titled, The Scholar's Vade-Mecum, in which he endeavoured to alter the orthography of the English language; but which, like all fimilar attempts, proved abortive.

earthen ware; and in the farne place is alfo dug a good deal of gypfum, or plafter-ftone. The foffil falt is generally yellow, and femipellucid, fometimes debased with a dull greenith earth; and is often found, but in fmall quantities, quite clear and colouriefs. The town is fituated near the Dane, and is tolerably handfome: it has a market on Friday. It is 20 miles NE. of Chefter, and 173 NW. of London. Lon. 2. 36. W. Lat. 53. 16. N. (1.) NORTHWIND. n. f. [north and wind.] The wind that blows from the north.

The clouds were fled, Driven by a keen northwind.

Milton. When the fierce northwind, with his airy forces,

Rears up the Baltick to a foaming fury. Watts. (2.) The NORTH WIND is generally accompanied with a confiderable degree of cold. It fometimes blows with almost irrefiftible fury. It is often mentioned by the claffic authors under the name of Boreas. See BOREAS.

NORTHWOOD, a township of New Hamp. thire, in Rockingham county, containing 744 citizens in 1795. Cryftal and cryftalline fpar are found in it. It is 39 miles NW. of Portsmouth.

NORTH YARMOUTH, a town of Maine, in Cumberland county; 140 miles NE. of Bofton, and 484 from Philadelphia. Lon. 4. 55. E. of that city. Lat. 43. 47. N.

See YELL, N° 2.

NORTH YELL. NORTIA. the goddess of Fortune among the ancient Etrurians. Liv. vii. 3.

(1.) NORTON, or CHIPPING NORTON, a borough of Oxfordshire, with a good market on Wednesday for corn, cattle, &c. 12 miles SW. of Banbury, and 74 NW. of London. Lon. 1. 17. W. Lat. 51. 55. N.

(2) NORTON, a town of Cheshire, 4 miles from Warrington, with a good modern alms-houfe, founded by P. Brook, Efq. on the fite of a priory of canons regular of St Auguftine, founded by William, fon of Nigellus, A. D. 1135, who did not live to complete his defign: for Euftace de Burgaville granted to Hugh de Catherine paftures' for 100 sheep, in cafe he finished the church in all refpects conformable to the intent of the founders. It was granted afterwards to R. Brook, Efq.

(3.) NORTON, a town in the NE. of Cape Bre

ton.

(4.) NORTON, a township of Maffachusetts, in Briftol county, 33 miles S. of Boston; incorpo. rated in 1711, and containing 1428 citizens in 1795. It has manufactures of ochre and nails.

(5.) NORTON, a town of S. Carolina, 22 miles SSE. of Columbia.

(6.) NORTON, a township of Vermont, in Effex county, on the Canada line between Holland on the W. and Canaan on the E.

(7.) NORTON, Thomas, an English lawyer and poet, born in Bedfordshire. He affifted Sternhold and Hopkins in their tranflation of the Pfalms. In conjunction with Thomas Sackville he wrote a dramatic piece, entitled Ferrex and Porrex; which was reprinted under the title of Gorboduc; from heroes of these names in Geoffrey of Monmouth's fabulous hiftory of Britain. He died in 1584.

(8.) NORTON, John, a writer in the reign of Charles II. who published a curious work, en

(9.) NORTON SOUND, or an inlet of the fea, (9.) NORTON'S SOUND, on the W. coat of N. America, discovered in Capt. Cook's last voyage, and fo named in honour of Sir Fletcher Norton, Lord Grantley. It extends as far as 64° 55′ Lat. N. There is no good station for ships, nor even a tolerable harbour, in all the found. Mr King, on his landing here, difcerned many fpa cious valleys, with rivers flowing through them, well wooded, and bounded with hills of a moderate height. One of the rivers towards the NW. feemed to be confiderable; and he fuppofed, from its direction, that it difcharged itself into the fea from the head of the bay. Some of his people, penetrating beyond this into the country, found the trees to be of a larger fize the further they proceeded. Lon. 197. 13. W. Lat. 64. 31. N. Dr Brookes places it in Lon. 162. 47. W. Mr Cruttwell in 161° to 164°.

