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• over the ice, rather than go fo much about. But it often happens that their horfes falling into the great breaks which are, fometimes in the ice, it is not in their power to fave them. A few days after thefe very horfes are feen lying on the top of the flat ice, where before was a hole feveral fathom deep, but < now closed up, and frozen. The ice must therefore in this intermediate time melt away, and the water freeze again.'

Chap. III. is employed in defcribing the manner of travelling in Iceland; and the fourth in fhewing the proportion in which the island is inhabited. In the latter the Author obferves, that this ifland would have been much more populous than it is at prefent, had not a peftilential difeafe, which raged in the fourteenth century, fwept away almoft all the inhabitants, hardly enough remaining to relate the circumftances of this dreadfulcalamity; and those who were fo happy as to escape from its ravages owed their fafety to their retiring into the mountains." The whole island at prefent, in our Author's opinion, contains about fourfcore thousand fouls; a very fmall number for a coun-* try feven hundred miles in extent. The fmall-pox is remarka-* bly fatal to the Icelanders, and in the year 1707, caried off twen-' ty thousand perfons. The greatest part of the inhabitants live near the fea-fhore; and at each of the harbours is a trading town or factory, where the company of Merchants trade with the natives. An idea of thefe trading towns muft not, however, be formed from what are called by that name in other countries; they confiit only of three or four dwelling-houses for the Merchants of the Iceland company, with a shop, a warehouse, and a kitchen. This, which in the main is not more than a factory, they call a trading town; the reft of their buildings about the country, are fingle houfes, or huts,' with a yard round about, and a field contiguous, which they call Tun.--This manner takes place over the whole country, fo that no villages are met with.'

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The earthquakes felt in Iceland are the fubject of the fifth chapter; but thefe, our Author tells us, are very inconfiderable, if compared with thofe of Sicily, Italy, and the islands of, America. In the fucceeding chapter, Mr. Horrebow confiders the fiery eruptions which fometimes fpread terror and defolation over a large tract of country. These dreadful phænomena are, however, rarely feen, and then only in fome particular parts of the island. In the prefent century an eruption of this kind happened, of which our Author gives the following account.

In the year 1726, in the parish of Norderfyffell, a few fhocks of an earthquake being felt, a great mountain called• Krafie, made a horrid and frightful rumbling noise, fucceeded

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by thick fimoke and fire, that burft forth, and threw out stones and afhes in a manner terrible to behold. Two perfons happened at that inftant to be travelling along the foot of the mountain. The fire rufhed about them; they were forely * frightned, and every moment expected to be confumed, but happily efcaped unhurt. It being very calm weather, the afhes and ftones were not carried to any great distance, and by this means the adjacent country was not much damaged, This mountain continued burning for fome time, abating at intervals, and then breaking out again. No earthquake was perceived, except fome flight fhocks before the fire began to C rage. In the year 1728, from the flames that gufhed out the " fulphurous earth of the mountain took fire, burnt for fome time, and afterwards became a fluid, running in a flow ftream 'down the fouth fide of the hill, to the low land, as far as a great lake called Myvatne, of thirty-fix English miles cir cumference, and eighteen from the mountain. The neigh'bouring inhabitants being apprehenfive of the danger, moved away in the spring of 1729; and the fummer following having ftripped their churches and houfes of all their timber, • brought the fame away with them. In the autumn of that year the ftream had reached in the valley or low lands the edge of the lake. It overflowed the three farms of Reikehlid, Groef, and Fagrenefs, and run all over the grounds belonging to them; it alfo paffed round the church, which, happily ftanding on higher ground, efcaped. At laft it took its courfe into the lake, and made a horrible crackling and hiffing. It continued running till the year 1730, and then ceased of itfel, probably for want of fuel to keep it alive. This running matter being afterwards congealed, looked like calcined ftones. It is called by the natives Hraun.'

The burning mountains are the fubject of the feventh chapter; and that famous one called Hecla, that of the eighth. In the former our Author relates two aftonishing instances of torrents of water, rufhing down from thefe mountains with fuch violence as to fweep away everything that oppofed their paffage: But the latter, which treats of Mount Hecla, contains nothing remarkable, that celebrated Vulcano having, for many years. ceafed to emit fames, fo that it now makes but a mean appearance, even among the burning mountains of Iceland.

In the ninth chapter, Mr. Horrebow has given a brief and general defcription of Iceland, with regard to its fize, and the peculiar properties of the earth and mountains.' Iceland is, it feems, divided into feveral diftricts by chains of mountains extending from Eaft to Weft, and croffed by others running North and South. These diftricts are called Syffells or Shires,

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of which there are eighteen in number, governed by Syffelmænd, or Juftices.

The mountains, Mr. Horrebow tells us, which lie in the • midst of the island, are exceeding rugged, barren, and desolate; tho' fome few among them are covered with grass, The mountains that part the fhires are, for the better part, very fruitful, and yield great plenty of excellent grafs. The • barren mountains are of two kinds: the one nothing but fand and stone; the other vaft huge rocks, covered with ice and fnow all the year round, and distinguished by the name of Jokeler.

• From fome of the mountains flow large and fmall rivers, befides rivulets and ftreams; all which water the flat or low ❝ country, and abound with very fine fish. There are also many bays, creeks, and harbours towards the fea, very convenient for fishing; and up the country fine large lakes, thirty, or thirty-fix miles in circumference, and fome lefs, which abound with most excellent fifh.-Woods are fcarce, tho' there are fome few chiefly in the northern district, but in no • proportion to those other countries are productive of. As to

the foil, it differs, as in moft countries. Fine mould is found in fome places, clayey and fandy ground in fome others, befides very large bogs or marfhes, commonly overflowed with water, tho' in the fummer they dry up, and may be rode over. These marshes, when drained, become very fine grounds. Turf is found almost every where, and in fome places ex'ceeding good.'

