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probable foever this opinion may appear,
of which we can find no traces
in the moil remote times; and the
moil antient authors ; yet it wmnld be
very difficult, nay, almoil impoffible,
to eilabliffi it by experience : but be
this as it «may, I will venture to pronounce,
that Iceland has been formed
by eruptions o f fire.
It is no uncommon event for iilands
to be produced in this manner ; we
have many examples o f i t ; but the
fize and extent o f Iceland, in compa-
rifon to other iilands, which owe their
origin to the fame caufe, may raife
fome doubts againft the reception o f
this hypothefis. Nor can it be denied;
but this, as well as feveral forts of
ftone that are to be found there,, and
which do not bear any diftinfl marks
o f the effefls o f fire, are likewife
calculated to confirm thefe doubts.
Again, I fee nothing to hinder me
from confidering Iceland as produced
by fire, when L reflect that the ground
in all parts o f the iiland, and particularly
near the fea iliore, confifts of
¿ava or tuff a, which is frequently co-
3 vered
[ 223 ]
vered with Other forts o f ftones, as fft
Lundb, and even with a hard kind of
moor-ftone (faxum) or with feveral
ftrata o f different kinds o f earth and
ftone, as at Laugarnas, where the
lava is fourteen feet in depth; when
I find befides, that thofe rocks, which
have no traces o f fire, are compounded
Y)f fand mixed with fmall pieces o f
fpar, that may eafily be produced
ill two or three thoufand years, iince
the lava has laid the foundation ; I
am ftill more inclined to fupport this
opinion.
I am not however ib credulous as
to believe, that the whole iiland was
produced at once by fire ; but I rather
conjedure that it has been the work
of ibme centuries, by feveral cliffs
and rocks being produced at different
times, whofe points have been connected
by new eruptions, and which
have formed the bails o f the whole
iiland.
It is very difficult to determine,
whether this fuppofition has any real
foundation or n o t ; however I think
myfelf authorized to believe it, as well
from
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