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658 VON TROIL’S LETTERS ON ICELAND.
forts of good wine; and a French cook prepared for us fome favoury difhes, and ex.
cellent puddings.
However, as we wifhed to try every thing, we prevailed upon the phyfician Biarne
Paulfen, who had invited us to dinner, to entertain us after the Icelandic manner. We
did not forget the good Swedifh cuftom of taking a glafs of brandy before dinner,
which was here genuine; we had only once Danifh diftifled corn-brandy, which was
ferved up with bifcuit, cheefe, and four butter. In the middle of the table was placed a
difh with dried fifh cut fmall; the other difhes were a piece of good roaft mutton,
broth with /yra, and a difh of falmon-trouts, &c. &c. We eat with a very good appe-
tite; butthe four butter and dried fifh were not often applied to: on the whole, we eat
a greater quantity of bread than the Icclanders generally do.
So elegant an entertainment could not be without a defert ; and for this purpofe
fome flefh of whale and fhark (haf kal) was ferved. ‘This is either boiled or dried in
the air, looks very much like rufty bacon, and had fo difagreeable a tafte, that the
fmall quantity we took of it, drove us from the table long before our intention. Moft
probably you already thank me for my entertainment, and are happy to fee the end of
my letter.
LETTER X.—To CHEVALIER IHRE.
Of the Employment of the Icelanders, and their Chronology.
Stockholm, Sept. 6, 1774.
Tue Icelanders principally attend to fifhing, and the care of their cattle.
On the coafts the men employ their time in fifhing, both fummer and winter; on
their return home, when they have drawn and cleaned their fifh, they give them to
their wives, whofe care it is todry them. In the winter, when the inclemency of the
weather prevents them from fifhing, they are obliged to take care of their cattle, and
fpin wool. In fummer they mow the grafs, dig turf, provide fuel, go in fearch of
fheep and goats that were gone aftray, and kill cattle. They likewife full their wadmal,
or coarfe cloth; for which purpofe they make ufe of urine, which they alfo employ in
wafhing and bucking, inftead of foap and pot-afhes. ‘The men likewife prepare leather,
for which they ufe maid-urt ({piraca ulmaria) inftead of birch-rind. Some few work
in gold and filver, and others are inftruéted in mechanics, in which they are tolerable
proficients.
As a proof of this, I need only mention a fledge which a peafant contrived fome
years ago in the form ofa fhip with fails, and large enough to contain four or five per-
fons, that would fail in the winter feafon, in an even country. Unluckily two of his
fons, in failing home from church, overturned, and broke the whole carriage to
pieces.
On the welt fide of the country they make veffels of floating wood, large enough to
contain from three to twelve tons, and make their charge according to the fize of the
veflel, from four to fix dollars.
The women prepare the fith, take care of the cattle, manage the milk and the wool,
few, fpin, and gather eggs and down. When they work in the evening, they ufe, in-
ftead of an hour-glafs, a lamp, with a wick made of fva (epilobium) dipt in train-oil
which is fo contrived as to burn four, fix, or eight hours, Ki F
Their:
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