The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-17

Northern Sea, falling on the Faeno Islss, Shetland.
and Orkney, entirely over Great Britain, across =
Holland and far ON to the continent Of Europe.
Darling flames and lightning filed the air, and the
sulphur flashed and burned far up into the heavens.
The next effect produced was the heat Of the vol
cano melting the ice that had shr0uded it for
centuries; and this caused such deluge that
the rivers, particularly the Skapta, overlooked
their banks, and submerged and even washed up
and carried away farms. On the 10th, ton days
the r-ent Of lava burst forth and poured down the
side Of the n,ountaln. inns ,uowed 50 quickly after
the food Of water that in less than twenty-fouf
hours the river was entirely dried up, and people
been passable in boats While the fire was contend
ing with the water terrible and deafening roaring
sound was heard, and immense quantities Of steam
ilied the ar The fiery torrent quickly flowed down
and over zoo In breadth The rivers of Iceland, fire.
quently running in seams cracks of the lava, are
often very deep in proportion to their breadth.
Lightning flashed through the heavens, thunder and
conclusions OF the earth were constantly heard and
felt, and the volcano kept up continued and terri
BILE roaring. In its course down the bed of the river
the lava came to an immense chasm pit into which
for many hours 1t poured with deafening noise.
The stream of lava flowed first south, then
east, destroying farms, houses, and churches, and
burning up the thickets of wood near Kirkubnr.
Often great chasms in the earth would get filled
with melted lava and then, as it cooled on top, the
heat below would cause it to explode and throw
large masses of it high in the air. For three months
the lava continued to flow; but it was not till tho
next February that the mountain ceased throwing
out ashes, sand, flames, and hot stones. The effects
of this eruption terrible than anything Of
the kind that ever happened in Iceland. The
showers of ashes, sand and sulphur, completely
destroyed every green thing for long distance
Another most singular effect Of this eruption ex-
ended to the ocean. The fish that had always
frequented the coast were entirely driven away and
never returned. terrible famine ensued. Within
fVnn CHI and
900 cattle, died of starvation. About 10000 peO-
ple-one-ffth Of the entire population of the island
persisted from want and exposure The amount Of
lava elected from this volcano is believed to be
greater than was ever discharged from one noun
tain within the same period Of time. It covered
tract OF country 900 square miles in extent; and
had it lain OF equal thickness over the entire surface
would have been over 800 feet deep. The lava
would have filled the channels of fifty rivers as large
as the Hudson, from Albany to New York.
1t is said that the personal appearance OF certain
quadruped does not give an untailing indication Of
the distance he can Jump. That can scarcely be
true of Skaptar Jokull. If size is an indication Of
power the vast magnitude Of this mountain would
seem to show that its eruptons would be terrible.
Mount Htna, whose smoking summit attracts the
attention of the mariner while far out ut sea, and
whose base is $50 miles in circumference, will not
compare with this monarch of the north. Though
Etna atains greater elevation yet, if reckoned BY
bulk, solid contents, it is not half as large This
vast mountain is over 100 miles In diameter
at it's base and more than $50 in crcum-
ference. Wrapped in pail Of eternal snow.
and inaccessible except around the edges,
it appears from different points of view
like several separate mountains and in different parts
it goes by different names On the west it is known
as Skaptar Jokull and on the south Is called Orea
oku and at this point is the highest mountain in
Iceland, being little over 1000 English feet IN
height Its vast central surface, and all throughout
its northern boundary, is known as Vatna Jokull-
pronounced "Vatna Yokul '--vatna, water and
jokul ice mountain-and is supposed to contain in
its holows large pools of standing water. This par
tcular account had given me in conversation with
Herra Biarni Gunnlangsson the interchangeable Ice
andic geOgrapher who travelled through every part
of Iceland during period Of over twelve years, In
which time he saw the entire country and executed
all the drawings for this most elaborate and valuable
map of the country. can also myself lay claim to
considerable personal acquaintance with Skaptar
Jokun. Standing on the summit of Heka, 6,2O0
feet high could look directly over the surface Of
the most of Skaptar. 1t does not rise from all sides
to one peak in the centre, like Hekla, Etna, and
vesuvius but to the eye it presents the appearance
OF one vast plain Of snow and ice glistenng in the
sunshine. Towards the Orefa Jokull it rose up con-
siderably higher than the rest The few travellers
who have assembled these Jokulls have described
them as presenting immense cracks in the snow and
ice, making them the most dangerous to ascend. In
proportion to their height, probably of any noun
Hekla, the most noted in Iceland are Eyjafjalk
Jokull, and Tind1ala Jokull, south of Hekla, ana
the Sn@fe Jokull in the western part of the island
The last is q mountain Of great magnitude, present
seen at least one hundred miles. I have
drawing of it that l made more than 6fty
miles at sea. As an instance of the effects Of
volcanic eruptions, and also of the inaccuraoy
Of geographers respecting Iceland, fact may -
mentioned. On almost any map where the compiler
has oondescended to place Iceland you will see just
one lake inserted-a large sheet OF water, between
Hekla and Skaptar JOkull. This is called the Fisks
Water, Fish lake. Now there is not such lake Id
existence, nor has not been for great many years.
volcano one day became thirsty and drank 1t up
at draught very truthful illustration of this q
given in Bailey's poem Of "Festus." One of his
giants, wishing draught of water, "lays him down
and drinks river dry The poet, after ALL is wiser
than the geographers for he shows US the dry land
where it's and they tantaze us with picture OF water
where none exists like mirage in the desert which
deceives the wearyraveer Where the Fish lake once
stood now stands mountain and you see it Mr..
Gunnlangssons map. 1t is called Fiske-vater avege.
in the sea around Iceland. Either continuation Of
the Gulf Stream, else new current from the At
lantic sets strongly through the Greenland strait
and flows east, along the north coast Of Iceland. At
the northeast point Of the island it meets current
!hst hows west from the Arctic Sea, between Spitz-
bergen and the northern point of Lapland. These
currents are known to some navigators; and, a.
striking proof that they exist and encounter
ther here it is not uncommon to find among the drift
wood in the northeast bays of Iceland log Of ma
hogany from Honduras, one of oak from the St Law
renee, and pine from Lapland or Norway Timber
being very valuable in Iceland it Is well known what
coasts gather the most dft WOOD and at this point
far more timber is drawn ashore than on any other
part of the island. AS have spoken Of the inacou
racy of many geographers in their representations of
Iceland, will take occasion to say that the maps Of
the well known Scottish geographer, Alexander
Keith Johnston, Of Edinburg, possess great accuracy
in the delineatons of Iceland and the Northern Sea-
as am sure they do Of all other parts of the world
that are known. The ocean currents are shown with
minuteness and .adality; and the isothermal lines
drawn through Iceland and acrO the Atlantic and the
American hat aofou M, sxx
and others have the same average climate In MI.
Johnston's Physical Atlas undoubtedly the most
scientific Of all the maps ever pubshed-the very
showers OF ashes and sand from Skaptar Jokull
of Europe just recorded by the historians of Ice
and. much clearer description of some other por-
ions Of Iceland can be given extemporaneously.
aided by the map, than could be read from paper.