Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-04


haven, Edinburgh, at Plymouth, England,
aud at Galway, Ireland; but few fish are
brought ashore. The stalls are the isgts
OF fishing-boats and there are no bowling
fshwives. Hundreds of peasants from
the surrounding country, dressed In the
peculiar costumes of thsir respective dis
tricts, come to the Torv to sell vegetables.
cheese, butter, eggs. fowl and many rude
articles of home manufacture. Mingling
with these are the honest housewives and
maid-servsnts of the city.
1t Ia q CHEEKY, chstty, hearty crowd; all
life, animation and geniality; glittering
with quaint old gilt and silver ornaments;
colorful from bright garters, gaudy bod
ices, saffron and scarlet shoulder ribbons,
lustrous brsids of yellow hair, snowy
white caps, and head -kerchiefs glinting
with silver gimps or fine old embroidery
Every woman who comes to buy fish car
ries q shining tin pail or scuttle, often or
nsmented in gsudy colors. The fishermen
standing in their boats say never q word
They are the most silent and sodden sales
men you ever knew. The women do all
the bartering and chatting. When a satis-
factory prizes ia reached the fish is tossed
up to the buyer, and the coin exchanged.
And 30 with pleasant bsdinsge from the
quay and utter solemnity In the bosts the
sales go on. But think of fresh cod, ssl-
mon, mackersl and turbot selling at the
Bergen Tory at but from four TO six cents
per poundi
The more modern streets of Bergen are
spacious and wide, and all are mstohlessly
clean. Nearly all the houses are OF wood,
large, rambling, roomy; and every win
dow Is gay with boxes and pots of flowers.
Net even in the tropics are more flowers to
be seen in summer. All vegetation here
seems to take an added beauty and luxuri-
snce In proportion to the brevity of its
yearly outdo life; and Norwegian folk
are fond TO passionate tenderness of every
leaf and bud and bloom for its seeming re-
sponsiveness to affectionste nurture and
care. Every open space is filled with trees
and shrubs. Every street or thorou2hfRre
yields vista, boTdered with green and
ending IN the blue of the sea or blossom
of flowers.
Many of the older structures are very
ancient and curious. Some of the old
time villas and homes on the outskirts are
interesting for their suggestions of wooden
csstles; where there wss possible occasion
for defense. The timbers are something
mighty in these; and the outbutldinss for
servants and vast storehouses on pillars of
stone, all tell their tale of generations Of
master and folk and servitors living In 8
little community capable of protecting its
own integrity against any manner of Of
fensivs aggression or harm.
Over in the Finnegsard on the TydEke-
brygge, in the region of mountains of bar
rels, fences decorated by drying goldfish
and sll the cu rious gear of the greatest
fishing mart of northern Europe, still
stands single Hanseatio house. 1t 10 the
only one left in Bergen where the old time
German traders lived aud traded almost
like parcel Ct pirSts mcuks. The
strsngest OF rude carvings, painted in bar
bsric colors bsdeck the exterior The
merchants Enthusiastically carved and psnelsd
Office, the managers musiy bureau, tie
celibstic clerks living rooms and dormito-
ries remain just as they were once used.
The latter are very unique and interesting
The beds are built in tiers like a ships en-
igrants' quarters. One side of each tiny
bunk is closed with hinged doors or EhDt
ters, opening to passsge-way where the
female servants could make the clerks
beds without entering their roomsl
You will also see in this ancient Han
seattle houss q great pumbfr Of strange
relics of daily use in this ancient and pow
erful money grabbing community. Among
them are huge cRndlesticks, csbbsgs-chop-
ping machines, curious cod liver oil lamps,
lanterns, metal wssh-bowls. mammoth
long-stemrled pipes, staves with bags for
were plous as shrewd, strong boxes, bound
with brsss and iron, arms of the lssgueTs,
and even open l.dgers recording their
mighty gains. One's fancy coniures Rem
brandt pictures hsTe; and you long for
some romsncs master TO see and se.zs and
set in enduring psge the hardness, stern
ness and often the hopeless pathos of this
grim old trade-conventusl life.
There IS also An interesting district of
Bergen lying bEtweeu tie Strandgsde and
the hsrbOr. One never tires OF this. for
narrow thoroughiagss lead down TO the
bay, in which are strange projecting rDnfs,
huge diamond-psned win lows, shsdowy
colonnades, clumsy balconies and dFoWty
echoes of endless waterside traffic. On
this StrsndGsde itself there are snowy
shops to barter IN, ancient shops into
which curiously carved stairs ascend or
descend, and museum-liks shops where
old silver, Norway carved woods, furs and
sill odd manner of keepsBkes may be
bought. 1t is here that all day lnDg-aud
nearly all night long, for il is still day
light In Bergen summer time between
eleven and twelve O'Clock At n.ght-moye
to and fro the placid pleasant throBgs.
Among them are the peasAntry, from Sac
terdsl. from Hardihger, from ThelemRTk,
from Evauger and from the outlying is
lands. These more than al else give color
and character to sncient Bergen town, and
you grow impatient to follow them over
the mountains to their lonely homes among
the sombrs hords, be side the misty water
falls and within the slumbsrous upland
dsls. EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN.