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745 KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
ceived in the northern diftriéts; after thefe a confiderable mountain, called Krafle,.
began with a dreadful noife to vomit forth fmoke, fire, afhes, and ftones. Horrible
fight for thofe who dwelt in the neighbourhood, and particularly for two travellers who
happened to be pafling below the mountain! ‘To them however, from there being no
wind, not any accident occurred, the ignited {tones caft up by the mountain falling back
perpendicularly. [It continued burning for two or three years; and, in 1728, the fire
communicated to fome mountains of fulphur fituated near the volcano; they burnt for
fome time until the mineral matter had melted, and formed a river of fire which run
frem the mountain towards the fouth. The inhabitants eftablifhed on the borders of a
great lake, called My-Varne, three leagues diftant from the mountain, were apprehen-
five of this burning river, which continued advancing towards their abode. ‘They took
away the wood of their houfes to remove to fome other fpot; at length it continued its
courfe, and proceeded to the farms and the lake before mentioned. ‘There it over-
turned, burnt, and confumed a farm, called Reikchild, its meadows, and two other
farms, named Groff and Fragrenes, fituated on the lower fhore of the lake. It at
length difcharged itfelf into the lake My-Varne. with a frightful noife, caufing an ebul-
lition, a frothy whirlpool in the higheft degree horrible.”” From this defcription of
Mr. Horrebow, who certainly did not exaggerate, for he was very much inclined,
being a Dane, to leflen the phyfical vices of an ifland belonging to Denmark, fome
judgment may be formed of the volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes, to which Iceland
is hable : it is certainly true, that it is fubject to all forts of cataftrophes. Mountains
are feen to fink in an inftant, and lakes form; Joekelen, or ice mountains, to melt, and:
throw out fire, uniting the double horror of flood and conflagration.
Springs of hot water are found in feveral diftri€ts of Iceland. Meffrs. Horrebow:
and Anderfon agree upon the fingular effects of many of thefe fprings, but the moft
curious of all thefe fountains is that fituated near a farm called Raycum, in the diftri&.
of Huzevig. ‘There are three hot fprings diftant from each other about thirty toifes ;
the water boils in each alternately. ‘They rife from a flat furface ; two of them throw
up water from the midft of ftones to the height of eighteen inches: the third has a
round opening of the fize of a brewer’s vat, and throws up water ten feet high. What:
is furprifing, thefe fprings only play alternately, and after having boiled three times,
which ferves as a notice to thofe who are nigh to retire. It is remarkable, that
when a ftone of whatever dimenfions is caft into them, the force of the ebullition
is fo great as to throw it back. M.Olave informed me, that the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood of thefe hot fprings ufe them for cooking their meat and fifh, and that
travellers heat water in them for making tea.
Marble is found in fome parts of the ifland, and cryftal frequently in the rocks. The
cryftal of Iceland poffefles the faculty of doubling the objects which are feen through
Mr. Horrebow conceives it to be rather a lapis fpecularis than a cryftal. He is
miftaken, as well as others, who have imagined it, from its leafy tiflue, to be a fort of
talc. Some have reckoned it in the number of felenites; but it is demonftrated to be
a calcareous {par, which care muft be taken in ranking with other fubftances refembling
it. The excellent work of Huygens on light may be confulted upon this fubject with
the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences, for the year 1710, p. 741.
Iceland contains in its bowels mines of copper and iron; and I myfelf have often
found pure maffes of thefe metals in the mountains. M. Horrebow certifies, that large
lumps of filver are frequently found almoft at the furface of the earth ; this I never faw,
nor ever Leard of any body’s fu.ding.
Brimftone
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