Letters from High Latitudes: Being Some Account of a Voyage in 1856 of the Schooner Yacht "Foam" to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen

In Short

This book is a spirited travel narrative chronicling an 1856 yacht voyage aboard the schooner "Foam" to Iceland, Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergen. Navigating treacherous Arctic ice and exploring volcanic landscapes, the author weaves personal adventure with rich historical sagas and vivid descriptions of northern life. It has lasted because of its rare combination of sharp wit, profound historical curiosity, and a lyrical appreciation for the majestic desolation of the far north.

The Story

The expedition begins with an unpropitious setback in Glasgow when a telegraphic message announces the sudden illness of the yacht's master. The author quickly orders the schooner to Oban and gathers his small crew, including a cheerful companion named Wilson and a capable photographer named Fitzgerald. Stopping briefly in Greenock, the party is joined by Sigurdr, a cultured young law student from Iceland who agrees to guide them through his native land.

Setting sail across heavy northern swells, the yacht endures days of relentless weather and gray skies before catching its first breathtaking glimpse of a snow-crowned Icelandic mountain gleaming in the distance. Arriving at Reykjavik, the voyagers trade sea legs for land travel, organizing a picturesque caravan of ponies tied tail-to-head to cross the interior. They explore the stunning lava vale of Thingvalla, marveling at the sheer chasms of the Almannagja and Hrafnagja, where ancient Icelanders once held their open-air parliament and dispensed tribal justice. Pressing further inland amid steaming thermal fields, they reach the roaring, intermittent eruptions of the great Geysir and Strokr, observing the stupendous energy of nature firsthand.

Returning to the coast, the travelers encounter the magnificent French corvette "Reine Hortense," commanded by Prince Napoleon, who kindly offers the "Foam" a tow northward. Rejecting a detour to Greenland in pursuit of more remote polar targets, the author accepts the assistance and heads toward Jan Mayen. Encountering dense, impenetrable packs of floating ice that threaten to trap the small vessel, they narrowly navigate the shifting floes before reaching the desolate shores of Jan Mayen, where towering volcanic cones and drifting ice create an atmosphere of haunting isolation.

From there, the schooner pushes even further north toward the forbidding coasts of Spitzbergen. After eleven days at sea, they anchor in the dead calm of English Bay, surrounded by monumental glaciers, unyielding frost, and absolute silence. During their time on shore, the crew successfully hunts a polar bear, transforming its carcass into hanging provisions before deciding against consuming the meat due to ominous warnings. Interwoven throughout these physical trials are frequent digressions into the dramatic sagas of old Norse kings, Viking sea-fights, and ancient discoveries of western lands.

Homeward bound at last, the expedition battles heavy gales, rough ocean roosts, and lingering fatigue as they retrace their path southward past Hammerfest and Throndhjem. The voyage concludes with a profound sense of transformation, having covered six thousand miles. The author parts ways with his steadfast companions, carrying away an enduring affection for the northern islands and the rich historical ghosts that haunt their shores.

How It Unfolds

• The voyage begins: A frustrating telegraphic check in Glasgow delays the start, but prompt reorganizing gets the schooner moving toward its northern rendezvous.
• Meeting the guide: An introduction in Greenock secures the company of Sigurdr, a polished and knowledgeable young Icelander who brings his homeland's rich heritage to life.
• The first landfall: After battling dead leaden seas and overcast skies, the crew spots a brilliant silver pyramid of snow piercing the horizon.
• Thingvalla's chasm: Descending the vertical walls of the Almannagja, the travelers explore the historic plains where ancient Icelanders once debated law and settled disputes.
• The Geysir erupts: Four days of patient waiting are rewarded when a towering column of scalding water bursts skyward in a magnificent display of subterranean power.
• Towed by the Prince: Prince Napoleon’s imperial yacht takes the small schooner in tow, accelerating their race past the drifting pack-ice toward the edge of the world.
• Spitzbergen's silence: Dropping anchor in English Bay, the crew confronts an immense, frozen panorama defined by total stillness, towering glaciers, and primeval rock.
• The bear hunt: A successful polar bear encounter provides high excitement and a temporary stock of fresh meat before the voyage turns southward.
• The long return: Battling rough gales, coastal whirlpools, and deep fatigue, the "Foam" completes its six-thousand-mile circuit, returning the travelers safely to civilization.

The People

• The Marquess of Dufferin: The adventurous owner of the yacht "Foam" and narrator of the journey. He seeks escape, historical enlightenment, and geographical discovery, facing down ice-packs and stormy seas with unflagging humor and curiosity.
• Sigurdr: A twenty-seven-year-old law student from Copenhagen and native Icelander. He wants to introduce outsiders to the genuine culture and history of his homeland, serving as a gracious, highly intelligent counterweight to English prejudices about his people.
• Wilson: The loyal, chronically anxious servant and cook. He perpetually anticipates culinary disasters, bear attacks, and marine catastrophes, providing rich comic relief through his dramatic imagination.
• Fitzgerald: The expedition's photographer. Armed with his camera equipment amidst shifting gales and boiling geysirs, he captures the physical realities of the far north alongside the author.
• Prince Napoleon: The commander of the French corvette "Reine Hortense." Operating magnificent steam vessels, he crosses paths with the yacht and offers vital towing assistance that enables the author's polar ambitions.

In Its Own Voice

"The sea, losing its dead leaden colour, had become quite crisp and burnished, darkling into a deep sapphire blue against the horizon; beyond which, at about nine o'clock, there suddenly shot up towards the zenith, a pale, gold aureole..."

This description captures the sudden, striking shift in weather as the yacht finally approaches the distant shores of Iceland.

"A universal numbness and dumbness seemed to pervade the solitude."

This sentence conveys the eerie, absolute silence and lifelessness encountered upon dropping anchor in the freezing waters of Spitzbergen.

"To have killed a polar bear was a great thing, but to eat him would be a greater."

This observation highlights the practical, adventurous spirit of the ship's crew following a successful hunt on the icy northern shore.

What It's Really About

The book explores the interplay between raw, indifferent nature and human history, using physical geography as a portal into the past. It investigates how isolated, harsh environments shape resilient cultures, arguing that Iceland's intellectual vitality and rich literary traditions arose directly from its stark, protective seclusion. Beneath the mechanics of yachting and navigation lies a deeper inquiry into what draws civilized men into terrifying wildernesses: a search for perspective, authenticity, and the humbling magnitude of the earth's elemental forces.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love classic travel writing, maritime adventure, and crisp Victorian prose will find this an absolute delight. It feels effortless and conversational to read, moving seamlessly from witty observations of shipboard life to epic retellings of ancient Norse sagas. Modern readers should note that the text occasionally reflects the mid-nineteenth-century period attitudes and Eurocentric vocabulary of its aristocratic author, which can feel dated. Yet these minor historical limitations are easily overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the descriptions. What stays with you long after closing the book is the crystalline chill of the Arctic air, the thunder of the boiling geysirs, and the author's infectious wonder at a world untouched by modern haste.