57 
of Edinburgh, Session 1875-7G. 
LoftmundarfjoriS. Where the land has abundance of water, as in 
parts of SkriSdal, Vellir, and EySathinghd, the farmers hope that 
the ashes will disappear during the spring, and that they will be 
dissolved by the rains.” This interesting letter concludes with 
an exhortation “ not to abandon the holdings for good,” and with 
excellent advice about the measures to be taken. Yet it owns that 
“ from this fearful visitation all husbandry in the east country 
must come to utter ruin,” and the less Icelanders are advised not 
to emigrate the better for the island. 
The writer of “An Appeal for Iceland” (“Times,” July 1, 
1875), compares this mild and harmless eruption, which has not 
destroyed a single life, with the terrible convulsions of 1783, which 
killed some 14,000 human beings. He also calculates the destruc- 
tion of pastures to the extent of 2500 to 3000 square miles, while 
popular computations make 4000 square miles the habitable area 
of Iceland. 
According to PHI PHs^on only four farms on the west of the 
Jokulsd have suffered severely. These are, going from south to 
north, Bru, EyrikstaSir, H&konarstaSir, and Arndrstaftir. Ilerra 
Thorftur Grudjonsson, factor at Husavik, never even heard of the 
eruption till I showed .him the nepawspers. Finally, the brown 
shadings in my chart, marking the eastern and north-eastern limits 
of the ash showers, and copied from an Iceland map obligingly 
lent to me by my friend, Mr Hubert Mackay Smith, may be allowed 
to prove that the damage extends over a small area. 
Mr Jon A. Hjaltalln, of the Advocate’s Library, Edinburgh, 
received (June 26) trustworthy accounts of the ash and pumice 
rain. “ It extended over several parts of Norftur Mulasysla and 
SucSur Mulasysla, depositing a layer about 1J inches thick. In some 
places the winds have carried it off, but sundry parishes will be 
unable to keep their live stock at home this summer. Next hot 
season, however, it is expected that the pastures will be all right.” 
Mr W. L. Watt, who has just ridden over the ground, found the 
pumice and ashes beginning about the middle course of the Svarti, 
(N. lat. 64° 50'), and extending northwards to Her'SubreitS (65° 10'). 
or a total depth of 20 to 25 miles, bounded eastward by the 
Jokulsa, where the country is not, and never has been, habited 
by man. 
VOL. IX. 
n 
