much lately ; which is partly owing to
the many foreign iliips that yearly
come to fiili in thofe parts, and partly
to the want o f fiiliermen, as the number
of people has decreafed greatly.
But I believe the chief caufe is the monopoly
o f the trading company, that
very much oppreifes the country.
I f the people had more encouragement,
there would be more emulation
and diligence among them than at prefent
; for they are obliged to fell a vaett,
or five lifpfiind, of dried fiili to the
company, at the rate of five-fixths of
a dollar, which they fell again in
Hamburgh, where the greateil part
o f what is caught in Iceland is ufually
fent, for five bank-dollars.
Next to fifliing, the principal fupport
of the Icelanders is the breeding
o f cattle.
Their beeves are not large, but
very fat and good. It has been reported
by fome, though without foundation,
that there are none among them
with horns : it is however true that
they feldom have any.
The large cattle are kept at home in
their yards the greater part o f the
year,
year, though fome have places appropriated
to them in the mountains,
which they call fatr, where they fend
their cattle during the fummer, till
the hay harveil is over. They have a
herdfman to attend them, and tv/o
women to milk them and make butter
and cheefe. It is common to meet
with oxen running wild about the
mountains, which are however drove
home in autumn, as every one knows
his own by a particular mark put upon
them.
The principal food o f the cattle is
hay, and they reckon a flack o f hay
for a cow’s winter provifion ; a flack
confifts o f thirty cocks * kapal o f hay,
grown on manured land, and forty
cocks kapalgvo\Nn on unmaniired land.
When there is a fcarcity o f fodder,
they feed them in fome parts with
flccnbitr, a kind o f fiih, which, toge-
gether with the heads and bones o f
cod, is beaten fmall, and mixed with
one quarter of cliopped hay. The
cattle are fond of it, and yield a good
deal o f milk after it.; but yet it is laid
* A kapal h from 12 to 17, lifpfimds.
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