Chapter 23

[363]There is a plan of Reykjavik, but the size of the scale keeps it in MS. Baring-Gould and others give ground sketches, which are now obsolete.[364]In Icel. Brú is a bridge in our sense of the word; Bryggja is a landing-place as well as a bridge.[365]This hollow sound may be remarked even in the new town of Trieste, where a passing omnibus shakes the substantially-built stone houses. Such soil must be always the most dangerous in case of earthquakes, which are comparatively harmless on the adjacent hill-slopes.[366]The word Völlr (plur. Vellir, and gen. pl. Valla) means a field, and is akin to the German Wald. It often occurs in the plural,e.g., Reyni-vellir (Rowan plains); and “Thing-valla,” the foreign way of writing, is properly Thingvellir.[367]Tómr, empty, is the Scotch “toom.”[368]I particularly remarked the beautiful shell, striped white and brick-red, the Hörpu-diskr,Pecten Islandicus, or Iceland clam. The krákuskel, orMytilus edulis, is eaten by foxes.[369]Native authorities differ as to the depth where frost extends. I heard a maximum of eight feet, even in the lowlands.[370]The word Hjallr, the Færoese Kiadlur, is akin to Hjalli and Hilla (English hill), a shelf or ledge in the mountain-side, and hence a scaffold; the full term for the fish-shed is Fisk-hjallr (Cleasby).[371]Henderson confounds the “Klip-fish” (Danish, Klippe, a rock), which is cleaned, salted, and stacked, with the stock-fish or dry-fish, simply split, washed, sunned, and turned by the women. The latter forms the national staff of life, and is not exported. “Fiskr” in Icelandic is especially applied to cod, trout, and salmon.[372]The Maskat Arabs eat shark-meat, but they never apply the oil to the skin, considering it a caustic; rubbed into ship bottoms, it is supposed to defend the wood from worms.[373]There was one corpse at the Hospital; the death had been caused by delirium tremens.[374]The “boiled shirt” costs12skillings= 3d.Flannel””8”= 2d.Socks and collars”3”= 1½d.Kerchiefs and white ties2”= 1d.You must be pretty careful, however, unless you wish your linen to go the way of all washing in all lands.[375]I was once asked at an English country-house to show how coffee is made in Arabia; the housekeeper’s only remark was, “It is easy to make coffee like Captain Burton if one may use so much!” But the Arab system, though simple as it is scientific, cannot be learnt without long practice.[376]The lich-gate proper in the cemetery is, or rather was, called Sálu-hlið, or souls’ gate.[377]According to Professor J. M. Thiele (Copenhagen, 1832), he was descended on the spindle side—where, by-the-by, almost any descent can be established—from the royal blood of Scandinavia. The family, once settled at Óslandshlíð in Skagafjörð, sank, and his father Gottskálk emigrated to Copenhagen, where he lived by carving figureheads for shipwrights. His mother was a clergyman’s daughter, and he was born November 19, 1770. Finn Magnússon (Antiquitates Americanæ) has also drawn up his pedigree.His first order from his northern home was, according to Thiele, a font which Countess Schimmelmann and her brother Baron Schubarth wished to present to the church of Brahe-Trolleberg in “Funen,” as we write Fyen. It was adorned with four bas-reliefs—the Baptism, the Holy Family, Christ blessing the children, and three angels. After being exhibited and admired at Copenhagen, it was sent to its destination, and a copy, we are told, was offered by the artist to the deserted land of his forefathers, to beplaced in Myklabye church. A note informs us that this font was bought by a northern merchant, whereupon the artist immediately began another in Carrara marble. It is not said whether the third edition actually reached Myklabye church or is the one bought by Lord Caledon—evidently we have found it in the cathedral.The “Patriarch of Bas-reliefs,” as the Italians entitled