DANISH AMERICA.

DENMARK once owned three of the West-India islands; but these have lately been wrested from her, and she now claims on the western continent only Iceland and Greenland.

ICELAND.

Situation and Extent. ICELAND is an island, situated 120 miles E. of Greenland, and 700 W. of Norway; between lat. 63o and 67° N. and between lon. 13° and 28° W. Its length from east to west is 400 miles, and its breadth 270.*

Historical Epochs. 861. Discovered by Nardoddr, as he was driven out of his course by the winds, on his return from Norway to Ferro.

878. Settled by a colony of Norwegians under Ingolfz; and in 60 years time the whole island was inhabited.

1120. Iceland was converted about this time to the Christian re ligion, after the exertions of 240 years.

1261. The island became subject to Hakans, king of Norway. 1363. With Norway it was subjected to Denmark, and has ever since been a colony of that government.

Religion. The Lutheran is the present religion of Iceland. It was introduced in 1551. Its church enjoys a happy tranquillity. It composes two sees; that of Skalholt, containing 127 parishes; and that of Hoolum, containing 62. All the ministers are native Icelanders, and receive a yearly salary of 400 or 500 rix dollars from the king, exclusive of what they have from their congrega. tions.

Government. The governor, who is appointed by the crown of Denmark, resides at Bessested, lat. 64 6 north, lon. 22 56 west. His power is not very great.

Population. The number of inhabitants is 60,000. At the be ginning of the 15th century they were far more numerous.

Revenue. Iceland yields an annual revenue to the Danish monarch of about 30,000 crowns.

Character and Manners. The ancient Icelanders lived by war, piracy, and the chace. The introduction of Christianity and the loss of their independence produced a great change in their character and mode of living.

They are middle-sized, well made, though not very strong, and generally ill featured. Their poverty does not prevent them from being unusually hospitable. They are obliging and faithful, submissive to government, zealous in their religion, and warmly attached to their native country. They are not very industrious ; are fond of amusements; particularly of athletic diversions; of

• Von Troil, Let. III

games of chance, in which, however, they never play for money; and of visiting each other for the purpose of reading and reciting the history of Iceland.

Those who live on the coasts, are employed principally in fishing; those, who live in the interior, in the care of their cattle. Few of them outlive 60. The prevailing diseases are the scurvy, gout, St. Anthony's fire, jaundice, fevers, pleurisy, and lowness of spirits. Language. The Icelandic language is the same with that, which was formerly spoken in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The Danish is also usually spoken by those who live on the coast.

Literature. While the traces of literature were destroyed, in the north of Europe they were carefully preserved in Iceland. Poetry flourished long before the introduction of the Roman letters, and seven of the early poets, of Skalds, have survived the flight of eight centuries. The list of their poets, who have lived since that period, contains no less than 240. Their language is peculiarly rich in poetical expressions. The number of their historians and writers of annals is also very great. The period when literature most flourished in Iceland, was between 1120 and 1350. At present, they are far from being an ignorant people. The peasants, all of them, can read; and, beside being well instructed in the principles of their religion, they are also acquainted with the history of their country; and many of them can repeat from memory the finest passages of their poets. Printing was introduced into the island in 1530, and many valuable editions have proceeded from the Icelandic press.

Cities and Towns. The principal towns of Iceland are Skalholt, Hoolum, Thingvalla, Bessested, and Patrixford. The two last are seaports. The greater part of the inhabitants live on scattered farms The coast is however thickly settled.

Manufactures and Commerce. The men manufacture leather, work at several mechanical trades, and a few in gold and silver. The women scw, and spin, and make coarse black cloth. There is a woollen manufactory at Reikavik.

The trade of Iceland since 1734 has been in the hands of a company, which pay 6000 dollars annually. This company sends to Iceland about 30 ships every year, loaded with corn, bread, wine, iron, and wood; and carries away fish, flesh, butter, blubber oil, skins, wool, woollen cloths, and not less than 2000lbs. eider down.

Climate and Seasons. The climate is not unwholesome, as the usual heat is not extreme, nor the cold in general very rigorous. The thermometer has been known however to rise to 104° of Fahrenheit; and, in the winter of 1753, 54, the cold, occasioned by the ice in the surrounding ocean, was so intense, that horses and sheep dropped down dead on account of it.

Face of the Country. The surface principally consists of ridges of mountains and barren rocks. The mountains are many

of them covered with eternal snows; they cross the country in every direction and render the greater part of it incapable of culti vation.

Soil and Agriculture. The husbandry of the Icelanders is con

fined to the raising of cattle, sheep, and horses. Corn will not grow. The inland parts of the islands do not lie waste. One finds every where, at little distances, farms consisting almost wholly of meadow land.

Mountains. The mountains, one of which is elevated 6861 feet above the sea, and another 6000, are generally volcanic; and the number of eruptions have been prodigiously great. Mount Heckla is in the southern part of the island, 25 miles from the seacoast. Its height is 5000 feet. During its eruptions, ashes and stones are said to be often thrown to the distance of 150 miles. The lava thrown out in the eruptions of this and the other mountains is often sufficient to cover many miles of country, and to destroy many farmş and villages.

GREENLAND.

Situation and Extent. CAPE Farewell, the southern extremity of Greenland, is in lat. 59 38 north, and in lon. 42 45 west. How far the country reaches north has never been ascertained. It is known to extend farther than lat. 78° N. It is bounded on the W. by what is called Baffin's bay and Davis's straits, which separate it from Labrador.

