fc'^KifK

m

0/vo. J.2 2

TRAVELS

IN

ENGLAND, SCOTLAND,

AND THE

HEBRIDES;

UNDERTAKEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXAMINING
THE STATE OF

THE ARTS, THE SCIENCES, NATURAL
HISTORY AND MANNERS,

IN

GREAT BRITAIN:

CONTAINING

Mineralogical Defcriptions of the Country round Newcaftle ; of the

Mountains of Derbyfhire ; cf the Environs of Edinburgh, Glafgow,

Perth, and St. Andrews ; of Inverary, and other Parts

of Argylefhire ; and of

THE CAVE OF FINGAL.

IN TWO VOLUMES WITH PLATES.

-'■■-^ - . ' . . =s

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF

B. FAUJAS SAINT-FOND,

MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, AND PROFESSOR

OF GEOLOCy IN THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL

HISTORY AT PARIS.

VOL. II.

LONDON;

PRINTED f OR JAMES RIDGWAY, YORK STREET,
St. JAMES'S SQUARE.

1799.

^-o

[^ 4 AP-<)
\^.: 1941 .j?/

:^COS\,

\t^

ERRATA.

VOL. II.

Page 10, line 15, io'c perfpeSinje xtzdi profped.
Z9, — 1, iox fetxtzdifat

39, — 7, iox broke rt?iA broken,

40, for M'Q_uaire,\n. the note at the bottom, read M'Quau^,
47, linj I, {o\ tetrahedial x^^ii tetrahedral.

47, — 4, dele the comma after truncature.

47, — 1 8, Inx great xt:'^& greater.

51, — n , for quartrofe read qiiartK-ofe,

64, — 0, for unexpreffible read in'exprejjibu.

"^'j — 3> after race infert fl«^/.
106, — 8, dele as.

117, — 17, dele the comma after fufceptible.
120, — 10, iox ready xcd^A readily.
120, — 12, iox porphyric xf&i. porph\r\\
iz8, — 26, dele the colon after wail:,
128, — 27, irii conjiji Xf3.i. conjijls.
135, — 15, iijx thefe xczA this.
i4o, — 5, after pcrfeft inrert/>r//>;w.
141, — 2, iox contribute Xi:3.A contribxted.
145, — 2, iox fc/iijlus xcA<\fchiJii.
151^ — • 23, iox iron xcdiA inn.
154, — 23, for open xea^d opens.
164, — 7, iox ingenious X62.A injitrious.
171, — 7, iox fchifius x&"x.Afciiijious.
186, — 4, for w/i«-if read w/yi^//.
191, — 3, dele the comma after cryftallizatiou.
195, — 10, for «>y'(f//ifc/ read c^d";;.

^305 — 35 of the x\Qtz,iox tranllations xQ-i.dtranJa8ioni,
235, — 10, dele are.
272,- — 21 for 7i2epltils xezi mepkiiis.
■'.72, — 2 of the note, for ^fl.f read ^r^y^i.
-173, — 10, ii)X produ^i')n XK^di proJudions.
303, — 4 ofthcnotc,for ^rayy/e-warvread r?t?f/:?/?f7;;,-j;-.s'

9 of the fame, zkexfor infcrt //z.

313? — 26, dtle to akex e.v/iib'ting.
320, — 5, foxfeem xead/remed.
324, — 12, hx friendly read /kindly.
33S, — 6, for <7m^ read ar/i/.
344> — 20> for inflammability read inflammatiot!.
' 3 47 J — laft of the note, after /«?;; intl-rt iAdr attentieyu

348, — 2, iox pojftfs xtc.d po£eJfes.

The reader will perceive tliat the Greek fmgular/a/tj^AVi, xeoUtes^
Vc. are in feveral places ufed inftead of Jlalaaiie, -^eoli^e, csfe. Theie,
VfUh Other inadvertencies, are left to his own candid corrc<5l{on.

C ONTEN TS

SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

Z)EPJRtURE from Oban for the IJland of
^^ill, — Pajjage of the Sound of Mull. — Small
Ifle of N tort. — Druidical Monuments. — Arrival at
Jros. — — , Page i

CHAPTER II.

Road from Aros to Tor loijk.— Stay at Mr. M'-Learfs.
"—Accidents zvhich happened to my Fellow-travel-
lers during their PaJJage to, and Continuance on, the
IfleofStaffa. — — 12

CHAPTER III.

Voyage to Staff a. — . — 28

CHAPTER IV.

Defcription andNaturalHiJlory of the Ifle ef Staff a. —
General Views, -- «— 38

CHAP-

VI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V.

St.ry at Mr. M'-Lcaiis. — Cnjfoms and Manners of
the Inhabitants of the IJIe of Mull. — 63

CHAPTER VI.

Departure from 'Torloijk. — 'Stay at Arcs. — Fift to
two zvorlby Farmers and Brothers, the Stuarts of
Aros, — Exmrfion to the Mountain of Benmore, the
highefl in the IJle of Mull.— Stop at Mr. Camp-
beVs, of Knock. — His agricultural Operations. —
Curious Lavas. -^Departure from Aros for Achna-

cregs, —

CHAPTER VII.

8S

Natural Hijlory of the Ifland of Mull. -^ 105.

CHAPTER VIIL

The Ifle of Kerr era. — . — 144

CHAPTER IX.

Departure from Oban . — Dalmally . — Tindrum . — >

Lead Ore. — Killin, — River Mnfcle containing

Pearls. — Defcription of thcfe Pearls and their

^origin. — — — 147

CHAPTER X;

Kenmore. — Extraordinary Flux and Reflux of Lock
Tay. — — — 170

CHAPTER XI.

Perth , its Harbour and ManifaEiures . — Mr . M' Comity
Profeffor of Mathematics j Mr. M'Greggor, Pro-

fejfof

CONTENTS. '-'"^li

fepr of the French Language at the Academy. —
Folcanic Mcuntain of KinnouL—The Agates found
upon it. — . — i8i

CHAPTER XIT.

5/. Andrezvs Univerfily.— Library.— Old Churches.^
ISlatural Hiftory. — — ^93

CHAPTER XIII.

Departure from St. Andrezvs. — Largo. — Leven, —
Dyfart. — Kirkaldy. — Kinghorn. — Leith. — Return
to Edinburgh. — — 213

CHAPTER XIV.

Edinburgh. — The Univerjity. — Learned Societies.'—'
College of Phyjicians. — College of Surgeons. — Ca-
binet of ISlatural Hiflory. — Robertfon. — Smith. —
Black.— Cullen, &c. — 222

CHAPTER XV.

Departure from Edinburgh. — Itinerary to Manchef-
ter. — Natural Hiflory. — 255

CHAPTER XVI.

Manchejler. — DoElor Henry and his Cabinet. — Cot-
ton ManufaBures. — Meffieurs Thomas and Benja-
min Potter. — Charles Taylor. — 260

CHAPTER XVII.

Departure from Manchefter. — Buxton j its Mineral
Waters \ fine Baths ^ conflru5iedon a Plan byCarr,

at

Vlll CONTENTS.

at the Expence of the Duke of Devonfhire^ thi
Proprietor of the Waters. — DoEior Fearjon.—-
Manufadure of Vafes and other Articles in Fluor
Spar of different Colours. — Cave of Poolers Hole. —^
Toad-Jlone^ compofed of a Bafis of Trappy inter-
fperfed with Partidesofcalcareotis Spar ^and cracked
into prifmatic Se£lions like thofe of bafaltcs^ though
not produced by Fire as the latter has been. 264

CHAPTER XVIII.

CaJlktoH. —-Defcription of the Cave called The De-
vil's Arfe. — Mines of Lead and Calamine^ Feins
of Fluor Spar. — Lead found in ChanneP or Cat-
dirt. — — 309

CHAPTER XIX.

Derby. — Richard Br own ^ a Dealer in Curiofities of
Natural Hifiory.—A ManufaBure of Vajes^ and
other Workmanfhip^ in Fluor Spar. 334

CHAPTER XX.

Departure from Derby. — Arrival at Birmingham.^-'
Its numerous Manufadures. — DoBor Withering. — •
Benjamin Wait. — DoBor Priefily—His Houfe,
Library, and his chemical Elaboratory. 338

CHAPTER XXI.

Departure from Birmingham . — Coventry.— 'Warwick.
— Oxford. — Saint Albans . — Bar net. — L ondon.--^
Return to France. — — 349

TRAVELS

TRAVELS *

THROUGH

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND

TO THE

BEBRIDES.

CHAPTER L

t)epav hire from Oh an for the ijland of Mull. — Pqjjagy:
of the found of Mv.lL — S^nall ifle of Nivrt,-^
Drtiidical McnuFfi^-its. — Arrival at Aros.

I

HAD finifhed my folitary excurfions in the
environs of Oban, and was nearly done with
arranging my obfervations when the people of
the inn announced the arrival of a traveller^
who, aftonifhed to learn, that there was a
Frenchman alone in fo defart a place, begged
permiflion to fee me.

He was a young Britifh Officer of the
name of McDonald, who had come to wait at
Oban for a favourable opportunity of going

' VOL. II, B to

2 TRAVELS THROUGH

I
to the ifle of Sky, which was the plac^ of hiS

nativity.

Fie had profecuted his earUer ftudies at the

Scotch college in Paris ; he fpoke the French

language tolerably, and was not deficient in

infojrmation. His arrival was a happy and

acrreeable rencounter for me. I mentioned

o

to him the obje61 of my journey, and my fpeedy
departure for the ifle of Mull, where my fel-
low-travellers were waiting for me to accom-
pany them to the celebrated cave of Fingal,
in the ifle of StafFa.

Mr. M' Donald replied, that though his na-
tive country was at no great diftance from
that ifland, and though he had often heard of
the cave of the father of Ofiian, his education
in France and his travels had not yet given
him an opportunity of yifiting a plac^ la re-
markable : butjtliat if I were kind enough to
permit him, he would gladly embrace the
occalion of accompanying me thither ; aud
that he would alfo have the pleafure of being
ufefui to mc in the country, as he underflood
the Earfe or Celtic language, the only one
iifed in the ifles of the Hebrides.

I accepted the obliging Qffers of Mx-
McDonald with fo much ^greater pleafure a^id

gfatitude,

ENGLAND AND SCOTLA)^tl, 3

.gratitude, as they appeared to proceed from a
man of a fociable difpofition, and were de«
iivered in a tone of franknefs and affability
which prepofTefled me in his favour : I re-
flected alfo that it was in his power to do me
fome fervices in the ifle of Mull, where he had
leveral acquaintance, particularly Mr. M'Lean^
to whom the Duke of Argyle had given me
letters of recommendation. We now waited
only for the arrival of the boat which was to
carry us ; and which at length entered the
harbour in the night of the 23d of Sep-
tember.

The crew confifled of no more than two
^ihers from the ifle of Sky, who were clothed
in the fafhion of the Hebrides, that is, in the
drefs of the Scotch Highlanders. Our veffel
had neither decks nor rigging ; flie was of
the w^orfl conftrudion ; and drao-o-ed at her
ftern a fmall skiff capable of holding at moft
only four perfons.

The fare was agreed upon, and it was
fettled that we Ihould fet out on the following
day ; but from fome capricious motive, our
boatmen changed their refoiution, and wifhed
to remain for three days longer. It was not
without much flattery, repeated remonftances,
B 2 and

-4 t RAVELS THROUGH

Rixd a prefent of two bottles of rum, that
Mr. M' Donald at lafl prevaikd on them to
jnake ready for our departure on the next
mornmg.

We left the fhore of Oban, at feven in the
morning of the twenty -fourth. The fea,
though not tempeftuous, M"ds fomewhat agi-
tated; the winds %vere variable, and the cur-
rents of the entrance of the found of Mull
running in oppofition to the tide, obliged our
intrepid filhers to make feveral manoeuvreSj
which were exceedingly laborious, as there.
were only two of them, and they were defti^
tute of many articles of tackHng. All this,
however, was mere fport to men inured to
the moft lengthened fatigue, and accuftomed,
in the time of tlie herring-fifhery, to brave
all the dangers of this frightful fea.

On clearing the harbour, we came in fight
of that fuccelTion of iflands which ikirt the
ibond, and exhibit a diverfified pidure. The
i[!e of Lifemore was at a wtvy fmall diftance
on our right ; that of Kerera in the oppofite
quarter ; and the Peaks, or as they are called.
Paps of Juray towered above the numerous
mountains of the Hebrides. Loch-aber,
\vhich the largeft veflels may navigate as high

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 5

as Fort William, was left behind us. The
ifle of Mull appeared in view *; that of Sky
was in the diftance ; and the continued ridge
of Morven, fo much celebrated in the fbngs
of Offian, and which exhibits lb various and
pidlurefque an appearance, bordered the right
bank of the channel which we failed along.

In paffing near the extremity of the ifle of
Lifemore, I obferved, with the aid of rriy
perfpeflive, on a fmall neighbouring ifland^
which was inhabited, one ofthofe monuments
of rude ftone known by the Hcbridian appel-
lation of Cairn.

This monument, of great antiquity, and
ereded in fo defart a fituation, naturally at-
tracted my attention. I requefted my com-
panion to induce our boatmen to convey us
thither; but as this fmall iiland, or rather
large rock, was furrounded with breakers,
they replied, that it would be impoflible to
approach but in the fkifF, and that even in it
we ftiould mn a confide rable rilk.

I 'did not underhand a word of the lan-
guage of our condudors, but I obferved one
of our feamen preparing to enter the fkifF; I
confidently followed him, and Mr.M*Donald
did the fame. The skifF was fo fmall and fo
B 3 very

6 TRAVELS THROUGH

very fhatlow, that there was hardly room to
ieat ourfelves in it. The boatman took hold
of the oars ; Mr. M'Donald fat at the helm,
which confifted of the half of an oar, and we
puihed off..

Our curioiity in this inftance prevailed over
our prudence; we were borne along by the
current with the rapidity of an arrow, to-
wards the fmall ifland, which is called Niort;
and it required all theaddrefs of our boatman
to land us fafely. The ifle is about half a
mile in circumference^ and rifes only about
twenty-five feet at moft above the water. It
may be regarded as a great rock, of which
the fummit is flattened into a fmail plain.
The fury of the waves of this tempcftuous
fea has laid the rock almofl entirely bare, and
carried away the fmall quantity of earth which
is formed there by time, fo that nothing
grows upon it except a few lichens and fome
feairvy grafs in the fheltered cavities. The
rock is compofed of limeftone, intermixed
\\'\{\\ a little clay ; it is of a blackiih grey
colour, and only forms a lingle mafs, in
which there is no trace either of beds or
banks.

ENGLANB AND SCOTLAND* 7

Our attention was much attracted by the
kind of ruftic pillar which ftood on this crag.
It was nine feet high, three feet broad, and
two feet of average thickhefs. It is formed
of grey granite, in which quartz and mica
are predominant. The felt-fpar is rather
difpofed* in fmall ftreaks than in cryftals,
and though the texture of the {lone is fome-
what iiffile, it is hard a'nd folid in its frac-
ture.

Though this column pofTefTes fome regu-
larity in its form, it does not bear the flighteft
trace of workmanship. It may be confidered
as a natural block of a longitudinal fliape,
taken from the quarry in its rude ftate, and
ere6led on the highefl point of this fmall ifle.
It is two feet in the earth, and kept upright
by two folid but ruftic ftuds, which give it a
very ftable foundation *.

* In fome quarries of granite, and even at times in
porphyric rocks, are found fimilar blocks divided into
parallelepipeds of various degrees of regularity and length.
They are the effedl merely of the contradlion of the
matter during the time of the aggregation of the particles.
Near the fmall town of Saint Siphorien-de-Lay, within
three leagues of Roane, is a porphyric rock divided into
large prifms, of which feveral are as remarkable for regu-
}2(ri!ty as thofc ©f the laxgfeft and moft perfe<Sl columns of
bafaltes.

B 4 Our

$ TRAVELS THE^OUGPf

Our boatman told Mr. M'Donald that he-
had often feen this ftone ; that it had been
placed there by the hands of Olfian ; and that
in feveral other iiles we fliould fee much
larger fcones, which had been fet up by th;?
fame perfon. For in the mountains of Scot-
land, and the Hebrides, every thingthat appears
great, extraord-lnary, and wonderful, is uni-
formly regarded as the work of Offian.

Whatever may be the prevailing traditions
refpeding thefe ancient columns, this one evi-
dently difcovers an intention of ere<^ing a
fimple but durable monument.

This intention is plainly marked by the
kind of flone which has been feledled for the
purpofe. One fliould think that it would
have been more convenient to employ that
of which the iflet itfelf is compofed. 33ut
whatever mud have been the motives, whe- ■
ther it was known that the latter was leis
durable than the granite ; or whether, froni
the nfe of iron being unknown by thofe who
ere61ed it, it was impoiTible for them to cut
cut a fimple pillar from a calcareous rock
which i^ not feparated in banks ; it is never-
thelefs true that this ruftic column of gra-
nite has been tranfported thither ; an un-
dertaking^

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND.- 9

dertaking which mnft have been attended
with great difficulty to men ignorant of the
mechanic arts.

Though we Ipent but a very fhort time in
examining this ftone, it was not without-
great difficulty that we got back to the vefTel
which the currents drove to a confiderable
diftance, notwithftanding the efforts that were
made to keep near us. We were nearly an
hour in regaining her.

We continued our courfe through the
found of Mull, with the granitic mountains
of Morven ftill on our right. We pafTed very
near the old caftle o^ Ardtornifli, built upon
a point which commands a view of the whole
found. On our left were the black volcanic
Vocks of the ifle of Mull. At length, after
a navigation of feven hours and a half, wc
entered the bay of Aros in that ifland, where
we difembarked.

I hardly know by what term to denomi-
nate, five or fix houfes in a groupe, and feven
or eight others fcattered around, the whole
of which taken together, are here called Aros.
They can fcarcely be called a town or a vil-
lage; they may more properly be termed a
hamlet; but by whatever name one may

choofe

lO TRAVELS THROUGH

choofe to diftinguifli them, they are certainly
inhabited by very kind and hofpitable people.

The bay of Aros was anciently defended by
a ftrong caftle, which formed the refidence
of M'Donald of the ifles; the ruins of this
fortrefs are ftill extant; and it appears to.
have been partly built of bafaltic prifms.

We were received with the moft frank
and hearty welcome by an aged gentleman,
who is ftyled Campbell of Aros. He lives in
philofophic contentment in the modeft habi-
tation of his fathers ; v/hich is a gothic build-.
ing, {landing on a black volcanic rock, to-
tally deftitute of verdure, beat by the tempefls,
and yielding no other perfpedive than that
of a raging fea abounding in fhipwrecks.

Mr. Campbell, wrapped in the Hcbridian
fafliion, in a large mantle of variegated ftuff",
introduced us into his houfe, and refreflied
us with fome port wine, lea bilciiit, and pre-
ferve of myrtil berries. His wife, who was
not much younger than himfelf, feemed
much aftoniflied at feeing Grangers quit their
native country, to vifit a region fo wild, and
fo difficult of accefs. Both of them preffed
•us very much to remain a few days with
them; b\it as I was aaxious to rejoin my

fellow-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, II

fellow-travellers, who were waiting for me
at Mr. M'Lean's, of Torloisk, v/e begged the
favour of Mr. Campbell to procure us horfes;
which he had the goodnefs immediately to
provide. The horfes were quite fmall, and
had only a piece of rope for a bridle ; but
they vvxre pretty ftrong and inured to the
rugged roads of the country. We took leave
of the old gentleman and his lady, and pur-»
fued our journey.

CHAP.

12 TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER IL

Road from Jros to T^orhijh. — Stay at Mr. M'Lean^..
— Accidents which happened to my felloip-trav^Uexs.-
during their pnjlage to, and co7iti nuance on, the Iflc;

A HE miles of Scotland, paFticularly thofe
©f the jfles, are nearly double the length of
the En^lifh miles. From our i2;n!orance of
this difference, we found that we had beeii
much decei's'ed when we were told, that from
Aros to Torloisk was only eight miles. Ima-
gining the computation to be by Englifh
miles, as we had fet off at four in the even-
ing, we conceived that we could eafily ride
that diftance before dark.

1 ought not to forget to mention that Mr.
M'^Donald, who accompanied me from Oban
with the intention of vifiting the ifle of Staffa,
liadno fooner reached Aros than he changed his

o

cirefs. He had travelled before in En2;lilh reo;i-
mentalsjbut upon arriving here he opened his
portmanteau, and to my great furprife, in about
half an hour after^ appeared in the complete
r vefture

El^GLAND AND SCOTLAND. IJ

t efture of the inhabitants of the ifles : plaid,
jacket, kilt," feathered bonnet, buskin-hofe,
-durk, no part of it was omitted. I was
fcarcelyable to know him again in this drefs.
He told me, that it was the garb of his fa-
rthers, that he never appeared in any other
when in thefe ifiands, and that the wearing
of it was a mark of attachment to his fellow-
countrymen, ^^'ith ^^'hich they were much
pleafed.

We fet out on our two little horfes, with
tv/o perfons to condu£l us and bring theiii
back, ignorant that our way lay acrofs ravines,
heaths, marfhes and mountains, difficult of
accefs, and without any trace of a road,

Whilft day-light remained, we made pretty
good progrefs ; oui* guides pulhed forward
with fuch fpeed, that they often outran our
horfes, though tliey went at a good pace. Thefe
two Hebridians were young and handfome ;
neither ftreams, pools, bogs, nor mountains,
could interrupt their courfe ; and I admired
their courage, gaiety, and elegant appear-
ance. A blue military bonnet, with a bor-
der of red, green, and white, and furmounted
with one feather, decorated their heads. A
party coloured maiUle or plaid hung from

the

t4 TRAVELS THROUGH

the right iKouldefj and paiTed grlcefuliy
over the left arm. They had a waifl:-
coat and jacket of the fame ftufF. Their
thighs and legs were half naked* A Tartan
buskin with a ftout kind of (hoes, covered the
lower part of the latter ; and compleated
their Roman habit* The poniards in their
girdles gave them a military air, and the
flicks in their hands, ferved to help them
over the waters

Their willingnefs to be ufeftil to us ren-
dered them doubly interefting. They always
went before to point out the way to us, re-
turning however at intervals to carefs and
animate our horfes, and to enquire whether
we had occafion for their fervices.

They feemed proud and overjoyed at feeing
a man of diftindion in the fame drefs as
themfelves ; and teftified their fatisfa6lion by
approaching Mr. McDonald, and telling him,
with a fmile on their faces, in their expref-*
five language, that they would follow him to
the world's end *.

Night

* Johnfonalfo, in his journey to the Weftern Iflands
of Scotland, praifcs two Highlanders whom he had hired
as guides on his way from Invernefs.

« Al

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 5

Night now came on, we were yet fcarcely
halfway to the place of our deftination. Our
guides and our horfes foon flackened their
pace ; the road grew deteftable, and we were
often obliged to alight, fometimes on the
verge of marfhes, and fornetimes in the midjS:
of heaths, through which we groped our
way with extreme difficulty. At length we
completely loll our diredion. The night
was {0 dark that our horfes fell repeatedly,
and our guides were greatly perplexed. After
thus wandering for a long time without any
certain courfe, we at laft defcried a lic-Jit on
an elevated fituation, to which we dire<^e4
our fteps. We found it to be the caftle of
Torloisk, where we arrived at eleven, wora
out with fatigue, anxiety, and vexation.

We foon difcovered, as we entered, that
we had now reached our place of deflinatioa,

*« At Invernefs," fays he, ^' we procured three horfes
" for ourfelves and a fervant, and one more for our bag-
" gage, which was no very heavy load.— -We took two
« Highlanders to run befide us, partly to fliew us the
« way, and partly to take back from the fea-fide the
*' horfes, of which they were the owners. One of chemt
" was a man of great livelinefs and adivity, of whom hig
" companion faid, that he would tire any horfe in Inver-
" nefs. Both of them were civil and ready-banded. Ci-
« vility feems part of the natiQnal charader of Higb-
"* laad«rs»" . ^ '

A do-

XS TRAVELS THROUGH

A domeftic told our guides, that Mu
McLean had not yet gone to bed, and that t
had been impatiently expeded for feveral
days.

We were Ihewn into a parlour, where I
found Mr. M'Lean, to whom I gave the
letter which I had from the Duke of Argyle.
He received me with the moft obliging kind-
nefs, and prefented me to his \Vife, daughter, and
feveral other ladies and gentlemen, who were
occupied in making a little mufical concert.

Mifs M'Lean, a girl of a mofl charming
figure, was felted at a harpfichord. On which
ihe executed fome excellent Italian mufic.
Mr; M'Donald had no need of being intro-
duced, his name was already known, and his
drefs fvifEciently announced him. We were
inftantly overwhelmed with civilities, kind-
neffes, and delicate attentions, which di/Tipated
all our troul:)les. Every one around us was
{o obliging and {o affable, that from that mo-
ment we regarded ourfelves as members of
the family. ^

How powerfully attractive is this rural po-
litenefs, feafoned with expreffions and geC-
tures which announce the moft delicate
feeling. We were now on the true foil of

hofpi-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I7

liofpltality ; all the inhabitants of the ifland,
though it contains a population of fix thou-
iand Ibuls, have the fame family-name of
M'Lean; they are diftinguifhed by their
Chriftian nnmes only, or by that of their
refidence* they are almofl all fhepherds or
fillers.

We were informed that my fellow-travel-
lers had failed at five in the morning of the
fame day, to vifit the ifle of StafTa ; that they
would have waited with pleallire to make the
Voyage in company with me ; but the feafon
was already fo far advanced, and particularly
the fea was fo boiflerous in this region, that
they had determined to take advantage of an
interval of calm, which did not promife a long
continuance ; fuch was their eager impatience
to fee that famous ifle.

They had embarked with a friend of Mr,
M'Lean, and their own fervants, in two fmall
boats. But they had fcarcely gone four or
five leagues, before the weather fuddenly
changed, and the fea became tempefluous,
Mr. M'Lean thought it fo rough, that he was
afraid they had not been able to effed a
landing on the ifle of StafFa, on account of
the breakers which furround it, and that they

VOL, II, c had

tS TRAVELS THROUGH

Had been obliged to take refuge in the ifle of
lona or Ykolmkill, which is fifteen miles
from StafFa, and has a fmali creek.

We expelled that the lea would be a little
calmer by the next day. We repaired there-
fore, at an early hour, along with Mr.
M'Lean and his family, to the water fide,
which was about a furlong from the caftle,
to fee whether the boatmen would venture to
come for a fupply of provifions ; but the fea
was ftill more dreadful, and totally im-
pafTable.

We now began to be very uneafy on their
account. They were eight in number, in*
eluding the domeftics, and they had only one
day's proviilon with them.

The evening arrived without any appear-
ance of them ; our anxiety was redoubled,
and we pafled a very unhappy night.

On the next day, which was Sunday, and
the third day from their departure, I rofe at
four in the morning to examine the weather.
I difcovered with pleafure that the wind had
fomewhat fallen, and that the fea was not fo
high. We went, before noon, to take a
walk on the bank ; and at length, with the
aid of a good glafs, we defcried them at t
dHlance.

They

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I9

They arrived at one o'clock^ to their own
and our great fatisfa6lion . They were fo
emaciated with fatigue, vexation and hunger,
\vere fo much in want of food and reft, and
fo uneafy, that they entreated us not to difturb
them with any queftions until they were ai
iittle refrefhed, and particularly relieved from
a multitude of lice that tormented them
moft cruelly. " Fly ! fly from our ap-
" proach,'* faid they, " we have brought fome
*' good fpecimens of mineralogy, but oilrcol-
" ledion of infers is numerous and horrible.''
We could not keep from laughing at this ad-
drefs, their gait, and the reftlefs motion of
every part of their body. They were in-
ftantly condu(fl:ed to their apartments, where
their firft care was to clean themlelves, and^
after eating fomethlng, to take a few hours
lepole*

In the evening they returned to the par-
lour, where they were received with every
demonftration of kindneis. Their appear-
ance was now frefh and elegant; but we,
notwithftanding, jocularly asked, whether it
was yet fafe to approach them. *' We
** have caft off every thing,*' replied they,
*' and of all our evils there remains only the
C 3 ** itch^

2:0 TRAVELS THROUGH

*' itch, refpe«5ling which, we can fay nothings
** as it has not yet made itfelf felt."

They then recounted the circumftances of
their unfortunate paflage. Notwithftanding
the fine appearance of the weather on the day
of their departure, fcarcely had they pro-
ceeded fix miles, when there arofe a violent
gale, which worked the fea into the moft
terrible commotion. They w^ould have wil-
lingly put back, had not the rocks which
Ikirt the coaft of Torloisk, rendered it equally
dangerous to approach it at that moment ;
the currents and the tide were alio unfavour-
able to their return. They were, therefore, •
obliged to keep the offing, and to brave the
impetuoiity of the billows, driven fometimes
in one, and fometimes in another diredlion-,
and every inftant in danger of being fwal-
lowed up, were it not for the addrefs and ex-
perience of the boatmen who had been ac-
cuftomed to thefe terrible feas from their in*
fancy.

Having, at length, after many ftruggles
and dangers, reached the ille of StafFa, they
found it ftill more difficult to efFed a landing.
By the affiftance however of the people of
the ifle, who, on feeing their diflrefs, threw

out

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. sr

out fome ropes to them, and by watching a
j&vourable wave, they reached the fliore with-
out any other accident than that of wetting
themfelves to the skin.

The coaft however was too rugged and
fleep to admit of hauling up the two boats,
which were obhged to put off again, and to
take flicker in the ifle of lona or YkolmkiU,
about fifteen miles from StafFa.

Our friends, continuing their recital, in-
formed us, that the only two families who
inhabited this fmall ifland, received them
with the moft afFe6ling holpitality, and that
the one which was in the moft eafy circum.-
ftances invited them to enter their hut,
where they were ufhered into the midft of
fix children, a woman, a cow, a hog, a dog,
and fome fowls..

There was laid out for them a remnant of
oaten ftraw which had been ufed to litter the
cow for feveral days before. This ferved as
their feat, table, and bed. A lire of bad turf,
or rather ill-dried fod, lighted in the middle
of this cabin, blinded them with fmoak, at
the fame time that it dried their clothes
^nd ferved to roaft, in an indifferent manner,
feme potatoes, which, with fome milk, were
c ^ the

^^ TRAVELS through

the only articles the place afforded, and thof©
in very fmall quantities. The provifiona
which they had brought with them were con-,
fumed at one repaft.

The fea broke upon the ifland with fuch
impetuofity, and rufhed into the caves which
penetrate its interior with fo much noife,
that the hut fhook to its foundation, and our
adventurers could get no deep.

On the next day it rained inceffantly until
noon. The fea, far from falling, raged with
ftill greater fury; fo that the boatmen could
not venture to carry any fupply from the ifle
of lona.

In the afternoon, the rain having ceafcd,
the captives furveyed the ifland and vifited
the cave of Fingal. William Thornton took
fome views of it with great care ; and they
made a colle6tion of the moft curiovis ftones,
among which were fome fine zeolites.

In the evening they had the fame recep-
tion, the fame fupper, and the fame bed.
A new incident, however, occurred : The
marter of the cottage, his wife, and children
lived in fuch a horrid ftate of filth that the
place completely fwarmed with vermin. De-
' t^chments of lice approached on all fides to.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 23

pay their refpe6ls to the new lodgers, who
were foou entirely covered over with
them. Thefe were their moft cruel tor-
ment, and formed the objed: of an occupa-
tion which did not allow them a moment's
refpite.

On the third day, the fea was foraewhat
calmer. Their diflrefs was extreme. They
walked repeatedly round the ifland, and
afcended the higheft pari of it to look for the
approach of the boats, which at length made
their appearance, and came to deliver our
poor friends from their affliding captivity.
After thanking their hofts for their kind
offices and hofpitable attention, they took
leave of them on their return to Torloisk 5
where we had the happinefs to welcome them
with all the ardour of friendfhip. We con-
gratulated them on their being fo fortunate
as to efcape with fuifering only a few days
abftinence. Finding them all fafe, it was not
without a hearty laugh, that we heard then;
relate their misfortunes, and particularly the
diverting epifode of the lice.

Their account brought to my remembf ance,

at the moment, a fimilar adventure which

c 4 happened

24-. TRAVELS THROUGH

happened in the fame ifle, and probably im^
the fame houfe, to Sir Jofeph Banks, who
fct out from London in the year 1772, on
a voyage to Iceland, in company with So-
Jander, James Lind, Gore, Walden, and
Troil ; and. In pafling, paid a viHt to the fine
cave of Fingal, of which he was the firft who.
gave a defcription.

On their arrival at Staffa, they erefted a
teiit, to pafs the night under it ; but the only
inhabitant then On the ifland pre^Ted Sir Jo-
feph fo ftrongly to go to lleep in his hut, that
he complaifantly confented, and left the tent
to his companions.

On leaving the hut next morning, he
difcovered that he was completely covered
with lice. He mentioned the circnmllance
to his hoft in terms of rnild reproach. Bat
the latter, who was touched to the quick,
perked himfelf up, and affuming' a tone of
confequence, retorted the accufation in a
haughty and fomevvhat harfli manner on Sir
Jofeph, afferting, that it was he who had im-
ported the lice into his ifland, and obferving,
that he might as well have left them behind
him in England.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 25

The detail of the adventures of my poor
friends, did not much encourage me to at-
tempt the fame voyage. ]\Ir. M'Lean alfo
did not ceafe to imprefs me with the incon-
ftancy of the weather, the dangers of difem-
barking on the ifland, the advanced period of
the feafon, and his apprehenfions left, could
we even feize a favourable moment to waft
us thither, we fhould not find it equally ealy
to return, and left we fliould be obliged to
remain there, not only feveral days like our
friends, but perhaps for feveral months.

*' I am advanced in years,'* faid Mr.
M*Lean; " I have made feveral voyages
*' to India, and I am accuftomed to the fea ;
^' but I have never yet, from complaifance to
*>^ any of the perfons recommended to my at-
*' tention, accompanied them to the ifle of
" StafFa, without having occafion to repent
" the attempt. During the courfe of my
" life I have made this voyage fix times, on
" the mo ft favourable days and with skilful
*' feamen, and every time I met with fome
" dangers, either in going or returning.
" Its coaft is fo rocky, and the fea, which fur-
*' rounds it, rages in general with fo much
" fury, that the landing, even with the fmall-

" eft

2.(5 TRAVELS THROUGH

*^ efl boats, is the mofl: terrible of all^an-

All thefe accounts were not very encourag-
ing, elpecially to one, who, like me, is almoft
always fick on the water ; but curiolity over-
came the fuggeftiens of fear and prudence,
What,faid I, inceffantly to mvfeif, fhall I have
come in a manner to the very entrance of
this renowned cave, and from fuch a diflance
too, without enjoying a view of it ? Shall I
thus eafily forego the opportunity of obtaining
new information and inftrudive fads, on a
fubje6l of natural hiftoiy in which I feel fa
much intcreil: as that of ancient volcanos?
and {hall I not be able to accomplish what
my fellow-travellers have performed ? Or,fIiall
I hefitate to encounter the fame danger ? All
thefe reflexions irrevocably f xed my deter-
mination ; and I refolved to fet out at fun-
rile next morning, if the fea fhould be any-
wife paffable.

I inftantly engaged a boat for the purpofe.
Mr. M'Donald faid,that he fhould accompany
me ; and my intrepid friend, William Thorn-
ton, fcarcely yet recovered from his fatigue,

* " Here," fays Mr. Pennant, «* JEolus may be faid to
'« rnnke tiis refidence, and be ever employed in fabricating

•« .WMis; kiualls, and hurricanes.'*

not«

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 27

jiotwithftanding all the dangers he had al«
ready met with, told me, that he was slt$
ready to recommence the voyage. This
young American had fo ftrong a defire of in-
formation, particularly in every thing con-
jieded with Natural Hiftory, that nothing
was capable of damping his ardour,

CHAP^

•

«8

TKAVEtS THROUGif

••

CHAPTER IIL

Voyage to Staff a.

XS EXT morning at four o'clock, on^ of
oiir boatmen came to inform us that the wea-
ther began to be more moderate, and that it
was probable we fliould have a line day.
Having made the requifite arrangements on
the preceding evening, we were foon ready^
and reached the beach before fun-rife.

Our rowers were four young and bold
Hebridians, who appeared to undertake this
fhort voyage with pleafare ; for they are fond
of every thing which reminds them of Offian,
and they feemed to regard it as a happinefa
and honour to conduct Grangers to the cave
of Fingal. We befides, allotted them a quan-
tity of refrefliments, of which, to be prepared
againft whatever might happen, we laid in an
abundant provifion.

The boat was fo fmall as to be incapable of
carrying a fail. Our four feamen fcated
themfelves on their benches ; Mr. M' Donald
took Hold of the helm, William Thornton

and

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^^9

and myfelf, let down on a bundle of fea-weed,
and we proceeded under the aufpices of the
genius who prefides over the fcience of Na-
ture, and to whom we addrefled a fliort in-
vocation. - '-'

In little more than an hour and an half we
doubled the point of the ide of Ulva, oppo-
fite to that of Mull, near Torloisk, which we
had fet out from, and entered on the open fea :
we foon found, that in thefe regions, the an-
cient and majeftic ocean does not require the
influence of the northern blaft to fwell its fur-
face into immenfe waves.

Continuing our courfe, we had a view of
the volcanic ifles of Bacabeg, and the Dutch-
man's Cap, with thofe of Lunga, Sky, Go-
metra, lona, &c.

We could not have willied for a more
agreeable paffage at fo advanced a feafon.
Our feamen, making Mr. M'Donald their
interpreter, aflured us, that fo fine a day was
very uncommon in that country, and feldom
occurred twice in the fame year. To teftify
the chearfulnefs with which it infpired them,
they began to chaunt in chorus the fongs of
Oflian. There is not a native of thefe iflands,
from the oldeft to the youngeft, that is not

able

^ TRAVELS THROUGH

able to repeat, from memory, long pafTagea
or hymns of that ancient and celebrated
bard.

The fongs continued a long time. They
Confided of monotonous recitatives, ending
in chorufTes equally monotonous. Thsir pre*
dominant character v/as a fort of* dignity in-
termixed with plaintive and melancholy tones*
The oars, which always moved in cadence,
tended to make the monotony more complete.
I became drowfy, and foon fell into a pro-
found fleep.

I know not how long I remained in this
ftate ; but I was awaked from it by the mo-
tion and noife of the feamen, and I was told
that we were now clofe upon the ifle of
StafFa, and near fome reefs, which required
new manoeuvres. Here I had an opportunity
of witnefling, not without dread, the addrefs and
intrepidity of our condudoo, who knew how
to feize the favourable inftant to avoid being
dalhed to pieces, and to choofe the propitious
iiirgcs which afford a fafe pafTage over thofe
rocks that render it fo dangerous to approach
the ifland.

Two of the inhabitants of the ifland fooa
made their appearance, and threw down to

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. Jt

ti^ from its craggy height fomc ropes, with
the aid of which and a fortunate wave, Wd
difembarked amidfl: a cloud of foam.

Thefe two men conducted ourfelves, and
our fmall crew, to a level fpot on the higheft
part of the ide, v/here there flood twohouleSj
or rather huts, conftru6led of large blocks of
lavas and mutilated prifms of bafaltcs, they
were covered over with green fods, and had
no other paflage for the light than the door>
which was only three feet high, and the
chimney, which confifted of a pyramidat
tunnel in the middle of the hut.

The v/omen and. children of the two fa«
milies inftantly came out to meet us, and re*
quefted that we would enter their habitations :
but being already informed of their excef^
five flovenlinefs, we were inflexible to their
entreaties ; and juftly preferred to receive
their civilities and their compliments in the
open air.

Finding, that it was impoffible to prevail
with us by the moft obliging geflures, they re-
folved to iliew the marks of their refpciSl: for
us on the fmall efplanade in front of their

dwellings.

The

52 TRAVELS THROUGH

The men, women, and children, firft
formed themfelves in a large circle around
us and ourfeamen. Then one of the women^
whofe appearance was rendered moft difgufl:-
ing by filth and uglinefs, brought out a large
wooden bowl filled with milk, with which
Ihe placed herfelf in the center of the circle.
She viewed us all round with attention, and
immediately came up to me, and pronouncing
fome words, presented the bowl with a fort
of courtefy. I held out my hands to receive
it ; but fhe drank fome of it, before fhe
gave it to me. I followed her example, and
palTed the vefTel to William Thornton, whd
was next to me ; he gave it to Mr* M'Donald;
and it thus pafTed from hand to hand, or, more
properly, from mouth to mouth, till every
perfon had tafted of it. Having made our
acknowledgments for this kindnefs, they im*
mediately appointed two guides to accompany
us to the cave of Fingal, and all the remark*
able places of this fmall ille. We ate a morfel
of bread, to take off the edge of our appetite
during the walk ; as it was agreed upon, that
in otder to loofe as little as poflible of fo fa-
vourable a day, we fliould poftpone taking our
repaft till we were feated in the boat on our

way

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^3

^'P.y back. This aiJowed iis fufficient time to
fee ail the curious objedls of the ifland at our
'eafe, and particularly to dired our attention
to that remarkable cave which we had come
{o far to view, and which we fehcitated our-
felves on being enabled to examine on one of
the fineft days of the year.

We went to work, therefore, without
lofing a moment of time. I foon arrived at
•the entrance of this wonderful grotto, which
an ancient, but fabulous tradition, regards as
the palace of the father of Oflian. I was
obliged to put off my ihoes in order to avoid
Clipping into the fea, which rufhed in with
great noife. There is no other means of
going into the cave, but by proceeding with
the Utmoft precaution along a fort of cornice
on the right iide, about fifteen feet above the
furface of the water, and formed of a number
of ere6l bafaltic columns, on the broken tops
of which one muft ftep with confiderable dex-
terity, at the risk of falling into the fea,
which extends to the inmoft extremity.

Attention is fo much the more neceflary
here, as the ledge upon which the adven-
turer treads is entirely perpendicular, in
dome places not above two feet wide at moft,

VOL. ir, D and

34 TRAVELS TliROUGll

and confifts folely of unequal prlfms< Vefy
flippery, and coiiftaiitly wet with the foam of
the waves and the exudations from above. The
light, which comes from the grand entrance
only, diminifhes gradually as he proceeds in-
wards, and thus encreafes the difficulty of his
path.

I ceafed not to view, to review, and to me-
ditate upon this fuperb monuiiient of nature,
the form of which bears fo ftronsr a refem-

o

blance to the work of art, though the latter
can certainly claim no fhare in it. I took
ail the dimenfions of it, with the affiftanCe of
Mr. M'Donaid, whofe fervices were of the
greateil ufc to me. I wifhed to obferve the
moil: fcrupulous exa<3:ne{s ii. that operation,
and he perfedly feconded my intentions.

During this time, my indefatigable friend,
William Thornton, took a drawing of the
cave, which could be feen in a true point of
view from the fea only. This task was
neither agreeable nor free from danger ; for
it required all the addrefs of our feamen to
keep him for a few moments in front of the
entrance, amidft the whirlpools and waves of
a fea which feemed eager to devour the frail
skiff. It was neceflary to return inCefTantly

to

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 35

to the fame point, and to give reft at inter-
vals to my dear Thornton, who became fick
with her rolHng.

Our ardour and perfeverance were un-
ihaken, and nothing was capable of diftradl-
ing our attention. We only looked abroad,
from time to time, to fee whether the fea
Was likely to be equally favourable during the
remainder of the day. After noting down all
the particulars of the cave of Fingal, after
sketching fiich objeds as moft inter efled us^
aiid taking the dimenfions which I was very
happy to obtain, I ftill proceeded to examine
fome other parts of the ifland ; and I made a
colleftion of different lavas, zeolites, and
Other ftones, tending to illuftrate the natural
hiftory of the place.

I faw with fome rineafincfs that the fiin
was now about to leave us, and that it be-
came neceflary to withdraw from a place
which prefented fcenes fo attractive and vol-
canic phoenomena fo remarkable. But the
Weather might change in a moment, and
we had a long palTage to make ; we
therefore prepared for oar departure. We
embarked at half paft four in the afternoon,
D 2 and

36 TRAVELS THROUGH

and took fome refrefhment on our way, for
we were almoft ftarving with hunger. Our
indefatigable Hebridians, who felt neither
our curiofity nor our tafle, except fo far as
xefpe^led the cave of Fingal, for which they
entertain a facred veneration, had made 3
hearty repafl on the ifland, and diminifhed
the weight of our ftores, while we were
occupied in feeing and obferving every thing.
They were quite contented, and rowed us
alono- with a fpirit and vigour, which were at
once a proof of their ftrength and of their
habitual capacity for toil. They were com-
pletely enraptured with the profpe6l of carry-
ino- us back fafe and found, owing; to the
finenefs of the day and the calmnefs of the
fea. They accordingly continued their fongs
till our arrival at nine o'clock at the caftle of
Torloisk, where the good Mr. M'Lean, his
family, and our friends, were impatiently ex-
pe£l:ing us.

I employed myfelf during feveral days in
digefting my obfervations on the ifle of
Staffa ; and for the fake of greater method
and perfpicuity, I thought proper to adopt
the following order. -The reader will be

pleafed

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 37

pleafed to recolleifl: that this defcription is
principally intended for fuch as employ them-
felves in the natural hiftory of ftones and
minerals. If it be confidered as rather te-
dious by thofe who are not attached to that
itudy, it will be eafy for them to- pafs on to
pther fubjedlsa.

CHAP-

3? TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER IV,

Dejcription end N atural Hifwry of the JJle ofStaffA,^^.
General Fie%vs.-

1 HE ifle of StafFa is fituated in the fifty-
feventh degree of north latitude, and fifteen
miles weft of the ifland of Mull. Its form is
oblong and irregular. Its coafts are f^eep and
craggy, furrounded with fliperb br^faltic caufe-
ways, and hollowed into different caves, fuch
as thofe of Fingal and the Lorijorant. The
ifle is accefiible only by a fmall opening or
entrance, where the precipice finks into a
Hope, but which can admit only a fmall boat,
and that in the calmeft weather ; for if there
be the fmalleft breeze, it becomes dangerous
to attempt landing, and the boat is obliged to,
take fheiter in the ifland of lona.

