140 THE GEYSERS.
hastened among the boiling-springs, happy
in the prospect of soon beholding what may
justly be considered as one of the most extraordinary
operations of nature, and thus
accomplishing one of my principal objects
in undertaking a voyage to Iceland. The
lower part of the hill was formed into a number
of mounds, composed of what appeared
t to be clay or coarse bolus, of various sizes :
some of them were yellowish white, but the
greater number of the color of dull red brick.
Interspersed with them, here and there, lay
pieces of rock, which had rolled, or been
washed down by the rains, from the higher
parts of the mountain. On these mounds,
at irregular distances, and on all sjdes of me,
were the apertures of boiling-springs, from
some of which were issuing spouts of water,
from one to four feet in height; while in
others, the water rose no higher than the
top of the basin, or was gently flowing over its
margin. The orifices were of various dimensions,
some of considerable size and regular
formation, covered on their sides and edges
with a brownish siliceous crust; others so
small and irregular that the water seemed
only to be boiling through an accidental hole
t h e g e y s e r s . 141
in the mound, and became turbid by admixture
with the soil, which colored it either
with red, dirty yellow, or grey. Upon the
heated ground, in many places, were some
extremely beautiful, though small, specimens
of sulphuric efflorescence, the friability of
which was such, that, in spite of the utmost
care, I was not capable of preserving any in
a good state. I did not remain long in this
spot, but directed my steps to the loftiest
column of steam, which I naturally concluded
arose from the fountain that is alone,
by way of distinction, called the Geyser.
It lies at the opposite extremity of this collection
of springs, and, I should think, full
half a quarter of a mile distant from the
outermost ones which I first arrived at.
Among numerous smaller ones, I passed
three or four apertures ol rather a large
size, but all so much inferior to the one I
was now approaching, that they scarcely
need any farther notice. It was impossible,
after having read the admirable descriptions
of the Geyser, given by the Archbishop Von
Troil and Sir John Stanley*, and, especially,
* I need scarcely refer my readers for a more full
account of the Geyser than it is in my power to give, to
the letters of Von Troil, who accompanied Sir Joseph