BORGAFIORD. 231 
• V V ** • 
idea of its form. Von Troil notices another mu- 
sical instrument, called Fidla, which has two 
strings of horsehair, and is played in a similar 
manner with a bow. This, I was never fortunate 
enough to see, nor did 1 ever meet with the Sym- 
phon mentioned by the same author, and I have 
every reason to believe that they no longer exist; 
the increasing poverty of the country having, pro¬ 
bably, been the means of preventing the Icelanders 
from enjoying the little happiness that they for¬ 
merly derived from these and various other sources 
of innocent amusement, which we read of as hav¬ 
ing been common among them. At about three 
o’clock we sat down to an excellent dinner of 
roasted meats, which were eaten with preserved 
cherries and a mess of the Rwnex Acetosa , with 
the addition of waffels, good Norway biscuit, 
rum, and claret. Even in the Tatsroed’s house 
the custom of the ladies of the family waiting 
at table is religiously observed; and, mortifying 
as it was to me as a stranger, I was compelled, 
during the time of meals, to accept of the 
attendance of the lady of the highest rank 
in the island and her handsome daughter, 
both of whom performed their part with the 
greatest good-nature imaginable. It was in vain 
that I remonstrated against this relic of bar¬ 
barous times, intreating it might be dispensed 
with during my stay: such a request could not 
