The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-17

THE GEOGRAPHY OF ICELAND.
Observation-Disclosures
Another Interesting Lecture ON Iceland by
ME-. Pliny Miles, before ths American Geo
graphical and Statistical Society.
Mr. Pliny Miles delivered very able and interest
ing lecture, Tuesday evening, on Iceland, at the
Chapel Of the University. Washington square George
Bancroft, ESQ., presided, and introduced the lecturer
to the meeting, who said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT, AND LADIES AND GENrLEMEN:
The tract of country to which propose calling
your attention this evening, though within range Of
ten day voyage with steamship, is, believe, less
known than any other inhabtable territory of equa
size within ten thousand miles Of our city Iceland
from its very name, gives us an idea Of cherries
region, where we should naturally imagine that
almost all animal life would be extinct. Though near
the Polar circle, it is not terra ineognita-an I'M
known land-for travellers, a few in number, from
various countries, have trod its rock bound coasts and
snow-clad mountains.
Having myself visited nearly all the habitabls parts
Of North America and Europe, and witnessed the
most remarkable natural curosties from the Arctic
circle to the African coast and from Labrador to the
Caribbean Sea, / must think that Iceland presents
greater array of remarkable natural phenomena than
can be found throughout the whole of these two great
continents 1t presents to the naturalist and the man
OF science, to the geologist the mineralogist the
botanist and ornithologist, rarer and more unex-
plored field than probably any equal tract of accessi
BILE country the face Of the globe. hope, sir,
hall not be cIassed with those bographers who in
variaby under all circumstances, hold up their own
heroes as exceeding in every great quality all the he
roes Of every age and nation. come here to state
facts more than to express opinions. We learn much,
however, by comparing things little known with
things well known. We are all more or less &C
quainted either personally or through well written
descriptions, and pictorial representations, with the
famous volcanoes in the Mediterranean-1EtnaV We
suvius and Stromboli-the last SO constantly burn
ing that it is called 1.-THE Lighthouse of the Medter
ranean." We have seen numerous descriptions, and
some Of us have toiled up the sides of some or all
these celebrated mountains In historical and CLASH
cal point of view, these scenes are second in inter-
est to few on the earths surface. They are made IA
nous by the Muse Of Homer, they gave inspiration
to Horace and Virgil and are infinitely described by
the pens of StrabO, Diodorus Siculus, and Pliny
How often are the volcanoes Of Sicily. Naples, and
Iceland mentioned together as Ntna, Hekla, and We
Stylus. As volcanoes they all have some features in
common, and in some respects they are widely diff
ferent. Hundreds of our countrymen annually
scramble to the summit Of Vesuvius and few score
see, at least the base Of the Sicilian mountan but
how few-scarcely one in an age-go to the volcanic
regions Of the far north.
The lecturer here remarked that he believed he
was the only person living who had climbed these
three celebrated mountains and looked down their
burning craters
In the Mediterranean, art and nature can both be
studied but in Iceland nature alone-but nature in
her widest moods. But how will those mountains
in the south compare with these in the north? All
the volcanoes in the Mediterranean would scarcely
extend over more ground than a single county in
our State, while Iceland is one entire volcanic crea
ton large the State ITSELF If not in state of
constant activity throughout the length and breadth
of the land may be found smoking mountains, burn
ing sulphur mines, hot springs that will boil egg
and jets Of blowing steam, that keep up roar like
the whistle Of gigantic steam engine The volcanic
region Of Iceland may be set down as covering an
area OF at least sixty thousand square miles, for vol
canoes have repeatedly up from the the
coast, and sometimes as far as seventy miles from
land. Iceland, tO0 is classic ground Not however,
in the same sense that Italy Sicily and Greece are
The hundred different kinds Of verse, now existing in
portant documents of the northern historians have
not been read and reread translated and re- transla
ted like the works Of Herodotus, XenophOn, Tacitus
and Cicero, and all for very good reasons. The
country is not one Of such antiquity-it is not q
country renownedfor arts and arms and OVERLOOKING
with numerous population. AS State, it is nearly
destitute of works OF art and its scanty population
only procure the bare necessaries Of fe Scarce
scrap Of Icelandic literature ever put on English
dress, and found its way among the Anglo-Saxons,
until the pen that gsve us Wayerley aud Rob Roy
furnished us with translation of some of the more
Psam Of Life and Hyueron has also given Us trans
atons OF Iceandic poetry. Iceland lies just south
OF the Polar circle, between So degrees 30 minutes
and &c degrees 30 minutes north latitude and IL de-
grees Is minutes and "a degrees as minutes west
longitude from Greenwich. It's average length is
about two hundred and eighty miles from east
to west, and its breadth from north to south
about one hundred and fifty miles, Its surface is es-
timated at forty thousand square miles, or q trife
larger than Ireland. 1t is three hundred miles east
Of the coast of Greenland, about FIVE hundred from
the north Of Scotland, one thousand from Liverpool
one thousand three hundred from Copenhagen, and
about three thousand miles from Boston. A ship
would have just about the same distance to sail in
going from New York to Iceland as from New York
TO London A glance at elarge mapof Iceland will
show the coast isdeepy indented with bays val
eys dranedby large rivers, and every part aboundng
more or less, with lofty mountains. On stepping
ashore in Iceland the total absence of trees and for
ests and the astonishing purity Of the atmosphere,
strike the spectator as among the most remarkable
characteristics Of the country. The fields beau
tifuly green, the mountains, clothed in purple
heath, appear SO near that you are almost tempted
to reach forth your hand to touch their Sides At
fifteen or twenty miles distance, they appear but
three or four, and at seventy or eighty miles they
seem to be cot more than ten or fifteen Such is the
effect OF the magical purity Of the atmosphere. In
other countries you go and visit cities and ruins;
here you see Nature in her most fantastic FORMS
In other States you pay shilling,a franc, or pias
tire, for warm bath in vat Of marble; here you
battle in spring of any desired temperature, or
plunge into cool lake and swim to the region of a
hot spring in the bottom, guided by the steam
on the surface. In other lands, you step into
marble palaces that are lined with gold and
precious stones and find hereditary legislators
making laws to keep the people Ia subsection;
here you see grass-gown amphitheatre, where
an elective congress met and legislated in
the open air for nearly thousand years. In other
and more favored cnies you find comfortable houses,
and fruits of fragrance blush every tree" here
NOV i n save one small ana tasteess berry and
houses are mere huts OF lava and turf, looking as
green as the meadows and pastures. In other lands
coal and wood fires enliven every hearth, and mines
OF iron Lead copper, silver or gold reward the labor
of the dever but here not particle of COAL not one
single mineral of value, and not one stick OF wood,
can be found larger than walking cane. Many of
their mountains are clad in eternal SHOWS and some