untain itself and carried to the sea, there to add
considerably to the coastline after devastating the intervening country.
The fountain of volcanic bombs consisted of masses of lava, containing
gases which exploded and produced a loud sound, which was said to have
been heard at a distance of 100 miles. The size of the bombs, and the
height to which they must have reached, were very great. But the most
remarkable of the historical eruptions in Iceland were those of Skaptar
Jokull in 1783, and of Hecla in 1845. Of these an extended description
is worthy of being given.

Of these two memorable eruptions, that of Skaptar Jokull began on the
11th of June, 1783. It was preceded by a long series of earthquakes,
which had become exceedingly violent immediately before the eruption. On
the 8th, volcanic vapors were emitted from the summit of the mountain,
and on the 11th immense torrents of lava began to be poured forth from
numerous mouths. These torrents united to form a large stream, which,
flowing down into the river Skapta, not only dried it up, but completely
filled the vast gorge through which the river had held its course. This
gorge, 200 feet in breadth, and from 400 to 600 feet in depth, the lava
filled so entirely as to overflow to a considerable extent the fields
on either side. On issuing from this ravine, the lava flowed into a deep
lake which lay in the course of the river. Here it was arrested for a
while; but it ultimately filled the bed of the lake altogether--either
drying up its waters, or chasing them before it into the lower part of
the river's course. Still forced onward by the accumulation of molten
lava from behind, the stream resumed its advance, till it reached
some ancient volcanic rocks which were full of caverns. Into these it
entered, and where it could not eat its way by melting the old rock,
it forced a passage by shivering the solid mass and throwing its broken
fragments into the air to a height of 150 feet.

A TORRENT OF LAVA

On the 18th of June there opened above the first mouth a second of large
dimensions, whence poured another immense torrent of lava, which flowed
with great rapidity over the solidified surface of the first stream, and
ultimately combined with it to form a more formidable main current. When
this fresh stream reached the fiery lake, which had filled the lower
portion of the valley of the Skapta, a portion of it was forced up the
channel of that river towards the foot