TRAVELS IN ICELAND^. 



129 



navatn, where he resided in 1748. His son conveyed his print- 

 ing-office to Nupefell, where he printed books at the same time 

 when bishop Gudbrand began to print at Holun; and this prelate 

 afterwards added that printing-office to his owe. 



IV. A human skeleton was dug up in 1748? from an eminence 

 in the presbytery of Ravgenil. During our travels we saw 

 She bones; which were large and strong, and evidently those of 

 a man far beyond the ordinary stature. From several circum- 

 stances we had reason to conclude that this skeleton must have 

 been buried nearly eight hundred years. 



V. A pestiferous and terrible meteor, like a large cloud, 

 was seen in the last century upon the mountains in a high and 

 Marrow path at Siglefiordskard: where, as well by day as by night 

 it moved about in the air; and falling suddenly upon tra- 

 vellers, suffocated them in an instant. This was most destruc- 

 tive about the year 1730, and it was supposed by the people to 

 be the evil spirit. The curate of the district had orders, on per- 

 forming divine service, to offer up prayers for its removal : an 

 altar of stones was, in consequence, erected near the spot in 

 173o, and the service celebrated in the presence of a great num- 

 ber of assistants. Since that period nobody has been incom- 

 moded by the phenomenon. 



EASTERN QUARTER. 

 This part of Iceland, which in the language of the country is 

 called Ostfirdinga Fiordung, extends from Langenoes in the north 

 to Osterhorn ill the south, and from this latter promontory to- 

 wards the west as far as the river called Stank-Elv-paa-Solheime- 

 Sand. In going over this quarter our travellers pursue their 

 usual series of remarks on the situation and quality of the soil, 

 the coasts, isles, mountains, and roads; with other minutiae, not 

 generally interesting, if we except the follow ing particulars. 



OF THE PRINCIPAL MOUNTAINS. 



There are very high mountains in Iceland, but no part of the 

 country contains such enormous ones as this quarter. We tra- 

 velled to the glaciers which several of them contain, and which 

 eject water and fire. Our journey to the mount named Kat- 

 legiaa was occasioned by a wish to see closely the eruption from 

 that volcano which took place in the year in which We travelled. 



A WFUL ERUPTION OF K ATLEGI A A. 



One of the ordinary symptoms of an approaching eruption of 

 volcanoes is an earthquake. The last in this district occurred in 

 1755, and was probably occasioned by the internal convulsions 

 of the glacier of Myrdal. The same glacier exhibited a simi- 



OLAFSEN.] R 



