Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

HENDERSON'S ISLAND.

From Thingvalla the track led across a plain entirely covered with lava, to the bank of a frightful chasm called Almanagia, where the solid masses of burnt rock have been disrupted, so as to form a fissure or gap not less than 180 feet deep, in many places of the same width, and about three miles in length. The parish of Thingvalla consists of twelve families; the church which was somewhat larger than that of Moostell, was filled with barrels, books, and chests, which served the purpose of seats, and on a shelf before the altar stood the pastor's coffin, prepared by himself. Miserable as the place now was—a spot, says Sir Geo. Mackenzie, "of wildness and desolation, on every side of which appear the most tremendous effects of ancient convulsions and disorder, while nature sleeps in a death-like silence amid the horrors she had formed"—it was here that the Christian religion was first established on the Island; it was here too that the seat of the Allthing or general Assembly, was held for the period of nearly 900 years.

On the margin of the lake are several hot springs, one of which throws the water to the height of three feet and emits a considerable quantity of steam. In the hottest the thermometer of Fahrenheit ascended to 212; the water was sulphurous, & the incrustations formed by the depositions were extremely delicate and beautiful. From thence they proceeded to the Geysers: the heat of the weather was intense, and the mosquitoes very troublesome. The following is his description of the New Geyser, called by the natives Strokr from stroka—to churn.

"On the morning of the 29th, I was awakened by Capt. Von Scheel, at 23 minutes past 5 o'clock, to contemplate an eruption of the spring, which Sir John Stanley denominates the New Geyser, situated at the distance of a hundred and forty yards to the south of the principal fountain. It is scarcely possible, however to give any idea of the brilliancy and grandeur of the scene which caught my eye on drawing aside the curtain of my tent. From an orifice nine feet in diameter, which lay directly before me, at the distance of about an hundred yards, a column of water accompanied with prodigious volumes of steam, was erupted with inconceivable force, and a tremendous roaring noise to varied heights from fifty to eighty feet, threatened to darken the horizon, though brightly illuminated by the morning sun. During the first quarter of an hour, I found it impossible to move from my knees, on which I had raised myself, but poured out my soul in solemn adoration of the Almighty Author of nature, to whose control all her secret movements and terrifying operations are subject:—"who looketh on the earth and it trembleth, who toucheth the hills and they smoke." At length I repaired to the fountain, where we all sat, and communicated to each other our mutual and enraptured feelings of wonder and admiration.

The jets of water now subsided; but their place was occupied by the spray and steam which, having free room to play, rushed with a deafening roar to a height little inferior to that of the water. On throwing the largest stones we could find into the pipe, they were instantly propelled to an amazing height and some of them that were cast up more perpendicular than the others, remained for the space of four or five minutes within the influence of the steam, being successively ejected and falling again in a very amusing manner. A gentle northern breeze carried part of the spray at the top of the pillar to the one side, when it fell like a drizzling rain, and was so cold that we could stand below it, and receive it in our hands or face without the least inconvenience. While I kept my station on the same side with the sun, a most brilliant circle bow of a large size, appeared on the opposite side of the fountain: and on changing sides, having the fountain between me and the sun, I discovered another, it possible still more beautiful, but so small as only to encircle my head. The hues entirely resembled those of the common rainbow. After continuing to roar about half an hour longer, the column of spray visibly diminished, and sunk gradually till twenty six minutes past six, when it fell to the same state in which we had observed it the preceding day, the water boiling at the depth of twenty feet below the orifice of the shaft.

The most enrapturing scene, however, that we beheld, was exhibited on the morning of the 30th. About ten minutes past 5 we were roused by the roaring of Strokr, which blew up a great quantity of steam: and when my watch stood at the full quarter, a crash took place as if the earth had burst, which was instantaneously succeeded by jets of water and spray, rising in a perpendicular column to the height of sixty feet. As the sun happened to be behind a cloud, we had no expectation of witnessing anything more sublime than we had already seen; but Strokr had not been in action above twenty minutes, when the Great Geyser, apparently jealous of her reputation, and indignant at our bestowing so much of our time and applause on her rival, began to thunder tremendously, and emitted such quantities of water and steam, that we could not be satisfied with a distant view, but hastened to the mound with as much curiosity as if it had been the first eruption we had beheld. However, as if she was more interesting in point of magnitude, she gave us less satisfaction in point of duration, having again become tranquil in the course of five minutes; whereas, her less gaudy, but more steady companion, continued to play till within four minutes of six o'clock."

[Quarterly Review, Dec. 1818.]