Identifier: yachtvoyagelette02duff (find matches)
Title: A yacht voyage. Letters from high latitudes; being some account of a voyage, in 1856, in the schooner yacht "Foam," to Iceland, Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergen
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Dufferin and Ava, Frederick Temple Blackwood, Marquis of, 1826-1902
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, J. W. Lovell co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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lliance than the re-nunciation of imperial rights. Soon, however, the apathywhich invariably benumbs the faculties of a people too en-tirely relieved from the discipline and obligation of self-government, lapped in complete inactivity, moral, political,and intellectual,—these once stirring islanders. On theamalgamation of the three Scandinavian monarchies, atthe union of Calmar, the allegiance of the people of Ice-land was passively transferred to the Danish crown. Eversince that time, Danish proconsuls have administered theirgovernment, and Danish restrictions have regulated theirtrade. The traditions of their ancient autonomy have be-come as unsubstantial and obsolete as those which recordvanished fame of their poets and historians, and the ex-ploits of their mariners. It is true, the adoption of theLutheran religion galvanized for a moment into the sem-blance of activity the old literary spirit. A printing-presswas introduced as early as 1530, and ever since the six- hljllll ll!!
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^^1 llitil ■ ■ I liiiiiilllli III 1 PU mi m .jJ:l)kkL4i.Liii;.!!ijij: VII.) A DEBATE, a. d. iooo. 67 teenth century many works of merit have been producedfrom time to time by Icelandic genius. Shakespeare, Mil-ton, and Pope have been translated into the native tongue ;one of the best printed newspapers I have ever seen isnow published at Reykjavik; and the Colleges of Copen-hagen are adorned by many an illustrious Icelandic schol-ar j but the glory of the old days is departed, and it isacross a wide desolate flat of ignoble annals, as dull andarid as their own lava plains, that the student has to lookback upon the glorious drama of Icelands early history.As I gazed around on the silent, deserted plain, and pacedto and fro along the untrodden grass that now clothed theAlthing, I could scarcely believe it had ever been the bat-tle-field where such keen and energetic wits encountered, -—^that the fire-scathed rocks I saw before me were thevery same that had once inspired one of the

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