72 * 
1CE1 
have proceeded from Hecla, the other mountains it feems 
being no lefs aftive in the work of deftruftion than this 
celebrated one. Thefe eruptions take place in the moun¬ 
tains covered with ice, which the inhabitants call jokuls. 
Some of thefe, as appears from a large map of Iceland 
•made by order of his Danilh majefty in 1734., have been 
fwallowed up. Probably the great lakes met with in this 
country may have been occafioned by the finking of fuch 
mountains, as feveral inftances of a fimilar nature are to 
be met with in other parts of the world. The great Ice¬ 
landic lake called Myvatu may probably have been one. 
Its bottom is entirely formed of lava, divided by deep 
cracks, which flielter during winter the great quantity of 
trouts which inhabit this lake. It is now only thirty feet 
deep; but originally was much deeper; being nearly filled 
up in the year 1728 by an eruption of the great moun¬ 
tain Krafie. The fiery llream took its courfe towards 
Myvatu, and ran into it with an horrid noife, which con¬ 
tinued till the year 1730. 
The mountains of Iceland are of two kinds, primitive 
and pofterior. The former confift of ftrata uf'ually regu¬ 
lar, but fometimes confufed. They are formed of differ¬ 
ent forts of ftone, without the leaft appearance of fire. 
Some are compofed of fand and free-ftone, petrofilex or 
chert, flaty or fillile ftone, and various kinds of earth or 
bole, and fteatitee ; different forts of breccia, or congluti- 
nated ftones; jafpers of different kinds; Iceland cryftal; 
the common rhomboid fpathum, chalcedonies ftratified 
and botryoid ; zeolites of the molt elegant kinds; cryftals, 
and various other fubftances that have no relation to vol¬ 
canoes. Thefe primitive mountains are thofe called jo¬ 
kuls, and are higher than the others. One of them, called 
JLJian, or Rias, is 6000 feet high. It feems to be com¬ 
pofed of great and irregular rocks of a dark grey colour, 
piled on each other. Another, called Enneberg, is about 
3000 feet high ; the Snajidd Jokul, 2287 yards ; the Sna- 
Jieldnas, or promontory of Snrefield, is from 300 to 400 fa¬ 
thoms. Hornjlrand, or the coaft by the north Cape Nord, 
is veiy high, from 300 to 400 fathoms. The rocks of 
D rango are feven in number, of a pyramidal figure, rifirig 
out of the fea at a fmall diltance from the cliffs, four of 
which are of a vaft height, and have a raoft magnificent 
appearance. 
Eaftvvard from the Snasfield begins the Eifberge, foaring 
to a vaft height; many parts of which have felt the effefts 
of fire, and in fome of the melted rocks are large cavities. 
Budda-lekkur, a rock at one end of this mountain, is alfo 
volcanic, and has in it a great cavern hung with ftalac- 
titas. The name of Solvahamar is given to a tremendous 
range of volcanic rocks, compofed entirely of flags, and 
covered in the feafon with fea-fowl. It would be endlefs, 
however, to mention all the places which bear the marks 
of fire in various forms, either by having been vitrified, 
changed into a fiery colour, ragged and black, or bear 
the marks of having run for miles in a Hoping courfe tot 
wards the fea. 
Thefe volcanoes, though fo dreadful in their effefts, 
feldom begin to throw out fire without giving warning. 
