398 
APPENDIX. C. 
man that might presume to infringe upon their ter¬ 
ritory. The country for two leagues around Hecla 
they found wholly destitute of vegetation, the soil 
consisting of scoria, pumice, and red and black cin¬ 
ders, which, by the breaking out of the subter¬ 
raneous fires, were here and there raised into nu¬ 
merous little hills and eminences, increasing in size 
the nearer they approached the mountain. The 
principal one, which is called Raud-oldur is of 
an oblong form, with an opening in its summit 
of an hundred and forty-four feet< in depth, and 
eight hundred and forty feet in circumference: it 
consists entirely of small red shining stones, that 
have evidently been in a state of liquefaction. 
On reaching Hecla, the difficulty of proceeding 
was increased, especially when it became neces¬ 
sary to travel over the heaps of lava that have 
flowed from the volcano, and formed round the 
* We arrived (September 24, 1772) at a green spot un- 
der Graufel-liraun, where we pitched our tents and pro- 
ceeded to a crater which has an opening of half a mile 
“ in circumference, but its western side is destroyed by the 
“ eruption. The hraun lies as if it came from this crater, 
<< and the tufa and ashes which formerly made a part of its 
western side are still seen among it. The lower part and 
“ remaining walls are composed of nothing but ashes, cin- 
ders, and pieces of lava in various states. Its name is 
<e Rod-Oldur .—-The scene of desolation all around is almost 
inconceivable .”-—Sir Joseph Banks' MS. Journal. 
