and of which, as a mere by-stander, I may
be expected to speak with more impartiality
than those wrho were actively engaged in
them. I shall therefore endeavor to do it
as plainly and succinctly as possible, trusting
that, unimportant as are the events to
be detailed in my narrative, they may not on
that account be wholly devoid of interest,
but may find some shelter under the old
adage, that “ inest sua gratia parvis.” From
one error, at least, that is but too common
to writers of all descriptions, whatever be
their subject, I flatter myself I shall b<i allowed
to have steered clear, that of magnifying
occurrences, so as to exemplify the fable
of the mountain in labor; f^r the very reverse
is my case, and I ought, perhaps, rather
to dread the having fallen into the opposite
extreme; as my inclinations, as well as my
feelings, would have led me to have confined
myself principally to the leading objects of
my voyage, the natural history of theislandand
the manners and customs of the inhabitants,
could I ' but have persuaded, myself that I
could have done so with propriety. Having,
as just observed, taken no part whatever in
politics, and having frequently been engaged
ICELANDIC REVOLUTION. 5
in excursions at a distance from Reikevig,
I am of course ignorant of much that passed
there, and it must be remembered that the
portion of my narrative that rests upon my
own authority is far from great; but the remainder
I have been enabled to fill up in a
manner at least equally authentic, having
been furnished with various documents
through the kindness of Captain Jones, as
well as with a complete statement * of the
whole by Count Tramp, drawn up with
the view of being laid before the British
government, and with a similar, but more
* This statement was originally accompanied by a
considerable number of letters, protests, &c., to which
it refers in almost every page, but which I have never
seen, and I may, probably, from this cause, have been
led to do less justice to the count than would have been
the case, had I had an opportunity of consulting them.
It is necessary at the same time to remark, that, o f the
events which took place after the imprisonment of the
count, he only speaks from these documents, or from
information which he received verbally from the inhabitants
of Reikevig, a few days previous to his leaving
Iceland, and this may account for some passages which
appear to me to be exaggerated, and which, had the
circumstances been related from the count’s own
knowledge, would not have crept into his narrative.