are two or three merchants' houses, and store-rooms; and, near them, is the residence of the learned Bishop of Iceland, Geir Videlin, or, as he is commonly called, Videlinus. His house differs in no respect from that of the merchants, except in being rather larger, and having more glass windows. Adjoining it, is the best house in the place (next to the governor's), which belongs to the Landfogued; it contains some comfortable rooms, and is well furnished. Still further up the street is a sort of tavern, where the Danes amuse themselves with cards, in a room which was built for the purpose of holding a considerable party, and was afterwards the scene of our Icelandic festivities. This building terminates the principal part of what forms the street: beyond it, are only a few cottages, made of turf; one of which was remarkable for its neatness, and for producing upon its roof and walls, besides a luxurious covering of grass, abundance of a Draba, which differed from the contorta Fl. Scandin. in having hairy capsules. It was here that I had my lodging, during the first part of my stay in Reikevig. The person of whom I hired it was of some consideration in the neigh

borhood; she being midwife to a very considerable district, with an income of twenty pounds a year from the Danish government, for which she had to furnish all her patients with proper medicine and attendance. As she had learnt her profession in Denmark, and had, moreover, been brought up, in the capacity of a servant, in the king's palace, at Copenhagen, she thought herself of more consequence than most ladies of her profession would do in any other country; and, although so much advanced in years, as to be nearer sixty than fifty, she was a constant visitor at the Iceland balls, and, at a reel, would dance the very fidler out of patience. This was almost the last house in the southwestern angle. If two lines were drawn from the points of these two rows of houses, which I have just described, so as to form a square, it would, near the south-eastern corner, contain the governor's house, and, adjoining it, that of Mr. Savigniac; the former small, but, internally, well painted and furnished; and, not far from these, near the north side of the imaginary square, stands the cathedral, a considerable building, with large glass windows, which, however, as well as the tiles,

are in a wretched state of repair; so much so, that the ravens, which abound in the country, are very troublesome during the time of service, by getting on the roof, and disturbing the congregation with their noise and dirt. Another building requires to be men tioned, situated almost by itself, on a large green, which occupies this part of the town, that is, the court of justice, where all causes are tried under the presidency of the Tatsroed. It is nothing but a large wooden building, with two or three good sized, but nearly unfurnished, rooms, which are, when not otherwise employed, in the occupation of the tailor of the place. Many of the houses in the town, as well as (though more rarely) those in the country, have small gardens attached to them, fenced in with high turf walls, and generally kept neat and free from weeds; but this latter circumstance arises, perhaps, more from the paucity of indigenous plants of any sort, and the tardiness of their growth, than from any particular industry of the inhabitants in destroying them. Cabbages, especially the rutabaga, turnips, and potatoes, with sometimes a few carrots, are attempted to be cultivated, but never arrive at any great degree

of perfection. Probably, the best garden, both in point of soil and situation, in the town, was that of Mr. Savigniac; certainly, none was half so much attended to. Here we had, in the month of August, good turnips about the size of an apple, and potatoes as large as the common Dutch sort. Radishes and turnipradishes were very good in July and August, Mustard and cresses grew rapidly and well. Mr. Phelps ordered some seeds of hemp and flax to be sown as soon as we landed; but, with all the care and attention that was given up to them, at the expiration of two months, the former had not reached to more than one foot high, nor had the latter exceeded six or eight inches: neither showed any appearance of flowering, but, on the contrary, both had ceased to grow, becoming materially injured by the frosts. I would not wish to be understood, that this garden is by any means a fair criterion to judge of the progress of vegetation in Iceland; for a more sheltered spot and richer soil were hardly to be met with. In other gardens, and especially out of the town, vegetation was extremely languid, and, even in the month of August, when the cabbages ought to be in their best

state, I was in many gardens where a halfcrown piece would have covered the whole of the plant, and where potatoes and turnips came to nothing. It must be remarked, however, that this was an extremely cold and wet season: in finer summers, with care and well-sheltered gardens, some of our more hardy vegetables may, doubtless, repay the natives for the labor of cultivating them*. On the outskirts of the town are

* It was not till after my return from Iceland, that I met with Horrebow's Natural History of Iceland, where I was somewhat surprised to find a chapter on the fruits of the earth; containing an account of the vegetables, which may be, and which are, produced there, differing extremely from what I have above stated. That author begins, by saying, "All kinds of things may be produced, fit for a kitchen-garden, and brought to proper maturity; (and, why not?) for this island is as proper for vegetation as Norway, having large plains and fields, and a great deal of good ground." I believe I need only mention, on the one hand, the total want of timber in Iceland, and, on the other, the immense forests which are met with in Norway, to convince any one that the former country is not so proper for vegetation as the latter." In the year 1749, when I came to Bessested, one of his majesty's palaces or seats, in Iceland, I found the garden in excellent order, and full of all kinds of vegetables,