Their common beverage is milk,
either warm from the cow, or cold,
and fometimes boiled ; they likewife
make butter-milk, with or without water.
On the coails they generally drink
hlanda *, and four milk; which is fold,
after it is ikimmed, at two-fifths o f a
rix-dollar a caik: fome likewife fend
for beer from Copenhagen, and fome
others brew their own. A few o f the
principal inhabitants alfo have claret
and coffee. The common people fometimes
drink a kind of tea, which they
make from the leaves of Holta-foleyg '
and Speedwell J.
This is the ufual manner of life in
Iceland. In all countries the living of
the poor differs effentially from that of
the rich ; and i f an Iceland gentleman
can afford to eat meat, butter, (hark,
and whale, the peafants are obliged to
content themfelves with fiili, blanda,
* In Elfdalln Wermeland in Sweden, the common
beverage of the country people is milk, mixed with
’fivater, and called by them Blanda.
t Dryas oftopetala.
$ Veronico officinalis.
milk
il!
milk pottage o f rock-grafs, and heina-
Jlriug. Though the Icelanders cannot
in general be faid to be in want
o f neceffary aliment, yet the country
has feveral times been vifited by great
famines : thefe, however, have |been
chiefly owing to the Greenland floating
ice, which, when it comes in great
quantities, prevents the grafs from
growing, and puts an entire flop to
their fiiiiing.
I need not acquaint you, that we
were not neceffitated to fubmit to their
manner o f life during our ftay in Iceland.
Inftead o f hlanda we drank
port, and feveral other forts o f good
wine ; and a French cook prepared for
us fome favoury diihes, and excellent
puddings.
However, as we wiilied to try every
thing, we prevailed upon the phyfi-
cian, Biarne Paulfen, who had invited
us to dinner, to entertain us after the
Icelandic manner. We did not forget
the good Swedifli cuftom o f taking
a glafs o f brandy before dinner, which
was here genuine ; we had only once
Danifh diftilled corn-brandy, which
was
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