26 
REIKEVIG. 
stood* that this garden is by any means a fair cri¬ 
terion to judge of the progress of vegetation in 
Iceland; for a more sheltered spot and richer soil 
were hardly to be met with. In other gardens* 
and especially out of the town, vegetation was 
extremely languid, and* even in the month of 
August* when the cabbages ought to be in their 
best state, I was in many gardens where a half- 
crown piece would have covered the whole of the 
plant* and where potatoes and turnips came to 
nothing. It must be remarked, however, that 
this was an extremely cold and wet season: in 
finer summers* with care and well sheltered gar¬ 
dens* some of our more hardy vegetables may, 
doubtless* repay the natives for the labor of 
cultivating them *. On the outskirts of the 
town are a few scattered Iceland-built houses; 
* It was not till after my return from Iceland, that I met 
with Horrebow's Natural History of Iceland , where I was 
somewhat surprised to find a chapter on the fruits of the 
earth; containing an account of the vegetables, which may 
be, and which are, produced there, differing extremely from 
what I have above stated. That author begins, by saying, 
“ All kinds of things may be produced, fit for a kitchen- 
<e garden, and brought to proper maturity 3 (and, why not?) 
te for this island is as proper for vegetation as Norway, 
“ having large plains and fields, and a great deal of good 
“ ground.” I believe I need only mention, on the one hand, 
the total want of timber in Iceland, and, on the other, the 
immense forests which are met with in Norway, to convince 
