[350] Farther south the Fulmar is called the Mollie-moke; hence the “mollie,” or mild orgie on broad northern whalers.
[351] The following is the whole text of the letter upon the “Expected Eruption of Mount Hecla” (which did not take place):
“Manse of Arbuthnott, July 2, 1872.
“Sir,—Will you permit me to add the following to your paragraph with the above heading in the Scotsman of to-day? While doubling Cape Reikianess, the south-west promontory of Iceland, on the morning of Saturday, June 8, we saw a remarkable Geyser a few miles inland, shooting up water at regular intervals of about five minutes to a height of at least 100 feet. All on board who had ever heard of the Great Geyser, so graphically described by Madame Ida Pfeiffer and others, but which is sometimes so unpolite as to keep sightseers waiting two days before it favours them with an exhibition, were amazed at a spectacle so remarkable, and yet so unremarked by any who before us had visited Iceland.
“After attending service at the church of Reikiavik on Sunday, I did myself the honour to call upon the Bishop of Iceland, an excellent, courteous old gentleman, who, if he does not dwell, like the Psalmist, in a ‘house of cedar,’ dwells, like his flock, in a house of Norwegian fir. He could not speak English, but he spoke French well. To him I mentioned the phenomenon we had seen, believing that he was as likely as any one to know whether or not it was new. He told me that he knew the district well, but that there was no Geyser there at his last visit; that what we had seen, therefore, was quite new. In answer to my inquiry whether there had been any recent volcanic disturbance in the island, he informed me that there had been a violent earthquake in the northern region about the middle of April. This outburst of a new Geyser (which we observed in full play on our homeward voyage on Tuesday, June 11) and the earthquake in the north, seem premonitory of an eruption either of Hecla, or of some other of the other seven mountains which Keith Johnston, in his Physical Atlas, marks as active volcanoes. I hope we shall shortly have a description of any such occurrence, if it do take place, from the graphic pen of Captain Burton, whose society made our outward voyage a rare treat.—I am, etc.
“(Signed) R. M. Spence.”
[352] Reyk = reek (Kelt. Ruagh, Reâc, and Ruah, the German Rauch), seems to be a word common to the Aryan and Semitic families. Old philologists derive it from the Hebrew Ruach, Arab. Rúh or Ríh, wind, breath, mind, spirit. Spinoza, the Hebraist, translates, apparently with reason, “Ruach Elohim” (the Spirit of Elohim or Gods, Gen. i. 2) by “a strong wind.”
[353] “Eyjar” is often used of the Western Isles, Orkneys, Shetlands, and Soder or Suder (Suðr-ey, south isle, whence the diocese of Soder and Man). In south Iceland it is also applied to the Vestmannaeyjar.
[354] One of the earliest forms of armour-plating, the old defence still survives in the nettings of our bulwarks.
[355] English tautology. Skagi (in Shetland Scaw or Skaw, e.g., the Skaw of Unst) is a low cape opposed to Höfði, a high headland (Cleasby).