A letter was at the same time received from the Right Reverend President, which, as it contains his own individual testimony to the utility of the institution, I shall insert at this place.

"REYKIAVIK, Sept. 4, 1817.

"I have received, most worthy Sir, with the greatest joy, the letter you have sent me, together with a Report, which gives an account of the flourishing state and wonderful progress of your Bible Society; for which I most earnestly request you to return, in my name, the fullest thanks to that excellent institution.

"The most high and gracious God grant that it may continue daily to bring forth abundant and delightful fruits, which are none other than the knowledge of the divine word, and of the duties it enjoins us, as well as the advancement of the happiness of the human race, which depends thereon.

"The present state of our Bible Society, which is formed after the model of yours, has been lately communicated to you, in a letter from the Secretary, the Rev. Mr Helgason, to which I hesitate not to refer you.

"Farewell, ye benefactors of the human race, on whom our heavenly Father will confer, in his own time, a reward commensurate with your exertion's.

"Farewell also, most worthy Sir; and favour our Society, which delights to rank itself among your offspring, with the continuance of your condescending regard and patronage. (Signed) GEIR VIDALIN,

"President of the Bible Society in Iceland.”

As the inhabitants of Iceland are not in any immediate want of a new edition of the Holy Scriptures, though, from the constant use they are making of the copies which they have recently received, there is every reason to believe it will not be long ere it will be called for, the attention of the Committee of the Icelandic Bible Society is, in the first instance, directed to a proper revisal of their present translation, which is universally allowed to labour under very con

siderable imperfections. The Bishop has already prepared some of the Gospels; the revision of the Acts has been undertaken by Justiciary Einarson; and several of the Epistles are in a state of forwardness by Steingrim Jonson, Guttorm Paulson, and other individuals distinguished for a critical knowledge of the original.

It must certainly prove in a high degree gratifying to all the friends of the Bible Society to learn, that to no quarter of the globe could their exertions have been directed with a greater probability of success than to Iceland, as the inhabitants of that remote island were evidently prepared by the Spirit of God for the reception of his blessed word; and to no instance within the vast compass of the Society's opera tions can the observation of the Apostle with more justice be applied: "The administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God, while, by the experiment of this ministration, they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; and by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you, Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Cor. ix.

12-15.

The only other incident worthy of notice, as happening about this time, is the taking of the salmon in the Hellarâ, or Salmon River, a few miles to the east of Reykiavik. Having been apprised that the quantity of salmon caught at this place is sometimes immense, I accompanied my friend Mr Hodgson to the spot. As we rode along, we overtook numbers of Danes and Icelanders of both sexes, and many of them accompanied by their children, all repairing to the river; on our arrival at which, we found a great concourse assembled to witness the sport, or assist in taking the fish. The Hellarâ, as its name imports, is very cavernous: a stream of lava having been poured down the gulley through

which it runs; and in these caverns the salmon find admirable strongholds in which to secure themselves against their pursuers. Before the proper season they are only partially caught by means of large wooden boxes placed in front of the small water-falls; but, on this occasion, one of the branches of the river, which divides into two arms a little above this spot, is dammed up, and the whole quantity of water is diverted into the other channel some hours before the catch begins. The other branch, which contains the salmon, is then drained as much as possible, by some stones being taken out of the barrier by which it had been dammed up.

On a signal being given by the proprietor, a number of men rushed into the water that remained, with a large net, and coming directly down upon the salmon, caught a great quantity at the first draught. This operation was repeated till all the salmon were taken. The whole number taken in the course of five hours amounted to upwards of nineteen hundred. Sometimes nearly three thousand are taken in this way in a single forenoon. The greater number of those caught on this occasion were small, but some of them weighed twenty-five pounds. In the river Hvitâ in Borgarfiord, salmon are sometimes taken which weigh forty pounds. That river, and many others in Iceland, which abound in this excellent fish, are divided among the neighbouring peasants; but the Hellará belongs to his Danish Majesty, and is at present rented by Mr Scheele, one of the Danish residents in Reykiavik.

CHAP. XV.

Almannagia-Armannsfell-Skialldbreid Volcano-Kaldidal-Husafell-Sagacity of the Mouse-Gilsbacka-The remarkable Cavern of Surtshellir described—Arnarvatn— Desert-Bewildered in a Fog-Hot Springs of Hveravellir described-Blöndudal-The Rustic Astronomer Factory of Skagastrand.

Ir being still necessary for me to visit some of the clergy, and others in the north of Iceland, I set out once more from Reykiavik, on Tuesday the 18th of July, in company with Messrs Thomson and Brorson, two gentlemen from Holstein, who intended to explore some remarkable spots in the interior. The first day's journey lay across the same lonely tract I passed last year, till we arrived at the western shore of the Thingvallavatn, when we turned into the Almannagiâ, and pitched our tents in the middle of the fissure, a little to the north of the site of the booth in which Snorro Goda lived during his stay at the Althing. It lies on the north side of the small opening that leads out of the fissure, and commands a fine view of the fissure itself, the river Oxarâ, the Lögberg, and the church and parsonage of Thingvalla.

Next morning we left Thingvalla, from which we had been richly supplied with trout and cream, and proceeded in a northerly direction across the lava, which everywhere exhibited tremendous parallel rents, and prevented us from advancing with that celerity we could have wished. At the termination of the Almannagiâ, we arrived at the base of Armannsfell, a huge mountain of tuffa, which has also been rent from its foundations at the period of the sinking of the

valley, and consists for the most part of the wildest precipices, which overhang the road in rather an alarming manner. Having skirted for some time the immense stream of lava that has been poured down in this direction from Mount Skialldbreid, we came to the beautiful plain of Hofmannafliot, which is covered with rich grass, and where the original occupiers of the tract are said to have held their feats of athletic prowess' amid hundreds of spectators.

It

We had now to climb a very steep and narrow pass, having a conical mountain of small basaltic lava on our right, and several irregular tuffa hills on the left; and after descending into an extensive sandy plain, in which lay a large lake of white water, we came to the western margin of the lava, on the opposite side of which rose the volcano Skialldbreid, or "Broad Shield," so called from its striking resemblance to that ancient weapon of defence. It may be about 3000 feet of perpendicular height, yet rises with so gradual an ascent, that, were it not for its lavas, a carriage might proceed up its surface with the utmost ease. Its base describes a circle of at least thirty miles. The crater, at its summit, is distinctly visible; and all around its sides, and across the surrounding plains, nothing is visible but the lava which it has poured forth in every direction.

:

Passing to the west of the volcano, we arrived about three in the afternoon at a small grassy spot, where we were in expectation of getting something for our horses; but the caravans that had recently passed this way had eaten it completely bare however, as we had a long stony desert before us, it was necessary to unload the horses for a few hours at this place. At six o'clock we recommenced our journey, pursuing the road, called Kaldidals-vegur, which at first we found pretty good, owing to a little soil that has gathered in the course of time among the ancient lavas, but it soon began to deteriorate, and at last got so stony, that we were obliged to walk at a slow pace. The Kaldidal itself we found perfectly to answer to its name. On every hand we were surrounded by mountains of perpetual snow and ice;

*

The Cold Dale.