TRAVELS THROUGH ICELAND-, 



77 



MINERAL WATERS. 



In this district our travellers examined a great variety of acidu- 

 lous springs, most of which were similar to those already 

 described in the outset of their journey. They made many expe- 

 riments with those waters, in order to ascertain their chemical 

 properties, but with no great success, owing to the want of a 

 proper apparatus. 



ICELAND DIAMOND. 



In a mountain called the Kluckour, our travellers met with a 

 species of rock-crystal, (cry at alius puramidalis), the lumps of 

 which were mostly laid in small pointed pyramids, on a bed or pe- 

 destal of crystal of spath ; they were from a quarter of an inch to 

 two inches long, and half an inch in thickness: most of them were 

 cut in hexagons, though some formed the pentagon and heptagon. 

 The greater part of these lumps of crystal is white aud opake, 

 the superficies only being clear or transparent to the depth of three 

 or four lines. This crystal is so hard that it cuts glass, and hence 

 the Icelanders give it the name of diamond. 



In this country there are various species of rocks, which have 

 been formed by volcanic fires; amongst them are the Iceland 

 agate, # the native glass, f the hraun, 1 and the natural scoria, § 

 which is coloured in the upper parts; besides which are the pum- 

 mice-stone, || the stalactites, and the sand-stone, ft The kind 

 last mentioned bears fire in a wonderful manner; and we think it 

 would be very useful for the construction of stoves, furnaces, and 

 crucibles. 



The fertility of the ground is not equal in every inhabited part 

 of the Sneefiasld-Naes ; but it is scanty in every direction. The 

 places best adopted to the grazing of cattle are in the pasturages 

 situated on the mountains. 



REMARKS ON THE INHABITANTS. 



The conformation ofthe inhabitants of this district is various 

 on account of the mixture of all sorts of people who come annually 

 to fish, and of w hom the majority take up their residence on the 

 spot, Hence there may likewise be remarked a great difference 

 of their moral conduct: the labouring class are, however, more 

 adroit here than in the southern part. About seventy years ago, 

 ihe inhabitants in the vicinity of the Glacier were considered to be 



* Agathes Islandicus, an vitri naturalis nigri gfobuli. 



t Vitrum naturalefragilissimum nigrum ligaturis transversis argillaceis. 



I Sio7iia naturalis communis, saxumve iiquatum Cazernomm. 



§ Scoria naturalis pulcherrime picta tt colorata, 



jj Pumex. 



4[ Stalactite vulcanii. 



f r Sarnm tophaceim schistiforme per strata liquatum. 



