146 An ACCOUNT, of 



liflowers, except that they are rather more prominent, and are 

 covered, by the falling of the finer particles of fpray, with a 

 cryftalline efflorefcence fo delicate as fcarcely to bear the 

 flighted touch. Unmolefted, the efflorefcence gradually hardens, 

 and, although it lofes its firft delicacy, it ftill remains exceed- 

 ingly beautiful. 



These incruflations are of a light brown colour, and ex- 

 tend a great way, in various directions, from the borders of 

 the bafon. To the northward, they reach to a diftance of 82 feet ^ 

 to the eaft, of 86; to the fouth, of 118; and of 124 to the 

 weft. They are very hard, and do not appear, in any part, de- 

 caying or mouldering into foil *. 



When our guides firft led us to the Geyzer, the bafon was 

 filled to within a few feet of its edge. The water was tranfpa- 

 rent as cryftal ; a flight fleam only arofe from it, and the fur- 

 face was ruffled but by a few bubbles, which now and then 

 came from the bottom of the pipe. We waited with anxiety 

 for feveral minutes, expecting at every inftant fome interrup- 

 tion to this tranquillity. On a fudden, another fpring, imme- 

 diately in front of the place on which we were ftanding, darted 

 its waters above an hundred feet into the air with the velocity, 

 of an arrow, and the jets fucceeding this firft eruption were, 

 ftill higher. This was the fpring already mentioned under the 

 name of the New Geyzer. 



While gazing in filence and wonder at this unexpected and. 

 beautiful difplay, we were alarmed by a fudden fhock of the 



ground 



* The fubftance of thefe incruflations has been analyfed by Profeflbr Bergman, and 

 be gives a long and particular account of it, in a letter to the Archbifliop of Upfal, pu- 

 blished with the Archbifhop's Letters on Iceland. He fays, " The ftrongeft acids, the 

 " fluor acid not excepted, are not fufhcient -with a boiling heat to diflblve this fuhftance. 

 " It diffolves very little (if at all) by the blow-pipe with the fufible fait of urine, a little 

 " more with borax, and makes a ftrong eftervefcence with fal fodse. Thefe effects are 

 " peculiar only to a filiceous earth or flint. There cannot remain therefore a doub*; 

 " concerning the nature of this crnflated ftone," 