A lubterraneous rumbling nolle heard at a confiderable 
diftance, as in other volcanoes, precedes the eruption for 
feveral days, with a roaring arid cracking in the place 
from whence the fire is about to burft forth ; many fiery 
meteors are obferved, but generally unattended with any 
violent concuflion of the earth, though lometimes earth¬ 
quakes, of-which feveral inftances are recorded, have ac¬ 
companied thefe dreadful conflagrations. The drying up 
of fmall lakes, ftreams, and rivulets, is alfo confidered as 
a fign of an impending eruption ; and it is thought to 
haften the eruption when a mountain is fo covered with 
ice, that the holes are flopped up through which the ex¬ 
halations formerly found a free paflage. The immediate 
fign is the burfting of the mafs of ice with a dreadful 
noife; flames then iffue forth from the earth, and light¬ 
ning and fire-balls from the firnoke; ftones, allies, &c. are 
tlirowu out to vaft diltances. Egbert Olasfen relates, that, 
AN0, 
in an eruption of ICattle-gla in 1735, a ftone weighing 
290 pounds was thrown to the diftance of twenty-four 
Englilh miles. A quantity of white pumice-ftone is thrown 
up by the boiling waters; and it is conjectured, with 
great probability, that the latter proceeds from the fea, 
as a quantity of fait, fufiicient to load feveral horfes, has 
frequently been found after the mountain has cealed to 
burn. ' - 
To enumerate the ravages of fo many dreadful volca¬ 
noes, tvhicli from time immemorial have contributed to 
render this dreary country ftill lei's habitable than it is 
from the climate, would greatly exceed our limits. It 
will be fufiicient to give an account of that which hap¬ 
pened in 1783, and which, from its violence, feems to 
have been unparalleled in hiftory. 
Its firft figns were obferved on the ift of June by a 
trembling of the earth in the weftern part of the province 
of Skapterfiall. It increafed gradually to the ntli, and 
became at laft fo great, that the inhabitants quitted their 
houfes,and lay at night in tents on the ground. A con¬ 
tinual fmoke or fteam was perceived rifing out of the 
earth in the northern and uninhabited parts of the coun¬ 
try. Three fire-fpouts , as they were called, broke out-in 
different places, one in Ulfarfdal, a little to the eaft of 
the river Skapta ; the other two were a little to the weft- 
ward of the river called Ilwerfisfliot. The river Skapta 
takes its rife in the north-eaft, and, running firft weftvvard, 
it turns to the fouth, and falls into the fea in a fouth-ealt 
direction. Part of its channel is confined for about 
twenty-four Englifh miles in length, and is in fome places 
200 fathoms deep, in others 100 or 150, and its breadth 
in fome places 100, 50, or 40, fathoms. Along the whole 
of this part of its courfe the river is very rapid, though 
there are no confiderable cataraCls or falls. There are fe¬ 
veral other fuch confined channels in the country, but 
this is the molt confiderable. The three fire-fpouts, or 
ftreams of lava, which had broke out, united into one, 
after having rifen a confiderable height into tire air,- ar¬ 
riving at laft at fuch an amazing altitude as to be feen at 
the diftance of more than 200 Englilh miles ; the whole 
country, for double that diltance, being covered with a 
fmoke or fteam not to be defcribed. 
On the 8th of June this fire firft became vifible. Vaft 
quantities of fand, allies, and other volcanic matters, were 
ejeCted, and fcattered over the country by the wind, which 
at that time was very high. The atmofphere was filled 
with fand, brimftone, and allies, in Inch a manner aS to 
occafion continual darknefs; and confiderable damage 
was done by the pumice-ftones which fell, red-hot, in 
great quantities. Along with thefe a tenacious lubftance 
like pitch fell in vaft quantity; fometimes rolled up like 
balls, at other times like rings or garlands, which proved 
no lefs deftruCtive to vegetation than the other. This 
Ihower having continued for three days, the fire became 
very vifible, and at laft arrived at the amazing height al¬ 
ready mentioned. Sometimes it appeared in a continued 
ftream, at others in flalhes or flames feen at the diltance 
of 30 or 40 Danilh miles, (180 or 240 of ours,) with a 
continual noife like thunder, which lafted the whole 
fummer. 
The fame day that the fire broke out there fell a vaft 
quantity of rain, which, running in ftreams on the hot 
ground, tore it up in large quantities, and brought it 
down upon the lower lands. This rain-water was much 
impregnated with acid and other falts, fo as to be highly 
corroiive, and occafion a painful fenfation when it fell on 
the hands or face. At a greater diftance from the fire the 
air was exceflively cold. Snow lay upon the ground three 
feet deep in fome places; and in others there fell great 
quantities of hail; which did very-much damage to the 
cattle and every thing without doors. Thus the grafsand 
every kind of vegetation in thofe places neareit the fire 
was deftroyed, being covered with a thick cruft of fulphu- 
reous and footy matter. Such .a quantity of vapour was 
railed by the contelt of the two adverle elements, that the 
1 lun 
