
audiobook
by Marquis of Frederick Temple Blackwood Dufferin and Ava
LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES
LETTER I. - PROTESILAUS STUMBLES ON THE THRESHOLD
LETTER II. - THE ICELANDER—A MODERN SIR PATRICK SPENS
LETTER III. - LOCH GOIL—THE SAGA OF CLAN CAMPBELL
LETTER IV. - THROUGH THE SOUNDS—STORNAWAY—THE SETTING UP OF THE FIGURE-HEAD—FITZ'S FORAY—OH WEEL MAY THE BOATIE ROW, THAT WINS THE BAIRNS'S BREAD—SIR PATRICK SPENS JOINS—UP ANCHOR.
LETTER V. - THE NORTH ATLANTIC—SPANISH WAVES—OUR CABIN IN A GALE— SEA-SICKNESS FROM A SCIENTIFIC POINT OF VIEW—WILSON—A PASSENGER COMMITS SUICIDE—FIRST SIGHT OF ICELAND—FLOKI OF THE RAVENS—THE NORSE MAYFLOWER—FAXA FIORD—WE LAND IN THULE
LETTER VI. - REYKJAVIK—LATIN CONVERSATION—I BECOME THE PROPRIETOR OF TWENTY-SIX HORSES—EIDER DUCKS—BESSESTAD—SNORKO STURLESON—THE OLD GREENLAND COLONY—FINLAND—A GENOESE SKIPPER IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY—AN ICELANDIC DINNER— SKOAL—AN AFTER-DINNER SPEACH IN LATIN—WINGED RABBITS— DUCROW—START OF THE BAGGAGE-TRAIN.
LETTER VII. - KISSES—WILSON ON HORSEBACK—A LAVA PLATEAU—THINGVALLA— ALMANNAGIA—RABNAGIA—OUR TENT—THE SHIVERED PLAIN— WITCH-DROWNING—A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, A. D. 1000— THANGBRAND THE MISSIONARY—A GERMAN GNAT-CATCHER—THE MYSTICAL MOUNTAINS—SIR OLAF—HECKLA—SKAPTA JOKUL—THE FIRE DELUGE OF 1783—WE REACH THE GEYSIR—STROKR—FITZ'S BONNE FORTUNE—MORE KISSES—AN ERUPTION—PRINCE NAPOLEON —RETURN—TRADE—POPULATION—A MUTINY—THE REINE HORTENSE—THE SEVEN DUTCHMEN—A BALL—LOW DRESSES— NORTHWARD HO!
3 A.M.
CONCLUDING ACT. - SCENE. R. Y. S: "Foam": astern of the "Reine Hortense" - DRAMATIS PERSONAE. - VOICE OF FRENCH CAPTAIN, COMMANDING "R.H." LORD D. DOCTOR. WILSON.
A witty, epistolary chronicle follows a mid‑nineteenth‑century nobleman as he leads a modest schooner from the bustling ports of Scotland toward the far‑north seas. Early letters reveal the fraught start of the expedition—an unexpected illness aboard, a hurried change of captain, and the scramble to keep the schedule before the summer melt wanes. The narrator’s diplomatic poise and dry humor turn logistical headaches into lively anecdotes that set the tone for an adventure far beyond ordinary travel.
En route, the party meets a charismatic Icelandic law student whose frank manner and striking appearance quickly earn him a place among the crew’s confidants. Together they traverse the stark beauty of Loch Goil and the rugged Highlands before the vessel finally slips into the open Atlantic, promising encounters with volcanic islands, ice‑clad fjords, and the mystique of Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen. Listeners can expect vivid scenery, cross‑cultural camaraderie, and the anticipatory thrill of venturing into the untamed Arctic frontier.
Full title
Letters from High Latitudes Being Some Account of a Voyage in 1856 of the Schooner Yacht "Foam" to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen Being Some Account of a Voyage in 1856 of the Schooner Yacht "Foam" to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (447K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2003-02-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1826–1902
An adventurous Victorian statesman, he turned diplomacy, travel, and public life into vivid writing that carried readers from the North Atlantic to the high politics of empire. Best known as the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, he combined literary charm with a long career in some of the British Empire’s most visible posts.
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