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VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND. 635
place of the famous Sturlefon. We feemed here to be in another world ; inflead of the
fine profpects with which we had fed our eyes, we now only faw the horrid remains of
many devaftations. Imagine to yourfelf a country, which from one end to the other
prefents to your view only barren mountains, whofe fummits are covered with eternal
{now, and between them fields divided by vitrified cliffs, whofe high and fharp points
feem to vie with each other, to deprive you of the fight of a little grafs which fcantily
fprings up among them. ‘The fame dreary rocks likewife conceal the few fcattered
habitations ofthe natives; and no where a {ingle tree appears, which might afford fhelter
to friendfhip and innocence. I fuppofe, Sir, this will not infpire you with any great in-
clination of becoming an inhabitant of Iceland; and indeed at firft fight of fuch a
country one is tempted to believe that it is impoflible it fhould be inhabited by any hu-
man creature, if one did not fee the fea, near the fhores, every where covered with
boats.
Though there is fcarcely any country fo little favoured by nature, and where fhe
appears throughout in fo dreadful a form, yet Iceland contains about fixty thoufand
people, who cannot properly be called unhappy, though they are unacquainted with
what in other places conftitutes happinefs. _ 1 {pent there above fix weeks with the great-
eft pleafure, partly in ftudying one of the moit extraordinary fituations of nature, and
partly in collecting information from the natives, concerning their language, manners,
&c. &c. As to the former, I have treated of it in a letter to profeflor Bergman, which
I doubt not he will communicate to you with pleafure, if you defire it. Ofthe latter |
will here mention fome particulars.
You know, Sir, that Iceland firft began to be cultivated in the eleventh century by <
Norwegian colony, among which were many Swedes. They remained perfectly free
in this corner of the world fora long time ; but were, however, at laft obliged to fub-
mit to the Norwegian kings, and afterwards became fubject, together with Norway, to
the kings of Denmark. ‘They were at firft governed by an admiral, who was fent
thither every year to make the neceflary regulations ; but that mode has been changed
many years, anda governor * appointed, who conftantly refides in the country. ‘This
pott is, at prefent, occupied by Mr. Larr Thodal, who has formerly been Danifh pleni-
potentiary in the commiffion for fettling the limits between Sweden and Norway, and
has fpent feveral years at Stockhoim.
The Icelanders are of a good honeft difpofition ; but they are, at the fame time, fo
ferious and fullen, that I hardly remember to have feen any one of them laugh: they
are by no means fo {trong as might be fuppofed, and much lefs handfome. Their:
chief amufement, in their leifure hours, is to recount to one another the hiftory of for-
mer times; fo that to this day you do not meet with an Icelander who is not well ac-
quainted with the hiftory of his own country: they alfo play at cards.
Their houfes are built of lava, thatched with turf, and fo fmall, that you find
hardly room to turn yourfelf in them. They have no floors; and their windows, in-
ftead of glafs, are compofed of thin membranes of certain animals. They make no
ufe of chimnies, as they never light a fire, except to drefs their victuals, when they
only lay the turf on the ground. You will not therefore think it ftrange, when I in:
form you, that we faw no houfes, except fhops and warehoufes ; and on our journey to
Heckla we were obliged to take up our lodgings in the churches.
Their food principally confifts of dried fifh, four butter, which they confider as a
great dainty, milk mixed with water and whey, and a little meat. They receive fo
* Stiftfamtmann,
4M 2 little,
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