Jökull - 01.12.1980, Side 73

Mynd 4: Kort er sýnir
svæði fjarlæg íslandi,
sem aska féll á í Kötlu-
gosunum 1525, 1660 og
1755 og Grimsvatna(?)-
gosinu 1619. — Fig. 4:
Map showing places outside
Iceland where ash is re-
corded to have fallen during
the Katla eruptions in 1625,
1660 and 1775 and the
Grímsvötn(?) eruption in
1619.
notwithstanding the great devastations, that have
been made in other parts of the world by
earthquakes, we have been entirely free from any
disaster of that nature; nor has anything
extraordinary happened in this country since you
left it; only on Monday the 20th October last,
betwixt the hours of three and four in the
afternoon, the sky being very hazy, as it uses to be
before a storm of thunder and lightning, there fell a
black dust all over the country, tho in greater
quantities in some places than in others. It was very
much like lampblack, but smelled strongly of
sulphur. People in the fields had their faces, hands
and linen, blackened by it. It was followed by rain.
— Some people assign the cause of it to some
extraordinary eruption of Hecla. But I shall trouble
you no more about it, as no doubt some of your
friends have written to you about it some time
ago“.
In June 1756, I returned to Zetland: and, upon
further inquiry, found what Mr. Brown had
written me was attested by Mr. Mitchell, parson of
the parish of Terywall, and by several Gentlemen
of credit and reputation, who had seen and
observed the same phenomenon in different parts
of the country at the time above-mentioned.
Mr. Brown having omitted to mention, how the
wind did blow at the time the black dust was
observed, I made particular inquiry about that
circumstance, and found it was from the S. W.
Which does not seem to favour the opinion, that
the dust proceeded from an eruption of mount
Hecla, which lies about N. W. from Zetland; unless
it may be supposed, that a north wind happening
just before had carried this dust to southwest, and
the southwest wind immediately following had
brought it back to the northward. But, in this case,
would not this black dust have been observed in
Zetland at its first travelling to the southward?
Upon inquiry, I did not hear it was.
Thus far I have obeyed your command, which I
will always do with pleasure; and if you think it
worth while to lay this letter before the Royal
Society, I leave you at full liberty to do so, or not, as
JÖKULL 30. ÁR 71