Jökull - 01.12.1960, Blaðsíða 13

he had a time off from his large practice and
strenuous farming he did research work in the
field of natural science as well as much writ-
ing.
Among other things he made careíul weather
records from 1791 to his death. His cornpre-
hensive research and writings will not be de-
scribed here, except that some reference will
be made to that work of his which more than
any other will save his name from oblivion.
In 1795 Pálsson sent to the Naturhistorie Sel-
skabet (Natural History Society) in Copenhagen,
which had financed his research travels, á trea-
tise on the glaciers in Iceland entitled: Forsög
til en Physisk, Geographisk og Historisk Be-
skrivelse over de islanske Is-biœrge. I Anled-
ning af en Reise til de fornemste deraf i Aarene
1792—1794 (An attempt at a physical, geo-
graphical and historical description of the Ice-
landic glaciers. Based on travels to the most
important of them during the years 1792—1794).
This work was written in Danish ancl was not
published in extenso until 1945 and then in
Icelandic (in Ferðabók Sveins Pálssonar. Dag-
bœkur og ritgerðir 1791—1797. Ed. J. Eythórs-
son. Reykjavík, pp. 425—552). Parts of the trea-
tise were published in Norsk Turisiforenings
Aarbog, Kristiania, in 1883. Hacl this remark-
able treatise been translated to some big langu-
age and printed shortly after it was written, it
would now rank as a classic, not only in Ice-
landic but also in the international glacio-
logical literature as the probably most impor-
tant glaciological treatise of the I8th century.
As to what Pálsson hacl read on glaciology
before he wrote his treatise the following may
be quoted from its introductory chapter: “The
glaciers in Helvetia and adjoining areas have,
as is well known, been described by Griiner,
Saussure, v. Moll, Schranck, Walcher and de
Luce, although I have not read anything of this,
except that little which is quoted by Fleischer
in his Natural History.....In Norway I don’t
know of any glaciers having been described
except Justedalsbræen, about which professor
Ström writes in his description of Söndmör and
professor Vahl in Vol. II. 1 of the papers of
the Natural History Society, which I liave not
yet had an opportunity to read” (op. cit. 426).
E. Fleischer (1732—1804), a Danish naturalist,
wrote a comprehensive work (16000 pages) on
natural history: Forsög til en Natur-Historie etc.
that was published in 10 volumes and 26 parts
in 1787—1804. Of this Pálsson has read the
first three volumes before he wrote his glacier
treatise. In these volumes Fleischer quotes the
authors mentioned by Pálsson, except the Nor-
wegian ones, and also Vídalín and Ólafsson.
His own comments on glaciology are often
rather fantastic and show the standard of aca-
demic glaciology at his time. The following
may be quoted as an example. In Vol. II, p.
375 Fleischer writes about ice dammed lakes in
Switzerland ancl says that among them are “the
so-called Pilatus lakes which are situated at the
foot of the lofty mountain Pilatus. It is be-
lieved that at the time the unjust judge fi.e.
Pilatej hacl to leave his court of justice the
Devil took liim to the Alps to entomb him in
those mountains. And as two marks like those
of a horseshoe can be found in a rock not far
away it is maintained that the Evil one set off
with him so violently that in his impetuosity
his footprints left holes in the rock itself. (But
must Satan then have himself shod?) Perhaps
only this time since he knew that the route he
had to take over the rocks was so rough and
stony.”
Of a quite another and higher standard is
the Norwegian Hans Ström’s work: Physisk og
Oecónomisk Beskrivelse over Fogderiet Sönd-
mör, printed in Sorö 1762. It contains a re-
markable description of the oscillations of some
outlets of Justedalsbræen, which Ström received
from a clergyman, Hans Viingaard. Strörn him-
self describes glacier rivers ancl their daily
variations. He states, contrary to Ólafsson, that
common people in Iceland and Norway are
right in maintaining that the light colour of
the glacier river comes from the glaciers.
It is not known whether or not Pálsson did
ever reacl M. Vahl’s paper: Nogle Iagttagelser
ved en Reise giennem Norge til dets nordlige
Dele that was published in 1792 (Skrivter af
Naturhistorie-Selskabet 2det Bind. lste Hefte,
pp. 1—71), but it was read before the Natural
History Society in Copenhagen on Jan. 28,
1791, while Pálsson was still in Copenhagen.
In this paper Vahl discusses the oscillations of
Justedalsbræen and has some interesting and
partly correct comments on their causes.
Pálsson often quotes Fieischer and is some-
what influenced by him, but he does not
liestitate to criticise him, however, if he feels
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