moment the earth is loosened from its icy fetters and the bound
streams regain their wonted activity. The balance of happiness with
respect to climate may be more equal than I at first imagined; for
the inhabitants describe with warmth the pleasures of a winter at
the thoughts of which I shudder. Not only their parties of pleasure
but of business are reserved for this season, when they travel with
astonishing rapidity the most direct way, skimming over hedge and
ditch.

On entering Moss I was struck by the animation which seemed to
result from industry. The richest of the inhabitants keep shops,
resembling in their manners and even the arrangement of their houses
the tradespeople of Yorkshire; with an air of more independence, or
rather consequence, from feeling themselves the first people in the
place. I had not time to see the iron-works, belonging to Mr.
Anker, of Christiania, a man of fortune and enterprise; and I was
not very anxious to see them after having viewed those at Laurvig.

Here I met with an intelligent literary man, who was anxious to
gather information from me relative to the past and present
situation of France. The newspapers printed at Copenhagen, as well
as those in England, give the most exaggerated accounts of their
atrocities and distresses, but the former without any apparent
comments or inferences. Still the Norwegians, though more connected
with the English, speaking their language and copying their manners,
wish well to the Republican cause, and follow with the most lively
interest the successes of the French arms. So determined were they,
in fact, to excuse everything, disgracing the struggle of freedom,
by admitting the tyrant's plea, necessity, that I could hardly
persuade them that Robespierre was a monster.