Árbók Landsbókasafns Íslands - Nýr flokkur - 01.01.1983, Page 65

TIL ÍSLENDINGA
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consumed in the island yearly? How much sufiices for one family?
How much wood, or kindling wood is imported? Does each family
keep a medicine chest? Is coífee greatly used? Are there any
preserved or canned foods consumed, and if so what are the
principal sorts? Can you give an idea of how many books are
owned by the island families, and what families have the greatest
number? What newpapers are taken? Has there been any
emigration from the islands to America? How many people now
on the island were born elsewhere? Is there a cemetery around the
church? What is the lowest temperature which has occurred on
the island since your residence? And the highest? Is there any
store-house where coal and other articles are kept? Are there any
attempts at gardening? What are a few of the most striking plants
or wild flowers? What are the usual diseases? Is there now any
scurvy?
This is asking a great deal of you, but I do not expect you to
respond fully to all these innumerable questions, or to respond to all
of them at once. But should you think of anything not included in
them - any fact, custom, incident, bit offolklore- I should be glad to
know about it, and I shall likewise want' to learn what you think of
Dr. Thoroddsen’s map; and whether you find anything incorrect in
his article. Please tell me how the chess-boards and men sent to the
island have lasted. Are they mostly worn out? What chess-books do
you fmd most useful? Can the collection of games and problems in
German be understood and used by everybody? Is much interest
taken in the volumes of photographs which were forwarded? I rejoice
that you have such an excellent knowledge of English; is there
anybody else on the island who knows anything about this or any
other foreign language except Danish? How many understand
Danish? Do English, French or American fishermen ever visit the
island? But I am beginning with my interrogations again.
Please remember me most kindly to all your family and especially
to my namesake, who, I hope is thriving. My especial good wishes to
Ingvar and my friendly regards to all.
Very faithfully yours,
Willard Fiske.
I read Icelandic as easily as English, so that you can write in the
former language any answers which you may choose to make to my
questions. But do not give yourselve too much trouble in the matter.
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