him (ob. 1844), has been called a “handsome young Dane,” when he was peculiarly Icelandic in body and mind. It was his misfortune to belong to the day of manufacturing sculptors, amongst whom he was the first and no more. But what can the artist expect from such inspiration as Jason, Anacreon and Cupid, Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, can give? The Icelander was pure and simple, free from the Gallicisms of Canova, an improvement upon Sergell the Swede, but cold, lacking life and interest; in fact, an imitator. I would rather in these days settle as an artist amongst the Kru-boys of the west coast of Africa, and attempt negro subjects, than copy the classics.Richard Cleasby, who, by the by, killed himself with Cures, or rather Kurs, had a wide experience of men and manners in Europe, and his criticisms are sometimes sharp, but he left Thorvaldsen “with the impression of having been in the company of a great man.” The peculiar Icelandic traits in his character were an ultra-Yankee ‘cuteness in making a bargain, and a love of money, which led him into that ugly business of Madame d’Uhden. Still he amply deserves the statue for which the Municipal Council of Copenhagen has voted $6000, in honour of the Iceland Millenary.[378]Síra is more commonly, but not so correctly, written Séra, and by foreigners Sjera; and I have heard it pronouncedShera. It is a Romance word, originally Senior, hence Seigneur, Signore, Senhor, Señor, Sir, Sir-r (Richardson), Sirrah, and “Sir-ree.” Icelanders still keep up our fashion of Shakespeare’s day, and apply it to clerks with the Christian name only, as Sir Hugh.Magisterwas the university title of the M.A. in our fifteenth century:Dominus(the Dan of Chaucer and his contemporaries, and the Don of modern Italian priests) was, and still is, the B.A., entered as Sir This or Sir That (the surname) in some of the college registers down to the time of Queen Anne, and, I believe, even in our day. Hence, possibly, the origin of the French Sir Brown and Sir Jones.[379]This author also tells us that Sweden annually produces 38,000,000 of pots of Korn-schnapps, of which 6,000,000 are used for technological purposes.[380]In 1872 no less than 1100 cases of illicit distillation were detected in Ireland, against 21 in England, and 8 in Scotland.[381]The irrepressible statistician of theFigaroassigns annually to England 50,000 deaths by drunkenness, of which 12,000 are women; 40,000 to Germany; 38,000 to the United States; 10,000 to Russia (??); 4000 to Belgium; and 1500 to virtuous France.[382]Bishop Pètursson has a section (No. 3, p. 448, et seq.), “De regiis Islandiæ Satrapis,” amongst whom was a Count Ehrenreich C. L. Moltke. Chap. II. (p. 474) treats “de Finno Johannæo;” and Chap. III. (p. 479) “de Johanne Finnæo.”[383]I made the mistake before leaving England of buying the Biblia published in the German character at Copenhagen in 1747, and found the language old-fashioned. The Oxford edition of the Bible Society, which sells for four marks, is certainly an improvement.[384]Grímr and Grímnir are names of Odin, from his travelling in disguise: grímumaðr is a cowled man, “Mutalassam,” or “face-veiled,” as the Bedawin say.[385]I see by the papers that Father Stub, the Barnabite, on his return to Berghen in Norway, opened a Catholic church, to the great satisfaction of the people.[386]This common name of places in Iceland means Holts, hills; it is the plural of Hóll, but most writers put it in the dative plural, Hólum, as it would stand in composition “í Hólum” at Hólar. Possibly the intention is, despite grammar, to apply Hólum to the bishopric and Hólar to the other sites.[387]The name has been discussed in the Introduction (Section VII.).[388]Moðir is mother; Ammá (evidently a Sanskritic form), grandmother; and Edda is Proavia, or great-grandmother. Of course the derivation is disputed.

