Mild Climate of the Norwegian Coast.--Its Causes.--The Norwegian Peasant.--Norwegian Constitution.--Romantic coast Scenery.--Drontheim.--Greiffenfeld Holme and Väre.--The Sea-eagle.--The Herring-fisheries.--The Lofoten Islands.-- The Cod-fisheries.--Wretched Condition of the Fishermen.-- Tromsö.--Altenfiord.--The Copper Mines.--Hammerfest the most northern Town in the World.--The North Cape. 120 CHAPTER X. SPITZBERGEN--BEAR ISLAND--JAN MEYEN. The west Coast of Spitzbergen.--Ascension of a Mountain by Dr. Scoresby.--His Excursion along the Coast.--A stranded Whale.--Magdalena Bay.--Multitudes of Sea-birds.-- Animal Life.--Midnight Silence.--Glaciers.--A dangerous Neighborhood.--Interior Plateau.--Flora of Spitzbergen.-- Its Similarity with that of the Alps above the Snow-line.-- Reindeer.--The hyperborean Ptarmigan.--Fishes.--Coal.-- Drift-wood.--Discovery of Spitzbergen by Barentz, Heemskerk, and Ryp.--Brilliant Period of the Whale-fishery.--Coffins.-- Eight English Sailors winter in Spitzbergen, 1630.--Melancholy Death of some Dutch Volunteers.--Russian Hunters.--Their Mode of wintering in Spitzbergen.--Scharostin.--Walrus-ships from Hammerfest and Tromsö.--Bear or Cherie Island.--Bennet.-- Enormous Slaughter of Walruses.--Mildness of its Climate.-- Mount Misery.--Adventurous Boat-voyage of some Norwegian Sailors.--Jan Meyen.--Beerenberg. 131 CHAPTER XI. NOVA ZEMBLA. The Sea of Kara.--Loschkin.--Rosmysslow.--Lütke.--Krotow.-- Pachtussow.--Sails along the eastern Coast of the Southern Island to Matoschkin Schar.--His second Voyage and Death.-- Meteorological Observations of Ziwolka.--The cold Summer of Nova Zembla.--Von Baer’s scientific Voyage to Nova Zembla.-- His Adventures in Matoschkin Schar.--Storm in Kostin Schar.-- Sea Bath and votive Cross.--Botanical Observations.--A natural Garden.--Solitude and Silence.--A Bird Bazar.-- Hunting Expeditions of the Russians to Nova Zembla. 147 CHAPTER XII. THE LAPPS.