The total circumference of StafFa is little
jnore than two miles. The mofl: elevated
part of the ifle is over the cave of Fingal,
where it is one hundred and fourteen feet
above the level of the fea in ordinary tides.

The.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 39

The fides of this vaft rock are entirely
bare ; the waves and currents batter and un-
dermine them every where. There is on
the moft elevated part only, a flat piece of
ground covered with a thin dry turf, conti-
guous to which is a fmall fpot but newly
broke up, where a little oats and a few pota-
toes are raifed. It has alfo a fmall pafturage
and a fcanty fpring, which would be foor^
dried up, were it not that the climate is Co,
rainy.

There is neither tree nor bufli to be feen;'
and for firing, the inhabitants are obliged ta
make ufe of a bad fbd, which they cut in the
fummer feafon in order to dry it. It cannot
be called peat ; for it confifls limply of thQ
fibrous roots of common grafs, intermixed
with earth. It would be impoffible to find a
worfe fewel ; but here negeflity reigns with
abfolute f\\^ay.

The whole of the ifle belons^s to Colonel"
Charles Campbell, of Cambeltown, in Can-
tyre. It is let at the rent of twelve pounds
flerling ; on account, probably, of its fifhery,
for its territorial value ought to be confidere4
»s nothing. ^

D 4 The

40 TRAVELS THROUGH

The total population, at the tuTie when I
vifited it, coiififted only of two families, who
lived apart in two huts, conftruded of' rude
blocks of bafaltes, roofed over with fods, and
who amounted, men, women, and children,^
to the number of fixteen*. Belong:incr to.
thefe, there were eight cows, one bull, twelve
wethers-or fheep, two horfes, one hog, two
dogs, eight hens, and one cock.

Buchanan has flightly mentioned the ifle of
StafFa and its remarkable columns. But Sir
Jofeph Banks, Prefident of the Royal So-
ciety of London, is the firft who examined
this grand and aflonifliing obje61: of natural
hiftory with the eye of an obferver. It has
rifen into celebrity by his defcription of it,
which was publiflied in the Tour to the He-
brides, by Thomas Pennant, accompanied
with plates.

* At the time when Sir Jofeph Barks, in 1772, viflted
this ifland, along with feveral naturalills, of whom Mr.
Troil was one, it belonged to Mr. Lauchkn M'Quaire,
and it had only a finglc inhabitant.

" There is only one hut," fays Mr. Troil, *' which is
*' occupied by a peaiant, who attends fome cattle that
*' pafture there. To teflify his joy for our arrival, he
" fung all night over in thcEarfe language, which we did
*' not underftand. He regaled us with fifh and with
*' milk." — Letters on Iceland^ by Troil, Archbilhop of
Linckccping.

Mr.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, 41

Mr. Troil, biOiop of Linckoeplng, one of
Sir Jofeph Banks's fellow-travellers, has given
a defcription of the iame ifle, and of the cave
of Fingal, in a learned and curious work
i^pon Iceland*. But as thefe two travellers
have principally attended to the pifliirefque
fcenes, without entering into thofe details
which are more particularly interefting to
naturalifts, I conceived that it would give
fatisfaction to fome perfons that I fhould
purfue the latter track,

pF THE CAVE OF FINGAL, OR AN-UA-VINE.

This fuperb monument of a grand fubter^
raneous combulHon, the date of which has
been loft in the lapfe of ages, prefents an ap-
pearance of order and regularity fo wonder-
ful, that it is difficult for the coldeft obferver,
and one the leaft fenfible to the phcenomena
which relate to the convullions of the crlobe,

* This work, written in the Swedifli language, has
been tranflated into French by M. De Lindholm, and
printed at ParisbyDidot-1781, in i vol. 8vo. with plates.
It were to be wiflied that the tranflator, to whom the
Sciences are indebted for rendering that excellent book
into our language, had been more acquainted with natural
hiftory ; his notes weuld then have more intereft, and con-
tain fewer errors,

not

42 TRAVELS THROUGH

not to be fingularly aftoiiifhed by this pro-^
digy, which may be confidered as a kind of
natural palace.

To fhelter myfelf from ail critical obfer^
vation on the emotions which I experienced
while contemplating the moft extraordinary
of any cavern known, I flia.il borrow the ex-
preffions of him who firfl defcribed it. Thofe
who are acquainted with the character of this
illuftrious naturalift, will not be apt to accufe
him of being liable to be hurried away by the
force of a too ardent imagination ; but the
fcnfation \\'hich he felt at the view of this
magnificent fcene was fuch, that it was im-
pofiible to efcape a degree of juft enthuiiafm.

*' The impatience which every body felt to
" fee the wonders we had heard fo largely de-
" fcribed, prevented our morning's reft; every
'* one was up and in motion before the break of
** day, and with the firft light arrived at the
" S. W. part of the ifland, the feat of the moft
*' remarkable pillars ; where we no fooner ar-
*' rived than we were ftruck with a fcene of
*' magnificence which exceeded our expecla-
*' tion, though formed as we thought upon
*' the moft ian2:uine foundations : The whole
" of that end of the ifland, fupported by

" ranges

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 43

" ranges of natural pillars, moftly above
<* fifty feet high, ftanding in natural colo-
^* nades, according as the bays or points of
** lands formed themfelves ; upon a firrn bafis
*' of folid unformed rock. In a fhort time
*' we arrived at the mouth of the cave, the
♦' moil magnificent, I fuppofe, that has ever

*' been defcribed by travellers

*' The mind can hardly form an idea more
^* magnificent than fuch a fpace, fupported
" on each fide by ranges of columns, and
** roofed by the bottoms of thofe that have
** been broke off in order to form it ; be-
^' tween the angles oi which a yellow ftalag-
*' mitic matter has exui d, which ferves to
^' de'^ne the angles precifely, and at the,
" fame time vary the colour with a great
*' deal of elegance ; and to render it ftill
'* more agreeable, the whole is lighted from
'* without ; fo that the fartheft extremity is
" very plainly feen from without, and the
*« air within being agitated by the flux and
*' reflux of the tides, is perfectly dry and
*' wholefome, free entirely from the damp
** vapours with which natural caverns in ge-
?' neral abound.''

Let

44 TRAVELS THROUGH

nLet US alio, for a moment, liflen to Mn,
Troil upon the iume fubjeft.

" How Iplendid,." fays this prelate, " do
''- the porticos of the ancients appear in our
^' eyes, from the oftentatious magnificence of
*' the defcriptions we have received of them,
*' and with what admiration are we feized
** on feeing even the colonades of our mo-
'' dern edifices ! But when we behold the
" cave of Fingal, formed by nature, in the
" ifle of Staffa, it is no longer poflible to
" make a compadfon, and we ar& forced to
*' acknowledge that this piece of architec-
*' ture, executed by nature, far furpaiTes that
^' of the Louvre, that of St. Peter at Rome,
*' and even what . remains of Palmira and
*:' Peftum, and all that the genius, the tafte,
*' and the luxury of the Greeks, were ever
*' capable of inventing*,"

Such was the impreflion made by the cave
of Fingal on Sir Jofeph Banks, and on the
bifliop of Linckoeping. I have feen many
aacient volcanos, and I have given defcrip-
tions of feveral fuperb bafaltic caufeways and
delightful caverns in the midfl of lavas. But

* Letters on Iceland, by Mr, Troil,

I ha\T

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 45

t huve never found any thing which comes
near this, or can bear any comparifon with
it, either for the admirable regularity of the
columns, the height of the arch, the fituation,
the forms, the elegance of this produdion of
nature, or its refemblance to the mafter-pieces
of art : though this has had no Ihare in its
confl:ru£lion. It is therefore not at all fur*
prifing that tradition fhould have made it the
abode of a hero.

This charming monument of nature is
thirty-five feet wide at the entrance, fifty-fix
feet high, and a hundred and forty feet long.

The upright columns which compofe the
frontifpiece, are of the mofl: perfed regularity.
Their height to 'the beginning of the curva-
ture is forty-five feet.

The arch is compofed of two unequal feg-
ments of a circle, which form a fort of natu-
ral pediment.

The mafs which crowns, or rather which
forms, the roof, is twenty feet thick in its
lowefl: part. It confifts of fmall prifms, more
or iefs regular, inclining in all diredions,
clofely united and cemented underneath and
in the joints with a yellowifh white calcareous
matter, and fome zeolitic infiltrations, which

give

4^ TRAVELS THROUGH

give this fine ceiling the appearance or rxio-
faic work.

The lea reaches to the very extremity of
the cave. It is fifteen feet deep at the mouth j
and its waves, inceffantly agitated, beat with
great noife againfl the bottom and walls of
the cavern, and every where break into foam;
The Hght alfo penetrates throligh its whole
length, diminifhing gradually inwards, and
exhibiting the mofl wonderful varieties of
colour.

The right fide of the entrance preients, oil
its exterior part, a vail: amphitheatre, formed
of different ranges of large truncated prifmSj
the top of which may be ealily walked along.
Several of thefe prifms are jointed, that is^
concave on the one lide, and convex on the
other ; and fome of them are divided by
fimple tranfverfe interfections*^

Thefe prifms, conlifling of a very durable
and pure black bafaltes, are from one to'
three feet in diameter* Their forms ard

* Sir Jofeph Banks's draughtfman, very good and ac-
curate in other refpedls, has lubiHtuted, probably to give
greater effect to the cave, large malles of ftone irregularly
piled on each other, on the right fide of the kind of am-
phitheatre, which ferves as ; bafis to that part of the grove.
But there is in reality nothing there except columns.

trian*

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 47

tiiangular, tetrahedial, pentagonal, and hexa-
gonal ; and fome of them have {even or eight
lides. I law feveral large prifms on the trun-
catures, of which are diftindly traced the
outlines of a number of fmaller prifms ; that
is, thefe prifms are formed of a bafaltes,
which has a tendency to fubdivide itfelf like-
wife into prifms. I had before obferved the
fame phenomenon in the bafaltic prilins of
Vivarais.

The cave can be entered only by proceed-
ing along the platform on the right fide,
which I have mentioned above. But the
way ^rows very narrow and difficult as it
advances ; for this fort of interior gallery,
raifed about fifteen feet above th^ level of
the fea,.is formed entirely of truncated per-
pendicular prifms of a great or lefs height,,
between which confiderable addrefs is necef-
fary to choofe one's fteps, the paflages being
fometimes fo ftrait and fo fiippery, owing to
the droppings from the roof, that I took the
very prudent refolution, fuggefted by our two
guides, to proceed barefooted, and to take
advantage of their afliftance, elpecially in a
particular place, where I had room only to
plant one foot, whilft I clung with my right

hand

48 TRAVELS THROUGH

hand to a large prlfm to fupport myfelf, and
held the hand of one of the guides by the
other. This difhcvilt operation took place at
the darkeH: part of the cave ; and one half
of the body was at the tim?, fufpended over
an abyfs, where the fea dalhed itfelf into a
cloud of foami

I Wasdefirousof Derietratuig; to the fartheft
extremity, and I accompiifhed my purpofe,
though not without confiderable difficulty
and danger. I, more than once, found my
attention diftrafted from the obfervations
which I was happy to have an opportunity of
making, to the thought of how I fhould get
back a^ain.

o

As I drew near the bottom of the cave^
the bold balcony, on which I walked, ex-
panded into a large Hoping fpace compofed
of thoiifands of broken vertical columns. The
bottom was bounded by a compacl range of
pillars of unequal height, and refembling the
front of an organ.

It is worthy of remark, that at the time
when Mr. Troil vifited the cave, the fea, by
one of thofe uncommon chances which do
not happen once in ten years, was fo calrri
that it permitted him to enter with a boat*

" At

feNOLAND AND SCOTLAND. 49

" At the very bottom of the cave," fays Mr.
Troil, " and a little abo\e the furface of the
" water there is a kind of fmall cave which
" fends forth a very agreeable noife every
"*' time that the Water riifhes into it *."

As the fea was far from being completely
Hill, when T vifited it, I heard a noife of a
xciy different nature every time that the
waves, in rapid fucceffion, broke againfl its
bottom. This found refembled that which is
produced by flriking a large hard body with
great weight and force agaihft another hard
body in a fubterraneous cavity. The fhock
Was fo violent that it was heard at fomedif.
tance, and the whole cavern feemed to' fliake
with it. Being clofe to the place whence
the found iffued, and where the water is not
fo deep upon the retreat of the wave, I endea^
voured to difcover the caufe of this terrible
collifion. I foon obferved, that, a little be-
low the bafis which fupported the organ-
fronted colonade, there was an aperture
which formed the outlet of a hollow, or per-
haps-a, fmall cave. It was impoilible to pe-
W^fate irito this cavity, but it may be pre-

* Letters on Iceland.
VOL. II. E fumed

5^ TRAVELS TMROtJOH

fumed that the tieniendous noife Was oeca*
fioned by a broken rock, driven by the viq*
lent Impetuofity of the furge againil its fides^
By the boiling motion of the water, however^
in the fame place, it is evident that there are
feveral other fmall paflages, through which
it iflues, after rufliing into the principal aper-
ture in a mafs. It is therefore not impolTiblej
when the fea is not fufficiently agitated, to
put the emprifoned rock in motion, that the
air, ftrongly compreiTed by the weight of the
water, which is in inceflant fluctuation jihould^
on ruihing out by the fmall lateral palTages,
pz;oducc a particular ftrange found. It might
then be truly regarded as an organ created
by the hand of Nature ; and this circum-
fiance would fully explain why the ancient
and real nanne of this cave in the Earfe lan-
guage is, the melodious cave *.

Sir

* Sir Jofeph Banks is the firft who gave the cave of
Staffa the name of the cave of Fingal, I made the moft
minute enquirlJss offeverd perfons well llcilled in the Earfe,
Gaulic, or Celtic language, to know what relation this
cave had to the father of O/ticm. And thefe gentlemen, as
well as others, aflured me, that the miftakp was owing to
the name being equivocal. The following is their expla-
nation : The true name of the cave is an-ua-vine. An^
the } ua^ grotto, cave, cavern ; vine^ melodious. The
name of Fingal in th^ fame language is fpelled and pro-
nounced

ENGLAND AND SCOI'LANDo .^f

"Sit jofeph Saiik's in the Hefcription vA\ich
he has given us of the cdxt of Staffa, fay^,
that *' between the angles a 3^ellow flalag-
" mkk matter has extided, which feemed to
"^' define the angles pre'cifbly." That is true,
but the karned NaturaUft has, not told us the
natiire of this yellowilli matter.

Mr. Troil mentions it alio : He fays, that
'" the colour of the columns is a dark grey ;
" but th-at the joints are filled with a quart*
" rofe flada<5lites5 -^^ hich diftindly marks the
^' feparation of the columns, and which, by
'" the V2:fiefy of its tints, has the moft agree-
" able effefi: on the eye." There b certainly
an error here with regard to the fubfence.
On breaking off feveral pieces of it, which it
h not very eafy to do, owing to the height of

nounced Fi:n in the nominative. But the Earfe nouns
are declinable, and the genitive of Fingal is Fi>ie ; (o that
if one wifhed to exprefs the cave of Fingal in the Earfe
language, he would write an-un-fine. Thus between the
Earfe vine melodious, and the genitive of Fingaiy?;;^, there
is no other difterence than the change of the letter i'
intoy"; and fome perfon not very well verfedin the Earfe
Tangiiage, might have trandated to Sir Jofeph Banks the
•words ati-aa-vine by the cave of Fingal^ whiUt the true
and literal interpretation is, the jnelodkus cave. In this
cafe, the obfervation of Mr. Troil, on the agreeable found'
which he heard ifluing from the bottom of the c'ave vv^-\Q.Vi
the water rufhed in, is valuable, and comes In fupport of
the true denomination.

E % the

5* TRAVELS THROUGH

the vault, I found that it was nothing but a
calcareous matter coloured by the decompo-
fition of the iron of the lava, and intermixed
with a little argillaceous earth. This ftalac-
tites has alfo very little adhefion, and is in
general of an earthy nature* In feveral of
the prifms I found fome globules of zeolites,
but in very fmall quantity. I alfo broke off
from between two prilms, which were fo far
apart as to admit of introducing my hand,
an incruftation in which the white and trans-
parent zeolites was formed into very perfedl
fmall cubical cryftals, feveral of which were
coloured red by the ferruginous lime ariling
from the decompofition of the lava. But I muft
repeat, that zeolites is very rare in this cave,
and having myfelf broken off all the fpecimens
that I was able to fee, I doubt whether thofe
who may vifit the place after me will find
any quantity of it.

DIMENSIONS OF THE CAVE OF FINGAL.

Breadth of the entrance, taken at the mouth
and at the level of the fea, 35 feet.

Height from the level of the fea to the pitch
of the arch, 56 feet.

Depth

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 5^

Depth of the fea, oppofite to the entrance,
and twelve feet diftant from it, at noon
of the 27th of September, fifteen feet.

Thicknefs of the roof meafured from the
pitch of the arch without to its higheft part,
twenty feet.

Interior length of the cave from the entrance
to the extremity, one hundred and forty
feet.

Height of the talleft columns on the right
fide of the entrance, forty-five feet.

Depth of the fea in the interior part of the
cave, ten feet nine inches ; in fome places
eight feet, and towards the bottom fomc-f
. what lefs^*

I have given a defcription of the largeft
cave, as it is at the fame time the moft re-
.markable. But there is another towards the
northern part of the ifland, in the midft of a fine

• All the dimenftons were taken with great exaiflnefs
with a piece of ihread-tape, painted and waxed, divided
into French toifes, feet and inches, and rolling up into a
leather cafe. This inftrument, which I caufed to be made
in l/ondon, afforded a meafure of 100 feet. If I, there-
fore, differ in the leaft from the dimenfions taken by Sir
Jofeph Banks, attention muft be had to the difference of
the Englilh foot. This naturalifl, befides, ufed a fiftiing
line, which, ftretching more, or lefs with the wet, can
never give the meafures fufficiently correct.

E 3 colonade.

54 TRAVELS THROUGH

OQloflade. Its name in the Earfe l^ns'iiage i:$;
Qita-na-JS carve. It is, however, lefs intereft-
ing than the iiril:, and was befides inacceffiblc-
at. the time I vifited the illand. There is alfo,
i\\ the louthern quarter, and at a fliort diftance
frvom the place where we dilembvajlied, ^ fmall
cave eprnpofed of compa<fl lava, : f«?iTiffi.int©d
\vith a range- of prifms, the total appearance
of v,'hich, as is obferved by Sir Jofeph Banks,
es^at^Jy-rQferribles.the l^eel of a vefTel having
her timbers expofed to view. TWf^^rvature
of the pcifms renders the refemblauce of this
fiHgirlarfpe6tacle very ftr-iking.

.Mote than one half the eireumfereaee of
the iflc is occupied by \'ery handfoin-^ colo-
nades, which are completely baie on the fide
ilg^t tifie fea-. They reft in general on a cur-
rent of gravelly lava, which ferves for theif
bafis imd fupport \ and they follow the di~.
seflign more or leis inclined, more or Ie(s ho-
rizontal of the current. All thefe prifmatic
eaufe'v^'ays are covered with a vaft ftream of"
lava, more or lefs compa6l, and tending more
or }el« to a prifmatic form. The fummit of
this covering is Ipead over with a little veget-?,
able earth formed by decompofed lava, and

with fome thin common 2;rafs.

Abovf.

ENGLAND AN© SCOTLAND. 55

Above ofte half the ifland therefore is fu^
ported by columns more or lefs perpendicular,
and the remaining part entirely conlifts of
lavas more or lefs compad, more or lefs dei
compofed, more or lefs intermixed with frag*
ments of other lavas, zeolitic infiltrations,
calcareous ftreaks, and calcedonious droppings,
which have in fome places penetrated th^
fubftance of the Zeolites,

One of the eaufeways to the northward of*
the grand cave merits the attention of the
naturalift by the difpofition, the number, the
purity, and elevation of the prifms, which are
more than forty-eight feet high, and placed
perpendicularly hke the pipes of an organ.
This magnificent colonade is fpread over with
a current of compadt lava, more than fifty-
feet thick, and compofed of innumerable
fmall prifms which diverge in all direftions..
It is fupported by a current of black gravelly
lava, nine feet thick, the parte of which is
an intermixture of different other lavas di-.
vided into fmall irregular fragments, and
\inited by a natural cement, compofed of caU
careous earth, zeolites, and a calcedonious.
fubftance. Every thing leads me to regard
^is current as the refuit of a volcanic erup^
2 4 tion,

56 TRAVELS THROUGH

4tion, in which the water entering into con-
conrfe with fire, has mixed all thefe matters
in one parte. A part of this current of lava
extends under the fea.

, To prevent my defcription from becoming
too tedious, I iliall now only fay a few words
refpe<51ing what is improperly called the ifle
of lio^'-Jha-Ia ; improperly, becaufe the name
of ifle can never be given to what evidently
forms an appendage of the principal ifle.
. Boo-llia-la lies at a fmall diftance from the
grand cave, and is feparated from Staffa by a
channel which is only a few fathoms wide; its
jun6lion with the latter may be eafily traced
in the fea. Boo-fha-la itfelf feems to be di-
vided into tv/o parts at fpring tides. It is
compofed of a number of banks of prifmatic
bafaltes of a very pure kind, piled together
in fome places, arched in others, and fome-
times difpofed in the manner of fleps, which
form a paflable, though fleep ftair-cafe. By
the lide^of this the columns are vertical, and
form by their union and their different de-
grees of elevation, a regular conic peak, which
is entirely an aflemblage of prifms. This re-
markable flrudlu re is not owing to the falling,
of large mafles from their former pofition$^

It

^^

isrrf

'<m ^

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 57

It (eems rather to be the efFe£l of a more or
lefs gradual cooling ; and the matter in
Shrinking appears to have undergone thofe
fantaftic modifications and accidents, which
may be obferved in cryftallizations on a large
fcale ; though I am far from confidering the
prifmatic lava as the refult of cryftallization.
On the contrary, I reject that opinion ; and
the comparilbn which I ufe here is only for
the purpofe of making myfelf more intelligi-
ble, and has no relation but to the accidental
varieties and different difpofitiorj of the
forms.

Mr. Thomas Pennant has publifhed, in his
Tour to the Hebiides, two engavings of
Boo-fha-la, taken from the very corre6t
drawinsis of Mr. Banks.

It remains only that I (hould give a lift
of the lithological produflions of the ifle of
StafFa.

MINERALOGY OF THE ISLE OF STAFFA.

1 . Triangular bafaltic prifms, which arc
here, as in other places, very rare.

2. Quadrangular, and equally rare.

3, Pentagonal: | Thefe are the mofl

4, Exagonal ; y common forms.

5, Hepta-

5^ TRAVELS THROUGH

5. Heptagonal, of which a few are foini^
iiere,

6. O£logonal, of a large fize, fbmetimes
four feet in diameter, exhibiting in their
truncatures the elennents of other fmaller
prifms.

7. Articulated prifms, tha-t is, whofe^ fee-.
ti<3ns are concave on. one fide and convex on,
the other.

• S^. P-ifms cut ftrai':ht without any arti^
culations, fome of them have eight,, ten^ and
even twelve feclions.

9. Prifms which ieem to have been czd
at oAe time, in one piece ; of thefe, fome are*
twelve, fifteen, twenty, and even forty feet
liigh.

ID. Prifms curved in an arch of a circle.

I r; Black gravelly compadt lava, which
ealily feparates into irregular pieces.

12. Black porous lava. The extingnifhed
volcano, in the ifle of Staffa, has been ex-
pofed for fo many ages to the fury of a fea full
<Vf currents, and agitated with tempefts, that
it may well be faid to have left only the ske-
leton of a volcanic ifle, much more confider-
able in former times ; the fea which attacks
\t on every fide having carried away or de-.

ftroyed.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 59

flfoyed every thing that it was capable of
Rifling upon. It ought not, therefore, to be
a fubjc6l of wonder, that it contains neither
the remains of a crater, nor fcoriae, nor light
lavas. The fame thing has happeaed to other
cxtinfl volcanos which the fea abandoned,
after an incalculable lapfe of ages. On ex-
amining, however, with attention the fub-«
llances which compofe the currents of lava,
which fupportmany of the prifmatic eaufe-
ways of the ifle, one difcovers fome fra^*
ments of a black porous lava. Thefe lavas
being mixed and interfperfed among the
fragments of other lavas, compa<5l, pulveru-
lent or gravelly, compreiTed by the enormous
weight of the fuperior mafles, and united by
a gluten, partly calcareous and partly zeolitic,
^re thence more prote6led from the a£tion of
the waves.

X3, White radiated zeolites, incrufted with
bafaltic lava. The fame zeolites incrufted
with black lava, much fofter, in round pieces,
pval or irregular, and in diverging points*
There are fometimes {ecu. on the exterior
part of thefe oval piec^, projeding cryflals
pf cubical zeolites^

X4, White

^O TRAVELS THROUGH

14, White radiated calcedonious zeolites,
1 obtained from one of the beds oF muddy
lava, on which the greater part of the prif-
matic lav^ of StafFa repofe, feveral fpbe-
rical nuclei of zeolites in diverging rays,
luiited to the number of three or four in one
group. Several of thefe fmalL balls were
completely folvable in the nitrous acid, with
which they formed a jelly ; Vv'hilft feveral
others adhering to thefe, but femi-tranfparent
and of an unduouspolifli, were impervious to.
the acid, and even gave fparks with fteel.
But on calcining and reducing -the latter to
powder, and digelfing them in a glafs vefiel
with nitrous acid in a fand bath, the acid dif-
folves the zeolites and forms a jelly with it,
whilft the calcedonious particles remaining
untouched, are precipitated to the bottom,
I found fome of thefe fmall balls of the fize
of a gall-nut, the one half of which was
penetrated by a calcedonious milky juice, and
the other by a quartzofe juice extremely
cryfralline, and as tranfparent as the purcfl
rock cryftal.

15. Cubical v^diite zeolites. There were
fome of the mofl fuperb pieces of cubical zeo-
lites

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 6t

Ktes in Staffa ; but, in our vifit to that ifle,
we took away all that were moft interefting.
Before us, dodor Thompfon had alfo made at
StafFa a very interefling coUedion ofz-eolites,
and among others, a number of large cubic
cryflals joined together on a black compadl
lava. This fpecimen, the mofl confiderablc
and the moft perfeft of its kind, may be feeii
at Oxford in the colle6lion of that naturalift.

1 6. Tranfparent cubical zeolites, of a
greeniih call:. I found this fpecimen in the
interior of the cave of Fingal, in a crevice
formed by the feparation of two prifms. It
is therefore.very evident that this fmall group
of cubical cryftals had been formed in that
fifTure in a very flow and infenlible manner,
by the juxta-pofition of the zeolitic particles
held in folution by the aqueous fluid. The
greenifh colour of the latter zeolites is owing
to the decompofition of the iron contaiaed in
the bafaltes.

17. White femi-tranfparent zeolites in
odagonal cryftals.

18. White femi-tranlparent zeolite? in
cryftals of thirty facettes.

Such arc the moft remarkable zeolites
'ivhich I have found in the ifle of StafFa. It

is

6i Travels THRouGii

is not improbable that the waves and currents
which daily wear away its coafts may after-
Wards difcover feme other varieties.

1 9. Granite of a red grdund, and of thd
lame textare with that of the ancient Egyptiaii
granite, but of a much lefs vivid colour. This
red granite is found in rounded ftones of a
pretty large fizc among the rolled lavas thfbWii
by the fea upon that pa/rt of the ifland whef^
the currents have formed the moil: Gonlider-
able breach. As every thing in Staffa is Covci-r
pletely volcanic, it is evident tliat thde bloc^ks
of granite, which arc not very abundant,, but
which have been rounded by fridion, have:-
been tranfported from a diftanee by currents ^
for the neighbouring iflands are equally vol-
canic. The fe?. mufl: certainly be terribly
agitated to raife thefe rounded granites to the
height at which they are found on the ifld^ of
StafFa, among the bafaltic lavas equally round-
ed, which the fea throws up during fprittg'
tadesand furious tempers.

CHAP-

ENGI.AN0 AND SCOTLAND- 6J

CHAPTER V.

"^.tay at Mr. M*-Lean''s. — Cii/kms and Mmiiiea'S of
the Inhabitants of the Ife of Mull.

Mi

,R. M-LEAN of Torloilk has ereaed a
commodious habitation^ in the modern ftile,
but without any parade. Its chara^leriftic
is an exquilite neatnefs, joined to the mofi
attra<51:ive iimpHcity.

It commands a view of the fea, and the
ifles of Ulva, Gommetra, StafFa, lona, and
numerous chillers of rocks, which reader na-
vigation fo dangerous in that region.

This houfe is fituated on a fingle flat emi-
nence, deflitute of trees and verdure ; fo that
to form a fmall kitchen garden, Mr. M'l^aii
has been obUged to dig away part of the vol-
canic rock, and fill up the area with tranfport-
ed foil; he fhewed me feveral difficult an"?!
expenfive operations of this kind which he
had eixecuted. On my afking, why he fuf^
fered to remain ftanding upon the place Ji
kind of large cottage built of dry flones, co-
vered' withdraw, or rather heath, and lighted;

by

^4 TRAVELS THROUGH

by two narrow holes, which fcarcely admitted
the rays of the fun.

" It was there,'* faid Mr. M*Lean ,with
emotion, " that I was born. >i; That is the
*' ancient habitation of my fathers ; and I feel
" unexpreffible regard for this modeftmaniion,
" which reminds me of their virtues and
^' frugal life." This reply more ftrongly
marks the chara6ler of that eflimable man
than the moft eloquent defcription which I,
could give. It ought to be remarked, that
Mr. M'Lean is a man of birth and fortune,
that, he has lerved in the Britifh army, per-
formed diftant voyages, and is well acquainted ,
with the world. He has, notwithftanding,
preferred his native foil, and an agricultural
life, tea refidence in London or Edinburgh, or
the moil: fertile plains of England ; fo power-
ful is the dominion of our firfh habits, when
it recals to our minds the indelible pleafures
of infancy.

. Several ladies from Edinburgh, of agreeable
converfation, were at Torloilk at the fame
time, with me. One of them, a relation of the
Melforts, of whom there is a branch fettled in
France, was a woman of talents and in-
formation. A youngs officer, nephew to .

Mr,

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 6$

Mr. McLean, and two of his friends, were
xlfb on a vifit at Torloilk, where all were
tinited in the delightful bonds of confidence
and friendship.

Mifs M'Lean was an only daughter, of a
pleafing countenance, elegant figure, and
highly ititcrefting from her talents, her ac-
quirements, and her modefly. She played
extremely well upon the harpficord, and was
in ev-ery refpe<51: the charm of that happy fo-
ciety. She had attentively ftudied the lan-
guage, poetry, and mufic of the Hebridians.

Mifs M'Lean afTured me, in feveral con-
Verfations, with which fhe favoured me upon
the fubjed, that to one acquainted with the
language, the ufages, and the manners of the
country, it was difficult to conceive how the
Englifli writers, who were utter Grangers to
the Celtic tongue, fliould have fo obflinately
perfifted in doubting the exiflence of the
ancient poems of Oliian. She admitted, that
they are in many places incomplete, and in
others altered ; for it cannot be fuppofed that
they have not fuflained fome lofs in their
tranfmiffion from bard to bard, and from one
generation to another. But it is neverthe-
Itfs true, that feveral pieces of them have

VOL. ir. F come

66 TRAVELS THROUGH

come down entire, accompanied with fomft
remains of the mulic to which they have
been fung. This mufic is indeed wild and
rude when compared to ours, but poiTefTes the
moft powerful charms for the Highlanders,
by calling to their minds the combats, vic-
tories, loves, and illuftrious anions of their
heretic aneeftorsc

No one is more capable of converting thofe
v/hu are incredulous upon this point than
Mils Ivl'Lean, and I invite her in the name
of the iiftcr arts, of poetry and mufic, with
^vhich (he is fo well acquainted, to publilh
her refearches refpe^ting the poems and airs
of the ancient Caledonians *.

Mr, M' Lean's domeftics, both men and
women, are clothed in the Hebridian mode.

* Befsdes what M'Pherfon has fau! upon the fubjeft,
John Smith, minifter of Kilbrundon in Argylefliire, has
written in favour of the authenticity of the poems of
Oflian, Ullin, Onan, &cc. Mr. Nichol, of Lifemore, has
alfo treated the fame fubjeit. John Clarke, of Edinburgh,
has given a tranflation of feverai of the Caledonian bards.
I purchafed alfo at Edinburgh a colledlion of Galic mufic,
publifhed by a prefbyterian minifter, and feverai other
printed and manufcript pieces relative to this queftion ;
which I can communicate to fuch as it particularly in-
teretts. But this great queftion being foreign to the prin-
cipal objedl of my refearches, I fliall forbear to expatiate
upon it in this place,

I hav«

ENGLAND AND SCOtLAND, 67

\ "have already defcribed the drefs of the men,
in mentioning the inhabitants of Dalmally.
That of the women is miuch lefs complex.
Their long flowing hairj which is in general
black, forms the only ornament of their heads.
Some indeed have it kept back with a fimple
woollen fillet ftriped of different colours,
among which red and green are im'ariably
predominant. From one article of expence
they* are entirely free : they wear neither
Ihoes nor ftockings. But notwithftanding the
length of the winter, and the incelTant humi-
dity of the climate, and though they go with .
their heads bare, their teeth do not feem to
be in the leaft affeded. Their drefs confifls
t)f a bodice, or rather a kind of veft, and a
petticoat of a woollen fluff chequered with
red, green and brown flripes, fliaded with blue.
This is the o-eneral and favourite clothing; of
the Highlanders, and is ufed alike by the men
and women, though it is for the moft part
manufadured in the fouthern parts of Scot-
land. It is known by the name of Tartan,

The Englifh eat very little bread ; the Scots
eat more: there were three different kinds
ufed at Mr. M'Lean's table.

F 2 The

68 TRAVELS THROUGH

The firft, which may be regarded as a
luxury for the country, is fea bifcuit, which
veflels from Glafgow fometimes leave in
pafling.

The fecond is ipade of oatmeal formed into
an unleavened dough, and then fpread with
a rolling pin into round cakes, about a foot in
diameter and the twelfth part of an incli
thick. Thefe cakes are baked, or rather
dried, on a thin plate of iron which is fuf-
pended over the fire. This is the principal
bread of fuch as are in eafy circumflances.

The third kind, which is fpecially appro-
priated to tea and breakfaft, in the opulent
families of the ifles, confifis of barley cakes,
without leaven, and prepared in the fame
manner as the preceding, but fo thin, that
after fpreading them over with butter, they
are eafily doubled into feveral folds; which
render them very agreeable to thofe who are
fond of this kind of dainties.

At ten in the morning, the bell announces
that breakfaft is on the table. All repair to
the parlour, where they find a fire of peat,
mixed with pit-coal, and a table elegantly
ferved up and covered with the following ar-
ticles ;—

Plates.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 69

Plates of fmoaked beef,
Chcefe of the country and Englifh cheefc, in
trays of mahogany,
Frefh eggs.
Salted herring.
Butter,
Milk and cream,
A fort of houillie, of oatmeal and water. In
eating this bouillie, each fpoonful is plunged
into a- bafon of cream, which is always
befide it.
Milk worked up with the yolks of eggs,
fugar and rum. This fingular mixture is
drank cold, and without being prepared
by fire ;

Current jelly.
Conferva of myrtle, a wild fruit that grows
among the heath,
Tea,
Coffee,
The three forts of bread above-mentioned ;
and, Jamaica Rum.
Such is the flyle in which Mr. M'Lean's
breakfafl-table was fei-ved up every morning,
while we were at his houfe. There was al-
ways the fame abundance, with no other dif-
F 3 ferencQ

7© TRAVELS THROUGH

ference in general than in the greater or !efs,
variety of the difhes *»

Dinner is put on the table at four o'clock^
It confifts in general of the following parti-
culars, which I correctly noted in my
journal,

I, A large difh of Scotch foup, compofed
of broth of beef, mutton, and fometimes fowl,,
mixed with a little oatmeal, onions, parfley,.
and a confiderable quantity of peafe. Inflead
of flices of bread, as in France, fmaU flices of
mutton and the giblets of fowls, are throwu
into this foup,

* Knox, who, travelled more upon the main land than in
the illands, gives the following particulars of the break-
fafts of the more wealthy families :—

" A drarn of whiskey, gin, rum, or brandy, plain or
** inTufed with berries that grow among the heath; French
<' rolls ; oat and barley bread; tea and coffee; honey in the
** comb, red and black current jellies ; marnalade, con-
*' ferves and excellent cream ; fine fl.ivourcd butter,
*' frefh and faked; Ciiefhire and Highland cheefe, the laft
" very indifferent ; a plateful of /cry frefh eggs; frefh and
*' falted herrings broiled ; ditto, haddocks and whitings,
^' the skin being taken off; cold round of venifon, beef
*' and mutto^i hams. Befides thefe articles, which are
" commonly placed on the table at once, there are gene-
*^ rally cold beef and moor-fowl to thofe who choofe to
*' call for them. After breakfaft, the rnen amufe them-
*' felves with the gun, fifhing,or failing, till the evening;
*5* when they dine, which meal ferves with fome families
•s' for fupper."

2. Pudding

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. Jl

2. Pudding of bullock's blood 4n4 barley
lineal, fealbned with plenty of pepper and

3. Excellent beef-fteaks broiled.

4. Roafted mutton of the beft quality,

5. Potatoes done in the juice of the mutton*

6. Sometimes heath-cocks, wood-cocks or
water- fowl.

7. Cucumbers and ginger pickled with
vinegar.

8. Milk prepared in a variety of ways.

9. Cream and Madeira wine.

10. Pudding made of barley-meal, cream,
and currai^ts of Corinth, done up with fuet.

All thefe various difhes appear on the
table at the fame time; the miftreisof the
houfe prefides, and ferves all round.

In a very fhort time the toafls commence;
it is the bufinefs of the miftrefs to begin the
ceremony. A large glafs filled with port- wine
is put into her hand ; Ihe drinks to the health
of all the company, and pafles it to one of the
perfons who fit next to her ; and it thus pro-
ceeds from one to another round the whole
table.

The fide-board is furniflied with three large

glafles of a fimilar kind ; of which one li ap-

F 4 propriated

72 TRAVELS THROUGH

propriated to beer, anothei to wine, and the
third to water, when it is called for in its un-
mixed ftate, which is not often. Thefe
glaffes are common to all at table ;• they are
never rinfed, but merely wiped with a fine
towel after each perfon drinks.

The deffert, from the want of fruit, con-
fifts for the mofl part, only of two forts of
cheefe, that of Chefhire, and what is made
in the country itfelf.

The cloth is removed after the deffert, and
a table of well poliflied mahogany, appears
in all its luflre. It is foon covered with ele-
gant glafs decanters of Englifh manufadure,
containing port, cherry, and Madeira wines,
and with capacious bowls filled with punch.
Small glaffes are theti profufely diflributed to.
every one.

In England, the ladies leave table the mo-
ment the toafls begin. The cuflom is not pre-
cifely the fame here. ; they remain at leafl: half
an hour after, and jufily partake in the fefli-
vity of a fcene, in which formality being laid
afide, Scottifh franknefs and kindnefs ha^e
full room to difplay themfelves. It is cer-
tain that the men are benefited by this iiir
tercoufe, aud the ladies, are nothmg the lofers
by it.

At

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 73

At Mr. M*Lean's we drank in particular to *-
c^ch of the ladies prefent.

To the reft of the guefts, mentioning their
pames one by one.

To the country.

To Hberty.

To the happinefs of mankind in general.

To friendfhip.

We, foreigners, drank more than once to
cur good friends the Highlanders ; and the
company anfwered in full chorus with drink-
ing to our friends in France, and in a lower
tone, with a glafs of mild Madeira, to our
miftrefles.

The ladies then left us for a little to pre-
pare the tea. They returned in about half
an hour after ; and the fervants followed them
with coffee, fmall tarts, butter, milk, and
tea. Mufic, converfation, reading the news,
though a little old by the time they reach
this, and walking, when the weather permits,
fill up the remainder of the evening ; and
thus the time paffes quickly away. But it
is fomewhat unpleafant to be obliged to take
one's feat at table again about ten o'clock,
and remain until mid-night over a iupper
nearly of the fame fare as the dinner, and in
no lefs abundance.

Such

74 TRAVrLS THROUGH

Sqch is the life which the richer claffes lead
in a country, where there is not even a road,
where not a tree is to be feen, the moun-
tains being covered only with heath, where-
it rains for eight months of the year, and
where the fea, is in a ftate of perpetual con-
I'uhion.

The winter is cold only about two months
in the Hebrides, and the fnow lies but a. very
little time on the ground, but, as tempefts and
rains prevail din-ing thp greater part of the
year, neither wheat nor rye can be brought
to perfedion in them. Barley and oats,
however, thrive here, and are reaped in the
month of Odober, though it is necelTary to
dry the grain in kilns to prevent it from
ihooting, and to prepare it for being ground,.

The greateft part of the barky is fermented
and diftilled, to procure a fpirituous liquor
which forms their choice delight. It is called
whiskey. Oatmeal is made into cakes for
bread.

The ifle of Mull is not much more than
from twenty to twenty-two miles long, and
fifteen or fixteen broad ; a mile is termed in
the Hebrides fcoc. There is nothing like a
regular village in the whole ifland; the houfk

being

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 75

being almoft always fcg-'ttered apart, both on
the coaft and in the interior. They are con-
ftru6led of irregular blocks of bafaltes ranged,
without great attention to order, in walls of
great thicknefs ; for materials of this kind
are very plentiful, and always within reach pf
the builders. The height of the walls fcarcely
exceeds five feet, and that of the entrance is
feldom above three feet. The more wealthy
iflanders, adapt a door to it ; but the greater
part of the inhabitants are fatisfiedto do with-
out any. The roof is often covered with
thin pieces of ftone, which is again laid over
with turfs. But thofe who can procure a
fufficiency of wood for laths ufe a thatch of
heath or oaten flraw, faftened and kept down
by long ropes of heath to prote£l it ffQjn the
impetuofity of the winds.

The fire-place is always in the middle of
the hut, and the fmoke efcapes by a hole w.
the roof, which is a little to one fide, that the
rain may not extinguifh the fire. The Efqui-
maux and Laplanders difplay much n^ore art
and induflry in providing themfelves with
habitations.

The iflanders of Mull go both bare-footed
^nd bare-headed, without any regard to rain

or

■76 TRAVELS THROUGH

or frofl. The father of a family may fome-
times have a Scottifh bonnet, and the mar-
■ Tied women a head-drefs of coarfe linen. But
all the young folks, both girls and boys, go
about with their heads bare, and without
flioes or ftockings. It fhould be remembered
that I am fpeaking of the common elals of
people.

AlmoU: all are fhepherds or fiiliers. Each
family has a fmall fpot on which they raift
fome barley, oats, and potatoes ; which lat-
ter, with milk, forms their principal aliment.
Thofe on the fea coaft, or by the fide of
lakes, fupply themfelves with fifli. They
catch falmon, which they dry in the fmoak,
and herrings, which they fell, and fometimes
make into oil for their lamps.

Thofe who are better informed, or of a
more adventurous fpirit, enter into the Eng-
lifh navy, and form robuft, fober failors, fa-
miliarly acquainted with all the dangers of
the fea.

The population of the ifland is about {even
thoufand.

It contains three parifhes, nine regular built
ftone houfes, and five fchools ; its inhabitants
profefs the Prefbyterian religion.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 77

*rhe women, in general, are fmall, iigly*
and ill made ; the natural confequence of
toil, bad food, the want of fuitable clothing,
and the inclemency of the climate. I faw;
two or three who were a little better looked,
and whofe figure was even fomewhat agree-
able, but thele belonged to famihes in a more
comfortable condition. The lim being almoft
always covered with clouds, or enveloped iii
mifts, their skin would be very white, were
it not difcoloured by the peat-fmoke, which,
from the want of chimnies, continually fills
their huts.

Notwithflanding the wetnels of the cli-
mate, I could never perceive that the cuftom
of going bare-headed was injurious to the
teeth. Both men and women have very
fine fets, and are in general, efpecially the
men, very healthy. The diforders which
might be expected to arife from the frequent
rains of this climate, are mitigated by the ex-
treme temperance of their life, exercife, and
the purity of the air. Their only fuftenance
ebnfifts of milk, potatoes, fifh at certain
times of the year, and oatmeal made into a
houillie or cakes. Their beverage is pure
water ; and a few glafsfuFs of whiskey on

their

7^ tRAVELS THROUGH

their feflive days conftitutes their fliprem^
happinefs.

On enquiring fefpeftirig the age of their
oldeft men, Mr. M'Lean of Torloisk afiured
mfe, that a man of his acquaintance who re-
dded in the neighbourhood of Aros, had died
about feven years before at the advanced
age of one hundred and fixteen years, and
that there were feveral Uving above eighty;
among thofe, however, it ihould be re*
marked, who were in commodious circtim-
ftances.

The horfes of the ifland are of a Very di-
minitive race ; its black cattle are equally
fmall, but very delicate when fattened ; they
are generally exported to England, and they
form one of the principal revenues of the ifle
of Mull. There are alfo in it two kinds of
fhcep which I (hall foon defcribe, and a few
goats ; but there are no hogs, and only a few
fowls, owing to the difficulty of feeding
them. At Aros, in a houfe by the water-
fide, I faw fome geefe and ducks, and three
turkies ; but the heads of the latter were
pale, and I doubt whether they will thrive
there.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 79

The highefl; mountains produce deer,
though few in numb r, and of a fmaller fize
than the common kind. Heath-cock, of the
greater and leffer fpecies, are very plentiful •;
there are ahb fome wood-cocks, but- no
hares. The only fmall bird which I faw m.
my courle through it was, the ortolan.

The ifland is now denuded of trees, though
formerly it mufl have been covered with them.
This may be eafily feen by the turberies ;
on digging which to a certain depth, it
rarely happens that roots and ftumps of
beech, pine, and birch are not met with. It is
my opinion that were the proprietors to give
themfelves the trouble of planting evergreens
and birches, they would ftill thrive there. In
this opinion I am confirmed from a fmall
thicket which I faw at Achnacregs, on the
extremity of the ifle oppofite to that of Tor-
loifk.

