Ii6 Account of a Fiery Eruption in Iceland. 



the fouth its progrefs had been checked by lofty moun- 

 tains. 



Thus fwelled and towering up into huge waves it endea- 

 voured on all fides to procure a paffage, which, by its con- 

 tinually pre Ming forwards, it at length effe&ed towards the 

 fouth in a vallev between the mountains. Through this 

 opening it nulled with incredible violence and force, like 

 the moil terrible cataract, into the plain on the fouth, over 

 which it rolled, amidft ftrong concuffions of the earth and 

 awful thunder and cxplofions in the atmofphere, carrying 

 before it {tones, rocks and fmall eminences. This flaming 

 lake boiled and foamed in a dreadful manner with melted 

 ftones, iron, and other fub fiances capable of being liquefied; 

 fome of the ignited rocks and flones, as large as whales and 

 houfes, were feen fwimming on its furface, or driving up 

 and down. 



In the mean time fmoke and vapour arofe from the earth, 

 both in the neighbourhood of this fiery lake and in the 

 more remote diftricls. All thefe appearances continued 

 incefiantly both day and night from the iath of June till 

 the 1 2th of Auguft. The lake ftill fpread itfelf in the open 

 plains, but with lefs impetuofity than before. The boiling 

 and foaming, however, continued until it at length began 

 to fettle, and to form itfelf into a folid body. In many 

 places it was found to have been 70, and in others 140 

 fathoms in depth. When it threw itfelf with violence into 

 the bed of any river, the water which it difplaced overflowed 

 all the adjacent lands, and ftill added to the devaftation and 

 diftrefs it occasioned. Seventeen farms were burnt by the 

 fiery dream, and four fwept entirely away by the water, 

 befides a great many others which were dedroyed by light- 

 ning and the large ftones that fell from the atmofphere ; fo 

 that their inhabitants were reduced to poverty, and obliged 

 to wander about begging for relief. Three large rivers, the 

 before-mentioned Skapta, the Hlverfisfliot, and the Steinf- 



myrarfliot, 



