New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-22

copn.os AZ most destructive There never was
qrester humbug than the praise of Solitude: it il
the fruitful mother Of all evil, and no man covst,
it who has not something bad or morbid in biz
nature.
BY noon, the central ridge o. comb of tho Dow
Field rose before US, with tbs six hundred wear.
old station Of Jerkin in warm n,ok on its south.
en side This is renowned as the best post. station
i. Norway, and is q favOrite resort of ENGLISH
travellers ADD sportsmen, who come hitler to climb
the peak Of SnshatteD, and to stalk reindeer.
did not fad the place particularly inviting. The
two women who had charge of it for he time were
unusually silent and mOrose, but our dinner was
cheap and well gotten up, albeit the trout were not
the freshest. we admired the wonderful pacntngs
of the landlord, which, although noticed by Muir
ray, give little promise for Norwegian art in thess
high ATTITUDES. His cows, dogs and men are all
snow.white, and rejoice in an original anatomy.
The horses on this part of the road were excel.
lent the road admirable, and our transit was there.
fore thoroughly agreeable. The ascent o. the
dividing ridge, after leaving Jerkin, is steep end
toilsome for half q mile, but with this exception
the passage of the Dovre Field is remarkably eesy
The highest point which the road crossed is abooa
1880 feet above the sea- or little higher than tie
Bremen Pass in the Tyrol. But there grain grows
and orchards bear fruit, while here, under the
narallel Of 60, nearly all vegetation ceases, and
even the omnivorous northern sheep can find ne
pasturage. Before and behind you lie wastes Of
naked gray mountains relieved only by the snow.
patches on their SUBMITS. have seen as desolate
tracts IF wilderness in the South made beautiful
by the lovely hues which they took from the air;
but Nature has no such tender ances in the North.
She is Reast Of the most implying stamp, and
gives atmospheric influences which make that
which is dark and bleak still darker and bleaker.
Black clouds hung low on the horizon, and dull gray
sheets Of rain swept and then across tho nearer
nights. Snahattsn, to the westward, was partly
yelled, but we could trace his blunt mound of al.
terDate black rock and snow nearly to the apex.
The peak is about 700 feet above the sea, and was
until recently considered the highest in Norway;
but the Skagtostnd has been ascertained to be l6O
feet higher ard SnGEatten isdethroGed.
The river Drio came out of glen on our
left, and entered deep gorge in front, down which
our road lay, following the rapid descent of the
foamng stream. At the station of Konssvold, We
had descended to 5000 feet again. yet no trees ap.
peared. Beyond this, the road for ten miles has
been with great labOr hewn ont of the solid rock,
at the bottom of frightful defle, like some of
those among the Alps. Formerly, it climbed high
kbo ptan IN
almost perpendicular cliffs, ahd the Taarst', as it s
called, was then reckOned one of the most difficult
and dangerous roads in the country. Now 1T is
one of the safest and most delightful. We weat
down the pass on a sharp trot, almost too fast to
epjoy the wild scenery as it deserved. The D10
fell through the cleft in succession of rapids,
while smaller streams leaped to meet him in links
of silver cataract down a thousand feet of cliff
Birch and fir now clothed the little terraces and
spare corners of SOIL and the huge masses of rock
banging over our heads, were tinted with black,
warm brown and russell orange, in such manner
as to produce tie most charming effects of color
Over the cOrnces Of the mountain-walls lowering
at least two thousand feet above cleaned here and
there the scattered snowy .lJtuns of the highest
Field.
The pass gradually opened into harrow valley
where we found little cultivation again Here
WAS the post of Drivstuen, kept by merry old
lady. Our next stage descended through increas.
inc habitaton and culture to the inn of Else, where
we stopped for the night, having the DOvre Field
fairly behind US. The morning looked wild aud
threatening but the clouds gradually hauled of to
the eastward, leaving us the promise of fine day
Our road led over hills covered with forests of FIR
and pine, whence we looked into q broad valley
clothed with the rame dark garment of forest, to
which the dazzlingly white SHOWS OF the Field in
the background made striking contrast. We
here left the waters of the DriO and struck upon
those of the Orka, which flow into Dronthdm
Ford. At Stuen, We got fair breakfast OF eggs,
milk, cheese, bread and butter. Eggs are plentiful
everywhere, yet singularly enough until yesterday
we neither saw nor heard a single fowl. Where
they were kept we could not discover, and why
they don't crow was still greater mystery Nor
way is really the land of silence. For an Inhabited
country, it is the quietest have ever seeI. No
wonder that anger and mirth, when they once
break through the hard ice Of Norwegian Life, are
90 furious and uncomfortable. These inconsistent
extremes may always be reconciled, when We under
stand how nicely the moral nature Of Man Is
balanced
Our road was over high, un&ulating tract for
two stsges, commanding wide views of Wild
wooded region, which is said to abound with game
The range Of snowy peaks behind us still filed the
sky, appearing so near at hand as to deceive the
eye in regard to their hight. AT last We came
upon the brink of steep descent, overlooking the
deep glen of the Orkls, singulary picturesque
valley issuing from between the bases OF the ouu'
tains, and winding away to the northward' Down