The level country and the mountains are in
general covered with heath and fod.

The tides rife to a great height in this
part, and the fhores abound with fea wreck,
which has for fome time back been burnt for
its alkali, which fome of the merchants of
Glafgow come to purchafe. But this ufeful

objed:

So TRAVELS THROUGH

t>h]eS: of induftry is exclufively engrofied by
the lairds, or a few wealthy perfons. The
lea wreck, when frefh, is ufed with fuccefs
as a manure.

There are yearly exported from Mull about
fifteen hundred head of black cattle ; butj
from their fmall fize, they bring only about
three pounds fterling eachi

OF THE SHEEP OF SCOTLAND, PARTICULARLT
THOSE OF THE ISLE OF MULL.

I Ihall here give an account, in as few
words as poffible, of the information which
the beft local opportunities enabled me to
procure upon this fubjeft, with the intention
of being ufeful to thofe, who occupy them-
felves with this great branch of national
economy.

In the mountains of Scotland, and the He-
brides, there are only two kinds of fheep ;
the original race of the country, and a kind
which has been introduced from England,
and which is accordingly called Engli/Iijkeefi.

The wool of the former, or Scottifh fheep,
is much fuperior to that of the Englifh flieep>
and even approaches the Spanilh wool in fine-

nefs

feNGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 3 1

tl'sfs. But many people prefer the Englifli
kind becaiife they yield a fleece double that of
the Scottifli race, are fatter and fuller of flefh.
They accordingly fell at a much higher
price.

An Englifli flieep, in good condition, fells
upon the fpot, for half a guinea and often
twelve fliillings ; whilft a Scottifli one feldona
brings above (ix or feven fliilUngs.

The wool is fold here by a weight of
twenty-four pounds, denominated a ftone;
this quantity is generally valued at from fix
to fevcn fhi) lings. The pound contains fix->
teen ounces.

The flocks of fneep range the mountains
or valleys^ both night and day, fummer and
w^inter, without any flieltcr ; yet the extreme
wetnefs of the climate does not feem to do
them the leaft injury.

They never have any fodder during the
winter, not even when there is fnow ; but it
ihould be oblerved, that, in thefe ifles, though
in fo northern a latitude, the fnow does not
continue long on the ground. Bv a very
rare occurrence, in the winter of 178^, it re-
mained upon it about two months ; during
which time, the fheep fed upon the tops of a

VOL, II, G tail

Sa TRAVELS THROUGH

taU kind of broom which remained above
the fnow. The poor animals^ however,
fuifered feverely during that ^^' inter, and
"became very meagre. But a much greater
number of them died from accident, than
from want or difeafe ; and on the reappear-
ance of the grais they recruited very faft, and
fattened as ufual.

The rams are carefully feparated from the
ewes in the month of September, and are not
admitted among them again till the twentieth
of November, that the iambs may be yeaned
onlv HI the beft feafbn.

The ewe brings forth and takes care of
her lamb without any affiflance. The fhep-
herd, who, from time to time, vifits his nu-
merous flocks, to prevent them from ftraying
too far, or endangering themfelves amidfl the
(focky precipices, takes the number of the
young lambs, who loon run after their dams
and crop the new fprung herb.

In the third month after parturition the
lambs are taken away from their mothers,
being then ftrong enough to do without them,
and are formed into flocks which are put into
feparate enclofores, under the care of a.
keeper.

. When

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 8^

When the pafture grounds are contiguous and
of great extent, one man and two dogs are fuf-
ficient to keep fifteen hundred iheep. But
when the paftures are of inconfiderable ex-
tent, and it is neceflfary that they lliould feed
more regularly, a keeper and two dogs are
requifite for every eight hundred.

Nineteen or twenty rams are fufficient for
tiight hundred ewes. The keeper repairs
every evening to a cottage in the form of a
dwelling-houfe, ere«5led in the midft of the
pafture ground.

The only diforders to which the fiieep are
fubje(fi; here, are the pleurify, which happens
but fcldom, and the ftagge s, which turns
their heads to one lidcj and always ends in
their death. This difeafe is unfortunately
very frequent, and often attacks thofe which
appear to be the moft healthy *.

The

* This difeafe is the fame as that known in Tufcanv
by the name of P^zzz^. The animals afFeiled with it, and
which are called in F" ranee mcutons kuras, moutons imh cities^
waddle in their walk. Abbe P ontana, in a letter upon.
this fubjeft addrelTed to M. Darcet> and inferted in the
Journal de phyfique^ torn. i. page 227, 1784, fays, " it is
" very remarkable that the ftieep attacked by it, generally
*' fall on one fide, and that the veficle, which occafions it
'' is found to be in the lobe of the brain oppolke to the
" iidc on which they fall. This obfervation holds good
G 2 " .'n.

84 TRAVELS THROUGH

The Hebrldlans never give any fait to theii
iheep ; they are not however ignorant of its
good cffcd: ; but their flocks being very nu-
merous, and the fait, from government duties
and carriage, extremely dear, the expence
would be too great for their abilities. Were
it notfor this hindrance, the inhabitants would
undoubtedly uf: it for the fleecy race ; for they
are very fenfible that the cows and oxen,
who feed upon the herbs wafhed by the fea,
thrive -veil, become plump, and have a fleek
Ikin.

Here I ought to mention a cuftom ufed in
feveral parts of the north of Scotland, parti-
cularly in the lower dillridls, though it is not
pradifed in the Hebrides or more inland parts
of the Highlands, I mean that of fmearing
their fheep with tar.

" in all cafes ; and the animals conftantly fall on the fame
" fide." The celebrated phyfician oi-" Tufcany, from feveral
microfcopic experiments on the liquor contained in thefc
veficles or idatides in the brain of fheep, concludes, that
** the particles, which are fcen floating in that liquor, are
" real cnimalcules." This new and fmgular difcovery,,
fays that learned philofopber, <* may throw light on fome
" diforders of the human brain, and even on infanity ; fince
" veficles as large as a pea, and fometimes larger, have been
** found in the brains of perfons who have died of that ma-
" lady, which is fo terrible and humiliating to human v*«
*< nity," page 231 of the fame paper.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND S5

The owners of the numerous flocks of
thefe diftri6ls, where the winter is far fe-
verer than in the Hebrides, entertain an
opinion that the intenfe cold makes the Iheep
fcabby ; and as a fecurity againfl: this, they
make ufe of the following preiervative :

In the month of November each fhepherd
takes two barrels of tar and one barrel of
butter ; or a greater quantity of each, ac-
cording to the number of the flock, but al-
ways in the proportion of two-thirds- of tar
to one- third of butter. Thefe two fub-
flances are then boiled or melted together.;
and after being completely mixed and per-
mitted to cool, each flieep is tied up by the
feet, ftretched on a hurdle, and nibbed over
with the compofition. This operation is
performed by feparating the wool into thin
flakes that the tar may be applied to the
skin with as little injury as poffible to the
fleece.

According to the opinion of the fheep-
farmers of the country, two advantages refi^lt
from this pradlice. The firft is, the preferr-
ing of the cattle in a ftate of health ; the
feeond, that of making them yield a greater
G 3 quantity

86 TRAVELS THROUGH

quantity of wool. The moft wealthy fheep-
farmers, whom I had aa opportunity of con-
futing upon the rubjeift, afiured me, that the
fieece was certainly more abundant when the
flieep were tarred ; but they, at the fame time
flated, that it fells for nearly one- half lefs
than uhfmeared wool, being rendered a great
deal heavier than its real weight, by the dirt
xvhich adheres to the tar. The operation by
^hich the tar may be taken off, couiifts in
■foaking the fleece after it is fhorn in warm-
tC^a'ter, into which butter has been melted.
But this procefs muft be expenfive ; and the
wool never reaches the quality of its natural
ftate.

Five thouTand (heap reqivire twenty barrels
of tar, arid one-third that quantity of butter.
This expence appears at firfl: much more con-
siderable than it really is ; for, on dividing it
among five thoufand, it does not amount
to five fols a-head. Befides, this compofi«
tioH of butter and tar gives the fheep a
fet of artificial fat, which fupplies what the
^-igour of the climate deprives them of; and
if it tends "to keep thefe ivfeful -^nimals in
fetter health, and alfo to endr#afe the qoian-

ENGLAND AMD SCOTLAND. Sj

tity of their wool, however ridiculous, ex-
penflve .or difficult to thofe unaccuftomed to
it, the practice may at firfl appear, it is yet,
perhaps, worthy of profound attention and
examination on the part of thofe who are par«
ticularly interefted in this important Uranch
tif ecoiioinj\

6 4 CHAP-

88 TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER VI,

Departure from 'torloiJJc. — Stay at Aros.-^FiJit to
• two worthy ■ Farmers and Brothers^ the Stuarts of
Aros. — Excurfion to the Mountain of Benmore, the
highefi in the IJle of Mull. — Stop at Mr. Camp-
l^J's, of Knock. — His agricultural Operations.—^
Curious Lavas. — Departure from Aros for Achna-.
cregs.

I

WAS treated with fuch engaging marks
of politene/s and affe6lion by A.r. M*Leaii
and all his family, as well as by his vifitors,
that it was impoflible for me to leave them
without feeling a fentiment of gratitude and
regret. I fhould be happy to prove to thena
that they will never fade from my remem-
brance. This refpedable phi'ofopher kindly
accompanied us for feveral miles on our re-
turn.

During my flay at Mr. L*Lean's I took a
furvey of the volcanic hills in his vicinity,
and dire6led my refearches to the right and
left of his houfe, along a trad of coafl which
the waves have waflied into naked precipices

capable

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 89

capable of affording a complete view of the
ftrufture of fubftances formerly aded upon
by fubterraneous fire. I fliall give a defcrip-
tioii of them in the chapter appropriated to
the mineralogy of the ifle of Mull.

We fet off, mounted upon little half-wild
horfes, and on the fame day reached Afos.
Here we remained the whoie of next day in
a very uncomfortable lodging, where we
found only fome barley meal, which was
made into pottage for us with milk, a little
fmoke dried falmon, and a few Iheep-trotters ;
no wine nor beer ; but whiiky, which fcalded
our mouths, and, to crown all, our beds were
of the very worft kind. Our hoft, however,
was a good fort of man, and ufed every pof^
fible exertion for our accommodation. With
this we exprefled ourfelves fatisfied for the
prefent ; and he promifed to procure us fome
frefh fi{h bv the next mornins:.

Of thefe, two of my companions were
left to enjoy the benefit, for I had determined
myfelf to fet out with the firft dawn to vifit
the high mountain of Benmore, and William
Thornton, who now felt an increafed ardour
for the purfuits of Natural Hiftory, refolved
to accompany me.

There

^ TRAVELS THROUGH

There are not much more than three mileai
from Aros to Knock, along a pretty good
foad, which here and there prefents Ibme pic-»
turefque landfcapes, of an appearaaee, how-
ever, fome what wild.

On a meadow in the bottom of a narrow
valley, wafhed by the fea, we obferved one
ti thofe columns called Cmrns, of which,,
fram the ground being overflowed at the
time, I Was unable to procure the dimenfioi^s.
But as near as I could judge by the eye, it
might be about fourteen or fifteen feet in
height; and feemed to confill of grit ftone.
There is certainly Something aftoniihing in
the frequency of thefe ancient monuments
through the Hebrides and the main laiid of
Scotland. Popular tradition traces every one
of them back to the time of Offian, which is
merely to fay, that their origin has bee^n loft
m the lapfe of ages.

. The houfe of Mr. Campbel, of Knock* is
very agreeably fituated at the foot of a high
mwmtain, and not far from an arm of the
fea, very plentiful in iifh. Mr. Campbel was
gone at this time to Oban, but the miftreis
of the houfe received us in the mofl affable
panner, and treated us witii tea and rum.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 91

We requefted that fhe would procure us a
guide to dire6l our way to the top of Bfen^
more ; but her fon, a youth o£ leventcen or
eighteen years old, offered to accompany us
himfelf. This young man, who had a very
agreeable figure, and was drefled in the He-
bridian ftile, immediately prefented us with
fowling-pieces, faying, that he had excellent
dogs, and that we ihould certainly find fome
black-cocks ; for he had no conception that we
could wifh to climb fo rugged a mountain,
for any other purpofe than the pleafures of
the chace, which he paflionately loved him-
felf. He was, therefore, much furprifed
when I took out my hammers, and told him,
that I had come to examine the flones of the
place. On receiving that information, he
fhewed us immenfe heaps of them which had
been taken off a conliderable tra6t which his
father had cleared in the mldil: of fome lavas.
All thefe fiones, broken into fmall lumps,
were afterwards ufed to form enclofures to a
piece of ground which required much labour,
time and expence, to reclaim. A larger col-
ledlion of lavas is feldom met with than
this prefented. I Ihall prefently mention its
particulars.

As

92 TRAVELS THROUGK .

-As we intended to return to Aros In the
evening, we loft no time in beginning to
fcale the fteep fides of Ben mo re. In my tra-
vels among the high Alps I never experienced
fo much difficulty as in this ale en t. An al-
moft impenetrable heath, growing upon a
marfhy foil, covers the bafis, the middle and
the fummit of the mountain, which rifes in
the fliape of a fugar loaf. It is impoflible ta
.make any progrefs,but by following the fmall
gullies which the waters have worn, and walk-
ing in the very midft of the flender ftreams,
which occupy the bottom of thefe fteep and
narrow paths. . The black and bufhy heath
fpreads its gloomy veil over thofe ftones, which
.might intereft and repay the fatigues of the
naturalift. Not a fiiigle plant, nor fo much
as a tuft of mofs is to be (een, every thin-^ i&
here fmothered by its dcftru6li\'eprogrefs.

The ftones which the moft confiderable
gullies have uncovered, and thofe which have
been broken off by froft, are all volcanic. But
they prefent no variety ; all of them are
whitifli-grey lavas, flightly maculated" with
zeolite.

We had reached to a confiderable height,
when, wearied with feeing only the fame

lavas.

* ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 93

lavas, and meeting with no other plant than
the toilfome heath, whence ftarted' from time
to timelbme black-cocks, which young Camp-
bel brought to the ground with o-reat dex-
terity, I refolved to go no farther. But Wil-
liam Thornton braving every diiiicultyand de-
firous to gain the higheft fummit, proceeded
onward. The ftones which he brought down
with him afforded no variety. Upon the
whole . the mountain of Benmore, notwith-
ftanding its height, and a kind of refembiance
which it has at a'diftance to mount Vefuvius,
does not repay the trouble of afcending it. We
gladly returned therefore to reft ourfelves at
Knock, vv^here the lavas being much more
interefting, I made a colle6lion of fome ipe-
cimens. v We then took leave of young Camp-
bel and his mother, notwithftanding their
prefiing iblicitations to ftop, and proceeded
for Aros, where we were expe6ted.

It was determined that we ihould fet off for
Achnacregs at ten next morning. This was
a diftance of eighteen or twenty miles, which
we willingly performed by land, as we fhould
thus have an opportunity of examining that
part of the ifland,andat the fame time avoid the
navigation of the tempeftuous found of Mull ;

fox

§4 TRAVELS THROUGH

for from Achnacreg-s we could next morning
eafily reach Oban to breakfaft.

We left Aros at the appointed hour ; but
firft had the pleafure of breakfafting, by in-
vitation, with the Meffrs. Stuarts of Aros.

Thefe two gentlemen, who are brothers^
occupy a commodious habitation on a fmall
hill, which they have brought into cultivation,
and rendered produdive of paflurage, barley^
oats, and potatoes. In that modeft afylum,
free from care and difturbance, they pais
away their days with a happinefs which am-
bition has never tafted. Two intelligent and
induftrious fifters partake with thejii in the
management of their houfehold affairs. Here
they enjoy all the gentle delight of rural life 5
I fincerely wifli that they only lived under a
more favourable iky, and on a foil capable of
exercifing their agricultural tafle and talents
to more advantage.

We took leave of them at ten in the morn-
ing of the 29th of November.

A few^miles from Aros, near the water-
fide, we obferved the ruins of a catholic
chapel, where are ftill viiible a gothic bafTo-
relieyo in freeftone, rcprefenting the Virgin
Mary between two feraphims, and a large

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 95

grave-ftone which exhibits the effigy of a
warrior in complete armour, that is, with
helmet, bracelet, cuifhes, buckler, and fword.
One of our guides told us, that it was the
fisure of a hero of the clan of M Lean, Be-
fide this fcpulchral relic, we obierved another
reprefenting alfo in relievo, a woman of t^l
ftature, drefled in the gothic ftyle of the aa-
clent ladies of France. The name of the
place where we difcovered thefe ruins is Gal-
€haylt.

Thence we continued our courfe along- a
way, which might be called rather a path
than a road, to Lenigorn, Ardmitrail^ and
Corinakinijh, It muft not be fuppofed that
all thefe names indicate villages, or even
hamlets. Alas ! they are applied only to
fome huts, fcattered at diftant intervals amidil
thefe difmal deferts*

Every thing along this road is volcanic ;
but the compact homogeneous grey-coloured
lavas which it prefents, are not very intereft-
ing. They are belides fo thickly covered with
Tnofs or lichens, that it is necefTary to break
them before they can be diftinguifhed.

In the vicinity of Ledkirk^ however, I
* found fome hard compa(5t lava, difpofed in

flabs,

96 'TRAVELS THROUGH

flabs, which gave me confiderable pleafure*
This lava was of a white kind ; and at firfl
fight might be taken for a fine limeftone of
that colour. But on a more attentive exa-
mination, its vitreous appearance proves be-
yond doubt that it is merely a bafaitic lava
bleached by its contiguity to fome crater, or
by remaining long in a fluid inr.pregnated
with fome acid. Jt is remarkable that thefe
lavas have preferved their magnetic property*
I colleded fome fpecimens to compare them
with fome of the fame kind which I found
on Mount Mezinc, in Vivarais, and to thofe
of the extindt volcanos in the environs of
Padua, and of the Euganean mountains.

From Ledkirk we palled on to GarmonVi
and thence to Scallafdel^ leaving the little
fort of Duard on our left. On a green rifing
ground, near Scalla^del, we faw a druidical
circle, formed of very large pieces of rough
granite. We flopped for a moment to
examine this altar or temple ; but quitted it
haflily and with indignation, on reflecSting
that here the cruel priefls, of a ftill more cruel
religion, had, perhaps facrificed fome Iphi-
genia, thrown by a tempefl upon this new
Taurica,

■:^ p vv We

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 97

We arrived in the evening at Achnacregs.
This is the name of a fmall creek, where
there is only one houfe, wretched and fmoky,
of two ftorles however, and v/ith chimnies*
From its firfl appearance, it v.as difEcuIt to
know whether it v\'as a farm-houfe or an inn 5
we found that it was both the one and the
other. The arm of the fea which feparates
this part of the ifle of Mull from Oban, the
oppofite point of the main land of Scotland,
being of inconfiderable breadth, the paiTage
is much frequented for the tranfportatlon of
cattle ; and this houfe affords Ihelter to thofe
who are driven in by bad weather, or who
come to the ifland on commercial purfuits.
Our entertainment here was in the ftyle of
Hebridian frugality ; but, our landlord was a
good fort of man, very inquiiitive after news,
fomewhat of an antiquary, and had as much
veneration for Fingal and Oflian, as the Jews
have for Mofes.

A heavy rain detained us within doors
the whole of next day ; I employed the time,
therefore, in ticketing my fpecimens, and ar-
ranging my journal.

On the fucceeding day, the rain was not fo
thick and frequent^ but the fea was verv
boifterous. We made fosne excurfions in

VOL. II,

9'o TRAVELS THROUGH

the vicinity ; and about half a mile from our
lodging obferved a bank of lime-flone ad-
joining a bed of free-frone, and both of them
inclofed in a current of l?.va.

At a fhoft difiance fiom this bank, we
^ame to a large rough column of free-
ftone, lying flat on the ground, and broken
lit the middle. On meafuring, I found it to
lie twenty-one feet long. Our hoft, who
accompanied us at this time, did not fail to
excite our admiration of this ancient monu-
fiient. ** Never was there a perfon, except
*' Offian,"faidhe, "who could move this enor-
'* mous {lone. The operation of time, or per-
*' haps an earthquake has overthrown it, and
" now there is not one in the iiland who can
*' fet it up again.''

It rained all the mornins; of the followino;
day ; but towards the evening it became fair
for a little. Count Andreani, who began to be
weary of fo difmal a folitude, and fo bad a
lodging, refolved to take advantage of this
fhort interval, to crofs over to Oban,
where he fhould wait our arrival. The only
veffel which the place afforded, was a fmali
ildff, very badly equipped, and rowed by two
boys, of whom the eldefl was not more than
fourteen years. The wiiid was variable, and

the

England and Scotland. 99

the fea not very fmooth. In vain, however,
did I reprefent to him that it Were better to
wait till the next morning ; nothing could
prevail on him to f!:op. He fet off in the
ikiff, with his two fervants, at half part four,
telling us, that he fhould fleep in a good bed,
and eat a better fupper than we, at the houfe
of the brothers Stevenfon3,of Oban, where he
expc6led to arrive by feven the fame evening-

Lefs adventurous, though perhaps more
prudent, than Andreani, I perfuaded Wil-
liam Thornton to remain with me at Achna-
cregs, till the fea became more moderate-
After wifhing our friend a good paxTage, and
looking after him as far a,s we could fee him.
We flowly returned to our wretched and dreary
habitation. I wrote till eight ; we then flip-
ped, and I went to bed at ten.

The wind by this time increafed to a vio-
lent gale, accompanied with a great deal of
rain ; but I was nowife anxious refpedino- the
lituation of my companion, whom I imagined
fafe in Oban long before.

I had fcarcely fhut my eyes, however,
when a loud noife awaked me. I heard a rap-
ping and calling at the door ; I rofe, and after
informing the people of the houfe, who went
and opened it, we faw our poor friend An-
u 2 dreani

lOO TRAVELS TMROacH

dreaiii enter with his attendants, as completely
drenched, as if they had hccn repeatedly
plunged under water. They were over.aken
by a ftorm, when h df way over, and though
feveral times driven near to Oban, they were
unable to make the harbour. The night was
fo dark, tlat it w^as almoft inipofiible to know
where they were, and it was not without en-
counterina; the irreateft dangers, and in a
manner by mere chance, that they regained
the little haven of Achnacregs.

They were numbed with cold ; our fn-ft
care, therefore, was to warm them. A large
fire was lighted, rum and tea were given them
to drink, and every pofhble means were taken
to recover them. Count Andreani was him-
felf the hrft to laugh at his adventure ; but
his two fervants, who had never before tra-
velled beyond the fertile and fmiling fields of
Italy, and who, therefore, felt fomewhat auk-
ward in their prefent fitiiation, were not fo
merrily difpofed. They were fo deeply im-
prefTed with the dangers and frightful ap-
pearance of a ftormy fea, amidft: the darkuefs
of night, that, returning a thoufand thanks
to the Blefled Virgin, wdio had heard their in-
vocation and brought them fafe to land, they
raifed their hands to heaven, and fwore, that

they

ENGI.A^D AND SCOTLAND. lOI

they would never again leave the ifland,
barren as it was. " We fhoiild prefer," faid
they, " to crop the herbs in this place, to
" expolmg onrfehes, a fecond time, to the
*' fury of that aboininable lea.'* They then
muttered their aifpleaiare at their maimer's
. mprudence and folly, in coming to vifit the
:nofl: deteftable country in the world. Their
pantomimic geftures, the expreffion of their
:ountenances, and the ferious tone of their'
lamentations, entertained me with a fcene
:ruly cOmic.

Repofe during the remaining part of the
night, and the appearance of a fine morning,
partly effaced the impreffions of the preceding
evening. The fea, however, was not yet
navigable ; and the beft means of diffipating
tedium was to betake myfelf to aiSlive em-
ployment.

At iun-rife, therefore, I made one of thofe
excurfions from which there is always de-
rived fome benefit, either for inftru6lion or
health, and in which I always find my ad-
vantage, in whatever country 1 may travel.

A vaft black rock, perfectly peipendicular,

and almoft infulated, forced itfelf upon my

attention, ever fince mj arrival at Achna-

H 3 cregs^

■102 TRAVELS THROUGH

cregs. I conjedured that it might be a ba-
faltic colonade, and I wiflied to afcertain the
truth of this conjedure. After walking about
a mile and a quarter, I arrived at the foot of
one ^f the moft aftonifliing produdlions of
volcanic combuftioii that I ever had an op-
portunity of obferving.

It prefented the appearance of an ancient
circus, formed of natural walls of bafaltes^
rifing perpendicularly with fo regular a con-
fer u6Hon, that at firfi: view, the fpeclator
cannot avoid thinking it to be the production
of human induftry and art. But the utmoft
ftretch of human force, heightened by all the
aid of the mechanic powers, could never
have been capable of elevating fuch enormous
maffes. The Vv^hole muft be regarded as the
effed of a vafl: combuftion, which, inflead of
deftroying, has here produced appearances
analogous to thofe of a creatine power.

This grand natural monument excited a
jufl admiration and even enthuiiafm in my
mind. I fpent two hours in viewing, fludying,
and obferving it over again in different points
of view, and I was ftill unwearied of gazing
upon it. I went in queft of my companions,
who were tranfported v.dth no lefs admira-
tion than myfeif at the light of thele vaft

bafaltic

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. lOj

b'4ialtic waUs, ftanding alone, and riling in a
bold and perpendicular fabrick around a cir^
cular fpace, which prefented an arena thaf
would have been well adapted to the games of
the ancients.

It is no lefs 'remarkable, that the accefTory
parts of this fingular produftion of fubter-
raneous fire feem to have bfeen placed in the
vicinitv, as if with the defim of furnifhino; a
key to the problem of its forniation.

I meaiured, with the moft fcrivifulous at-
tention, the height and thicknefs of the walls,
and the diameter of the circular enclofure.

On the 6th day,^ vifited it once more.
In the afternoon of that day, the weather be-
ginning to alTume a more fettled appearance.
Count Andreani laid, that he was refolved to
try his fortune a fecond time, and that he
fliould fet off at four o'clock ; which he ac<
cordingly did. The vvind was at this time
favourable, and as the ikifF could not carry
us all, we fuffered him to proceed, promifing,
that we fhould fpeedily follow him.

He fent back the boat, during the night,
with a fupply of eatables, for our cheer had
been but very poor and fcanty for fome days
before, having exhaufted almofl the whole
ilock of Achna,cregs.

H 4 This

T04 TRAVELS THROUGH

This fupply was extremely ufeful, as the
florm returned by the next morning, and the
fea ran too high for us to trufl ourfelves upon
it in fb frail a vehicle. I employed the time
in new excurdons, and in arranging my notes,
particularly thofe which related to the m.ine-
ralogical hiftory of the ifle of Mull. Thefe
I have thrown into a feparate feftion, that
fuch of my readers as are interefted in that
fcience may find the obje6ls which refer to
it, united under one head, and that thofe to
whom the fubje6l rr^say be indifferent or tire-
fbme, may ealily pafs it over. It may not be
improper to mention a fecond time, that this
is my ordinary mode of proceeding.

At length, on the evening of the 6th of
Oftober, whicli was the eighth of our con-
finement, a bark havins; come in to Ach-
pacregs with a cargo of beeves, which was
to return on the morrow, we refolved to em-
brace the opportunity of a paflage in her ; we
accordingly embarked at fix next morning,
not for Oban, but for the ifle of Kerrera,
where we landed at eidit. We walked along:
the ifle, which is very fmall, and at its ex-
tremity found a boat, which conveyed us in
lefs than one hour to Oban, where our friend
AndreanimofI; impatientlyexpeded our arrival,

CHAP.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 105

CHAPTER VII.

Natural Hijlory of the Ijland of Mull

X HIS ifland, which is one of the largeft
of the Hebrides, is not more than from
twenty to twenty-two miles in length, and
fifteen or fixteen in breadth ; but being of a
very irregular form, it may be flated at eighty
miles in circumference at lead.

I fhall proceed to defcribe the parts which
I vifited, in the order of my journey. Thofc
who would wifh to explore the ifland in the
fame purfuit, by difembarking at Achnacregs,
coming back to Aros, and travelling along the
left bank of the found of Mull, will trace my
itinerary by commencing where I finifh-
ed it.

AROS,

1C06 TRAVELS THROUGH

A R O S.

ROAD FROM AROS TO TORLOISK.

Columns of Bajaltes,, Lavas, compaEf, black, grejy
reddiJJj, intermixed zvith Globules of white Zeolite^
Blocks of rounded Granite on the Summit of Joins
hajakic Mountains.

The ancient cafhle of Aros, once the reii^
dence of the famous McDonald of the Ifles,
now prefents nothing more than a ruin. Its
remains ftand on a fmall colonade of bafaltes
by the brink s^i the fea, and on the right fide
of the entrance of the fmall bay of Aros,

The river of Aros, which might with more
propriety be called as a pretty large brook,
takes its rife from a marfhy trad, about the
middle of the iiland. From its iource to its
mouth it runs on a compa6b lava, which va-
ries ill colour from a deep black to grey and
reddifli. This lava is in general durable and
compad ; fome beds of it, however, are
found of a gravelly and friable texture.

Thefe compact: lavas contain, in general, fb
great a. quantity of knobs of white zeolite,
that this lad matter may be faid to form nearly
one-third of the weight of the lava.

The zeolite is found here in a globular
form, and in general about the bignefs of a

pea.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. loy

pea. Some of the globules are radiated ; but
they are mqre frequently cryilalized in a con^
fnfed mrinner, and without any determinate
form. I found nothino- of this kind fujffi^

o

ciently interefling for the cabinet of the na-
turalift, from Aros to Torloisk. The reafon
was obvious. Every thing was fo covered
with mofs, lichens and heath, that I was forced
to confine my refearches to the bed of the
fmall river, and to feme gullies conne£led
with it, where the rock was fomewhat ex-
pofed.

As we drew near to Torloisk, at the dif-
tance of about three miles from the caftle, we
came to fome mountains entirely volcanic,
and at leafl: two hundred and fifty toifes high.
It excited my aftonifliment as I pafTed along
their (limmit to obferve fome large blocks of
granite, rolled and partly rounded, detached
from each other, and refting on the volcanic
matter, to which, however, they do not adhere,
having been evidently tranfported hither by
the effe6l of Ibme convulfion. For adventi-
tious bodies of that kind, and of fb sreat
bulk, found on mountains and in an ifland
where there is no fohd rock of granite, muft
have been depofited here by fome very power-
ful revolution,

Thefc

Io8 TRAVELS THROUGH

Thefc lumps of granite ir?y have been
eje<5led from granitic quarries, which perhaps
exifted at great depths under thefe ancient
volcanos, by the explolions which took place
at the epoch when extenfive combuftions de-
vaftated thefe countries, and foriiied groups of
iflands which appear to have the fame origin.

It is beiides within the verge of pofTibilitv,
that thofe parts of the mountains where they
are n.^w fuund, were not at tliat period ele-
vated fummits, but rather formed pa^-t of the
bottom of thefea ; and that thefe granitic blocks
were rolled from a diftance by the currents.
It is poffible, that circumftances of fiib-
terraneous explofion, equally terrible with
thofe which formed the ifle of Santorini, in
the Archipelago, or Montenove, in Italy,
may have raifed up the bottom of the fea into
volcanic peaks ; or, if it fhould appear more
plaufible to fome, we may refer to a period
when mountains ftill higher were entirely
covered with the fea ; a hdc, which cannot
be doubted, fince marine bodies arc found
in great abundance in beds of lime-ftone or
clay, fituated on the Alps or Apennines, at a
height three or four times greater. But thefub-
jed would require illuftrations,which the nature
of this work does not permit me to enter into.

TOR<

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 109

TORLOISK.

Black BafaJteSy with and without Zeolite ; altered
Laxja, ivhich has loft its Hardnefs end its Colour y
Bafaltes calcined on the Surface of a Blood-red
Colour^ and having the Appearance of a clayey
Bole.

At a little diftance from Mr. M'Lean's
houfe, near the road leading to the fea on the
fide oi Rilnynen, is an extent of rugged fteep
rocks bounding the coaft, which are beat
upon by the waves and by frequent rains.
They are eaiily obferved along the whole of
that part of the coafl:, being entirely bare.

This craggy trad which pctends as far as
Loch-mar i^ is compofed of different currents
of bafaltic lava, of a deep black colour. Se-
veral of thefe ftreams are formed of irregular
mafies, others of tables, and fome have af-
fumed a prifmatic form. Here I found fome
pretty large fpecimens of fine zeolite, feveral
of which were cryftallized into cube?, fome
had the appearance of diverging rays, and
others were a little calcedonious. They are
in general very white, but there are fome
* which

tlO TRAVELS THROUGH

which have become fallow from the deconi-
pofition of their iron, and feveral alfo have a
a light greenifh tint. They are moil; fre-
quently feen in large lumps buried in the lava ;
but thofe which have adopted the cubical
form, are often found in the filTures which
feparate the different ftreams of lava.

The traveller flionld not omit vifiting oil
the oppofite quarter, that is, towards the path
on his left as he proceeds from Mr. M'Lean's
houfe to the fhore, a quarry, out of v/hich all
the ftoncs of his buildings have been taken.
Here there are found feveral lavas which are
Worthy of attention. They may be obferved
with the fame facility as the preceding; the
interior of the volcanic eminence being com-
pletely expofed to view by digging away the
ilones.

The upper beds of the quarry are formed
of a black hard compact lava, containing fome
globules of white zeolite.

Thofe immediately below, having been
probably a6led upon by the fulphurous acid,
have loft a part of their colour and their hard-
nefs. They are grey, whitifh, and moft fre-
quently of the colour of iron ruft. The zeo-
lite which is found buried in it, has preferved

its

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 1 1

lis forms and chymical properties, but has not*
withftanding affumed various tints.

Other beds, ftill lower, have fuftained a
more confiderable and different kind of alter-
ation ; they are of a bright red, and contain,
as vi^ell as the lavas over them, fome globules
of zeolite, unaltered with refped to their
principles, but fofter and a little coloured.
The lava itfelf has loft its hardnefs.

The lavas of this quarry, though of the
fame texture and compofition, have under-
gone different modifications, as well from the
exhalations which rife from this burnt foil,
as from the adion and elfe«£Vs of long conti-
nued fire.

The different craters afford a confl:ant and
remarkable example of the aftive operation
of the vapours, not only on the colours, but
alfo on the grain and hardnefs of the lavas
which they decompofe, and form into new
combinations of gypfum, iron, allum, ful-
phur, ^c. I have proofs, likewife, that the
long continued application of fire, will, in
certain circumftances, transform the hardeft
and blackeft lavas, bafaltes for example, into
a ftate of red calx, if I may ufe that expref-
iion»

" Thefe

il2 TRAVELS THROUGH

Thefe fuperficially calcined lavas in loiing
their firft colour, lofe alfo the elements of
their hardnefs ; and there are circnmflances
in which they become foft and foapy to the
touch like fat clays. I have defcribed a va-
riety of this kind in my Mineralogy ofVoU
canos, page 395, No. 10.

It is, thereforcj of elTential importance to
difHnguifli accurately the tivo kinds of alter-
ation which I have mentioned, and of which
the one is owing to the a61:ion of acids, and
the other to that of long applied heat. Thus
the black lavas which compofe the firft beds
of the volcanic quarry of Torloisk are nowife
altered. Thofe which fucceed them, and
which are grey and whitifh, feem to have
been difcoloured and altered by acid vapours ;
v/hilft the deepeft ftrata, in which the lava
is of a blood- red colour and friable texture,
appear to derive that modification folely
from the long continued adion of fire, and a
real calcination of the furface. In this cafe
the fire has not been flifliciently violent to
change the lava into a vitreous fubftance ; but
its prolonged operation has difunited its parts,
and rufted and oxidified its ferruginous par-
ticles, which have changed to a red colour,
like that of the calx of lead, which a very

violene

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. II3

Violent and long applied heat, converts into
the mofl: beantiful minium. The globular
zeolite which is found in the upper as
well lower ftrata of the quarry of Tor-
loisk, that is, in the black, grey or whitifh
lavas, is the fame. It is the fame alfo in
the deepeft beds, where the lava is more al-
tered and has become red. This zeolite
differs from that of the other beds only in
being a little fofter ; but the difference is not
v-ery perceptible.

What has happened here as to the zeolite's,
has taken place alfo with refpedl to pointed
fchorl in a lava of Chenavari in Vivarais.
The black fchorl remains almoil untouched
in the midfl of a lava altered and turned to a
red colour by tJie continued action of a ftrong
fire, but which has not been able to vitrify
it*.

I have

* The following is the paflage of the Mineralogy of Vol-
canos:-"^^ Argillaceous bafaltes of a blood red, with fpecks
" of black fchorl in the moft excellent prefervation,
*' though the lava itfelf is changed completely into an
** argillaceous matter foft and foapy." — Mineralogy off^ol'
frt«oj, page 395, No. 10, in 8vo. Paris, 1784.

I ought to add here, that in faying, that the lava had
changed into an argillaceous matter, I did not mean that
it had pafled into the ftate of re«l clay. My intention was

VOL, II. I merely

114- TRAVELS THROUGH

I have quoted in the- fame work, which I
publlfhed in 1784, on the Mineralogy of Vol^
canos, a daily example of this fuperlicial cal-
cirmt'ion cffe6i:ed by art. In Vivarais, and
alfo on the other bank of the Rhone, lime-
kilns are conftruded with their interior lining
of very black nnd ha^d bafaltic lava. The
pit-coal few el, with which thefe kilns are con-
tinually fupplied, foon vitrifies the whole of
the inner llirface, which then runs into one
piece. But as the vitrification does not peiie-
trate above four or five lines in the blocks
of lava, which are feveral ffeet thick, the part
in immediate contact with it, being expofed
to a lefs decree of heit, pafles at length into
a ftate of calcination. Its colour becomes
red, its hardnefs is deftroyed, ^nd when the

merely to ftate that the lava thus altered had put on the
exterior appearance of clays ; that is, that it was tender,
earthy, and foft to the touch. I am the more defirous to
explain myfelf upon this fubje^t, becaufe feveral natural-
iftsv who have written upon volcanos, have taken thefe
fubftances for real clays, regarding them not merely as
earthified lavas, but as embodied clays burnt by fubterra-
neous files. In thf'fe cafes, however, the fchorls, cryfo-
lites, zeolites, and even pieces of porous lava which are
found in it, remove every doubt refpeding the identity of
thefe altered lavas with thofc which join or cover them,
or lie in alternate order with others, and which are per-
fectly found,

kilns

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. iI5

kilns are taken down or repaired, it is eafy to
obferve through the thicknefs of the lava, the
gradual a6lion exerted by a heat lb violent
and long continued. The reader v/ill excufc
this digreffion, which is by no means foreign
to the fubje(5l.

KNOCK.

MOUNTAIN OF BENMORE, THREE MILES FROM
AROS.

Lavas in Slabs, prifms, and irregular Majjes^ hard,
found, compatl ; internally of a blackijh grey, ex-
ternally of a dull white -, decompofed to the Depth
of four or five Lines, and exhibiting the primitive
Elements of their Compofition j in fame of them
me found Globules and Dots ofzvhite Zeolite.

In mentioning the mountain of Benmore,
I faid that it was covered with heath fo thick
as hardly to permit me to difcover the lava of
which it is compofed. But on paffing through
feveral hollows formed by the water which
runs down its fides, I obferved only one kind
of lava, which is grey, hard, compad, and
I 2 inter-

1 1 6" TRAVELS THROUGH

intermixed with feveral globules of zeolite.
I carefally examined feveral of thefe chafms
from the bottom to the top of the mountain,
and no where did I meet with any other kind
of lava. But, as the way was verv difficult, I
was able to vifit the north fide only of this
volcanic peak. I therefore invite thofe na-
turalifts who may follow me in the fime jour-
ney, to attempt the fouth llde of the moun-
tain, to difcover whether the lavas there be
equally homogeneous.

Knock is the name of the refidence of Mr.
Campbel ; and to diftinguifh him from other
perfons of the fam.e clan, he is defcribed by
the appellation of Campbel of Knock.

His houfe, fituated on an eminence, at the
foot of Benmore, has a view on one fide of
a delightful valley, covered with flocks, and,
on the other, of a fine loch or arm of the fea,
navigable, rich in fi(h, and vifited by the her-
ring at the time of their migration.

A confiderable trad which he has cleared
inthcmidft of the lavas, to obtain the fmall
quantity of foil produced by their decompo-
fition, mufl have required a labour which
nothing but the moft inflexible conftancy,
, fupported by the hope of fertilizing and em-

bellilhins:

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND II7

bellifliing the place of his habitation, could
have been capable of furmonnting.

This vaft undertaking produced confider-
able quantities of volcanic ftones, broken,
fpht, and cut in various directions ; from
which the ground is cleared by forming them
into dry v^alls of great extent and propor-
tionate thicknefs. Thefe enclofures, which
are very numerous, prelent to the naturalifl: a
moft agreeable field of obfe'^vation. The
lavas are compa6l, and of a black or rather
deep grey colour approaching black. They
are frequently difpofed in tables, fometimes
in prifms, and at other times in irregular
mafTes. Their fra6lure prefents a parte of a
homogeneous appearance, of a grain comp?6l,
fmooth and fufceptible, of a fine polifli. But
a peculiar alteration obfervable on its furface,
and which has penetrated a few lines into its
interior, merits all the attention of the na-
turahft, and renders this kind of lavas very
interefting.

This alteration, operated by time, or rather
by the different modifications of the air upon
the lavas, has difcovered their conftituent
principles. It may be regarded as a fort of
natural difle^tion, which, by deftroying cer-
I 3 ' tain

!lS TRAVELS THROUGH

tain parts, has expofed to view thofe which
would otherwife remain concealed, and
which no chymical anal)'fis could have ever
brought to light. This requires a more par-
ticular explanation ; which I proceed to give,
with a fpecimen in my hand, that thofe who
may have occafion to obferve fimilar lavas,
which are very common in the ancient ex-
tinfl volcanos of Fi ance, may be better able
to corred my errors, if they ftall be of opi-
nion that I have commJtted any, or make ufe
with me of a m.eans whi<:h may fometimes
difcover to what {lone a particular lava be-
longed before its fufion.

The lavas in queftion I repeat, appear on
being broken, of a hard compact texture, and
ef a dark grey colour, approaching to black.
Tie particles feem well amalgamated and
homogeneous ; nor does the microfcope even
difcover any difference between them.

If we proceed to the. examination of their
exterior parts, we find their furface grained,
unequal, and rugged to the touch, and exhi-
biting cryftals and plates of felt fpar, jutting
points of black fchorl, fixed often in the
felt fpar itfelf, and both the one and the other
ftirrounded with fmall cavities, by which

they

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. II9

they are completely infulated, and which
prove that the particles, amidfl which the
felt fpar and fchorl v/ere inclofed, have beeiv
deftroyed.

The white cryftals of felt fpar are flightly
touched with a reddifh tint ; which is a little
deeper in the interftices where it has been
more difficult for the rain-water to infinuate
itfelf, and to wafh away the ochreous par-
ticles produced by the decompofition of iron.

The naturalift, moil: experienced in litho-
logy, on feeing their decompofed furface,
cannot avoid regarding them, at firfl view, as
real granites. He does not find himfelf em-
barraffed, until he examines their fraifi-urQ
and their interior texture, and efpecially
until he prefents to the magnet the unal-
tered part which attra61s it as fliongly as
bafaltic lava of the richefl: iron ore ; whilft
the exterior crufl: has no impreifion upon it.

It thence refults, that the iron which forms
one of the conftituent principles of this lava,
has fuftained a complete change of its natural
properties, in which it has been accompanied
with the earthy particles which were com-
bined or united with it.

I 4 - This

120 TRAVELS THROUGH

This connexion being deftroyed, the flib-
fiances which eicaped decompoiition, fu.ch as.
felt fpar, fchorl, and leveral fmall pieces of
quartz have been exhibited to view ; fo that
on removing the covering under which they
are concealed, it is not very difficult to dif-
cover their organization.

Their original ftate appears, therefore, to
have been that of a granitic or porphyric
f ock. The naturalift will more ready decide
in favour of the latter, from the coniidera-
tion that the bails of real porphyric is in general
petrofilex, Vv'hicih^ whatever be its hardnels
or its cc)]' ■ r, is ibmetimes found decom-
pofed naturally in the open air, and is alfo
capable of being aded upon by fulphurous
acid vapours.

But to be affured that this lava owes its
cxiftence to a porphyric fubftance, with a
bafis of petrofilex, nothing elfe is required
than to fufe with the blow-pipe a fmall frag-
ment of the foundeft part, that is, the part
which has preferved its hardnefs and its black
colour, and the refult will foon appear to be
a white enamel, which is a charafteriftic
mark of petrofilices ; whereas the lava with
a horn-ftone bafis produces a fine enamel of a

dee^

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 121

deep black colour. My learned friend, Deo-
dat Dolomieii, has fufficiently eftablifhed that
diflinftion in his excellent memoirs.

Similar lavas are found at the foot of Mount
Mezinc, in the Vivarais, near Pui, in Velai,
on the Euganean mountains, and in the
iiles of Ponces.

It always prefents itfelf as a fubjc£l of aflo-
nifhm.ent, on examining certain lavas, that
fubterraneous fires fliould have melted into a
ftream, fldnes which now appear of the
hardefl: confiftence, and that ^^'ith fcarcely
any change in their primitive organization.

LEDIRKILL.

ROAD FROM AR03 TO ACHNACREGS.

White compaEi Lavas which have preferved their
hardncjs.

On the road to Ledirkill, I obferved fomc
hard compaft and very white lavas. They
do not appear to have undergone any altera-
tion, either fpontaneoufly, or by means of
emanations of gas. Their texture is pretty
homogeneous ; but the particles are a little

fcaly.

122 TRAVELS THROUGH

fcaly, and bear a refemWance to thofe of a
certain felt fpar.

Their white colour does not feem to an-
nounce the prefence of iron* But one would
be led into an error by trufting to their firft
appearance ; for they have a very fenfiblc
adlion on the loadftone. There are fome
white mines of very rich ipathofe iron, of
which the colour does not exhibit the leaft
indication.

