ployed, not a life was lost, not a drop of
blood was shed, not a gun fired, nor a sabre
unsheathed.
The island of Iceland, from its climate
and situation, and from the exceeding barrenness
of its soil, is necessarily compelled
at all times to depend for a considerable
part of its supplies of provisions upon foreign
countries; so that, even in those seasons
which may be accounted the most favorable,
it does not produce sufficient for the maintenance
of its scanty population; and, as
often as an unusually severe winter proves
destructive to the cattle of its inhabitants,
or an unproductive fishery prevents them
from laying up their winter stores of dried
cod and salmon, nothing but the most abundant
imports can avert an actual famine.
Such imports in time of peace the parent
state of Denmark has found no difficulty in
though he did so, not only without any intention of
serving against Great Britain, • but, as was shewed by
the event in the first instance, and in the second by the
proclamation issued in Iceland, with the full determination
of returning to England.
furnishing from her numerous ports in Norway,
as well as from Copenhagen, but since
the breaking out of the present unfortunate
war between this country and Great Britain,
the naval superiority of the latter has rendered
all communication between the former
and her colonies most precarious, and the
Wretched Icelanders have experienced the
greatest difficulty in procuring even the poor
supplies necessary for their bare subsistence.
Sensible of the miserable and defenceless
state of this island, it has therefore been the
generous wish of the British government
that it should be suffered to remain in a
state of virtual neutrality, and they have of
late gone much farther, and even granted
licences to protect vessels belonging to the
Danes employed in the conveyance of provisions
and other articles of necessity, and to
permit English ships to carry similar cargoes
thither. “ An humane interest,” to use the
words of Count Tramp, “ has been shewn by
the English in the fate of the inhabitants,
for which they will ever with gratitude
remember the exalted philanthropist, Sir
Joseph Banks, who on this occasion undertook
to advocate their cause.”