Alaska (1875)
Encyclopedia
Alaska, lýsing á landi og lands-kostum, ásamt skýrslu innar íslenzku sendinefndar : um stofnun íslenzkrar nýlendu is a pamphlet by Jón Ólafsson detailing Alaska
and the possibility of founding an Iceland
ic colony there. Included in the pamphlet is the report of the Icelandic delegation. It was published in 1875 in Washington
and re-published on February 26th 2005 by Project Gutenberg
.
The report has high hopes and dreams of a future world where Icelandic will surpass English in the world following the founding of the colony and years of rapidly populating it. The report includes a calculation where 10 thousand Icelanders would form the colony and then double their numbers every 25 years, so that in 3-4 centuries they would number 100 million, covering the area from Hudson Bay
to the Pacific Ocean
. From there Icelandic could spread south, replacing the degenerate English tongue, as it is put.
The author's disdain for English is more evident as he describes it as "being a prostitute who has laid with every language of savages and idiots".
The nature and weather of Alaska is detailed for the benefit of future settlers.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the possibility of founding an Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic colony there. Included in the pamphlet is the report of the Icelandic delegation. It was published in 1875 in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and re-published on February 26th 2005 by Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
.
The report has high hopes and dreams of a future world where Icelandic will surpass English in the world following the founding of the colony and years of rapidly populating it. The report includes a calculation where 10 thousand Icelanders would form the colony and then double their numbers every 25 years, so that in 3-4 centuries they would number 100 million, covering the area from Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. From there Icelandic could spread south, replacing the degenerate English tongue, as it is put.
The author's disdain for English is more evident as he describes it as "being a prostitute who has laid with every language of savages and idiots".
The nature and weather of Alaska is detailed for the benefit of future settlers.
External links
- Alaska: lýsing á landi og lands-kostum on Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
(digital edition). - Alaska: lýsing á landi og lands-kostum images from The Library of Congress.