River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-03-27
A VISIT TO ICELAND.
A Trip to the Land of Fire and Sno

A Trip to the Land of Fire and Snow
Anthony Trollope writes as follows il
the FOrtntghtlq Recie1o:
When on shore we soon made acqualnt
ance with mauy of the inhabitants. The
ladies, for we had bevy of ladies with
us, demanded to be takek to the jewellers
and purveyors of knicknacks. We bought
silver ornaments, dog whips and shoulder
bags-eyery lady her silver ornament, hel
dog whip and her shoulder-bag, and every
man one of the two latter articles. The
dog-whips were for the ponies we were tc
ride, the bags to carry our small travell
ing gear, and the ornaments for our gen
eral delight. The whips and bags were
made in the island, and were good as
mementoes. The ornaments we were told
were the old decorations of bygone Ice
landic beauties. They had probably
reached Reykjavik from Birmingham
via Copenhagen. They will now come
back to England much raised in value Of
their travels. We called in body, sixteen
of us,upon the governor, By whom we were
received not only with courtesy but cor
daily. Afterwards we made acquaintance
with his wife, dear, motherly woman,
handsome withal, who delighted to make
new friends and talk about her children
| do love to find human being, wom-
an by preference, who under the sanction
of sudden and somewhat usual circum-
stances can throw herself into sudden in
timacies. The precCcities of Mary and
the ailment of Jack become interesting
to me, and l find myself talking about
them as though nv whole heart was there.
Ones whole heart is not there; but there
has been little green spot which never
becomes wholly dry or desecrated after
ward. There was the bishop too, with a
delightful daughter-Blshop Panjeturss
with his wife and his daughter Thora-
with the latter OF whom we really did
from an abiding friendship. There was
a good deal of pleasant raillery displayed
by our young men, four or five of them,
at the expense of Miss Thora. The Ice
landic beauty was able to receive all their
shafts on her little shield, and to return
an answer to each from her own quiYer
of wit And she had to do this in Eng
lish, as none of her opponents could
touch her in her own language. One
and all we lost our hearts, to the bishops
daughter. There were four languages
going-Engllsh, French, Danish and
Icelandic OF the latter two none
among our party could speak a
Wort, and yet there seemed to be
very little lack of the means OF converse
ton. was astonished to find how m
there were who could SPEAK English. The
intercourse between Iceland and Scotland
is no doubt frequent, the regular steam
boats which come from Copenhagen
every month during the summerstopping
first at Leith before they make their way
up to Thorshaven in the Farce Islands,
and thence to Reykiavik. But such
communication between two parts does
not teach us English people foreign
language. The difference, I suppose,
has to be found in the fact that English
is necessary to their comfort, but that
Icelandic is not needed by Us for our.
The Leith shopkeeper or mariner will
not trouble himself to talk to the strang-
er in other language than his own; but
the Icelander must trouble himself to
maintain the needed communication. In
the old Roman days. the great Roman
held it to below his dignity to talk to
any barbarian in other than bis own Ian
guage. The result, however, shows itself
in extended information on their part
and in intellectual aspirations which can.
not but be usuful.