Press enter after choosing selection

A Tour Through Iceland

A Tour Through Iceland image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
September
Year
1863
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

An amateur artiut, Mr. Sabine Baring Gould, has just published in London a sketchy narrativa oí a tot.r through Iceland, which covers sorae r:ew ground and gives a fresh account of scènes described by other travelers : " ïhe general aspect of Iccland is oné of utter desolation. The mountains are destituía of herbage, and the valleys are ñlled wilu cold mornsses. - Giass springs on the shght elcvaiions aboye the swatnpe, in the de lis and around the lakes. By drainage alarge percentage oí' marsh might be reelaimeá ; but some must alvvays remain hopeless bog. The extraordinary amountof swamp is due to theíact thatthe grouadi fiozen ut the depth of 6 ór 8 leet, so that vvhen there is a thaw the vallevs aro all flooded, and the water, unable to drain through, rots the soil. In many places a stream is thus cornpletely absorbed, and a considerable tract of land impassable, where the labor of a few wetks would give it a channel and transmuto rnarsh into produclive meadovv land. Many buttoins are filled with an amnzing depth of rich soil, the wear of vuleanio rock, abounding in the constituenls necesary íor vegetable life. Yet the ignorance of agnculture prevailing n the island has deterred any from turning Úu-m to advantage, by draining off the iey water whih uips aod destroys the tender grass, ready enough to spring. Besides these ftwaraps, there are are stone bogs on all high land, cautsed by the breaking up of the tufa rocks, through the united action of frost and snow ; a bedot solt mud and stone is thus forroed, which is pariiciilarly trying to the horses, who sink in t lo their knees, and out their hoots with the rocky splinters." An European waterfal!, which it is said no European had vïsïted before our traveler, is Dettifoss, of which the lol lowiog striking sketch is given : " Jn some of o'.d Earth's convulsions thecrustof rock has been rent, and a frightful lissure fcjrmed in the basalt about two hundred fect deep, with the sides cohminar and perpendicular. The gash terminutcs abruptly at ao acute angle, and at this spot the great river rolls in. The bottorn of the abyss is invisible from the point at which I am standing, and I have to move a couple of hundred ot yards down the edge before I can see to the bottom of the gulf and make a sketch. The wreaths of water sweeping down, the frenzy of thecoufined streams where they meet, snouling into each other from eithur side at the apex of an angle , ho wild rebound when they strike a head of rock, lürching out h:ilf way down ; the fitiul gleam of battling torrents obtained tiirough a veil of sddying vapor; Ihe Geyser spouts, which blow up about seventy feet fiom holes whence basaltic columns have been shotby the force of the descending water; the blusa of spray which rush upward and burst into fierce showers on the brink, feeding rilla vvhicb plungo over the odiie as snon .s they are born ; the white writhing vortex below, with now and then an ice-green wave tearing through the foam, to lash against the walls; the thunder and bellowini; of the water, which inakes the water shud der under foot, are all stamped on ny mind with a vividness which it will talfe years to effaee. The Almanugia. is nolliing to this chasm ; and Schaiïhausen, after all Turner's efforts to give it dignitv, is dwarfed Dettifoss. My sketch gVves but a poor idea of the falls, the majesty of whiah it is bevond human skill to portray." A fresh view of Icelandic life is given in the loliowing account of A MA11IUAGK FBAST, " 1 made tnyself as tidy as circumalances would pormit, and then entered the guest room, which was thronged witirpeople. Tlie middle .L tlie chainbor was oecupied by a long table cüvertid with entables nnd drinkables.- These consieted of ship's bisouit, which can only be btoken by a hammer or a stone, "oakes of flour nnd sugv.v, with corn pan-cakes, cnld boiled ducks' eggs, ana boltles oí carn brandy. A bowl of curd was bronght in fo'r Grimar and me, and we made a hearty supper off it, the bisciiït, and the eggs. I had now an opportunity ol fseeing the festiva Ioelandic female eosUime. This consists of a black cloth skirt, white sleeves, a green or blauk velvet bod ice, worked over with pilver flnvvpvs in the most beautiful and tastefnl rnanner, and lastonei) in front by a silver bodkin, which laces the sides togetber by passing through uilver rings with tinkling bülls and flowers of the eaHH me tal attached to them. On the head is worn a tull white cap, tastened to tbe huir by p!ns vvith beauLü ully wrought sil ver gilt heads. This cap is, howev'er, set aside in Ule evenintr, for the more convenient, coquultirtb black skull cap with long silk tss?e.l, wliieh is in com mon use. The h:tir ot Ieelandic ludies hang to Ihe shoulder and U tberi cnt nfï. . Kound tlie r.eck ís worn :i snall black or colored hundkevchicf, ñed in a bow. I liad brought some brooches with me to Iceland ns presents, but these I found were quite useless, íih tho ludies never wear Auwls or kercniéls folded over their bíx-'.wns which could be fiistened by a brooch. I leavned. to my rt'gret, tliat 1 v:s late for the feligious portioii oí the wedding; bow. ever, I was in time for al! tha ennvivinl ities. These lasled ti 1 1 2 or 3 in tlie morning, and consisted in ftinging and eating." - -- ■ A scone in a cottage displays the inqaisiuve ï:abi',s„ol' the. üí);imjíu. í'olks of Iceland. A scène in an IcelanJic farm. bouse is thue d&3cribed:. A FARM HOUSE SCÈNE. " The old man received us very kindly. Il was raorning, and he, with bis vife and servant, were ali-eady up, bnsk as bees, and ready lor a long talk. I was tired out and longed for bed, bur, hardly liked to get in before theon, yet Qrinia'r hod just begun the Giimsey story and that with all his grievances, would last an hour at least. 1 fairly feil asleep with ray head on the table, and was roused by Grirnar, who recomraended me to go to bad. ' But,' said I, 'these good peoplo are in the room.' ' Oh, don't mind us!' 6aid the pnui-t. 'Pray go to bed!' said his wife. ' Do let me pull your breecheh ofl !' volunteered the inaid. I startcd up at the proposal, fully roused, and with a-flyingleap, buried myself under the fenther bed, then pulled off cost and waistcoat, and then curled myseff up. ' Don't English people undres? themselves more than that whcn they go to rest?' asked the priost, who had been walehing me gravely. ' He has got his breeches on,' said the wile, 'I'll pull them off if he likos,' chimed m the inaid will) alacrity. ' Never, never !' 1 cried in desperation. 'Grimar, save me !' Poor Ebenezer Henderson. the Bible Society Delégate! the Icelanders still have a good laugh over his dismay, when n'rst the ladies of the house in sisted on dismantling his legs. This was aecording to etiquette in his time, though now happily falling into disuse. In his book he tt-lls the story of his wild struggle to reserve his nether garments, but he neglecta to mention the compromiso which waê ' effected, he cdiling himself up in the coverlet and letting the ladies pull at the strap buttons. Henderson was a very good fellow, buthe had no notion of a joke, and he only mentions the incident to found on it moral and pious reflections. Among themselvas it is still a common praetice f-r the women to peel the men after thuir day's work, but the Icelanders have learned that strangers do not particularly relish this sort of at tention, and they now seldom offer it."

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus