Of the Ice Islands and Climate.

.7

fants. Children are brought up without severity; they stand in need of no chastisement, for they run about as quietly as lambs, and fall into few extravagances; the nearer they arrive to years of understanding, and the more employment they are engaged in, the more tractable they are. Instances of ingratitude from grown-up children towards their aged and helpless parents, are very rarely to be met with.

As soon as the boy can make use of his hands and feet, his father furnishes him with a little bow and arrow, and exercises him in shooting at a target, in throwing stones at a mark by the sea-side, or else he gives him a knife to carve play-things, by which he becomes fit for the future business of life.

Towards his tenth year the father provides him with a kaiak to practise rowing, oversetting, and rising again, fishing, and fowling. When he is fifteen he must go out with his father to catch seals, and the first he takes is consecrated to the purposes of festivity for the family and neighbours. During the repast the young champion relates his achievement, and in what manner he performed it; from this day the females begin to think of finding him a bride. But the youth who is unable to catch seals is held in the greatest contempt, and is obliged to subsist on woman's diet. At the age of twenty years he must make his own kaiak and tools, and fully equip himself for his profession; soon after this he marries, and dwells with his parents as long as they live, his mother always retaining the management of the house

Of the Ice Islands, and Climate.

ICE ISLANDS is a name given by sailors to a great quantity of ice collected into one huge mass, and floating about upon the seas near or within the polar circles. Many of these are to be met with on the coasts of Spitzbergen, to the great danger of the shipping employed in the Greenland fishery. In the midst of these tremendous masses, navigators have been arrested in their career, and frozen to death.

The forms assumed by the ice in this chilling climate, are extremely pleasing to the most incurious eye. The surface of that which is congealed from the sea-water is flat and even hard, opaque, resembling white sugar, and incapable of being slid on. The greater pieces or fields, are many leagues in length: the lesser are called the meadows of the seals, on which, at times, those animals frolic by hundreds. The motion of the lesser pieces is as rapid as the currents: the greater, which are sometimes two hundred leagues long, and sixty or eighty broad, move slowly and majestically. The approximation of two great fields produces a most singular phenomenon: they force smaller pieces out of the water, and add them to their own surface, till at length the whole forms an aggregate of tremendous height. They float in the sea like so many rugged mountains, and are sometimes five or six hundred yards thick, the far greater part of which is concealed beneath the water. Those which remain in this frozen climate receive continual growth; others are gradually wafted into southern latitudes, and melt by degrees by the heat of the sun, till they waste away, and disappear in the boundless ele

ment.

The collision of the great fields of ice in high latitudes, is often attended with a noise, that for a time takes away the sense of hearing any thing else; and that of the lesser, with a grinding of unspeaka

18

Persons and Minners of the Icelanders.

ble horror. The water which dashes against the mountainous ice, freezes into an infinite variety of forms, and gives the voyager ideal towns, streets, churches, steeples, and every shape which imagination can paint.

Besides the fields of ice, there are icebergs, or large bodies of ice, that fill the vallies between the high mountains in northern latitudes. Among the most remarkable are those near the coast of Spitzbergen They are seven in number, at considerable distances from each other. each fills the vallies for tracts unknown, in a region totally inacces sible in the internal parts. The last exhibits a front three hundred feet high, emulating the emerald in colour; cataracts of melted snow precipitate down various parts, and black spiring mountains, streak ed with white, bound the sides, and rise crag above crag, as far as the eye can reach in the back-ground, At times, immense fragments break off, and tumble into the water with a most alarming crash. Similar icebergs are frequent in all the arctic regions, and they often have singular and majestic forms, Masses have been assuming the shape of a Gothic church, with arched windows and doors, and all the rich drapery of that style, composed, apparently, of crystal, of the richest sapphirine blue; tables with one or more feet; immense flat-roofed temples, like those of Luxor on the Nile, supported by round transparent columns of cerulean hue, float by the astonished spectator.

In the more northerly parts, the sun never sets for several weeks together, during the months of June and July; which is of great advantage to the inhabitants, who, in their short summer, can shoot and fish at all hours; and also to the sailors, who would otherwise run a great hazard from the floating ice.

The sun never rises there for the same length of time in the depth of winter, during which period there is a moderate twilight, arising from the reflection of the sun's rays on the tops of the hills. Besides, the nights here are never so dark as they are in more southerly countries; for, 1st, the ice and snow with which the earth is covered, reflect all the light which proceeds from the moon and stars; 2d, at this season the moon never descends below the horizon for several days together; and 3d, the northern lights are much more powerful and brilliant there than they are in our climates.

