Delemarken seems to be tolerably populous. I often met with
solitary peasant-huts in the large gloomy forests, and they gave
some life to the monotonous landscape. The industry of the
Norwegian peasant is very great; for every spot of earth, even on
the steepest precipices, bore potatoes, barley, or oats; their
houses also look cheerful, and were painted for the most part of a
brick-red colour.
I found the roads very good, especially the one from Christiania to
Drammen; and the one from Drammen to Kongsberg was not very
objectionable. There is such an abundance of wood in Norway, that
the streets on each side are fenced by wooden enclosures; and every
field and meadow is similarly protected against the intrusion of
cattle, and the miserable roads through the woods are even covered
with round trunks of trees.
The peasantry in this district have no peculiar costume; only the
head-covering of the females is curious. They wear a lady's hat,
such as was fashionable in the last century, ornamented with a bunch
behind, and with an immense shade in front. They are made of any
material, generally of the remains of old garments; and only on
Sundays better ones, and sometimes even silk ones, make their
appearance.
In the neighbourhood of Kongsberg this head-dress is no longer worn.
There they wear little caps like the Suabian peasantry, petticoats
commencing under the shoulders, and very short spencers: a very
ugly costume, the whole figure being spoilt by the short waist.
The town of Kongsberg is rather extended, and is beautifully
situated on a hill in the centre of a splendid wooded valley. It
is, like all the towns in Norway except Christiania, built of wood;
but it has many pretty, neat houses and some broad streets.
The stream Storri Elf flows past the town, and forms a small but
very picturesque waterfall a little below the bridge. What pleased
me most was the colour of the water as it surged over the rock. It
was about noon as I drove across the bridge; the sun illuminated the
whole country around, and the waves breaking against the rocks
seemed by this light of a beautiful pale-yellow colour, so that they
resembled thick masses of pure transparent amber.
Two remarkable sights claimed my attention at Kongsberg, - a rich
silver-mine, and a splendid waterfall called the Labrafoss. But as
my time was limited and I could only remain a few hours in
Kongsberg, I preferred to see the waterfall and believe the accounts
of the silver-mine; which were, that the deepest shaft was eight
hundred feet below the surface, and that it was most difficult to
remain there, as the cold, the smoke, and the powder-smell had a
very noxious effect on the traveller accustomed to light and air.