The white lavas of Ledirkill have fome re-
femblance to ftones of tolfa with this differ-
ence, that the btter are nowife magnetic,
and that the former produce no allum.

I am therefore induced to confider the
lavas of Ledirkill, as naturally white, and as
deriving their exigence from'ftoncs of the
fame nature as thofe with a petrofiliceous bafe,
or a bafe of felt fpar in one mafs *.

ACHNA-

* Deodat Dolomieii, who has fo u-ell obferved the dif-
ferent caufes which tend to decompofe or difcolour lavas,
thinks with me, that there are fome of them naturally
white. *' There are a number of lavas," fays this learned
mineralogift, " of a white or whitifli colour, which have
*' never been attacked by vapours, and which have not
««fulhined the leaft alteration. This is proved by local
« circumltances, by the hardnefs, and the perfeft prcfer-
« vatioii of the felt fpar and the micas which they contain.
»' 1 could inftance a vaft number of lavas which are na-

« tually

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 23

ACHNACREGS.

Beds of Lime-fione, hetimen two Banks of Free-
done^ in the midfi of the LavaSy and liJitb Belem-
n/tes in the Lime-fone.

About half a mile from x'\chnacregs, and at
no great diflance from the proflrate coluinii
which I have mentiojied, aad which the in-
habitants regard as the work of Offian, there
is by the fea-fide a craggy ridge, upon which
the waves beat with fo much fury, that they
have torn the volcanic rock in feveral di-
re6tions.

By inceflantly attacking this natural mound,
for fo many ages, the waves have brought to
view a bed of lirae-ftone, that formerly lay-
buried under a current of black bafaltic lava,
of which the whole coafl: is formed. This
bed, which is at a medium, abont fifteen feet
broad, is completely uncovered for a fpace of
at leaft twenty toifes in length at low water ;
and lofes itfelf in the mafs of lavas which rife
into hills as they recede from the coaft.

*' turally white ; fuch are thofe of the Euganean moun-
*' tains near Padua, named granitello^ feveral lavas of ^tna,
" Germany, 8cc." Memoirs on the iflands of Ponces,
by Deodat Dolomieu, Paris, Archet, 1788, in 8vo. p. 37.

The

124 TRAVELS THROUGH

The lime-f)"one is grey, hard, and brittle.
It is not vt-ry pure, being mixed with a fmall
quantity of argillaceous earch ; it is good,
however, for making lime. I found fome
belemnites in it, the Icrguft of which were
five inches in length, and an inch and a half
in circumference towards the bafe.

This calcareous ftratum does not adhere
diredtly to the bafaltic lava. There is an in-
termedium of two pretty thick beds of quart-
zofe free-ftone with large grains, united by a
cement pariiy c:-Ldreuus. it is to thefe that
the lava adhere«= ; and had not the free-ftonc
been uncovered by the daily and violent
action of the fea, it would never have been
imagined that there exifted under thefe enor-
mous maffes of bafaltic lava, a layer of cal-
careous matter, inclofed itfelf between twa
beds of free-flone *.

' * In the i6othand following pages of my Mineralogy
of Volcanos, I have mentioned fome analogous, but much
more remarkable appearances, which I obferved m the
mountains of Chamarelle in Vivarais, near Villensuve de
Bery, where there are beds of lime-ftone and bafaltic lavas
placed in alternate fuccefiion, and where belemnites are
found in the lime-ftone, as in that of Achnacregs In that
work I have ftated my conjedturcs^ refpeiting the manner
in which thefe different beds might have been formed at
the remote period when every part of the ocean was agi-
tated by volcanos*

Grand

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND, I 25

Grand natural hajaltic Wall reJemUing an ancient
Circus.

To the north of ''-<:hnacregs, on the right
fide of the road from the houfe, and about
fix hundred toifes diftant from it, we obferved,
clofe by the fea, a natural platform of a femi-
circular ihape, fituated on an eminence which
rifes about a hundred and fifty feet above the
level of the water, and which is entirely Com-
pofed of black lavas of a bafaltic nature.
This fmall plain, which has a gentle flope, is
bounded on the fouth by a perpendicular vol-
canic cliff".

A vaft detached wall lines a portion of the
circle, formed by a bafaltic rock which rifes
in the oppofite quarter, and there thence re-
fults a kind of antique circus that fills one
with aftonilhment at the firft glance, and
gives this fingular place the appearance of a
ruin as extraordinary as pidurefque.

The obje6:s affume a new chara6ler of
grandeur in proportion as they are approach-
ed ; and the pidure becomes more ftriking
when the height of the wall and its aftonifh-
ing regularity are viewed from a near fitua-
tion.

At

126 TRAVELS THROUGH

At firft, one is loft in confidering how, or
from what motive, human beings Ihould have
raifed, in a place fo remote and defert, a mo-
nument prefenting the image of a Roman
circus.

The farther the obferver advances, the more
ilirprifing does this kind of arena become. A
large angular breach in the midft of the wall
permits the eye to diibover the interior of
this antique ruin. On approaching the
opening he feels a lively curiolity inter-
mixed with uncertainty, relpeding the na-
ture of the objed prefented to his view. Such at
ieaft were the fenfations that my companions
and myielf experienced the iirft time that we
went to fee this remarkable place, which we
conceived, even when quite clofe to it, to be
a -monument of art.

There is nothing here, however, but the
work of nature, and one of the moft extraor-
dinary produ6lions of fubterraneous combuf-
tion ; no lefs aftonifhing, perhaps, in its kind,
than that which gave exiftence to the cave of
Fin gal.

I have mentioned, that a rock of black ba-
laltes, cut perpendicularly down, and de-
fsribing a natural fegment of a circle, forms

the

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 27

the bottom of the ch-cus. A vaft wall, per-
fectly upright, forms the remainder of the
inclofure.

This wonderful wall engroffed all our at-
tention. It is eighty-nine feet long, perfectly
ftraight, and compofed entirely of prifms of
black bafaltes, of equal length, and placed
horizontally above each other ; that is, all
thefe prifms, which are in good prefervation,
and pretty equal, laid one upon another, form
the thicknefs of this wall which is detached
on both fides. Its facings are pretty even, and
it ftands ere£t without any buttrefs, though
it exceeds twenty-five feet in height. It is
connected, at its northern entremity only,
wdth a projecting part of the volcanic rock
which forms the circular bottom of the am-
phitheatre.

The breach in the middle of the wall is
fourteen feet four inches wide at bottom,
that is, even with the ground, and forty feet
at the top. It forms a large obtufe angle, and
give a very pi6turefque appearance of a ruin
to the whole of the circus. This opening is
probably the efFe6l of an earthquake. I
counted about forty prifms within the wall
which feemed to have belonged to it, and

about

X28 TRAVELS THROUGH

about thirty-nine without. But thefe are no*
thing to what would be llill neceffary to fill
it up; and it is not very probable that any
perfbn carried them away. The fea is at pre-
fent a hundred feet diftant from the wall, and
forty feet lower than it. It is poffible, how-
ever, that the waves may have beat out tiic
part at fome very remote period, and carried
off the greater portion of the materials which
are wanting. This conjedure, will perhaps,
appear more probable than the firft, when I
Ihall have defcribed other objedls in the vi-
cinity of the wall, which are well fitted to
throw fome light on the theory of its forma-
tion. I fhall Ihortly return to this fubjed. •

Nothing is better calculated to convey an
idea of this bafaltic wall than the manner in
which the wood for firing is arranged in
the wood-yards of Paris. It is well known
that thefe pieces are all of the fame lengthy
and that they are piled up horizontally above
each other. I do not mean thofe enormous
piles which over top the houfes, and form vaft
mafTes of wood ; becaufe, in that cafe, the pieces
are placed longitudinally and crofTwife alter-
nately, but I mean thofe kinds of walls: the
thicknefs of which confift of the length of a

finglc

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 12^

fingle piece, and which are carried only to
the height often or twelve feet^ that the wood
may be more at hand for daily file.

I am obliged to ufe this trivial comparifon,
in order to make myfelf better underftood. It
is not eafy to be perfpicuous, and at the fam6
time to avoid fatiguing the reader with details
too minute or imperfedly exprefled^ when it
is neceffary to defcribe objects which Nature
feems to have produced in her capricious mo-
ments, to embarrafs us with aberrations of
which fhe exhibits a few examples only.

I am fully confcious of my inability to ex*
prcfs all that I faw, or all that I felt, on feeino-
the volcanic circus in the vicinity of Achna^
cregs. I therefore entreat the mofi: ample
indulgence with refpedl to what I have al-
ready faid, and what I have yet to obfei-ve.

The height of the great wall is twenty-
five feet ten inches, its thicknefs fevea feet
ten inches, and the prifms^ of which it is com-
pofed, are confequently of the lame length.

The prifms are pentagonal, hexagonal and
feven lided. A very few are quadrangular ;
but the moft common are the pentagonal and
hexagonal. They are black, hard, found in
their fradure, and magnetic.

VOL. ji. K The

13^ TRAVELS THROUGH

The drik eight couries of the upper part of
the wall are formed of priliTis of the fame
ihape mid iize, in excellent prefervatioii , aiici
placed horizantally one above another with-
oytany adhefion ; that is, they mi<^ht be eafily
taifed one after another. But they lie fo clofe
upon each other that there is no vacancy be*
tween. thern except merely the lines of fepara-
tion which deime the prifms, and give the
faCiBgs of this finguiar wall a refeniblance to
mosaic wwk.

The priliiis which fucceed the firft eight
cowries are like-svife of the fame mould ; but
they are cut traniVerfely in fome parts, either
from the iiaturai effed of coiitraclion at the
time of the lava*s cooling, or from the weight
of the incumbent mals at a period long fub-
fequent to their formation.

The wall commences towards the weft,
where it fupposts itfelf againft a rock of lava.
It then takes a fouth-eail: diredion, and turn-
ings iiretches along to the north-north-weft,
and afterward to the fouth-£buth-e^. It is
Bot of an equal height throughout. The
higheft part, which is alfo the beft preferved,
is twenty-five feet ten inches, as I have ftated
already ; the other parts are about twenty-
one

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 131

biic feet i&ven inches high. It is detached on
both fides, and is, in all, eighty-nine feet in
length, including the breach. The greateft
diameter of the circus, which is rather of aii
oval than circular form,- is fixty-fix feet eight
inches ; and to bring all the mealurements
into one view, 1 may repeat, that; the wall is
a hundred feet diftant from the fea, and
ftands on a ground entirely covered with lava,
^nd raifed forty feet above the level of the
fea in ordinary tides.

It is doubtlefs very difficult to conceive how
the lava, when flowing, could ha\-e formed a
wall fo high, of fuch regular confl:ru61:ion,
unconne6led with any other mafs and com-
pofed entirely of differently fided prifms,
placed horizontally by the lido of each other,
with fuch order and perfecl fymmetry, that
the art of the mofl: able ftone-cutter could
never ha^-e arranged them with equal dex-
terity.

This problem, however, which is certainly
attended with great difficulties, finds, on the
fpot itfelf, fome means of folution, arifing
from particular circumftances capable of con-
veying: fome idea of the manner in which
this prifmatic wall was fornjed.

K 2 For

12^ TRAVELS THROUGH

For this purpofe, it is neceffary only to ftep
about forty paces towards the foutli-fouth-
eaft part of the circus, which is clofe by the
fea. There two facts may be difcovered,
which ferve to explain this remarkable
theory.

I am happy that I continued fo long on the
fpot, and that I fo carefully traced all the
windings ofthisfmgular volcanic monument ;
for, otherwife, this important obfervatioa
might have efcaped mc.

Two exteniive excavations naturally formed
in the iava itfelf, one of which is twenty-two
feet deep, fixteen feet broad, and a hundred
and forty- fix feet long, and the other eighty-
five long, nineteen broad, and twenty-one
deep, at a medium, feem as if they had been
delignedly placed there, at no great diftance
from each other, to invite the obferver to re-
pair thither in order to learn the manner in
which nature operates in the coiiftru£lion of
fuch walls.

Let the reader imagine to himfelf, for a
moment, two ftreams of lava of a con-
fiderable thicknefs, which at the time of
fome great eruption, have flowed parallel to
each other, with an interval of feveral toifes

between

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I337

betr^veen them : The cafe is not without a
precedent, at iEtna, the volcano of the ifle of
Bourbon, and elfewhere. From thefe two
il reams refult a long and deep gallery, or a
kind of covert- way, more or lefs ftraight,
more or lefs circular or windhig, according to
local circumftances, and ths obftacles which
might have occurred in their progrefs.

But admitting that .two currents of lava
might, by approaching each other, form a
gallery, ftill it may be alked, how is it
poffible that they fhould affume a direc-
tion fo equal and fo parallel as to produce a
channel nearly uniform throughout, and of
which the interior {urface is perfeclly even ?
I might reply, that the cafe may have
exifted, fince we have feveral inftances of it^
and I would add, that naturalifts know very
well, that in great eruptions, the lava does
not flow along with the fame fluidity as melted
metals, but in the ftate of a thick pafte,
which the air, by cooling the parts expofed to
its influence, confolidates in an ere6l polition.
This is a fa6i: which may be witneffed in a
number of inftances, in which the boiling
lava proceeds along flowly, but at the fame
time to a great diftance, in ^ flream with per-
K 3 pendicular

154 TRAVELS THROUGH

peiidicular fides. What is flill mor;; fur-r.
priiing is, that tliefe currents are fometimes
feen to divide into two parts, like two branches
of a river, on merely meeting with a body
which one might fuppoie they could eaiiiy
overturn, fuch as a ilone m.oiind, or even a
houfe. Sir William Hamilton has accurately
obferved, and defcribed this aftonifhing phe-
nonienon in his excellent defcription of the
eruption of Vefuvius.

Other caufes may contribute to o-ive re2;u-

■I CO

larity and fmoothnefs to the interior facins-s
of a gallery formed by two parallel currents
of lava.

The volcano, for inftance, may have been
fiibmarine, or only in the vicinity of the fea,
where thofe at prel'ent in a61ivity are almofl
all fituated. We have, then, only to fuppofe
two currents of lava, flowing at a fmall dif-
tance from each towards the water, and ex-
tending!; under it to a certain diftance. The
fudden cooling, the refiftance of the fiuid^
the thick and deep flime which generally
covers its bottom, a bank of fliifting fand, or
other unknown caufes, may give rife to what
fo much aftoniflies us, namely, the parallels
ifm and eq^uality of the interior furface,

It

ENGLAND .^ND SCOTLANa I55

It is of little importance td know the exa6l
and perfect theory" of thefe works of nature.
It is fufficient that the fa6t cxiRs^ and that k
cannot be doubted, after examining the tw<>
large and deep galleries mentioned above,
which appear in open view at no great diA
tance from the circus, and whicli enable us
to explain the formation of the great wall.
I have only to entreat the readers' patience
and indulgence for the details, already too
long and tedious, which I am obliged to enter
into in order to make myfelf intelligible Mpoa
a fubje6t, dry and difficult in itielf, but cal-
culated to entertain with curious fads fuch as
are attached to thefe kind of fhidies and ob-
fervations.

The firfl of the two galleries was fiich as
ftrongly to excite our attention at iird fight.
I have already faid that it is eighty-five feet
long, nineteen broad, and twenty-one feet of
average depth'.. It is wholly uncovered.
There i5 no accefs to it,, however, except at
one place, where, with a Httle addrefs, and
by the aid of fome blocks of lava which have
fallen in and form a kind of fteps, one
^lay defcend to tlie bottom.,

K 4 This

136 TRAVELS THROUGH

This long and profound excavation is the
cfFed fimply of two currents proceeding in.
the -fame diredion, with an interval of fif-
teen feet between them. The lava of which
they are compofed is black, and of the kind
which I have denominated in the Mineralogy
cfVolcanas, gravelly lava; that is, '\^'hich
has little adhefion and falls naturally into gra-
velly fplinters, in the form of knobs of a
greater or fmailer bulk having a general ten-
dency to feparate in that manner, particularly
in the parts expofed to the air and to the
alternate effecls of drynefs and humidity.

Matters being in this ftate, and the channel
or o-ailery being formed, it then ferved as a mould
to a current of bafaltic lava, compact, homo-
o-eneous., and of great folidity, which llibfe-
quently flowed into it, and thus created a
wall fomething fimilar to the cafed walls of
the Romans,

As the current of bafaltic lava would pour
along the channel in a boiling flate, its fides,
that is, the parts in contadl: with the faces of
the (^allery muft have neceffarily been the
firfl: cooled. The caloric thus efcaping by the
fides, the lava would flirink into a fmailer
bulk and mufl thence have unavoidably cracked

into

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 37

Into pieces of a'prlfmatic form. The lofs of
heat, and the gafeous emanations forcing the
matter to contract: itfelf, the refult mufl have
been that this fort of caft wall ilionld fplit
into horizontal pri 'ms of feveral iides, placed
naturally one above another.

The outer walls, which ferved as moulds,
and which are compofed of a gravelly earth,
need only have been attacked and deftroyed
by the water, either gradually during a laple
of time, or by fome extraordinary agitation of
the fea; and the middle wall, which coniifted
of the m.oft folid materials, being thus ftripped
of itsmould, wouldappear to bavebeen erefted
in a miraculous manner, and to have arifen
out of the earth as an amphitheatrical de^
coration.

This is precifely what happened in the
prefent cafe, at leaft to fuch a degree as to
admit of no doubt refpeding the fad : For, in
the middle of the gallery I have mentioned,
there appears a perpendicular wall, three and
a half feet thick, and eight high, completely
diverted of lava, detached on both Iides, and
entirely compofed ofprifmatic columns laid
horizontally above each other, but preferving
^ certain mutual adhelion, which has pre-
vented

I|^ ti^AVELS THROUGH

-Ventei. them from falling, and enabled them
to refift the adion of time and the elements,
which they could not otherwife have with-.
jftood.

I thought I fhoiild never weary of admiring
this wail. I could walk round it with eafe ;
the whole breadth of the gallery being only
nineteen feet, of which the prifmatic wall
occupied only four and a half; fo that
it ftands nearly in the midft of a vacant
ipace of fourteen feet fix inches, having fevei*
feet three inches on each fide.

This vacancy v/as probably once filled up
tvith the fame gravelly lava of which the fides.
of the g-aner}- confifi:. The fea, which rufhes;
into the gallery with violence during tern-
peftuous weather and j[pring tides, by an aper-
ture which communicates with it, mufi: have
carried off the gravellous lava wanting, and
and ih the center of which the wail was in-
€iofed.

It is probable that from the continued adiion
of time, rain, hoar-froft, and the fea, on the
gravelly lava of the gallery, the wall will one
day be entirely ftripped of any inclofiire on
either fide, arid that no vefi:ige will remain
of the prifrlitive mould to which it owes its
formation.

I have

ENGLAND AND SCOTL'ilND. I39

I have now only to 'ment-on its prefent
heic-ht, which is no mere than eight feet^
whilit that of the cavity in which it is placed
is twenty- one feet.

I reflefted upon this faO. on the fpot, and I
think I fliall be able to account for it by fay-
ing, that it is probable that the wall was
once higher, but that the upper courfes hav-
ing been formed of priiliis which did not
adhere to each other, the fea muft have un-
dermirred and carried them away.

This opinion gains fome ftrength, from an
examination of the fecond gallery, which is at
a fmall diftance from the fiifi:, and on which
I Ihail dwell for a moment only.

This gallery, which is much larger than
the other, is a hundred and forty-fix feet long,
twenty-two feet deep, and fixteen feet broad.
It may be regarded, in one ienfe^ at leaft, as
the reverfe of the former. The two parallel
purrents, which have ferved to form it, con-
lift of black, compaft, very hard lava, in a
folid mafs, which has refifted all the injuries
of the weather, the adion of the air, and the
higheft tides.

A ftream of compa^, homogeneous, lava,
occupied alfo the whole length of this vaft

gallery.

14^ thavels through

gr^'Ieiy. But e bafaltic lava of this fecon-
dary current confifted of a parte fo imooth
and fo well amalgamated, and which had (o
great a tendency to divide into regular and
peife6t, that they lay horizontally upon each
other withou any connexion or adhefion
between them, as far as I could judge from a
irnallpart of it remaining towards the begin-
ning of the gallery, which the fca had not yet
reached.

The prifms of this remnant are truly
aflonifbing from their excellent flatc of pre-
fervation and the complete regularity of their
form. They feem as if they had been placed
there with all the care and art of human
hands : fo very wonderful is the fymmetry
and perfection of their arrangement. There
is not one of thefe prifms, picked up at ran-
dom, which would not figure in a cabinet of
natural hiftory.

Their want of adhelion has been the caufe
of their gradual demolition ; for the waves
meeting the moft obftinate refinance from
the fides of the gallery, which are of unfhaken
folidity, direded all their fury againfl: the prifms.,
which they eafily undermined and dragged into
the depth of the ocean. Thus hasjihe prifoiatie

wall

ENOLAND AND SCOTLAND. 14I

wall been entirely deftroyed, T^hUft the
mould, which contribute to form it remains
unimpaired.

Such is the manner in which volcanos, fb
frequently the agents of deftru6Hon, are able
to create, or rather to imitate, by a luccefiion
of accidental circumftances, produ61:ions which
cannot be effected by mankind without much
labour and a train of tedious and difficult
means and combinations *«

From

* I made thefe obfervations on the fpot in the month of
October, 1784. Deodat L^olomieu, three years afterwards,
that is, in the month of July, 1787, on vifiting the ifles of
Ponces difcovered a fimilar wall, but confiftin^j' cf much
fmaller prifms. As the comparifoa may be interefting to
Naturalifts, I fhall make ufe of the language of my friend :
" The fmall balaltes are very numerous in the ifles of Pon-
gees. They are found in a multitude of places,but princi-
" pally in the rocks of Chiardiluna,to thelsft of the fubter-
" raneous gallery. There are thour:nd3 of them on both
"fides of the fmall bay of 5t. M^r;., efpe..! aly on the
** mountain in the rear of the houfes. Thefe fmall prif-
" matic columns naturally fplit afunder and tall into the
" fea. Some of theai are of the iT.oft perfect regularity,
" and exhibit all the var ety of forms of which they arc
" fufceptible. They are fccn in heaps of different forms,
« but more frequently piled horizontally on each other,
** and riling above the ;:round in the form of wails which
*' perfe3;y refemble th^fe in the ancient f<ibricks called
" opera reticulata. Several rows or walls made of prifms
" nearly a foot long, rife one behind another."

DoIomJea

i4i TRAVELS THROU<5H

From the preceding abfervations it would
appear that the grand v/all which forms the
volcanic circus of Aciinacregs, can have no
other than the fame origin. But as the flat
tra6l on which it frauds is forty feet above the
prefent level of the fca, and the wall itfelf
is ftill twenty-five feet ten inches high, it
muft follow that the fea has fallen fixty-five
feet ten inches in that quarter, unlefs we fup-
pofe that the coall: has been elevated by thd
incalculable efforts of fcnie vaff fubterraneous
explofion.

Mr. Anderfon, who travelled by command
of the Englifh governryientj with a view to
the fifherie?, through feveral of the Hebrides^
at the time I vifited them, told me, that he
faw in the ifle of Iflay , a volcanic wall of the
fame kind with that of Achnacregs, refpe6ling
which I bad given him fbme details. He fur-
ther informed me, that the wall commences to
the weft of the ifland in a place called Cove 5
that it defcribes a diagonal line of three hun-
dred paces long ; that it is at leaft fifty feet

Dolomieu entertains the fame opinion with me refpe(S^-
ing the theory of thefe walls ; he regards them as having
been formed by inclofure in the interitices of the lava.
Memoire fur les ifles Ponces, by Deodat Dolomieu.
Paris 1788, in Svo, 98 and following pages.

hisjh

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 14^

high and four feet thick ; that about one-
half of it ilands out of the water, and the
other projefts into the fea, where it forms
a jutty fo extraordinary and fo much re-
fembhng the work of art, that, at the firfl
view, it would appear to be the produdion of
human labour.

CHAP.

144 TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER VIII.

The IJIe of Kerr em.

T,

HE ides of Mull and Kerrera are feparated
by a narrow channel which may be crofTed from
Achnacregs in lefs than four hours. Kerrera
almoft touches the main land, by a point
which runs out towards Oban ; for the
flrait on that fide is in fome places not above
fifty tojfes broad. I crofled the ifle of
Kerrera diagonally in order to get to a
fmall ferry-boat) which was at one of its
extremities.

A part of the ifland is volcanic. On the
coaft fronting Mull there are colle6lions of
compa6l lavas difpofed in mafles and in large
currents. This bafaltic lava appears fome-
times in the form of prifms, which are not
very regular, at lead in the places which I
had an opportunity of examining. I alfo
found fome rocks of micaceous fchiftus of a
whitifh colour, and others which were

\a\)^- ^W\

greenifh

BKGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 145

greenifh with a fibrous texture. Thefe
fchiftus or kneifs are compofed of quartz,
flcatites and fmall fcales of mica.

Near the rocks of micaceous fchiftus there
is found common flate of a deep grey colour,
approaching to black, the beds of which are
almoft even with the ground : quarries might
be eafily opened here with great advan-
tage to the country. They would' even
become an obje<5l of commerce. Among
the flate there are found fome brilliant
pyrites, the cryflalizations of which arc
cubical.

Such were the objects which engrofTed
my attention in the ifle of Kerrera, where
I obferved a good deal of pafture ground,
and fome cultivated parts bearing barley
and oats. The cottages were fcattered to
the right and left, but they were fev/ in
number.

I was only four hours in crofling the
whole length of the ifland. I found at its
extremity the ferry-boat which I men-
tioned above. It was a fmall fkiff manasied
by a fingle man. I was fatigued. I made
the boatman proceed dire6tly to Oban, where
I landed in lefs than an hour, and I

VOL. II. h found

146 TRAVELS THROUGH

found Count Andreani with our carnages,
and every thing ready for our departure
on. the next day. . In the evening, we
made ervQiy neceilary preparation for com-
mencing our journey by day-break.

CHAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. $4?

CHAPTER iX.

departure from Oban. — Dahnally.— Tin drum. '^
Lead Ore.—Killin. — Ri%jer Mufcle containing
Pearls. — Defcription of thcfc Pearls and their
origin.

W3

E left Oban on the 7th of Oaober, at
fix in the morning, to proceed to Dalmally.
The diftance is about twenty-four miles, along
a ftony road, paffing through ravines. We
arrived at the place of our deftination about
{tvtw in the evening.

Buiih^ve, of which I have already fpoken^
is about midway ; it is a fmall hamlet, built
at the union of a branch of Loch Awe, with
Loch Etive, which has fufficient water for
fmall vefTels, and where falmon abounds.

We vifited an iron foundery, at a fmall
diftance from Bunhave. It ftands in a charm-
ing fituation, embellifhed around with woods,
verdant banks, and cultivated fields, A
beautiful avenue led to the Loch, which
was at this time covered with velTels, that
L 2 rendered

14^ TRAVELS THROUGH

rendered the fcenc fo much the more en-
chanting. This delightful fpot formed a
flrong contraft with the barren mountains of
reddifh porphyry, and the piles of rocky
fragments with which it is furrounded.

We were agreeably furprifed to find an
eflablifhment of this kind in fo diftant a part
of Scotland, where cultivation and the arts
have made lb littie progrefs ; we were in-
formed that it belonged to an Engliih com-
pany who had been induced to ere6l works
in this place in confequence of the abun-
dance of wood and water and its proximity
to the fea.

We waited upon the manager of the works,
who received us very politely, and fliewed us
fome iron of a very fine quality, the refult of
his labours. I exprefled my aftonifhment
that this iron fhould be made in a place where
there was no indication of ore, and obfervcd
to him, that I had not icen the fmalleft vef-
tige of any all the way from Oban. He re-
plied, that my furprife was very natural, for
that the ore ufed in this foundcry was brought
in vefTels from Cumberland ; he then ihewed
me fome colledions of red hematites, partly
decompofed, of an excellent quality and rich
in iron.

This

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 149

This eftablifhment appeared to be con-
d\i6^ed with equal ikill and economy ; but the
wood was beginning to become fcarce, as the
neighbouring forefts were not fufficiently ex-
tenfive to yield condant and regular Supplies.
It is therefore to be feared that this foundery
cannot be carried on much longer.

On arriving at Dalmally I had the pleafure
of feeing our good friend, Patrick Fiafer, who
fupped and pafled the evening with us. He
informed me of new refearches he had made
with refpe6t to the poetry of Offian, fome
fragments of which he had recovered, in the
different excurfions he made for that purpofc
among the inhabitants of the mountains, and
little frequented places of this part of Scot-
land. He had alfo enriched his colle6lion
with other poems made by the more modern
bards of the country. This worthy man, of
a mild, modeft chara(5ler, and paffionately
fond of literature, was unfortunately placed
like an exile in the midfl of thefe barren and
melancholy mountains, where, to preferve
his exiftence, he was obliged to perform the
fundions of a fchoolmafler. I earnelflly wifh
that his condition may be ameliorated. The
Antiquarian Society, eftabliihed at Edinburgh,
L 3 would

150 TRAVELS THROUGH

would do well to employ the knowledge and
adivity of Patrick Fraler in relearches refpe^l-

insf the ancient rtate of fcience and literature

o

in Scotr-.'.uL He has the advantage of being
perfedly mafler of the original language of
his country, which has not the fmalleft re-,
lation to t.ie Englifli.

PatricK Frr.ier begged that I would fend
him fome French books which he wanted ;
and, on np.y return to Paris, I fhall haften to
pay to lim this fmall teftimony of my efleem
for his tdents, and refpecc for his moral qua^
lities*. '' ] can only," laid he, " in return,
*' give you my addrefs, and otsr you my poor
*' fervices in this country." I here 'with
pleafure traLifcribe this addrefs in Englifh,
that thole who may fee^ an interefi: in know^
ing this affable and amiable man may not be
ignorant of the place of his rciidence. It
was exa6lly as follows : " Patrick, trajer^
•*' ScJioolniafter, ofGlenorchvy by lnvercira)\
*' Scotland:'

* I have fent him fuch books as I thought would be
agreeable to him ; but the diftance and the difficulty of
communication to this diibnt part of Scotland, have,
doubtlefs, prevented me frooi hearing from him ; it is
even poITible that he has qeithcr received my letter, nor
iiiy packet.

We

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 15 1

We (lept at Dalmally, and proceeded next
morning to Tindrum ; the journey was only
twelve miles, but we wifhed to arrive in time
that we might have an opportunity of examin-
ing the lead ore which we were informed was
to be feen in the neighbourhood of that place.

The valley of Glenlochy, through which
we pafTed, is in fbme places very agreeable.
It is (Icirted with hills which are covered
with flocks of flieep ; but we found that the
mountains clofed as we advanced, and the
foil became marfhy and fterile. The turf
with which it was covered, gave a very dif-
mai hue to the face of the country, which
excited in our minds a fenfation of corrcf-
ponding melancholy.

The hamlet of Tindi-um confifts of only
a few hoafes which are almoft all detached ;.
it ftands upon a lowmarlhy piece of ground:
a humid and unwholefome vapour renders
itb iitaation very difagreeable.

The pkce where the lead ore is found is
not far diftant from the iron, but It is very
elevaed. ft is neceffary to form the galle-
ries in a very high mountain of difficult acceis.
They are cut through a grey micaceous
fchiftus rock, which is intermixed with a
h 4. con-

15^ TRAVELS THROUGH

confiderable quantity of white quartz : the
vein of lea>' ore is found in a matrix of the
latter fubftance. The ore is ufually accom-
panied by pyrites or horn-ftone, and, it is fuf-
ficiently abundant. It is fometimes covered
with fine cryflals of calcareous fpar. The
galleries in general are in a very bad con-
dition» and the works are very negligently
managed^

When the pieces of ore are extradlcd they
are broken with hammers, they are then
wafhed tofeparate the ore froni foreign fub-
flances, which, v/ben thus prepared, is tranf-
ported to a foundery fituated in the valley at
the bottom of the mountain : charcoal and
turf are ufed in fmelting n ; but 1 do not
know in what proportion, becaufe the foun-
dery was not worked at this time, on account
of fome reparations which were then making
in the furnace. Befides, the Englifh, as welt
as the Dutch, are very referved in explain-
ing their proceffes, even in the moft limple
arts, which they always exercife with a kind
of myfteiy : It is not fo in France ; there
the managers of the moft interefling efta-
blifliments, are in general very complaifant,
and frankly communicate to a ftranger all
the information he can defire.

I obfervcd

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^$3

I obfer\'ed under vafl: ilieds confiderable
piles of peats, and near them a heap of pit-
coal. From this, I prefumed, that in ufing the
peats, a mixture of a fourth or fifth part of
coal is added. The latter article muft be
carefully huibanded, on account of the dif.
lance of the pits, and the dearnefs of land-
carriage.

It would be defu-eable for the benefit of
our manufadories in which wood begins to
be fcarce, that a fimilar mixture of peat and
coal fhould be employed, where they can be
procured. As I fhould have been happy to
fiipport my recommendation with an exam-
ple, I begged of one of the fuperintendants of
the works to inform me in what proportions
the peat and coal were ufed ; but he turned a
deaf ear to my requeft, and changed the con-
verfation to fome other topic.

It is very eafy, however, to make experi-
ments upon the fubjedt, and there is no doubt
of their being attended v/ith fuccefs ; parti-
cularly if conduced by perfons well acquainted
with the quality of the peat and turf which
are to be ufed.

It appears that the lead-mines of Tindrum

have formerly been much more produdivc

and valuable.

IMt

154 TRAVELS THROUGH

I left &h pi ce and proceeded to Killiri,
hy a road as difmal as uniform in its ap-
pearance. 1 much doybt whether another
fiich can be found. It is made upon a bot-
tom of fpungy turf, which permits the uater
to fihrate ealily through its elaftie and moving
Hibftance, without however l^ecomirtg^adhy,
for carriages pafs over k ¥/ithout any i^iCOii-
venience.

But what renders it mGil iniiipportably-
tirefome is, that it exteads m this itate for
ieveral Ieagties,>etween tvv a clofe mountains,
covered with a black turf, on which there-
grow nothing but fhort he th and fonie yel-
low ill^ nMjlTes, that difdl the water, drop by
drop, on all fides.

The mind foon participates in the gloomy
hue, and is more and more overcaft with
iadnefs, as the traveller advances ; but on
reaching the extrerairv of this kind of ibmbrc
gallery, the fcenc is fuddcnly changed, the
horizon expands, and the fine valley of G/eu
Dochart, kicceededby that of Stiafilan, open
to his view.

Here limpid and copious ftreams, teeming
with f}{h, glide in ferpentine m^eanders,
through the fmihno- verdure, and form iflets

ihaded

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^55

fliadcd with wide fpreading trees. On every
fide appear neat ruftic habitations, with nu-
merous flocks of black cattle and (heep, and
the young fhepherds and (liepherdefles who
tend them make the air refound with their
fongs, and animate the delightful fcene with
their dances.

This day we rode twenty-four miles at
our full eafe, and reached Killin before night.

Killin, though called a town, is in
fad nothing more than a hamlet, confifling
of a few fcattered houfes at the extremity of
Loch Tay, The inn is very plain in its ap-
pearance, but its accommodations are toler-
ably good, and the landlord is a very civil
man. Over the chimney-piece of a fmall
parlour hung feveral native birds, which him-
fclf had carefully fluffed with ftraw, among
others a white \^ ood-cock, which William
Thornton purchafed, as he alfo did fome
heath-cocks.

We were about fitting down to table, when
I was furprized with hearing a ftranger, who
wiihed to fpeak with me, call me by my name :
1 foon perceived from his manner and his lan-
guage that he was a Frenchman ; his perfon
^Ifo W45 fomewhat kuown to me. I told

him

15^ TRAVELS THROUGH

him that I thought I had feeii him in Paris,
but that I could not at the moment recoiled
who it was that I had the honour of ad-
dreffing. " I am Bombelles," faid he ; ** I
** travel like yourfelf, for pleafure and in-
** flrudion. I am now on m.y way to Port
** Patrick, where I defign to embark for Ire-
*' land." It was from one of our fervants
that he heard of my being in the inn, where
he had juft arrived himfelf in one of Lord
Bredalbane's carriages, at whofe houfe he
had gone to fpend a few days.

I had never had any intimacy with M. de
Bombelles. But two Frenchmen who meet
each other m the wil s of Scotland are not
long in forming an acquaintance ; and we
had befides Several common friends. From
the courfe which M. de Bombelles purfued,
as well as from a number of military and
other charts which he had along with him, I
judged that diplomacy and politics were more
fuitable to his tafte than the natural fciences
or the arts, and that he was probably charged
with fome particular miflion, very foreign
from the object of my ftudies. I ought, how-
ever, to do M. de Bombelles's talents and
j^divity the juftice to fay, that he iiegle<5led

nothing

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 57

nothing which was in any degree interefting
to his country. This I had an opportunity
of judging from Ibme oftenfible parts of a
well-written journal, which he communicated
to me at the time, and in which I faw feveral
articles relative to rural economy and com-
merce, and likewife a curious phyfical fa£t
refpe6l:ing a very extraordinary flux and reflux^
which had been recently feen in Loch Tay.
I had already heard it mentioned in the Duke
of Argyle's, at Inveraray ; and M. de Bom-
belles, during his flay at Lord Bredalbane*s,
which is dole to the lake, received the beft
information that could be procured on the
lubjed. I fhall here infert the note which he
gave me, as it ferved to direil my enquiries
when I vilited the place on the following
day.

*' Between the hours of eight and nine in the
" morning of the I2th of September (1784)
*' the water of the eaftern part of Loch Tay
*' retreated to the diftance of more than three
'* hundred feet from its ordinary limits, and
*' the whole of that (pace, in which it was
" generally three feet deep, was left quite
** dry. The water on leaving it, ebbed to-
" wards the weft, but met with a contrary

tS% TRAVELS tHROUGtl

** Wave, when the violence of the fhock
** railed both to the height of four feet, ac-
" companied with much foam. The waters
** thus rufliiiig in onpolite direcftions, formed
'* by their jun<5lion one vail: wave, which
** moved towards the Ibuth, ftill preferving
*' a height of more tiian four feet above the
" level of the lake, and remained in that
" ftate nearly ten minutes. This extraordi-
" nary tide then began to fublide gradually j
*' and in about an hour and a half entirely
♦' difappeared. It is very fmgular, that during
** this phenomenon^ the fky was perfedly
*' ferene, and the air calm, and that there
*' was no perceptible motion at the oppofite
" extremity of the lake* Tw;o days after,
" the fame appearance recurred ; but one
" hour later, and riot in fo remarkable a de^
*' gree.'^—Note extracted from the Journal
of M. de Bombelles, K^thof OEioher 1784.

M. de Bombelles * took the road to In-
veraray ; whilft I made a little longer ftay at
Killin, to procure as much information as pof-
fible relative to the pearl-filhery of the river

* This is the pcrfon who was fliort'y after appointed
Ambaflador to Portugal.

Tay,

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. S59

Tay, which here fails into the lake, to which
it gives name.

The mafter of the inn, who obligingly ex-
erted himfelf refpeding every thing that
could gratify my curiofity, brought me two
fifhers, whofe particular employment was
iearching for pearls.

They conduced us to the river which runs
in a very pure ftream upon a bottom of land
or pebbles, and they foon brought up ieveral
dozens of fhells, from three and a half to
four inches long, and a little more than two
inches broad ; their exterior colour was a deep
brown, inclining a little to green. The upper
ihell was thick, and of a fine mother-of-pearl
colour within, (lightly tinged with rofe
colour. I regarded tliis fpecies as be-
longing to the miapitlorum of Linaeus, or at
lead, as very nearly refcmbling it.

The lilhers, in coniideration of a handlbme
reward, which we promifed them, engaged to
cpen thefe fhells in our prefence upon the
bank. But they ftipulated for the refervation
of the pearls, if any fhould be found, that they
might fell them, to us at a feparate price ;
and to this propofition we acceded.

Imagining

x6o

TRAVELS THROUGH

Imagining from this that we fhoiild put a
higher value on thofe which might be found,
while we were prefent ; thefe artful pradi-
tioners brought with them fome pearls, which
they dexterouily introduced into feveral of the
(hells in opening them. They appeared to
be well exercifed in this petty fort of impo-
iition, which, however, I detected in a manner
that aftonifhed and perplexed them, and that
deferves to be mentioned, as it depended
upon a memorable fa6l with regard to one of
the caufes which contribute to the formation
of pearls.

I defired them to open the mufcles before
my fellow-travellers, whilft I went to amuic
myfelf with fifliing fome, of them ; but they
were to inform me when they difcovered
any pearls. I was foon called and fhewn a
very fine pearl, perfcdly round, and of a
good colour. I looked at the fhell and the
pearl, and then told them, that the latter
was not found in the mufcle fliewed me.
The fifhers allured me that it was, and ap-
pealed to the teftimony of my companions,
who confirmed their aflertion. I afTured the
latter, however, that they were deceived, and
begged them to watch more narrowly the next

time.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. l'6t

tame, i retired a few fteps, and a minute or
two after I heard one exclaim, we have found
another. I went up, and on examining the
mufcle, I pronounced that the pearl had, for
that time alfo, been flipped into the fhell. The
pearl was beautiful; but the price Avhich
they demanded for it was lix times its value.

The fifhers Exhibited the utmoft degree of
aftonifhment ; for, as I was at fome diflance
from them, it was clear that I could not have
obferved their motions ; my fellow-travellers
who attentively watched them, v/ere them*
felves deceived, or at moft entertained only
a vague fufpicion ; fo well ikilled were thefe
ftien in an art which procured them a few
additional (hillings from travellers.

My art was fo fupernatural in their eftima-
tion, that they confefTed the impolition, and
frankly fhewed us feme other pearls which
they had in referve for the fame purpofe.
They were very anxious to learn my fecret,
which would fave them the pains of frequently
opening a vaft number of (hells to no purpofe,
for they feldom found above one or tw®
pearls in a week. But as they knew no other
language than the Earfe, and not even fo
much as a word of Englilh, I could explain

VOL. II. M , myfelf

l62 TRAVELS THRbUGH

myielf only by figu? and gcftures; a'-iH,
though my inflni^tious were not very difficult,
I doubt whether thev were completely intel-
ligible in a conveyfatJoj^ of this ibrt.

My fecret conlifted merely in exatiilnino;
atteptlvely the outiide of the iriiu'cks, and
whea ^either of the parts had any cavity or
perforation, but prefented a fnrface fmooth
and frcQ. from callohrics, I conld pronounce,
wkho\iit any apprehcniion of being de-
ceived, lliat there was no pearl in iuch a ihell.
If, on the contrary, the (hell was pierced
with auger- worms, and indented by other
worms of the fame kind, there were always
found pearls more or lefs valuable, or, at leaft
the embryons of pearls.

This, oblervation, which I have found in-
variably true hijtherto, was the refult of fome
enquiries- in which I had been eng-aged a
long time before, refpediAg the formation of
that beautiful animal producl. Bouffon in-
troduces the iaformation, which I communi-
cated to him. upon this fubje6l:, in btis- ajrticle
upon pearls, page 125, vol. iv. of the NaturaL
Hiftmj of Minerals. At that time I dif-
covered that tlue pea^l fi/h is attacked by two
claiTes of eaemies. One is a very fmall auger-
worm.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 163

Vvofm, which penetrates Into the infide, near
the edge of the valve, by working a longitu-
dinal paffage between the different lamina
that compofe the cover. This fmall channel,
on extending to an inch or an inch and a half
in length, doubles back in a line parallel to
the firft, and feparated from it by a very thin
partition of fhelly matter. Thefe two parallel
lines difcovcr the direction of the worm in
entering and returning ; which is alfo very
diftinguifhable on the lurface by two fmall
holes, clofe to the edge, and in general near
the mouth of the (hell.

The parallelifm of the two pafTages may
be demonftrated by introducing a pin into
each orifice. At the inner extremity, how-
ever, there is a fmall circular portion, formed
by the worm in turning round.

As thefe fmall channels or covert- ways arc
excavated in the part neareft the mother-of-
pearl, or filvery internal coat, the pearly juice
fbon extravafat€S and produces protuberances
in that direction. Tlie cyhndrical bodies thus
formed may be confidered as elongated pearb>
adherino; to the internal lining" of the fhelL
When feveral worms of this kind penetrate
near each other, and unite their labours, the
M 2 refult

t-64 ~ TRAVELS THROUGH

tefult is a fort of pearly wen, with Irregular
-protuberances, in which the iflues of the paf-
fages which they have formed are eafily dif-
tinguiihable.

Another Tea -worm, much larger, and of
the family of the mulli valvoi^s friCil-filh, at-
tacks the pearl iliells in a miich n^.ore ijigenious
manner. T his wr rm is a phols s of the fpecies
of fea dates, i have in my cabinet an oyfter
from the coafl: of Guinea, pierced by one of
thefe pholades,' which are fliil as they were
found in the heel of the oyfter. The (liells of
thefe fingular pholades are hinged in the form
of a crooked bill. The fmall hole which
they bore refembles the figure of a pear ; and
pearls of this fhape are fometimes found,
which were in high eftimation among the
ancients, and are at prefent very valuable in
the Eaft-Indies : I fhall give a more parti-
cular defcription of this rare Ipecies of pholades
in another work.

There are undoubtedly feveral othe|- kinds
of worms which pierce the pearl fliell, and
form cavities more or lefs round, in which
the juice confolidates into pearls.

It is this obfervation which has no doubt
been made by others befides me, that probably

firft

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 1 65

firil: fu^^gefted to fome perfons concerned in
the pearl fifliery, the trick of making artificial
perforations in the fhells, and thus forcing
them to produce pearls. At London I faw
fome Ihells brought from China, which mull
have undergone this operation : for the arti-
ficial hole was filled up with a piece of bra{s
wire, rivetted on the outiide of the ihell like
the head of a nail, and the part of the wire
which pierced the interior fhining coat, was
covered with a well ihaped pearl, which
feemed as if foldered to its extremity. It is
probable, that, with the Chineie, v/ho have
been fo long skilled in the arts, and whole
aftonilhing and multiplied induftry teaches
US, that we are but a comparatively new
people, this is not a difcovery of very modem
date.

