; -t.
i ■:
Hi
C O N T E N T S .
L e t t . XVII. O f Icelandic Poetry - - ip^
L e t t . XVIII. Of the Volcanos 171 Iceland - 220
L e t t . XIX. The Subjea continued - - 231
L e t t . X X . O f Mount Hcckla - . 239
L e t t . X X L Of the hot fpouting Water Springs in
Iceland - - - - . . 245
L e t t . XXI I . Of the Pillars o f Bafalt; to which is
fubjoined Mr. Banks’s curious account of the ifland
of StafFii - - - . . 266
L e t t .X X IU . From Chev. Ih r e to Dr. T r o i l— <
Concerning the Edda - - - - 289
L e t t . X X IV . From Chev. B ach to Dr. T r o i l —
OJ thii>-Icelandic Elephantia/ls - - 019
L e t t . X XV. From ProfefTor B e r g m a n to Dr.
T r o i l— Of the Effells of Fire both at the Vo I
eanos and ihg Hot Springs i and o f the Bafaltes 3 38
I N T R O -
INTRODUCTION.
^ I ' HE accounts o f Iceland, which
Ml. have hitherto made their appearance
in the Engliili language, are
o f fuch a nature, that it would betray
ignorance or partiality to recommend
them to the public as fatisfailory and
faithful.
The hril writer o f any known hif-
tory o f Iceland in the prefeiit century
was John Anderfon, afterwards Bur-
gomaiter o f Hamburgh, who undertook
a voyage to this not much-frequented
ifland in a Greenland fliip ;
but the authenticity o f his performance
is far from being fuch as may be relied
oil with confidence.
Niels Horrebow, a Danifh aftrono-
mer, was fent to Iceland by the court
o f Denmark on purpofe to contradicl
Anderfon’s account; he publiflied
fome obfervations 011 Iceland, but
from a too great defire to pleafe his
employers, he fell into the oppofite
5 error.
'Mil