[363]There is a plan of Reykjavik, but the size of the scale keeps it in MS. Baring-Gould and others give ground sketches, which are now obsolete.

[364]In Icel. Brú is a bridge in our sense of the word; Bryggja is a landing-place as well as a bridge.

[365]This hollow sound may be remarked even in the new town of Trieste, where a passing omnibus shakes the substantially-built stone houses. Such soil must be always the most dangerous in case of earthquakes, which are comparatively harmless on the adjacent hill-slopes.

[366]The word Völlr (plur. Vellir, and gen. pl. Valla) means a field, and is akin to the German Wald. It often occurs in the plural,e.g., Reyni-vellir (Rowan plains); and “Thing-valla,” the foreign way of writing, is properly Thingvellir.

[367]Tómr, empty, is the Scotch “toom.”

[368]I particularly remarked the beautiful shell, striped white and brick-red, the Hörpu-diskr,Pecten Islandicus, or Iceland clam. The krákuskel, orMytilus edulis, is eaten by foxes.

[369]Native authorities differ as to the depth where frost extends. I heard a maximum of eight feet, even in the lowlands.

[370]The word Hjallr, the Færoese Kiadlur, is akin to Hjalli and Hilla (English hill), a shelf or ledge in the mountain-side, and hence a scaffold; the full term for the fish-shed is Fisk-hjallr (Cleasby).

[371]Henderson confounds the “Klip-fish” (Danish, Klippe, a rock), which is cleaned, salted, and stacked, with the stock-fish or dry-fish, simply split, washed, sunned, and turned by the women. The latter forms the national staff of life, and is not exported. “Fiskr” in Icelandic is especially applied to cod, trout, and salmon.

[372]The Maskat Arabs eat shark-meat, but they never apply the oil to the skin, considering it a caustic; rubbed into ship bottoms, it is supposed to defend the wood from worms.

[373]There was one corpse at the Hospital; the death had been caused by delirium tremens.

[374]The “boiled shirt” costs12skillings= 3d.Flannel””8”= 2d.Socks and collars”3”= 1½d.Kerchiefs and white ties2”= 1d.You must be pretty careful, however, unless you wish your linen to go the way of all washing in all lands.

[374]

You must be pretty careful, however, unless you wish your linen to go the way of all washing in all lands.

[375]I was once asked at an English country-house to show how coffee is made in Arabia; the housekeeper’s only remark was, “It is easy to make coffee like Captain Burton if one may use so much!” But the Arab system, though simple as it is scientific, cannot be learnt without long practice.

[376]The lich-gate proper in the cemetery is, or rather was, called Sálu-hlið, or souls’ gate.

[377]According to Professor J. M. Thiele (Copenhagen, 1832), he was descended on the spindle side—where, by-the-by, almost any descent can be established—from the royal blood of Scandinavia. The family, once settled at Óslandshlíð in Skagafjörð, sank, and his father Gottskálk emigrated to Copenhagen, where he lived by carving figureheads for shipwrights. His mother was a clergyman’s daughter, and he was born November 19, 1770. Finn Magnússon (Antiquitates Americanæ) has also drawn up his pedigree.His first order from his northern home was, according to Thiele, a font which Countess Schimmelmann and her brother Baron Schubarth wished to present to the church of Brahe-Trolleberg in “Funen,” as we write Fyen. It was adorned with four bas-reliefs—the Baptism, the Holy Family, Christ blessing the children, and three angels. After being exhibited and admired at Copenhagen, it was sent to its destination, and a copy, we are told, was offered by the artist to the deserted land of his forefathers, to beplaced in Myklabye church. A note informs us that this font was bought by a northern merchant, whereupon the artist immediately began another in Carrara marble. It is not said whether the third edition actually reached Myklabye church or is the one bought by Lord Caledon—evidently we have found it in the cathedral.The “Patriarch of Bas-reliefs,” as the Italians entitled him (ob. 1844), has been called a “handsome young Dane,” when he was peculiarly Icelandic in body and mind. It was his misfortune to belong to the day of manufacturing sculptors, amongst whom he was the first and no more. But what can the artist expect from such inspiration as Jason, Anacreon and Cupid, Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, can give? The Icelander was pure and simple, free from the Gallicisms of Canova, an improvement upon Sergell the Swede, but cold, lacking life and interest; in fact, an imitator. I would rather in these days settle as an artist amongst the Kru-boys of the west coast of Africa, and attempt negro subjects, than copy the classics.Richard Cleasby, who, by the by, killed himself with Cures, or rather Kurs, had a wide experience of men and manners in Europe, and his criticisms are sometimes sharp, but he left Thorvaldsen “with the impression of having been in the company of a great man.” The peculiar Icelandic traits in his character were an ultra-Yankee ‘cuteness in making a bargain, and a love of money, which led him into that ugly business of Madame d’Uhden. Still he amply deserves the statue for which the Municipal Council of Copenhagen has voted $6000, in honour of the Iceland Millenary.

