440 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



11. Volcanoes in Iceland. — Violent volcanic eruptions took 

 place last winter in Iceland, where they were wholly unlooked 

 for. The mountain called Oefields-Jokkeler, to the south-east of 

 Hecla, which had been quiet ever since the year l6l2, broke out 

 with great fury on the 19th, 20lh, and 2lst of December, 1821, 

 so that the ice, with which it was covered, burst with a tre- 

 mendous crash. The earth trembled, and enormous masses of 

 snow were precipitated from the summit (a height of 5,500 feet) 

 into the plain. From that time, a column of fire continued to 

 rise from the crater, which ejected vast quantities of ashes and 

 stones, some of them weighing from 50 to 80 lbs., half calcined, 

 were thrown to the distance of five English miles from the crater. 

 It does not appear that any great damage has been done by this 

 eruption ; the mass of sulphureous ashes which covered the ad- 

 joining country like a thick crust, has since been removed by a 

 violent storm and torrents of rain. The mountain continued to 

 burn till the 1st of February, and smoked till the 23d, but the ice 

 had again formed round the crater. During the eruption, the weather 

 in the island was extremely unsettled and stormy, with loud 

 noises and sensible shocks as of an earthquake. — JNTem Monthli/ 

 Mag,, vi. 217. 



12. Volcanoes in the North.— Two volcanoes have broken out in 

 the North, at the eastern boundary of Asiatic Russia, viz., at the 

 western extremity of North America. The inhabitants of the 

 Aleutes Isles (or Foxes) perceived, in the night of the 2d of March, 

 182] , all the signs of a great natural commotion. A strong S.W. 

 wind, violent shakings of the earth, and subterraneous noises; 

 immediately after the atmosphere was inilamed, and sand, with 

 cinders, fell during the whole night. While this was passing at 

 Unalachka, another volcano burst forth at Ounimach, an island 

 about 24 leagues from Unalachka. Columns of smoke and fire 

 rose from the latter place until the month of August. The land 

 has been much altered by these commotions, the sea having re- 

 ceded to a considerable distance. 



§ 2. AIeoicine, &c. 



13. Proper State of Prvssic Acid for Medicinal Use.— A series 

 of experiments have been undertaken by a company of associated 

 physicians, surgeons, and naturalists at Florence, to determine the 

 best state of the hydro-cyanic or prussic acid for medicinal pur- 

 poses. The experiments were made with great care, and varied 

 several ways. Different preparations of the substance were used, 

 rabbits being the animals on which they were tried. Their 

 joint opinion is expressed as follows : " We may then conclude, 

 from our researches, that the essential oil of the prunus laura- 

 cerasus is to be preferred in medical practice to all other prepara- 



