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VON TROIL’s LETTERS ON ICELAND. 677
to abound ; but this is out of my power: all the information I can give you amounts
to no more than that the country is fo deftitute of them, that it isin vain to go in fearch
of any antiquities deferving the leaft notice. ‘There are however fome ruins of an old
caftle near Videdal, which was formerly about two hundred perches in circumference :
the remains on the north fide are about twenty fathoms in height, though they are very
low towards the fouth. Near the parfonage Skaggeftad, at Laugernas, are likewife
fome ruins of a lefler caftle, but it is not known by whom, or when it was built. In
other places are remains of heathen temples, viz. at Midfiord, Godale, Vidvik, and
others: at Hegranas is a kind of ancient place of execution; there are alfo feveral
burying-places from the times of paganifm, among which I fhall only mention Thorleif
Jarlafkalds, fituate on a fmall ifland in the Oxaraa. Some old fwords and helmets have
likewife been found, but they have not cleared up any part of hiftory. On the heaths
of Thingmans and Threkyllis are two great ftones ftanding upright, which moft pro-
bably have been erected as monuments to the memory of fome deceafed perfons, ac-
cording to Odin’s regulation. This cuftom, which was long prattifed in the north,
has from thence been brought to Iceland; though it was not ufual in Sweden till a long
time after to put any infcription on the monument. I have been told, that fome years
ago forty {mall figures of brafs were found in the ground near Flatey, reprefenting ani-
mals and other objects ; but unfortunately they fell into the hands of people who did
not know their value, confequently they have been all loft.
There are no other monuments remaining of Sturlefon, befides his writings, but a
mount over-grown with grafs at Reikholt, which is faid to have been raifed from the
ruins of his houfe ; Stu/unga Reitur, the burying-place of his family ; and ata little dif-
tance from them, Snorra Laug, one of the fineft baths in Iceland. This bath, which is
large enough to contain fifty perfons at one time, is mured in with a wall of bafalt, and
concreto thermarum ; it has a fmooth level bottom, and is furrounded with benches.
In Sturlefon’s time a long covered paflage led from thence to the dwelling-houfe, fo
that the bathers retire from the bath without being expofed to the cold. The fpring is
at forty paces diftance, and is called Scrib/a, and the water from it is conveyed to the
bath through a conduit .made of ftones. At the end of this conduit is a hole in a rock,
which is fhut with a fpigot and faucet, and through which you let in as much warm
water as you think fit ; this, when too hot, may eafily be cooled by water from an ad-
joining brook.
Thefe are almoft the only ancient monuments Iceland affords, and all, as you will
readily allow, are of very little importance. ‘There are no ancient manufcripts, Ice-
landic fagas, or hiftorical traditions or accounts, to be met with, the ifland having been
entirely {tripped of them, owing to the zeal and induftry of the antiquarians and others,
who formerly reforted in numbers to this country, for the fole end of collecting
them.
The honour of having firft begun to collect them belongs to Sweden : the firft who
undertook it was Jonas Rugman, who went to Iceland in 1661, at the expence of the
court of Sweden, where he obtained a number of manufcripts, which laid the foundation
for the colleCtion of Icelandic original records, that are contained in the Swedifh archives
of antiquities. Encouraged by his example, Thormundr Thorvifon likewife went to
Iceland, furnifhed with an order from King Frederick III., of the twenty-feventh of
May 1662, to the bifhops Bryniolf, Svenffon, and Gifle Thorlakfon, to affift him in
collecting Icelandic manufcripts.
After the eftablifhment of the college, it was propofed to fend Peter Salan to Iceland ;
but this did not take place, though they gained their point fome time after, in 1680, by
means
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