84 REPORT — 1853. 



the German. It is characterized by the absence of aspirates and gutturals, and thus 

 possesses a softer sound and pronunciation. 



This dialect of the Scandinavian remained unchanged, whilst that of the Danes 

 having altered much, it could no longer be termed Donsk Tunga, ' Danish tongue,' as 

 the language which prevailed throughout the North and in Iceland was at first called. 

 It then came under the appellation of Norraena Tunga, the ' Northern tongue,' or 

 Norse, that afterwards designated more especially the Norwegian dialect. The 

 latter continued the same for a long time, while that of Sweden soon altered. In 

 the ninth century the Norwegian colonists took into Iceland their language, where 

 it continued in its purity for ages. But the ancient dialect in Norway at length ex- 

 perienced a great alteration in consequence of the union of the country with Denmark, 

 and thus Norwegian and Danish soon assimilated and became the same. 



Consequently, the original Norwegian, which still continued to be used in Ice- 

 land, obtained a new and more fit title, viz. Islenzka Tunga, the ' Icelandic tongue.' 

 Indeed, this identical language is now so little altered, that the lower class of Ice- 

 landers still read and understand the Sagas and ancient Eddaic poems. 



The author said, " want of time forbade him from adding any particulars con- 

 cerning the structure or grammatical peculiarities of the Islenzka Tunga : " he there- 

 fore concluded by giving some examples of Icelandic words, for the purpose of show- 

 ing how similar they are to the corresponding vulgar words still spoken by our com- 

 mon people in this part of the north of England. These had most likely been in- 

 troduced by the Nordmenn— or Northmen of Scandinavia under the general term 

 of Danes — when they spoke the same original Norwegian as the Icelanders do, during 

 their invasions in the ninth and tenth centuries of this portion of Northumbria. 



According to Adelung (Mithridates, vol. ii. p. 305), Von Troil, in his 'Letters 

 from Iceland,' has reckoned four principal dialects (hauptmundarten) of the Ice- 

 landic. These, however, the author apprehended, only present very slight differences, 

 except in the sea-ports where many Danish words are used, inasmuch as the same 

 pronunciation prevails throughout the island, and is found to be, even among the 

 lower class, nearly identical. 



Mr. Hogg illustrated his observations by pointing out the localities mentioned 

 on two recent and beautiful maps of Iceland from the collection of Icelandic maps in 

 the possession of the Royal Geographical Society of London. These are entitled 

 "Uppdrattr Islands," and were executed under the direction of Mr. O. N. Olsea 

 from the measurements of Mr. Bjorn Gunnlaugsson, Professor of Mathematics at 

 the College of Bessastadt in Iceland. They were published in 1844 and IS49 by the 

 Islenzka Bokmentafelag, or Icelandic Literary Society at Copenhagen. 



Notes on a Journey to the Balkan, or Mount Hccmus, from Constantinople. 

 By Lieut. Gen. Jochmus. Drawn up and communicated by John 

 Hogg, M.A., F.R.S., L.S., R.G.S. ^c, For. Sec. R.S.L. 



Previous to the reading of this communication, Mr. Hogg stated, that the author 

 is Lieut." General Jochmus, a native of Hamburg, long an officer in the army of the 

 Sultan, and afterwards Minister for Foreign Affairs of the administrator of the Ger- 

 manic Empire. It describes a journey to the Balkan from Constantinople, which was 

 undertaken in October 1847; but the notes were written in that capital in January 

 1848. Time did not allow of the full reading of this valuable communication, and 

 therefore Mr. J. Hogg was only able to submit to the Section certain passages from 

 the "Notes" themselves, but he gave a preliminary sketch of the route pursued by 

 the author, and of the principal objects of his journey. 



Many defiles and passes of the noble Balkan range, the Mount Hsemus of anti- 

 quity, so named, probably, from at/xof, a wooded district, and now called in Turkish 

 Emineh Dagh, which rises to about 6000 feet above the sea, were correctly described, 

 particularly that portion which extends from Burgas on the Black Sea to Tirnova, 

 the capital of Bulgaria ; also along the coast of that sea to Varna, the former Odes- 

 sus, and thence through the territory of the ancient Triballians to Silistria (Duro- 

 sterum) on the right bank of the Danube. 



The General was enabled to determine some portions of the Balkan which were 

 either before uncertain, or altogether unknown, and likewise to correct in several 

 places the great Austrian staff map. Indeed, be has shown that there are no less 

 than thirteen practicable defiles, besides many cross-roads, between the pass of Ke- 