ICELAND.

Iceland, a large island in the northern Atlantic ocean belonging to Denmark, is situated between 63° and 67° N. latitude, and between 12° and 25° W. longitude. Its length from east to west is about 280 miles, its mean breadth from north to south 210, and its superficial contents may be estimated at 40,000 square miles. The population is estimated at 48,000.

Persons and Manners of the Icelanders.

THE Icelanders differ much in their persons from those who have already been described; they are middle-sized, and well made, though not very strong. Both men and women make a disagreeable appearance, and have swarthy complexions. The men wear no beards, though some families on the north side of the island still have

Dress and Habitations of the Icelanders.

19

them. About half a century ago, two brothers dividing between themselves, the inheritance left by their fathers, the one gave his brother four rix-dollars for the exclusive right of wearing a beard; which right, in their family, was the sole prerogative of their late father.

The Icelanders are an honest, well-intentioned people, moderately industrious, faithful, and obliging. Theft is seldom heard of among them. Though their poverty prevent them from performing many acts of benevolence, yet they are much inclined to hospitality; and exercise it as far as they are able, They cheerfully give away the little they have to spare, and express the utmost joy and satisfaction, if the receiver be pleased with the gift. When they wish to appear particularly affectionate, they kiss one another; this they do to the husband and wife, the mother and daughter. They have an inexpressible attachment for their own country, and are no where else so happy.

Dress and Habitations of the Icelanders.

THE Icelanders of modern times have made very few alteration: in their dress. It is neither elegant nor ornamental; but neat cleanly, and suited to the climate. The men wear a linen shirt next to the skin, with a short jacket, and wide pair of trowsers over it. When they travel they wear another short coat. The whole is made of black cloth; only the inhabitants of the north wear white clothes. On the head they wear a large three-cornered hat, and on their feet worsted stockings and Icelandic shoes.

The women are likewise dressed in black: they wear a bodice over their shifts, which are sewed up at the bosom; and over this a jacket laced before, with long narrow sleeves reaching down to the wrists. In the opening on the side of the sleeve they have chased buttons, with a plate fixed to each, on which the bridegroom, when he buys them, in order to present to his bride, takes care to have his name and her's engraved. At the top of the jacket a little black collar is fixed, of about three inches broad, made of velvet or silk, and frequently trimmed with gold cord. The petticoat reaches to the ancles, and at the top of this is a girdle of silver, or some other metal, to which they fasten the apron, which is also ornamented with chased buttons. They have also an upper dress, which is wider and shorter, adorned with facings which look like velvet, but are manu factured by the Icelandic women. On their fingers they wear many gold, silver, or brass rings. The head-dress serves more for warmth than ornament; this, girls are not allowed to put on before they are marriageable.

At their wedding they are adorned in a very particular manner: the bride wears close to her face, round her head-dress, a crown of silver gilt. She has two chains round her neck, one of which hangs down very low before, and the other rests on her shoulders. Besides these she has a smaller chain on the neck, from which a heart generally hangs, that may be opened to receive balsam or some other kind of perfume.

The houses of the Icelanders are different in different parts of the country; those on the north side of the island make a tolerable appearance; but in the other parts, the inhabitants live mostly in huts or caverns hewn out of the rock.

The Iceland beds are of eider down. To a stranger, says Sir G. S. Mackenzie, crawling under a huge feather bed seems rather alarm

20

The Sulphur Mountain.

ing. But though very bulky, the down of the eider duck is very · light; and a bed which swells to the thickness of two or three feet, weighs no more than four or five pounds. At first, the sensations produced by this light covering were very agreeable; but the down being one of the very worst conductors of heat, the accumulation soon became oppressive; and at length, we were under the necessity of getting rid of the upper bed, to escape the proofs of the good qualities of the eider down, which we now experienced to an intolerable degree.

Of the Climate of Iceland.

In winter the cold is not very severe, the thermometer being rarely more than eight or ten degrees below the freezing point. The greatest cold is in January, February, and March. In April and May the easterly winds are very piercing, and of long continuance; and they frequently weaken and injure the cattle, so as to prove fatal to them. The heat of summer is subject to great variations: at the end of June, the thermometer has, in the day, been 70°, and at night below the freezing point. It is said that the slightest change in the wind is sufficient to produce a variation in the heat. Between the highest and lowest altitudes of the barometer, there are never two inches. It rarely thunders, and never scarcely but in the winter season. Scarcely a night passes without an aurora borealis, of in numerable colours, which make a most brilliant appearance.

