22 APPENDIX. A.
established ; and he took with him Mr.
Jorgensen, whose acquaintance with the
transactions that had taken place during
the winter, added to his knowledge of the
Icelandic merchants and Of the Danish language,
with which they are all acquainted,
rendered him of the highest importance to
the success of the undertaking.
On the 21st of June, only two or three
days after the departure of the Rover, the
Margaret and Anne came to an anchor in
Reikevig harbor, and Mr. Savigniac immediately
proceeded on board, where he informed
Mr. Phelps of the obstructions * to
the trading with the British, of the arrival
* I feel myself bound to mention that Count Tramp,
in his narrative, expressly denies any obstructions of
this nature, referring tq a document, which I have
never seen, signed by five of the established merchants
of Reikevig, dated the 1st of September, 1S09, “ by
which,” he says, <f it is evidently proved that the accusations
against the civil officers and citizens of the
country are unfounded, and that they were invented
and set afloat by the managers of the concern, only with
a view of providing a cloak for themselves in the account
they were going to render to their principals for
the losses occasioned by their own misconduct.”
WSSBttmTam
ICELANDIC REVOLUTION. 23
of Count Tramp, and of tbe convention
between Captain Nott and the latter.
Mr. Phelps, on hearing that such a convention
had been entered into, remained sev
e r a l days without landing any part of his
cargo, in the expectation that it would be
delivered to him in an official manner, or
would, at least, be posted up in different
parts of Reikevig. No such thing, however,
happened, but, on the contrary, the
proclamation before alluded to was still
regarded as continuing in force, nor was
it ever, at any subsequent time, publicly
repealed; so that in the month of June, a
season of the year when by far the greater
number of the natives make a journey to
Reikevig for the sake of barter, scarcely an
individual of this description was seen; all
naturally dreading to expose themselves to
the severe punishment threatened by such
a proclamation, and knowing that, except
from the English, nothing of what they
wanted was to be procured.
Such then being the situation of Mr.
Phelps’ affairs, and the convention remaining
unpublished as late as the 2 5 th of the