New-York tribune., 1874-08-27
ICELAND'S THOUSAND YEARS
BAYARD TAYLOR DESCRIBES THE ENTIRE
CELEBRATION.


LOOK AT THE FAROEsE-THE RUN TO ICELAND.
IFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEl
STEAMER ALBION, July 2s.-We waited at Thors-
havn until o'clock yesterday morning, for the
night was thick and overcast. and some daylight
was necessary for the navigation of the narrow
channel between StromOe and Osteroe. There
were many visitors to the royal frgate Gyllanddur-
ing the afternoon, including a number OF Faroese
ladies. and to judge from the tunes played by the
band, there must have been much and lively dane
ing on deck. A dozen boat-loads of exceedingly
merry human freight were carried to shore, and
then the King followed to pass another night at the
Governors house.
Some of our party returned, to take parting look
at the curious little town. The people still enjoyed
their Sunday and national holiday in very quiet,
decorous way. About 200 of them, in their jackets
of homespun uadmal. black breeches. and heavy
wooden pattens protecting their scal-skin shoes,
were drawn up in a line around the head OF the
northern cove to await the Kings landing. Tame
pigeons and chickens sauntered up and down the
rough alleys, and the buttercups and marigolds
scattered for the welcome still toleraby fresh,
in the moist. misty air. The Faroese are a very
simple-hearted. honest and kindly people, and by
no means deficient in intelligence. Their lives are
rude and hard for high waves and furious currents
in the Gords, and windythurricanes on the hills.
limit even their possible labor and the best fortune
barely gives them enough barley, fish, and milk to
live upon.
Thorshavn lies in lat. 62c N, yet the Winter tenn
perature falls below 14o rarely below 2Oo and
the sheep continue to pasture in the valleys There
were formerly forests of birch trees in sheltered
parts but they have long since been extermlnated,
and peatis used for fuel. A vein of coal has been
of xlo, Dar1a fnl-
erably WELL up to a hight of about 800 feet above
the sea: beyond that line it will not ripen. The
SUBMITS of the mountains, which are broad, fiat
table-lands from one to three thousand feet high,
are swept by such furious gusts of wind that no
vegetation can exist there. The earth and hardy
herbage are torn from the rock rolled up like sheet
of paper, and hurled far into the valleys.
For the sum of three English shillings the oblig-
ing postmaster sent off boat, at in the morning,
for cur last letters, and then got up steam for
departure. The two frigates were to sail in the
afternoon and it was necessary that we should get
the start of them, in order to secure the simplest
accommodations in Iceland. The weather, although
dull, was favorable; the sea had gone down. the
mists had risen aud rested upon the dark island
SUBMITS and the bleak, sublime shores on either
hand distinctly marked our way. On the east they
rose in sheer precpces great caverns followed
by the waves wherein the aux the putin. the
kittiwake, and other Northern seafowl were now
asleep on their rocky perches. BY day they some
times rise in such clouds as to darken the sun, and
with cries that stun the ear but we heard and saw
nothing of them.
After sunrise the clouds scattered, the sun came
out in blue sky and the tremendous headlands OF
Stromoe and Osteroe became flushed with airy pink
and purple. We saw them for hours; the fishing
a Al xrzI .1ar
the horizon, and left our vessel alone this lonely
ocean, The wind blew from the northeast raw
and piercing; gray films of cloud crept the
sky, and the deck was deserted by the most of our
party. We were fortunate, however, in having a
smooth sea, with good prospect of keeping it for
the rest of the voyage The steamer makes Q or 10
knots. which allows to calculate on run OF less
than SO hours from Tborshavn to Ingofs Head, the
nearest point of Iceland Towards evening the wind
fell veering to the SOUTH and the air became milder
The temperature of the water has been steadily go,
since leaving the Shetland Isles We have at last
left the Night behind lis, and twilight which Is
almost day makes the midnight cheerful. Last
evening the sailors danced Scotch reels the for
ward deck, with such vigOr that we were half
tempted to Join them. Encouraged by Capt Howl
ing they then came aft and sang Us some capital
Scotch and Irish ballads We only q persons on
board-passengers. officers, crew. fremen and stew
ards.-and the captain exercises his government so
uniety that there seems to be perfect discipline
without command.
This morning at o'clock we were about 90 miles
from Portland Cape the southern point Of Iceland
near the famous Skaptar J0kull, which would
doubtless be visible at this moment. were the sky
not so hazy and dark. We have left Ingolfs Head
to the eastward and give rather wide berth to the
shore ON account of a dangerous reef. II is Curl
GUS experience for landsman to coast along land
SO strange remote and interesting as Iceland while
il Is still invisible, and to measure his position by
landmarks which he cannot see.
July 29-3 p. m-Our hopes of getting quietly
into an Icelandic port before this time have been
miserably disappointed. Yesterday afternoon the
south wind increased the clouds thckened rain and
sand began to sweep the decks and the rapid fall OF
the barometer denoted gale. Our prudent captain
turned the steamers head another point away from
the shore which now could not be sighted without
running dangerously near it, About o'clock. how
ever four or i've distant dark specks rose against the
sunset over the raging waves They were the West
mamma Islands, small rocky group. lying some ID
OF 20 miles off the southwestern coast OF Iceland
The tradition says that Hv0rleif, one OF lngof
COMPANIONS took with him some Irish slaves" men
of the West "-as the lrlsh were caieu Nv 'nc oiu
Norsemen. These men. employed as herdsmen,
killed and ate Hv0rlef's OK, and then SAID bear
had devourcd it, Growing bolder, they next killed
n Hv6rleif himself. took boat, and coasted along
until tbey saw these islands, where they made an
settlement.
Tho gale increased in violence until our vessel
strained and labored in the heavy sea. 1t was
hardly possible to keep the deck. and we went be-
q nola ha
toward midnight. called ME up again, and found
that we had entered a channel between Heimaey,
the main island of the group and two small. barren
islets on the north. Beyond the LATTER dim under
belt of cloud yet quite visible in the northern twi-
linht stretched the base of the Eyafell J0kull