NORTSEE GROTE, a town of Holftein. NORVENICH, a town of France, in the dep. of the Roer, and late duchy of Juliers; 7 miles E. of Ducren.

NORVI, a town of Sardinia, 16 miles NE. of Saffari.

NORUM, a town of Sweden, in W. Gothia. NORWALK, a town of Connecticat, in Fairfield county, on the N. fide of Long Island Sound. It has churches, feveral mills, and iron works; and carries on a good trade with New York and the Weft Indies. It is 13 miles W. by S. of Fairfield, and 54 NE. of New York. Lon. 73. 47. W. Lat. 41. 9. N.

(I. 1.) NORWAY, a country of Europe, lying between the 57° and 72° of Lat. N. and between the 30 and 31° of Lon. E. from London; extending in length about 1000 miles, in a direct line from Lindefnefs, in the diocese of Chriftianfand, to the North Cape, at the extremity of Finmark. Its breadth, from the frontiers of Sweden weftward to Cape Statt, amounts to about 300 miles; but from thence the country becomes gradually narrower towards the N.

(2.) NORWAY, BOUNDARIES, SURFACE, &C. OF. Norway is bounded on the S. by the Schagen rock, or Categate, the entrance into the Baltic; on the E. it is divided from Sweden by a long ridge of high mountains; and on the W. and N. it is washed by the northern ocean. In the S. part of Norway, the country is craggy, abrupt, and mountainous, diverfified fometimes with fertile and even delightful spots. In these refpects it resembles Switzerland: the profpects and the meteorological phenomena feem to be very fimilar. The range of the thermometer is of great extent; in the fummer having rifen to 88°, and in the winter fallen to 40°: in general it is between 80° and 22°.

(3.) NORWAY, CLIMATE OF. The climate is very different in different parts of the kingdom. At Bergen the winter is fo moderate, that the feas are always open and navigable both by mariners and fishermen, except in creeks and bays, that reach far up into the country towards File

The winds that chiefly prevail on the W. coaft are thofe that blow from the S.; whereas, on the other fide of Filefield, the winds that produce and continue the hard frofts are always northerly. In the fummer, there is a kind of regular tradewind on the coaft of Bergen. In the forenoon the fea begins to be cooled with a wefterly breeze, which continues till midnight. Then the land breeze begins from the E. and blows till about 10 A. M. The coaft is likewife fubject to fudden fqualls and ftorms. Hurricanes sometimes rife at fea; and in thefe latitudes the phenomenon called a water-spout is not uncommon. One of these in the neighbourhood of Ferro is faid to have fucked up with the water fome lafts of herrings, which were afterwards dropped on Kolter, a mountain 1200 feet high. The fresh water of Norway is generally turbid, and depofits a fediment of adventitious matter, being sometimes impregnated with ochre or particles of iron; and yet it is agreeable to the tafte, and remarkably falubrious, as appears from the good health of the common people, who drink little or no other liquor.

(4.) NORWAY, COAST OF The coaft of Norway, extending above 300 leagues, is ftudded with a multitude of fmall iflands, affording habitation to fishermen and pilots, and pafture to a few cattle. They form an infinite number of narrow channels, and a natural barrier of rocks, which render Norway inacceffible to the naval power of its enemies. The fhore is generally bold, fteep, and impending; so that close to the rocks the depth of the fea amounts to 100, 200, or 300 fathoms. The perils of the north fea are more over increased by fudden ftorms, funk rocks, violent currents, and dreadful whirlpools. The moft remarkable vortex on this coaft is called MOSKOESTROM, or Maelstrom. See MAELSTROM. There are three vortices of the fame kind near the islands of Ferro.

