Year: 1874

Journey to the Plain Of Thingvalla-
Miseries OF IcelandiGu GuIrravel-rerribie
Grandeur of the See sry-Welcome to
the King-A Morse ,'.,de-In telligence


and Poetic Feelings Of the Icelanders.


ON BOARD THE STEAM YACHT ALBIoN,(


AT SEA. August 10. 1874. {


We are now ON our return voyage, and II all goes
well my former letters will be mailed from Thor so,
Scotland, for which port we are bound, and this
Will be also, II the yacht will only keep quiet
enough to let me WRITE for as 1t was on the out
ward voyage so Is 1t now. heavy gale Is blow
ing and really I am half inclined to believe tnat
gale OF wind set in here at the creation and will
continue to the end OF time. The deck Is leaking
over head, my bed is water soaked and l have a
macintosh tackled above my head 10 keep the
paper dry, while have to prop myself up on my
side to write at ali.


lett OF Monday morning last with description
OF the Sundays festivities. According to previous
arrangements we set out that morning for Thing
valla at eight O'Clock. This allowed your corre-
spondent precious little sleep, but the last requisite
OF @ correspondent being sleep did not complain,
but took my place with the rest oil the party and
got over forty miles OF lcelandc roads before camp
ing, aud WAS then at the classic Thingvalla. The
Kings party started at noon, so that we kept COM
pletely out Of their way and were there to greet
them when they came, tired enough as ! Am very
sure.


MIsERIEs OF ICELANDIc TRAVELLING.


NOW TINS Icelandic travelling Is not BY any
means an easy or simple matter. In the frst
place 1t Is not Q horse you ride but little pony.
from twelve to thirteen hands high, and when
astrtde Of II your feet are not much above twelve
inches from the ground. These ponies are very
easy their gait. very sure footed and very obsti
nate but they are hardy TO the last degree. They
can carry very heavy weights, greater even, one





by the appearance simply or the ponies and the
bulk oil some members OF our party who oestrode
them There Is nothing In Iceland corresponding
to what we call road, for there are no wagons
and all transportation Is done by means OF these
little ponies There are, however, certain tra-
versed routes which are from time to time, in some
measure repaired. Here a rude wall Is built
to prevent you from breaking your neck over q
preciptce, and there some sods are removed to
prevent you from breaking your legs as the pony
DAVIS along narrowed footpath, only wide
enough for him to move in and deep enough TO
require you to haul up your feet or allowing
them to bump along the rough turf and stones on
either SIZE at the imminent risk Of sprained ankle
or something worse.


The rule OF Iceandic travel ia to march about
twenty miles, more or less, until you have reached
place where your ponies may Craze, Tor these
curious animals will not eat grain and must be
fed on either grass or hay. They are then turned
loose, the packs, saddles and brides being re-
moved, and AZ the end OF an hour the spare horses,
which have run loose thus far, are put in the
places OF the Jaded ones. There Is little lear OF
the whole herd not keeping together. Tor these
lcclandic ponies love company, and generally
prefer the society oil their fellows even to nbbling
the stunted grass BY the waysde.


! win not here pause to describe in detail our
journey; that must serve ior another letter. My
present concern is with the object OF IT, which was
TO attend the great millenniai celebration at
Thin9valla. 1t Is enough Tor me here TO say that
we followed the Kings party next day to the
Geysers and returned Thursday evening, the 9th,
In time TO witness the opening ceremonies. which,
Il simple and without pomp, were, taken IN con-
sderation with the natural surroundings, very
impressive. They certainly we're 70 me. and iee
quite sure that ! was not alone In being moved
! by what witnessed.


Now would nave you looK over and not thlnn
OF the ride We had among the most rugged nils
down preclpices and through desolate wastes o
lava but Imagine your correspondent at tue ter
minauon oil q most drsary and unsignsy PLAIN
WITH mountains cumpins M ~ srnnad and ess'n