On the arrival of the boats at Rostoe, Quirini was quartered with the principal person of the island:  This man’s son led him to his father’s dwelling, as his debility was so great he was unable to walk without assistance.  The mistress of the house and her maid came forwards to meet him, when he would have fallen at her feet; but she would not permit him, and immediately got him a bason of milk from the house, to comfort him and restore his strength.  During three months and a half that Quirini dwelt in this house, he experienced the greatest friendship and humanity from the owners; while in return he endeavoured by complaisance to acquire the good will of his kind hosts, and to requite their benevolence.  The other partners of his misfortunes were distributed among the other houses of the place, and were all taken good care of.

The rocky isle of Rost, or Rostoe, lies 70 Italian miles to the westwards of the southern promontory of Norway, which in their language they call the worlds backside, and is three miles in circumference[2].  This rocky isle was inhabited at this time by 120 souls, of whom 72 received the holy communion on Easter-day like good catholics.  They get their livelihood and maintain their families entirely by fishing, as no corn of any kind grows in this very remote part of the world.  From the 20th of November to the 20th of February, the nights were twenty-one hours long; and on the contrary, from the 20th of May to the 20th of August the sun is either always seen, or at least the light which proceeds from it.  Thus during June, July and August, they may be said to have one continued day of three months; while in the opposite months of winter they have one almost continued night.  During the whole year they catch an incredible quantity of fish; which, however, are almost solely of two kinds.  One of these they catch in prodigious quantities in the great bays, which they call stockfish[3].  The other, called Halibut, is a kind of flat fish of an astonishing size, for one of them was found to weigh near two hundred pounds.  The stockfish are dried without being salted, in the sun and air; and, as they have little fat or moisture, they grow as dry as wood.  When they are to be prepared for eating, they arc beaten very hard with the back part of a hatchet, by which they are divided into filaments like nerves; after which they are boiled, and dressed with butter and spices to give them a relish.  The people of this country carry on a considerable trade with these dried stockfish into Germany.  The halibuts, are cut into pieces on account of their great size, and are then salted; in which state they are very good eating.  With these two kinds of fish the people of Rostoe load every year a ship of about 50 tons burthen, which they send to Bergen, a place in Norway, about a thousand miles from their island; and from whence a great number of ships of 300 or 330 tons burthen, carry all the produce of the fisheries of different parts of Norway into Germany, England, Scotland, and Prussia, where they are exchanged against the produce of these countries, particularly for every necessary article of food, drink and clothing, as their own country is so extremely barren and unfruitful, that they cannot raise these things for themselves.