and was then sent on board our boat as a present. It had horns, was entirely white, and was covered with an extremely coarse and almost straight long wool, intermixed with

drawn tight by a leather thong running along the edge, and tied over the foot. These are so easily made, that I paid only six shillings for a dozen pair. This dress is applicable only to unmarried ladies of rank. To the wedding-dress two rich ornaments are added: one is the Koffur, or fillet, worn round the head-dress; it is made in the same manner, and of the same materials, as the girdle, but more elegantly wrought, and the joints are fastened upon gold lace. In the front are the initials of the wearer embossed, surmounted by a crown set with precious stones. The other ornament is the Herdafesti, shoulder-chain, made entirely of silver gilt, of considerable weight, and of most exquisite workmanship. This connects seven circular pieces of silver, each as large as a five-shilling piece, and ornamented 'with silver wire, twisted, and disposed in various figures. The chain is a double one, going over each shoulder, and is terminated behind by a large silver medal, gilt, two inches and three quarters in diameter, and representing in relief, on one side, the crucifixion of our Saviour between the two thieves, with a number of extremely well defined figures below. The superscription is PECCATA. NOSTRA. IPSE. PERTVLIT. IN. CORPORE. SVO. SVPER. LIGNVM. VT. PECCATIS. MORTUI. IVSTICIE. VIVAM. The reverse represents Abraham about to offer up his son Isaac, and the angel of the Lord staying the hand already lifted to

shorter hairs. On returning to Reikevig, Mr. Jorgensen, who had entire possession of the government-house, offered me a bed there, which I gladly accepted.

slay his son: the superscription, PATER. MI. ECCE. IGNIS. ET. LIGNA. VBI. EST. VICTIMA. N. DIXIT, ABRAHAM. DOMINVS. PROVIDEBIT. FILI. MI. I have followed, literally, the spelling of the words: the letters, as well as the whole medal, are in excellent preservation. It is supposed to have been struck in Denmark, and has the date inscribed upon the Altar, 1537. The two ends of the chain are connected in front by a long transverse piece of silver gilt, elegantly embossed and ornamented; from which is suspended a large cross of the same metal, which hangs down upon the breast, and has, in the centre of it, a box for holding perfumes. The lid of this box bears in relief the figure of the Virgin Mary with our Saviour in her arms, and, on the under side, a representation of God the Father, in the likeness of an old man in robes, having a sort of crown upon his head: he is sitting on a throne, and supports with his hands, between his knees, our Saviour upon the cross; while the Holy Spirit, like a dove with outstretched wings, is hovering upon his head: about them are the words VERA. TRINITAS. ET. VNA. DEITAS. Surrounding these, at the four extremities of the cross, are the symbolical representations of the Evangelists. This cross has been in a family in Iceland, upwards of five hundred years. The Koffur and Herdafesti are laid aside after the wedding, and the married łady, in addition to the clothes already described, is

Wednesday,
June 28.

This was an entire day of rain,

so that I rambled no farther than the beach, where a vast quantity of seaweed was thrown up, principally Fucus saccharinus, of which many specimens were six feet long, and one foot wide. Some of the smaller plants had the frond spirally twisted in a very regular manner throughout their whole length; but, on drying them without pressure, the twisted appearance vanished, and they became quite straight.

never to make her appearance abroad without the Hempa, an outer coat or habit, of black cloth, with broad borders of velvet of the same color, fastened all the way down before from the chin to the bottom, by means of numerous large clasps of silver gilt, and ornamented with two large circular plates of the same metal on the breasts, richly embossed, and adorned with little leaves, and with the initials of the wearer set in stones. The Uppslog are cuffs of black velvet, with gold embroidery. It is needless to say that the Icelandic manufactories do not afford either linen, silk, gold lace, or broad-cloth: these are Danish produce; but all the other articles of the dress are made in the country. Of course, the ornaments of other dresses are not all exactly like what I have here described; but vary according to the fancy of the artist, or the wearer, and few are now to be met with of equal value with these now mentioned.

Thursday,

Another completely rainy day conJune 29. fined me within doors, or to the town. After breakfast a present of butter and Crees eggs (Sterna Hirundo) came from the Stiftsamptman, who at the same time wished to know when I proposed setting off upon an excursion into the country, that he might previously procure me horses and other necessary things. Hitherto, the excessively wet weather had rendered the bogs almost impassable, and the mountains were still every where covered with snow. I therefore determined to wait till this day week before I started. It was proposed that I should go first to the northern quarter of the island, if the weather permitted, and spend some time in Borgafiord, which is reputed the richest and most fertile district in Iceland.

Friday,

Till to-day, the wind had been alJune 30. most constantly in the south-west, but it has now veered about to the north, and promises a fine and mild day, compared to what we have yet had. With an Icelandic lad for my guide, who went on foot, and frequently faster than I thought it pru

dent to ride on horseback in such a rocky country, I set out to visit the great bed of Hraun (pronounced Hruin), or lava, about six miles to the south of Reikevig. The part of it, which I first came up to, was within one or two miles of Havnfiord, where its course has been stopped by the sea, after extending a length of twenty-five miles from the cráters, which are supposed to have given birth to this wonderful current. In some parts of the way, there was a track which led us to the spot; but all traces of this track were lost when we came on a small morass, and it was an hour before we reached the Hraun. At a little distance, this huge mass of lava has a most extraordinary appearance, its surface being every where as much broken and as uneven as that of a greatly agitated sea, and its boundaries very distinctly marked 'by the lighter color of the natural rock, or by the vegetation which this latter produces, whilst the lava itself is almost black, and looks, at a little distance, as bare as if it had issued but the preceding day from the crater. On leaving my horse, and proceeding on foot, with no little difficulty, upon the Hraun, I was still more struck with the strange and

VOL. I.