^ ICELAND. 



-200 f'lthoms deep (as in the neighborhood of Sivartamp, where the river cuts 

 ~ through a hill), in others 150 or 100 ; and in fome parts 100, in others 50, 40, 

 and 30 fathoms broad. Along the whole of this part of its courfe the river is 

 very rapid, though there are no confiderable catarafts or falls above two feet 

 each. There are feveral other fuch confined channels as this in other parts 

 ■of Iceland, but this is the greateft and moft confiderable in all its dimen- 

 fions. This channel was filled to the brink, and from thence the lava, 

 fpread itfelf over the village Skaptardal, confumed the houfes and every thing 

 in its way, and deftroyed the woods anij meadow lands : this place is fitua- 

 ted on the eafl of the river, upon a rifing ground. The ftream then went for- 

 wards to the fouth, by the village marked A, which is at the fouth end of the 

 narroweft part of the channel, and ftretched itfelf between two hills to the eaft. 

 The whole of this village, with all its meadow and wood lands, was alio totally 

 deftroyed. Upon the 12th oi June, the lava having ruft-through the narrow part 

 of the channel, and obtained an outlet, it flretched itfelf out in breadth to- 

 -wards the fouth-weft, as far as the eaft fide of the hills in the province Skap- 

 tertunga ; and alfo to the weft fide of Sidu, and the fouth-weft of Medalland to- 

 wards the eaft, Juft as the lava begun to overflow this flat country, and had 

 got out of the channel of the river, the perpendicular height of its edge was 70 

 fathoms. Proceeding now fouthwards, the lava deftroyed the church and towa 

 of Skal, and all the neighboring grounds : in this place a prodigious noife was 

 heard when the lava overfpread the low lands, and noifes like thunder have con- 

 tinued ever fince, till the 12th oi Auguji. It then came to the village of Swina- 

 dalur, which lies in a fouth-weft direftion from Skal ; and having with a corner 

 deftroyed that, it was ftretched out farther to the weft, and over-ran the village of 

 Hvammar, which ftands on a pretty high rifing ground on the weft fide of the 

 river ; but before the fire had reached thefe two villages, they were both over- 

 flowed with the water that had been turned out of its courfe, by the lava dam- 

 ming up the river when it firft came into the channel. Proceeding forward, the 

 lava overflowed the village Nez., and all the grounds belonging to it : from thence 

 it came to Villungar, and turning more fouthwardly, came near to the village 

 LeidvoUa ; a little to the north of which, after having deftroyed a great quantity 

 of grafs land and wood, it entered into the channel of the great river Kudafliot ; 

 and kept a fouth courfe along the eaft fide of it till it came down near to the village 

 of Hraun, where this branch flopped, A little above the place where this arm 

 ■went into the channel of the river Kudafliot, a corner of the lava ftretched itfelf 

 ■out to the fouth-eaft, and came to a place called Eyflribrun, eaft of Hraun. 

 From Uali which v/e mentioned juft now, the lava taking an eaftward diredlon, 



C a ran 



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