Brouflbnet, with whom T had a converla-
tion upon this fubjcd in London, at the houle
of Sir Jofeph Banks, told me, that a perfon
had alTured him, that there is ftill another
method of obtaining pearls. The fhell oa
which the experiment is to be made, muft be
opened with the greateft care in order to pre-
vent the animal from being injured. A Irnali
M 3 portioa

1 66 TRAVELS THROUGH

portion of the inner furface is then fcraped
off, and in its room is inferted a fpherical piece
of mother of-pearl about the fize of a very
fmall grain of Jcad-fhot. This globule ferves
as a nucleus to the pearly juice, which con-
cretes around it, and at a certain diftance of
time, produces a fine pearl. He faid, that
experiments of this nature had been tried in
Finland, and repeated aifo in other coun-
tries.

From thefe obfervations it may be inferred
that the produdion of pearls depends, per-
hafps, iTuc'-^ m.ore upon a-i external and acci-
dental caufe, than upon a natur?l fuperabund-
ance or extravafation of the juice of which
they are formed.

There are very excellent pearls found in
the river fhells of Loch Tay, if we may judge
from fome which the Efliers of Killin offered
to fell us, at more than double the price of
thofe which are in current fale. But thefe
fine pearls are far from numerous ; on the
contrary, a very great number are found,
which the jewellers reject, but which, though
they may be not well calculated to form de-
corations for the ladies, ^re yet very iiitereft-

ENGLAND AMD SCOTLAND. 1 67

ing-forthe cabinet of the Naturaiiil, iince
they afford a coniirmatioa of the theory which
1 have now mentioned. The greater part
of tr>efe pearls have little or no kitlre ; fome
are round, oval, or elongated and cylindrical;
others are hemifpherical and releinble a but-
ton ; feveral oblong ones have a contra6tion
towards the middle which gives them the
appearance of two joined together ; others
alio are lomewhat conical; and all are of
a pretty large iize, and of a pale red or
brown colour. The end of the pearl touch^
ing the tegument of the (hell which forms
what is called mother-of-pearl, is {o deeply
impregnated vv ith the fliining fubftance, that
it exhibits a lingular contrail with the fur-
roundmg brown colour of th^ other parts»
and leems to derive additional iplendour
from it. This coating is of an orient
bordering on role colour, which is ex^
trembly agreeable to the eye, and is there'-.
fore heightened in its effedl by tlie con-
traft.

Pearls of this kind are fb feldom met

with, that they might at firfl be t-kcn for

occulated agates prepared for being fet,

M 4 or

iSS TRAVELS THROUGH

or rather for buffonites., particularly thofc^
which have no mother-of-pearl. Their
texture is very hard, and yields \yith great
difficulty to the file.

The auger-worm,, which occafions the for-,
nation of the pearls of Loch Tay, pierces thc<
whole thicknefs of the fliell, which is of con-
fiderable denfity and of a fallow brown
colour ; and as the (helly juice oozes out from
all parts of the orifice which the worm has
formed, it ncceffarily refults that the pearl
muft participate in the quality and colour of
the fulftance of the fliell, from the exterior
layer to that vvhich lines and embellilhes its
inner iurface.

Hence originate thofe rude but fingular
gems above-mentioned, whicli have only a
thin coating of mother-of-pearl upon one
fide. There are, however, Ibme inftances
in which the pearl is pure and Drilliant
throughout ; proceeding, probably, from an
extravafion of the interior coating only ;
which may have been occafioned by another
kind of auger- worm attacking the fhell folely
in the diredion of that coating. It is the
province of thofe Naturalifls, whofe at-

tentioq

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 169

tentlon it has more particularly engaged,
to iiiveftigate more profoundly this very
interefting fubjed, our knowledge of which
muft yet be confide red as nothing more than
u rude outline.

CHAP-

7^ TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER X.

Kenmore. — Extr u.-. dmary Flux mid Reflux vf Lofh
Tay,

W.

^ now took leave of the pearl fidiersand
our landlord, who obligingly gave us all the
information in is power, and proceeded on
our way to Kenmore, along the left bank of
the Tay which is Ikirted on both fides by
granitic mountains, that confine th^ view
within a very narrow compals. The foot of
the mountains is tolerably well cultivated ;
but the only produce is oats, v/hich are not
reaped til dD^^ut the middle of 06i^ober.
Thefe oats a r^ very tall ; they were only be-
ginning to be cut down at the time I paffed ;
I meafured feveral flalks, and found the
fliorteft to be four feet high, and the longeft
five feet fix inches *.

The

* I do not entirely agree with Knox, who vifited this
place fun>ctifne after mc, when he fays, " that its banks
»' Inn both fides are fruitful, populous, and finely diverfs-
<« fi-.l by the windings of the lake, and the various ap-
** ^^r;auces of the mountains," The views upon both

fi<i;e$

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 171

The lake is about fourteen miles long, and
about a mile of mean breadth. I had no
certain information of its depth*. It abounds
in fifli, and its waters are foft and clear.

The mountains which are neareft the lake,
and enclofe it on all fides, are compofed of
a fchiftus micaceous rock, intermixed with
felt fpar and quartzofe matter ; the latter is
moft abundant. In this rock I found a few
garnets, of a bad configuration and coarfe
texture.

On reaching the fouthern extremity of
Loch Tay, we found on a very agreeable fpot
a commodious inn, feveral private habita-
tions, a new-built .church, and a bridge
thrown over a fmall river which ilTues from
the lake ; the whole is furrounded with
trees, which enliven this fiiT^d little land-
fcape. The name of the place is Kenmore.

Here the traveller begins to perceive that
he approaches the open country, and is ibon
to emersre from the barren mountains of the

D

fides are too confined, and exhibit only the fame dreary
afpe£l, and a few fcattered patches of oats, prefent only
the image of an ungrateful foil.

* The fame author, fpeaking of the depth of the lake,
fays, " that it varies from fifteen to a hundred fathoms j"
this appears tQ me very extraordinary,

north

172 TRAVELS THROUGH

north of Scotland. The air which he inhales^
the cultivated face of the foil, the encreafing
number of inhabit- nts, every thing conveys
the intelligence i and this firffc gradation of
change fills his foul with a fentiment of mild
delight, which ! cannot better exprefs, than
by comparing it to that which we feel on the
return of fpring, though at this time it was
the end of autumn. But it might be faid
that all was wintry, wild, dreary and fterile
in the region which 1 had traverfed.

My firft care, on arriving at Kenmore, was
to procure the moft exa6t accounts refpe6ting
the flux and reflux of the lake, which hap-.
peaed on the 12th of the preceding' Sep-
tember ; as it was neir this r v.-t the pheno-
menon firft took place, and it was here, there-
fore, that it could have been obferved with
moft advantage.

The mafter of the inn to whom I applied
for information, and who underftood Englilh,
tranfported with the reputation which that
event had conferred on the place of his refl-
dence, conceived that I had come from
France, for the exprefs purpofe of feeing a
country, which was, in his opinion, fo juftly
defer ving of celebrity. He, accordingly^

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 73.

gave me the moft cordial reception, for which
1 feel pleafure in this opportunity of expref-
fmg my grateful acknowledgment.

*' I cannot myfelf,"' faid he, "have the
^' pleafure of explaining how, what you wifli
<* to be informed of, happened, becaufe I
** was abfent from home, on the firfl day of
*' the lake's motion. But I can dire6t you
** to two perfons who faw, and attended to,
*' the whole of its progrefs, and who will
** ihew on the fpot how it proceeded. One
*' of them, in particular, who is a lad of ibmc
*' acutenefs, has carefully obferved all the
" fa<5ls ; and you will have reafon to be fatis-
** fied with what he may tell you. You may,
** however, examine both ; I fhall go and
" order them to accompany you, and to an-
" fwer all your enquiries ; for they are both
" my iervants.'*

The one was called James Allan, the other
John M^Kenzie. The latter was the
younger of the two ; but he ieemed to pofTels
a greater portion of intelligence, and a fpirit
of obfervation more rational, and lefs difpofed
to the admiffiou of the marvellous than his
comrade.

M*Kenzic

174 TRAVELS THROUGH

M'Kenzietoldme, that-atnine of the morn-
ing of the 1 2th of September, the Iky being fe-
rene and the air calm,a'pea(imt who had gone
to waili his hands in the part of the lake where
the river iffues, obferved the water leaving
the bank in a very perceptible manner,, which
obliged him to advance a few paces farther ;
hut it ftill contrinued to retreat from him. This
appearance gave him fo m.uch furprize, that
he hastened to inform his neighbours of it J
one of whom then told him, that, at fun-rife^
having heard a noife fimilar to that of a fudden
blaft of wind, he went to the window, when,
to his no fmall aftonifhment, he perceived the
water receding from its banks^ as if a«5ted on
by the impulfe of a violent hurricane ; but
finding the air perfeftly calm, his aftonifh-
ment rofe to the hio^hefl: de2:ree«

M'Kenzie having told m.e that he had
thefe accounts from fihe peafant, I requefted
to fee the latter. He was immediately feut
for, but he had previoufly fet out for a village
fix miles off. Having, therefore, had no
opportunity of converfmg witli him myfelf,
the details which I am to communicate, can-
not be delivered as pofitive fa^Vs. Peafaiats
being in general ftrongly inclined to the

mar-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 175

marvellous, the nolfe, which, according to
his account, preceded the ebbing of the wa-
ters, appeared to me fomevvhiit apocryphal,
M^Kenzie entertained the fame opinion.

The latter, continuing his relation, faid
that he was not informed of this extraor-
dinary motion of the lake until ten of the
morning on which it firft appeared. He in-
flantly repaired to the brink of the lake,
where he remained more than an hour and a
half, obferving the fa^s as they occurred
with the moft minute attention. During
this period, he plainly iaw the water ebb and
flow ten times fucceffively ; and the fame
alternate motion continued for the whole of
that day.

He communicated to me all thefe circum-
flances on the edge of the lake, and on the
iame fpot upon which he ftood when making
his obfervations. He pointed out a large ftone
pretty far in the water, as the limit of its re-
treat.

As this part of the lake was little more
than three feet in depth, I caufed the fpace
betw en the ftone and the water's edge to be
carefully meafured, and found it one hundred
and fifty French feet. But John M'Kenzic

did

ty6 TRAVELS THROUGH .

did not omit to inform me, that when the
■phenomenon happened, the water was not fo
high upon the bank by eight feet. To prove
this, he pointed to a ftake which he had
driven into the ground at the level at which
it then ftood, and which was about ^ight feet
below its prefent margin. The exa6l mea-
furement, therefore, of the fpace abandoned
by the water, was one hundred and fifty- two
feet. From this, it fhould feem that the ac^
count which M. de Bombelies received at
JLord Bredalbane's, ftating this fpace at three
hundred feet, requires to be corredted. It
ought, indeed J to be obferved, that as M*Ken-
'zie was not on the fpot until an hour after
the water began to move, it is not impro*
bable that the firfl impulfe, which he did not
fee, might have been much ftronger, than
thofe which fucceeded it. Lut as there is
no proof to fupport this fuppofition, whilfl
the fa61 which fell under M'Kenzie's obfer-
vation is afcertaincd by precife meafurement,
it is more advifeable to adopt his account.

The lake exhibited the fame phenomenon
on the following day, and likewife on the
third day, but not in fo frequent and regular
a manner.

No

fetJGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I77

No body obferved its appearances in the
feight; nothing, therefore, is known of what
happened during that time.

M'Kenzie faid, that during the ebb, the
water receded from the bank without any-
violent or flidden agitation, but with the
moil: gentle motion, until it reached the
large flone, from which it returned to its
former verge in the fame flow and gradual
manner.

The inhabitants of Kenmore, whom I had
accefs to confult, all agree with M'Kenzie
in the following fa<5ls :

I ft. The motions of the lake during the
fourth day, happened only at very diftant in-
tervals. 2dly. On the fifth, fixth and feventh
days, there was no ebb of the waters. 3dly„
•On the eighth, the motion appeared for a
few hours only ; and this was the cafe
during two whole weeks, with intervals of
two or three days, entirely motionlefs. 4thly, -
The motion abated gradually, and the lake
refumed its former flillnefs. fthly. Durino-
the whole of this time, there was no vio-
lent wind, nor the flighted Ihock of earth-
quake.

VOL. II. N Thefe

l-;^ TRAVELS THROUGH

Tbefe are the fads which are moft de-
fervlng of credit, and I conceive it not
improper to introduce them here, for the
purpofe of difpelHng thofe additions of the
tnarvelloiis, with ^^^hIch the English papers
did not fail to embeiUfli them. Having
myfelf carefully colietled the preceding ac-
counts on the fpot, they may be fafely con-
fided in. This is not a fuitable place for
entering into an examination of thef caufes
which might have occasioned this wonderful
flux and reflux in a lake where fuch a phe-
nomenon had never occurred before. Si-
milar phenomena have, indeed, taken place
in other lakes. But we have not as yet a
fufficient number of fa61:s, and thofe which
are already known have not been colle6led
by perfons fufficiently exercifed in the diffi-'
cult art of obfervation, to enable us to
form any fatisfa6lory fpeculations upon the
fubjeft.

We had fcarcely left Kenmore on our
way to Dunkeld, when .we were agreeably
furprized to find ourfelves on a road bordered
with fine Scottifli and American pines, and
other beautiful evergreens, kept in good order,

difpofed

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND- 1/9

difpofed with tafte, and difFufing over the
Icene an attractive and enhvening appear-
ance, which announced the vicinity of fome
io-rcat habitation.

About a mile farther, we came to the
verge of a vafi park, decorated with planta-
tions of various kinds in the midfl of verdant
lawns, and divided through its whole length
by the river Tay, over which are thrown two
or three bridges of different conftru6lions^
Numerous herds of deer feed in this delight-
ful place '; fheep, Hne looking beeves, and
horfes of various breeds, give the whole ail
air of abundance, ufefulnefs, and tafle, which
difplay at once tlie enlarged mind and high
fortune of the proprietor. A vaft pile of
building, partly in the gothic and partly in
the modern ftyle, clofed this magnificent pro-
fped. It is the r6fidence of the Earl of Bre-
dalbane.

I had heard fo much praife of the cha-
tafter of this nobleman, whofe chief occu-
pation is to ipread iiiduftry and happinefs
around him, that I was extremely forry I
had not procured a letter of introduction to
him, with which the Duke of Argyle would
have certainly obliged me, had I requefted
N 2 it*

tSo TRAVELS THROUGH

it. But it did not form part of n:y original
plan to pafs through Tindrum or Kenmore;
on the contrary, it was my intention to re-
turn by Inveraray ; and it was not tintil my
fecond arrival at Dalmally, that I refolved to
change the order of my journey, with the
view of obtaining authentic accounts relpecl-
ing the ebb and flow of Loch Tay. I regret the
iofs of this opportunity of acquiring a know-
ledge of the extenfive improvements in agri-
culture and rural economy, conduced with
i'o much fuccefs by the Earl of Bradelbane,
and of becoming acquainted with a man who
enjoys fo excellent a reputation, and is fo
ufeful to his country.

We dined at a very good and commodious
inn, about a mile from Dunkeld, oppofite to
that agreeable little town, and built on emi-
nence furrounded with woods and rocks. A
vaft ruinous gothic church gives Dunkeld a
very pidurefque appearance.

We reached Perth a little late in the
evening, by a road extremely rugged afid
fatiguing.

CHAP.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. l8l

CHAPTER XI.

Perthy its Harhtrr amlManufadures. — Alr.M'Comit\
ProfeJJbr of Mai hematics ; Mr. M^Greggor, Pro-
fejor of the French Language at the Academy. —
Volcanic Mountain of Kinnoul.-^'The Agates fowxd

upon it.

Ti

HE frnall city of Perth ftands in a very
ao^reeable fituation on the river Tay, which
the tide enters to a condderable diftance, and
renders ziavigable for fmall veflels. It is in a
pretty fiourilhing condition, and contains a
population of about twelve thoufand fouls.

The ftone bridge over the Tay was con-
ih-ucled by the fame perfon who built that of
Blackfriarsj at London. It is very well exe-
cuted, but is rather narrow for its length.

William Thornton had an acquaintance at
Perth, of the name of M'Comie, who was
profefTor of Mathematics in the college,
which bears here the title of academy. We
paid him a vifit, and fuch was his goodnels
and complaifance, that he was conllantly with
us during our ftay at Perth, where we re-
N 3 mained

I §2 TRAVELS THROUGH

malned nearly a week. We derived the mofl
ufeful fervices from him, as well as from one
of his colleagues, Mr. M'Gregor, profeffor
of the French Language, who had received
his firft education at Paris, and who was
kind enough alfo to favour us with his com-
pany, and to conduct us to feveral manu-
factories.

Before the reformation took place in Eng-
land and Scotland, the town of Perth, v/here
the catholic worlhip reigned in all its fplen-
dor, contained fome confiderable religious
foundations, befides a number of churches.
Of thefe, the greater part have fince been
laid in ruins, or converted into churches for
the life of the prefbyterians. In feveral of
the ftreets are feen fome fine gothic facades,
which once belonged to cathedrals, chapter-
houfes, monafteries, and nunneries. Thefe
remains of monuments, confecrated to a wor-
ship which formerly flouriflied fo vigoroufly
in the three kingdoms, announce that reli-
gions, as well as goveinments, have their pe-
riods of inftability and revolution, which in-
ceiTantly fucceed each other at intervals of
longer or Hiorter extent, but which, when the
impulfe is once given, no human power is

able

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I 83

able to arreil: : So true is it, that in morals,
as well as in phyfics, there is nothing durable
in this world.

Machines for carding and fpinning cotton,
had been introduced at Perth only a little be-
fore our arrival there. We faw the .firft of
them at the manufa6tory of an individual who
had caufed them to be conflrufted at Man-
chefler. He found it impofiible, however,
to convey them out of that town but during
the night ; fo jealous are the manufa61:urers
of Manchefter of this happy invention of Ark-
wright, which has given fuch extenfive cele-
brity and immenfe advantages to its com-
merce.

The mofl: confiderable manufactures of
Perth are fine linen, thread, and flax ; and
fome very excellent articles are produced in
this line. Here I faw a loom for weavins:

o

very large bed fheets,^ in one piece, by means
of a fliuttle fixed on fmall rollers. A pair of
thefe fheets, made of very fine linen, cofts
from a hundred and fifty to a hundred and
fixty livres of French money.

I purchafed at a table-cloth manufactory a

dozen fmall napkins and a breakfaft- cloth.

They were of an excellent quality, and coft

N 4 me

184 TRAVELS THROUGH

me four Louis -d'or. I was happy to have an
opportunity of carrying them to France by
way of models.

I was alfo fhewn, with an air of myftery,
at the houfe of a rich manufacturer of fine
lihen, an inilrument as ingenious as ufeful for
afcertaining the finenefs of texture with the
greateft precifion.

It confifts of a kind of fmall microfcopc of
a very fimple confl:ru<5lion, which, inftead of
an objed glafs, has a round hole, about three
lines or a little more in diameter. The dafs
or lens correfponds to that circular aperture
at the diftance of the focus. The inftrument
is placed upon the cloth, the threads of which
are fo magnified by the lens, that the obferver
can eafily count how many are contained
within the fpace of the hole. It is evident
that the greater the number, the finer is the
fabric of the ftufF. It likewife (hews whether
the thread be too flat or other wife. The
artifan who is acquainted with the mode of
ufing the inftrument, if he fliould prefent a
piece of cloth which he charges as fine, has
no admifiible excufe when it is found to be of
a coarfer quality, by making himfelf count
ihe number of threads with this inftrument,

I'he

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 85

The weavers, therefore, by its means, have
become accuftomcd to the greateft precifion.

The wholefale dealers equally employ it in
their purchafes. They have, therefore, good
reafon not to wifh that every one fhould be
acquainted with it ; becaufe, with its affiflance,
they can tranfad their bulinefs on a furer foot-
ing than thofe who are obliged to depend upon
the naked eye. I brought one of thefe in-
ftruments to France, where they were fbon
multiplied.

VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN OF KrNNOUL, IN THE
VICINITY OF PERTH.

The delire of examining the hill ofKinnoul,
was what principally determined me to pals
through the town of Perth, from which it
was only two miles and a quarter diftant. I
was therefore able to make feveral vifits to
it during the three days that I flaid at
Perth.

The lavas and agates which I collefted
there were very numerous. I fpent half a
day and a whole night in forting and ticket-
ing them. The number of thefineftlpecimens
were doubled, and in fome cafes tripled, for

the

M TRAVELS THROUGH

the purpofe of diftributing them among my
friends. The whole filled a large chefl*.

Scarcely had I crofled the bridge of Perth,
where I obferved fome lavas in ft rata, un-
formed mafles, and ill-ihaped prifrns. Thele
different currents proceeded from feveral
eminences forming pa'rt of the mountain of
Kinnoul, the balis of which, occupied a very
confiderable extent. Purfuino; the road along
i|lie,Tay, with the mountain on my left, for
two miles and a quarter, I came to a very
i^eep and almoft perpendicular rock, nearly
£x hundred feet high, and on the very edge
of the road. The traveller ought to make
diredly for this place, becaufe it is the richeft
m agates and other produ£lions worth col-
le<^ing.

;: Though the mountain appears extremely
ifteep in that quarter, one may,notwithftand-

- * This chefl-, together vAth my wtiole collection df the
produdls of Scotland and the Hebrides, which was in the
fcelt order, was loft on a fand bank, near Dunkirk. The
veflel which cari-ied them from Leith funk, and only the
crew wepe faved. By this unfortunate accident, I have
loft all. the fruits of a toilfome journey, except a fmall box
«>f the moft remarkable articles, which I brought along
with nie ia my carriage. But I had carefully copied into
one book the lifts. of all my colledions.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 8.7

ing, clamber up to its fummit, with a little
precaution. But, for this purpofe, it is ue-
cefTary to have a flout flick, armed with an
iron fpike ; nor mufl the adventurer hefitate
to fcale the craggy rocks. This labour,
however, may be fa\'ed by approaching in the
direction jufl mentioned, where the forms
and different difpofitions of the flrata are in a
manner plainly legible in its fide, which is
completely expofed to view. The follow-
ing is a note of the different articles which I
collected :-r-

0'

VOLCANIC MINERALOGY OF KINNOUL,

I. Black bafaltes, of a fine grain and homo-
geneous texture, forming an extenfive cur-
rent, adhering to a flream of black porphyria
lava, with a bafis of trapp, and fo difpofed as
to leave no doubt that the bafaltic lava in
this ftate derives its origin from porphyria
lava. The latter has preferved its cryflals of
felt fpar, which are fmall but well defined,
whilfl the bafaltic lava has lofl its cryflals,
which are amalgamated and blended with the
very bafis of the porphyry, either by a fudden
and violent, or a long continued combuflion..

On

l88 TRA^'ELS THROUGH

On examining the bafaltic lava with a micro-
Icope, fmall cryftals ai-e ftill feen in fomc
parts of it, which are not entirely amalga-
mated with the lava; their courfe may be
pretty well traced, even from their exterior
appearance. Small fplinters of the porphyria
lava, on being urged with the blow-pipe,
afford an enamel of a beautiful black colour ;
and the bafaltic lava yield- a vitreous matter
or enamel in every refpeft fimilan

2. The fame bafaltic lava, divided into
large prifms, very irregular, though well de-
fined. Thefe prifms prefent nothing in the
fra6lure but an homogeneous lava, without
the leafl cryftal of felt fpar.

3. Bafaltic lava of a delicate green colour,
very hard, fometimes fbnorous on being
flruck, difpofed in a large current. This
greenifh lava tranfverfety interfecSls a current
of black compa6! lava. Its greenifh colour is
owing to a particular modification of iron.
I was well acquainted with the earth of Ve-
rona, which has its origin from a very re-
markable decompofitiou of a volcanic pro-
du6t ; but I had never before feen a ftratum of
compact, hard, and fonorous bafaltic lava,,
which had that greenifh appearance.

4. A qua-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. iSg

4. A quadrangular prifm, well defined, in
excellent prefervation, and of an agreeable
delicate green colour. I found it among the
wreck of a confiderable mafs of lava of the
fame colour, which had fallen from the top
of the precipice.

5. The iame greenifh bafaltic lava in a
tabular form.

None of the green coloured lavas were
magnetic.

6. Compact porph>Tic lava, of a black
ground, ftudded with a number of cryftals of
white felt fpar, which have not undergone
any alteration. This lava is ftrongly mag-
netic.

7. A quadrangular prifm of blackifh por- 1
phyric lava, magnetic, with a knob of fleili-
coloured a2;ate on one of its faces.

8. Porphyric lava, mouldering into gravel,
and forming extenfive beds. I have no doubt
that if this gravelly lava, which is not very
hard, were reduced to powder by the aid of
{lamping- mills, like thofe ufed in Holland,
for pounding the lavas or tras in the environs
of Andernach, it would afford a puzzolano,
an excellent cement, of great and indeed in-
dilpenfablc ufe for building in water.

9. Compa<Sl

I^O TRAVELS THROUGH

9. Compad porphyric lava, with a ground
of deep iron grey inclining to violet, inter-
mixed with particles of green fteatites, fome
knobs of variegated agate, and a few globules
of white calcareous Ipar, difpofed in a large
current;

10. Compad porphyric lava, magnetic^
with knobs of white, and fometimes flefh-
Coloured alcareous fpar, and globules of the
fineft green-coloured fteatites.

ii. Reddifh-coloured compact, porphyric
lavaj forming a layer between two cui:rents
of bafaltic lava of a delicate green colour, and
adhering to them,

12. Black porphyric lava; magnetic, inter-
felted, with belts of red porphyric lava, re-
femhling the red porphyry of the ancients.
This lava, in which both the lavas are united,
is very remarkable.

13. A geode of agate, interhally ftudded
with fhining cryftals of violet-coloured quartz,
in the form of hexagonal pyramids, incrufled
with compad porphyric lava, of a dark browa
colour, a little inclining to violet, with fbme
knobs of white calcareous fpar, and feveral
globules of agate and green fteatites.

14. A geode

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. t^S

1 4. A gedde of bright red agate, having
ill its interior a brilliant cryftallization, of
white quartz of the greateft purity. This
<^eode is found in a black porphyria lava,
which is magnetic.

15. Eye-fpotted agate of a delicate rbfe
colour, incrufted with dark brown compafl:
porphyric lava, intermixed with globules of
green fteatites. This fpecimen is very agre^-*
able to the eye.

• 16. Red ftriped agate, inclofed ia black
porphyric lava, ftrongly magnetic. - ' '

17. Semi-tranfparent agate of the moft
vivjd red, i^^ ^ porphyric lava inclining to
violet, with knobs of white calcareous fpar,
and globules of a delicate green coloured
fteatites.

18. A geode with a cruft of calcedonious
biueifliocculated agate, internally ftudded with
cryftals of fparkling quartz. In the interior
of the cryftals are feen particles of black lava
taken up during the procefs of cryftallization;
from which it is beyond doubt that the for-
mation of the geodes was pofterior to that of
the lava.

19. A lump of white calcareous fpar,
fparkling, dilpofed in rhomboidal lamina?,

amidfl

1.92 Travels through

amidfl a. flight envelope of fleatites of a ^ne
green Colour. Tlie whole is incrufled in a
black compact lava, magnetic, and more
nearly refembling baf^ltes than porphyry*

20. A lump of green fleatites, enveloped
with a flight covering of white calcareous
fpar, in a porphyric lava, of a brown colour,
inclining to violet. This fragment is the re-
verfe of the preceding.

Siich are the moft interefting articles which
I colle61:ed on the mountain of Kinnoul. I
have no doubt that a longer i{?Ly would have
confiderably augmented my colledlion. But
others may perfe6t what I give here as a
iketch only. I had neither dire6tion nor
guide to regulate my refearches on that moun-
tain. It was not even fo much as conjeflured
to be volcanic at Perth. All that was known
there refpeding it was, that fome Edinburgh
lapidaries vifited it from time to time in quefl
of agates, which they poliflied and turned to
an objed of a petty traffic.

€FIAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 193

CHAPTER :XiI.

^t.AudrcWsUniverJity. — Library. — OldChiirchesr
Natural Bijtory.

w,

E fet out from Perth for St. Andrews
by way of the fmall town of Cupar in Fife,
where we changed horfes. We accomplifhed
this journey in feven hours. All the hills on
the road are formed of blackifh gravelly lava
and bafaltes.

We had letters of recommendation to
Mr. George Hill, profelTor of Greek, and
Mr. Charles Willbn, profeffor of Hebrew, in
the univerfity of St. Andrews. We waited
upon thefe gentlemen on the following day,
and both of them exerted themfelves with
the greateft eagernefs to oblige us, and to
procure us fuch information as could gratify
our tafle or curiofity.

UNIVERSITY.

This univerfity recommends itfclf to the
notice of the traveller by the name of the
celebrated Buchanan, who was profeffor of
philofophy there.

VOL. II. o There

194 TRAVELS THROUGH

There were formerly * two colleges which
are now confolidated into one. There was
a profeiTor of the Latin language in each of
the colleges ; one of the profefforfhips is now
flipprefled, and a chair of Natural Hiftory
fubftituted in its ftead. The Greek profeflbr-
ihip is aifo of recent erection.

The revenues of the profelTors, who are
thirteen in number, amount together to fifteen
hundred pounds fterling, which gives a fixed
falary of nearly three thoufand French livres
for each place.

The names of the profefTgrs are as fol-
lows :

Jofeph M'Cormick, Principal ;

James Flint, profelI(:)r of Medicine ;

John Cook, Moral Philofophy ;

George Forreft, Natural Philofophy ;

Nicolas Vilant, Mathematics ;

John Hunter, the Latin language ;

George Hill, the Greek language ;

W. Barron, Logic ;

Hugh Cleghorn, Civil Hiftory ;

* There were formerly three colleges, namely, St.
Salvador's, St. Leonard's, and St. Mary'sj the two former
of which have been united. Tranflat.

Dr.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 1 95

Dr. J. GiUcfpie, | ^.^.^^.^^.
Dr. Henry Spence, )
William Brown, Church Hifliory ;
Ch. Wilfon, the Hebrew language.

LIBRARY.

The college library i« open to the public
for feven months in the year, during which
they are at liberty to enter it every day at
ftated hours. There are likewdfe Ibme other
days of the year upon which it is opened.
The revenues appropriated to the mainten-
ance of this eftablifliment arife from fome
tythes belonging to an old eccleliaflical foun-
dation which were f'eized upon by the crown
and afterwards afTigned to this library. Their
produce does not amount to more than thirty-
iix pounds flerling, a fum nowile ad.equate to
the mofl urgent current expences. But fome
cafual emoluments from the admillion of cfra-
duates increafes the total revenue of the li-
brary to the fum of an hundred and fifty
pounds fterling. The number of books is not
more than eleven or twelve thoufand. They
are almoft all modern, with the exception of
feveral bibles and fome devotional books,
among which there is nothing extraordinary,
o a I faw

19^ TRAVELS THROUGH

I faw nothing worthy of notice but a manu-
fcript which was fomewhat interefting from
its excellent prefervation ; it was a Saint
Augullin of the thirteenth century, written on
vellum.. There is alfo in the fame apart-
ment, as an objetft of curiofity, an Egyptian
mummy in a very bad ftate, without even its
ancient cafe, and appearing to me to be one
of thofe which the Arabians join together of
patches and fragments for the purpofe of
fellinp- them to fuch as are unable to dete6f

o

the impofition.

ANCIENT CATHOLIC CHURCHES^

This city, during the reign of the catholic
religion, poileiTed the archiepifcopal pre-emi-
nence. The famous Cardinal Beaton was one
of its archbifhops. Vaft and fuperb churches
announced the opulence of their founders, and
the generous facrifices of a people powerfully
attached to their mode of worfhip. The
ruins of all thefe monuments, of which there
are ftill fome fine remains, give the city an
afpe£l of antiquity which forms a fingular
contraft with the fimplicity, the modefty,
and I had almoft faid, the poverty of the>
greater part of its prefent habitations.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. I97

The church of the fecond college, as it is
called, which is flill ftanding, appears to be
very ancient. The fteeple is a high tower,
of a quadrangular form, and of a good and
folid conftru6tion. The church is fpacious,
and in the o-othic ftile of buiidins; ; it is con-
fecrated to the Prefbyterian worfliip, and con-
tains the tomb, now partly in ruins, of an
archbilhop who founded the univerfity of this
city. This monument is built in the wall
with ftone of a very common kind, and ex-
hibits nothing remarkable. On an occafioii
of making fome repairs, there was difco-
vered within it * a church mace, of gilt cop-
per, four feet long. This enfign of dignity,
which I was permitted to examine, is charged
with gothic ornaments finely executed, but
in a bad tafte. It is covered with fmall
ileeples, and niches occupied by monks with
cowls on their , heads and in an attitude of
prayer. The angles are filled with winged
angels placed in pulpits and in a preaching

* The monument here referred to is the tomb ofbifhop
Kennedy, within which were found fix maces ; three of
them were diftributed among the other S-occh univer-
ftties, and (.he remaining three are preferved in that of
St. Andrews. Tranllator.

o ^ pgilure.

198 TRAVELS THROUGH

pofture. Gothic medallions are fiifpended
all round it by way of ornament ; and the
whole is furmounted with a figrure of Chrift
on foot, and ftanding upright in a pyramidal
niche. This work, to judge by its ftile, may
be from two hundred and iixty to three hun-
dred years old. It can only ferve to give us
an idea of the arts, and of the bad'tafte of the
time.

We likewife vifited another church, which,
from an infcription on one of its doors, ap-
peared to have been built in the year 11 12.
In this church we faw a grand maufoleum of
white marble, reprefenting an archbifhop, as
large as life, kneeling, and an angel placing
a martyr's crown on his head. A fpacious
baffo relievo, at the foot of this monument,
exhibits the fame archbifliop attacked by fome
men who afTaffinate him. A vounsi; o-irl in
tears, detained by fome other perfons, near a
coath, which they have flopped, makes the
moft violent ftruggle to go to the affiftance of
the archbifhop, in whom flie feems to have
the moft tender intereft. Defpair is ftrongly
marked in her geftures and her figure.

This fcene inftantly brought to my re-
.jy^?mbrance the difaftrous e^^ent \\'hich hap-
pened

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 199

pened to Cardinal Beaton *, who was killed
on the 29th of May, 1546, by Norman Lefly,
eldeft fon of the earl of Rothes, accompanied
with fifteen confpirators. Beaton, was doubt-
lefs a man of great talents, but at the fame
time ambitious, infolent, a cruel enemy of
the Reformers, and had the abominable in-
humanity ^ caufe the unfortunate George
Wilhart to be burnt alive.

I was aftonifhed at feeing; a monument of
this fort permitted to remain in a church now
applied to the ufe of the reformed religion,
which holds Beaton in fjch abhorrence. But
my aftonifhment foon ceafed on learning that
this monument, the fc?jlpture of which was
executed in Holland, had been erefted by the
relations of the archbifhop a long time after
his death, and that they had appropriated a
certain yearly fum for keeping it in repair.
It thence refults, that in order to obtain this
fum, the maufoleum muft be allowed to exift
as a work that has received their complete

* The author's conjefturehas been in this inftance er-
roneous. This monument is a reprefentation of the death
of archbifhop Sharp, who, in revenge for his cruel perfecu-
, tions of their feci, was afTaffinated by nine prefbyterian
enthufiafls, on the 3d of May, 1669, on Magus Moor, in
the vicinity of St. Andrews. — rranflator.

o 4 fandion.

200 TRAVELS THROUGH

fandlion. But it alfo happens that the monii=
ment receives no repairs, though it begins to
be greatly in want of them ; and the money
is very probably applied to the ule of the
church. No part of it, however, will be de-
molifhed as long as the yearly allowance fliall
continue to be paid : an evident proof that
every where, and in every cafe, gold has the
power of reconciling the naoft oppofite
opinions.

It would appear that the relations of car-
dinal Beaton had no wifh to conceal that the
holy archbifhop was a father, fince his
daughter is reprefented in tears, with her
arms extended towarc^s her father, and forcibly
held by two of the confpirators, at the mo-
ment when the others accomplifh the mur-
der. But the folemn Robertfon informs us,
in his hiftory of Scotland, that the prelate
openly acknowledged this daughter. " Car-
" diaal Beaton," fays he, " with the fame
*' public pomp, which is due to a legitimate
** child, celebrated the marriage of his natu-
" ral daughter with the earl of Crawfurd's
*' fon ;" and in a note he fays, " the marriage
*' articles, fubfcribed with his owii hand, in
" which he calls her my daughter, are

*« ftiU

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 20i

** ftill extant," vol. i. p. 88, of the Svo.
edition.

The facade of the church of St. Leonard,
though gothic, pofieifes an elegance and gran-^
deur which are very impreffive. This was
the chapel of the college which has been dif-
folved. Johnfon in his 'Journey to the
Wefterii I/lands of Scotland, complains, that
he was always by fome civil excule hindered
from entering it, and that in fad it had been
converted into a oieen-houfe. I w^as not
more fortunate than Johnfon. But I found
that the area in front and on one fide of the
ehapel was turned into a kitchen garden ;
and from what I law myfelf, it is not im-
probable that the houfe of God has become
the houfe of the gardener, and that it affords
a fhelter to his carrots and his turnips during
the winter.

By way of compenfation, however, I
viewed at my eafe, the ruins of the cathedral
and the adjoining palace, which formed the
refidence of the archbifhop. Both thefe vafl
edifices, ftood on an elevated fituation, which
commands a full profped of the fea. The
palace was, indeed, fo clofe to it, that the

waves

202 TRAVELS THROUGH

waves have under mined a part of its founda-
tions.

The cathedral, as far as can be eftimated
from its remains, without comprifing fome
adjoining chapels, a kind of cloifter, and
other fubordinate buildings around it, was
three hundred and fifteen feet long, and fixty
feet broad. Nothins; can be more remarkable
and interefting than this ruin. Not only does
it bear the imprefllon of timeandneglecl, but
it alfo difcovers the ftrongefl: marks of a re-
h'srious and fanatical zeal which rofe to the

o

moft abominable phrenzy.

Towers of the mofl folid conftru6lion
overthrown ; columns broken in pieces ; the
remains of magnificent gothic windows fuf-
pended as it were in the air ; pyramidal
ileeples, m.ore than a hundred feet high, of
{{:ones fo folidly laid, that it being difficult to
demoliili them entirely, they were pierced
thro\igh and through and indented in every
dire61:ion ; winding flair-cafes which feem to
ftand without any foundation ; altars heaped
upon altars under the remaining vaults ; frag-
ments of friezes, capitals, entablatures, fcat-
tered among fepulchral tablets, and mutilated
tombs ; the wreck of cloifters, chapels, por-
ticos ;

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 203

ticos ; and fome columns ftill maintaining an
ere6t pofturc in the midll of fuch wide-fpread
havock : fuch is a rapid sketch of the pidure
prefented by thefc extcnfive ruins, which
flrike the man, who beholds them for the
firft time, with dread and aftonifliment.

The traveller is at firft loft in conje61:uring
whether a terrible earthquake, a long fiege,
or an invafion of barbarians, was the caufe of
fo much devaftation. A quadrangular tower
an hundred feet high, well conftrufted, and in
perfetl prefervation, rifes fingle and unim-
paired by the fide of thefe vaft ruins. It is
difficult to account for this contraft.

At the view of this fcene one is irrefiftibly
led into a train of melancholy reflexions, on
the maladies of the mind, which degenerate
into madnefs and mortify our reafon. Are
thefe frenzies, thefe deliriums of the intelled:,
like corporeal difeafes, infepar^le from the
condition of humanity ? If the affirmative be
true, mankind in the grofs, are the moft fe-
rocious, and at the fame time the moft mif-
chievous of animals, and one might be tempt-
ed to renounce this life at once, were it not
for a few -chofen individuals who encourage
one to fupport it,

I was

304 TRAVELS THROUGH

I was afTured that the quadrangular tower
which ftands entire in the midft of thefe ex-
tenfive ruins, has exifted for upwards of eleven
hundred years. It was probably a light-houfe
in former times ; at prefent it is a memorial
only of the feudal rights which the king has
over the city ; and on this account it is pre-
fcrv^ed with great care. I mounted by an
infide ftair-cafe to the highefJ: balcony ;
whence there is a view of a wide extent of
country.

Biaauve has inferted in his large atlas very
exact engravings of the principal monuments
of St. Andrews, as they appeared at an epoch
when they exifted in all their fplendour.
iMr. Cleghorn aiTured me, that the materials
which had been furnifhed to Biaauve wer«s
very corre6t.

Thefe fame monuments, in their ruinous
fl:ate, have i>een carefully engraved in four
plates, by Pouncy, from drawings of ftriking
effeft, by J. Oli-phant. I faw a coUedion of
them at the houfe of the college librarian,
who would not agree to fell them for any
money. He carefully preferved them in
frames of glafs ; he faid they were now very
fear jc, and hardly to be met with for fale.

Before

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 205

Before a crowd of fanatics, inflamed to
fury by the homicidal fermons of the gloomy
Knox, carried the torch of dell:ru£lion to men
and things, through that unfortunate city, it
was a place of confiderable eminence ; letters
and the fciences flourifhed within its walls,
and rich and numerous eftahlifliments were
dedicated to public inftrudion.

The blow which it received from the hand
of barbarians, fuddenly changed its appear-
ance. It requires ages to build, but an in-
ftant only to deflroy. This city, notwith-
ftanding the length of time which has elapfed
lince the date of its misfortunes, fliil appears
as if it had been ravaged by the peflilence.
Its ftreets are large and commodious ; but
are every where covered with grafs. All is
Tadnefs and fdence. Its inhabitants, ignorant
of commerce and the arts, prefent only the
image of indolence and lanoTiorv This flate
of ina6livity has its corrcfpondent efFe6ls on
the population ; for though the place is ftili
capable of lodging from fourteen to fifteen
thoufand people, it does not contain at moft.
above three thou land.

I therefore jain in the opinion ■ of Johnfon,
who, indignant at the defolate condition in

which

206 TRAVELS THROUGH

which the EnMifli s;overiiment fuffers cfta-
bhfliments confecrated to inftrudion to re-
main, exclaims, " It is furely not without
" juft reproach that a nation, of which the
" commerce is hourly extending, and the
" wealth increafing, denies any participation
*' of its profperity to its literary focieties ;
*' and while its merchants or its nobles are
" raifing palaces, fuffers its univerfities to
" moulder mto dull."

SOME OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY IN THE
ENVIRONS OF ST. ANDREWS.

The rock on which the caflle of this city
flood, is in many places at lead: one hundred
feet above the level of the fea ; and the place
itfelf, though built on a plain, has the fame
height above the water.

This huge precipice confifls of beds of
white quartzofe free-ftone, croffed at inter-
vals with' fmall horizontal layers of black ar-
gillaceous fchiflus, foft, a little {hining, and
deriving its colour from impalpable particles
of pit-coal.

. 111. the part where the free-ftone comes in
contad with the fchiftus, the Hi'd is always

divided

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 207

divided into fmall ftrata which eafily feparate,
and are themfelves fomewhat tinged with
coaly particles. There alfo may be diftin-
guifhed fome Imall bits of wood converted
into coal.

To thefe alternate beds of free-ftone, co-
loured with coal, and of black argillaceous
fchiftus, fucceed thick banks of white free-
ftone, interrupted in their turn with thin
layers of black Ichiftus and coloured free-ftone ;
but here the coaly particles are more copious.

In fhort, under the deepeft beds of free-
ftone in the part where the fea has uncovered
them, are {qch flirata of coal almofl: pure and
tit for burning,

Induftry is here in fuch a ftate of ftagna-
tion that no perfon has attempted, by follow-
ing thefe remarkable indications, to link a
pit, or even fo much as to found for a mine
of coals which preients itfelf under fuch fa-
vourable appearances, and which from its-
lituation on the very edge of the fea, would
form a fource of riches to the country.

I exprelTed my aftonifhment on the fubjecl
to feveral intelligent perfons, who framed ex^.
cufes for this negligence, by faying, that three
or four miles inland there wxre fome mines

of

208 TRAVELS THROUGH

of coal worked, which were fufficlent for the
fupply of the country.

The fea, notwithftandlng the barriers Op-
pofed to it by the bold bank of free-ftone on
which St. i\ndrews is built, has gained upon the
land fo perceptibly^ that, as I was afTured on
the ftrongeft authority, within lefs than two
hundred and fifty years, it had undermined
and worn the rock with fuch activity as to
deftroy almofl the whole of the fcite of the
ancient arcbiepifcopal caftle. A road which
led from the caftle to a mole ftill exiftins^ is
entirely carried away, fo that the water com-
pletrely intercepts the paffage in a dire61 line ;
and it fhould be remarked, that the fpace de-
ftroyed between the caftle and the head of
the mole is about five hundred toifes. Thus
has the fea in fo fhort a period wafted away
a very confiderable extent and thicknefs of
iolid rock ; and at low water nothing is to be
feen but rubbiih and ruins.

From this encroachment, how^ever, we are
not to form general conclufions refpedling the
advancing or receding of the waters of the
ocean. It is a circumftance purely local that
has occafioned this accidental invafion, which

I regard

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND- 2O9

I regard as completely unconnefled with any
general theory.

By an attentive examination of the fpot,
I difcovered fome of the caufes of this 2:reat
degradation.

And iirft, the facility which there has al-
ways been of drawing large malTes of free-
fone from this craggy tra6l on the reflux of
the tide, is one caufe, which we will not be
apt to reject, if we confider that the immenfe
quantity of materials employed in conflru<5t-
iiig the cathedral, feveral large churches and
convents, the caftle and the j;ioufes of the
city, has been taken out of this place. I my-
felf faw a great number of workmen em-
ployed in cutting out pretty large ftone^ for
ibme repairs which were making on the
mole.

On the other hand, the pofition of the beds,
the various fubftances of which they are com-
pofed, and their unequal degrees of hardnefs,
tend to accelerate their degradation. The
coaftis fofteep that the deep excavation which
extends from the caftle to the mole-head, bears
the name of the Precipice.

