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Show 372 ERUPTION OF SKA.PTAR JOB.UL ar(often thrown up in one eruption, and in this case they take a linear direction, running generally from north-east to southwest, from the north-eastern part of the island where the volcano Krabla lies, to the promontory Reykianas. The convulsions of the year 1788 appear to have been more tremendous than any recorded in the modern annals of Iceland; and the original Danish narrative of the catastrophe, drawn up in great detail, has since been substantiated by several English travellers, particularly in regard to the prodigious extent of country laid waste, and the volume of lava produced .x'. About a month previous to the eruption on the main land, a submarine volcano burst forth in the sea at the distance of thirty or forty miles in a south-west direction from Cape Reykianas, and ejected so much pumice, that the ocean was covered to the distance of one hundred and fifty miles, and ships were considerably impeded in their course. A new island was thrown up, consisting of high cliffs, within which, fire, smoke, and pumice were emitted from two or three different points. This island was claimed by his Danish Majesty, who denominated it Nyoe, or the new island; but, ere a year had elapsed, the sea resumed her ancient domain, and nothing was left but a rocky reef from five to thirty fathoms under water. Earthquakes, which had long been felt in Iceland,- became violent on the 11th of June, when Skaptat· J okul, distant nearly two hundred miles from Nyoe, threw out a torrent of lava which flowed down into the river Skapta, and completely dried it up. The channel of the river was between high rocks, in many places from four hundred to six hundred feet in depth, and near two hundred in breadth. Not only did the lava fill up these great defiles to the brink, but it overflowed the adjacent fields to a considerable extent. The burning flood, on issuing from the confined rocky gorge, was then arrested for some * The first narrative of tho eruption was drawn up by Stephenson, then Chief Justice in Iceland, appointed Commissioner by the King of Denmark, for estimating the damage done to the country, that relief might be affordccl to the suf. fcrcrs. Henderson was cuablcu to correct some of the measurements given by Stephenson, of the depth, width, nnd length, of the lava currents, by rcfert•ncc.to the MS. of Mr. Paulson, who visiteJ the tr:1ct in 1791, and examined the lava WJ!h attention. (Journal of a H.t•siJeucc in Iceland, &c., p. 2 29 .) Some of the pr!~J· cipnl facts arc also corroboratctl hy Dr. Hooker in his" Tour inlcclanJ," vol. Jt., p. 128. . IN ICELAND, A.D. 1783. 373 tJme .b y a deep lake ' ' v1 1 I.c II Il!O rme 1 . d . the river between Skapt d 1 r y exls~c m the course of 1 '11 e current then proc adr da an.d Aa ' wl n c1 . . 1 It entirely filled. ee e aaam a d I . lava full of subtcrraneou 5 ' 11 rcac 11ng some ancient . s caverns penet t d d part of It; and in some 1 h' ra e an melted down . paces w ere the t ld . vent, It blew up the rock tl . . s earn cou not gam more than one hundred ;nd 1~~Wl~g fragments to the height of another ejection of liqui'd 1 ty lect. On the 18th of June ava rus 1ed fro tl 1 ' flowed down with amazi'ng 1 . m le vo cano, which ' ve oc1ty over th .I! stream. By the d · e sm1ace of the first ammmg up of the h tributaries of the Skapta m ·n mout s of some of the flowed with water and th' any VI dages were completely over- ' us great estruct · f caused. The lava after flo . ~ IOn o property was ' wmg 10r several d . · . tated down a tremendous cat t 11 ays, was preCipl-filled ~ profound abyss, which a~~~t ca ed Stapafoss, where it hollowing out for aaes and th th Ereat waterfall had been course. 5 ' en e ery current continued its On the 3rd of August, fresh floods of 1 • . the volcano, a new branch was t ff . ava .still pourmg from for the channel of the Ska t"' sen o m a different direction ; and every openin to the ~ a was now so entirely choked up, the melted matter gwas forced etsttalnd north so obstructed, that · 0 a {e a new course d · m a south-east direction, it discha. d . . ' an ' runmng river Hverfisfliot wher Ige Itself mto the bed of the to the former wa~ occas~o::~ene ;i des~u~tion. scarcely inferior ancient streams which ai·e m. t :else. ce andw lavas, like the . ' e Wit 1 m Auv d provmces of Central Franc ergne, an other accumulated to a d' . e, arde stated by Stephensen to have · pro lD'Ious epth · ~.~~.:::~ t;::o ~~:=;~af~~e 0~ll~vial ;~i;,~;~~ :;::;i~~;:~ fifteen miles w 'd d re, sometimes from twelve to I e, an one hundred D t d " fiery lake" which fill d ee eep. '"Then the the Skapta had b e up the lower portion of the valley of ecn auO'mented b 1' flowed up the course of tl . y new supples, the lava whence the Skapta t k .1e r~ver to the foot of the hills, from to one which can be ~lees It~ n~e. ~his affords a parallel case the volcanic region of thwnv·o .a:e. appened at a remote era in from the cone of Th t e I~aial~ m France, when lava issued ther more powerful utey s, an while one branch ran down, ano-sides of the valley of;{:~~ flo~ed up the river Ardeche. The apt a present superb ranges of basaltic |
