Mr. Jorgensen himself, whose knowledge of
the Danish language and general acquaintance
with affairs of this nature made him
eminently serviceable, embarked, together
with Mr. Savigniac, an Englishman employed
as supercargo; and, setting out in
the latter end of December, they arrived at
Iceland in the beginning of the following
month, January, 1809; having performed
the voyage at a time of the year considered
so dangerous for such an attempt, that
Mr. Phelps was unable to find any underwriters
that would consent to insure the
whole of the cargo. The idea having occurred
to them that the government of the
island would find less difficulty in permitting
a free and open trade to be established
between the inhabitants and the supercargo,
could an appearance be made of the property
belonging to neutrals, it was judged expedient
to hoist American colors, and to
exhibit a set of papers of the same nation;
but such an attempt availed nothing, for
permission was still peremptorily refused for
any Part °f the cargo to be landed, although
it was acknowledged that the country was in
extreme want of various articles that were on
hoard. Such being the case, the British
colors were displayed, and the licence produced,
but to no purpose*; and Mr. Savigniac,
unwilling to proceed to extremities,
was upon the point of returning to England,
when the natives expressed so strongly their
anxiety for the landing of the goods, that,
in order to bring the government to a sense
of its duty and interest, he thought proper
to release Captain Jackson from the clause
in the charter-party which prevented him
from making prizes in Iceland, and to commence
hostilities, by taking possession of a
Danish brig, which had just arrived from
Norway with provisions. The officers of
* Upon the subject of permitting a commercial
intercourse, Count Tramp remarks, that, “ the existing
laws of the country strongly prohibiting all trade
with foreign nations, it was the duty of the officers in
whose hands he had, at that time, during his absence
to Copenhagen, left the management of public affairs,
to refuse this application.”—-It may be so; but, surely,
a nation which had conducted itself with so much
lenity and forbearance as ours had done towards this
island, might have expected to have received a better
return for its kind offices.