6 
off Iceland. 
of a flat extent of land, which appeared to be 
about twenty miles from us, and on which, by 
the help of our glasses, we could plainly discern 
a number of buildings; but we could never 
learn what place it was. I do not recollect ever 
after, except at Reikevig, seeing so many houses 
Friday, together in Iceland. About two o’clock 
June i6. ^he nex j. morn i n g j we discovered West- 
man’s Isles, or Vestmanna-eyer, as the natives 
call them. These islands are so named, from the 
circumstance of some Irish fugitives, who had 
killed their master, having escaped to them in 
875 ; for the Irish and Scotch were both called 
by the ancient Norwegians Vestmen . According 
to Povelsen and Olafsen, some places in the prin¬ 
cipal, and the only inhabited, island, are still 
known by the names of these Irish runaways. 
The whole groupe appears perfectly barren, and 
they rise to a vast height, and of the strangest 
shapes, perpendicularly from the sea. We had 
a magnificent view, as we passed close by them 
with a light breeze, which, however, was scarcely 
sufficient, in our captain’s opinion, to take us out 
of the force of the currents, which run here with 
great velocity. As we proceeded, the different 
sides which came to our view, presented different 
shapes and appearances; in some, these sides hung 
over the deep, as if they would fall every instant; 
others had a perforation at their bottoms, through 
