Appendix. 131 



such tremendous eruptions as in Iceland ; and this eruption 

 seems to be one of the most interesting in the experience of all Ice- 

 land. The ashes have fallen heavily on eastern districts, in some 

 places 9 inches think. In about 21,000 square miles it is esti- 

 mated that 15,360,000 bushels of ashes have fallen. The ashes 

 from the eruption which took place on the 2Qth of March, fell 

 on the following day in Norway and Sweden so thickly that the 

 sun became black. Several districts, some of the best of Ice- 

 land, are destroyed, at least for some years. This will cause 

 numbers of people to emigrate next year, in all probability. 

 Fresh intelligence from the fires is expected soon, and as a 

 steamer will leave here for Scotland in about two weeks, I hope 

 I shall by that time be able to tell you something more about the 

 eruption." 



[Letter from Jon Bjarnason to Arthur Macy, written Nov. 27, 1875.] 



" Prof. Anderson has told me that you would like to get some 

 information concerning the last volcanic eruption in Iceland, 

 this year, as far as known to me. The last letters I have had 

 from home are dated about Oct. 2oth, and Icelandic newspapers 

 I have got down to the same time. In these last ones there is 

 nothing spoken of any continuation of the volcanic catastrophes 

 since the middle of August, when a new crater opened in the 

 southeast part of the sand deserts of Mijvata (Myvaluorxfi) near 

 a certain chasm called Sveinagja. This last eruption was said to 

 have been very vehement, but how long time it lasted cannot be 

 seen from the newspapers, and probably people did not know ex- 

 actly when it ceased, the place being far removed from human 

 dwellings. But I do not think this eruption has caused any seri- 

 ous destruction, since it has only shortly and incidentally been 

 mentioned in the papers. How many craters there have been 

 active in the middle and northeast of Iceland throughout this 

 year, I cannot tell, nor do I think it is known with certainty to 

 anybody in Iceland, but in my private letters, which I have had 



