Th. Thoroddsen— Volcanic History of Iceland. 465 
in fact they proved fatal to 9,000 human beings, 21,000 cattle, 233,000 sheep 
and 36,000 horses. These eruptions are erroneously stated to have taken place 
in Skaptajokull, where an eruption has never yet occurred. 
1784 Earthquake in Arnessy'sla, August 14-16, the severest in historical times, 
destroying 69 homesteads. Eruption from SkeiSardrjokull. 
1789 Earthquakes in the South-country, especially in the neighbourhood of 
Thingvallavain (Thing-wall-water [lake]}). 
1808 Earthquakes in many places about Iceland. 
1810 Earthquake, October 24th, to the east of Hekla. 
1815 Earthquake, during the month of June, in the North-country. 
1818 Slight earthquakes in the South-country. 
1821 Second eruption from Lyjafjallajikull. 
1823 Twelfth eruption from Katia, commencing June 26th, continued for 28 
successive days. Same year eruption in the neighbourhood of Shapta by 
Vurmardalr. 
1826 Earthquake in the North-country. 
1829 Earthquake in the South, February 22nd; seven homesteads fell in. 
1830 Ninth eruption off Reyhjanes. 
1838 Earthquakes from 12th to 19th June, both in the North and in the South. 
1839 Earthquake in the neighbourhood of Reykjavik, July 28th. 
1845 Highteenth eruption trom Hekla, commenced on the 2nd of September and 
continued for seven months. The ashes were carried over to Shetland and the 
column of smoke rising out of the mountain reached a height of 14,000 feet. 
The lava which this eruption produced contained a mass of 14,400 millions 
ceubie feet. 
1855 Slight earthquakes in the North. 
1860 Thirteenth eruption from Katla, May 8-27; earthquakes in the autumn. 
1862 Eruptive activity in the wildernesses about Vatnajékull. 
1863 Harthquakes about Reykjuvik, April 20-21. 
1864 Karthquake February 16th. 
1867 Eruption from Averkfjéll, August 29 —September 5. 
1868 Earthquake in the South, November 1-3. 
1872 Violent earthquakes at Hisavik in Thingeyjarsy'sla, April 17th, the disturbances 
abated not till the middle of May, many homes came down. 
1873 Eruption in Aver/fjoll, January 8-13; considerable fall of ashes in the 
East and the South. 
1875 Eruption from Dyngjufjoll, January 3rd; February 18th, an eruption com- 
menced in Sveinagj% on My'vatnsorefi, which continued to the end of the year. 
March 29th, a formidable explosion took place in Dyngjufjoll, which covered the 
whole of Eastern Iceland with pumice and ashes; the latter being carried all. 
the way to Norway and even Sweden. 
1878 Eruption to the N.E. of Hekla, accompanied by somewhat severe shocks of 
earthquake, commenced February 27th, terminated in May. 
1879 Tenth eruption off Reykjanes, May 30 and 31. 
I have enumerated the eruptions about which full certainty is 
obtainable. Lists of eruptions and earthquakes in Iceland have 
been drawn up by various writers, as, for instance, Haldér Jakobsson. 
(1757), G. Garlieb (1819), Eugen Robert (1840), and F. Zirkel 
(1862) ; but into these accounts various mis-statements have crept, 
owing, partly, to the records being treated with lax eriticism, and, 
partly, to insufficient familiarity with the topography of the country. 
The more recent writers have mostly followed Haldér Jakobsson and 
Garlieb, without studying the original records, and the errors which 
the writings of these authors contain are mostly traceable to their 
sources. 
Of the volcanos, and volcanic localities, which the authorities 
referred to state to have been in activity at various times, the follow- 
ing may safely be struck out: Asmundarnipr, Théreyjarnipr, 
DECADE II.—VOL, VII.—NO. X. 30 
