92 AN EARTHQUAKE. Chap. VII. 



have been directed to visit Godhaab before coming here. 

 We have left letters to go home in her, and they ought to 

 be in England by the end of June. 



I visited to-day a small lake at the foot of Mount Cunning- 

 ham; it is said to occupy the centre of an extinct vol- 

 cano, but I saw nothing to bear out the assertion. This 

 is the only part of Greenland where earthquakes are felt. 

 The Governor told me of an unusually severe shock which 

 occurred a winter or two ago. He was sitting in his room 

 and reading at the time, when he heard a loud noise like 

 the discharge of a cannon ; immediately afterwards a tremu- 

 lous motion was felt, some glasses upon the table com- 

 menced to dance about, and papers lying upon the window- 

 sill fell down : after a few seconds it ceased. He thinks the 

 motion originated at the lake, as it was not felt by some 

 people living beyond it, and that it passed from N.E. to 



aw. 



This rocky mountainous scenery is magnificent; but a 

 little more animal life — reindeer, for instance — would make 

 it far more pleasing in our eyes. The last twelvemonth's 

 produce of this district amounts only to 500 reindeer skins, 

 instead of 3000, as in ordinary years. The prevailing rock 

 is syenitic granite. This settlement was first formed in 

 1772, it now contains about 200 souls; the present clergy- 

 man was born in it, and has succeeded his father in the 

 priestly office; his wife is the only European female in 

 the colony. Being told that fuel was extremely scarce 

 in the Danish houses, and that " the priest's wife was blue 

 with the cold," I sent on shore a present of some coals. 



On Sunday afternoon, hearing the church bell tolling, I 

 went on shore. It proved to be only a christening. The 

 little dusky infant received a long string of European names; 

 there was a small description of barrel-organ, to the sound 

 of which the congregation joined in, keeping up a loud 