The Sulphur Mountain.

AT the foot of the mountain is a small bank composed chiefly of white clay, and some sulphur, from all parts of which steam issues. Ascending it, says Sir G. S. Mackenzie, we got upon a ridge immediately above a deep hollow, from which a profusion of vapour arose, and heard a confused noise of boiling and splashing, joined to the roaring of steam escaping from narrow crevices in the rock. This hollow, together with the whole side of the mountain opposite, as far up as we could see, was covered with sulphur and clay, chiefly of a white or yellowish colour. Walking over this soft and steaming surface we found to be very hazardous; and we were frequently very uneasy when the vapour concealed us from each other. The day, however, being dry and warm, the surface was not so slippery as to occasion much risk of our falling. The chance of the crust of sulphur breaking, or the clay sinking with us, was great; and we were several times in danger of being much scalded. Mr. Bright ran at one time great hazard, and suffered considerable pain from accidentally plunging one of his legs into the hot clay. From whatever spot the sulphur is removed steam instantly escapes; and in many places, the sulphur was so hot that we could scarcely handle it. From the smell we perceived that the steam was mixed with a small quantity of sulphurated dydrogen gas. When the thermometer was sunk a few inches into the clay, it rose generally to within a few degrees of the boiling point. By stepping cautiously, and avoiding every little hole from which steam issued, we soon discovered how far we might venture. Our good fortune however ought not to tempt any person to examine this wonderful place without being provided with two boards, with which every part of the banks may be traversed in perfect safety. At the bottom of this hollow, we found a cauldron of boiling mud, about fifteen feet in diameter, similar to that on the top of the mountain, which we had seen the evening before; but

Hot Springs at Tunga-Hver

21

this boiled with much more vehemence. We went within a few yards of it, the wind happening to be remarkably favourable for viewing every part of this singular scene. The mud was in constant agitation, and often thrown up to the height of six or eight feet. Near this spot was an irregular space, filled with water boiling briskly. At the foot of the hill, in a hollow formed by a bank of clay and sulphur, steam rushed with great force and noise, from among the loose fragments of rock."

It is quite beyond our power to offer such a description of this extraordinary place, as to convey adequate ideas of its wonders or its terrors. The sensations of a person, even of firm nerves, standing on a support which feebly sustains him, over an abyss where, literally, fire and brimstone are in dreadful and incessant action; having before his eyes tremendous proofs of what is going on beneath him; enveloped in thick vapours; his ears stunned with thundering noises; must be experienced before they can be understood.

Hot Springs at Reikholt.

THE hot springs in the valley of Reikholt, or Reikiadal, though not the most magnificent, are perhaps the most curious among the numerous phenomena of this sort that are found in Iceland. Some of them, indeed, excite a greater degree of interest than the Geyser, though they possess none of the terrible grandeur of that celebrated fountain, and are well calculated to exercise the ingenuity of natural philosophers. On entering the valley, we saw numerous columns of vapour ascending from different parts of it. The first springs we visited, issued from a number of apertures in a sort of platform of rock, covered by a thin coating of calcareous incrustations. We could not procure any good specimens; but from those we broke off, the rock appeared to be green stone. From several of the apertures the water rose with great force, and was thrown two or three feet into the air. On plunging the thermometer into such of them as we could approach with safety, we found that it stood at 2120.

A little farther up the valley, there is a rock in the middle of the river, about ten feet high, twelve yards long, and six or eight feet in breadth. From the highest part of this rock, a jet of boiling water proceeded with violence. The water was dashed to the height of several feet. Near the middle, and not more than two feet from the edge of the rock, there is a hole about two feet in diameter, full of water, boiling strongly. There is a third hole near the other end of the rock, in which water also boils briskly. At the time we saw these springs, there happened to be less water in the river than usual, and a bank of gravel was left dry a little higher up than the rock From this bank a considerable quantity of boiling water issued.

Hot Springs at Tunga-Hver

ABOUT a mile farther down, at the foot of the valley, is the Tungahver, an assemblage of springs the most extraordinary perhaps in the whole world. A rock (wacke) rises from the bog, about twenty feet, and is about fifty yards in length, the breadth not being considerable. This seems formerly to have been a hillock, one side of which remains covered with grass, while the other has been worn away, or perhaps destroyed at the time when the hot water burst forth. Along the face of the rock are ranged no fewer than sixteen springs, all of