The Portland daily press., 1868-08-28
Correspondence.
Letter from Norway,


you are attracted by the beautiful little pal
ace Of Skoosberg. Here lives the Countess
Danner, who was Mile. Rasmussen, a miilin-
er of Copenhagen and whose luck IL was 10
have form that pleased prince Frederick
VII, 1.-THE last King of Denmark) had al
ready twice stood before the altar and as
often dissolved the engagements there duly |
registered, by separating from both of his |
wives, and indeed, as Crown Prince, his con-
dact was so little exemplary that his father,
Christian VIlI., felt compelled 10 exile his
heir to the far off colony of Iceland He
made an honest woman" of Mile Ramussen
py morganatic or left handed marriage She
mas the reputation of beaucoup d'esprit.
Ine prince married her when she had reach
ed the ripe age" of fifty, and left her his
large property and the beautiful palace of
Skooskerg.
Our steamboat that was to take us to Chris
tiana had on board Mr.. Wallace, an Ameri-
can, who was taking his japanese jugglers to
that city. She was commanded by an ac-
complished Norwegian naval officer whose
pay is about six y dollars,a month. The Bal
tic was never calmer, and the table was ex-
cellent. At Gottenberg, Sweden, many pas
sengers went ashore, but on the other side
we made ourselves heavy with Swedish iron
that was to be taken to Christiana. The sail
on the following day was of the loveiest.
When towards the afternoon we reached
Norway and dipped into the quiet fyord-the
name the Norwegans give their gulfs-and
saw the little islands sometimes dwelling
apart far off on the horizon, sometimes col
onizing in friendly groups, some rock-ribbed,
but with cases of cultivated verdure and
often sprinkled with little villages and with
forests OF evergreens, 1 thought more than
once of the scenery of Maine, but had nev-
er seen in Maine so soft light as rested on
the fyord, and seemed to penetrate the de eep
waters and the coming shore with an earnest
ness and mild sottness, as if nature by
these summer embraces would make amends
for the winters discomfort.
This northern city, Christiania called re-
Gently by Prussian writer the Chicago of
the North, has to day more than thirty thou
sand inhabitants. Every year texports more
than two million dollars worth of pine, the
larger part of which is sent to France.
Christiana is a modern city; the old city Oslo
was burned to the ground in 1924, and Chris
tian lV. ordered the inhabitants to build on
the present site. On the opposite side of the
ford are to be found the "reminiscences of
the old town. Christiania is the third city OF
Norway. The nation in its entirety contains
one million, seven hundred thousand inhabi-
tants. Trondhjem, formerly the capital,
OF Norway, though in more elevated lati-
tude than Christiania has her fyord freer
from ice and has an earlier spring than her
young rival. The importations by the way
OF Trondjhem are still very extensive
Bergen, on the western coast of Norway,
carries on very extensive commerce in fish
with the ports of the Mediterranean, Africa.
Spain and Italy. The Hollanders and the |
Germans make salads of the Norwegian her
ring, and nowadays all Europe calls for her
cod liver oil. England has an increasing ap-
petite for her Holsters.
Norway and her people seem to me to be |
nation by themselves, or you do not regard |
them as nation but an assembly of legisla- |
tors, merchants and peasants endowed with
wonderful good sense, pursuing their own
course with little regard for the outer world
and never allowing passion to disturb the
even tenor of their way. Their constitution,
the foundation of their present civil liberties |
decreed by the diet of Eidsoold the 18th of |
May, 1014, has been largely drawn from the |
constitution of the United States, indeed, it |
mas been well said that Norway is a repub- /
lie, with the King of Sweden for President.
Ihe constant waves of emigration that |
they send over to us bring the United |
States near to the heart of the Norwegian.
have been surprised to see how closely they
watch our doings. As is natural among
people where bold navigation has always been
principal feature Maury's labors are i'm
mensely appreciated, but no Norwegian has |
ever mentioned his scientific successes with |
out expressing to me unmitigated contempt |
for his political misdemeanors.
The Storthing, the Norwegian parliament,
meets once in three years. 1t holds ses-
sion this year, opening ON the 1st of October,
II 1t be not Sunday-and dissolving on the
S0th OF April When the Storthing has veri-
ned its powers it divides into an upper and |
lower chamber, the upper chamber is one |
quarter OF the representation, the lower |
mouse is composed of the other three quar- |
ters. When resolution has passed both the
chambers the signature of the king makes it
a living law; and if resolution receives the
sanction of three successive sittings IL be-
comes law without the sanction of and in
lively opposition to the king
In Christiania there isno American Consul
which is really a serious want with many
American travellers. There is a consul about
Two hundred English miles from the CITY,
where no one can possibly reach him except
by rare chance. The English have here
Consulgeneral. Indeed England has thrown
her lines here in thousand places. She was
near to them when they decided on adopting
some modern changes and built for their
great lakes the first steamboats,; she has in
terests in their mines; at one time nearly
became possessor of their silver mine: she
bags their game and drags their waters for
salmon; she largely furnishes them with lit
erature, and her sons and daughters line in
larger number every year their picturesque
travelling routes. Christiania has now. how
ever, two manufactures for the building Of
steamers. Much OF the pine that NORWAY
exports is taken off in French ships.
In my next letter 1 wish to speak of the
pastoral life of Norway something alto
gether unique in Europe; of the social
Life of Christiania, of the benevolent institu-
tons of Norway, of the state of religion in
sle country, and of the cuisine and the wa
ges of labor, and the relative price OF living
here, as compared with other places in Eu-
rope
In closing will say that have met sever
al Americans travelling here to see Norwegian
scenery, which in some parts of the country |
equals that of Switzerland in Imposing |
grandeur, while the mighty pines that served |
Milton tor some of his sublimest smiles seem
to confer solemn majesty upon the land
scape, raising it and toning it down as tbe
voice of some popular orator sways his audi
tory. WANnrprp
IhpOenpAc nvn<l