His first order from his northern home was, according to Thiele, a font which Countess Schimmelmann and her brother Baron Schubarth wished to present to the church of Brahe-Trolleberg in “Funen,” as we write Fyen. It was adorned with four bas-reliefs—the Baptism, the Holy Family, Christ blessing the children, and three angels. After being exhibited and admired at Copenhagen, it was sent to its destination, and a copy, we are told, was offered by the artist to the deserted land of his forefathers, to beplaced in Myklabye church. A note informs us that this font was bought by a northern merchant, whereupon the artist immediately began another in Carrara marble. It is not said whether the third edition actually reached Myklabye church or is the one bought by Lord Caledon—evidently we have found it in the cathedral.

The “Patriarch of Bas-reliefs,” as the Italians entitled him (ob. 1844), has been called a “handsome young Dane,” when he was peculiarly Icelandic in body and mind. It was his misfortune to belong to the day of manufacturing sculptors, amongst whom he was the first and no more. But what can the artist expect from such inspiration as Jason, Anacreon and Cupid, Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, can give? The Icelander was pure and simple, free from the Gallicisms of Canova, an improvement upon Sergell the Swede, but cold, lacking life and interest; in fact, an imitator. I would rather in these days settle as an artist amongst the Kru-boys of the west coast of Africa, and attempt negro subjects, than copy the classics.

Richard Cleasby, who, by the by, killed himself with Cures, or rather Kurs, had a wide experience of men and manners in Europe, and his criticisms are sometimes sharp, but he left Thorvaldsen “with the impression of having been in the company of a great man.” The peculiar Icelandic traits in his character were an ultra-Yankee ‘cuteness in making a bargain, and a love of money, which led him into that ugly business of Madame d’Uhden. Still he amply deserves the statue for which the Municipal Council of Copenhagen has voted $6000, in honour of the Iceland Millenary.

[378]Síra is more commonly, but not so correctly, written Séra, and by foreigners Sjera; and I have heard it pronouncedShera. It is a Romance word, originally Senior, hence Seigneur, Signore, Senhor, Señor, Sir, Sir-r (Richardson), Sirrah, and “Sir-ree.” Icelanders still keep up our fashion of Shakespeare’s day, and apply it to clerks with the Christian name only, as Sir Hugh.Magisterwas the university title of the M.A. in our fifteenth century:Dominus(the Dan of Chaucer and his contemporaries, and the Don of modern Italian priests) was, and still is, the B.A., entered as Sir This or Sir That (the surname) in some of the college registers down to the time of Queen Anne, and, I believe, even in our day. Hence, possibly, the origin of the French Sir Brown and Sir Jones.

[379]This author also tells us that Sweden annually produces 38,000,000 of pots of Korn-schnapps, of which 6,000,000 are used for technological purposes.

[380]In 1872 no less than 1100 cases of illicit distillation were detected in Ireland, against 21 in England, and 8 in Scotland.

[381]The irrepressible statistician of theFigaroassigns annually to England 50,000 deaths by drunkenness, of which 12,000 are women; 40,000 to Germany; 38,000 to the United States; 10,000 to Russia (??); 4000 to Belgium; and 1500 to virtuous France.

[382]Bishop Pètursson has a section (No. 3, p. 448, et seq.), “De regiis Islandiæ Satrapis,” amongst whom was a Count Ehrenreich C. L. Moltke. Chap. II. (p. 474) treats “de Finno Johannæo;” and Chap. III. (p. 479) “de Johanne Finnæo.”

[383]I made the mistake before leaving England of buying the Biblia published in the German character at Copenhagen in 1747, and found the language old-fashioned. The Oxford edition of the Bible Society, which sells for four marks, is certainly an improvement.

[384]Grímr and Grímnir are names of Odin, from his travelling in disguise: grímumaðr is a cowled man, “Mutalassam,” or “face-veiled,” as the Bedawin say.

[385]I see by the papers that Father Stub, the Barnabite, on his return to Berghen in Norway, opened a Catholic church, to the great satisfaction of the people.

[386]This common name of places in Iceland means Holts, hills; it is the plural of Hóll, but most writers put it in the dative plural, Hólum, as it would stand in composition “í Hólum” at Hólar. Possibly the intention is, despite grammar, to apply Hólum to the bishopric and Hólar to the other sites.

[387]The name has been discussed in the Introduction (Section VII.).

[388]Moðir is mother; Ammá (evidently a Sanskritic form), grandmother; and Edda is Proavia, or great-grandmother. Of course the derivation is disputed.

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