ROUGH NOTES OF A "LARK,"

&c., &c.

LETTER I.

THE Ꮪ Ꭲ Ꭺ Ꭱ Ꭲ .

Trondjiem, 10th June, 1843.

MY DEAR S—,—I promised to hail you from the Northern regions, and would have done so ere this, but that the wild and varying scene has kept me otherwise employed. All is entirely new to us; and our wonder thereat is great.

To begin at the beginning:-A party of four youngsters, up to any thing,-L——————, K- S, and M -, your humble servant, took it into their wise, though, perhaps, some of your steady stagers may say foolish, heads, "strange countries for to see, to see." After some debate, the North was fixed upon, as promising more sport, that is, sportsman-like sport, than the hackneyed route of the Continent. We wished to lead a wild and roving life. Sweden, Norway, Lapland, Russia, were entered in our programme de voyage. Having determined to start in the month of June, L- went over to Leith, to inquire about a vessel; and, as luck would have it, he picked up a fine Norwegian schooner, returning to Trondjiem, in ballast, and immediately engaged her. We rendezvoused at Edinburgh, on the 28th of June; got all our traps, dogs, rods, guns, &c., on board;

and sailed late on the evening of the 30th, having a fine WestNor.-West wind. Our vessel proved a clipper, and bowled along at from nine to eleven knots an hour.

On the 3d of July, we made the Norwegian coast, near Bergen: blowing like the devil;-rather squeamish, all of us. Notwithstanding, we scrambled on deck, to have a look at the land of promise; and ugly enough it appeared: heavy squalls of rain obscured our view: above and through them we could, occasionally, as we plunged through a heavy sea, catch glimpses of the scarped and rugged mountains, lowering, like half-shrouded spectres, while the angry billows thundered and broke into foam, over immense reefs of rocks that stretched far along the coast. We soon went below, and the cook had a holiday.

"Look at that

"Steady, until

On the 4th, we ran along the coast, which is very bold and mountainous—the mountain tops covered with snow, and interspersed with glaciers. The next day, much to our disappointment, we were becalmed off the entrance of the Trondjiem Fiord. We took out our guns, and shot some gulls. In the evening, I met with a small mishap. Our skipper had an old Norwegian rifle on board, which he lent to me, as I did not wish to dirty my own. We were all on deck, aft, admiring a glorious sunset, and taking an occasional pop at a diver or gull. long-necked, speckled fellow,” cried some one. I get a crack at him," said I. Bang!-the skipper's old rifle flew into shivers, about my ears, and all over the deck. I got a cut on the chin;-no one else hurt-fortunate-cursed the old tool, and flung the remains into the North Sea, a thousand fathoms deep. The next day we entered the Fiord: the wind continued foul, for some time, but, at last, became fair, and our spirits rose proportionately. The coast here is very bold, and the country appears to be one mass of mountain. The navigation is very difficult and dangerous, as you are obliged to work your way through a perfect labyrinth of rocks, many of them

sunken the coast is so bold, in many places, that you might run your bowsprit against it.

Late in the evening, a pilot came off to us from an island close by, and, also, a Custom-house officer, who was very civil. The pilot brought a bucket of new milk with him, which we improved, by adding thereto a quantity of old rum and sugar. Unfortunately, buckets have bottoms, as we too soon found out. We have daylight for twenty-four hours now. We were much astonished by experiencing gusts of hot wind coming from the land, although the tops of the mountains, along whose bases we were sailing, were nearly all covered with snow. The seafowl, during the calm and solemn night, kept up a continued shrieking; their wild cries, echoing among the precipitous and deeply-indented shores, produced a thrilling and unearthly effect. Well might the unaccustomed or superstitious wanderer fancy, that the spirits of Northern fable were ranging, free and uncontrolled, amid their inaccessable homes.

Next morning, we turned out early: it felt rather sharp, after the hot winds of the night. The scenery is not very grand, but unlike any thing I have ever seen. Immense numbers of blasted and whitened pines cover the dark mountain's side, bearing witness to the severity of the Winter's blast. The rugged, rough, stern appearance of the country comes well up to the idea of a home for the hardy men of yore, who ruled the stormy sea; and the fearless manner in which I beheld their small skiffs steered far out across the Northern ocean, seemed to partake of the spirit of their sires. Away they dashed, towards the setting sun, until their tiny sails totally disappeared; while their homes, stuck upon the mountain side, or perched on a mere rock, among the foaming surge, added an interest to the scene, of no common kind. The wild sea-bird has not, nor seeks, a wilder home. A race of men, so nurtured, must be hardy and brave.

After breakfast, it fell dead calm. We took one of our boats, and went ashore. We saw two fine eagles, which we tried to get a shot at, but did not succeed. While shooting on an island, a large black gull, in shape something like a hawk, attacked us; flew slap at L- -, gave him a crack on the head, myself ditto. Kserved the gentleman out with a dose of number four. This bird (one of the skua species) lives by robbing other gulls. The moment any of them catches a fish, these fellows, who are always on the look-out, give chase, and continue to hunt the other, until he drops his prey, which they immediately seize and devour. It is a very bold and fierce bird, especially if you approach its nest, which, I suppose, we had done.

The wind is very baffling here. Sometimes our mainsail is filled with one wind, when our square-topsail is laid back by another. Very hot puffs come down from the mountains, every now and then,-I think some of the ventilators of the infernal regions must be stuck up, in these parts. We could get no milk to-day. Had a jolly fine supper, and some tipple, in the shape of old rum and iced water-the finest stuff in life, during hot weather, and after a long pull, if not too weak-mind that! The next morning (Saturday, 8th,) at five o'clock, while rounding a high, bluff point, we were struck by a heavy squall,—let every thing go by the run. Such a row I never heard in my lifeskipper, pilot, and the whole crew, shouting "like bricks."— Our fellows darted on deck, in their shirts, thinking we had been boarded by Old Nick. The crew seemed to understand their work; and we were soon all right again, carrying on before a slapping breeze, with a whole fleet of country boats in our wake. They are all sail; they must be well managed, as it is no joke navigating these squally Fiords.

Ten o'clock, a.m.-Hurra! here we are, in Trondjiem Roads. Rattle," "rattle"-there goes the anchor. Now for shore ! The Custom-house officers came off; were remarkably civil;