of attention, and the uniform kindness which
I received, both from him and the whole of
his officers, not only during the voyage, but
also previous to our final departure, which
was delayed for a week after our return.
They were unceasing in their endeavors to
afford me every accommodation and assistance
in their power, of which I stood greatly
in need, and to make me forget what I had
suffered: nor must I pass in silence the
kindness of the principal Icelanders, who
pressed upon me with congratulations for
my safety; especially the Etatsroed and the
Bishop, both of whom offered to do whatever
they were able, to repair the losses I
had sustained, and have since given unquestionable
marks of the sincerity of their
offers, by having recently sent me collections
of plants * and minerals. The Bishop, in a
letter now before me, says, “ Cum gravis-
simo san& dolore calamitatem vestram ac-
cepi! Paulsonius noster tibi plantas quas
orientalis insulae plaga hoc tempore producit
* This collection contained one or two plants not
before known as natives of Iceland, which I have therefore
inserted in the list of the vegetable productions of
the island, contained in the Appendix E.
exhibebit. Si quid in mea potestate erit,
quse amisisti aliquo modo restituere, fac,
jube, hoc grato fungar officio.” I did not,
however, then avail myself of his civility,
but spent nearly the whole of my time on
board, for there was, indeed, little that could
afford me amusement on shore; as it was too
late in the season to replace my lost collection
of the vegetable productions of the
island, neither had I materials to enable me
to preserve any subjects of natural history:
books, too, were not to be procured without
much time and trouble; drawings required
still more; and my inclination, it may be
well imagined, was not favorable to any of
these attempts.
On the 4th of September we once more
left these unfortunate shores. It was the
captain’s intention to have entered a port
on the eastern coast of Iceland; but, after
beating about for several days within sight
of the snow-mountains near the south coast,
making at the same time but little progress,
we directed our course straight for England,
proposing in our way to touch at the Ferroe
Islands. With an excellent breeze and fine