The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

10 ISLANDS OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC.enduring much fatigue on little food, and so sagacious in finding its way thatthe traveller always trusts himself confidently to its guidance. These animalsare highly prized in England, not only on account of their intelligence anddocility, hut also for their small size, rendering them well suited for employmentin the mines. As many as 3,500, valued at £60,000, were exported to GreatBritain in 1875.The reindeer was introduced in the year 1770. Of the original stock threeonly survived, but these have multiplied to such an extent that steps have beentaken to get rid of an animal which has proved of little use as a beast of burden insuch a rugged land. Wild sheep are also met near NupstaS, south of the Vatna-Jokull.Next to the horse the most valued animal is the sheep, which the nativespossess in relatively larger numbers than any other European people. Sincethe middle of the century, however, they have been greatly reduced byepizootic diseases, and they have even given rise to a serious disorder commonamongst the inhabitants. The parasite known as the Coenurus echinocoecusswarms on the sheep, from w-hich it passes as a tenia into the body of thedog, and is thence transmitted to man. Hence the heavy dog-tax imposed inthe year 1871, for the purpose of diminishing their numbers and reducing thedanger.The Iceland waters teem with fish, the salmon and cod fisheries alone employing5,000 of the natives, while many Scandinavian, English, and especially Frenchcraft come in search both of the cod and arctic shark. The oil of the shark ishighly prized by the soap-makers, and of its skin the Icelanders make sandalsremarkable for their lightness and pliancy. In good seasons the western inletsare crowded with fishing-smacks, and in 1877 the French fleet numbered 244,averaging 97 tons burden, manned by 4,500 hands, and took 13,102 tons of fish,valued at £330,112.Inhabitants.— Government.Previous to the historic invasions Iceland is supposed to have been uninhabited,no trace of the stone or bronze ages having ever been discovered.No tumuli riseabove the headlands, no dolmens are anywhere visible in the interior. The firstEuropean colonists seem to have settled on the east coast towards the end of theeighth century. The Norwegians who met them spoke of them as papas, or" monks," and the bells, crosses, religious books, and other articles left by themlead to the belief that they were of Irish origin. In 825 some Scotch Celts reachedthe island, but the systematic colonisation did not begin till 874, fourteen yearsafter its fresh discovery by Gardar the Dane. Some Norwegian chiefs, flyingfrom the sword of Harald the Fair, who wished to subdue and convert themto Christianitj', collected relatives, thanes, and friends, and with them soughtrefuge in Iceland, where they founded pagan communities, which preserved theold songs and traditions long after they had died out in the mother country. The