LETTER VII. 



KISSES— WILSON ON HORSEBACK — A LAVA PLATEAU — THINGVALLA — 

 ALMANNAGIA — RABNAGIA — OUR TENT — THE SHIVERED PLAIN — 

 WITCH-DROWNING — A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, A. D. IOOO — 

 THANGBRAND THE MISSIONARY — A GERMAN GNAT-CATCHER — THE 

 MYSTICAL MOUNTAINS — SIR OLAF — HECKLA — SKAPTA JOKUL — THE 

 FIRE DELUGE OF 1 785 — WE REACH THE GEYSIR — STROKR — FITZ's 

 BONNE FORTUNE— MORE KISSES— AN ERUPTION — PRINCE NAPO- 

 LEON — RETURN — TRADE — POPULATION — A. MUTINY — THE REINE 

 HORTENSE — THE SEVEN DUTCHMEN — A BALL — LOW DRESSES — ■ 

 NORTHWARD HO ! 



Reykjavik, July 7, 1856. 



At last I have seen the famous Geysirs, of which every one 

 has heard so much ; but I have also seen Thingvalla, of 

 which no one has heard anything. The Geysirs are cer- 

 tainly wonderful marvels of nature, but more wonderful, 

 more marvellous is Thingvalla ; and if the one repay you 

 for crossing the Spanish Sea, it would be worth while to go 

 round the world to reach the other. 



Of the boiling fountains I think I can give -you a good 

 idea, but whether I can contrive to draw for you anything 

 like a comprehensible picture of the shape and nature of the 

 Almannagja, the Hrafnagja, and the lava vale, called Thing- 

 valla, that lies between them, I am doubtful. Before coming 

 to Iceland I had read every account that had been written 

 of Thingvalla by any former traveller, and when I saw it, it 

 • appeared to me a place of which I had never heard ; so I 

 suppose I shall come to grief in as melancholy a manner as 

 my predecessors, whose ineffectual pages whiten the entrance 

 to the valley they have failed to describe. 



Having superintended— as I think I mentioned to you in 

 my last letter — the midnight departure of the cook, guides, 

 and luggage, we returned on board for a good night's rest, 

 which we all needed. The start was settled for the next 



