viii CONTENTS. 



Strokkr. Crystal Pools. The Almannagja. The Surts-hellir. Beautiful Ice-cave. The Gotba 

 Foss. The Detti Foss. Climate. Vegetation. Cattle. Barbarous Mode of Sheep-sheering. 

 Reindeer. Polar Bears. Birds. The Eider-duck. Videy. Vigr. The Wild Swan. The Ra- 

 ven. The Jerfalcon. The Giant auk, or Geirfugl. Fish. Fishing Season. The White Shark. 

 Mineral Kingdom. Sulphur. Peat. Drift-wood Page 68 



CHAPTER VI. 



HISTORY OF ICELAND. 



Discovery of the Island by Naddodr in 861. Gardar. Floki of the Ravens. Ingolfr and Leif. Ulfliot 

 the Lawgiver. The Althing. Thhigvalla. Introduction of Christianity into the Island. Fred- 

 erick the Saxon and Thorwold the Traveller. Thangbrand. Golden Age of Icelandic Literature. 

 Snorri Sturleson. The Island submits to Hakon, King of Norway, in 1254. Long Series of Ca- 

 lamities. Great Eruption of the Skapta Jokul in 1783. Commercial Monopoly. Better Times in 

 Prospect 89 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE ICELANDERS. 



Skalholt. Reykjavik. The Fair. The Peasant and the Merchant. A Clergyman in his Cups. Hay- 

 making. The Icelander's Hut. Churches. Poverty of the Clergy. Jon Thorlaksen. The Semi- 

 nary of Reykjavik. Beneficial Influence of the Clergy. Home Education. The Icelander's Winter's 

 Evening. Taste for Literature. The Language. The Public Library at Reykjavik. The Icelandic 

 Literary Society. Icelandic Newspapers. Longevity. Leprosy. Travelling in Iceland. Fording 

 the Rivers. Crossing of the Skeidara by Mr. Holland. A Night's Bivouac 98 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE \VESTMAN ISLANDS. 



The Westmans. Their extreme Difficulty of Access. How they became peopled. Heimaey. 

 Kaufstathir and Ofanleyte. Sheep-hoisting. Egg-gathering. Dreadful Mortality among the 

 Children. The Ginklofi. Gentleman John. The Algerine Pirates. Dreadful Sufferings of the 

 Islanders 114 



CHAPTER IX. 



FROM DRONTHEIM TO THE NORTH CAPE. 



Mild Climate of the Norwegian Coast. Its Causes. The Norwegian Peasant. Norwegian Constitution. 

 Romantic coast Scenery. Drontheim. Greiffenfeld Holme and Viire. The Sea-eagle. The Herring- 

 fisheries. The Lofoten Islands. The Cod-fisheries. Wretched Condition of the Fishermen. Tromso. 

 Altenfiord. The Copper Mines. Hammerfest the most northern Town in the World. The North 

 Cape ; 120 



CHAPTER X. 



SPITZBERGEN BEAR ISLAND JAN MEYEN. 



The west Coast of Spitzbergen. Ascension of a Mountain by Dr. Scoresby. His Excursion along the 

 Coast. A stranded Whale. Magdalena Bay. Multitudes of Sea-birds. Animal Life. Midnight 

 Silence. Glaciers. A dangerous Neighborhood. Interior Plateau. Flora of Spitzbergen. Its 

 Similarity with that of the Alps above the Snow-line. Reindeer. The hyperborean Ptarmigan. 

 Fishes. Coal. Drift-wood. Discovery of Spitzbergen by Barentz, Heemskerk, and Ryp. Brilliant 

 Period of .the Whale-fishery. Coffins. Ei^ht English Sailors winter in Spitzbergen, 1630. Melan- 

 choly Deatli of some Dutch Volunteers. Russian Hunters. Their Mode of wintering in Spitzber- 

 gen. Scharostin. Walrus-ships from Hammerfest and Tromso. Bear or Cherie Island. Bennet. 

 Enormous Slaughter of Walruses. Mildness of its Climate. Mount Misery. Adventurous Boat- 

 voyage of some Norwegian Sailors. Jan Meyen. Beerenberg 131 



CHAPTER XL 



NO VA ZEMBLA. 



The Sea of Kara. Loschkin. Rosmysslow. Liitke. Krotow. Pachtussow. Sails along the east- 

 ern Coast of the Southern Island to Matoschkin Schar. His second Voyage and Death. Meteoro- 



