ICELAND." 



the great quantity of cold water, that ran in vaft fireams upon the hot ground^ 

 tore up the earth in large cakes, and carried it down into the lower fituations : 

 befides, the water of this rain was ftrongly impregnated with falts of difFerenj 

 kinds, and fulphur, which it had acquired in falling through the immenfe cloud 

 of fmoak before defcribed ; and was fo fliarp and poifonous as to occafion a confi- 

 derable fmarting, if it fell either upon the hands or face. At a greater diftance 

 from the fire there was a great coldnefs in the atmofphere ; and in fome places 

 there was a very heavy fall of fnow, fo that it lay upon level ground about three feet 

 deep ; in others fo great a quantity of hail, as to do very confiderable damage to 

 the cattle, and every thing that was out. The grafs, and all manner of vegeta- 

 bles, which Were already fcorched by the heat, fand, and pumice ftones, were 

 covered over with a thick cruft of brimflone and footy matter. The great heat of 

 tlje ftreaming fire, meeting with fo large a body of water, occafioned fuch a vapour 

 and fteam in the air, as to darken the fun, which appeared like blood *, and the whole 

 face of nature feemed to be changed. This lafted feveral days, the fand and 

 pumice ftones deftroying all the crops that were upon the ground, the moment 

 that they fell burning up every thing that they touched : the whole country was 

 laid wafte, the cattle dying for want of food ; and the furviving or efcaping inha- 

 bitants flying from the horrid fcene, betook themfelves to other parts of the coun- 

 try, where they might hope for fafety, and left all their ftock and goods a prey to 

 the outrages of thefe two turbulent elements. 



When the fire firft broke out, there was a very confiderable increafe of water in 

 the river Siapta, upon the eaft fide of which one of the fire fpouts was fituated, as 

 was mentioned above : a fimilar overflow of water was obferved, at the fame 

 time, in the great river Piorfa, which runs into the fea a little to the eaftward 

 of the town Orebakke, and into which the river Tuna, after having run through a 

 lar^e trafl: of barren and uninhabited land, empties itfelf. 



Upon the nth oijtme the river Skapta was totally dried up in lefs than twenty- 

 four hours, and the day following a prodigious ftream of liquid and red hot lava, 

 whieh the fire fpout had difcharged, ran down the channel of it, which is very 

 deep, having large rocks and high banks on each fide, the whole length of its 

 courfc. This ftream of lava not only filled the deep channel above mentioned, 

 but overflowing the banks of it, fpread itfelf over the whole valley, covering all 

 the low grounds in its neighborhood ; and not having any fufficient outlet to 

 empty itfelf by, it rofe to a very great height, and over-ran all the neighboring 

 country, infinuating itfelf between the hills, and covering fome of the lower 

 ones. The hills here are not continued in a long chain or feries, but are fepa- 



* In tlie fame I'limmer the fun had a fimilar appearance in Great Britain, and the fame ob- 

 fcurity of air reigned in moll parts of our ifland. 



C ""^'^ 



