XLIV 
Woops LONG 
LOST. 
Dairt-wood. 
Wy) Cit Wo Ey aa Nee 
happen in aclimate where luxury might pamper and corrupt the inhabitants. Ta 
1261, wearied with their diffenfions, they voluntarily re-united themfelves to 
their mother-country, Norway, under the reign of its monarch Haguin. It is re-. 
markable, that the poetic genius of their aboriginal country flousifhed with equal 
fublimity in every climate. The Scadds, or bards, retained their fire in the inhof- 
pitable climate of Iceland, as vigoroufly as when they attended on their chieftains 
to the mild air of Spain, or Sicily, and {ung their valiant deeds. 
Every thing which furnifhed topics to the pocts of other countries, was, in the 
moft remote period, wanting here. Groves, verdant meadows, purling ftreams, 
and gentle zephyrs, were totally unknown and in their ftead, ftunted fhrubs, a 
thin herbage, rude torrents, and fierce gales, reign in every part. We admit the 
apology of the learned Torfaus for the prefent ftate of his country*. Violent 
tempefts might cover whole tracts with the unftable fand, eruptions of water from 
the mountains defolate fome parts, earthquakes bury vaft extents of fertile land: 
with fragments of rocks, and inundations of the fea change the face of others. 
But foft fcenery was not requifite to infpire poets who were to fing only the pre- 
parations for warlike exploits, the flaughter of a battle, the deeds of their heroes, 
and the magic folemnities of fuperftitions. 
The ifland, at prefent, exhibits to the traveller amazing flopes of lava, which. 
once {treamed from the vulcanoes, and terminated in the fea. Such is the appear- 
ance, about three miles from Hafnaifoird, in lat. 64. 4. of vaft maffes of lava piled. 
toa montanous height upon each other, broken, vitrified, fharp, rude, and black, 
In parts, fandy traéts intervene: in others, a foil pe¢uliar to the place, a tufa, 
originated from the violent eruptions of impure water which rufh from the moun- 
tains, attendant on the fiery eruptions. Vallies compofed of a very thin foil, afford 
grafs for a numerous breed of cattle and fheep. Here is found variety of fpecies of 
the beft grafles ; of the aira, paa, fefluca, and carex. Part is harvefted againft winter ; 
but not in fuch plenty, but that the farmer is obliged often to feed his ftock with 
the wolf-fith, or the heads of cod-fifh beaten fmall, and mixed with a quarter part 
of hay. To what food will not neceflity compel both man and beaft to recur! 
The woods of Iceland have long fince yanifhed, unlefs we except a few ftunted 
birch, fcarcely ten feet high, and four inches in diameter ; and a few {fpecies of 
willow, fo fmall and fo rare as fcarcely to be of ufe to the inhabitants. But they, 
are abundantly fupplied with drift-wood from Europe and America, as appears by 
the fpecies found on the fhores, efpecially on all the northern coaft, as Langane/s on 
the north-eaft, and Horn/randt on the north-weft. That woods were found here 
* Hifl. Norweg. i, 12». 
in 
