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638 VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND.
juftice be required of me, that ¥ fhould willingly communicate to others the informa-
tions I have‘been able to procure ; and it would give me peculiar pleafure if they en-
abled me fatisfactorily to anfwer thofe queftions which you kindly propofed-to me.
Iceland is juftly reckoned amongit the largeft iflands in the known world. It is
fixty miles in length, and its breadth exceeds forty Swedifh miles *.
‘The moft ufeful among many maps of this country is that which has been made by
Mefirs. Erickffen and Schoonning in the year 1771, though it might be further im-
roved.
Beffeftedr, in the fouthern part of the ifland, not far from Hafnefiord, lies, according
to Horrebow’s account of Iceland, in 64 degrees 6 minutes of north latitude, and in
41 degrees of longitude, from the meridian of Stockholm; {fo that it is almoft in the
latitude of Hernéfand ft.
The country does not afford a pleafing profpect to the eye of the traveller, though
it prefents him with objects worthy of attention in many refpeéts: for befides innu-
merable ridges of mountains that crofs it in feveral directions, and fome of which, on
account of their height, are covered with continual ice and fnow, you only fee barren
fields between them, entirely deftitute of wood, and covered with lava for the fpace of
many miles. This is certainly as incapable of giving the eye pleafure, as it is unfit for
any other ufe. On the other fide, however, it caufes the greateft furprize in the at-
tentive {pectator, to fee fo many fpeaking proofs of the dreadful effects of volcanoes.
Though the coafts are better inhabited, the inland parts of the country do not lie
wafte and neglected ; and one finds every where, fometimes clofe together, and fome-
times at greater diftances, farms with fome land belonging to them, which generally
confifts of meadow-land, and fometimes of hills thick fpread with low fhrubs and
bufhes, and which they honour with the appellation of Woods.
In the whole ifland there are no towns, nor even villages; nothing but fingle farms
are to be feen, fome of which, however confift of feveral dwelling-houfes, deftined for
the owner of the farm and his tenants, (id /eygumann) who procure from the proprietor
a hovfe and pafture for as many cows, horfes, and fheep as they choofe to agree for.
On the eftates of fome peafants who are better circumftanced, there are even fometimes
dwellings for labourers (wu/man) who work for daily hire. All thefe farms belong
either to the king, the church, or the peafants themfelves {. I will mark the price of
two of thefe farms, which were fold a httle before our arrival, that you may judge of
their value. The one farm, whereon ten cows, ten horfes, and four hundred fheep
might be kept, was fold for one hundred and twenty rix-dollars; and the other, which
had fufficient pafture for twelve cows, eighteen heads of young cattle, above a year
old, that had not yet calved (ungnot), eight oxen, fourteen horfes, and three hundred
fheep, for one hundred and fixty dollars.
In fome few places they have {mall fenced {pots near their houfes, in which they cul-
tivate cabbage, parfley, {pinach, turnips, patientia, potatoes, and fome other roots and
vegetables, together with flax and hemp. Fruit trees are looked for in vain, whichis
not to be wondered at, fince ftorms and hurricanesare here very frequent. Thefe have
given rife to the name of (Wedrakijia) Storm-coaft, which has been given to fome
places in Iceland.
* About 360 Britifh fea miles in length, and about 240 in breadth. + A town in Sweden.
} In order to fhew at once in what proportion the farms are diftr buted between the king, the ehurch,
and the farmers, I will here annex an abftract taken from the Icelandic Villarium, or Land-book of the year
1695, which came into my poffeffion.
II ABa
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