The tenth chapter is wholly employed in confuting an affertion of Mr. Anderfon's, namely, That near Hecla is a small fresh water lake, endowed with the peculiar property of taking fire three times a year.

An account of the Hot-waters in Iceland, with a defcription of a furprizing spring in the diftrict of Huusevig, are the fubjects of the eleventh and twelfth chapters. Perhaps the spring here defcribed by our Author, has not its equal; an account of it therefore must not be omitted.

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This extraordinary fpring,' fays Mr. Horrebow, is to be met with in the north fhire and parish of Huufevig, near a ⚫ farm called Reykum, about fifty or fixty miles from the mountain Krafe. At this place are three fprings, which lie about < thirty fathoms from each other. The water boils up in them in the following manner. When the spring or well at one end has thrown up its water, then the middle one begins, which fubfiding, that at the other end rifes, and after it the • first

• first begins again, and fo on in the fame order by a continued fucceffion, each boiling up three times in about a quarter of an hour. They are all in a flat open place, but the ground ⚫ hard and rocky. In two of them the water rifes between the cracks, and boils up about two feet only above the ground. The third has a large round aperture, by which it empties it• felf into a place like a bafon, as if formed by art, in a hard • ftone rock, and as large as a brewing copper. On discharging itself here, it will rife at the third boiling ten or twelve feet high above the brim, and afterward fink four feet or more in the • bason or reservoir. At this interval it may be approached near • enough to fee how deep it finks; but thofe who have this curiofity, muft take care to get away before it boils up again. As foon as it has funk to the deepest ebb, it immediately rifes again, and that in three boilings. At the first it rifes half way up to the edge or brim; in the fecond above the brim; in the third, as before obferved, ten or twelve feet high. Then it finks at once four feet below the brim of the refervoir, • and, when funk here, rises at the other end, and from thence 'proceeds to the middle one, and so on by a conftant regular • rotation.'

Nor are the effects of the water less furprizing than the reciprocal rife of the fprings; for our Author tells us, that if the water from the largest spring be put into bottles, it will continue to boil up twice, or thrice, and at the fame time with the water in the well; but after this, it fubfides quietly, and grows cold. If the bottles are corked up the moment they are filled, as foon as the water begins to rife in the well, they burst in pieces.

We with Mr. Horrebow has not been impofed on with regard to fome of these phænomena. It would be difficult to account for three reciprocating fprings flowing alternately, especially as one of them ejects its water twelve feet high; but much more fo to explain the reason for the water retaining an alternate flux and reflux for fome time after taken out of the well. That it may have an effervefcence, and burft the bottles, if corked up immediately, will be granted; and, perhaps, the pretended flux and reflux is nothing more than this effervefcence.

As it would extend this article too far to follow Mr. Horrebow through his whole work in the manner we have hitherto done, we shall content ourselves with abstracting the most curious parts, in order to give the Reader an idea of this famous island. Nor is it, indeed, neceflary to give the fubftance of all the chapters, many of them being written with no other intention than to controvert fome particulars mentioned by Mr. Anderson, in his Hiftory of Iceland.

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There are but few woods in Iceland; and confequently tim ber is very scarce and dear. Some parts of the ifland have, indecd, large quantities of fine timber thrown afhore by the fea, which, for want of veffels to carry it to other districts where it is greatly wanted, rots on the beach. Our Author is, however, of opinion, that there was formerly plenty of timber in Iceland, large roots of trees being found in feveral plains, where there is not now fo much as a fhrub to be feen. Birch is the only tree known in here; there are, indeed, large fhrubs of Juniper, &c. but neither Fir nor Pine, nor the leaft veftige of their ever growing in this ifland; a circumftance the more fingular as the forefts of the northern climates principally confift of them.

Agriculture is not practifed in Iceland, no kind of grain being fown in the island; tho', it appears from many old laws concerned ploughed lands, and feveral tracts of land which have all the marks of having been tilled, that agriculture was anciently practifed by the inhabitants. And our Author tells us, that there is at prefent a profpect of reviving this beneficial art, the King of Denmark having lately fent over from Copenhagen and Norway feveral able hufbandmen, to introduce tillage, and inftruct the inhabitants in the methods of cultivating and improving their Jands. That wheat will arrive to a proper maturity in Iceland is fufficiently evident from a fort of wild corn growing in the diftrict of Shaftefield, of which the inhabitants make bread, and is, in every respect, as good as the Danish. This wheat grows in the fand, and the iced that drops off fows itíelf, and produces new corn regularly every year.

The only wild beaft in the island is the Fox. Bears are, indeed, fometimes feen there; but they come from Greenland on the floating ice, and are foon deftroyed by the inhabitants.

The horses are small, and of the Norwegian breed, having been originally imported from that kingdom. The fheep are of the common fize, and kept in great numbers.' Their wool is of different fineness and goodnefs. Exclufive of the wool they have an extraordinary coat, the better to endure the severity of the climate. The Icelanders call this Tog, from its courfe appearance when mixed with the other wool. They, however, make good woollen ftuff of it; but never ufe it mixt with the other wool. They do not fheer their fheep, but scrape off the wool with a knife after the fheep is killed. In the fpring of the year, towards the beginning of the warm weather, the wooll falls off, and therefore they keep, at that time, their sheep near the houses, that they may not lofe the wool. Some of the sheep have four horns, and fome have been feen with five, but this is very rare. Great numbers of Goats are kept in the northern

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