The mafles of free-ftone being placed or^
beds of argillaceous Tchiflus, which is foft,

VOL, II, p pyritous

210 TRAVELS THROUGH

pyritous and flifceptible of being difTolved by
water, are liable to ilide from their place and
to lofe their balance. The upper beds give a
violent concuffion to the others in their fall ;
and this pernumt cavife of deftruction, joined
to the a61:ion of froll:, the atmofphere, and the
chan,2;es of wet and drynefs, muft at length
occafion extenfive havock. But what is very
remarkable and worthy of attention, is, that
all thefe fragments, which are fubjetl: to the
powerful a6tlon of the waves and currents of
the fea, being dafhed againft each other or
rolled upon the hard and rugged bottom, arc
foon reduced to powder ; thence there re-
ilik confiderable depofites of land which the
iea throws up in banks on the beach, and
which the wiads form into fmall hills. Thus
the waves which tear afundcr the free-ftonc
and carr^' it off the coaft in huge folid pieces,
throw it back on a neighbouring part in the
form of fand, which may in time acquire con-
fiftenco and form good foil.

It is eafy to perceive the identity of this
fand, which is intermixed with fome coal and
clayey matter, with the free-flone, whence it
originated. This newly formed tra6t of fand
occupies a fpace of four miles long, and half

a mile

ENGLAND And SCOTLAND 21 1

a mile broad *. Such is probably the origin
of the greater part of fands, which may in a
courfe of tim.e, and with the aid of certain
circuraftances, be a fecond time formed into
free-ftonei

I ought to have ftated, before difmiffing
the fubjed of the Precipice, that the inferior
rtrata, which fapport a mafs more than eighty
feet thick of fchiftus and free-ftone, are them-
felves very remarkable, being com.pofed of very
liard free-ftone, and containing pebbles of dif-
ferent forms and fizes, and of a reddifli colour
in thqir cruft or exterior furface. On breaking
thefe pebbles, they are eafily difcovered to
confift of black bafaltic lava, ftill retaining
their magnetic quality, though their crull
has undero;one alteration.

As the rounded lavas thus confined are
fcen in great num^ber in the lower beds of
free-ftone, and as it is probable that thofe
which have been invaded by the fea contain-
ed fimilar ones, it is beyond doubt that thefe
pebbles exifted prior to the formation of the

* In thefe fands are found feveral living fliell-fifli. The
large razor fifh ox jollen, the cardium fenatum of Linnaeus,
or bucarde dente of Brugui-re, defcribed in his article on the
Natural Hiftory of Worrrs, page 227, of the French
Encyclopedia, and the cardium ctllare of Linnaeus, or
bucarde f range of Bruguiere, page 2x8 of the fame book,
are very common.

V 2 free-

212 TRAVELS THROUGH

free-ftone ; that is to fay-, that they are th«
produ61:s of volcanos, and that they have been
rounded by the fea before the fandy fubftances
became united and confolidated into a mafs
of free-ftone.

There is no room for any doubt or helita-
tion refpe<?l:ing the quaUty of the fubftances.
The bafaltic pebbles are fo many traces of dif-
covery and ufeful indications to thofe who en-
deavour to perufe the grand volume of nature.
But this is not a fit place to expatiate further
upon the fubjefl. I (hall only fay, that if ac-
cidental circumllances of this kind cannot de-
termine to a very nigh degree the time which
has elapfed iince the formation of thefe lavas
and the free-ftone, in which they are inclofed,
they induce us at leaft to believe that both
the one and the other muft have taken place
at a very remote epoch.

CHAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 213

CHAPTER XIII.

Di-parture from St. Andrews. — Largo. — Leven. —
Dyjart — Kirkaldy. —Kingborn. — Lcith. — Return
to Edinburgh.

S^

ICARCELY had we left St. Andrews and
entered on the road to Largo, when we found
the fields fcattered over with very large blocks
of bafaltes. The farmers have inclofed their
lands with them, and thus afforded to na-
turalifts an eafy opportunity of examining
them.

Tliey are of a fine black colour, great hard-
nefs, and a pure and homogeneous fubflance.
I attentively examined a great number of the
flones which were but recently broken, to try
whether any extraneous body had entered into
their internal compofition. But I found their
texture in general very pure, and found in a
fmgle lump only a few fmall cryftals of black
fchorl. The fchorls are in general very
rarely met with in the volcanic products of
Scotland and the Hebrides.

After a ride of three miles, we reached a

pretty high flat, entirely covered with blocks

p 3 of

214 TRAVELS THROUGH

of baialtes, which feemed to have been fcatr
tered about at random, and which very much
incommode cultivation, as it would not be
an eafy- matter to difplace them. This ele-
vated plain is of vaft extent, and yields oats
and rye ; though the vegetable mould cannot
be much more than five or fix inches in depth.

This cultivated foil repofes on blackidi
arg'^laceous fchillus, difpofed in ftrata. Banks,
of free-ftone, hke thofe of St. Andrews, fuc-.
ceed the fchiftus, and then follow at a confi-
derable depth beds of excellent coal. The
number of pits w hich are (ecu. along the road,
announce that the collieries are worked with
great a61:ivity, I counted more than fifteen
coal-pits within the fpacr of a mile.

Largo is only a fmall village; we flopped
at it to bait our horfes. Banks of free-flone of
great thicknefs are expofed to view on all
fides ; they are over-topped v^dth enormous,
pieces of bafaltes. I had not before feen in the
volcanic parts of Scotland, detached mafifes
of bafaltes of fo great a bulk. This compact
lava is very pure and found, fo that it may
be formed into flabs or even .fi:atues.

Leven and Dyfart are pretty large villages,
which li^ on the road by the lea-fide. In

their

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 215

their environs are feveral collieries^ which
employ a great number of peribns. They are
carried on upon a greater fcale than thofe ux
the neighbourhood of St. Andrews, and con-
du6ted with greater intelligence and more ex--
tenfive means. Thofe of the inhabitants,
who are not employed in the collieries apply
themfelves to fifhing, in which they are very
Ikilful.

Kirkaldy is a confiderable burgh. The;
whole of its environs is flrewed with blocks
of bafultes ; and this fcattered train of lavas
extends from Largo to beyond Kirkaldy, along
a fpace of more than twenty- four miles in
length, and eight miles in breadth. What
terrible convulfioa was it that tranfported
thefe bafaltes, and thus rolled and difperfed
them over fo vaft a furface ?

I had already (een in Vi\'arais, a rtate of
things in every refped limilar; but upon a
plain much higher above the coaft of Maire.
The maiTes of bafaltes are there equally large
and not lefs numerous. They may be traced
to the fmall town of Pradelle, through an
extent of more than twenty miles long,
and four or five miles broad. This refem-
blance ought not to efcape coiifideration.

V 4 From

2l6 TRAVELS THROUGH

From Kirkaldy we purfued our road to
Kinghorn, a burgh lituated on the water's
edsre. The blocks of bafaltes feemed to mul-

o

tiply as ^A'e approached the vicinity of King-
horn ; but very near the town we found the
bafaltes in imbodied maiTes, that is, difpofed
in large currents as it was difcharged by the
vol can OS.

Between Kirkaldy and Kinghorn, and at a
little diftance from the road, are three up-
right rude ftones, which have been ere6led as
a memorial of fome event, which it is now
impofTible to trace. Thefe monuments con-
fift of a rough-grained yellowifh free-ftone.
The hidicfl is about fifteen feet above
ground, and muft have funk at leaft five feet
below the furface ; it is of confiderable thick-
nefs : the other two are not fo large. They
appear to be of very high antiquity. Have
they been erected by the Romans ? This is not
very probable ; for, that warlike people, at
the time they over- ran England and at-
tempted to fubjugate the Caledonians, who
gave them the moffc vigorous refiftance, were
too familiar with the arts, to raife fuch ruftic
monuments which have no infcription, nor
any mark of workmanfhip. It is not im-
probable

Miimii

iiiiiiiiiiiii

illlillilKil

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 21 7

probable that thefe rude columns were con-
fecrated to the fuperftition of the ancient
Druids, or that they were ere6led by a war-
like people little Ikilled in the arts, in
remembrance of fome important events
which have not defcended to our know-
ledge.

Monuments of this kind are very nu-
merous in Scotland and the Hebrides. The
natives entertain various and doubtful opi-,
nions upon the fubjed. Some call them
the altars, temples, or monuments of the
Druids ; while others, regarding them as of
greater antiquity, fay, that they were ereded
in the time of Fingal ; that is, at an epoch
indeterminate, and perhaps fabulous ; and
another clafs maintain that they are Roman
tombs, and contain the aflies of illuftrious
warriors, who fell in their combats with the
Caledonians. I fhall leave the developement
of this enigma to the Edinburgh Antiqua-
rian Society, with meiely calling to their
recolledlion that fimilar monuments are
found in Lower Brittany, and that the lan-
guage of its inhabitants has a ftrong refem-
blance to that of the H.ebridians, and I enter-
tain the hope that they will throw fome

light

2 1 8 TRAVELS THROUGH

light upon a fubjed To worthy of being in-
veftigated.

There are twentj-feven miles from St.
Andrews to Kinghorn. We were obliged
to ufe the fame horfes for the whole way ;
there being no ^hce where we could change
them. Kinghorn is htuated on the edge of
the fea ; and at this place is the ferry for
croffins: the Frith cf Forth to Leith, which
is within a very ftiort diftance of Edin-.
burgh.

The beach of Kinghorn, and, indeed, of
the whole coi:fl, is bordered with layers of
lava ; fome of them in the form of bafaltes,
in an extended raafs, or in prifms, and others
in a gravelly and decompofed ftate. Thefe
feveral ftreams of volcanic matter repofe
immediately on an argillaceous fchiftus under
which are frequently found beds of coals.

In the lavas of Kinghorn I found fomc
zeolite, and a great deal of calcareous Ipar,
adhering to decompofed lavas.

The paflage from Kinghorn to the port of
Leith is £cven miles. We performed it in
two hours, in one of the ferry-boats, which
are tolerably commodious, and fet out regu-
larly at certain hours. In the middle of the

Frith

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND- 219

Frith is a very rapid current, which is ob-
lervable at all times ; for, where it runs,
the fea is always agitated during the greateft
calms.

The harbour of Leith, at the time we en-
tered it, was filled with veffels, Englifh,
Scotch, American, 6ic. I faw feveral velTels
belon^ins: to GlafTOW and Leith, which vVere
done over with bitumen or tar, extra 6l:ed
from pit- coal at the manufa (Stores of Lord
Dundonald, who has introduced the making
^nd ufing of this tar on a great fcale in that
country. The velTels coated with it appeared
of a fine fhining black, which diftinguiflied
them from the others. Several fhip-maflers
whom I Ipoke to on the fubjeft, and fome of
whom had come from the Weft Indies,
afTured me that their veiTels which had been
covered with this tar, arrived in the beft:
poffible condition, and were completely free
from worm-holes. Navigation is doubtlefs
much indebted to Lord Dundonald, who per-
fevered with the moft undeviating conftancy,
in bringing to perfe6lion this ufeful produ6t of
coal, and alfo in bringing it into general ufe,
a thing not eafily efFefted upon every occafion
when it is necefiary to change ancient cuf-
toms.

We

220 TRAVELS THROUGH

We reached the harbour of Leith about fix
in the afternoon of the i6th of 06lober.
WiUiam Thornton, who proceeded dire6lly
forward from Perth, without accompanying
us to St. x^ndrews, waited for us at Edin-
burgh. We went from Leith to Edinburgh
in lefs than half an hour, along a fuperb
road.

Thornton had procured us lodgings at a
private houfe, and at a reafonable rate ; for
we had determined not to go to Dun's Hotel,
where fuch exadions had been pra6lifed on
us during our firft ftay in that city. Our new
lodgings, for ourfelves and our three domeflicSj
coft only eighty-four livres a week.

As we intended to fpend a fortnight at
Edinburgh, we made an arrangement with
the mafter of a tavern who ferved us with
providons, dreffed in the French ftile, ad-
dino- a few Scotch dilhes, which were agree-
able to us. This man is a native of Bour-
deaux, and was brought from France by a
Scotch Lord, with whom he refided a long
time. He afterwards married and fettled in
Edinburgh. He is a very good landlord and
full of attention and complaifance. I would
recommend his houfe to fuch naturalifts and

others

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND- 221

others as intend to vllit Edinburgh. They
have only to afk for the mafter of the French
tavern, which is very well known.

At this table, we formed an acquaintance
with Baron Hartfield, whofe ordinary refi-
dence is at Berlin. He is a man of eftima-
tion and talent, and travelled for the purpofes
of information. He had pufhed his refearches
as far as the Hebrides, and vifited the ifle of
Staffa ; in his pafTage to which, he told us, he
encountered the mofl imminent danger.

CHAP-

2iZ TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTEP. XIV.

Edinburgh. — The Univerfity. — Learned Societies.-^
' College of Pbyftcians. — College of Surgeons. -^Ca-
binet of Natural Hijlory. — Robertfoiu — Smith.-^
BlacL—Cullen, &c:

E

DINBURGH is fituated in ^s"" Si' ot
north latitude, and 3^ 14 of weft longitude,
from the meridian of Greenwich. The dif-
tance of this city from London is, by the eaft
road, through Berwick, 38 S miles; by the
middle road, through Wooler, 378 miles;
and by the weft road, through Carlifle, 396
miles.

The fciences, literature, natural hiftory,
and the arts, being the principal objeds of
my journey ; what I fhall have to fay of
Edinburgh will chiefly relate to them : topo-
graphical defcriptions of this city are to be
found in a number of other works.

THE UNIVERSITY.

The following is the eftablifhment of the
Univerfity of Edinburgh, with the names of
thofe who were at this time its profeffors.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 22^

The King, is the Protedor ;

Do6lor Robertfon, Principal ;

Robert Hamilton and A. Hunter, pro-

feffors of Theology ;
Robert Gumming, Church Hiftory ;
Doctor J. Robertfon, Hebrew ;
A. Dalziei, Greek ;
D. Stewart, Mathematics ;
A. FergufTon, Moral Philofophy;
J. Robifon, Natural Philofophy ;
A. Tytler and J. Pringle, Civil Hiftory ;
William Wallace, Scottifti Law ;
Robert Dick, Civil Law ;
A. M'Conochie, the Law of Nature and

Nations ;
Hugh Blair, Rhetoric ;
John Hope, Botany ;
Francis Home, Materia Medica ;
William Cullen, Pradice of Medicine;
James Gregory, Theory of Medicine ;
Jofeph Black, Chymiftry ;
Alexander Monro, Anatomy ;
Alexander Hamilton, Midwifery ;
John Walker, Natural Hiftory.

ROYAL SOCIETY.

The Duke of Buccleugh is Prefident of the

Royal Society ;
Henry Dundas, Vice-Prefident.

The

224 - TRAVELS THROUGH

The Prefideiits of the Phyfical and Literary
ClafTes, &g. are
Baron Gordon ;
Lord EiUock ;
General H. Campbel ;
Adam Smith ;
John M'Laurin ;
Do6tor Adam FergulTon ;
Do6tor Monro ;
Dodor Hope ;
Do6i:or Black ;
Doclor Hutton ;
ProfefTor Dugald Stewart ;
John Playfair ;
ProfelTor J. Robertfon, Secretary.

ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY COLLEGE OF PHY-
SICIANS COLLEGE OF SURGEONS MEDI-
CAL SOCIETY.

There is a fbciety lately eftabllfhed in this
city for the purpofe of colledling and pre-
ferving every thing that relates to Scottifh
antiquities. The Earl of Bute is the Preli-
dent, the Earl of Buchan is Firfl Vice-Prefi-
dent, and Lord Gardenftone is Second Vice-
J'relident.

Thero

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 22j

There are befides a college of phyficians,
a college of furgeons, and a medical fociety.

There is alfo a popular eftablifliment called
the Hi^^h School of the City^ which announces
that here nothing; conne£led with public iii-
ftrucllon is neglected. This fchool is divided
into feveral clafTes, the mafters of which are
'employed in teaching the elements of the
Latin language to youth.

Thefe inflitutions fhew that the arts, the
fciences, and the Belles-lettres are cultivated
and efteemed in this city, which is honoured
by the diftinguifhed characfters it has produced
in every branch of learning. The celebrity of
the profellbrs is fo great that vafl: numbers of
foreigners come from every quarter of the
world to ftudy at the univerfity, and the mo-
ney they fpend is a confiderable advantage to
the town.

Edinburgh, both from its fituation and its.
tranquillity, is a proper place for the fciences.
It is not difturbed by the tumult of parlia,-.
mentary difcuffions, the buftle of an over-
grown commerce, iior the din:ra6ling amufe-
ments of London. From, time immemorial
the mufes have chofen to refide on the top
of a hill near a folitary fountain.

VOL. II. Q^ Mentionlns;

2^6 TRAVELS THROUGH

Mentloiung the mufes, brings to my recol-
le<9:k)n an infciiption in their honour, which
is placed above one of the gates of the iini-
veri:ty. It is ratiier extraordinary :

MUSIS ETCHRISTO.

TO THE MUSES AND CHRIST.

This afibclation may to' fome appear pro-
fane, but it is only a little conceit by which
the author probably intended to announce
that both letters and religion are taught in
this building. A mioiilier of the prefbyteriaii.
religion, who accompanied me on my xiCit
to the univerTity, was very eager to juftify
this fiugiihir infcription, which he thought
remarkably ingenious: He alked my opi-
nion of it.

I replied to him ^^■ith a fmile, that I
believed the infcription might be inter-
preted in a very favourable manner, if the
meaning which I was inclined to give it,
were adapted.

It is proper, laid I, that the mules fliould
prefide over an eftablifhment which elevates
man to the true dignity of his nature by in-
ftru<Sling him. They may be here con-fidered

SIS

KNGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 2 2|7

as fupplicating reafon to profcribe the two
chairs ©f Theology and Church Hiftory ; and
of thofe of Logic, Moral Philofophy, Na^
tural Philofophy^ the Laws of Nature and
Nations, Civil La'i"^'-) and Scotch Law, to
make only one, which may be called the
Profeflbrfhip of the Laios of Nature and,
Nations.

On the other hand, the greatell: of moralifts,
|)laced by the fide of the mufes, ought to re-,
mind the inhabitants of thefe countries that
true knowledge is the enemy of fanaticifm
and intolerance ; that thofe who have fhed
fo much of the blood of Scotland in theolo-
gical difputes, were ftrangers to morality as
well as to the fpirit of humanity, which be-
longs to the religion they pretended to pro^
fefs * ; and that thofe who overthrew and
deftroyed the ancient monuments of the na-
tion, becaufe they were connected with a re-
ligion which they did not approve, were real
barbarians, whofc ferocity was only equalled
by their ignorance.

* Such as Kaox, who entitled an account of the afTaf-
fination of Cardinal Beaton, " The Joyous Narration,
" &c." Such as that fanguinary prieft, Beaton himfelf,
who burnt hunxan beings alive, becaufe they were what he
called heretics.

0^2 CABINET

2i8 TRAVELS THfeOUGIf

CABINET OF NATURAL HISTOST.

Tlie cabinet of natural hifl:ory, in the
Bniverfity, is under the diiedloii of Do(3:or
Howard. The examination of this coUedion
gave me great pleafnre, and interefted me
much more than that of the Britifh Mufeum^
in London, though it was far lels confider-
able ; but, the ob]e<3:s which compofe it, arc
in a more methodical order, particulaily the
£i:ones and minerals : Befides, the managers
of this mufeum have very properly taken
care to colle<9: all the productions of Scot-
laud they liave been able to procure.

Thus this mufeum is as inftru£l:Ive and
interefting to the natives of Scotland, as it
k agreeable to foreio-ners, who are always
iTQUch iTsore defirous of feeingr coiie6lions

o

of the natural and local riches of a coun-
try, than the multitude of difconne^lcd and
inconfequential obj e ds c onftan tly brought from
India, and which are repeated over and over
in every cabinet.

Some reforms are, however, wanting to
the mufeum of the univerfity. The place
allotted for it ought to be larger and deco-
rated

LNGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 229

rated with more Viiic. The ciafl^hcation
fhould alio be exterided to the other parts as
well as the minerals. Thefe improvements
will certainly one day take place ; that they
have not been made already can onlv be
j^fcribed to the remaining influence of that
erroneous mode of education which in all an-
cient univerfities has occafioned natural fcicnce
to be too much neglected. It is only lately
that a profefTorihip in this important branch
of inftrudion was eftablifhed in the college of
Edinburgh ; but as a tafte for Jbis dehehtful
iludy will, doubtlefs, increale very rapidly in
a city where tlie other fciences have- fb lonc^
fixed their relidence, it is to be hoped that
this cabinet will fbon be placed in a buildino-
more worthy of a nation which is capable of
fumi(hing it with the richefl fpecimens. I
therefore invite Do<5lor Howard, whopoflefles
much knowledge, and who loves his country^
tofolicit from the government the grant of a
building fuitable to the colledion he fuper-
intends, with grounds fufficiently extenfivc
to join the botanical garden to the cabirtet of
natural hiilory.

Lithology, and the ftudy of minerals, have

^s yet made little progreis in Scotland. There

0^3 are

230 TRAVELS THROUGH

are therefore few collections of thefe objefts.
Dodor James Hutton is, perhaps, the only in-^
dividual in Edinburs:li who has placed in his
cabinet fome minerals and a number of agates
chiefly found in Scotland ; but I obferved,
that he had not been fafficiently careful in
collecting the different matrices which con-
tained them. I therefore experienced much
more nleafure in convcrfins; with this modeft
philofopher than in examining his colleClion,
which prefented me with nothing new, fince
I had feen and ftudied upon a large fcale and
in the places where nature had depolited them,
almoft all the fpecim.ens of his collection.

DoClor Hutton was at this time bufily em-
ployed in writing a work on the theory of the
earth *.

* This work, which contains rather general views of
the fubject than a body of obfervations, appeared in 1785,
in the tranflations of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, for
that year, under the following title: *• Theory of the Earth,
" or an [nveftigation of the Laws obfervable in the com-
" pofition, dilTolution, and reftoration of land upon the
«' globe, by James Hutcon, M.D. F.R.S.E. and Member
" of the Royal Academy of Agriculture at Paris *."

* This work has fmcc been confiderably enlarged; in 179;, it
■was publifaed in 2 vols. 8vo. under this tide, Theory of the. Earthy
'ivith Proofs and lUuJirations, iiifour/>aris.~Trini[^ior.

Dlu-ing

ENGLAND AND SCOTLA.^JD. 231

Daritto- my residence at Edinburgh I viiked,
as often as poilible, the celebrated chjmift.
Dr. Black, who in 1 76 igave the firfl analyfis
of calcareous earth, in which he demoii-
ftrated the exiftence of the aerial acid, com-
monly called lixed air. This iHudrious phi-
lofopher honoured me with the moft polite
and kind attention.

After dining with him one day he (hewed
me two pieces of petrified, or more properly,
quartzijiccl wood ; for, upon examining them
with a microfcope,it appeared that the quartz-
ofe juice had penetrated through all their
parts, and given them fuch a degree of hard-
neis that they ftruck fire with fteel. This
wood had been fent to Doctor Black from
Ireland. Their colour was brown, and nearly
the fame a^ that of the wood of Mahalep when
it is worked.

This wood penetrated by quartz in the
manner"! have defcribedypoffefTes the following
fmgular property : If fmall fragments are
broken off with a hammer and thrown on a
piece of burning coal, in about a minute an
agreeable fmell is perceived refembling that
which proceeds from the wood of aloes.

0^4 It

232 TRAVELS THROUGIi

Jt is doubtlefs aftonifhing that the eflentlal
odoriferous oil of this wood Ihould have been
preferved during the long time neceiTary for
transforming the wood into a ftate of qiiartzofe
petrifadion ; but fuppofing that fome parti-
cular circumftances had accelerated the pe-
trification, it is ftill very extraordinary that
this wood, which bears all the marks of a
vegetable foreign to thefe countries, ihouldbe
found on the banks of Lough Neigh in Ire-
land.

Doctor Black was pleafed to give me the-
two fpecimens he had of this curious wood,
informing me at the iame time, that he did
not colletSl objefts of this kind, and that he
fhould be very happy if I would place them in
my cabinet.

This learned chymifl alfo fhewed me the-
mechanifm of a portable furnace of his own-
invention, which will prove of great utility
in the arts, and in chymiftry. It is fo
contrived that the heat may not only be gra-
dually increafed at pleafure, but carried ta
fuch a high degree as to reduce iron nails to
a ftate of fufion. This plan may be extended
and perhaps even applied to high furnaces in
which iron ore is fmelted.

Ifliall

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 233

I {hall defcribe the manner in which
the interior of this furnace is formed :
for in it the merit of the invention chiefly
confiils. It is made of thick iron plates, and
differs very little in its fi:ru6fiire from the or-
dinary flove. Its form is cylindrical, and a
cover is fitted to the top, which is occafionally
taken off to fupply the ftove with fuel.

The mode by which the air enters is through
holes of different fizes formed in a ring which
turns round, fo as to give facility to the ad-
miffion of the air in the quantity wanted :
but I repeat it, the con-fl:ru6lion is not
the great merit of the invention, for I
have feen, both in France and Germany,
many furnaces, the mechanifm of which is
nearly the fame with this, as well with re-
fpe6l to the mode of graduating the admiilion
of the air as that of raifing the heat to the de-^
gree required.

It is the manner in which the interior is
covered, and the fubftances ufed for fuel that
do honour to the profound knowledge of
Do^or Black.

A quantity of the beft charcoal is reduced
to a fine powder, and pafTed through a fieve ;
fbme fine clay is alfo reduced to powder : the

colour

234 TRAVELS THROUGH

colour of the latter Is of no importance ; the
leaft fufible and the nioil: refra6tible,is the beft.

The clay is foaked in water in a tray, in
the proportion of a quart to three quarts
of charcoal diifl:. • This .mixture is well
kneaded and amalgamated, and the pafte
which is formed, is left in a ftate of moif-
Siire. If the clay be very glutinous, the
proportion of charcoal is encreafed. The
infide of the furnace is then plaftered over
with a quantity of this compoiition {uf-
iicient to form a thin bed, which is llnooth-
cd with the hand and rendered every where as
equal as poffible. This iirft plafter is made
about a line thick, and allowed to dry flowly,
without the operation of fire, that it ;riay not
be cxpofed to the danger of cracking. When
this firit plafter has acquired a fufticient de-
gree of hardnefi, a fecond bed is formed;
which being allowed to dr;, , a third is laid
over it in the fame manner. Thus different
beds are formed in fucceilion above each
other until the plafler has acquired the thick-
nefs of about an inch.

Great attention muft be paid to drying the
beds flowly and forming them into one body,
to which the fire will afterwards givQ great
confillence.

It

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 235

It is well known to experimental philofo-
phers and chymilts, that charcoal is one of
tire worft conduftors of heat. Founders,
blackfmitlis, and other workmen, ha\^e long
been acquainted with this facft, tranfmitted
from father to fon, and have iifed charcoal
dull: to great advantage in many of their ope-
rations without thinking of the manner in
which it aded. The ufeful efFeds it pro-
duces are, however, refult lefs from its
combuftible quality than that of its being
a bad condu6lor of heat ; or rather that it
retains the heat, concentrates it, and pre-
vents it from efcaping and lofing itfelf on
the furrounding points.

I have been induced to enter into thefe
details, becaufe I am of opinion that what
has been faid will not prove iniifeful to the
arts, an4 that thofe who love and cultivate
this particular branch of economy, may make
fuccefsful applications of Doctor Black's in-
vention. Thefe motives will excufe the
length of this article.

I was feveral times in company with
Dodlor John Aiken, a private profeflbr of
Anatomy, in Edinburgh. He fhewed me a
number of ingenious macliines of his invea-

tion:

2^6 TRAVELS THROUGH

tion ; and, among others, one for facilitating
difficult births, the ufe of which was not at
:A\ dangerous, and in the invention oi which
he had followed nature as clofely as poffihle.
This inftrument may be compared ta a..
long {lender hand. It is introduced quite-
open and without any kind of comprefllon
into the womb of the mother. This artificial
hand, which is covered with a iine foft fkin,
is placed againft the child upon which it is.
made to collapfe to the degree of contraftion
wanted, by the means of a fcrew in the han-
dle, which afts with a gradual and gentle
motion. The accoucheur then uhng his right
iiand, aided by this point of fupport, may
deliver a woman in difficult labour with
much more facility than in any other manner,
Dodor Aikin affured me, that he had expe-.
rienced the grcatefu fuecefs in the u^ of this
inflrument.

- The knowledge of whatever may contri-.
bute to relieve fuffering humanity, ought to
be as widely difFufed as pofhble. I therefore-
beo^ged Do61or Aiken to allow me to take a
model of this inftrument to France. He rea-
dily confented, and -procured an excellent
workman, who in a few days executed an

inftru-

EKGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^37

iiiftrumciit perfe£lly fimilar. I packed it up
with the intention of bringing it to Paris,
and fubmitting it to the examination of our
mofl celebrated practitioners in midwifery.

Doctor Aiken alfo fhewed me a lock
which he had contrived for great guns, by
which they might be eafily made to perform
a double difcharge ; but while I admired his
inventive genius, I could not. avoid telling
him, that I was far better pleafed to iee fb
Ikilful a pbylician employed in healing than
in deftroying, and that I loved his invention
for bringing men into the world, much
more than I did that for fending them out
of it.

Some days after, I had the pleafure of dining
with Doftor Cuilen, who, perhaps, is the
oldeft, and certainly is one of the moft cele-
brated phyficians of Europe. The fcience of
medicine owes him great obligations, and
the city of Edinburgh ought never to forget
that his reputation has attracted within its.
walls a multitude of foreigners who come
from all quarters of the world to receive in-,
ftrudion in that learned fchool, in the
creation of which he has had a principal
ihare.

Doaor

238 TRAVELS THROUGH

Do(5lor Cullen lived in the midft of a liii-
merous family, who formed around him an
amiable circle of friends. Gooil nature and
amenity reigned in his houfe. This learned
phyfician merited all thefe ad\a[itages, for he
poflcired himfelf manners and a difpofition of
the moft agreeable kind. I found that he
very much rcfembled BoufFon in his behaviour
and mode of living, which rendered him
doubly interefting to me. His table was
plentifully ferved, but without any luxury.
I was however aftoniflied to find a profufion
of punch brought in between the defert and
tea.

This regimen, in the houfe of a phyfician of
fuch great reputation, appeared to me very
extraordinary. He obferved my furprife, and
faid to me with a fmile, that this beverage
was not only fuited to his age, but that a long
experience had convinced him that when
taken with moderation it was very falutary
for the inhabitants of Scotland, particularly
during the latter part of the autumnal feafon,
and in winter, becaufe the cold humidity
which then prevails in this climate often checks
perfpiration. Punch, he remarked, is a zoann
Jlimulant, which operates zoonderfully in

onaii'i-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 239

maintaining that necejfary fccretioni or in
rejloring it to its equiUbrium.

This humid and penetrating atmofphere
had, for fome time, afFeded me in a very dil-
agrecable manner notwithftaiiding the a<3:ive
life which I led. I am perfuaded, that it is
one of the caufes of that fombre melancholy
to which the people of England are fo fre-
quently liable. In vain I took exercife, aiid
endeavoured to employ my time in a manner
perfe6liy fuitabie to my tafte ; I found that
the mifts, the frequent rains, the daily winds,
paffing luddenly from heat to cold, a fliarp-
nefs in the air, which cannot be fo eafily de-
fcribed as it is felt ; the abfence of the fun,
which fogs or clouds almoft conftantly eclipfe
at this feafon, plunged me into an involun-
tary melancholy, which I Ihould not have
been able to fupport long.

To raife my fpirits, my friends often in-
formed me that the fun was about to ap*
pear ; but in my bad humour, I was more than
once tempted to reply to them, as CaraccioU,
the viceroy of Sicily did to an Englifh noble-
man, who defired him to look at that luminary
in London: " Your Englifh fun, mj lord,
" very much refembles our Sicilian moon.*'

This

240 TRAVELS THROUGH

This difagreeable feeling was not to hb
endured, and I refolved to adopt the reglmeii
of Do6lor CuUen. Each day after dinner I
took a glafs of punch, compofed of rum, fugar,
lemon juice, a little nutmeg and boiling water^
which foon reflored me to my ufual con-
dition *.

1 faw feveral other men diftingulfhed iii
various branches of literature, among whon^
were Doctor Anderfon, Sir John Dalrymplcj
and the celebrated hiftorian Do61or Williarrt
Robertfon, with whom I enjoyed many
agreeable converfations.

That venerable philofophcr, Adam Smith j
was one of thofe whom I vifited moft fre-
quently. He received me on every occafion
in the kindeft manner, and lludied to procure
for me every information and amufement
that Edinburgh could afford.

Smith had travelled in Fl-ance, and refided
for fome time in Paris. His colledion of
books was numerous and excellently chofen :
The beft French authors occupied a diftin-

* That excellent phyfician, Do6lor CuUcn, is no more.
He was regretted by his friends, and mourned by the city
of Edinburgh which ereiSled a funeral monument to his
memory : He was worthy of thj\t honour, and that city
was worthy of him.

guiflied

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 24 1

guidied place in his library, for he was very
fond of our language.

Though advanced in years he ftill poflefTed
!a fine figure. The animation of his coun-
tenance was ftriking, when he fpoke of Vol-
taire, whom he had known and whofe me-
mory he revered, " Reafon," faid he, one
day, as he fhewed me u fine bufl c£ this
author, *' owes him incalculable obligations ;
" the ridicule and the farcafms which he lb
** plentifully beftowed upon fanatics and
" hypocrites of all fe6ls, have enabled the
" underflandings of men to bear the light of
" truth, and prepared them for thofe enquiries
'* to which every intelligent mind ought to
" afpire. He has done much more for the
*' benefit of mankind than thofe grave philo-
*' fophers whofe books are read by a few
" only ; the writings of Voltaire are made
*' for all and read by all,"

On another occafiou he obferved to me,
" I cannot pardon the emperor Jofeph 11.
" who pretended to travel as a philofpher,
" for pafling Ferney without paying homage
" to the hiftorian of the Czar Peter I. From
" this circumftance I concluded that Jofeph
** was but a man of inferior mind."

VOL. II. R One

242 TRAVELS THROUGH

One evening; while I was at tea with him
he Ipoke of RoufTeaii with a kind of religious
rcfpe6l, " Voltaire fought to correft the vices
" and the follies of mankind by laughing at
" them, and fometimes by treating them
" with feverity ; RouiTeau conducts the rea-
*' der to reafou and truth, by the attra^biou
*' of fentiment, and the force of convidion*
" His focml corn-part; will one day avenge all
" the perfeculions he experienced/*

Heaiked me one day, whether I loved mufic ?
I anfvvered, that it formed one of my chief de-
lights whenever I was fo fortunate as to hear
it well executed. " I am very glad of it," faid
he, " I Hiall put you to a proof which will
" be very intereding for me ; for I fhall take
*' you to hear a kind of mufic of which it is
" impolTible you can have formed any idea,
'* and it will afford me great pleafure to know
** the im/relfion it makes upon you.**

Next morning at nine o'clock, Smith came
to my lodgings. At ten he conduced me to
a fpacious concert- room, plainly but neatly
decorated, in which I found a numerous
audience. I faw, however, neither orcheftra,
muficians, nor inftruments. A large fpace
was left void in the middle of the room, and

fur-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLANi:). 243

lUffouiided with benches which were occupied
by gentlemen only. Ladies and gentlemen
were difperfed over the room upon other
feats. Adam Smith informed me, that the
gentlemen who fat in the middle were
the judges of the mufical competition which
was about to take place ; they were almoft
all, he obferved, inhabitants of the ides or
highlands of Scotland and mi2;ht therefore be
regarded as the natural judges of the conteft.
They were to decree a prize to him who
fhould beft execute a favourite piece of High-
land Mufic. The fame air was therefore
to be played by all the competitors.

In about half an hour, a folding door opened
at the bottom of the room, and to my great
furprife, I faw a Highlander advance, playing
upon the bagpipe. He wasdrelTed in the ancient
Rom.an habit of his Country. He \^^alked
up and down the empty fpace with rapid fteps
and a martial air, blowing his noify inftru-
ment, the difcordant founds of which were
fufficient to rend the ear. The tune was a
kind of fonata, divided into three parts. Smith
requeued me to pay my whole attention to
the mulic, and to explain to him afterwards
the impreffion it made upon me.

R 2 But

244 TRAVELS THROUGH

But I confeis that at firft I could not d\{-
tiiiguifii either t\ir or defign in the mufic. I
was only ftruck with the piper marching con-
tiiiually backward and forward with great ra-
pidity, and ftill prefenting the fame warhke
countenance. He made incredible efforts
with his body and his iingers to bring into
p]ay the diiierent reeds of his inflrument,
which e'nit:ed founds that were to me al-
moft infupportable.

He received however great applaufe, A
fecond mulician fucceeded, who was alio left
alone in the intermediate area, which he tra-
veled with the fame rapidity as the former.
His countenance was no lefs dignified and
mardal than tliat of his predeceiTor. He ap-
peared to excel the iirfl competitor ; and
clapping of hands and cries o^ bravo refounded
on every fide. During the third part of the
air I obferved that tears flowed from the eye$
of a number of the audience.

Having liftened with much attention to
eight pipers in fucccflion, I at laft began to
difcover that the firll: part of the air was a
warlike march : the fecond feemed to defcribc
a languinary action ; the mufician endeavour-
ing by a rapid fucceifion of loud and difcor-

dant

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 245

dant founds to reprefent the clafhlng of arms,
the ihrleks of the wounded, and all the hor-
rors of a field of battle. In this part, the per-
former appeared cdnvulfed ; his pantomimi-
cal 8;eftures refembled thofe of a man en^a?ed
in combat. His arms, his hands, his head,
his legs, were all in motion. He called forth
all the various founds of his inftiTiment at
the fame moment, and this iingalar difbrder
piade St great impreffion upon the company.

Witlxa rapid try.nfition the piper paffed to
the third part, which was m a kind of andante.
His convulfive motions fuddenly ceafed. His
countenance aiTumcd an air of deep fbrrow.
The founds of his inftrument were plaintive,
languid and melancholy. They were lamenta-
tions for the {lain — the wailings of their friends
who carried them from the field of battle.
This was the part which drew tears from the
eyes of the beautiful Scotch ladies^

The whole of this entertainment was fb,
extraordinary, and the impreffion which the
founds of this wild inftrument feemed to make
upon the greater part of the audience was fo.
very different from that which they made
upon me, that I could not avoid conceiving
that the lively emotions exhibited by the per-
R 3 fons

246 TRAVELS TKx'lOUGH

fons around me were not occalionedby the mii-
ficalcffe*3: of the air itfelf, but by an affoclation
of ideas which conne6led the difcordant founds
of the bagpipe with fome hiflorical fa6ls thus
brought forcibly to the recolle6lion of the
audience *. There are fcarcely any traces of a
v/ritten language among the Highlanders^
either in manufcripts or upon their monu-
ments ; it may therefore be prefumed that
they have had recourfe to fongs to tranfmit
to their pofterity the hiftory of the events in
which they were deeply interefled. Accuf-
tomed to hear thele airs from their infancy,
and taught by their parents to connect thenj
with tranfaclions which are to them of the
greateft impv:!rtance : they never hear them
without being ftrongly atfeded. It is not
therefore aftonifhing that they ^re fo paflion-

* Johnfon makes the followins ebfervation on an air
which he heard at the feat of Sir Ak-xander M'Donald in
the ifle of Sky : " As we fat at Sir Alexander's table, we
" were entertained, according to the ancient ufage of the
*' North, with the melody of the bagpipe. Ever.y thing in
** thofe countries has its bidory As the bjgpiper was
*' playing, an elderly gentleman infor,rned, i^?, tiiat in fome
*' remote time, the MMJonalds of Glengary haviqg beea'
*' injured, or offended by the inhabitants of CuUoden, and
*• rcfolving to have juftice or vengeance; came to Cullo-
" den on a Sunday, where finding their enemies at wor-
" lliip, they fliut them up in the church, which they fet on
« fire i and this, faid he, is the tune whiich the piper
*' played while they were burning,"

ately

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 247

ately fond of this kind of mufic. They have
however another kind which is better adapted
to the voice, and conftriifted more according
to the rules of art, whicli they ufe in their
dances, and their anaorous and convivial
fongs : But thev reg-ard this mulic as inferior
to the former.

The fame air was plaved by each com-
petitor, of whom there was a coniiderable
number. There appeared to be no preference
given but to talents, and the moft difmtereft-
ed applaufe was bedowed on thofe who ex-
celled in their art. I conftfs I did not ad-
mire any of them. To me they were all
equally diiagreeable. 7 he mufic and the in-
ftrument conftantly reminded me of a
bear's dance.

The CO -.petition was followed by a lively
and animated dance, formed by a part of the
piper; while the others played fuitable airs,
which poffefTed exprellion and charucler ;
but the union of fo many bagpipes produced
a moft hideous noife.

The competitors aoterwards formed them-

felves into a hue two deep, and m.arched in

that order to the caflle of Edinburgh, which

lb built upon a volcanic rock. There they

R 4 played

2^8 TRAVELS THROUGH

played an air, which was a kind of ballad,
in hoac-^ur of the unfortunate Mary Queen
of Scots, for whom the Highlanders ftill pre-
ferve a warm attachment and religious relped.
They fpeak of her with a tender affeftion :
They regard her as the innocent victim of
the cruel, and impl^.c ibie jealoufy of Eliza-
beth. Mary was their Queen. They knew
that Ihe was beautiful, mild, affable and
generous ; that (he loved the arts ; that flie
long languifiied in a paiaful captivity; and
that (he died with retignation and courage.
Lefs would be fufficient to intereft honeft
peaceable men, whom flate policy, and the
crimes which it engenders, have not yet cor-
rupted, and who abhor the fliedding of blood
in any way but for legitimate defence.

I do not know the antiquity of compe-
titions of this kind. During my ftay in Mull,
1 wa^- informed that there had been beyond
all time of memory a college or lociety of bag-
pipers in that ifland. This fchool was not
entirely extiiiguilhed in confequence of the
death of the famous Rankin, who had the di-
re61ion of it for about thirty years. M'Rim-
mon kept a fimilar fchool in the ifle of
Sky, and each of the principal families of

the

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 249

the Hebrides always kept a piper, whofe
office was hereditary.

While I remained at Edinburgh I made fe-
veral excurfions for the purpofe of examining
the natural hiftory of the environs of that city,
and I formed a .lar2;e colle6lion of volcanic
fubftances, and other Intereftinor mlneralosri-
cal fpecimens. Each article was carefully
ticketted, and Do6lor Swediaur kindly took
upon himlelf the charge of fending them to
France witli the other colle6tions I had made
in the Hebrides.

This rich colle^lion, the fruit of fo much
pain and fo much pleafurc, was loft, as well
as the veflel in which it was embarked, on
the coaft of Dunkirk. The crew with diffi-
culty faved themfelves in a boat, and I was de-
prived in a moment of a treafure to which I
attached the greater value becaufe it con-
tained a variety of new objeds which would
have been highly interefting to naturalifls.

Fortunately, whenever I had Icifure, Iwrotc
exacSldefcriptions of the fpecimens I colleded,
which have enabled me to give a corre6t ac-
count of the lithology of Glafgow, Perth,
Staffa, the ille of Mull, and other places.
My various engagements at Edinburgh, how-
ever.

Z^O TRAVELS THROUGH

ever, did not leave me time to take defcrip-
tions of the whole of the Ipeclmens I collected
there. This is the only omiffioii of the kind
I have to charge myfelf with ; but unfortu-
nately it prevents me from giving a complete
account of the various and remarkable pro-
ductions \^ ith which the hills that are grouped
around that city abound, and which have al-
mofl: all been a prey to the action of fubter-
iraneous fire.

I fhoukl have been the more dsfirous of
giving a detail :d account of thefe fpecimens,
which left no doubt as to the exigence of
ancient volcnos, iince I found the greater
part of the learned men of this city obfH-
aately prejudiced a^ainft this opinion.

The cadle, which commands the town, is
built upon a hill formed of compe61 lava in the
form of bafaltes. The black colour of this
lava, and the gothjc afpeCl of the caftle which
furmounts this volcanic precipice, forms a
ftriking and very pleafing contraft with the
elegant white houfes, built with great tafte in
that part of the city which is called the New
Tov/n.

Not far from this there is another emi-
Kcnce called the Calton Hill, formed of

greyifh

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 25 1

gieylfh lava, near the top of which there
ftands a monument ere61:ed to the memory
of a philofopher and an hiftorian — It con-
tains the afhes of David Hume. ^

Behind the town there is an elevated chain
in a part of which the hills feem piled
up one againft the other, and are compofed of
bafaltic lava. This fubftance, which, at one
time, mufl have been liquefied, exhibits prif^
matic fepta occalioned by the cooling of the
lava. There is here, however, none of that
aftonifhing regularity difplayed in the prif^
matic columns of the cave of Fingal, or tho
Giants Caufeway of Antrim. The rapid
mode in which this lava probably cooled, may
have prevented this beautiful effed fron^
taking place, or perhaps that regularity is
produced by caufes of which we ftill are ig-
norant.

One of the hills of this ridge, has a
hollow in its fummit, and in the whole
of its form fomewhat refembles a chair or
gigantic feat. This fpot, in which there
is nothing; remarkable but its elevation and
its fteepnefs, is known in the Old Chronicles
under the latin name of Arthuri Sedes^

and

252 TRAVELS THROUGH

and In Englifh by that of Arthur"* s Seat. It
is poffible, howe\'er, that this name may have
its orio;in in fome other caufe than the figrirc
€\f the top of the h-Il, the tradition of which
is loft.

Sibbcild, in his Scotia Illujlrato^ printed in
1684, gives an account of a barometrical
obfei-vation made by the mathematician,
George Sinclair, on the fammit and at the
bottom of a mountain which he calls Sedes
Arthuri, 1 here is no doubt but it is the
lame as that of which I have been fpeak-.
ing*.

