ft
on one of which we were entirely ignorant, and of
which we had but one general chart, on a very
small scale, to trust to,—so small as not to be of
much use, even if we could have seen the land. It
turned out that we did well in laying-to, for on
the following morning, when the fog partially
cleared away, we found ourselves inside of, and at
no great distance from, a very remarkable rock,
rising abruptly out of the sea to a great height on
our le ft; and we thought Ave could make out the
main land, Avhich Ave afterAvards saAV more distinctly
on our right. This we concluded to be the point
of land called Cape Reikianses, and accordingly
sailed through the passage between it, and the rock
near to us, Avhich is named by the Icelanders iheEld
E y E l Mul Scskken, or the Meal-Sack Fire-Island,
having been, as tradition says, thrown up by volcanic
fire. The following sketch shows its shape;
The Meal-snch and pinnacled Roch.
as also that of another remarkable rock, opposite
to it, and a little detached from the shore, as, when
i¡'rd'
Irxthe
fog occasionally dispersed, we were enabled to
ascertain distinctly. The latter resembled a pinnacled
church, and as we sailed through the passage
it did not alter its appearance. There are several
of these fire-islands, as they are called, Avhich lie
off this point of land, and one of which, the most
distant, is called the Blinde Eugle Skicsr, or concealed
bird rock (Skiatr being our Scar) : it is
very dangerous, from being just under Avater. This
rock is said to have thrown out great quantities
of ashes about three years ago, some of Avhich fell
in ReikiaA'ik, and caused some alarm to the inhabitants.
It was originally a submarine volcano,
which hurst forth out of the sea in 1783, about a
month before the tremendous explosion of the
Skaptar Yokul, the most destructive volcano known
in modern times. The position of this dangerous
rock is about forty miles south-west from Cape
Reikianses. On its first eruption the sea was said
to be so thickly covered Avith pumice, that ships
were impeded by it, and clouds of ashes fell
over Reikiavik, and covered the ground for many
miles ro u n d : within a few months it disappeared,
and has left a rocky reef under water of different
depths from five to twenty fathoms.
Having passed Cape Reikianses, or the Smoking
Promontory, we bore away to the northward, keeping
at a distance from the shore, but sufficiently
near to observe its dark and rugged character, being
one continued mass of rock rising abruptly out of
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