field. On the E. fide of Norway, from the frontiers of Sweden to Filefield, the cold generally fets in about the middle of October with great feverity, and lafts till the middle of April: during which interval the waters are frozen to a very confiderable thickness, and the face of the country is covered with fnow. In 1719, 7500 Swedes, who intended to attack Drontheim, perished in the fnow on the mountain of Ruden or Tydel, which separates Jemptland in Sweden from the diocefe of Drontheim. The cold is ftill more intenfe in that part of Norway called FINMARK, fituated in the frigid zone, near the polar circle. But if the winter is generally cold, the fummer is often exceffively hot, in Norway. The rays of the fun are reverberated from the fides of the mountains, fo as to render the weather clofe and fultry in the valleys: befides, the fun's abfence below the horizon is fo fhort, that the atmosphere and mountains have not time to cool. The heat is fo great, that vegetation is remarkably quick. Barley is fown, grows, ripens, and is reaped, in fix weeks or two months. The longeft day at Bergen confifts of 19 hours; the fun rifing at half an hour after two, and fetting at half an hour after nine. The fhorteft day does not exceed fix hours; the fun rifes at nine A. M. and fets at three P. M. In the depth of winter, therefore, it is for fome weeks invifible; and all the light perceived at noon is a faint glimmering for about an hour and an half, proceeding from the reflection of the fun's rays from the highest mountains. But the inhabitants of these provinces are fupplied with other lights, that enable them to follow their employments in the open air. The sky being generally ferene, the moonshine is remarkably bright, and, being reflected from the mountains, illuminates the valleys. They are alfo affifted by the AURORA BoREALIS, which is very frequent in the northern parts of Europe. The air of Norway is generally pure and falubrious. On the fea-coafts, indeed, it is rendered moift by vapours and exhalations; but in the midland parts of the country, towards the mountains, the climate is fo dry, that meal may be kept for many years without being wormeaten or damaged in the leaft. The inhabitants have no idea of fickness, except what is occafioned by excefs. It is faid, that in the vale of Guldbrand the inhabitants live to fuch extreme old age, that they become weary of life, and caufe themfelves to be removed to a lefs falubrious climate, whereby they may have a chance of dying the fooner. In confumptions, the moist air on the fea-fide is found to be moft agreeable to the lungs in refpiration. Norway, being a mountainous country, interfected by creeks, abounding with lakes, rivers, and fnow, must be subject to frequent rains; and from fudden thaws the inhabitants are fometimes expofed to terrible difafters. Vaft maffes of fnow, falling from precipices, overwhelm men, cattle, boats, houfes, nay, even whole villages. Above 200 years ago, a whole parish was covered and deftroyed by an immenfe mafs of fnow; and feveral domeftic utenfils, as feiffars, knives, and bafons, have been at different times brought to light by a rivulet that runs under the fnow, which has been gradually hardened and in. creafed by repeated frofts and annual acceffious. VOL. XVI. PART 1.

(5.) NORWAY, DIVISIONS OF. This kingdom in general is divided into Northern and Southern.

i. NORWAY, NORTHERN, is a long narrow flip of land, extending as far as Cape North, beyond 71° Lat. N. and bounded on the W. and N. by the Northern Ocean; on the E. by Swedish and Ruffian Lapland; and S. by Sweden. It is divided into NORDLAND and FINMARK. (See these articles.) The latter, called alfo the province of WARDHUYS, extending to the North Cape, and including the islands, is divided into two parts; namely, Finmark and Norwegian Lapland. The chief town, which is very inconfiderable, stands upon the inland WARD, whence the name.

ii. NORWAY, PROPER, or is bounded on the ii. NORWAY, SOUTHERN, SNE. by Sweden; on the S. and W. by the Northern Ocean. It is divided into four provinces or governments, viz. Aggerhuys or Chriftiania, Chriftianfand, Bergen. huys, and Drontheim. That of BAHUS, a narrow tract, 90 miles long, on the coaft of the Categate, is now fubject to Sweden. The province of AGGERHUYS comprehends the SE. part of Norway, extending in length about 300 miles. Its chief towns are Chriftiania, the fee of a bishop fuffragan to the metropolitan fee of Drontheim, where the fovereign court of juftice is held, in prefence of the vic.roy and the governor of the

