The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-22
LIFE IN ICELAND.
Probable Fniiare Of the Fisheries. and Dis
case A1sns the sheep.
Fyea the ScsfsrnaH.

REYKJAvIK, May 29.-Since my arrival
here tue universsl topic has boon the ice, Upon
large masses which some weeks ago olockHded
the island from 1ngolfsr0fde. promontoty on
northwestern point, lie for any length OF time,
this year Will be ons Of tue black ones In the an
mats Of the country. Fortunately, IL seems II
there were no reason TO expect that. The total
absence Of communication IN the Isl nd renders
II impossible at present TO say anything positive
about 1t but from private letters that nave
received from the north, IL appears that the ice
has left the coast. Should this prove true-I
mean should IL have moved lar enough out not
10 return aRain--there 10 no doubt that the ice
In the east will also soon quit the coast. - It has
never been known 10 remain after the other had
gone. he prospe Ia In the north and east
therefore brighter than month ago while the
total absence OF nsh Ia the south IN akes tuings
look more gloomy heIe oay after day. The DIS
trcse that must necessarily enhue from this will
not be felt In its iull extent until next winter,
when not only oil the supplies hsve gone, but
the credit with the merchants has been stretch
ed to tue utmost
besides this calamity, there Is another still
more seious-ths scab among the sheep. II has
now lasted more Than twenty years. and raw
ages fearfuIly. IL ~ 10 be depiored that the In
hauitsnts cannot possibly agree as TO the course
10 toe pursued 10 root out this evil. Practical
veLerinsros have been consulted. and no end O
commissions have sat. but far with no re-
sults. he country Is divided into two camps.
One ADVOCATED to cure tho sheep by medical
treatment. while The other aud more radical one
uncompromisingly demands the cutting aown
Of all nerds. sound ones well as sick. wnerev-
er .he disease shows itself. Tue result Of this
discord may be easily Imagined. Some will fol-
low tho one course, some the other, while fe
hesitate to do either; and In the meanwhile tho
slckness goes on undated, deciaiatinE the
Hooks ut an alarming rate. Hut they have been
writing ana talking In the same passionate man-
ner for these twenty years past, and they have
done nothing beyond having expensive commits
sions. The expeIience on this point, for which
New Zealand, and especially Australis, has paid
50 dearly ID of no value TO the Inhabitants here.
While thus the number OF sheep, the great STA
pie Of Iceland, Is decidedly decreasing In pro-
portion TO the population, the same
may be said about tue horses, only 10
muoh greater extent. The shortsight-
ednets Of the people. and the wretched
condition Of many IN n year like this, when the
fisheries prove "A failure, lead them to part with
much larger number OF horses than the island
can afford. The enterprise OF Nj. Simon OF
Leith has established a regular horse trade In
Iceland, which mus been an Ia valuable boon TO
the island, where formerly the young mares
were Killed at their birth NJ useless. hut while
this, therefore, might be Hs profitable TO the
country as nope II has proved 10 Mr.. Simon,
such IL not the case. The people are constantly
advised, both by his BUYERS and by Heightened
people III the country, TO keep the mares for
breeding purposes but they persist IN selling
them at low figure, rather thinking that they
have done a clever thing II they succeed in dis
posing OF them. lhat this will end disast ousy,
evident. While the total number Of horses In
Iceland fifteen years oRo was close on Al.uJO to a
population OF little more than $1,000 the stats
tics for lust year give 1t In the proportion OF ~,
UOJ horses 10 7lOOO souls. Middle ged horses
are. therefore, not To be had any more, and the
traveller may nDd himself DELAYED for - long
time II he has not arranged about horses before