Norway and the Norwegians - 2 Author:Robert Gordon Latham Volume: 2 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1840 Original Publisher: R. Bentley Subjects: Norway History / Europe / Scandinavia Literary Criticism / European / Scandinavian Travel / Europe / Scandinavia Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may ... more »be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. Jomfrue Braaten -- Burning forests -- Norwegian Farmers -- No law of Primogeniture -- System of Bethrothals -- National character -- The name of Norman -- Students -- Country round Christiania -- Firth -- University Symposiacs. Christiania stands low; the sea beats against the rock upon which the fortress stands; but it is almost on a level with the swampy grounds, covered with samphire, and sea-weed, around which the more retiring parts of the city are built, and which confine its inland branch, which runs up, on the right of the fortress, to the road which leads, by Skydsjordet to Moss and the towns on the other side of the firth. Low parts near the sea have the same character in most seaport towns. They seldom form the court end; swarming, as they generally do, with fish-wives and seamen. Conferti nautis cauponibus atque malignis. Christiania is not bisected by any branch ofthe firth; although it extends so as just to turn round its innermost recess. A few houses, not a fortieth part of the town, appear on the opposite side, which, for the most part belong to fishermen and navigators. Those that wish to reach them from the fortress or its neighbourhood may, instead of walking round, be rowed across, occasionally by female ferrywomen. On the opposite side you are in the country, and amongst the hills, that overlook both the sea and the city. A winding path takes you to their top. There stands a farm-house called Jomfru...« less