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province; Aggerhuys, about 15 miles SW. of Chriftiania; Frederickshall or Frederickstadt, in the fiege of which Charles XII. of Sweden loft his life; Saltzberg, Tonfberg, Alleen, Hammar, and Hollen. The province of BERGENHUYS lies in the moft foutherly and wefterly part of Norway, including the city (fee BERGEN, N° 1.), and Staffhanger, fituated in the bay of Buckenfior, about 80 miles S. of Bergen. The province of Drontheim, or Trontheim, extends about 500 miles along the coaft, and is but thinly peopled. The chief town, Drontheim, feated on a gulf at the mouth of the Nider, is the only metropolitan fee in Norway. (See DRONTHEIM, N° 1.) Leetftrand, Stronden, Scoerdale, Opdal, Romfdael, and Solendael, are alfo places of fome trade. The N. divifion of Drontheim, called the fub-government of SALTEN, contains the towns of Melanger and Scheen.

(6.) NORWAY, GENERAL HISTORY OF. Alftedius fays, that the kingdom of Norway was founded by Gotho, in the year 800, and that it was firft united with that of Denmark, under one monarch, by the great Margaret, daughter of Waldemar III. (See DENMARK, 6; and MARGARET, N° 4.) He does not, however, give us any feries of its monarchs during that period; fome of whom are mentioned in his hiftories of the other northern kingdoms, particularly SCOTLAND and SWEDEN. "Our firft certain knowledge of the inhabitants of this country (fays Pennant) was from the defolation they brought on the fouthern nations by their piratical invafions. Their country had before that period the name of NORTMANNSLAND, and the inhabitants NORMANS; a title which included other adjacent people. Great Britain and Ireland were ravaged by them in 845; and they continued their invafions till they (and the Danes) effected the conqueft of England, under their leaders Olaus and Canute the Great." (See ENGLAND, § 16.) "They went up the Seine as far as Paris, burnt the town, and forced its weak monarch to purchase their abfence at the price of 14,000 marks. They plundered Spain, and at length carried their excurfions through the Mediterranean to Italy, and even into Sicily. They used narrow veffels, like their ancestors the Sitones; and, befides oars, added the improvement of two fails; and victualled them with falted provifions, bifcuit, cheese, and beer. Their fhips were at firft fmall; but in after times they were Large enough to hold 100 or 120 men. But the multitude of veffels was amazing. The fleet of Harold Blaatand confifted of 700:-100,000 of thefe favages have at once failed from Scandinavia, fo justly styled Officina gentium, aut certè velut vagina nationum. Probably neceffity, more than ambition, caufed them to discharge their country of its exuberant numbers. Multitudes were deftroyed; but multitudes remained, and peopled more favourable climates. Their king, Olaus, was a convert to Chriftianity in 994: Bernard, an Englishman, had the honour of baptizing him, when Olaus happened to touch at one of the Scilly iflands. He plundered with great fpirit during feveral years; and in 1006 received the crown of martyrdom from his pagan fubjects. But religious zeal firft gave the rest of Europe a knowledge of

their country and the sweets of its commerceThe Hanfe towns poured in their missionaries, and reaped a temporary harveft. By the year 1204, the merchants obtained from the wife prince Sueno every encouragement to commerce; and thus introduced wealth and civilization into his barren kingdom. England by every method cherished the advantages refulting from an intercourse with Norway, and Bergen was the emporium. Henry III. in 1217, entered into a league with its monarch Haquin; by which both princes ftipulated for free accefs for their fubjects into their refpective kingdoms, free trade, and fecurity to their perfons. In 1269, Henry entered into another treaty with Magnus, in which it was agreed, that no goods fhould be exported from either kingdom except they had been paid for; and there is, befides, a humane provifion on both fides, for the fecurity of the perfons and effects of the subjects who fhould fuffer fhipwreck on their several coafts." Ard. Zool. By the union of Calmar, the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark were united under one monarch; and then the people of both nations enjoyed confiderable privileges: but the Danish government foon became abfolute; and Norway was ruled defpotically by a viceroy, who refided in the capital, and prefided in the fupreme court, to which appeals were made from fubordinate courts of judicature. A great change has, however, taken place, fince the present prince of Denmark had part of the government.

