TRAVELS IN ICELAND. 



87 



cook meat, fish, &c. and it is only necessary to suspend the pot 

 over the mouth of the basin for a short time ; the victuals thus 

 dressed, acquire more tenderness than by a common fire, and 

 have a very agreeable taste. Milk, however, when thus boiled, 

 loses something of its proper flavour. 



This spring throws up water for four or five minutes at a time; 

 and then ceases for an equal space. We placed a Fahrenheit's 

 thermometer in it, for two minutes, and it rose to the 212th de- 

 gree ; after which it attained 218 : it even did not stop here, but 

 suddenly ascended higher, and then fell with an astonishing ra- 

 pidity, as the boiling water became less agitated. At another 

 spring, close by that just mentioned, we found that the water 

 did not contain a greater degree of heat ; but that wild ducks' 

 eggs soon became hard in it. The waters of the third spring are 

 highly esteemed by the inhabitants, as an excellent remedy for 

 all kinds of diseases, particularly internal affections ; they are of 

 such a moderate heat, as to admit of deglutition, when taken from 

 the spring ; they are totally limpid, but yet depose a gravelly and 

 whitish sediment ; and pieces of wood, plants, &c. exposed 

 to their action, become incrusted and terminate by petri- 

 faction. 



EVAPORATION OF SEA-WATER BY THE THERMAL 

 SPRINGS. 



We did not succeed according to our expectation in evaporat- 

 ing sea-water by these springs ; that which we boiled in a well- 

 closed iron-pot, began to evaporate at the expiration of ten 

 hours ; but the salt deposited was of a red colour. After several 

 trials, we were convinced that the water of these springs, as 

 well as of several others in Iceland, are impregnated with sul- 

 phureous martial vapours, which, in our experiments by ebulli- 

 tion, were precipitated. On taking this red salt, after dissolving 

 and filtrating it, we obtained a very tine white salt, which proves 

 that it is always possible to procure white salt by this process ; 

 and it w ould be very desirable for the government to establish 

 salt-pits in this vicinity. 



WEATHER PHENOMENA, &C. &C. 



In this part of Iceland the weather is subject to much varia- 

 tion. The sea-winds are very frequent and boisterous, insomuch 

 as to incommode both men and animals ; while their action is so 

 violent on the rocks near the sea, particularly such as have oc- 

 casional strata of sand stone, that there may be seen a number of 

 holes, which have been excavated entirely by their influence. 

 The land-winds, or those from the east in general, are more mild 

 Jiere than in other parts of Iceland ; because they lose their vio- 



