THE EARTH. Ill 



as scarcely at present to be distinguished from 

 the former. 



A new island was formed, in the year 1720, 

 near that of Tercera, near the continent of Af- 

 rica, by the same causes. In the beginning of 

 December, at night, there was a terrible earth- 

 quake at that place, and the top of a new island 

 appeared, which cast forth smoke in vast quanti- 

 ties. The pilot of a ship, who approached it, 

 sounded on one side of this island, and could not 

 find ground at sixty fathom. At the other side 

 the sea was totally tinged of a different colour, 

 exhibiting a mixture of white, blue, and green ; 

 and was very shallow. This island, on its first 

 appearance, was larger than it is at present ; for 

 it has, since that time, sunk in such a manner as 

 to be scarcely above water.* 



A traveller, whom these appearances could not 

 avoid affecting, speaks of them in this manner : 

 t '* What can be more surprising than to see fire 

 not only break out of the bowels of the earth, 

 but also make itself a passage through the wa- 

 ters of the sea ! What can be more extraordina- 

 ry or foreign to our common notions of things, 



[After the great volcanic eruption in 1783, two new islands were formed 

 in the vicinity of Iceland. One of these, about three miles in circumference, 

 made its appearance in the month of February 1784, where there was for- 

 merly 10O fathoms water. It was about 1OO miles south-west from Iceland, 

 and 48 from a cluster of small islands called Gierfugla. It continued for 

 some time to burn with great violence, sending forth prodigious quantities of 

 pumice-stones, sand, &c. like other volcanoes. The other lay to the north- 

 west, between Iceland and Greenland. It burnt day and night without in- 

 termission for a considerable time ; and was larger than the former. Since 

 that time, however, one or both of these islands have been swallowed up.] 



f Phil. Trans, vol. v. p. 197. 



47 



