was but a small dinner
party that day. The few who were bold enough to sit
down bad little chance of eating amid the general over-
throw of viands and smash of crockery. For fifteen hours
the gale lasted, and for nearly fifteen I slept. All this
time the Argo ploughed on her way in fine style. The next
day the sea went down in a marvellous manner, and long
before we reached the Humber we were in water as smooth
as that of a river. Landing in England I found
that the July autumn had, under the influence of
refreshing rain, given place to a September summer; and
this somewhat reconciled me to the irksome return to hats
and collars and the Irish Church.

One word by way of practical application. If any of
your readers, weary of meeting their fellow-countrymen at
every turn in Switzerland and Italy, want a thorough
change, they will find it in Norway. The scenery is
unique, travelling is easy and cheap, the people
honest and simple. You will have, perhaps, to feed on
salmon rather more often than you like, and the fleas will
certainly feed on you as much as they like. But the
superabundance of fish and insect is compensated
many times over by the glorious freedom and unconven-
tionality of a country which combines every charm of
nature, unspoilt by the roguery and avarice of man.

Mr. Charles Dickens has just entered into an
engagement for a series of a hundred farewell readings in
England for the sum of V,OOO.

The Scotsman draws attention to the fact that
harvest is all but completed in the upland districts. This
will be one of the earliest harvests on record.

The death is announced of a once celebrated
Birmingham Loser—Tom Lane, brother of the renowned
"Hammer."

Amongst the persons objected to as electors for
Westminster, iu the parish of St. Mary-le-Strand, is Sir S.
M. Peto, Bart., whose qualification is described as " The
Morning Post Office, Wellington-street."

A Belfast telegram rays that a bottle containing a
paper was found on the beach at Silver Stream, near Carrick-
fergus. The bottle contained a paper, on which was writ-
ten :—"North-west of Ireland, 3d July. Good ship Annie,
150 miles N.W. off Troy. Going down. Capt. Jerome.
God save us."

A Congress of German workmen has assembled at
Nuremberg. Its programme and object is similar to that
of the International Working Men's Association. There
hae been a quarrel amongst the delegates as to the platform
to be adopted, and a large minority has withdrawn to hold a
meeting of their own.

The Irish Government have offered a reward of
£lOO to any one who will give such information as will lead
to the apprehension of the persons who attacked two of the
constabulary near Cloughjordan, county Tipperary, some
days ago, and so maltreated them that constable Toole's life
is still in great danger.

A public meeting to promote the erection of a
monument in memory of the late Mr. W. J. Fox, who for
many years was one of the members for Oldham, was held
on Wednesday, in the Town Ilan in that town. There was a
large attendance, and Mr. John Platt, M.P., occupied the
chair. A committee was appointed to carry out the object in