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VON TROIL’s LETTERS ON ICELAND, 629
not unknown to you, that Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander have been difagreeably difap-
pointed when they were on the point of fetting out on a new voyage round the world
laft fummer. However, in order to keep together and employ the draughtfmen and
other perfons whom they had engaged for their voyage to the South-Sea, they refolved
upon another excurfion. It was impoflibie to chufe a better one than that to Iceland ;
and you may eafily conceive, Sir, that though I was ready to fet out on my return to Swe-
den, I did not hefitate a moment in accepting their offer to accompany them. To fay
the truth, I was glad to vifit a country where I could not alone hope to find many re-
mains of our ancient language, but where I was certain to fee nature in a new point of
view.
Ihave not been difappointed in either of my expectations; and I could never have
found a happier opportunity than that of making this voyage in the company of Mr.
Banks and Dr. Solander, of whom it would be unneceflary to fay one word more, as
they are both known fo well to you, and to the learned and ingenious throughout
Europe.
I know, Sir, that every information will be welcome to you, which concerns thofe
objects that attracted my attention there ; and there is no one who would communicate
this information to you with more pleafure than myfelf; but as it would require too
much prolixity to mention every thing, I fhall only in this letter {peak of the principal
operations of fire in Iceland, a fubject which, lam convinced, is one of the moft im-
portant.
On our arrival in Iceland on the twenty-eighth of Auguft 1772, we direCtly faw a prof-
pect before us, which, though not pleafing, was uncommon and furprizing. What-
ever prefented itfelf to our view bore the marks of devaftation; and our eyes, accul-
tomed to behold the pleafing coafts of England, now faw nothing but the veltiges of
the operation of a fire, heaven knows how ancient !
The defcription of a country, where quite clofe to the fea you perceive almoft nothing
but fharp cliffs vitrified by fire, and where the eye lofes itfelf in high rocky mountains
covered with eternal fnow, cannot poflibly produce fuch emotions as at firft fight might
entirely prepoffefs the thinking fpectator. It is true, beauty is pleafing both to our eyes:
and our thoughts ; but gigantic nature often makes the moft lafting impreffions.
We caft anchor not far from Befleftedr, the dwelling-place of the celebrated Steurlefon,
where we found two tratts of lava, called Gorde and Hualeyre-Hraun (for what we and the
Italians call Lava, is called in Iceland Hrawn from Hrinna, to flow) of which particularly
the laft was remarkable, fince we found there befides a whole field covered with lava,
which muft have been liquid in the higheft degree, and whole mountains of turf. Chance
had directed us exactly toa {pot on which we could better than on any other part of Ice-
land, confider the operations of a fire which had laid wafte a ftretch of ten or twelve
miles*. We fpent feveral days here, in examining every thing with fo much the more
pleafure, fince we found ourfelves, as it were, ina new world.
We had now feen almoft all the effects of a volcano, except the crater, from which
the fire had proceeded : in order therefore to examine this likewife, we undertook a
journey of twelve days to mount Heckla itfelf; we travelled fifty or fixty milest over
an uninterrupted track of lava, and had at laft the pleafure of being the firft who ever
reached the fummiit of this celebrated volcano. The caufe that no one has been there
* The miles mentioned by Dr. Troil are always Swedifh, ten and an half of which are equal to a degree:
on one of the great circles of the globe ; and therefore one Swedith mile is nearly equal to fix Englifa
flatute miles. Ten or twelve miles are fixty or feventy-two Englifh miles,
+ Three hundred cr three hundred and fixty Englith miles,
before,
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