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VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND. Gar
wood, and two forts of red-wood, which are called rauda grene and ftaffalejk in Iceland,
and on account of their colour and hardnefs are employed in various kinds of neat work.
It comes moft probably from the northern parts of ‘Tartary, and partly from Virginia
and Carolina. As to what relates to agriculture, it may be difcovered by many paflages
of the ancient Icelandic accounts, that corn formerly grew in Iceland. In later times
feveral trials have been made with it, but they have béen attended with little fuc-
cels.
Governor Thodal fowed a little barley in 1772, which grew very. brifkly ; but a fhort
time before it was to be reaped, a violent ftorm fo utterly deftroyed it, that only a few
grains were found f{cattered about.
If we confider, befides thefe ftrong winds, or rather hurricanes, the frofts which
frequently fet in during May and June, we fhall difcover a number of difficulties which
check the rife and growth of agriculture in Iceland. If, notwith{tanding thefe obftacles,
it can ever Be brought to a thriving condition, it muft certainly be under the prefent in-
defatigable governor, who has the welfare of the country much at heart, and, in con-
junction with the government, ftudies every poflible means to promote it,
I confider thefe violent winds, and the Greenland floating ice, which every year docs
great damage to the country, as the chief caufe of the diminution of the growth of wood,
as well as of the ill fuccefs in the late attempts for introducing agriculture.
This ice comes on by degrees, always with an eafterly wind, and frequently in fuch
quantities, as to fill up all the gulphs on the north-welt fide of the ifland, and even covers
the fea as far as the eye can reach ; it alfo fometimes drives to other fhores. It gene-
rally comes in January, and goes away in March. Sometimes it only reaches the land
in April, and, remaining there a long time, does an incredible deal of mifchief. It con-
fifts partly of mountains of ice (fiall-jakar) which are fometimes fixty fathoms high
above water, and announce their arrival by a great noife, and partly of field ice (hellu-is)
of the depth of one or even two fathoms, Of this laft fome parts foon melt, and other
‘parts remain undiflolved many months, often producing very dangerous effects to the
country *.
The ice caufed fo violent a cold in 1753 and 1754, that horfes and fheep dropped
down dead on account of it, as well as for want of food ; horfes were obferved to feed
upon dead cattle, and the fheep eat of each other’s wool. In the year 1755, towards
the end of the month of May, in one night the ice was one inch and five lines thick. In
the year 1756, on the twenty-fixth of June, fnow fell to the depth of a yard, and conti-
nued falling through the whole months of July and Auguft. In the year following it
froze very hard towards the end of May and the beginning of June in the fouth part of
the ifland, which occafioned a great f{carcity of grafs, infomuch that the inhabitants had
© The immenfe mafles of ice, which are fo dreadful, affecting the climate of the country along the north-
ern and north-weft coaft of Iceland, arrive commonly with a N. W. or N. N. W. wind from Greenland.
Field-ice is of two or three fathoms thicknefs, and is feparated by the winds, and lefs dreaded than the rock
or mountain-ice, which is often feen fifty and more feet above water, and is at leaft nine times the fame
height below water. Thefe immenfe maffes of ice are frequently left in fhoal water, fixed, as it were, to
the ground, and in that ftate remain many months, nay years, undiffolved, chilling all the ambient part of
the atmofphere for many miles round. When many fuch lofty and bulky ice-maffes are floating tegether,
the wood which is often drifting along between them, is fo much chafed, and preffed with fuch violence to-
gether, that it takes fire; which circumftance has occafioned fabulous accounts of the ice betag in fames =
of the bulk of fuch ice maffes, fee Forfter’s Obfervations made during a voyage round the world, page 69,
1773 and 1774.
Vols Ye A 4N litte
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