ij
dows, inftead o f glafs, are compoied
o f thin membranes o f certain animals.
They make no ufe o f chimnies,
as they never light a fire, except to drefs
their viclnals, when they only lay the
tur f on the ground. You will not
therefore think it ftrange, when I inform
yon, that we faw no honfes, except
fliops and warehonfes; and on onr
journey to Heckla we were obliged to
take up our lodgings in the churches.
Their food principally coniifts o f
dried fiili, four butter, which they conr
iider as a great dainty, milk mixed
with water and whey, and a little meat.
They receive fp little bread from the
Danifli company, that there is fcarcely
any peafant who eats it above three
or four months in the year. They
likewife boil groats, of a kind o f
mofs (Lichen lilandicus) which has an
agreeable tafte. The principal occupation
o f the men is fiiiiing, which
they follow both winter and fummer.
The women take care o f the cattle,
knit ftockings, &c. They likewife
drefs, gut, and dry the fiOies brought
home
iiome by the men, and otherwife affifl
in preparing this ftaple commodity of
the country*
Befides this, the company who
yearly fend fifteen or twenty fliips
hither, and who pofiefs a monopoly
which is very burthenfome to the country,
export from hence fome meat,
eider-down, and falcons, which are
fold in the country for feven, ten,
and fifteen rix-clollars a-piece. Money
is very rare, which is the reafon
that all the trade is carried on by fiOi
and ells of coaiTe unfliorn cloth, called
here Wadmal; one ell of wadmal is
worth two fifties ; and forty-eight fifties
are worth a rix-dollar in fpecie. They
were better acquainted with gold at onr
departure, than at our arrival.
They are well provided with cattle,
which are generally without horns :
they have likewife flieep, and very
good horfes; both the laft are the
whole winter in the fields : dogs and
cats they have in abundance. Oi
wild and undomeftic animals they
have only rats and foxes, and
fome
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ifcii;
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