I examined the large blocks of bafaltes
which are detached from this mountain and
lie fcattered about at its bafe, in which I ob-
ierved fpots of zeolite even in the centre of
the lava. I colleftcd fome very fine fpeci-
meus. This zeolite which is white, and

* Yx obfervatione Georgii Sfnclari mathematici
noftratis, in virtice illius n ont'iF, cui nomen vulgo
jArthuri Sedes, ob id imprimis Celebris, quod civitati
Fdinburgi, ob vicinitatem imminet, mercurialis cylin-
idii aklcudo repcrta eft 28, digitorum cum quadrante ;
2pud radices autem montis 29. Sibbald, Scotia illuftrata,
par I. lib. i. folio lo.

in

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 253

in fome parts clouded with a blueifh tinge, is
neither radiated nor cryftallized in a regular
manner. It is rather of the Icaly texture of
'white marble. It is hard and fufceptible of
the moft brilliant polifh. This is not fur-
priling, when it is coniidered that it contains
a fmall mixture of quartzofe earth. This
gives it fomething of a calcedonious ap-
pearance; but it is fufible with the blow-
pipe, bubbles in fmeltiag, and has all the pro-
perties of zeo'ite.

Behind thele voicanlzed mountains there
are beds of quartzofe free-ftone, which has
experienced in a very confid^rable degree the
a6i:ion of fire, and thereby acqau'ed a reddifli
colour. Indeed, the operation of fubter-
raneous fire is manifeft every where around
Edinburgh, where it exhibits the fame eha-
rafteriftic traces as in the environs of Perth,
Glafgow, and Dunbarton, and in the ifland
of Staffa.

I regret that I am obliged to confine
myfelf to this general dcfcription : If
my valuable coUedion had not been loft, I
Ihould have defcribed a feri s of volcanic
produ6lions which would have removed
every doubt on this fubje(5t, and demon-

ftrated

254 TRAVELS THROUGH

ftrated that the vicinity of Edinburgh has
been the prey of ancient volcanos, {ince it
ftill exhibits lavas limilar to thofe of Etna
and Vefuvius.

CHAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 255

CHAPTER XV.

Departure from Edinmrgb.'-^Itinerary to Manchef*
ter^-^Natural Hijhry

After taking leave of Doaors Black,
Cullen, Smith, .and the other refpeclable cha-
raders who had treated me with fo much
kiiidnefs in Edinburgh, I made preparation!
for my return to London ; I determined to
take the Carlifle road, which would give mc
an opportunity of feeing Manchefter, Derby,
Buxton, Cafileton, Birmingham, &c.

When I l-'ft Londun with my fellow-tra-
vellers our party confifted of four perfons, on
returning from Edinburgh it was reduced to
two.

I forgot to mention that M. de Mecies,
after vifiting the cave of Fingal, which was
the principal object of his journey, left us at
Mr. M'Lean's, in the iile of Mull, and fet
out for London, where buiinefs required his
prefence.

Our other interefting and agreeable fel-
low-traveller William Thoniton, intending

to

2^6 ' TRAVELS THROUGH

to pafs fome months with his friends in Ame-
rica, determined to remain in Edinburgh,
where he had a numerous acquaintance,
until he ihould find a veffel to carry him to
his native country. We feparated from him
with much pain, for his excellent m.oral qua-
lities, and his love for the fciences, rendered
him truly amiable and worthy of all our at-
tachment.

All our bufinefs being at laft arranged,
Count Andreani and I left Edinburgh on the
3d of October, taking the Carlifle road.

About a mile and a half from Edinburgh,
the lavas and other volcanic fubflances which
iurround that city, difappear : they are fuc-
ceeded by quartzofe free-ftone, which in fe-
veral places cover rich mines of coal. This
fandy zone, which is pretty extenfive, difap-
pears in its turn, and the face of the country
again exhibits volcanic fubftances from LafT-
wade to Selkirk, in paffrng through Middle-
ton, Bankhoufe, Stagehall, Crofslee, &:c.

The afpe6t of this part of the country is
wild and fterile. The black, blueifli, and
reddifli brown lavas which we obferved on
the road, were almoft all difpofed in tables
or plates like flate ; but they had all expe-
rienced

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 257

rieiiced the a6lio"n of fire, forae were of the
hature of bafaltes ; but othfr^, wliich were
iefs hard, exfohated and decompofed in the
air.

We proceeded on to Arnfkirk, Hawick,
Allanmouth, Binks, Redpath, and JLang-
hohn. The mile-ftone at this laft place is
marlced 69 from Edinburgh. Volcanic ap-
pearances prevail from ArnfKirk to Langholmi
• The lavas at Hawick form fteep hills, and
■ are difpofcd in horizontal beds, or rather la-
mella, which refemble flate ; their colour,
however, is more pale. There is little
doubt but that all the hills and mountains
in this quarter have experienced the a<^ioii
of fire.

Kirk- Andrews, Longtown, Wejilington,
Carlijle. — Sand and quartzofe free-ftone of
an ochreous red colour— fine cultivation in
the neighbourhood of Carlifle — large and
excellent ploughs — a number of kilns for
making lime, which is ufed for manure.
Lime is not only ufed for the meadows j
but alfo for the arable land ; fmall heaps are
formed which are allowed to flack in the air,
and are afterwards fpread over the fields.
VOL. n. 8 A flage

258 TRAVELS THROUGH

A ibige before we arrived at Carlifle, wc
had a view of Soivvay Frith, which feparatci
England from Scotland on the Weft.

Mcm-aby^ Carleton, Lowlie/ketk^ HigheJketL
The lame materials as above, that is to fay,
fand, redquartzofe, free-ftone, and calcareous
ftones.

Perith. At a mile from this town, on the
declivity ofa mountain, there are large rounded
blocks of baiakic lava, intermixed with
mafles of granite, which are alfo roundjsd.

Eunwnt Bridge, Cliflon, Tlirimby. Blocks
of reddifh granite of a considerable fize, with
fome rounded balaltes, both placed upon beds
of calcareous ftone.

Shap, Haufefoot. Here the hills of tabu-
la tedand foliated lava re-appear. Someofthem
refemble thofe of Mount- Mezcn, in Velai,
which I have delcril>ed in my Mmeralogi*
des Volca7is.

Kendal, Syzergh. The fame volcanic ap-
pearances.

HaverJJiam, Milthorpe, Holme, Burton,
Dure'Bridge,Carnf or d, Bolton, Slyne, Lan-
cafier. This road is almoft entirely through
a calcareous country ; rounded balaltes arc,

however,

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 259

however, fometimes found fcattered in the
fields. The country is in general rich
in pafture. The meadows are manured
with a mixture of lime, dung, and common
earth, which forms an excellent compoft.

From Lancafter we proceeded to Man-
chefter.

s % CHAP.

i6o TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER XVI.

Mai:chefter, — Dodor Henry and bis Cabinet. — Co/-
ton ManufaEinres. — Mcffuiivs 1'bomas and Benja-
min Potter^ — Charles T^aslor,

I

T was late wlieri we arrived at Manchef-
ter. As I had letters to Doctors White and
Percival, I wrote to th.nn next morning, re-
queuing to know at what hour it would be
convenient for them to fee me, but it
happened tlist they \^'ere both obhged to vifit
patients at the diitance ofiome miles from the
town. DoOor Pcrcival fent a young German
of his acquaintance to ftate the regret he felt
in confequence of not being able to fee us ; and
Do6lor White engaged his friend, Doctor
Henry, to wait upon us in his flead. Thefe
two gentlemen had the complaifance to offer
every fervice in their power, and to- fhew us
whatever was remarkable in the town. They
paid us the moft polite attention, and never
left us during the ftay we made in Manchcller.
Manchefler is a large town ; it contains
between thirty-fix and forty thoufand inhabi-
tants ;

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 261

tnnts ; but if the manufa^lnrers who live in
its environs were added to this number, the
population would be greatly increafed, and
might be ranked with that of nioft cities of
the fecoiid order.

The old cathedral is large and well" built.
We fiiw alfo fome other ftru-flures of this
kind which were not unintereiling : the cot-
ton-mills, however, which have enriched this
town, were obje(fls (lili nioye worthy of en-
gaging ouf attention.

But notwithftaruding the defire of our kind
condudlors to oblige us we found it impoffible
to fee any thing of the kind. Every attempt
was vain. The vigilance of the manufac-
turers was ledoubled in confequence of having
perfuaded themfelves that a French colonel,
who was there fome time before us, wanted
to procure plans of thefe machines in order
to carry them to France. Since that period
no flrangers, not even the mofi: reipedabic
citizens of the town we/e permitted to enter
the works *.

The

* At this time the machine for carding cotton had al-
ready been carried to France and was ufed there. Not
long after the mills were introduced by an intelligent
s 3 Englifh-

Z62 TRAVELS THROUGH

The largeft of thefe cottoa-mills are moved
by water : they fpin the cotton to fo much
perfe6:ion, and with fo much economy, that
thofe who flrfl erected them have made great
fortunes, Arkwright, who invented them,
was merely a barber, in the town of Man-
cheftcr. The difficulties he mufl have had
toTurmount in that fituation, doubtlefs, add
to hh merit. He had the oood fenfe to turn

o

his difcovery to profit. He joined in com-
pany with manufatlurers whom he enriched,
and at the fame time made a great fortune
himfelf.

Though I had not an opportunity of feeing
the cotton -mills, I was, however, very com-
plaifantly fliewn large warehoufes full of ma-
nufadured goods. The finefl: pieces were
unfolded in order that I might fee the pat-^
terns and the colours. We entered into con-
verfation on the chymical proceffes ufed in

Englifhman, who difputed the merit of the invention with
^rkwright. 1 hcfe ingenious n.achines are now erecfled
in feveral departments where they are conftantly employ-
ed. This manufadure will doubtlefs be carried on with
fpirit, undl caprice and faihion return to the ufe of filk,
that beauciful and fumpiuous producStion of France, which
employed fuch a number of hands and yielded revenues fo
iipmenfe,

dying

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 263

dying the colours with very intelligent men,
paiticulariy with MefTrs. Thomas and Ben-
jamin Potter, and Mr. Taylor, who treated us
in the moft affable manner. It is with piea-
fure I here exprefs the gratitude I feel for
their kindnefs.

We were doiibtlefs indebted to Dodtor
Henry for all the politenels that was Ihewn
to us in Manchefler. I wifh that I may one
day have an opportunity of making a return
to his kindnefs in France. He tranflated the
works of Lavoifier into Englifh, and ftudies
chymiftry much more than natural hiftory.
At his houfe, however, I faw fome ilones and
minerals ; but that which gave me the greateft
pleafure in his coUedion was a fine foilile Os
femoris, of the unknown animal whofe bones
are found on the banks of the Ohio, and
which is perhaps only a loft ipecies of the
elephant. This Os femoris, which was in
the moft perfed prefervation, weighed forty
pounds.

« 4 CHAP-

264 TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER XVII.

Departure from Manchefier. — Buxton ; Its Mineral
IVaters ; fine Baths, confiruLledon a Plan by Carr^,
at the Expence of the Duke of DevonfimCy the
Proprietor of th^ IVaters. — Do^or Pearfon. —
Mamfaditre of Vafes and other Articles in Fluor
Spar of different Colours. — Cave of Pool/ s Hole. —
J^oadfone., compofed of a Bafis of Trapp, inter-
fper fed with Particles of calcareous Spar, and cracked
intoprijmc'ic SeHions like thofe of ha fait es, though
not pro(iuced by Fire as the latter has h^en.

VV E uere received in a very polite man-.
ner, asj have already obferved, by Do6lor
Henry, and thole to whom he w.s good
enough to introduce us. But we did not
experience an equally kind treatment
from the mafter of the BitWs Head inn,
where we had put up. For two fbrry dni-
ners he charg;ed us no lefs than fcventeen fhil-
lings a -piece, to which we had to add three
(hillings to his fervants ; and this Was ex-
clufive of the bill for our domeftics. T he
heft thing that poor fl:r::ngers can do in fuch
a cafe is to pay the money. Travellers are
equally liable to this fort of exaOion in Italy,

Germany,

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 265

.Germany, and France, as in England ; but
ill neither is it general or derived from na-f
tional characler. It nuiit be imputed to a
few individuals only, who have loft all feeU
ings of delicacy andjuirice, but who make a
very wrong calculation with rcfped to their
real interefls, as they foon deftroy both their
own reputation and that of the houfes they
keep. It is a very difficult matter to deviie
good regulations of police upon this fubje^:.
It is a truth v^'ell known to fuch as are in the
habit of travelling, that the charges are al^
wa^ s highefc at thofe inns ^^'here the enter-
tainment is the word, it is to be hoped
that fome remedy will be found for this abufe ;
but in the mean time it will be necefiary for
travellers to keep a feparate purfe for thofe
pKuidering inn-keepers, as is done in England
for thofe gentlemen who rob on the highways,
to whom thofe who venture to travel at late
hours give without f^ar or danger the fum
which is fet apart for them. I muft fay
for my part, however, that I pafled through
England and Scotland twice, and by different
roads, without meeting any of thefe gentle-.
men; and that I experienced no extortion
but at two places, Duiis Hotel m Edin.r

burgh,

^66 TRAVELS THROUGH

burgh, and the Buirs Head m MancheA
ten

From Manchefter to Buxton is twenty-four
miles. The road through Derbyshire is
neither agreeable nor commodious. It fome-
times croffes over craggy mountains, and at
others n\ns along narrow, wet and dirty val-
leys, and though the turnpikes are numerous
and dear, the roads are notwithftanding in a
bad condition. They are in general, how-
ever, well fupplied with poft-horfes. We
left Manchefter at ieven in the morning, and
did not reach Buxton till two in the after-
noon.

Buxton is remarkable for its mineral wa-
ters, for the benefit of which a confiderable
afflux of company repair thither in the line
fealbn- Buxton, however, is fituated in the
midft of the moft difma! ai:id cheerlefs coun-
try that I have ever (ctn,_ Its waters may be
excellent, but mofl: certainly its atmofphere is
impregnated with fadnefs and melancholy.
The houfes, almoft entirely of a uniform ap-
pearance, but folid conftru6hon, refemblc
hofpitals or rather monaftic eftablifhments.
A liiperb ftrufture, executed in a grand and
beautiful ftile of archite(5hire, which appears

at

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 267

at the bottom of the place, and is appropriated
to the baths, might be taken for the palace of
the abbot.

We had letters of recommendation for
Do£lor Pearfon, a London Phyfician, who be-
longs to the eftablixliment of the baths of
Buxton, where he generally Ipends fix
months of the year. We were fortunate
enough to find him there, though it was now
pretty late in the feafon. As he was well ac-
quainted with the country, and had publifhed
an analyfis of the waters, in which he defcribed
the ftones and earths that form the foil of
Buxton, he kindly and readily offered to con-
duct us to the mofl remarkable mines and
caverns, the noted beds of lime-ftone, in
his opinion, interfe^led with feveral currents
of lava, and to the different other places
mentioned in his book.

Do6lor Pearfon was very intimate with
Whitehurft, and had adopted his opinion re-
fpe£ting the beds of toad-flone, which he re-
garded as the produd of fubterraneous fire^*.
We fixed a day for going'to fee thefe fup-

* Obfervations and experiments on Buxtoti Waters^ ^c,
^y Doctor Pearfon, London^

pofcd

268 TRAVELS THROUGH

pofed remains of volcanos in a country, where,
on the contrary, every thing indicates the
agency of water ; and he had the goodnefs,
in the mean time, to accompany us to the
ihopsof feverai artifrs in ftone, who cut, turn,
and poHfh the fine Derbyfhlre fiuor or phof-
phoric.fpars * of different colours, gypfeou$
alabafters, and fome marbles.

WORKERS IN FLUOR OR PHOSPHORIC SPAR..

Several artifts in this line have fettled at
Buxton on account of the numerous and in
general opulent vifitants who refort thither
for the waters, and whofe fancy or tafle in»
clines them to purchafe their produ6tions.
The fluor fpars are turned into fmall hollow
•r folid vafes, columns, eggs, pears, and
watches, and cut into pyramids, pedeftals, &c.
As the colours are beautiful and variegated,
and the ftone is fufceptible of a fine fhining
polifh, it was formerly fold at a very high
rate ; but fince it has been found in fo great
abundance, the increafe of artificers, and the
confequent competition among each other,

* The Fluas cakareus of the new nomenclature of
chymiftry, page 172,

have

KNGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 26()

have contributed to dimlnllh very much the
price of thcfe articles of ornament. There
are very few among the ftone-cutters of Bux-
ton who ihew any tafte for the beautiful
forms. They have ligns above their Ihop-
doors with their names and the addition of
petrifaElion-works.

The moft inteUigent of them, in my
opinion, was one Noel, who was in eafy cir-
cumftances, and had fucceeded well in this
branch of trade. He was bi inging up to the
fame art a daughter and a fon, who were al-
ready almoft as well lltilled in it as himfclf,
though the boy was only eight, and the girl
nine years of age. It was at his fhop that the
beft turned vafes were to be feen.

Samuel Cooper had the befl: ftocked /hop ;
but his pieces were dearer than thofe of the
others.

John Evans and Motterfhed, are two
other artificers who have pretty good aflTort-
ments.

It is necefTary to guard againft a number of
little contrivances which they make ufe of
to repair the accidents which fometimes hap-
pen to their produ6lions, and confequently
to deceive the purchafers.

They

270 TRAVELS THROUGH

They introduce, for inftance, into the acci-
dental cavities or fraftures, which they arc
dextrous enough at repairing, quantities of
lead in its native ftate, that is, as it comes
from the mine. They then polifh it ; and
are not wanting in afTurances to the purchafer
that it is natural to the Ipar, and enhances it*
value.

I remarked alfo, that to give a finer luftrc
to their produ6tions, they had always fomc
water at hand to plunge them into, on the
pretence that it was only to w^alh off the dufl:.
But it was eafily feen that the water had a
lingular effeft in enlivening the colours, the
polilh, and the femi-tranfparency of the
{lone.

The fluor fpar, which is fafiiioned atBuxton^
is procured from the lead mines of Caftleton,
about ten miles from the former. The only
jftones of value found in the environs of Bux-
ton, are a very fine gypfeous, white, femi-
tranfparent alabailier, which is made into
vafes and pedeftals, a black marble emitting
a bituminous fmell on being rubbed, and a
yellowifh calcareous fpar, both of which are
applied to the fame purpofe.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^^l

THE BATH-HOUSE,

This fuperb edifice has more the appear-
ance of a palace than that of a place for
bathing. It is a vail: fabric, in the fliape of
a rotunda, ornamented all round on the out-
fide with large pilaflers which fupport a rick
cornice crowned with a balluHrade.

This building, in addition to the Ipace oc*
cupied by the baths, contains apartments for
more than two hundred gentlemen, exclu-
lively of the chambers for their domeftics,
the perfons employed about the baths and
wells, and the different maftcrs of taverns
and ordinaries neceffary to provide for fo nu-
merous an aflcmblage, and who are the prin-
cipal renters of the whole ftrudlure. It con-
tains alfo coffee-rooms, gaming-rooms, an(i
ball-rooms*

The whole of this vaft fabric was ere£led at
the expence of the duke of Devonfhire, upon
the plans and under the fuperintendance of
the architect Carr« It is executed in an ex-
cellent ftile of archite61:ure, uniting to a cha-
ra6ler of grandeur an air oftafle, which does
honour to the talents of that able artift, whom

I had

^72 TRAVELS THROUGH

i had the pr '^'"e of feeing, nd who was
kind enough to :ondu6l me through every
part of i\

The baths are difpofed with the fame judg-
ment as tl.e other partr, of the work. There
are common and private ones for the women ;
thofe for the men are in a feparate quartet
and pofTefs the Tame conveniencies. There
are feveral aUo appropriated to the ufe of the
poor;

The mineral waters for drinking run into
a large ciftern of white marble, over which is
ere£led a neat little temple finely executed in
an antique ftile.

The waters of Buxton are rather moderately
warm than hot ; as they do not raife the mer-
cury in Farhenheits thermometer above eighty-
two degrees. Do(5lorPearfon, who has analized
them, fays, " that the air which is extricated
'* from it in great abundance, does not contain
*' any fixed air, but atmofpheric mephits, or
" the azotic gas of the new nomenclature *.'*
This is a very remarkable fa6l.

The

* The term azot, is derived from the Greek, and figni-
fies the privation of life ; but, as other gas produce the
fame efFeft, the word is improper. I do not mean to at- ,

tack

Ei^GLAND AND SCOTLAND. 273

The village of Buxton is not very coi>li-
derable, and the greater part of the houfes are
the property of the duke of Devonshire.
They are generally rented by tavern-keepers,
and yield him a great revenue. The one
neareil; the baths lets for twelve hundred
pounds fterling ; and, I was aiTured, that the
baths alone produce a yearly rent of at leafh
thirty-fix thoufand French livres.

To draw a greater number to the houfes
belonging to himfelf, the duke of Deyonfhirc
adopted a plan which has met with complete
fuccefs. Thofe who are lodged in any of
them are charged only ten-pence Englifh
a-day, for the waters, whilft fuch as have
apartments elfewhere pay a ihilling a-day.

LITHOLOGY OF THE ENVIRONS OF BUXTON*

Buxton is fituated in the midft of a num-.
ber of fmall hills, which are quite clofe to

tack the principles of pnumatic c'nymiRry, but its lan-
guage only. Ifthis ma'adv, which is :is dreadful to the
language of Racine, Fenelon, BouiFon, Voltaire, &c, as
the leprofy is to the beauty of a fine woman, gains
ground in the other fciences, we fliall foon realize the
fable of the tower cf Babel. A ccnfufion of language
Vill introduce a confufion of ideas ; and we fhall thus be
replunged in the gloom of barbarifm.

VOL» II. T each

274 , *r RAVELS THRO JGH

each other, and the highefl of which does not
exceed {ix hundred and fifty feet. The fine
river Wye takes its rife at a little diflance
from the elegant il:ru<Sli3re of the new baths ;
and foon after plunges into a deep chaim,
and winds along between two approaching
cliffs.

The mo^.iDtains on the road from Buxtou
to Mjsn.hefter are coinpofed of banks of free-
fone, in foine parts hard and in others foft
and friable J and ibmetinies foliated. The
hard kiiid, beiides the name of free-ftone, is
here called greet ^ grit, and fometimes mill'
Jtone-^reet'; the foliated kind is termedjiate.
Thefe free-ftones are difpofed fometimes in
iar2;e horizontal banks, and at other times
in foliated ftrata ; they are in general white
or reddifh.

Near theie, and almoft oppofite to them,
are hill? entirely formed of lime-ftone in ho-
rizontal beds in fome places, and in a con-
tinuous uninterrupted mafs in others. Thefe
mafles are fometimes divided by perpendicular
or diagonal filTures.

This lime-ftone is hard, almoft of a fparry
texture, and yields on beiug burnt k
lime of a very fine quality. It is ufed,

as

EK'GLAND ANP SCOTLAND. I 75

as well as free-ftone, for making door-cafes,
chimney-pieces, pedeftals, and other works.
Its colour is in fome quarries whitifh or
o-revifh, and in others black. The latter is
employed for the fame purpofes as marble ;
and it fcarcely contains any marine body. It
'exhales a very difagreeable fm.ell on being
rubbed; it may be regarded as a kind of
pierrepore.

The grey, on the contrary, contains madre-
pores, entrochi, and other marine petrifac-
tions. There are alfo found in it fome pieces
of {ilex which are full of entrochitae. The
grey calcareous ftratum does not pofTefs the
fame degree of hardnefs throughout. The
foft part emits a difagreeable fmell on being
rubbed, not fo flrong, indeed, as that of the
black kind, but ftill very fenfible. The
harder pieces of the grey ibrt are ufed for
feveral domeftic purpofes. I fhall refum.c
the coniideration of thefe calcareous beds,
which are remarkable for the circumflance
of being interrupted with alternate beds of
toad-ftone.

There is alfo found in that part of Derby-

{hire called the Peak^ in which is fituated

!Buxton, Matlock, Wirkefvvorth, Middleton,

T 2 Maflbn

276 TRAVELS THROUGH

MafTon Crnmford, Winfter, Caftlcton, Eyam,
&c. black argillaceous fchiftus, more or iefs
hard, and fometimcs refembling ilate, or as it
is here called y7zfl./<? or JJiiver^ black and grey
martial argil, more or lefs h?rd, which is not
applied to any ufe, and which bears the name
of iron-Jlone^ and red and grey marl, befides
a brownifli kind of marl of a very fine grain,
and loaded with calcareous particles, which
is ufed I'ke tripoli for pohihing tin, copper,
cryftal, kc. this kind is called rotten-Jlone.
In this tracl are alfo feveral mines of coal,
which are worked in abundance. They are
not however very deep in general ; their roof
is a black argillaceous fchifhis, marked with
numerous prints of ferns, the greater part of
which feem to be foreign. Here are like-
wife found pyrites, black marble, grey marble,
foft iimc-ftone, free-il:one, compa61:, gypfum,
flriated gypfum, floor fpar of the appearance
of am.ethyfl:, yellow, red, grey, or white;
and a ponderous fine grained white earth
which may be cut as eafily as chalk, is faid to
abound in gypfeous earth, and is indifferently
termed caulk^ calk, cawk, kewel, and keble.
iThis matter is one of the moil: common ma-
trices of the mines of Derbyfhirc, and is fre-
quently

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 277

qncntly fcen adiiering to fiuor ipar *. To
the above eninncratioii may be added double
pointed rack cryftals, ponderous Ipar, and
opake fiuor fpar, in detached cubical cryftals,
which three fubftances are found on Diamond
Hill, about three miles from Buxton ; calca-
reous toifa, with feveral plants incrufted in
it, manganefs in kidney-lhaped lumps, lead,
copper, calamine, and blende ; the wells of
Matlock old bath, Matlock new bath, and
Buxton ; the acidulated mineral waters of
Quarn, or Quarnden, an intermitting Ipring
at Tidefwell, and a number of natural grottos,
or caverns, feveral of which penetrate to a
great extent, fuch as thofe of Caftleton,
Poole's-hole, Elden-hole, Hofen's-hole, Burm-
forth-hole, and I.athkill arfe. It is very re-
markable that pretty copious flreams of water
ilTue from almoft all of thefe caverns.

Such is a brief Iketch of the principal ob-
je6ls obferved in the Peak of Derbyshire ; and
this aftonifhing variety of fubftances within

* It is thought that the caulk makes the regulus of anti-
mony more dudile, and gives it a compad texture. It
is ufed at Birmingham in the manufa(5i:ury of yellow cop-
per. Some pei/oas imagine that it is for the purpofe of
molds, but of this tl;ere is no certainty, the greater part
of the procelles being concealed in the Englifli manu-
fadlories.

T 3 ,fo

27B TRAVELS THROUGH

fb fmall a compafs, muft certainly aflonid*
the raoft experienced oeoloeifts. We ac-
■ cordingly find Mr. Ferber, lb well known for
his " Letters on ike Minera'ogy of Italyr^'
in the preface to a pamphlet which he has pub-,
lifted on that of Derbvfliire, acknowle 2: n>2:
that, without the a.d of Mr. Whitehurfl: and
Mr. Burdett, who has publiihed a fine map of
Derbyfhire, he fhould have been completely
bewildered amidft the produ(ftion of fo fni-
gular a country.

" I finceiciy acknowledge," fays he, " that

" without the afTiOance of thefe two perfons,

" I fliould have frequently found it Ytry dlffi-

*' cult to explain a great number of phxno-

*■ mena which were quite new to m.e. I

- ' had till then feen only homogeneous moun-

*' tains ; and none of the fiiratified mountains

" which I had examined, and of the intericr

** ftrut^l^ure of which I had perfe6V kno^^ ledge:

f* by vifitlng the mines, furnifhed any in-

*' ftance to be compared with what I faw in

" Derbyfhire. The great diverfity of the

'' ftrata iind their frequently fantaflic difpo-

" (ition which I had never feen any where

?' elfc, ve ry often cmbarraiTed me ; and 1 am

'* perfuaded

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 279.

** perfuaded that the aoleft mineralogies will
" experience the lame difficulty *,"

THE CAVE OF PaoI,*r,-IIOLE.

Mr. Ferber, m his '' EJKiy on the OryElo-
'■'- graphy of Derhyjhirer t^oes no more than
flicrhtlv mention the cave of Poors- hole.
*' This cave," fays he, " which is at a little
" difcance from Buxton, abounds in flalaclite.
*' It is faid to be half an Englifh league in
" length, and a very noiiy ilream runs
*' through it."

The follovv'ing is a more minute defcrip-
tion : — Poofs- hole is about a mile from
Buxton ; and it^. entrance is at the foot of a
laro-e hill confifting^ of lime-flone, bare on all
fides, and prefeutl ng to the view a number of
kilns, where the ftorie, which is of an excel-
lent qual^y, is burnt into lime. This lime-
:ftone contains anumberof eatrochi and other
marine bodies, converted for the moll part
into calcareous fpar.

Dodor Pearfon wis {o oblijins; as to ac-
company us to the cave. Scarcely had we

♦ EJfal fur rOryctographie '.<u Derbyjhlre^ pr wince
ff Angkterre^ par M, Ferber, traduciim de f Jllemand,

T 4 arrived

28o

TRAVELS THROUGH

arrived at the mouth of it, which is narrow
and of an oblong fhape, when we were joined
by feveral women who m.ade briikly up to
VIS ; fome of them, to fell us pieces of bad
ftaladite and fhining calcareous fpar ; and
others to furnifh us with lights, and to offer
their fervices in the capacity of guides. We
accepted their offers, and entered the cave.
Here, as in almoft all natural caves, are gal-
leries fometimes narrow, and at others broad,
now winding:; and then runnins; in a ffrai2;ht
line^ and at intervals expanding into fpacious
and lofty chambers. V/e were defired by
our guides to ircp when we came oppolite to
a very large flaiagmite, which is only an ir-
regular and confuled accumulation of cal-
careous fpar depofited by the droppings.

This is called by the natives l^ooW s chair.
They have heard it termed fo by then* fathers,
thofe who fucceed them will give it the fame
appellation ; and though this fparry mafs has
no more refemblance to a chair than it has
to a horfe, the po^^ er of imagination and
habit, will concur in maintaining this abfur-
dity, and thofe good folks will always have
the fatisfa^tion of thinking that they fee
Vv'hat they do not fee. Alas ! this is the

cafe

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 28 1

cafe with relped to many other things in this
world.

On penetrating into a more profound ca-
vity, our condudors were not wanting in
teUino- us that this was. Poole s chamber; and
a little farther we were fhewn Poole's table^.

The cave is about two thoufand four hun-
dred and fifty Englifh feet in length, in-
cluding the paffages into it, fome of which
are very incommodious. A fmall ftream of
water, which becomes more confiderable per-
haps in rainy feafons, runs through the whole
length of the galleries, and makes the way a
little difagreeable. Upon the whole, this
cave contains nothing very interefting. We
faw in it only a few bad and mutilated fta-
la6lites, and thefe ftot in any great quantity.
From the fhock of an earthquake, or the
loofenefs and weight of the incumbent mals,
part of the roof of one of the galleries has
fallen in, and the pafTage is almoft entirely
blocked up by the number and bulk of the
ftones which have tumbled down.

* Credulity has always amufed herfelf with feeing fome-
thing marvellous in thefe da'rlc fubterraneous caverns.
There is ftill fhewn in the cave of Saflenage, near Gre-
noble, the famous table of the fairy MellufuUi

On

iSz Tx^.AV'ELS THROUGFJ

On coming out of the cave, we were anew
iurrounded by fome women, who oiFered for
fole forae coarfe ; ieces of cryftallized calca-
reous fpar, to which they feemed to affix a
great value.

We then vifited the numerous quarries of
lime-ftone dug on all parts of the hill, which
contains the cave of Poole's-hoie. More
than a hundred families have been occupied^
from father to fon, in working the quarries
and converting the flonss into lime. The
confumption of this article muft be extenfive,,
and the demand for it very great, for lime-
kilns are feeii fm^oking on every iide.

I looked in vain for the habitations of fb
many labourers and their numerous families,
without being able to fee fb much as one cot-
tage, when I at lenojth difcerned that the
whole tribe, like fo many moles, had formed
their refidence under ground. This compa-
rifon is fl:ri61:ly juil: ; not one individual of
them lodged in a houfe, or even the hollow
of a rock. Their dwellings were in the
midft of heaps of cinders and refufe of lime^
which formed fo many fmall mounts, or
mole-hills.

Thefe

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 28.3

Thefe materials, which th3» workmen have
hollowed into lubterraneous habitations, have
been coiilolidated by rain into a compa6l
cement which is now impenetrable to the
water. As the excavation is not very diffi-
cult, thefe families have taken fufficient pre-
caution againil cold and wet, by fixing their
abode immediately contiguous to the lime--
kilns w^hich communicate to them a comfort--
able degree of warmth.

The greater part of thefe habitations have
three or four rooms, almoft all of a round
form, for the purpofe of greater folidity.
They are lighted by the fide, wlien the pofi-
tion is fuch as to admit it ; or merely by the
chimney, which is nothing elfe than a round
hole pierced through the middle of the roof
to allow the fmoke to efcape. Apertures are
alfo made by the door of the place to admit
a little light. Such is the effe6t of the whole,
that when the workmen defcend into their
cave, at the hours of repaft, nd a ftranger lees
fomany fmali columns of fmoke iffuingout of
the earth, he imagines himfelf in the midft
of a village in Lapland. I felt much pleafure
in vifiting the refidence of thefe troglodytes.
Their occupation is certainly not atterulcd

with

284 TRAVELS THROUGH

with much proto as thev are unable to pro-
cure trie fmalleft convenience, and though
in the midfl: of ^ones and lime, have hi-
therto been too poor to erecl walls.

STONES KN WN "^N DERBYSHIRE BY THE
NAME OF TOAD-STONE.

As I had now reached the principal fourcc
of thefe ftones, fo much talked of by the Eng-
lifh Naturalifts, and which furnifhed the bafis
of Mr. Whitehurfl's theory, T refolved to ex-
amine them with the moft fcrupulous atten-
tion. I had the advantage of being accom-
panied by a mineralogift of the fchool of
Mr. Whitehurft, who was well acquainted
with the place, and who, like him, was con-
vinced that the different fpecies of toad-ftone
were real lavas. I was under a promife, be-
fides, of giving an account of my refearches
to Mr. VVhitehurft himfelf. Being provided
with his book, and Mr. Ferber's eiliiy on the
ory6lography of Dcrbyfliire, the only remain-
ing preparation requifite was the intruding
myfelf in the vocabulary of the miners. The
names which they have at all times given this
{lone, vary according to its colour^ its hard-

nefs.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 285

ncis, the extraneous bodies found in it, and
the difpofition of its flrata. Thefe names are
not fcientific, it is true ; but the miners are
accuftomed to them, and perfectly underiland
them, being derived from their native lan-
guage ; and it is not to be fuppofed that they
will ever be iilduced to change them.

This ftone derives its name from its re-
femblance to the colour of a toad, having a
very dark brov*'n and fometimes black, bafis
entirely Iprinkled over with fmall particles
of white calcareous Ipar. Thefe white fpecks
are in general, pretty uniform, and fometimes
protuberant. A {lone in every refped fimi-
lar is found in the bed of the torrent of
Drac, near Grenoble, by which it is hurried
along from the high Alps of Champfaur. It
is from this fpotted appearance that it has re-
-ceived the name of Variolite du Drac. But
this term already affixed to a flone of a dif-
ferent fort, ought to be rejected, in order to
prevent miftakes.

The term toad-ftone is very common at
Buxton, Matlock and Winfter, becaufe ftones
of this kind are more frequent there than in
the other lead or copper mines of Derby-
fliire.

At

286 TRAVELS THROUGH

At Tidefweli, the fame (lone, but with feW
or no globules of calcareous fpar, and dif-
pofed ill thick banks, which alternate with
beds of lime-ftone, bears the name of
channe

At Alhover, in the mine of Gregori, being
of a blacker kind and not io hard, it is called
black c:.ay.

At Caftletovvn, the miners have given to a
greenifh variety or this ftone, which falls into
earth on expofure to the air, the fingular
name of cat-dirt.

Mr. Ferber, in his effay on the orydography
of Derbyiliire, pages 163 and 168, mentions
only the two denominations of toad-Jlone and
channel', but he adds, that the fame ftone
bears in England die names cf<izi7Z-;y26>7z^ and
black-Jlone, and in Scotland, that of whin-
Jione. It is certain that the Derbyfliire miners
know very well how to apply the four dif-
ferent names which they give it, according to
its different modifications. This is not the
cafe with refpeft to the Englifh term black-
jiont^ which may be equally applied to other
flones of the fame colour, but of a very dif-
ferent nature, fuch as volcanic bafaltes, touch-
ftone, black rock-fchorl, horn-flone, certain

fins

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 287

fine orained black granites, &c. This deno-
mination is, therefore, too general and vague.
The term ivhtn-Jione^ which the Scotch
employ, is no lefs obje6lionable. Under this
name they comprehend every black ftone,
without diftirn^ion, which is hard and rough
to the touch. At Edinburgh, when I afked
the naturallfts and workmen of the country
to (hew me whin-ftone, iomQ of them brought
me a black hard (lone of the lame nature with
what the Swedes call trapp, which is not in.
the leaft volcanic, fome prefented a compact
lava of the nature of bafaltes, and others a va-
riety of black granite, which hajfuftained the
aftion of fubterraneous fire without any alter-
ation in its hardnefs, and which makes mofl
excellent pavements. The cafe was the fame
at Glafgow. This term, then, having like the
preceding, a variety of acceptations, which
tend to produce confufion in the mind, ought
to be rejected on the fame account. A fa<9:
\vorthy of remark, and which proves that the
colour of flone has been more attended to than
any other charaderiftic, is, that in Germany,
where the fcience of mineralogy has long
flourillied, feveral black hard ftones, of Very

different

288 TRAVELS THROUGH

different natures, are likewife denominated '
black-Jtones^ fchwartz-ftein *.

Mr. Ferber, though profoundly verfed in
mineralogy, neither compares the toad-ftone
of Derbyfhire to any other flone, gives it any
diftindive name, nor takes any notice of the
opinion of Mr. Whitehurft, who regards it as
a volcanic produd. He contents himfelf
with ftating, that " this Itone has an argil-
*' laceous bafis more or leis hard ; fome part*
" appearing to be merely an indurated elay^
" whilif others approach the jafper in hard-
** nefs ; that it is interfperfed with fmall par-
*' tides of calcareous fpar, varying in form
** and fize ; fome of which are fo miiiptc
" that to the eye they appear identified with
" the black fubflance of the flone itfelf,whilft
*' others are of the bignefs of a pea, or even a
*' bean." Headds, " that on trying the flone

* In France, as in other places, we have in fevers.! in-
ftances given names to mountains from the colour of their
rocits J fuch as roche maure for roche noire (black rock)
roque brune peire neir^ for roche brune (brown roqk)
pierre noire (black flone) Sec. But on every occafion
when I have fhewed to peafants of any degree of intelli-
gence, pieces of compa6l lava, and blocks or columns of
bafakes, and afked them how they termed thofe ftones, they
have uniformly replied, that they wQtepierres morles (dead
Jlomu )

" with

ENGLAND ANI) SCOtLAND. 289

*^ with acids, they effervefced with and dil^
•* Iblved the portions of calcareolis Ipar with-
•^ otit effecting any change in the ba(is of the
** ftone ; which, after the experiment, waS
'** ftill hard enondi to fcratch gjlafs, thous:h it
** gave only d few ihconliderable (parks with
** fteel ; and finally, that the fubftance of the
*' toad-ftone, when diverted of its calcareous
" particles, feemed to him to be refra<5lory to
" the blow-pipe, but that with the addition
'* of ialt of tartar it was converted into a
*' black fcoria, which would feem to indicate a
" filiceous principle, though it does not polTefs
" the hardnefs of filiceous ftones,"

To enable thole naturalifts, who have not
vifited the place, to form a corre<5t notion of
this ftone, and to accompany me in the fol-
lowing examination, it only remains that I
fliould give them a preliminary defcription of
the fingukr polition which it occupies in the
mountains of the Peak of Derby fhire. A
jpart of the details I fhall borrow from Mr.
Whitehurft and Mr. Ferber, adding to them
what additional circumltances have fallen
under my own obfervation.

VOL. II. t: pji-

290 TRAVELS THROUGH

DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES WHICH PRECEDK
AND ACCOMPANY THE TOAD-STONE OF
THE PEAK OF DERBYSHIRE.

1. Quartzofe greet, gret, or frec-ftone ;
termed mill-ftone by Mr. Whitehurfl from
the ufe to which it is applied in fome places ;
it varies in its colour, grain, hardnels, and the
thick nefs of its ftrata. This naturahft, in
in page 147 of his " Inquiry into the original
fhte and formation of the Earth, fays, " that
*' the bank is 1 20 yards in thicknefs, and com-
" pofed of granulated quartz and quartz peb-
"bles.* The former retain the fharpnefs of
'* fragments newly broken, the latter are
" rounded by attrition as ftones upon a fea
" beach."

2. Black argillaceous fchiftus of the na-
ture of (late, fliale or Ihiver. Its thicknefs,
according to Mr. Ferber, who meafured it in
the mine of Yateftoop, is from a hundred and
fortv to a hundred and fifty feet * ; and ac-
cording to Mr. Whitehurft, who meafured it
in another place, about a hundred and twenty
yards f. As it is ufeful, when giving a local de-
fcription, to be acquainted with the nomen-
clature of the minerSj it is proper to ftate that

* Page 160. -f Page 14S.

they

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 29 i

they give the toad-ftone feveral denomina-
tions according to its greater or lefs hardnefs,
or as it is more or lefs penetrable. Hence
the various terms o^JkcUe, hard-beds, penny -
Jhale, and black-beds.

There are found above this fchiilus at fe-
veral places, and, among others, near Wiii-
fter, where the high-way is opened through
beds of it, which are completely vifible, large
frao-ments of black lime-ftone, which on being;
rubbed with iron> emits a ftrong fmell of
burnt corn.

3. The firfl: bed of iime-ftone, which, in
the neighbourhood of Dafhford, is black, very-
hard and ufed as marble. It has an ofFenfive
fmell on being rubbed, is in fome parts with^
out any marine bodies, and in others abounds
in anonyms bivalves-, it fometimes con-
tains round knobs of filex, and is inter-
fered at intervals with thin layers of a
kind of flate. The thicknefs of this bank
varies from thirty-five to fifty feet.

4. Firfl: bed of toad-ftone. The thicknefs
of this bed varies greatly ; in fome places it
is fourteen, and in others fixteen feet, and at
Tidefwell it has been dug to the depth of a
hundred and fixty feet without reaching its
bottom ; though, in the fame mine, at the

u 2 dlflancc

pL<)i TRAVELS THRO^^GH

diibnce of a himdred toiles only from till*
fpd^ it is 15 0 more than forty feet ; and thred
hundred toifes farther, only three feet. Tbi9
would feem to iliew that the matter which
compofes the toad-ftone has accumulated
there rather in one vaft depoiit than in r^gu*
kr beds.

But let us hear Mr. Whitehurfl, whofs?
opinion opon ihis ftone is very explicit:
** Trjad-il-fMne is a blacViih fubftance, very
*' hard; c^ntniDs bladder-holes like the fco7'za
** of metals, ^r Iceland lava, and has the fame
** chymical property of relifting acids. Some
** of its bladdei -holes are lilled with [cal-
*' carerjiss] fpar, others only in part, and others
" again arc quite empty, l^h'isflratuvi is not
'* laminated, but cofdifls of one entire Iblid
** mafs, and breaks alike in all directions. It
** does not produce any minerals or figured
" ftones reprefenting any part of the animal
" or vegetable creation. — Neither does it uni-
*' verlally prevail, as the lime-ll:one ftrata, nor
*' is It like them equally thick ; but in fomc
" iaJl:ances varies in thicknefs from fix feet
" to (ix hundred. It is hkewife attended with
" other circnmftances, which leave no room
** to doubt of its being as much a lava, as tha^
*' which flows from Hecla, VefiiviusorEtnae"

A fecoii^

LHGLANB AND SCOTLAND 295

A fecond reafon, which imluced the Eng-
liOi natiirahft to regard the toadrflone as 3
feal lava of poileiior exlfter^e to the forma--
tioii ol" the calcareous beds:, is, that the veitkal
jilTures with which the latter are GCcaiicyiialXy
ifiterfe^ted, are filled with {<>ad-ll€oe ; which,
neeeffarily itiftirs the prc-exifiersce of thefe
iiflureSjand coiifequeixtly that of the calcijreaus
ftrata.

5. The iecGiid bed of liiiie-flo-iie. This is
shout tkirty-three to.i{es thick, of a grey ap-
pearance^ and contains a iiumher af petrified
niarine bodies, among which may be diftiti-
giiifhed eaines of a large fize, madrepores,
&c» The ftone is not in all parts of equal
hardnefs* Tlie Ibfter parts, which emit a
diiagreeable fmel! on beins: rubhed witli iron,
stre iifed for making lime. The harder pa.rts>
are exit into fhape, receive a paliih^ mid aniwejr
the fame purpofes as maible. Some parti ef
it are penetrated with a filiceous matter in
which are feveral encrochi.

6* Second bed of toad-ftone, which is
forty feet thick. Mr. Ferber fays, ^'^ that in
*' the mine of Hubberdale, this ftone dcYiatc?
*' fo much from its ordinary hardne:^ that it
*' has e p^fect refemblancc to loft clay.**
But this altei-ation, which is doxibtlds ob-
V ^ ferved

294 TRAVELS THROUGH

ferved in fome pits, is merely local ; and tho
toad-ftone of the fecond bed, as Mr. White-
hurftjiiftly ftates, is of greater folidity than
that of the firft. A circnmftance worthy of
attention is, that it contains no cavity, and
confequehtly no particles of calcareous fpar.

7. Third bed of lime-flone ; grey, like the
fecond, and, according to Mr. Ferber, fe\enty
yards thick. Mr. Whitehurft fays, that it
contains fewer petrefaftions than the pre^
ceding ones, and that it is thirty fathoms
thick.

8. Third bed of toad-ftone, refembling the
fecond, and twenty-two feet thick. " In the
*' mine of Hubberdale," fays Mr. Ferber,
" this flone has the confiftence of a tender
*' and foft clay of a green colour, and is filled
" with fmall nodules of black clay, and fe-
" veral veins of white calcareous fpar. It is
*' denominated channel."

