account of their height, are covered
^vith continual ice and fnow, you only
lee barren fields between them, entirely
deilitute o f wood, and covered
with lava for the fpace o f many miles.
This is certainly as incapable o f giving
the eye pleafure, as it is unfit for any
other ufe. On the other fide, however,
it caufes the greateil furprize in
the attentive fpeflator, to fee fo many
ilriking proofs o f the dreadful eiïeéls
o f volcanoes.
Though the coails are better inhabited,
the inland parts of the country
do not lie waile and negîeéled ;
and one finds every where, fome-
times clofe together, and fometimes
at greater diftances, farms with fome
land belonging to them, that generally
coniiils o f meadow-land, and
fometimes of hills thick ipread with
low ihrubs and biiilies, the which
they honour with the appellation o f
Woods.
In the whole ifland there are no
towns, nor even villages ; only fingle
farms are to be feen, fome o f which,
however, confiil of feveral dwellinghoufes.
honfes, defdned for the owner o f thb
farm and his tenants {hià U'jgiinfànn)
who procure from the proprietor a
houfe and pailure for as many cows,
horfes, and flieep as they choofe to
agree for. On the eilates of fome pea-
fants who arc better circumftanced,
there are even fometimes dwellings
for labourers {Jmufman') who work for
daily hire. All thefe farms belong either
to the king, the church, or the
peafants themfelves*,. I will mark
the price of two of thefe farms, which
were fold a little before our arrival,
that you may judge o f their value.
The one farm, whereon ten cows, ten
horfes, and four hundred ilieep might
be kept, was fold for one hundred
and twenty rix-doHars ; and the other,
which had fufficient pailure for twelve
cows, eighteen head of young cattle,
above a year old, that had „not yet
calved (ungnot) eight oxen, fourteen
* In order to ihew at onee in what proportion the
farms are diftributed between the king, the church,
and the farmers, I will here annex an abftraiil taken
from the Icelandic Villarium, or Land-book of the
year 1695, which came into my poiTeflion,
C A horfes^
if