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KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NoRTH. 453
have their houfes portioned out in the manner above mentioned, but without pannelling,
glaffes, or gaudy furniture. The rooms, the bed-chambers, or even the parlours ap-
propriated to the reception of {trangers, are rarely floored : a table, fome chefts or ward-
robes, and a ftove, thefe complete the furniture of the moft eafy ; the poor and the
fifhermen have only a wretched cabin, half under ground, the lower part of which is occu-
pied by cattle, and the upper part feparated only by a few ftraggling planks, ferves for
the refidence of the mafters, their children, and fervants: for the reft, all the houfes
are covered with turf. Neverthelefs in towns, fuch as Hoolum and Skallholt, the houfes
of the bifhops and mayors are built of brick, ftone, and wood, and are covered with
planks ; but they are very expenfive, fince almoft all the materials are brought from
Copenhagen. <A heap of houfes fcattered at diftance is called a town with them.
The Icelanders are not fo vicious as Mr. Anderfon relates, nor fo virtuous by much
as M. Horrebow afferts them: they are good-natured, mild, humane; but lazy, mif-
truftful, and drunkards. The factors of the Danifh company, who have warehoufes
on different parts of the coafts, give them brandy in exchange for dry fifh, wool, and
other merchandize of the country ; and this trade furnifhes the inhabitants with the
means ofinebriation. They did not appear to me to be courageous: I have however
been informed that there are Icelanders among the troops of the King of Denmark :
they are good failors for coafting. ‘The Dutch, who attend the fifhery, frequently en-
tice them to ferve on board their veflels. They are judicious, fond of the arts and
{ciences, play much at chefs, and are greatly attached to the game. Many of them
whom I met with fpeak Latin: numbers of them go to ftudy at Copenhagen, and with
fuccefs. There are as well colleges at Skallholt and Hoolum, to which the Icelanders
fend their children, who moft of them make progrefs in liberal knowledge.
In the year 1000 they were plunged in the darknefs of idolatry. They paid divine
worfhip to Jupiter, under the name of Thor, and to Mercury, under the title of Odin:
thefe were their only divinities. The Catholic religion was fome time after eftablifhed,
but in fucceeding times banifhed by Chriftian III. of Denmark : at prefent they are Lu-
therans of the church of Augfbourg. This doctrine was not eftablifhed among them
without bloodfhed. A Catholic bifhop, of the ftricteft virtue, at the head of a powerful
party, refifted the progrefs of error; he maintained himfelf for a long time; but became
the victim of his zeal, it cofting him his life.
The Icelanders trade with a company of Copenhagen, which has an exclufive privi-
lege, the price of a certain confideration paid to the king. This company, which I have
before mentioned, eftablifhes factors or directors in every part, who have warehoufes
full of goods, which in courfe of the year they fell to the inhabitants. This continual
and daily fale does not hinder a great confumption every year at the arrival of every
veffel in either of their ports. The articles of exportation confit of dry fith, falt mutton,
falt beef, butter, fifh oil, tallow, wool in the greafe, wadmel, fine and coarfe jackets,
woollen ftockings and gloves, fheep and foxes’ {kins, fulphur, feathers, and edder-down.
The articles of importation confift of all forts of iron ware, dry bread, beer, brandy,
ftuffs, flour, fifhing-tackle, planks, carpentery, tobacco, and horfe-fhoes. The Icelanders
barter the productions of their country again{t whatever they need. Money is fcarcely
known among them. All fales, all contracts, in one word, all bufinefs is negociated for
fifth, and with fuch every thing is paid for according to valuation: an ell of pig-tail to-
bacco is the price of a fifh. ‘Uhus fifh and tobacco may be confidered as the money of
the ifland.
The government of Iceland remains to be mentioned. This ifland is divided in four
parts, or provinces, the northern, the eaftern, the fouthern, and the weitern, governed
VOL. I. 5D by
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