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We were now arrived at one of the
higheft fummits, when our conduaor,
who did not take great pleafure in
the walk, endeavoured to perfuade us
that this was the higheft part of the
mountains. We liad juft finiihed our
obfervations, and found by them that
Ramfden’s barometer ftood at 24-2385
a n d the thermometer, fixed to it, at 275
when happily the clouds divided, and
we difcovered a ftill higher fummit.
We loft no time in deliberation, but
immediately afcended it, and when at
the top difcovered a fpace o f ground,
about eight yards in breadth, an d t w en ty
ill length, entirely free from fnow ; the
fand was, however, quite wet, from
the fnow having lately melted away.
Here we experienced at one and the
fame time a high degree of heat and
cold, for in the air Fahrenheit’s thermometer
was conftantly at 24, and
when we fet it down on the ground,
it rofe to 153. The barometer was
here at 22-247, and the thermometer
at 38.
We could not with fafety remain
here any longer, though we were very
^ much
tlliich inclined to it ; and defcended,
after having confidered the laft open-^
ing there, one o f the fides o f which
was entirely overturned, and the other
quite covered with aflies and grit. In
bur return we obferved three confider-
able openings, in one of which every
thing looked as red as brick. From
another the lava had flowed in a ftreanl
of about fifty yards iu breadth, which
the Icelanders call Stenad, or Stone-
Flood ; and at fome diftance from
thence the ftreara divided into three
broad armsi Further on we found a
large circular opening, at the bottom
whereof we obferved a mountain in
the form of a fugar-loaf, in throwing
tip o f which the fire feemed to have
exhaufted iTelf.
The laft eruption o f mount Heckla
happened in 1766 ; it began the 5th
of April, and continued to the 7th
of September following. Flames proceeded
from it alfo in December 17 7 1 ,
and in September 1772, but 110 eruptions
of lava. See.
The mountain does not coiifift of
lava, but chiefly o f fand, grit, and
Cl 2 aflies,
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