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APPENDIX. A. 
ficulty in furnishing from her numerous ports in 
Norway* as well as from Copenhagen, but since 
the breaking out of the present unfortunate war 
between this country and Great Britain, the naval 
superiority of the latter has rendered all commu¬ 
nication between the former and her colonies most 
precarious, and the wretched Icelanders have ex¬ 
perienced the greatest difficulty in procuring even 
the poor supplies necessary for their bare subsist¬ 
ence. Sensible of the miserable and defenceless 
state of this island, it has therefore been the ge¬ 
nerous wish of the British government that it should 
be suffered to remain in a state of virtual neutrality, 
and they have of late gone much farther, and even 
granted licenses to protect vessels belonging to the 
Danes employed in the conveyance of provisions 
and other articles of necessity, and to permit Eng¬ 
lish ships to carry similar cargoes thither. u An 
“ humane interest,” to use the words of Count 
Tramp, “ has been shown by the English in the 
cc fate of the inhabitants, for which they will ever 
“ with gratitude remember the exalted philan- 
“ thropist, Sir Joseph Banks, who on this occa- 
u sion undertook to advocate their cause.” 
As yet, however, no commercial communication 
had taken place between the English and Ice¬ 
landers, and it unfortunately happened that the 
first visit they were destined to receive from our 
