Not
fastened at all, and very insufficiently protected against rain.
The consequence of this carelessness on a journey of five or six
days was, that the rain and the high waves of the lakes frequently
put the after-deck several inches under water, and then the luggage
was wetted through. It was worse still in a squall on the Wenner
lake; for while the ship was rather roughly tossed about, many a
trunk lost its equilibrium and fell from its high position,
frequently endangering the safety of the passengers' heads. The
fares are, however, very cheap, which seemed doubly strange, as the
many locks must cause considerable expense.
And now for the journey itself. We started at five o'clock in the
morning, and soon arrived in the river Gotha, whose shores for the
first few miles are flat and bare. The valley itself is bounded by
bare, rocky hills. After about nine miles we came to the town of
Kongelf, which is said to have 1000 inhabitants. It is so situated
among rocks, that it is almost hidden from view. On a rock opposite
the town are the ruins of the fortress Bogus. Now the scenery
begins to be a little more diversified, and forests are mingled with
the bleak rocks; little valleys appear on both the shores; and the
river itself, here divided by an islet, frequently expands to a
considerable breadth. The peasants' cottages were larger and better
than those in Norway; they are generally painted brick-red, and are
often built in groups.
The first lock is at Lilla Edet: there are five here; and while the
ship passes through them, the passengers have leisure to admire the
contiguous low, but broad and voluminous fall of the Gotha.
This first batch of locks in the canal extends over some distance
past the fall, and they are partly blasted out of the rock, or built
of stone. The river past Akestron flows as through a beautiful
park; the valley is hemmed in by fertile hills, and leaves space
only for the stream and some picturesque paths winding along its
shores, and through the pine-groves descending to its banks.
In the afternoon we arrived at the celebrated locks near Trollhatta.
They are of gigantic construction, which the largest states would be
honoured in completing, and which occasion surprise when found in a
country ranking high neither in extent nor in influence. There are
eleven locks here, which rise 112 feet in a space of 3500 feet.
They are broad, deep, blasted out of the rock, and walled round with
fine freestone. They resemble the single steps of a giant's
staircase; and by this name they might fitly rank as one of the
wonders of the world. Lock succeeds lock, mighty gates close them,
and the large vessel rises miraculously to the giddy heights in a
wildly romantic country.
Scarcely arrived at the locks, the traveller is surrounded by a
crowd of boys, who offer their services as guides to the waterfalls
near Trollhatta. There is abundance of time for this excursion; for
the passage of the ship through the many locks occupies three to
four hours, and the excursion can be made in half the time. Before
starting, it is, however, advisable to climb the rock to which the
locks ascend. A pavilion is erected on its summit, and the view
from it down over all the locks is exceedingly fine.
Pretty paths hewn out of the wood lead to Trollhatta, which is
charmingly situated in a lovely valley, surrounded by woods and
hills, on the shore of a river, whose white foaming waves contrast
strongly with the dark foliage of the overshadowing groves. The
canal, which describes a large semicircle round the chief stream,
glitters in the distance; but the highest locks are quite concealed
behind rocks; we could neither observe the opening of the gates nor
the rising of the water in them, and were therefore surprised when
suddenly the masts and then the ship itself rose from the depth. An
invisible hand seemed to raise it up between the rocks.
The falls of the river are less distinguished for their height than
for their diversity and their volumes of water. The principal arm
of the river is divided at the point of decline into two equal falls
by a little island of rock. A long narrow suspension-bridge leads
to this island, and hangs over the fall; but it is such a weak,
frail construction, that one person only can cross it at a time.
The owner of this dangerous path keeps it private, and imposes a
toll of about 3.5d. on all passengers.
A peculiar sensation oppresses the traveller crossing the slender
path. He sees the stream tearing onwards, breaking itself on the
projecting rock, and fall surging into the abyss; he sees the
boiling waves beneath, and feels the bridge vibrate at every
footstep, and timidly hastens to reach the island, not taking breath
to look around until he has found footing; on the firm island. A
solid rock projects a little over the fall, and affords him a safe
position, whence he sees not only the two falls on either side, but
also several others formed above and below his point of view. The
scene is so enchanting, that it is difficult to tear oneself away.
Beyond Trollhatta the river expands almost to a lake, and is
separated into many arms by the numerous islands. The shores lose
their beauty, being flat and uninteresting.
We unfortunately did not reach the splendid Wennersee, which is from
forty-five to sixty-five miles long, and proportionally broad, until
evening, when it was already too dark to admire the scenery. Our
ship remained some hours before the insignificant village
Wennersborg.
We had met six or seven steamers on our journey, which all belonged
to Swedish or Norwegian merchants; and it afforded us a peculiarly
interesting sight to see these ships ascend and descend in the high
locks.
