be satisfied if each of us would eat two of
them, and, with these moderate terms, we
were forced to comply. For bread, Norway
biscuit and loaves made of rye, were served
u p ; for our drink, we had nothing but
claret, of which we were all compelled to
empty the bottle that stood by us, and this,
too, out of tumblers, rather than wifte glasses.
I t is not the custom in this country to sit
after dinner over the wine, but we had, instead
of it, to drink just as much coffee as
our host thought proper to give us.* The
coffee was certainly extremely good, and, we
trusted it would terminate the feast; but all
was not yet over; for a huge bowl of rum-
punch was brought in, and handed round in
large glasses pretty freely, and to every glass
a toast was given. If at any time we flagged
in drinking, “ Baron Banks ” was always
the signal for emptying our glasses, in
order that we might have them filled with
bumpers, to drink to his health; a task that
no Englishman ought to hesitate about complying
with most gladly, though assuredly,
if any exception might be made to such a
rule, it would be in an instance like the
present. We were threatened with still
another bowl, after we should have drained
this; and, accordingly, another actually
came, which we were with difficulty allowed
to refuse to empty entirely ; nor could this
be done, but by ordering our people to get
the boat ready for our departure, when,
having concluded this extraordinary feast by
three cups of tea each, we took our leave,
and reached Reikevig about ten o’clock ; but
did not for some time recover from the effects
of this most involuntary intemperance.
Indeed, we must acknowledge we were
somewhat in the same predicament as the
guest of the Kamtschatdale, of whom Kra-
cheninnikow farther relates, “ II vomit pendant
son repas jusqu’ à dix fois : aussi après
un festin de cette nature, loin de pouvoir
manger pendant deux ou trois jours, il ne
sauroit même regarder aucun aliment, sans
que le coeur ne lui soulève.” On afterwards
relating the anecdote of the Stiftsamptman’s
dinner to Count Tramp, he assured me that
he had partaken of a similar one himself,
when he first went over to the island, at
which time soup was served upon the table
made from the boiling down of a whole
bullock. Nor are Mr. Phelps and myself