to make their appearance. The same fate had attended Sidumanna-afrett formerly so fertile in grass. In this place ashes and sand lay still deeper, and not a single trace of herbage was to be seen; so that it cannot be expected that vegetation will recover itself in a less space of time than four or five years; although there is reason to hope that in two years, provided no new eruption ensues, the other lands may again become in a measure fertile.

After crossing a number of dangerous moors, I arrived at a very large and wellknown mountain, called Kallbakur, near the eastern stream of lava. From the northeastern extremity of this eminence I could at one view survey a vast tract of lava which had proceeded a considerable way towards the west, passing the north side of Kallbakur, between that mountain and another north-west from hence, called Miklafell. Between Kallbakur and Eriksfell, a mountain on the eastern side, the lava became very narrow, nor does it spread itself much on either side of the former channel of the Hverfisfliotet, where the smoke was yet

rising to an alarming degree. No accumulation of clouds in the air can be imagined to form a more dense body than the smoke that now issued from this place, which rolled itself over twice or thrice before it could be driven farther on by the wind. Hence I followed the lava-stream, which spread itself a long way towards the west, between Kallbakur and Miklafell, in the north, at length approaching so near to the eastern side of the latter mountain, that it was with great difficulty we could pass between it and the hill; especially as the smoke was here very strong. On the western side indeed there is a road, but it is nearly impassable; so that nothing was to be done but to proceed over the middle of Miklafell. Here I alighted, and, having given the horses a little rest, went with my companion over the lava, as far as the heat would permit us. I examined with all possible diligence the different sorts of lava, and whatever else was remarkable, of which an account will be given in its proper place, as well as of the result of the experiments with the boring instruments.

We now proceeded farther upon our journey, endeavoring to ascend the mountain on the south side; but it was not possible here to continue our route, except on foot, and in this manner I at last, with great difficulty, reached the summit, though with only one of my companions: for the other was obliged to take a circuitous way through a valley, in order to get the horses over. The prospect from this mountain was truly melancholy. Towards the east was seen the new black lava, close by the huge ice-mountain, while the rest of the picture presented to the view nothing but the prodigious quantity of ashes and sand that were immediately after the commencement of the eruption scattered over the whole of Sidumanna-afrett. Following the lava-stream still farther towards the north, by sun-set we arrived at Blæng, a very lofty mountain and the most northerly one here known. With great difficulty did we scramble up, and observe that the stream of lava (which had passed close by the south-east side of Blæng, stretching somewhat to the westward along the south side, where a lake is

seen in one of the vallies) advanced more and more to the west on the north side of the mountain, and appeared to form an arm in a south-westerly direction towards the channel of the Skaptaa. The smoke that issued from the lava-stream north of Blæng had an appearance equally terrible and indescribable. It intercepted our view from this place, which was otherwise very convenient for the purpose: yet we could discern a considerable hillock, or small mountain, greater in its diameter than in its height, whence there also proceeded a thick and black smoke. There I concluded must be situated the source of the eruption, and immediately advanced on my journey thither: but I soon found the difficulty of such an undertaking, as I continued along the lavatract north of Blæng. The hazard was increased by the extreme brittleness of the pieces of lava and the impossibility of finding a secure footing; and when we advanced about sixty or eighty yards upon the lava it became more and more dangerous and insecure, and at the same time burning hot, so that it was no longer possible to staud upon it. The smoke, too, that rose

surrounded us on every side to that degree that we scarcely knew on which side to turn in order to retrace our steps. At length, however, we effected this, and I attempted again to pass the lava in another place east from Blæng, in hopes that the mouth of the volcano might be approached on the north side; but here was experienced the same strong and insufferable heat as at the former place, so that I was obliged to return the next morning at sun-rise, after having employed the whole night in vain, in endeavoring to get over. I still persisted in advancing along the lava for a considerable distance by the west and south-west parts of Uxatindur (where the lava-stream was very narrow) in order to cross, but my labor was all fruitless. The heat was intolerable, and when I began to make use of the boring instrument, it became, at the depth of four feet from the surface of the earth, so hot that it was with difficulty we could draw it up again, though our hands were protected with mittens. When I found that my people could no longer bear to work with the mountainshaft, and that the great heat was likely to render our experiments useless, we moved