56 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Extracts from the letter of my friend, Sira Sigurftur Gunnarsson, 
the priest of Hallormsta'S, addressed to the “ Norftanfari ” of April 
24, appeared in the “ Times ” of July 1, 1875. It is dated March 
29, 1875, and headed “ Fall of Pumice and Ashes in Mulasyla.” 
The author, I may remark, has more than once visited the Vatna- 
jokull. The following interesting details may be added to the 
abstract : — “ During the Yule of 1873, and in early 1874, an earth- 
quake shook the eastern regions, after which the people of the 
Fjoll country saw two tall pillars of thick smoke apparently 
proceeding from the Askja or Dyngjufjoll; and viewed from 
Hallormsta<5arh&ls they rose at a considerable distance from each 
other. Early in the year there was no fire in the My-vatnsoroefi, and 
the earthquake became less violent towards the end of the winter. ” 
After noticing the thunderings and the ash and pumice rain of 
March 29 (Easter Monday) reported in the “ Times,” my reverend 
friend continues : — “ The movement appears to have taken place 
in the southern part of the Dyngjufjoll, westward of Herftubreift, 
and a short way north of the winter Grjd. The direction of the 
ashes was on both sides of a line to Modrudal and Fossvellir, as 
far as the Undos in Hjaltarstaftarthingd and the Vatnsdalsfjall. 
Another shower, travelling from west to east, and extending four 
(Danish) miles, fell at Bru, and a mile and a half east of Aftalbol 
(Rrafnkelsdal), Kleif (Fljotsdal), Skriftdal, and as far as Fdskrufts- 
fjorft to the south-east. The amount which fell east of that line 
in Breiftdal and Stoftvarfjorft was trifling. If we draw one straight 
line from the focus of the eruption eastward between Fdskrufts and 
Stoftvarfjorft, and a second from Vatnsdalsfjall near Njarftvik, also 
to the east, the area upon which the ashes and pumice rained 
would hardly be less than 100 square miles. Also assuming 
the average depth of the layer at 3 inches, we must assign to the 
discharge of March 19 a weight of 3840 tons.” 
“It is reported that the ash showers have ruined twenty farms in 
the Jokulsdal (between the Lagarfljot and the eastern Jokulsa) 
and in the northern Mula Sysla, where the owners are preparing to 
abandon their property. The position of the Fljotsdalsherad, where 
the scoriaceous rains fell thickest, are the Jokulsdal, Fell, Fljostdal, 
Skogar, SkriSdal, Vellir, and EySathinghA Heavy and terrible 
showers also desolated Norftfjorti, Reyftarfjorft, Myvafjorft, and 
