the Landbrot, along the Skaptaa, which led to it, and destroyed in the way several places; stopping at last in the midst of Hraunsmelar, in Landbrot. The other branch rạn along the Sida mountains, overflowing, on the 2nd of July, the church and all the houses of Skal which had previously been deluged with water, as well as all the lands and houses belonging to the farm Hollt, together with the excellent meadows that lay to the south of it. It dammed up a small river that ran close by the farm, and on the 6th of July, buried Hollt itself in the lava.

Hence the fire proceeded eastward, and between the 14th and 17th of July continued its course along the river Skaptaa, over the river Fiadra, which was quite choked up by it. Nevertheless, the greatest quantity of lava flowed over the lofty waterfall Stapafoss, in the Skaptaa, and at last filled up the enormous cavity which had for so many succeeding centuries been hollowed out by the waters of this great cataract. Near this place the lava over-ran the farm Dalbai, in Landbrot, with all the houses, and

the greater part of the meadows and pasture lands, after having done much mischief to the farms Heidi and Hunkurbacka, upon Sida. These, however, are not so much damaged, but that each is still capable of supporting a family. The farm Holmar, in Landbrot, was also somewhat injured, as it was threatened on the north side by the approach of the lava-stream, and on the opposite one by the water which had been impeded in its progress by the fire. At length, on the 20th of July, the fire ceased immediately west of an insulated rock, called Systrastapi*, which lies, at the utmost, one mile west of Kirkebai-cloister.

Another fire-stream

§ XIII.

Hitherto I have confined my east of the former, account to the most material injuries that have been occasioned by the great western fire-stream, or that which took its course along the Skaptaa, and the destruction caused by it in Medalland, and the countries adjoining the Skaptaa, which lie

* Systrastapi has received its name from a traditionary story about two sisters, who, it is said, were discovered fighting on this rock.

to the west of the river Hverfisfliot.

In

what I am now going to relate, it will be seen that the fire, to the eastward, has raged with a fury equal to that of the great western stream, and exhibits a spectacle equally melancholy and distressing.

The first scene was disclosed on the 28th of June, when a thick and black bank of sand and smoke, proceeding from the place of eruption, and driven by a strong breeze from the north north-west, towards Fliotshversi, caused such a frightful state of darkness over the whole of that district, as well as over the eastern part of Sida, that, even at noon, it was impossible in the houses to distinguish a sheet of white paper from the black walls. On the 14th previous, indeed, a degree of obscurity, equally uncommon, but not so terrific, was experienced in the middle of the day thoughout Sida: but it was only during the present interval of darkness · that a number of red-hot flat stones, with enormous quantities of sand and ashes, which entirely burned up the grass in the pastures, fell upon the whole of Fliotshverfet, the two farms Nupstad and Raudabag only excepted.

These substances poisoned the earth and water, rendering them alike destructive both to man and cattle, and threatened to set fire to the houses themselves, whenever any of the stones and ashes happened to fall upon them.

Hverfisfliot

§ XIV.

On the 3rd of August a great disappears. smoke was, for the first time, observed to arise from the Hverfisfliot, and the water was found to be excessively hot. This river, it may here be proper to remark, was equal in size to the Skaptaa, but infinitely more dangerous to travellers, in consequence of the rapidity of the current and the great insecurity of the ground. Its heat continued daily to increase, till, at the expiration of a few days, the waters were entirely dried up. This circumstance filled the inhabitants of the district with the greatest fear and consternation, who, already terrified at the mischief that had been sustained by their neighbors, after the drying up of the Skaptaa, anticipated similar misfortunes, on observing the disappearance of the Hverfisfliot. The result convinced them that their fears were

well grounded, and proved to them, that in this instance, also, the same phænomenon produced an equal or even a greater degree of danger.-Dreadful pillars of fire were seen rising at a great distance among the mountains in the north, on the morning of the 9th of August. They appeared to approach nearer each other, and at last to form, as it were, a wall or lofty bank upon the earth. Continual lightnings, with strong hollow sounds, somewhat resembling thunder, were also heard in the same direction. A foaming fire-stream now broke down into the channel of the Hverfisfliot, urging its course with incredible and matchless fury. The stream spread far and wide over the extensive tracts of sand, situated in the south, and in one single evening overflowed more than four miles of ground, in that direction from Orustuhol (a hill so named from duels having been formerly fought there), and entirely blocked up the road between Fliotsverfet and Sida.

Continual eruptions from the mountains increased the extent of the tracts of lava, so that, at the latter end of August, they