(7.) NORWAY, HOUSES, CHURCHES, &C. F. The churches, public edifices, and many private houses in Norway, are built of ftone; but the people in general live in wooden houses, made of the trunks of fir and pine-tree laid upon each other, and joined by mortifes at the corners. These are counted more dry, warm, and healthy, than ftone or brick buildings. In the whole diocefe of Bergen, one hardly fees a farm-house with a chimney or window: they are generally lighted by a fquare hole in the top of the house, which lets in the light, and lets out the smoke. In fummer this hole is left quite open: in the winter, it is covered with what they call a fan; that is, the membranes of fome animal, ftretched upon a wooden frame that fits the hole, and tranfmits the rays of light. It is fixed or removed with a long. pole occafionally. Every person who enters the house, upon business or courtship, takes hold of the pole, according to ancient cuftom. The ceiling is about 8 feet high in the middle; and, being arched like a cupola, the smoke of the fire underneath rolls about, until it finds a vent from the hole, which is called liur. Under this opening ftands a thick table with benches, and a high feat at the upper end for the mafter of the family: he has likewise a small cupboard for his own ufe, in which he locks up his moft valuable effects. The boards of the roof are coated with the bark of birch, which is counted incorruptible; this again is covered with turf, which yields a good crop of grafs for goats and theep, and is often mowed as hay by the farmer.

(8.) NORWAY, INHABITANTS AND MANNER OF LIVING IN. Many Danish, English, Scotch, Dutch, and German families have now fettled in Norway, and indeed form no inconfiderable part

of

of the trading people: but the original inhabitants are the defcendants of thofe ferocious NORMANS who harraffed almoft all the coafts of Europe with piratical armaments in the 8th, 9th, and roth centuries. The inhabitants now fpeak the fame language that is used in Denmark, though their original tongue is the dialect now fpoken in Iceland. They profess the Lutheran religion, under an archbishop established at Drontheim, with four fuffragans; viz. of Bergen, Staffanger, Hammer, and Chriftiania. The Norwegians are generally well-formed, tall, sturdy, and robuft, brave, hardy, honeft, hospitable, and ingenious; yet favage, rash, quarrelfome, and litigious. Their women are well-shaped, tall, comely, remarkably fair, and obliging. The nobility of Norway have been chiefly removed by the kings of Denmark, to prevent faction and oppofition to the court; others are degenerated into the rank of peasants: fome families, however, have been lately raifed to that dignity. Every freeholder in Norway enjoys the right of primogeniture and power of redemption; and it is very ufual to fee a peafant inhabiting the fame houfe which has been poffeffed 400 years by his ancestors. The odels gads, or freehold, cannot be alienated by fale or otherwife from the right heir, called odels-mand: if he is not able to redeem the eftate, he declares his incapacity every 10th year at the feffion; and if he or his heirs to the third generation fhould acquire wealth enough for that purpose, the poffeffor pro tempore must refign his poffeffion. The moun taineers acquire furprising ftrength and dexterity, by temperance, cold, laborious exercife, climbing rocks, skating on the fnow, and handling arms, which they carry from their youth to defend themfelves against the wild beafts of the foreft. Those who dwell in the maritime parts of Norway exercise the employments of fishing and navigation and become very expert mariners. The peasants of Norway are free, well lodged, fpirited, active, frank, open, and undaunted, and have a great resemblance to thofe of Switzerland. With out being infolent, they are never fawning, yet pay proper respect. "Their principal mode of falute," (fays Mr Coxe)" is by offering their hand; and when we gave or paid them any trifle, inftead of returning thanks by words or by a bow, fhook our hand with great cordiality." They are their own hatters, fhoemakers, tailors, tanners, weavers, carpenters, fmiths, and joiners: they are even expert at fhip-building; and fome of them make excellent violins. But their general turn is for carving in wood, which they execute in a furprising manner with a common knife of their own forging. They are taught in their youth to wrestle, ride, fwim, fkate, climb, fhoot, and forge iron. Their amufements confift in making verfes, blowing the horn, or playing upon a kind of guitar, and the violin: this laft mufic they perform even at funerals. The Norwegians have evinced their valour and fidelity in a thousand different inftances. The country was always diftracted by inteftine quarrels, which raged from generation to generation. Even the farmers ftand upon the punctilio, and challenge one another to fingle coinbat with their knives. On fuch occafions they hook themselves together by

