A Summer in Iceland (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Skaptar Volcano?Eruption in 1783?A River dried up?Enormous Lava Stream ?Fearful Devastations?Consequences of the Eruption?Pestilence among Animals and Men? New Rivera formed ?Bread and Butter?A Fairy Talc ?Icelandic Fare?The Meaning of the word "Beg"?Snuff Horns and Powder Flasks?Remarks on Brandy Imports?Strange Advertisement? Articles of Import?Reppstyrer or Constable?A Farmhouse in the Eastern Districts?Fording Places?Skeidarar-jokul?Progressive Motion of Glaciers ?Iceland formerly a Wooded Country?Skeidararsaudr?Svinafells-Jiikul? Crevices?Danger of falling into them?Glaciers melting on the Surface? Oncfu-Jiikul and Volcano?Eruption in 1727 described?Terrific Results- Great Mortality?Continue Journey?Bird Rocks?Bird-catching in the Foeroe Islands?Great Dimon?Insect Powder?Its Blessings?Mercantile Caravans?Icelandic Whip. KAPTlRFELLSHRAUN derives its name from a volcano, of whose activity in bygone ages nothing is known. It consists of two lava streams, the largest that have ever been known to flow within the memory of man. The craters from which these streams have flowed lie at the foot of Skaptarfells-Jokul, or on the western side of Vatna-Jokul, in the angle which is formed by the Skapta and Hverfisfljot. From these, one of the streams must have flowed in a south-westerly direction, and subsequently have turned towards the south along theVOLCANIC ERUPTION. 93 valley of the Skapta; while the other flowed towards the south in the hed of the Hverfisfljot. An account of the volcanic eruption, to which these streams owe their origin, has been given by Magnus Stephensen, who examined the ground the year after the eruption had taken place, at the request of the Danish Government. The following extract must suffice:? "The unusually mild winter of 1782-83 ...