TRAVELS IN ICELAND. 



139 



half. The whole of this, as well as the preceding* day, the air 

 had been clear in the canton beneath the volcano ; but like the 

 other mountains, it attracts the clouds that envelope its summit, 

 without their being perceived by the inhabitants. It is worthy 

 of remark, that the snow had fallen only on that part of the moun- 

 tain which was covered with ice, and not below ; so that it may 

 be concluded that the ice which is on the mountains in summer 

 is the measure or degree of elevation, or that region of the air, 

 where the thick clouds and vapours oan collect and float in the 

 atmosphere though the air may be pure and serene in the 

 lower regions : hence at this height the air possesses a certain 

 density. In other respects Hecia is only a small mountain, 

 compared with the high glaciers and mountainous chains of the 

 interior parts of Iceland. Its circumference is from three to 

 four leagues ; and its height by approximation to that of the 

 other mountains which have been measured, is about three thou- 

 sand feet above the plain of sand that is below the rampart of 

 lava. Its elevation above the sea is yet unknown. 



After a fatiguing journey, up to our knees in snow T , we at 

 midnight reached the summit of mount Hecla. A perfect si- 

 lence prevailed; and we could perceive nothing but ice, and 

 neither fissures, streams of water, boiling springs, smoke, nor 

 fire. It was as light as at noon-day, so that we had a view of 

 an immense extent. We looked over ail the glaciers in the east- 

 ern part; and hi the distance we saw a high and square moun- 

 tain which our guide had previously informed us was the ancient 

 volcano of Hosrdabreid, which appeared to us like a large castle. 

 We also discovered all the high mountains in the northern quarter. 



Not meeting w ith any thing remarkable on this mountain, wq 

 descended by the western side, along a ravine or deep valley,? 

 which runs from the summit to the base. There is some reason 

 to believe that this ravine is tire bed of a river of lava which the 

 volcano ejected in the year 1300; since the annals assert that, 

 during this eruption Hecla was split from top to bottom : and 

 though the cavity in question now bears the appearance of a deep 

 valley, it is certain that when formed, it was laid open to the 

 bow r els of the mountains; but when the eruption ceased, it wa$ 

 soon filled with the stones, rocks, and gravel, that fell into it. 

 At length we rejoined our guide at the bottom of the hill, and 

 found that he had got rid of his head-ach ; he expressed his sur-; 

 prise at seeing us return safe. 



ERUPTIONS OF MOUNT HECLA. 



From every probability, this mountain must have been subject 

 to eruptions long before Iceland had any inhabitants. One of 

 the annals states the first eruption, after it was peopled^ to have 



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