viii 



CONTENTS. 



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

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

 Reindeer.— Polar Bears.— Birds.— The Eider-duck.— Videy.—Vi-r.— 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 Vr. 



HISTORY OF ICELAND. 



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

 the Lawgiver. — The Althing. — Thiuji;vailii. — Introduction of Christianity into the Island. — Fred- 

 erick the Saxon and Tliorwold the Traveller. — Tliangbrand. — 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 Jckul iu 1783. — Commercial Monopoly. — Better Times in 

 Prospect 89 



CHAPTER VIL 



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.— Beneticial Influence of the Clergy. — Home Education. — The Icelander's Winter's 

 Fivening. — 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 VIH. 



THE WESTMAN 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 , 11^ 



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 Vare. — The Sea-f agle. — 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 Wliale.— Magdalena Bay.— Multitudes of Sea-birds.— Animal Life.— Midnight 

 Silence. — GLiciers.— 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. — ^lelan- 

 choly Death 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 XI. 



NOVA 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- 



