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which we came to the factory of Budastad, at present occupied by Mr Gudmundson, who transacts business at this station for Mr Clausen of Copenhagen. Its situation is very grotesque, being almost entirely surrounded by cracked and rugged blisters of lava, with here and there a small sward of grass, to enliven the sombreness of the scenery. We spent about an hour with Mr Gudmundson, by whom we were kindly entertained, and then entered the lava, which is very dangerous, owing to the chasms and rents which incessantly run across the path, and the gloomy caverns that present themselves on either side.

The volcano itself, known by the name of Buda-Klettur, is situated exactly in the middle of the plain, which it has filled with melted substances, and wears a red conical appearance, resembling other volcanic heights that are to be met with in great abundance in Iceland. As the road lay past its northern base, we stepped off, and ascended it in order to survey its structure. It has originally consisted of immense walls of lava, similar to the ramparts of Elldborg, but of much greater circumference, as the cone is also considerably higher than that remarkable volcano. Towards the conclusion of the eruption, however, part of the walls have fallen in, and now a double crater presents itself, instead of the original one, which is still distinctly marked by the outer rampart. A considerable part of the interior is overgrown either with grass or moss, but the summits and exterior are covered with cinders. Some of these contain beautiful specimens of volcanic glass, very much resembling diamonds.

On descending from the volcano, we entered a cavern close to the road, and advanced about thirty yards, in a direct line towards the crater; but the light failing us, we returned. At the mouth it was rather low, owing to the quantity of frozen snow in the bottom, but farther in, the roof, which exhibited a fine display of volcanic stalactites, was about ten feet above the surface of the snow, the depth of which we could not ascertain.

Having again mounted our horses, we pursued our jour

ney across the lava, the inequalities of which retarded us not a little in our progress; however, in the course of an hour and a half, we reached its western margin, and, much to our satisfaction, exchanged it for a fine sandy plain to the south of the tracts called Arabia and Hraunland, which continued the whole way, till we gained the base of the Yökul, and began to ascend the stupendous cliffs that line the coast from thence to Stappen, and are known by the name of Sölvahammar. They consist, for the most part, of basaltiform lava; are about fifty or sixty feet high, and quite perpendicular; and the road lies at times so near the brink of the precipices, that it is not without great danger the traveller proceeds. Descending by a very precipitous path into a fissure formed by a stream from the mountain, the sides of which exhibited abundance of tuffa, and crossing three streams of lava, which have descended from the Yökul, we reached Stappen, a mercantile station belonging to Mr Hialltalin, by whom I was received in the most polite and hospitable manner.

The object of my visit to this harbour, was to ascertain how the copies of the Scriptures had been disposed of which had been sent thither last year; and it gave me great satisfaction to find Mr Hialltalin warmly attached to the cause, and that he had done every thing that lay in his power to promote the design of the Bible Society. A considerable number of copies had been sold during the winter, notwithstanding the little traffic that is carried on in Iceland at that season of the year; and the orders he had since received, exceeded the remaining number of copies. After settling the measures it would still be necessary to adopt in order to secure a complete supply for the inhabitants of this district, I took a walk with the Dean, and Mr Hialltalin, junior, to view the beautiful pillars and stacks of basaltic rock, with which the cliffs are adorned a little to the south of the harbour. They are exhibited with much accuracy in the representations given in Sir George Mackenzie's Travels; and some of them present grottoes, scarcely inferior to that of Fingal in the Western Isles of Scotland. The coincidence

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too of the names, Staffa and Stapi, is not unworthy of notice, as it seems to warrant the conclusion, that they have been imposed by the same people. They literally signify a perpendicular rock, and from them our English word steep is evidently derived.

At Stappen I was as comfortably lodged, and as well entertained as I could have been in Copenhagen; though my kind host regretted the absence of his lady, who had spent the winter in Denmark, and was not yet returned. Besides the dwelling house, which is built of wood, and well furnished, there are several warehouses attached to it; and, upon the contiguous rocks, lie scattered a number of huts, which are inhabited by fishermen.

On awakening the following morning, I obtained, through the windows of my apartment, a noble view of that magnificent work of God, the stupendous Snæfell-Yökul, which gives name to the Syssel, and terminates the long range of mountains that stretch forward and divide the peninsula into two equal parts. I had often admired the majesty of its appearance during my stay at Reykiavik; but now it beetled almost directly over head. Every surrounding object seemed swallowed up by its immensity; and as the atmosphere was pure and serene, I felt the resolution powerfully confirmed, which I had formed the preceding evening, of ascending the Yökul from this place. To this I was the more easily determined, as it could be accomplished without any loss of time in the prosecution of my grand object; it being necessary for me, at all events, to spend the 25th at Stappen, in order to fit my horses for encountering the rough lavas of next day's journey.

There was something so animating and enticing in the idea of the expedition, that the aged Dean himself would certainly have accompanied me, had it not been impossible for him to protract his stay. His place was supplied by Mr Hialltalin, junior, who also procured three men to attend us, not so much as guides, for none of them, nor indeed any body about the place, had ever been higher than the line of perpetual snow, but to carry our provisions, and a few su

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