100 
LETTEES FEOM HIGH LATITUDES. 
“ whips” immediately called for a division; and the 
Christian religion was adopted by a large majority. 
The first Christian nfissionaries who came to Iceland 
seem to have had a rather peculiar manner of en¬ 
forcing the truths of the Gospel. Their leader was 
a person of the name of Thangbrand. Like the 
Protestant clergymen Queen Elizabeth despatched to 
convert Ireland, he was bundled over to Iceland 
principally because he was too disreputable to be allowed 
to live in Norway The old Chronicler gives a very 
quaint description of him. “ Thangbrand,” he says, 
u was a passionate, ungovernable person, and a great 
man-slayer; but a good scholar, and clever. Thorvald, 
and Veterlid the Scald, composed a lampoon against 
him; but he killed them both outright. Thangbrand 
was two years in Iceland, and was the death of 
three men before he left it.” 
From the Althing we strolled over to the Almanna 
Gja, visiting the Pool of Execution on our way. As 
I have already mentioned, a river from the plateau 
above leaps over the precipice into the bottom of the 
Gja, and flows for a certain distance between its 
walls. At the foot of the fall the waters linger for 
