New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-18

ms
SIshout seeing a blade of gras. Or even a
oiop OF water. Tho ge1ersl aspect OF "a. rs1i,n
= ne most dreery add desolsta i'm inrbs The .-
,m1~tver, here as everywhere. ia remark 4bly pare
"ouitans end other objects thirty fly and seveacy
ies diitsDt are as SHARPLY desn4S 10 the eve
we're wdhiD as many hundreds feet Tas We.tnanr
laisbos sixty or seventy miles from Hekia are aeon
ron tne Top OF hat mountain as distincy If within
'n hnes IN an american climate. There are storms In
Iceland much az bere-heavy rains. Gc-bTt when
Gear the air Is always ike crystal The inhsbtsb,e
portions OF the island near the sea Ia the valley.
TIE mountabs ard the banks of the fjords
VI euf ibere g ass grows well some easy vsyetsbles
are rssed IN esrdens but gram csn be brought 70
rnsturty All the flour and most of the other yeyessbs
1000 Is imported There is an abundance of winged
game, and many reindeer, tbs latter having soraay
from few imported century ago from Norway
round unit for domestic use and turned loose by the
owner. sheep, horses and cattle are abundant
flsn can always be bad In any quantity The carrying
uaoe except for fuel IL confined to Denmark Wood
Hiurnbed mainly by dritrber thrown ashore in large
qnsrtes chiefly on the northeast coast Coal s import
90 from England. The currents Of the are pecu-
Marty favorable IN this respect One from the so1th
eupposed 10 be TIE gulf strearn) sweeps around the
nortnern shore and meets q current coming from tue
north and east 80 that IL not to find among
NE ONT wood, pine from the 81 Lawrence fr from
Norway and mahogany from Honduras These cur
rents siso prevent any such disaster happened
GreenlaDs viz the blockade Of the coast by ce5ergs
Ihe largest town Is Reikjsvik the Western coast
IL has 30 inhabitants. and Is the OF the govern.
mcnt. The ether towns are mere hanlets Toe phy.
steal Characteristic Of Iceland thus many respscs
the opposite OF almost any country usually visited by
travellers In other lands there forests here no.
tree the hight Of your head In other countries you visit
large cities and old ruins here you are unaiorned
In other lsnds, you find large and comfortable houses
and pseces here huts Of earth scarcely dn yushabe
from the earth itself In other lands "futs Of fra
GRANGE blush on every tree = here fruit ril ripen
no grain mature. In other lands, summer and winter
nternae here they minyie-the beautiful green Of the
grass and the purple bells Of the heather being reflected
int oil. xL..fI
tsin) No country IL more lovely during the summer
thin Iceland none more dreary during the winter
No cultivated land yields more grudgngy the fruits of
the earth yet no people can be more attached 70 their
homes than the lcelsnders. To them 10 spite Of earth
Guskes, peysers volcanoes, barren1ess and sterilty
"Islsnd er him bests land sonn skinnsr uppa"
Gcslsnd lie the best land that the shines uppn)
The History Of the Settlement and Progress Of Iceland
ia remarkable chapter in the chronicles Of Europe
IRE existence Of well ordered and fourshins Repub
nc for the four hundred years when Europe was in the
deepest gloom Of the Dark Ages is OF itself sufficient to
attract attention and stimulate inquiry; but when it
Considered that at this period Of british ignorance on
he Continent, there was this inhospitable island
high standard Of intelligence and literature at oncs elc
CANT poetcal and profound, the subject bee one
alike pleasing and important At the era Of the forma
ton OF this Republic, Europe was in a condition Of sn
'fohy. The Saxon Kings of England were vsinly con-
tending against the irupons Of the pratcsl Danes the
NoTInans had just established themselves in France and
Charles the Simple lost his ghter aud the fairest
provinces Of bis kingdom Germany. which had been in
much trouble, was beginning TO improve under Ohio
the Great the Eastern Empire was fun of internal
broils, usurpoticns and wars Venice was taking semi
republican FORM and Genoa was following In its wake
Spain partoned between the Christians and the
Moors; Denmark passing over from Pazanism 10
the Caflnic rplioi.p he ON
was the prey of ambitious and raPacous tyrants The
great distinguishing feature of the SWAN chsrac
ter, indeed Of the whole Gothic race is All uaconquera.