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their belts, and fight until one of them is killed or mortally wounded. At weddings and public feafts they drink to intoxication, quarrel, fight, and murder generally enfues. The common people are likewife paflionate, ambitious of glory and independence, and vain of their pedigree. The nobility and merchants of Norway fare fumptuously; but the peafant lives with the utmost temperance and frugality, except at feftivals: his common bread is oatmeal cakes, like those used in this country. In time of fcarcity, they boil, dry, and grind the bark of the fir-tree into a kind of flour which they mix with oat-meal: the bark of the elm-tree is ufed in the fame manner. In thofe parts where a fishery is carried on, they Of knead the roes of cods with their oat-ineal. thefe laft, mixed with barley-meal, they make hafty-pudding and foup, enriched with a pickled herring or falted mackarel. Fresh fish they have in plenty on the fea-coaft. They hunt and eat groufe, partridges, hares, red-deer, and rein-deer. They kill cows, theep, and goats, for their winter ftock: these they pickle, or fmoke, or dry for ufe. They make cheese of their milk; and a liquor called fyre of their four whey: this they commonly drink mixed with water; but they provide a ftore of strong ale for Christmas, weddings, christenings, and other entertainments. their temperance and exercise, joined to the purity of the air, they enjoy good health, and often attain to a furprising degree of longevity. No. thing is more common than to fee a hearty Norwegian turned of 100. Nevertheless the Norwegians are fubject to various difeafes; such as the fcab, leprofy, fcurvy, catarrh, rheumatism, gout, and epilepfy. The drefs of the Norway peafants confifts of a wide loofe jacket made of coarse cloth, with waistcoast and breeches of the fame. Their heads are covered with flapped hats, or caps ornamented with ribbons. They wear fhoes without outer foles, and in the winter lea thern buskins. They have likewife fnow-fhoes and long skates, with which they travel at a great pace, either on the land or ice. A corps of fol diers thus accoutered can out-march the fwiftest . horfes. The Norwegian peafant never wears a neckcloth, except on extraordinary, occafions: he opens his neck and breaft, and lets the snow beat into his bofom. His body is girt round with a broad leathern belt, adorned with brais plates, from which depends a brafs chain that futains a large knife, gimlet, and other tackie. The women are dreffed in clofe-laced jackets, having leathern girdles decorated with ornaments of filver. They likewife wear filver chains round their necks, to the ends of which are fixed gilt medals. Their caps and handkerchiefs are almoft covered with fmall plates of filver, brafs, and tin, large rings, and buttons. A maiden bride appears with her hair plaited, and, together with her cloaths, hung full of fuch jingling trinkets.

(9.) NORWAY, LAKES AND CATARACTS OF. Norway abounds with fresh water lakes; the principal are, Ryfvand in Nordland, Snaafen, Selboe, the Greater and Leffer Mines, Slirevand. Sperdille, Rand, Veftn, Saren, Modum, Lund, Norfoe, Huidfoe, Farifvand, and Oeyevand: all thefe are well flocked with fish, and navigable for

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