146 An ACCOUNT of 
liflowers, except that they are rather more prominent, and are 
covered, by the falling of the finer particles of fpray, with a 
cryftalline efHlorefcence fo delicate as fcarcely to bear the 
flighteft touch. Unmolefted, the efflorefcence gradually hardens, 
and, although it lofes its firft delicacy, it ftill remains exceed- 
ingly beautiful. 
Tukse incruftations are of a light brown colour, and ex- 
tend a great way, in various dire¢tions, from the borders of 
the bafon. To the northward, they reach toa diftance of 82 feet 5. 
to the eaft, of 86; to the fouth, of 118; and of 124 to the 
weft. They are very hard, and do not appear, in any part, de- 
caying or mouldering into foil*. 
WueEn our guides firft led us to the Geyzer, the bafon was. 
filled to within a few feet of its edge. The water was tranfpa- 
rent as cryftal; a flight fteam only arofe from it, and the fur~ 
face was ruffled but by a few bubbles, which now and then: 
came from the bottom of the, pipe. We waited with. anxiety, 
for feveral minutes, expecting at every inftant fome interrup- 
tion to this tranquillity. On a fudden, another fpring, imme- 
diately in front of the place on which we were ftanding, darted’ 
its waters above an hundred feet into the air with the velocity. — 
of an arrow, and the jets fucceeding this firft eruption were. 
{till higher. This was the {pring already mentioned under the 
name of the New Geyzer.. 
WHILE gazing in filence and wonder at this unexpected anid 
beautiful difplay, we were alarmed by a fudden fhock of the. 
ground: 
* The fubftance of thefe incruftations has been analyfed by Profeflor Bencman, and- 
he gives a long and particular account of it, in a letter to the Archbithop of Upfal, pu- 
blithed with the Archbifhop’s Letters on Iceland. He fays, ‘‘ The ftrongeft acids, the: 
“© fluor acid not excepted, are not fufficient with a boiling heat to diffolve this fubftance. 
“¢ Tr diffolves very little (if at all) by the blow-pipe with the fufible falt of urine, a little- 
“ more with borax, and makes a ftrong effervefcence with fal fode. Thefe effects are 
peculiar only to a filiceous earth or flint. There cannot remain therefore a doubt, 
“ concerning the nature of this cruftated ftone.”’ 
