7S 



OLAFSEN AND POVELSEN's 



rude and dishonest people; but at present. a very different idea i* 

 entertained of theui, as they have been much civilized by the good 

 order established amongst them, as well as by their intercourse with 

 the other inhabitants of the island, who, in times of scarcity, have 

 been obliged to quit their habitations, and take refuge on the sea^ 

 coast, to fish for a subsistence. Their houses are here smaller 

 and worse built than in the Borgarfiord, particularly those of 

 the fishermen, which, though spacious, are very filthy; and, in the 

 fishiug season are disgusting to persons who come from any other 

 part, on account of the fetid smell which arises from them : they 

 are covered in with bad turf, and a few of them are thatched. The 

 wretched, manner in which they are built arises entirely from the 

 poverty of the people ; and their unhealthiness is occasioned by 

 the walls, hillocks, &c. which are formed for drying the fish. 



Such people as are notable to procure tubs and other vessels for 

 containing their fish oil, make ditches for this purpose in a com- 

 pact and hard soil ; but these are of little use till the second year; 

 because, in the first, the oil is absorbed by the ground, which thus 

 becomes imperviable to what is afterwards put into the ditch. 

 The people are very careless and dirty in their manner of prepar- 

 ing food: they live chiefly on fish, which they dress while fresh, 

 but have few vegetables, on account of their want of gardens. 

 Their drink is similar to that of the people of the other districts. 



We find ourselves obliged to say something relative to the drink 

 or nourishment of the children: because this subject has given 

 rise to controversies amongst the different authors who have writ- 

 ten on Iceland. The mothers only suckle their children for two 

 or three days after their birth ; and it must not be supposed, that 

 they are then provided with wet nurses. Want alone compels the 

 indigent women, who reside at the fisheries, to give them the breast 

 longer; but this only happens in those parts, where, after suckling 

 for a month, they can procure for them a little cows' milk. In 

 years of scarcity these poor little innocents are to be pitied, 

 because they receive no milk, either of one kind or other. It was, 

 doubtless, in such times, that former travellers saw the unfortunate 

 mothers feeding their children with a little milk and water. We 

 were assured that, in scarce years, the mothers were able to give 

 their children nothing more than warm water, or fish-broth, with 

 a few drops of milk to whiten it, as few had the means of procur- 

 ing flour for making gruel. 



The chief occupation of the people here is, in summer, fishing ; 

 and, in winter, rearing of cattle, in which they adopt the same 

 plan as the inhabitants of Kiosan. In spring the women are 

 forced to attend on the cows and sheep, to weed the meadows, 

 manure the land, &c. ; in summer the men mow the grass ; and, 

 if they live near the sea, alternately employ themselves in fishing, 



