Fremimrille's Voyage to the North Pole. 79 



noticed. It is conceived, that, like many other volcanic islets, 

 it has been swallowed up by some submarine convulsion, ex- 

 amples of the like having frequently occurred. 



Reaching- the point assigned to the Isle of Bas, in the chart 

 above cited, we could trace no vestige of it ; but as we had 

 a rough sea, with short and rippling waves, we judged we 

 might be over the spot it once occupied. We sounded for 

 better assurance, but a line of 200 fathoms could find no 

 bottom. Such submarine phenomena, doubtless the most ex- 

 traordinary of any that volcanic eruptions produce, are fre- 

 quent in the Northern Ocean, at least in the tracks occupied 

 by the long volcanic chain that stretches from the 58th to the 

 72d degree of latitude. This chain commences to the north 

 of Scotland ; and the basaltic archipelagos of the Hebrides, of 

 the Orkneys, and Shetland Isles, form the first rings of it. 

 Stretching afterwards to the N. W. across the oceanic whirl- 

 pools, it appears again at the Ferro Islands, then at Iceland, 

 the most extensive theatre of ignivomous eruptions to be found 

 on the surface of our globe. From Iceland, the chain goes 

 on to join the Isle of Jean Mayen, or Trinity, where it appears 

 to end, after traversing under water a space of more than 260 

 marine leagues. In advancing more to the north, we find 

 nothing in the character of the lands that presents features of 

 a volcanic soil ; Bear's Island, and Spitzberg, are wholly cal- 

 careous. 



The weather now becoming milder, we bore away for the 

 north ; and in a few days we had sight of the coasts of Ice- 

 land. Their dark profile delineated a rough sketch of its 

 steep, rocky, indented shores, on a misty horizon; in theN.W.at 

 a very considerable distance, appeared an enormous mountain, 

 which we judged might be Mount Hecla; but the bad wea- 

 ther, for three days successively, not admitting of any astro- 

 nomical observations, I will not affirm that it was actually that 

 famous volcano, which had now been in a tranquil state the 

 twelve preceding years. 



We made sail for the north-east, coasting the land, but at a 

 considerable distance; the weather cleared up, during the 

 short night which succeeded to the day of our seeing 

 land, and a pure serene sky on the day ensuing brought to 

 view, on another point of the coast, a jokul, or mountain, of a 

 prodigious height, entirely covered with snow ; its summit, 

 which reached far above the clouds, reflected the rays of the 

 rising sun, which tinging it with a beautiful rose-colour, 

 blended insensibly with the whiteness of its flanks, and pro- 

 duced an admirable effect. Our observations enabled us to 