bic attachment TO personal liberty and mex, to this
iondness for dangerous and difficult enterprise The
former element has preserved to this day ia those
countries degree Of freedom in personal rights
and privileges little known in nations Of the o;her
greet original stock Of Europe-the Kettle Toe
latter element carried the ships Of the vikings 20
the Atlantic to the Mediterranean to the Black sea
the Icy Ocean. and the bays aud gus Of the then
known New World. lcelaod discovered in 800 by
NlddGd seGroverf from Norway, who driven upon
the Inland in storm. Finding unnhabitei he named
it SnaIsDd (Sno~lsnd) and left It. In e5i Gsrdar
Svafarson, swede driven there also by storm.
lie circumnnvgttcd H. named IL GardarshOlm 20 iriars
leland and returned 20 Norway. He spoke 80 iavJra'
bly, Of it, that FOki another sesrOver, went there with
the dea of settling; but hs cattle persisted during the
winter the spring severely cold, tue bays full OF
ice, and he Abandoned il, giving IL the opProbroas
nsme of Island Qceland) which IL has since borne, In
SO lngolt a Norwegian Jarl, spent winter ia lee
land and wac go pleased with the climate tnat
he resolved TO establish settlement At this tune,
Norway was sunorng under the tyranny of Harad HAr
tagra who bad conquered many Of the petty kings AMI
was fast consolidating the government in hts oNa
hands The Independent N0rthmen, unable 10 with
stsnd him, fled to the Feroe orkneys, sletan T. aad
uebridos. and 10 Scotland whore they formed colo
mes Ingol induced large number ofthe noble isml-
lies Of Norway 10 90 with him aud thus N s7l, esti5-
lshed the FIRST permanent settlement IN Iceland all tue
settlers being purely Scandnavian, true w1rslip,rs
of Thor aud Odin In little more than hall century,
the whole coast settled and the land partIonsi.
among the adventures. Until about 9S they re-
inaiEed nouipsly sub ect t. Norway but were quite
IA free as could be desired In 925 the lcelaniers
established a regular Republic; divided the coun-
try into elective distrcts establishing subordinate
governments in each with regular gradaiion Of courts
from mere referees Court Of Appeals and lastly
General Assembly Congress oil the Nation called the
Arhng This body made the laws it was composed
OF elected Representatives embracing the Dest men IA
the lard, was presided over 10y Logs ,umadr Law-
fyipginnu) and held q session OF sixteen days each
GUNNER. Their place OF meeting ws called TMns-
NHls OF the most picturesque spots on the island
All the sessions held in the open air Tnis Replb
hcsn Government founded upon principles OF the most
perfect liberty, lasted unimpdred for four huairoi
vears more upn bali of which period was under Clrs-
tian dl.pensaiion-the Roman Catholic religion having
been established IN the year 1000 But Norway,
become q united moparehy, although the people en-,
loved most Of their old freeiom) Jealous enemy Of
Iceland and about 2ootle lsnd was voluntarily Pscei
under the rule Of the mother country but spulatlns
to retain all their ancient laws The intervening dis
lance and the character of the climate kept tyrs,ny
ssr OF the Althing regularly held, and the Ice.
lsn6ers did very much as they pleased In 1887 the
islsnd with Norway became subject 10 Denmark, ani
Iceland st remains in that position But the ancient
ussses remain great degree; there has never been
Az attempt to eoeree the people and no military force
has ever set foot upon the island The Aiding was alb
reesied In $780, after enduring nearly nine huntred
YEAR, and iis place supplied BY the Supreme Court NJ
Reikjavik.
The character Of the people thus descended : ex-
tr,mely simple They of the ordinary heSat Of ths
PEOPLE of this country OF 1ord complexion, aud light
hair In one respect they differ widely from their an
ct.tors They lack smbilien. Tue policy OF the Dia-
ish Government in shutting up their ports has com
ptiey isolated the people from the rest OF mAnNlaL
Satisfied at home they gradually lost the roving
a.nn.,inn Of the Yikincz and few OF chem now lslse