ITS HISTOEY AND INHABITANTS. 11. 



63 



Eeykjavik. Denmark proi^osed to extend her Constitution to 

 Iceland, which was to send six members of Parliament to 

 Copenhagen. But a Committee, under the leadership of Jon 

 JSigurdsson, declared that as Iceland, by the Treaty of Union 

 in 12(j2, entered of her own free will into union with the Crown, 

 en certain conditions, slie claimed, not provincial independence 

 as proposed by Denmark, but a sovereign status, taxation, a 

 High Court, Ministers in Iceland responsible to the Altliing ; in 

 short, personal union. The Constituent Assembly was dissolved 

 or dispersed with threats of military interference. This 

 Constitutional struggle went on under the leadership of Jon 

 Sigurdsson, equally eminent as historian, antiquarian and 

 politician until the King of Denmark came to Iceland in 1874 

 with a Constitution which was a compromise. From 1874-1900 

 more than 50 Bills passed by the Althing were vetoed at 

 Copenhagen, where the Danish Minister of Justice was 

 simultaneously Minister for Iceland. At last, in 1902, a new 

 Liberal Government at Copenhagen conceded all the demands 

 of Iceland. An Icelandic Minister for Iceland now resides at 

 Eeykjavik, solely responsible to the Althing. The King can 

 only veto a Bill on his advice. 



Thus the geographical isolation of Iceland, instead of 

 relegating her to oblivion, has given her an opportunity to play 

 a part on the stage of history as an asylum for the old 

 institutions, faith and customs of the Teutonic race. With the 

 language of the tenth century unaltered, it is to-day a living- 

 Pompeii where the northern races can read their past. 



Discussion. 



The Secretary. — I may just observe that this is the second 

 valuable paper that Dr. Stefansson has contributed to the Society 

 on the institutions present and past of Iceland.* Being a native 

 of that remarkable country himself, and being qualified by his 

 learning and investigations, perhaps better than any other living 

 man, to deal with the subject, he has given this Institute the 

 advantage of his knowledge in both these papers. Possibly it may 



* The former paper is entitled "Iceland ; its History and Inhabitants," 

 Trans. Vict. Inst., vol. xxxiv, p. 1G4 (1902). 



