' "TRAVELS IN ICELAND. 



119 



shore of which forms a part of the northern quarter. Their 

 observations on this quarter are the result of the different journics 

 specified. 



The northern quarter is generally reckoned as one-third of Ice- 

 land : but this it cannot be in point of extent; for if in the western 

 quarter we comprise the inhabited mountains, this alone would 

 be almost as considerable in size as one-third of the island, while 

 the eastern quarter would be rather larger. In respect to culture, 

 it is certain that the northern part is of far greater importance 

 than, any of the rest, as well as the next in point of population 

 to the southern; nevertheless, the number of inhabitants in 

 the northern portion does not form one-third of the population 

 of Iceland. The site of this quarter is very flue ; and agreeably 

 intersected by gulphs, vallies, promontories, and little defiles 

 that run between the mountains: and there are several isles 

 along the coast, some of which are very fertile, but others do 

 not afford herbage sufficient for the cattle they contain. There is 

 an isle called Flatoe, which lies a little to the eastward of the 

 point of Giogre, and is very important as a fishery. In the year 

 it contained four farms, or habitations of peasantry, all of 

 which were destroyed by an earthquake. The fish at this and 

 three other isles near the port of Husevig are so abundant, that 

 the inhabitants make an annual trade of them: they Jive, how- 

 ever, themselves principally upon sea-fowl, which are very nume- 

 rous ; particularly the Larus albus extremitatibus alarum nigris, 

 and the large Peterell. This latter bird contains in its intestines so 

 great a quantity- of oil* that it ejects it, when irritated, . from its 

 body. Hence, when the inhabitants catch it, they take the pre- 

 caution of tying its Xwo extremities with a packthread, to prevent 

 the oil coming out. They prepare this bird for their winter 

 food, by half-salting and drying it : they eat its fat with cod-fish 

 in lieu of butter; while its feathers, particularly those that come 

 from the belly, are so oily that they serve for kindling a fire,, and 

 thus occasion a disgusting stench. 



DISRUPTION OF MOUNTAINS. 



These events often cause very terrible misfortunes in the can- 

 tons to the east of the gulf of Skagefiorden, and in that of Nor- 

 deraadal; but the inhabitants of Vatsdal in particular have suf- 

 fered much from those shocking disasters, the last of which 

 occurred in 1720. A dreadful fall took place in 1545, which 

 annihilated the farm of Skidestad, and buried thirteen persons; 

 the torrents of water which were precipitated from the fractured 

 mountain carried off a great portion of the meadow ground be- 

 longing to the farm, and conveyed it a considerable distance to the 

 eastward. It is doubtless impossible to give directions for guard- 



