Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-05-05

book which has appeared within the last
twelve months, entitled" Iceland; or he
Journal Of a Residence IN that ls'dna. Gu
ring the gears 1914 and 1915. containing
Observations ON the Natural Phenomena,
History, Literature, and antiquities OF me
Island; and the Religion, Character, .hon-
nsrs, and Customs Of its lnhab,tnnts.-6y
Ebenezer Henderson. The author OF this
work has been well known lor a consider
able time past, as one OF the agents oil Inc
British and Foreign Bible Society" en-
ployed by them to explore different and
dist mt regions, for the purpose OF enabling
them to discover and relieve their necessI-
ties with regard to the great OBJECT OF the
Institution.-,be HOLY SCRIPTURES
, In this service, and :or these purposes, he
! visited this remote and dreary spot, and
/ there passed considerable period. during
| which he collected the materials OF which
his work is composed. Parts of this work
we have seen published in the Reports Of
the Society under whose directions ne ira
yelled and we can say with the utmost
sincerity, that we have rarely met with
any thing in any similar production more
highly entertaining. The entire publca-
ton we have not seen but in the Quar-
terly Review for December. 1918, there
is an extensive and interesting article upon
it, which conveys very favorable opinion
of its merits.
Iceland" say the Reviewers, "situa-
ted on the confines of the habitahie part OF
our globe, completely refutes the notion,
at one time so boldly asserted, that mild
climate and clear atmosphere were essen
tial to the full development Of the human
faculties; for we find that here, without
any of The soft and genial air, and the bright
and azure skies of Italy, the human intel.
lcct always has been, and continues 20 be,
cultivated with zeal and success that even
here, The MUSES. have not disdained to pay
their frequent visits, nor have their votaneS
courted them in vain. 1t was on this
desolate and dreary spot, amid tie confer
minols regions Of frost and fire, under
dense clouds and chilling mis's, that the
Scalds sang their tales Of other times, as we
find them collected in the Edda-that the
historians composed their sagas, and the
legislators code of laws, the spirit and
principle of which continue 10 the present
day. In other nations, the cultivation OF
letters has usually followed wealth and
luxury-in Iceland, they fourished in the
midst of poverty and distress. The time
too, when these exertions were made is not
the leas' singular part Of the history-at
period when the darkest ignorance was
spread over the European world. Nhe-
Their, therefore, We are disposed 10 exa-
mine the natural phenomena which this ISL
and exhibits. or the singular character OF
the people by whom it is inhabited-whe-
Their we direct our attention to the physical
or moral circumstances existing on this spot
of land, heaved up. to all appearance. by
the operation of fire from the debth of the
frozen ocean, we may venture to assert that
Iceland will be found to stand alone, and
without parallel"
As evidence that genius has residence, |
at the present lime, in this torlorn region,
the following extract may be adduced.-
DR.. Henderson paid visit, on his way
from this place, jEyaford) to BGsisa. the
residence o. Jon ThorIak,on, the celebra-
brated poet of Iceland and translator of
Milton /; he was making hay, but on hear
ing of the approach Of strangers, he has
tened home, and bidding them welcome,
ushered them into his humble apartment.
The door is not quite four feet IN height
and the room may be about eight feet N
Ien- tn by six in bredth. AT the inner end
i the poets bed, and close 10 The door, o.
yer against small window not exceeding
two feet square, is a table where he com
mit> to paper the illusions of his muse. On
my telling hm that my Countrymen would |
not have forgiven me, nor could have for
gwen myself, had passed through this
par, of the Is!aLd without paying him Vi
sit, he replied, that the translation OF Milton
had yielded him many pleasant hour, ard
often given him occasion to think of Eng
land; but as his residence was so far north,
and he had now lived so long without see
inn ,ny If M;Itnn,S countrympu he had not |