embarked in the Orion for England, and
Count Tramp with his Secretary, and a Dane,
a Sysselman of Iceland, (who was considered
a necessary witness to the count) were accommodated
by Captain Jones in the Talbot.
month. During this interval his bitterest enemies, the
Danes, had frequent opportunities of bringing forward
charges against him, to which he had no opportunity
o f replying, but which tended materially to injure
him.—He was, however, released from that rigorous
confinement, and placed for a while in a comparative
state of liberty, upon his parole at Reading; since which
time he has been allowed to be fully at large; and here
I will beg leave to close my short account of the transactions
of this man, by a passage extracted from his manuscript
narrative of the revolution of Iceland, which he
employed himself in writing during the severity of his
confinement.—(t If there are any charges against me,
let those people making them come forward in an open,
fair and candid manner.—Let me see my accusers face
to face, and how easily shall I confront them !—but
this they dread, for truth must prevaii. Where, in the
name of God, is there any man in Iceland who can
make a just complaint ? Is any man injured in property
or liberty? Is there any innocent blood crying vengeance
against me ? I f I have shed that of a fellow
creature, either in a just or unjust manner, let my head
pay for it ! If I have gained only one shilling at the
public expence, let my right hand suffer for it ! I f I
have enriched myself to the detriment of any one
On arriving in London Count Tramp
gladly embraced the opportunity which presented
itself of submitting to the undersecretary
of state a full detail of all the events
that had taken place in Iceland, connected
with the late revolution, and a petition for
the redress of such injuries as were therein
stated to have been received by Danish merchants,
or by the Danish government; for it
must be remembered that not a single Icelander
was injured either in person or property.
What reception these representations met
with from our government I have never been
able to learn. Certainly no public notice
was ever taken of them. To prevent, however,
future attacks upon the island from the
owners of letters of marque who may be
actuated by less honorable motives than
individual, let my left hand be cut off! If I have caused
any one single person or more to be confined for being
opposite in principles to me, let me feel the horrors of
perpetual imprisonment myself! But, if I have done none
of these, let me enjoy that liberty which I look upon as
the only true good on earth. The British government
has a power to crush; it has also a power to be merciful.”