OLAFSEN AND POVELSEN's 



is, within the distance often miles. In the morning we crossed 

 the valley of Reykholtz, the bottom of which abounds in hot 

 springs, and exhales a subterraneous heat. In the whole of this 

 neighbourhood, there were evident marks of slight eruptions, 

 the pasturages being in many parts destroyed and covered with 

 scoria, while such spots, as have not been * subjected to the 

 action of the fire, present eminences abounding with herbage. 

 The soil, even in the parts that have been attacked by the fire, 

 is nevertheless covered with birch-wood and shrubs, a variety 

 which renders it very agreeable. 



On the 10th August, in the morning, the air was calm, but 

 the atmosphere was so loaded with fog, that at times the glacier 

 was not perceptible. About II o'clock, however, it cleared up, 

 and we continued our journey from the village, of Karlsma- 

 runge. 



The high mountains of Iceland generally rise in gradations, 

 so that on approaching them, you discover only the nearest 

 elevation, or that whose summit forms the first projection ; on 

 reaching this, you clear a similar height and arrive at the next, 

 and so pass over successive elevations till you reach the summit 

 of the ridge. In the glaciers, these projections generally 

 commence in the highest parts, and may be discovered at a 

 distance, because they overtop those mountains that do not form 

 the glaciers themselves. This journey afforded us ample room 

 for observation : and we remarked, that here the lowest mass 

 of rocks was also the strongest. On attaining the first elevation, 

 we perceived that the grass and plants became more scarce ; 

 and on advancing the eighth of a mile farther, they were no 

 longer to be seen ; there was even a want of soil, and on ar- 

 riving a little higher, we found nothing but barren rocks and 

 stony ruins, which were no where susceptible of fertility. 



We now found, that it was much farther to the glacier than 

 we had imagined ; and at length reached a file of rocks, which, 

 without forming steps or gradations at the part where we as- 

 cended, were of a considerable height and very steep. These 

 rocks extend to a great distance, and appear to make a circum- 

 Vtillution around the glacier ; for we perceived their continuance 

 as far as the eye could reach. Between this file of rocks and 

 the glacier, there is a small plain about a quarter of a mile in 

 width, the soil of which is clayey, and exposes neither pebbles 

 nor flakes of ice, because the waters that continually flow from 

 the glacier, carry them off. On advancing a little farther, we 

 discovered to the right a lake situated at one of the angles of 

 the glacier ; the banks of which were covered with ice, and the 

 bed received -a part 6f the waters that ran from the mountain, 

 lite water appeared entirely green, a colour it acquired by the 