Original Population. The natives of Greenland are Esquimaux, the same people who inhabit Labrador, and the northern coast of America, as far as M'Kenzie's river, and probably to the western extremity of the continent.

Historical Epochs. 982. Greenland was discovered by the Norwegians, who planted a colony there. This colony was scattered over both the eastern and western coasts. Those in the west are said, about that time, to have been exterminated by the natives. What became of the eastern colonists is not known. It is conjectured that the descendants of the eastern colony are still living.

1576. An attempt was made by the English, under admiral Frobisher, to settle the country.

1712. The Greenland company at Bergen, in Norway, transported a colony to the western coast, in lat. 64° north. The reverend Hans Egede accompanied them, as their minister. To him we are indebted for the best account of modern Greenland. He made several attempts to explore the eastern coast, but could not reach it.

Religion. The Danes and Norwegians are Lutherans. The Aborigines are Pagans, except a number in the south, around NewHerrnhut, and Lichtenfels, whom the Moravian missionaries have been instrumental in converting to Christianity.

Population. The colony from Norway occupy the western coast from lat. 64° to 68° north. They are believed to amount to from 7000 to 10,000. It is impossible to ascertain the number of the natives. They are said to have amounted in 1733 to 30,000, when the smallpox destroyed great numbers of them. In 1746

their numbers were estimated by a factor who resided here 40 years, at 20,000.

Fishery. Greenland is valuable principally on account of its fisheries. In 1785 Great-Britain employed 153 ships in this fishery, and the Dutch 65.

Character and Manners. The natives, in their appearance, resemble the Laplanders. They are vigorous and healthy; but short-lived; very quiet, orderly, and good-natured. They are extremely filthy in their mode of living. Their whole business is fishing and hunting.

Towns. There is a Danish settlement called Good Hope, in lat. 64°, and another in Disco bay, called Disco, not far from 68°. New-Herrnhut, Lichtenfels, and Lichtenau are the principal Mo. ravian establishments. These places are the residence of the Moravian missionaries. The native inhabitants around the two first of these places have all been baptized, so that no trace of paganism is now left in that neighbourhood.*

Climate, Seasons, Face of the Country. Summer continues from the last of May to the middle of September. The sea coasts are often infested with fogs, that are alike disagreeable and unhealthy. Near the shore the low lands are clothed with verdure; but the inland mountains are perpetually covered with snow. Above lat. 68°, the cold is prodigiously intense; and, towards the end of August, the whole coast is covered with ice, which lasts till May. Greenland is generally mountainous. The mountains are barren. Some of them are visible 40 leagues at sea.

BRITISH PROVINCES IN NORTH-AMERICA.

Extent. BRITISH North-America includes the vast extent of country, bounded S. by the United States; E. partly by the Atlantic and Davis's straits, and partly by Hudson bay; N. partly by Hudson straits and bay, and, westward of that bay, by unexplored regions; W. by the territories occupied by the Chipewyans and the Knisteneaux. The islands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, St. John's, and several smaller islands in the gulf of St. Lawrence, belong also to the British.

Population. The population of these various territories, from the best estimate that can be made, amounts to about 400,000 or 420,000 souls.

İ. Lower Canada, which comprises New-Britain, Lower Canada, properly so called, and Newfoundland.

II. Upper Canada.
III. Nova-Scotia.
IV. New-Brunswick.
V. Cape Breton.

VI. St. John's.

The four first of these provinces have their own legislatures, and are governed by their own laws; the two last by the laws of England.

The governor general of British America usually resides at Quebec, in Lower Canada. He is governor, for the time being, of that one of the six provinces in which he happens to be personally. present.

The governor general of Nova-Scotia, is governor, for the time being, of that one of the four last mentioned provinces in which he happens to be personally present. He usually resides at Halifax, in Nova-Scotia.

Each province has its own lieutenant governor, who acts as gov ernor in the absence of the governor generals.

NEW-BRITAIN.

Extent, Divisions, and Inhabitants. THIS extensive country comprises three distinct territories;

1. LABRADOR, or the country east of Hudson bay;

2. NEW-SOUTH-WALES, or the country lying southwest and west of James bay;

3. NEW-NORTH-WALES, or the country lying north of the preceding.

The whole country may be considered as reaching from lat. 50° to 63° N. and from lon. 56° to 110 30 W. Its length is not less than 1800 miles, from E. to W. its breadth is about 850. Labrador is 850 miles long, from N. to S. and 750 broad.

The Esquimaux Indians occupy the whole peninsula of Greenland, the coast of Labrador, and the whole northern coast of America. They are universally believed to be of European origin.

Religion. The great body of the inhabitants in these extensive and dreary regions are Pagans. The Moravians have missionaries stationed at Okkak, Nain, and Hopedale, where, from accounts as late as 1805, it appears, that they are laboring with increasing suc

cess.

Population. At the forts there are small detachments of British troops; at Nain, Okkak, and Hopedale, on the N. E. coast of Labrador, there are small settlements established by the Moravians. The country of the Knisteneaux is thinly, and that of the Esquimaux still more thinly, peopled.

Face of the Country. The country north of Churchill river, is a flat country, and has received the name of the Barren Grounds.