Mímir. Icelandic institutions with adresses - 15.12.1903, Blaðsíða 27

IN DENMARK — INSTITUTIONS
17
5n Denmark.
I. INSTITUTIONS.
The Arna-Magntean Commission (Det Arna-Magn/zanske
Legat; Arna-Magnussonar Nefndin). Founded by Ami Mag-
nusson, born at Kvennabrekka, Iceland, Nov. 13, 1663, died
at Copenhagen Jan. 7, 1730, for the conservation and publica-
tion of the manuscript treasures collected by him in Iceland,
by far the most important body of Old-Icelandic monuments in
existence. Nothing was done by the Danish authorities, upon
whom the duty rested, to carry out the provisions of the found-
er’s will until 30 years after his death (1760), and a further
delay of twelve years occurred before the Commission was or-
ganized (1772). Thus at last established, there were issued,
under the auspices of the Commission, a series of old texts of
great value in their day, many of which bore upon their title-
Pages, as editors and commentators the names of scholars from
Iceland, but all of which owed their value chiefly to the learn-
lng and labour of native Icelanders. On the death of Professor
Konrab Gislason, bom at Langamyri, Iceland, July 3, 1808,
died at Copenhagen Jan. 4, 1891, the Commission received by
his will the sole addition to its fund, a sum of 20,000 crowns,
the interest to be spent upon the publication of Old-Icelandic
Poetry. For the two stipends for life, respectively of 600 and
400 crowns annually, as originally established (to be conferred
°n native Icelandic students proficient in the old language)
has been recently (1890) substituted a single stipendium of 1000
crowns, tenable for 2 years. As will be seen, this body is purely
Icelandic by its founder, whose name it bears; by the large
fund which he left it; and by what is more important the
unique mass of manuscripts which he alone collected; by the