In .Mundo
I Subterr. C. x Xi,b.
I
Nordifch
Chorograph.
?• 233> *34«
heard to a great diftance, and without anyintermiffioh, except
a quarter -ever-iy fixth hour, that is,, a t the turn o f high and low
water, when it& -impetuofity feems at a- ftand, which'fhort inter-.
yal-Tis the only time thefifhermen can venture in : but this motion
foop returns, and, however calm the fea may be, gradually
inereafes with'fueh a ';draught and vortex as abforb whatever •
cpuies within their fphere of adtion, and keep it under water for
fame hours, when the fragments, fhivered.foy^the rocks,- ap-
pear again.,\ This circumftanee, amoiig, others, makes ftrongly
^ Kirehier and others, who imagine that there-is here an
abyfs penetrating the globe,, and iffuing in fome very remote
parts, which Kircher is fo particular as to aflign, Tor h e names'
the gulf of .Bothnia, But after the moft exadt refearches.whieh
the circumftances will admit, this is but a conje&uifc without
foundation j for this and three other .vortices among the- Ferroe
iflands, but fmaller, have no other caufe, I than the collifion of
waves fifing and falling, at the flux and reflux, againft a ridge, of
rpcks and fhelves, which confine the water fo that it precipitates,
itfelf like a cataradt; and thus the higher the flood f&Sj-Hhe
deeper muft thefkUbe$ and the natural refult ©f this~is-#^hirl-
pool, or vortex, the prodigious fudtion' whereof, Ljtf/iMcrlhtly
known by lefler experiments. But what has been thus abforbed
-remains no longer a t the bottom than thfe ebb lafts; fof the fue-
tion then ceafes, and the flood removes all attmdHott, and permits
whatever, had been funk, to make its appearance again. Of the
fituation of this amazing Mofkoeftrom we have the followingac-
count from Mr. J o n a r f f i i ^ ^ f s ^ e "m ^ f f iM # i ^ f e g g e m in
Lofoden, lies a league from the ifland Ver, and betwixt thefe
two, runs that large and dreadful ftream cafled Mofkoeftronr, from
the ifland Mofkoe, which is h i the middle of it, together with
feveral circumjacent ifles, as Ambaaren, half a quarter of a league
northward, Iflefen, Hoeyholm, Kieldholm, Suarven, and Buck-
holm. Mofkoe lies about half a quarter of a mile fouth of the
ifland of Ver, and betwixt them thefe fmall iflands, Otterholm,
Flimen, Sandflefen, Skarholm. Betwixt Lofoden and Mofkoe the
depth of the water is between thirty-fix and -forty fathoms, ’ but •
on the other fide, towards Ver, the depth decreafes fo as not to
afford a convenient paffage for a veffel, without the Hfk of f i t ting
ting-on,tjieqpc^s, ^ t e h -ilatepens.ey ii|jin- the c.a^inefl:gather-:
whenihks^®©^« |he-, ftrea^iiMts; up. .me^cpuntry * bettybq, Lofoden
hiaLMcQen ^ ith a . t h e roar of
tuous!.ehh-'p)^tHoifea^I^feapec le^ a lled | | j the.J&ddefjhand mpft,
dreadful cat^ a^fe*- t;he noife being hpardfef^&rgl’ Ifeagu^.pff.1 and:
comes tyithirv itstj atfiaffipMfcj ft, ds. i nevitably , abfr^bredi an d carri ed
down fto. the > bdtfom,; .apmjttefeheat. to pieces againft the rocks;
again.,- JSut^hefft inteEKak»pfiffanqtu^^ kfeMbWotj
the ebb and', flpo%d ,, in; caltoiweadiaj^ an,
hour, , its, yiojepc^jgradually; returning.,, , When the fb qm J s mnfi:
BpifleroUjS,,.an^ ifs jfil-ry hfjghtened|&, a ftqtm, ^ itj,h^mgci^*s*to
cpmewithin ahTorjvaymile^of it, bqatsj|h|gs, md^amhs|aaying»bqen}
carried,-away, T y .not guarding againft it -before they were within
its, reach. -Irlikqwiip^happens frequently, jthat^whalesuf^mejtoQi
near tlpe; ftream, and^^oyefpptvered by ■it&.vdqlencefi and th ep it is
impofliblejtOfcfefcfibe their howlings and beUowmgSi^theirjfi^$?J
lefyjruggles- ,to idifepg^e:.diemfe^p ,;i A^earydn^e^at^qupring^o ’
fjyim ft*?1!1 l^pfodqn ,tq Mofkpe, ,wi^ht ajdefign. of preymg,upon th<jj
ftieep^atj gafture;in .^he ifland, afforded; .the |liJ|pjfoe^e]fe^|pj|hej
people^, ^ q )ftream caught Hm, and^qre.him"‘dp^n-,;f^|ulft -he;;
reared terribly, fo as to be heard-on fhore.||Ta/g|ftpck-s^of>fit| aruT
rone-ta-ee^ fafter being - abforbed by the current, rifeiigain^brnkem
and torn to fucL a flggTee. a si if briftles grew, or\ them“. This, p lainly
ihews the1 bottom to;qprtfift 6tf craggyr&cks, among whiefithey are
whirled to, and fro. tThis ftream .is>repiilated-WThe.fln.y and reflux
of theTeahpt being cqnftantly high and low vyaterfieye|-y hours,.i
Iq the year 1645,,^arlym thq,'jnprning,pf,S^pgefqna.rS,unday, ap(
raged with fuch noife and impetuofity/ that, oq the A.ifland of
Mofkoe, the verj^ftones of the houfes fdl..t^ th e :ground./,t far
Mr. Ramus, whofe,accp|ia|nt ppr^edly agregs-with thqfe givetiLraq,
by ' othefs, 'fefpecially,. Mr. ,J. Althand n f '.EthneT ,; whq. in ./fQ;
younger years, ;Wa» chaplain there,^ and ,;cpnfequently had;;mahyi,
opportunities of obferving.variety,of cirtumftances. rMr. Peder
who lives, on the vef^ fpot, Williadmit of, no .other ;,cauM (of this
natural, prodigy j - and in Go'nt-fadidiiion.to, the opinion of the Danifli
poet Arreboe, iq his ftanzas on. fudtejjfaneQq^watexy^abydes^; he;
EUrt, -I. Y affirms