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dance in his native ocean stream-the insect and the bird rejoice at such a glorious spectacle. And may not man, created a little below the angels, see through this harmonious system up to the great Author and Creator of himself; and may he not with all the ecstasy of the Psalmist, when, after contemplating the wonderful works of God and feeling his own utter insignificance, he exclaimed, "What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him; or as the whole of the beautiful 19th Psalm expresses it :

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1. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Or in the sublime words of Milton :

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These are thy glorious works, Parent of Good!
Almighty, thine this universal frame.

Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then!
Unspeakable, who sittest above these heavens
To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these thy lowest works: yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine.

CHAPTER V.

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Embarkation for Norway-Christiansand -The Greatest Angler in Existence' A Botanical Anecdote - The Romance of Norway-A Lapland Dinner Incident-An English Consul's Hospitality-A Norwegian Curate.

IN the last chapter, I gave the reader a resumé of what had been previously alluded to, in regard to the connexion of the sciences. I merely refer to it here, to assure him that if he intends to be a successful student of natural history, or even physical science, he must put his shoulder to the wheel in right good earnest, and not be afraid of learning too much. To be always at one thing exclusively, and nothing else, whether classics or mathematics, is to be pursuing that system of education which is not at all calculated to prepare the mind of the student to enter upon the battle of life in the present enlightened period of the world's history. To have been well grounded in early life in the classics and mathematics is an advantage in after life that cannot possibly be too highly appreciated; but that an individual should spend the whole of his valuable existence in prosecuting those studies, without taking the mental seeds which they have sown and scattering them upon fresh soil, would resemble a man

who commenced reading by learning his letters (as a matter of course), and who suddenly took it into his head that as all written knowledge only contained words constructed from letters of the alphabet, that he should amuse himself for the remainder of his days with constantly studying the shape, variety, and form of these curiously-figured skeletons of knowledge. No, the classics and mathematics are only valuable like the twenty-six letters of the alphabet when they are made use of in other departments of knowledge, viz., science, history, literature, and the fine arts; and above all, for the mental discipline that has been imparted to the student-which is like the drilling of the soldier, who finds all the advantages when on the battle field of having been changed from a rough ploughboy into a smart soldier.

If I can persuade my reader to take a further perusal of these pages, I will promise him upon some future occasion a long, and I trust entertaining, chat upon this subject of education. For fear of tiring him with too much botany, we will take up that subject at some future time; in such a manner as may enable him, I trust, to feel that what has been scribbled has not entirely been lost upon him, and which may give him hope for the future, that he may still be a gainer by a further chat upon that most interesting and widely-diffused vegetable world.

Having said so much about the Norwegian Coast, it is my intention in this chapter to give the reader a few of the incidents which occurred to me many years ago during a trip through Norway, Sweden, and Lapland; which have not been published, but of which I have yet a very vivid recollection even to the present time.

I find on referring to my notes that they are all contained in the narrow space of a single page. And when I mention this, I may remark that there is no

circumstance of my life that I regret more than this omission of not having kept a journal during my tour through that very extraordinary land.

In the month of June, 1841, I started from my own place in Lincolnshire, and proceeded to Hull, where I embarked for Christiansand, a town situated on the Norwegian coast, which I reached after a voyage of fifty-three hours, after a very considerable tossing on the German Ocean: an incident in my career as a traveller not at all uncommon, inasmuch as I have experienced all sorts of weather of a frightful kind, when navigating the ocean, but through a kind Providence I have neither been drowned nor suffered shipwreck.

In crossing the German Ocean to Christiansand, I fell in with a gentleman whose conversation was continually confined to the subject of fishing, and whose faculties seemed to be totally absorbed in everything relating to salmon rods, lines, reels, and everything connected therewith. He amused us all much with stories of how many salmon he had killed in a day; how to manage those monstrous salmon that threaten to run away not only with the line, but the fisherman also; with the particular method of landing them, and all the et cæteras of piscatorial sport. He exhibited no end of lines, many varieties of fishing rods, and all sorts of flies manufactured by himself. His rod was eighteen feet in length, his line one hundred and twenty yards long, and his reel was larger than a pint mug, with a handle to it strong enough to turn the musical apparatus of a barrel organ.

I was making the trip to Norway for pleasure, not forgetting the pursuit of natural history, and at the same time I was fully aware that the fishing was the best perhaps to be found in the world. Consequently, I had provided myself with tackle, which was sure to succeed with a small fish, and

which was also capable of killing one ten pounds in weight. When, however, this celebrated angler examined my tackle, he remarked:

"To whatever region of the world I may travel for the purpose of fishing, in whatever circumstances I may be placed, if I live to be one hundred, I shall never forget the circumstance of your having set out for the greatest salmon country in the world, provided with only a trout rod. I shall never forget you; you have afforded me more ridiculous fun and laughter than ever fell to the lot of any boy to enjoy, even during the vacation, at the performance of a Christmas Pantomime, with an orange in one hand, a lollypop in his mouth, and his pocket full of half-crowns." He continued, "You are immortal."

I took this all in good part, for I had put the question to a very quiet-looking gentleman in an entire suit of plaid, who had very fine fishing tackle in his possession, and who, in conjunction with the captain of the steamer, who was similarly provided, and others of the party, informed me that he was L—lls of Liverpool, the greatest angler in existence.

I may add, that he was not only one of the greatest anglers, but I think one of the greatest talkers I ever met. His conversation too was always upon fishing. After he had joked me for some time, I said, "No doubt that I must appear to you a great simpleton, but I travel as a naturalist, not confining myself even there, but I take a general view of all the fine things to be observed in a foreign country, and intend to fish into the bargain."

He replied, "I shall never forget you, you are one of the wonders of the world; a man who could come to Norway, to salmon fish in Norway, with the tackle that you are provided with, is such a curiosity as I never met with-no, not even in the

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