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on an average by 4,072 vessels of about 500,000 tons’ burden,
carrying that flag. Almost half this tonnage went to the British
Isles, chiefly Norwegian vessels carrying timber. The other
European countries were also visited by many Norwegian ships, but the
vessels visiting foreign continents were chiefly Danish. About 43 %
of the total mercantile marine of the Dano-Norwegian monarchy
(Schleswig-Holstein included) in the year 1800, were Norwegian.
In the year 1807, the good times came to an abrupt end, for
in that year the long war with England broke out. In the years
1808 and 1809, 1813 and 1814 there was also war with Sweden.
Commerce and shipping now became very irregular, and many
ships and cargoes were lost. During the years 1810—1812, in
spite of the war, we had brisk commerce and shipping with
England, the so-called «licensed» trade, which, however, did not bring
any lasting advantage; and 1813 and 1814 were very bad business
years. The situation was still more aggravated by the miserable
pecuniary conditions; and the bad crops of 1812, in connection
with the English blockade, caused actual famine.
During these hard times, Norway was greatly reduced financially;
but they served the purpose of developing and consolidating us as a
nation, so that in 1814, when our country was forcibly separated
from its connection with Denmark, and handed over to the Swedish
king, instead of quietly submitting to this, it was able to establish
itself as an independent kingdom with one of the freest
constitutions in Europe; and only as such did it enter upon the union
with Sweden in which the two independent kingdoms of the
Scandinavian peninsula have each, for the last 85 years, at peace
with foreign countries, enjoyed on the whole a happy national
and economic existence.
The first years of our new constitution, however,
economically considered, were very depressed, and it was somewhat long
before our commerce and shipping could again recover strength,
after the protracted war. Our timber-trade in particular gave bad
profits, in some cases even loss, as it was necessary to sell large
stocks on hand at any price. The trade with England was greatly
reduced on account of the exceedingly high duty levied by that
country on timber from all other places than her own colonies.
This circumstance contributed not a little to a decrease in our
shipping, so that the tonnage of the Norwegian mercantile marine
was reduced from 176,000 tons in 1816, to about 130,000 tons in
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