N A T U R A L H I S T Ö R Ÿ of IV Ö È Ï Ï?A t .
âtad not tite leâft datoger; tö which Æé feiïiàbitàhts in tïris ànd foihc
other provinces* tho’ feldom iji-Ofbrland, -arfe cxpofek; ifc, 'that
foihetimes by a hidden diîfuption q f a rock, I great damages are
<lone to the cattle, fields, and
familie are involved in the defltuâion. Thefe difiuptiohs (called
Steenikreed) generally happen in the fpring, 'when the dilation o f
the feata o f earth, occàfîoned by the thaw-s.and rains on the fom-
xnlts o f .the mountains, loofens fome adjacent final! ftonds, which
as thçy roll, down, gradually gather more, and carry'before them,
or afibr them, fuch heaps o f Rones,Tand and itdbkdfliyèia'fralhthe
trees in the wayittre torn' np^and’Æe; moqntain is föfbi|fiëdöLa}l'
its covering, that it has the appearance sofia-beaten road; and if the
earth chance to lie too'deep for this mifehief, màny :d'eep trenches,
©r long and narrow vallies are formed; the.ibil of’which'is thrown
©n the contiguous fields and paftures, whichdn time, thohit requires
fome years, recover their verdure andTertility. - The. greateft and
moil deftruéfive fall o f ftone as well as fmow, o f which I havè élïè^
where made mention, happened in this diocefe. abpüt Candlémaisy
in the year 16 7 9 , when many cultivated tr&dts o f Tand Were de-
ftröyed, lèverai houfes demoliflied, and,; oldy in the diRriét o f Sund-
naoer, 13© fouls perilhed, and: all this as fuddenly asm-other countries
by earthquakes.
There is another, much nmre terrible, and a more extraordinary
»attirai accident, which ,in feme .degree -re&^Wes dus laft ; it
is diftinguilhed by the name o f Bergrap ; the mountain being aSs it
were convulfèd, gives way, feparates, and falls down on the country;
fcmerimes in finall pieces, and then
but fometimes, tho’ fcldom, entire erefts o f rocks‘feme hundred
fathoms in length and breadth have fallen ; which óccafions a violent
agitation in the air, and has all the appearance o f à prelude
o f a general deftrudion, o f the world. The;veflages o f fijefi a Bergrap,
are irioft evidently to be feen kt Steen-broe, in Laeidalè, in
and their entrails immediately giilh out ; which is plainly the cafe, when they happen
to fall intq a creek, or any other water, for all the limbs remaining whole, but thé
belly is burfb. ; The certainty of this matter throws a' light upon'an obfetire paffage
elpecially in Luther’s and our Danrfh tranilàtio» of the Bible, where it is faid, Afts
chap. r. 18 : -he hdnged'hhHfslf -, ' mid burfi itrtéfoi ànd aUMis bowels ' jell out. On the
contrary, the words are, www. yivo^t^ot shtotwt fflfimSi præ.ceps Jadtusf eft,, falling
headlong, he burft ‘aftinder in the midfi, is the Englifh tranflation, and agrees perfectly
well with theRéijuel, according to the above obfervaddn, which in this Country is
but too often exemplified, y’.
the