The ladies use fine English side-saddles, and wear elegant riding-habits, and pretty felt hats with green veils.

These jaunts, however, are confined to Reikjavik; for, as I have already observed, there is, with the exception of this town, no place in Iceland containing more than two or three stores and some half-dozen cottages.
To my great surprise, I found no less than six square piano-fortes belonging to different families in Reikjavik, and heard waltzes by our favourite composers, besides variations of Herz, and some pieces of Liszt, Wilmers, and Thalberg.

But such playing! I do not think that these talented composers would have recognised their own works.
In conclusion, I must offer a few remarks relative to the travelling in this country.
The best time to choose for this purpose is from the middle of June to the end of August at latest.

Until June the rivers are so swollen and turbulent, by reason of the melting snows, as to render it very dangerous to ride through them.

The traveller must also pass over many a field of snow not yet melted by the sun, and frequently concealing chasms and masses of lava; and this is attended with danger almost as great.