9. Fourth bed of lime-ftone. This is grey,,
like the preceding, but a little whiter. Its
thicknefs is yet unknown ; feveral parts of
it having been dug to the depth of forty fa-
thoms, without difcovering its bottom. It
is therefore uncertain whether this fourth cal-
careous bed be again fucceeded by toad-
ftone.

The

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 295

The direftioQ of the veins of metal is in
general very irregular ; the feam is difl:in6l
and well marked; its depth varies, being
fometimes feveral feet only, and at others
levcral toifes thick.

But what is truly extraordinary and may
be regarded as a phenomenon in mineralogy,
is, that the veins, which are very rich in the
four calcareous beds, always difappear, as they
approach theflrata oftoad-ftone, which alter-
nate with the former, fo that it is necelTary to
penetrate through the v^'hole mats of toad-
ftone, however thick, in the direction of the
feam, without any trace of the ore, until the
calcareous bed be reached, where the miners
are fure of re-difcovering it. Thus, for ex-
ample, when a vein is exhaufted in the firfl
bed, that is, in the firft black lime-ftone, the
ore difappears on reaching the toad-ftoncj
and no veftige of it is found till the bed of
toad-ftone has been entirely dug through.
♦' This phenomenon," Mr. Ferber judly fays,
*' is, without contradi(5tion, one of the moft
** rare and fingular in its kind ; and to ac-
*' count for it is no lefs diuicult. Another
" fingularity refpedtmg the beds oftoad-ftone
*' isj that this fubftance fo completeijr feparates
u 4 ^' the

2g6 TRAVELS THROUGH

^-' the different ft rata of lime-ftone, that a^
'^' inundation of a gallery in the f rfl bed noT
^* wife difturbs the labours in the fecond,
^* and that the miners may be dry in a lower-
*' gallery, whilft all the galleries above it are
*^ filled with water.'*

From violent difruptions of the ground, afe
periods too remote to be traced, the beds-are
found funk to a great depth in fome parts^
while they are much nearer the fui;face in
others. New adventitious and ealcareouj
fubftances, tranfported by fobfequent convul-
fions, have filled up many of thefe chafms,
and thus partly concealed the firft rugged-
nefs of that wonderful country ; but the deep
excavations which the miners have made
throuoh a great extent of the elevated flat of
the Peak, have furnished the means of ob-
taining an cxa6l knowledge of the topography
of Derby fhire, of \vhich I ha^•e juft here
given a flight fketch. More detailed expla-
nations will be found in the work of Mr.
Whitehurft, who has given very accurate en-
gravings of the plans, and profiles of the moft
interefting fedions of the mountains.

Impreffed with the importance of the fub-
}e£i:, I had flopped feveral times before i

reached

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. t^f

reached Buxton, at the foot of fome cmgs
where the toad-flone was vihble, for the pur-
pofe of examining it. With the fame view I
now asked Dr. Pearfon, whether, in his work
on the mineral waters of Buxton, he had parti-
cularized any bed of toad-flone whichwe might
vifit together, afluring him, that any information
which he could give me would be fo much the
more gratifying, as nothing that I had yet leen
in that part of Derbyfliire bore the leaft trace
qf a volcano ? I further obferved, that a ftone
in every refpe(5t the fame as the toad- ftone,
which he regarded with Whitehurft as a real
]ava, was found on the high Alps of Champ-
faur in Dauphiny ; that it prefented precifbly
the fame varieties of toad-ftone, with particles
of calcareous Ipar, with empty cellular, and
without any fpar, often imporous, fometimes
hard and compact, at other times tender, tend-
ing to decompofition and changing its colour,
and that it was fometimes found in the form
of fmall prifms, which led me to think that we
plight probably meet with it here in the fame
ftate.

I mentioned alfo, that M. De Lamanon, a
very eftimabie naturalift, who fell a vi(5lim to
h\s ardour for natural hiftory, in a voyage

roufid

29^ TRAVELS THROUGH

round the world with La Peyronie, had writ-
ten a pamphlet tending to demonftrate that
the ftone of Champfaur was a produ6l of fub-
teri*aneou9 fire ; and that he for fome time
confidered himfelf the difcoverer of an ex-
tinct volcano in the Alps ; though very able
natufalifts had affirmed that thofe va'ft tnoun-
tains exhibited no veftig^e of volcanic com-
bnftion. I added, however, that M. DeLa-
manon, whofe opinion I combated, relin-
quifhed his error and fuppreffed the whole
impreffion of his work, with the referve of
twelve copies, to each of which he had the
honourable firmnefs to annex a printed re-
cantation ; that thofe few were fent to the
moft zealous of his opponents as an acknow-
ledgment that the ftones which he had taken
for lavas were merely trapps, and that he had
the goodnefs to fend me one among the reft*,

* See my eflay on trapp-ftones, in which I have traced
the itinerary from Grenoble to the mountain of Chaillot-
le-vieil, in the Alps of Champfaur, with a defcription of
all the varieties of trapp, in every refpeiSl like thofe of
Derbyfhire, in a much higher country ; for the mountain
Peyre-Nicre (Pierre noire) or Haiti- Ptty^ which is about
one thoufand four hundred toifes above the level of the
fea, is covered to the top with real toad-ftones, that is to
fay, trapps,

Excurjion

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 299

Excurfiou in the Vicinity of Buxton mih DoBor

Pear Jon. — The Stratum of Toad-Jhne which, he

defcribes in his Book on the Mineral lVqters.-—iA

fmall IJle in the River JV.ye formed entirely of

Toad-tone divided into Prifms.

" Let us fet off then," faid Do6tor Pear-
fon, " I fhall be very happy to fhew you th^
" bed of toad-ftone that I have defcribedj
" and yoii will tell me what you thmk of it.'*
We difeeted our courfe to the hollow which
forms the bed of the littl'e river Wye, which,
if we may judge by the channel which it has
worn, fwells into a torrent with rains. Wc
ftfcended its banks for nearly a mile towards a
corn-mill.

Before reaching the mill, particularly on
the right bank, and immediately under the
vegetable foil, are fome beds of black fchiftus
which vary in thicknefs and exfoliate in fmall
pieces on being expofed to the /air. This
fchiftus is fometirties covered with a flight
efflorefcence of martial vitriol ; it is the lame
which the miners t2i\\Q:AJhale ovjhiver. This
bed of fchiftus, which is in fome parts three,
and in others two feet thick, and which con-
ceals itfelf at inteiTals under the vegetable

foil,

5^0 TRAVELS THROUGH

foil, purfues the lame direftion to tke verge of
the miM where it entirely difappears.

Here the nature of the ground fuddenl^r
changes ; the valley diminifliing into a nar-
row ftrait formed by two calcareous hills, ap-
proaching each other. Between thefe the
mill is erected : the co»ftni(Stion of the channel
mufl Tiave fuggefted this as. a very propeif
fituatioji-

The calcareou-s- rock is of a grey appear-,
ance, and its ftrata incline tc^wards tlie bed of
the river on both fides ; but fo "vigorous,
is vegetation in this humid region, that,
except in a iew places, the rocks are com-
pletely covered with moffes., lichens, heath,
and other creeping plants.

The road leading to the mill runs abng
a natural caufeway formed by the rocks
which are entirely bai'e in this deep hollow.
A little above this mill the road is crofTed
with a bed of toad-ftone feveral feet thick, the
black colour of which forms a ftriking con-
ti-afl with the grey lirae-ftoae.

This is the bed of toad- flone which Do£lor
Pearfon has drawn as alternating with lime-
-ftone. But on examining it attentively^ I
obferved to this naturalift, that it was diffi-
cult

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. ^^i

tvilt to determine whether it was a real be4
or a kind of vein ; the nnmerons [chafmS
which muft have formerly exifted in both
the hills, from the falling in of the fiirface,
and the vegetable earth with which they have
been in genei*al filled up again, Scarcely per-
mit one to afcertain with any degree of cer-
tainty the exa6l and primitive dilpofition of
the calcareous beds.

On an infpe{rtion of the parts where the
toad-flone is uncovered. It appears rather to
interfed tranfverfely than to follow the di-
redHon of the calcareous ftrata, a fact, which
if fufficiently afcertained, would be com-
pletely deftrudive of the Doctor's hypothefis
founded on the Gratification of the calcareous
beds in alternate order with toad-ftone.

An attentive obfervation, indeed, of this
fmall valley or hollow, formed by the fiibfi-
dence of the intermediate fpace through which
the Wye now flows, warrants the fuppofitiou
that the chafms, cavities, and fifTures occa-
iioned bv the Ihock and falling in of fuch
enormous maffes, have been again filled u^
by a fecondary depofition and alluvion, pro-
ceeding from a revolution poflcrior to that
which produced them,

Thefg

302 TRAVELS THROUGH

Thefe reflexions I fubmi.tted to the confider-
ati-on of Do<5lor Pearfon, Hating, at the lam^
time that my conjecture would have flill
greater probability if we fliould find the toad-
ftone Iving in a mafs above the lime-ftone^
at the bottom of the valley*

Whilft I was making thefe obfervations,
1 caft my eyes on a fmall ifle of an oblong
form, {iLuated in the very center of the
place in queftion. " Let us fee," faid I,
'* whether that kind of natural mound,
" which has by its refiftance, forced the river
** to divide into branches, confifts of the fame
" ftone as the neighbouring hills."

Do6lor Pearfon laid, that he had not di-
re6ted his enquiries to that fpot. We then
repaired to the fmall ifle, which is about a
hundred paces long, and from ten to twelve
paces broad, but which muft have been much
more confiderable, before it was worn away
by the water. It riles only a few feet above
the river.

With equal pleafure and aftonifhment wc
difcovered that it was entirely compofed of a
blackifh brown toad-ftone, filled in fome
parts with particles of calcareous fpar, and in
others thinly maculated, or without any at
all. But what I reo;arded as moft remarkable

was-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 36J

waSi that the firft or uppermofl: flratum of
toad-ftone, which is about two feet and a half
thick, is ill feveral places divided into prifms
which form the mofl exa6l reprefentation of
a fmall bafaltic caufeway. It is ftill farther
•aftonilhing, that it afFecls all the various ap-
pearances of the round bails of bafaltes, which
are often found befide the prifms, or into
which the prifms themfelves are fometim^s
changed by the , mouldering of their angles-
Thefe balls are formed of concentric layers,
and exfoliate in the fame manner as thofe of
bafaltes *.

* " Trapp," fays the celebrated Bergmann, " is fome-
" times found in the form of triangular prifms, though this
*' is a rare cafe. It fometimes has the appearance of im-
" menfe columns, fuch, for inftance, as the Tra/llemary at
" the foot of the mountain of Hunneberg^ oppofite to Brag-
*' num^ which have detached themfelves from the reft of
" the mafs. The firft time I faw them, they formed an
" angle of eight degrees with a line perpendicular to the
" horizon. For almoft all the mounta ins of Weftrogothia
" that have a ftratified form, the upper bed confifts of
*' trapp. It is important to obferve, that this bed always
" repofes on a black alluminous flate. Is it poflible then
" that this matter (hould have been in a ftate of fuiion
" without the llighieft diminution, even in the point of
" contaft, of the blacknefs of the flate below it, though it is
" evidently alterable by the heat of our common fires ? We
" have a ftiil finer trapp, which generally runs in veins,
" and is frequently found in very ancient mountains, in
" which not the fainteft marks of fubterraneous fire can
" be feen."

Letires de Bergmann a TroiJ, page 448, de la traduction
des Lettresfur I' IJIande.

Thef«

J<&4 • TRAVELS tHilOUGH

Thefe prifms and balls are in a ftate of
Commencing decompofition ; they are of a
brown colour, and fometimes of a yellowiOi
iron grey: Their texture is often intermixed
with nurheirotis particles of calcareous fpar,
the colour of which is frequently ftained with
the tints produced by the decompofition of
the toad-ftone. This ftone, fo divided into
prifms and balls, repofes dii a bed of friablef
and gravelly matter, which is in reality no-
thing elfe than toad-ftone decompofed an^
reduced to the form of a fandy earth.

It muil: be acknowledged that nothing cart
be more volcanic in appearance than this
little ifle of toad-flone. A vein of this mat-
ter, which has confiderable refemblance to a.
current of lava, crofles the calcareous rock
which forms the bottom of the mill-road,
and then fmks and lofes itfelf iii the Wye,
fo as to lead one to imagine that it has given
jife to the iflCj which is compofed of ,a fub-
ftance, which, in the parts where the particles
of calcareous fpar have been deftroyed has
the colour and -appearance of certain porous
lavas, and is further poffefled of prifmatic and
ipherical configurations. There is nothing,

how-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND- 3C5

" ifowever, really volcanic, either in this place
X)r its vicinity.

This ferves to (hew the utility of corred
local defcriptions to the progrefs of natural
hiftory, and the inriportance of having, in cer-
tain circumftances, an opportunity of feeing
fubflances in their native place.

The fubftance of toad-ftone is a compo-
fition of filiceous and argillaceous earths,
with a fmall quantity of calcareous earth and
fron. The proportions of the component
parts differ according to the varieties of the
toad-ftone. That of Derbyshire, which is the
Hibjeft of our prefent enquiry, has been ana-
lyzed by Doctor Withering, who found that
in a hundred parts of this Jlone there are
Jixly 'three parts of filiceous earthy fourteen
of argillaceous earthy andfevejiofphlogijli'
catediron.

I myfelf, alfo* analyzed a piece of the lame
/lone which was broken off from a part that '
had no calcareous particles ; the refults which
I obtained were a little different. From a
hundred grains of it the produce was as fol-
lows :

^OL. ir. X Siliceous

306 TRAVELS THROUGH

Sil'iceoiis earth - 54 grains,

Argillrsceous earth - 19
Aerated calcareous eaith 8
Aerated magnefia 4

Iron - - 13

Lod: during the proccfs 2

Total I

00

lii making other experiments on flones of
the iiame kind, taken from different beds, I
always found the fame conftituent principles,
but with greater or lefs variations in the re-
fuits ; Ibmetinies the iron, and at other tinaes
the calcareous or argillaceous earth, being in
greateft quantity, in a word, and to con-
clude this already too long and fatiguing dif-
ciiffion, the toad-ftone of Derbyshire, is en-
tirely foreign to volcanos, and is precifely
the £me with the Swedifli trapp *.

Some

* If the reader wifti for ftill further information refped-
Eng this ftoiie, he may confult page 7, 23, 31, 43, and 53,
of the work which I have publifhed on trapp-ftones; where
he will find th2it the. a rgil/a martialis indurata of Cronftedt,
the fchwartzjielh of the Germans, the toad-Jhne^ channel,
cat-dirt^ and black clay^ of Derbyftiire, the whin-Jlone of the
Scotch, and the variolite du drac of fome Frenchmen, are
nothing elfc than trapp in a greater or lefs degree of hard-

nefs,

England and Scotland. 307

Some may perhaps blame me for wifhing
to generalize too much the name given to a
flone which is in the clafs of compounds, and
which itfelf fcrves as the bails of feveral other
ftones. But I have never pretended to affix
the denomination trapp, exclufively of all
others, to flones, abounding in the matter of
trapp, in thole cafes where they are diver-
sified by a peculiar charafter. I have not, for
'example, ceafed to nfe the terms porphyry,
amygdaloides, variolite, &c. though trapp be
the bafis of ail thefe ftones,

I perf e6lly coincide with the opinion of my
illuftrious friend, M. de SanlTure, that " when
"'* two fofiils exhibit any remarkable difi:er-
'^ ence of charader we are not to refrain from
" diftinguilhing them by dilferent names, 011
" the pretence that there are intermediate
*' varieties which appear to unite them, by
*' being equally referrible to either *."

It is with the view of clofely adhering to
this principle, that, v/hilfi: I flill preferve the

nefs, and more or kfs altered. This Rone alfo forais the
bafis of the moft part ef porphyries, &:c. &c But whilft
I wifh to retain the genuine term trapp, I would conjoin
with it the different vulgar names which the miners ule to
diftinguifli its various modihcations.

* Voyage Dans les Alpts, in 4to. Tom. iv. p. 127.
X 2 genuine

30S TRAVELS THROUGH.

gcnume term trappy, which muft be refpe6l^cl^
as it has always been ufed by the mineralo-
giils of the iiortli, I would apply it by way of
preference, and ipecifically to that ftone in
every cafe where it lias the hardiiefs, the co-
lour, and the homogeneous appearance which
is peculiar to itlcif, and is void of any very
diilinguilhable eiitraneous body. But when it
contains any particles of calcareous fpar, I —
would call it^ with the nniners of Derbyihire^
toad-Jlone. When the trapp^ however pure^
has loft its hardnefs, and its original colour,
particularly when it inclines to a green iih
colour, and when I at the fame time find
it in the form of fmall veins interfering rocks
of another nature, would I never hefitate to
call it cat-dirty and thus I would proceed
with refped: to all the other known modifi-
cations a^ often as they are fufficiently dif-
tlii6l. This is the mofl fimple manner of
making ourfelves underftood, and at the fame
time reipe£ling the works and the memory
of thofe naturalifls who ha\T cleared for us
the thorny paths of fcience.

CHAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 509

CHAPTER XVIII,

Caf.letrn. —Dejcripion of the Cave called TIk De-
viPs Arfe. — Mines of Lead and Calamine^ Veini
of Fluor Spar. — Lead found in Channel or Cat-
dirt.

W]

E rode from Buxton to Caftleton, a dif-
tance of twelve miles, on' one of the fineft
days of autumn, but along a road as difagrec-
able and fatiguing as the worft of winter.

During our ftay in this little place, which
is agreeably (ituated in tlie midft of fome
mountains, we had an opportunity of feeing
the different workmen in fiuor fpar, and vi-
litedthe magnificent cavern called the Devil* s
Arfe, near Caftleton, and like wife feveral
mines in its \icinity. The refult of mj
Obfervations is as follows ;

description of the cave of castleton%
vulgarly known by the name of the
devil's arse.

This cave, regarded at all times as the

principal of the feven wonders of Derbyfhiie,

X 3 has

3IC> TRAVELS THROUGH

has been celebrated by feveral poets. But aSv^
liiice the time of Homer, Virgil, and Ovid,^
who united exteniive knowledge to fublime
talents, few poets have pretended to fclentific
corredlnefs in theii" defcription of phvlical
fa6ts, I fhall not here repeat any of the verfes,
with which the Englifli Mufes may have in-
fpired thofe who have deicribed this grand
work of nature.

I feel more fatlsfa6lion in telling my readers^
that this cave has been honoured with the.
vifits of feveral refpeftable men of fcience,,
among the lateft of whom were. Sir Jofcph
Banks, Prefident of the Royal Society of Lon-
don and Dr.Solander, accompanied by Omai,
a native of the South. Seas, who was recei\'ed
with the moft lively intereft in England,
where he remained a confiderable time, and
after being loaded with prefents, was gener-
oufly conveyed back to his own country.

This cavern is iitnated at the foot of a vafl
range of rocks thro^^'n up by nature on the
fide of a fleep mountain, upon which ftands
an old caftle, built, it is faid, in the time of
Edward the black prince.

The principal entrance is 120 Engliih feet
iu width, and forty in height ; it forms a cir-
cular

INGLAND AND SCOTLANTJ.. 5I I

cular arch which opens in a rock of gr^y,
and lomewhat fparr}', lime-ftone, ilifficiently
hard to admit a fine polish, and containing
a number of marine petrifaflions, among
which tile entrochiand fomc afiopj/jjus of a very
large fpecies, are the mod common. This
ftone, on being mbbed againfl a hard body,
gi\'es a fmell fomewhat like that of bimit
corn, and fome parts of it, which are of a
deeper grey and more fparry grain than the
reft, emit fb ftrong a fmell, that it may very
juftly be clafTed among the lapides fmllcz or
ftinking; ftones.

An inhabitant of the place who gains a
fubfiftence by conducing ftrangers into the in-
terior of the cave, having lej^mt o\ir arrival,
came to wait upon ns. He jBi*fl: prefented
each of us with a printed paper containing
the moft ridiculous and exaggerated details oP
the extraordinary things whi«h were to be
Ihown to us, preceded by the following fhort
preamble ; " As many perfons have com-
*' plained of the exorbitant fums demanded
*' by thofe who fhow this cave, it is proper
** the public ihouldbe informed of what ought
*' to be given, as thofe who ihew it pay no
•' rent to the king. One perfon ought to pay
X 4 '• two

312 TRAVELS THROUGH-

*' two flii1 lings and fixpence (about thre©
^' French livrcs) ; and a party at one time,
" five {hillings. Thefe prices, however, are
*' not fixed ; and the pubHc may give more
" or lefs as they choofe. J. Hall/*

J. Hall has adopted in this preamble a very
ingenious mode of taxing his cuftomers. But
I muft do him the juftice to acknowledge
that he is very active and oblis^ino;, antic i-
pates every queftion, and does not fail to give
the moft minute details Fefpe(5ting thofe ob-
je(fts which he conceives defer\ ing of remark.
In fhort, he is pcrfeftly mafter of his leflbn,
and recites it with a confequential gravity and
fometimes with a tone of enthuiiafm, calcu-
lated to attradt the attention of thofe who
are under his guidance in this darkfome ca-

vern.

A party of Engliflimen joined us, and we,
entered the outer porch. It is lighted from
without, is forty-two feet high, a hundred
and twenty feet wide, and two hundred and
forty-fix feet long. The light was pretty
ftrong at the entrance of this vaft vault, but
gradually diminiflied as wg proceeded inwards,
or as the fore parts were broken into projec-
tions of a greater or fmaller bulk. T he efFe6l

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 315

is fo much greater as the fcene is enlivened
with two manufadories, the one a rope yard,
and the other an inkle manufadory, entirely
within the place.

All is life and motion in this apparent foli-
tude. On the one fide are feen young girls
turning their wheels, winding up their threads,
and lightening their labours with their fongs,
and on the other, men fpinning cords and
twifling cables, or forming them into coils.
What IS ftill more extraordinary, there are
two houfes in this fubterraneous apartment
{landing oppofite to each other, entirely fe-
parate from the rock, with roofs, chimnies,
doors, windows, and inhabited by feveral fa-^
milies.

It is difficult, without having feen it, to
conceive the efFe61: produced by the view of
two houfes in a fituation of this kind. We
were foon furrounded with feveral groups of
young girls, fome of whom were very hand-
fome.

It appeared that J. Hall here yielded
the pre-eminence to the ladies of the place,
referving exclulively to himfelf the privilege
only of exhibiting to the more profound
caverns ; all thele young girls flocked to fhew

us

5H TRAVELS THROUGH

lis the rope and inkle manufactories, and the
interior of the two dwelling-houfes ; after
which they direcSled our itd:niration to the
beauty of the veftibule, the great height of
the vault, and the curtains of llaladlite which
decorate it.

They called our attention rnqr^ particularly
to a ftala6tite of an extraordinary form at the
beginning of the principal arch, a little beyond
the fartheft houfe, and at the height of about
thirty-five £ttt. " See,'' faid they, " the fa-
*" mous leg of pork ; obfer\e its excellent
** fhape, and admire this mafter-piece of na-
*' ture." But the more -^ve examined this
pretended kg of pork the more did v/e find it
refemble an object which young girls are not
often permitted to examine, and of which
they aie ftill more rarely permitted to allow
an examination to others. This obje£l was a
heart ^x\d not a leg ; but it was a heart of th&
iame kind as that of M. de Bouflers. This
iliews the facility with which young folks
may be periuaded that they fee what they do
not fee ; but it is at the fame tii-jae a proof of
iheir amiable candour and innocence.. De-
ccncv, however, demanded that we fhould
;lerve a o;rave and ferious countenance,

Tefti.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 315

Teftirying our grateful fenfe of their fervices
by a fmall prefeat, we took leav of theiTij
and proceeded under the aufpices of Hall, who,
after diftributing to each of us a lighted flam- J
beau, opened the door of a fubterraneous gal-
lery at the bottom of the grand veilibule, and
deiired us to follow his fteps through tlie d .. R-
fome labyrinth of which he willingly held the ]
clue.

The way appeared at fir neither agreeable
nor eafy. In fome place, we proceeded
in an upright and free podure, whilil in others
parts the vaults were fo low, that we
were obliged to ftoop as we advanced, to
avoid ftriking againft t'le protuberances of
the rock. This firft gallery is a hundred and
forty feet long. Here we obferved a quan-
tity of fand accumulated into a fmall oblong
eminence. Hall, who was attentive to the
minuteft circumftances^ did not forget to ex-
cite our admiration at this fand, which was
the prQdu(ftion, he faid, of a foiali ftream
ifluing from a fubterraneous tank, which we
Ihould foon reach. This flream fwells after
heavy rains, and carrying along with it con-
fiderable quantities of fand, often renders the
fave inaccefiible during its overflow^i

Our

$l6 TRAVELS THROUGH-

Our guide, ftill advancing and accompany-
ing his obfervations with expreffive geftures,
entertained us witli an account ofthe rapidity-
of the current, the height of the water, its
quality, and the noife which it made ; when
a fmall lake, with a Ikifffloatiiigupou it, in-
terrupted our progrels. This lake, which is
not much more than three feet deep, is wholly
inclofed in the folid rock, and ftretches under
a very low vault of \\'hich we could not fee
the farther end. Here it was neceflary to,
ftop.

Wc flood for fome time on the brink, and^
the light of our difmal torches, which emitted
a black fmoke, refleding our pale images
from the bottom of the lake, we almoft con-
ceived that we faw a troop of fhades ftarting
from an abyfs to prefent themfelves before us*
The illufion was extremely ftriking.

This piece of water v/as about forty-*
eight feet broad ; J. Hall gave it th-e name
of the firfl water. He informed us, thafe
wc muft crols it one by one in the fmall
IkitT, ^retching ourfelves at full length,
as we had to pafs under the vault which was
very low and narrow ; he alTured us, how-

eveTj

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 317

ever, that the paflage was not attended with
the leaft danger-
Count Andreani embarking firft, ftretclied
himfelf flat in the bottom of the little veflel
which was furnifhed with fome ftraw. The
guide then entered the lake and bending his
head almoft to the furface of the water, pufhed
forward the skifF with one hand, while he
carried his torch in the other.

Five minutes were fufficient to crofs over,
and to return for another pafTenger. My
turn having arrived, T lay flat on my back
like the others ; but in attempting to move
as I paffed through this low and narrow tun-
nel in order to examine the ftone of whick
it is compofed, my hat ftruck againft the roof^
and was thrown into the water. I was fafely
landed on the inner bank, where we filently
waited the arrival of fome new companions.

It is impoflible for the adventurer, however
cheerful his temper may be, not to trace in
this fcene a reprefentation of the paflage of
the dead in the fatal bark of Charon. The
whole retinue being now landed. Hall, after
firfl: drying himfelf a little and warming his
inflde with a bumper of rum, which he drank

to the health of his followers, called our at-
r

tcntion

^i8 TRAVELS THROUGH

tehtion to the fpacious extent of the place
which we liad now entered. We found our-
felves in a cavern a hundred and twenty feet
high, two hundred and twenty feet long, and
two hundred and ten broad. It excites real
aftonifhment to difcover fuch extenfive na-
tural excavations in the centre of the hardeft
rock, and one is loft in conjeduring what has
become of the materials which mufl have for-
merly occupied thofe vail: vacuities.

In a paffage at the inner extremity of this
vaft cavern, we again met with Water^ which
our guide called the fecond water. But we
eafily palled over On a platform running along
the fide of this fmall pond, which is only
thirty feet in length.

On ifliiing from this paflage we again found
ourfelves in a vaft cavern. At the entrance
projects a pile of rocks, from the llim-
mit of which the water trickles flowly arid
depofits a calcareous fediment. This projec-
tion has been transformed by the imagination
into a houfe, though it has not the fmalleft re-
femblance to one, and as the water inceftantly
drops from it, the genius of rain is fuppofed
to have made it his habitation. It is accord-
ingly

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 319

mgly diftingviifhed by the name of Roger
Rain's iKXife.

A little beyond this we came to the grand
cavern which bears the name of the ChanceL
The vaults here are very lofty ; and in their
iides are differefit cavities refembling gothic ]
portals and wiudovv^s. I^arge ftala6i:ites de-
icend from the roof upon the prominent parts
of the rock, in the manner of drapery or cur-
tains, and produce a very ftriking efFed. The
pavement alfo is very fmooth, being formed
of folid rock, covered over from time to time
with fome flalagmites. The whole has the
appearance of a gothic church.

As we advanced our condudor made iigns
to us with his hand, and by expreffivc gei^
tures, to preferve filence, as if he wifhed to
infpire us with a refpedful awe ; and he par-
ticularly defired each of us, in a very low voice,
not to look behind until he fhould give notice
to do fo. He then affembled his company in
a group, and placing himfelf at our head with
his face towards us, continued to walk back-
wards, as if teaching us the military exercife,
ftill making figns and geftuies in order to at-
traft our whole attention, and inccffantly re-
queflingus to keep our eyes fixed on himfelf,

left

S20 Travels through

left any one fhould be tempted to look behind.
Haviiig in this manner reached almoft the
inner extremity of the cavern, he defired us to
halt. We then heard iWeet and harmonious
voices which feem to burft from the loftv roof^
and involuntarily turning round to fee whence
the angelic founds proceeded, we obferved in
a natural niche at the other end, about forty-
eight feet from the bottom, five figures drefled
in white, immoveable as ftatues, holding a
torch in each hand, and hnging in parts a
fublime and melodious air to fome verfes from
Shakefpear.

It thus appearcid that Mr. Hall was playing
off his grand machinery for our entertain-
ment ; he was delighted even to exultation
with the furprife which it produced in us.
This unexpe^led fcene, indeed, made a very
lively and agreeable impreliion on us. It had
a melancholy and affecting chara6ter, which
might be afcribed lefs perhaps to the air and
words than to the profound and remote place
where they were fung, and where we feemed
to be fecluded from the refl of nature. Thofc
of the ancients who fele£led fimilar places
for their initiations, appear to have admirably
managed their bufinefs. Their grand myfle-

ries

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 32 I

ik§ were never celebrated but m fubter-
Vaneous caverns.

Th« cbantrefTes difappeared as {oon as they
had finilhed their fong, and we proceeded ill
our coiirfe through a lengthened gallery. We
had been liftcning to angels, and we had now
lo make a fliort vifit to tlie infernal regions.
Our mallerof ceremonies, J. Hall, introduced
us into what is called the Devil's cellar. Here
we faw a great number of names infcribed on
the walls. 1 know not whether thofe who
wrote them have entered into a compad with
the evil fpirit, and whether out of gratitude
he has permitted them to drink ail the v/hie
in his vaults ; but this much is certain, that
the cellar is at prefent very ill provided. How-
ever as there is no entering a cellar- without
tailing with the butler, efpeciaiiy in England,
Mr. Hall pulled out his fmall bottle, fwallowed
U glafs of rum, and offered each of us a gla,lij
after him, but we begged to be cxcufcd.

On leaving this gloomy m.anlion, which is
nothing elfe than a large cavity blackened by
the fmoke of lamps and torches, we faddenly
came to aheap of quartzofe fand. Here it
was neceflary to proceed along a rapid defcent
a hundred and fifty feet long, and4inking to

VOL. II. Y ' the

532 TRAVELS THROUGH

the depthipf forty feet below the level of the
entrance. On Oi^e fide of this iandy path is
£ det-p channel, hollowed hv nature in the
falidrock, through which a pretty large ftream,
ri&sg at a diftance, gently murmurs along^
tmtii itlofes itfelf, with ioud noife,amidft Ibmc
cavenis.

Here J. Hall pla^^ed off upon us one of the
little tricks of his vocation. He told us in an
emphatic tone, that this fubterraneous brook*
notwithfianding the total privation of light,
produced fiih, hut of a fpecies which he called
black fiih- To give ms a pi oof of his afTertioa,
he dcfcended to the water through a narrow
paiffage, and after plunging his hand repeatedly
into the ftream, held up to our view, at a
c»nfiderable diftince, one of his black fifhes.
He was about to throw it back into the ^vater
to prevent the defl:ru<5tion of the fpecies, which
he faid was already become Icarce, when,
upon approaching to take a nearer view of it,
I foon found it to be a tadpole which he had
carried with him for the purpofe of deceiving
us, and which was already half dead. He
was himfeif the firft to laugh at the cheat,
and he candiUly confefled it, as foon as he
perceived that it was dete61ed. r^i-v r^

Procefe^ding

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 323

JProcceding forward^ we fooii pajjfed under
the arcades, a place fo denominated becaule
the rock here forms three diftin6l circular
arches, very much refembling thofe of a
bridge,

A little beyond this we heard the noife of a
diftant cafcade, iind faw a pyramidal mafs of
ftalagmite, which is named the Toiver of
Lincoln. Here the cavern was formerly
thought to terminate ; but, a few years ago,
a new gallery was difcovered, which extends
four hundred and ninety-two feet farther. This
we traced to its inmoft extremity, where the'
little river again a,ppeared to our view, iifuing
from a natural tunnel as perfectly conftruded
as if it had been the work of art^ but fo ftrait
and low, that there was no poffibility of pene-
trating into it. At the entrance of this fort of
aquedud: we favv feveral names engraved in
the rock, among which we diftinguiflied thoie
of Sir Jofeph Banks and Dr. Solander, and
alfo that of Omai, who accompanied them In
this fubterraaeous jou/ney.

The entire length of the cavern, frqm its
entrance to the place where thefe infcriptiojis
are, is at leall two thoufand.feyen ihundredf-
and forty-two feet.

Y 2 W^

3^4 TRAVELS THROUGH

'^' -We performed our vifit, which lafted feve-
Tal Iiours, without the flightefl accident, and
returned equally i'afe. We made a liberal ac-
knowledgment for the fervices of our guide,
who was much more fatigued than we were,
as he was inceflantly occupied in pointing out
anddefcribing the various dbje<Sls in our ceurle.
He appeared to be as well fatisfied with us as
we were with his zeal and obliging readinefs
to lerve us ; and though he was a little
chagrined at the difcovery of the black fifh,
we took leave of each other very friendly.

FLUOR SPARS.

Fluor fpar is an important article of pro-
dudion from the lead mines of Caflleton, in
which it is found in greater abundance than
any where elfe. The violet is the mofl: com-
mon kind^ and ferves as the lalband to the
white fort* Several other kinds are alfo
found there ; fuch as fine yellow topazc
coloured, violet blue, violet purple, white in-
clining to roie colour, water coloured, &c.
There are fbme pieces, in which feveral of
thefe colours are qnited and produce a very
jigreeable effe<51:.

Fluot

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 325

Fluor fpar would be the moft beautiful of
all iubftaaces, if it were only a little harder.
This ft one not only forms a confiderable ob-
ject of traffic in its rough ftate, between Caf-
tleton and Derby, Winder, Matlock, Bux-
ton, and other parts in the vicinity, hut is alfo
worked on the fpot into vafes. and other
articles of ornament, which are fent to Bir-
mingham, where they are mounted with
gilded copper or any other metal.

The largeft pieces of fluor fpar do not much
exceed a foot in thickaefs, and are ver>* rarely
found of that bulk.

LEAD MINES,

The lead mines of Caftieton are not very
rich, and not more than fixty perlons are cm-
ployed in them ; the principal produ6tions of
thele mines being the ditterent kinds of fluor
fpar above mentioned.

Several mines have been opened in the
very fteep calcareous mou^tajn of Ma.nn-
Zor.

^ O den mine is at a very littk diftaiiGe from
the town, and prefents a very exti-aordinary
miacralogical phenomenon, coniifling of a

f Y 3 glitter-

526 TRAVELS THROUGH

glittering galena, which is here called
Jlikons-Jides, It is ufually found in large
pieces, forming a double vein. The inter-
mediate fpace is only a few lines broad, and
is filled up with a very white and ponderous
gypfeous earth, to which the workmen give
tlie name oikehle or caulk.

To break away large pieces of this glitter-
ing galena, they make ufe of a fharp iron
wedge, which they drive with a hammer into
the thin bed of keble that feparates the two
Veins.

On performing this operation the miners
retire with great hafte to a diftance ; and a
few minutes after the veins break afunder,
with a terrible noife and a general concufiion,
Hvhich muft overturn all the props of the
Toof, if they had not careRilly provided againft
fuch accidents by ftrengthening the principal
beams with Walls formed of thie rubbifh, ahS
leaving no vacant fpace. The miners afTert
^hat a hollow noife precedes the explofion,
and marks the moment when they rntift fcWi-
iult their own fafety by a fpeedy retreat. -"

This terrible' J)henonaehbn takes" platfe Mfo
in the niine of Lady Wdjh near the village 'dif
'?j'<j?;j, ih thfeftime aiftda of Dcrbylhlre.

Mr.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLANF. 327

Mr. Whitehurft has given a very corre^
delbription of all the circumlftanccs comieeted
with this phenomenon. Mr. Ferber, who
has likewire mentioned it, lays, that no reaibxi
could be affigned to him for this extraordiiiary
. efFed ; but that he conceives it to ariie from
an effort of the air, which is ftrongly com-^
prefled, efpecially in the narroweft parts of
the vein, to procure itfelf a paflage.

But ta be capable of deciding- upon a raat^^
ter of fb much difficulty, it would be nscei^
iary to obferve with attention all the circum^
fiances that precede and accompany the ex^
piofion, to know whether there be any in-
flammation or fineU. It^ would be proper
alfo to analyze with the minuieft exa6titude
the fubftance of the gangue, and the keblc,
which is not yet fufficiently known.

. The theory of gas might tend to throw-
great light upon this phenomenon. It is
known that the phoiphoric acid is fometimes
found in union with lead. The effe<5ts of in-
flammable gas irxtermixed with phofphorus are
likewife well known,, and that it kindles with
fuch rapidity by the mere Gonta6l of atmofpheric
airj as to produce the^moft violent explotions^
Thk braiKh: of fcience, indeed^ is qow fuflfi-
Y 4 cientlj

328 TRAVELS THROUGH

cientlj advanced to enable an inte'lligent ob-
ferver, who fliould have an opportunkv of
tracing all the circumftances upon the fpot,
rto give a fatisfadory explanation of this
aftonilhing phenomenon,

TOAD-STONE CONTAINING LEAD ORE*

Mr.Whitehurft and Mr. Ferber affirm,that
in all the mines w-hich have been yet opened,
the vein of ore is found exclufivelv in the lime-
flone, and difappears fo completely on reach-
ing the bed of toad-ftone, that not the fmalleft
veftige of it is difcoverable in the latter ; btit
that on piercing through the toad-ftone, how-
ever thick, the vein as certainly makes its re-
appearance, and this fact they affirm holds good
through every feries of flrata to any depth.
This difpofition, however aftonilTiing, is in
general true, and thence Mr. Whitehurft con-
ceived the opinion that the toad-ftone which
thus feparates the calcareous ftrata and inter-
rupts' the-GOUfvie of the ore muft be the refult
of- different currents of lava. My thoughts
upon this fubjed have been already explained,
but if there (hould ftill remain any doubt that
the toad-ftone is not a product of volcanic

fire.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 329

fire, the fa(5l which I am now going toftate
will be lufficient to remove them.

Do(flor Pearfon having fpoken to me at
Caftletoa of a miner who Ibid feled fpecimens
for the cabinet, we went to pay him a vifit.
I purchafed from him a collection of the mofl
interefting minerals of Derbyfhire, and fbme
fine fpecimens of fluor fpar, the cryftals of
which were in the mod perfed prefervation.

In the courfe of convei^fation with him, I
afked whether it was true, that no vein,. of ore
was ever found in the toad-ftone? he replied,
that luch had uniformly been the fad hitherto,
and though long employed in the mining
bufinefs, he had never heard that the flighted
trace of lead had been difcovered in that
ftone ; but that he had juft learned to his coft
that the rule was not without exception, if not
in refpe6l to the toad-flone, at leaft as to the
cat-dirt or channel.

On requcfting a further explanation, he
told me, that he had been ruined by working
on his own account, a vein, which at firfl had
the moft promifing appearance, but which,
after opening a deep gallery, at a great ex*
pence, was loftjn a bed of channel, where,

how*

530 TRAVELS TlIROUGil

bowever. It -was again recovered, but m too
poor a ftate to indemnify him.

As the mine was but a little way off,, he
crffered to ihew it to tis, eipecially when h?
perceived that I doubted his account. Pro-
Yiding himfelf therefore with fome mining
implements, he defired us to follow him, aiid
we willingly complied.

We directed our fteps about a mile to tihe
eait of Caftleton, along the fteep fide of the
mountain which fronts it, and upon a narrow
road about 200 feet above the fubjacent plaiii.
The mountain is calcareous, and in fame
parts exhibits traces of ftrata ; but its gei:ieral
dii|joiition prefents a uniform and continuous
mafs like moft calcareous rocks of great ele-.
ration. Marine bodies are not very abun-*
dant here ; I obferved, however, a few frag-
ments of entrochiand fbme terebmtulx. Seve-
ral lead mines have been opened in it, and it
tMo affords calamine in an ochreous form.
■ 'We foon reached the entrance of the gal-
lei-v whicii penetrates in an horizcmtal dircc-
tiiC)W,- and opens in the ftratified part of the
&.Yka;rBovis rock, in a feam of white cail-
cai^otis %nv ^^' hioh prefejits a fmall but yery

diftlntl

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. JJI

di{lin(5l vein of galena intermixed with fluor
fpar.

This indication, which was regarded as very
promifing in a mountain which contained feve-
ral other lead mines, determined Elias Ped-
ley and his affociates to commence their ope-
ration. But icarcely had they reached the
depth of twelve feet w^hen the lime-ftone ter-
minated, and they had the misfortune to meet
with the channel.

As, till then, there had never been any in-
ftance of the moil {lender veins of metal being
found in this unprodudive ftone, they would
have immediately difcontinued their labours,
had not the fame vein of galena, which they
traced through the lime-ftone, continued it«
courfe in the channel or trapp. This ap-
pearance was fo extraordinary and novel, that
feduced by it, the miners purfued the ore in
the channel to the horizontal depth of ninety
feet, in the confiiant hope that the vein, which
never exceeded an inch in thicknefs, wcoild
.icon enlarge its dimenlions.

But the farther they proceeded they found
the trapp become fo hard, and it required fo
much labour and expence to cut through it,
that Elias Pedley told us, he was on the point

of

352 TRAVELS THROUGfl

of altogether abandoning the work. This
bed of trapp was little more than {ev&n
feet thick, but it is very probable that it ex-
tends a great way into the mountain, when it
3S coniidered that the gallery had been already
carried ninety feet in an horizontal line with-
out difcovering any appearance of alteration.

This bed of channel, or cat-dirt, is really a
greenifh trapp, very hard in the interior of the
mine, but upon being taken out of the gallerv
and expofed for lome time to the atmofphere,
it becomes friable, its colour changes, and it
pafTes into an earthy ftate. Jt is probable
that this decompofition arifes from fome in-
vifible particles of pyrites, which become ef-
florefeent and caufe the fubftance to fall inta
a detritus.

Here then is a proof that galena has been
found in a bed of channel, in which it has
been traced in an uninterrupted line of ninety
feet, accompanied with a f-nall portion of
calcareous and fluor fpar. This inftance ex-
hibits a dire(Fl and unequivocal exception to
the obier\-ations hitherto made refpeding the
mines of Derbylhire. The exigence of lead
ore in the trapp is a ccrtainproof that itisnot
the product of fire. I know that thofe mine-
ralogies

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 333

raloglfts who are converfant in the ftudy of
llthology, who have examined the trapp upon
the fpot, and are fully acquainted with that
ftone and all its varieties, have no need of
this proof. But the fadt appeared to be of fo
much importance that I conceived it proper
to mention it, to do away every doubt upon
the fubjed. This confideration, therefore,
will form my excufe to thofe who may be dif.
pleafed at the minute and tedious details
which I have been obliged to enter into, that
I might place the queflion in the cleareil
poflible point of view. . 'io r^l^ti

CHAp:

534 TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER XIX.

JEterhy .-^Richard Brown^ a Dealer in Curiofities of
"i-^atural Hjftory.'-^A Manufa8ure of Fafes, and
,u-Qt^er. fVo)-kma)iJJiip^ in Fluor Spc

yar

OATISFIED with whkt we had feen at
Caftleton, we left thatlittle town, andreturned
to Buxton, where I put in order the collec-
ticin I had made of the mofl renaarkable cu-
riofities of Derbylhire.

All our bufinefs being finiOied, we waited
upon Dodor Pearfon, thanked him for the
kind attention he had paid us, and left Bux-
ton next morning for Derby. This journey
occupied eight hours, though we had excel-
lent horfes and good poftillions, but the road
was very bad.

Derby is a commercial town. We faw a
number of manufactories of different kinds ;
fevcral porcelain works, and common pot-
teries. We had been informed that a perfon
named Richard Brown, who dealt in natural
curiofities, refided here, and that he had in his
pofleinon not only the fineft productions of

Derbvihirc^

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 335

Derbyifhire, but minerals from dlfFerent
parts of England and Scotland : We vifkcd
him. His (hop was well repleniihed with
vafes of every form and every liz?, as well as
other works in fluor Ipar of different colours,
but much better cut and of a finer poliih than
thofe fold at Buxton and Caftleton. I pur-
chafed a complete colledion of his fpars cut
into fmall fquare tablets, in fuch a manner
that they might be placed in drawers, which
is the beft method of keeping them for ftudy,
and the mod convenient arrangement for a
cabinet.

We were told that Mr. Brown charged
very high for his curiofities, but we found
that he fold even thofe which were moll: in-
terefting and of the fineft workmanfhip at a
very reafonable price. He was far from feek-
ing to take advantage of us becaufe we were
foreigners ; on the contrary, he was mode-
rate in his demands, and treated us with the
greateft civility. When he faw that I was
fond of lithology, and that ~I named fome
flones \\'ith refpe6l to the nature of which he ;
was doubtful, he teftified much happinefs at
feeing u% and begged that we would flop with
him and driiik. to the friends o£. the fcience of
• . . nature.

33^ TRAVELS THROUGH

nature. He inftantly ordered glafies and fe-
veral kinds of wine to be brought ;' but as we
had juft been drinking after dinner, we de-
clined this invitation, of the kindnefs of which
however we were very fenfible, for Mr.
Brown prefTed US with the greateft cordiaHty.

•While we were difputing this point of po-
litenefs, a dog, which I hadpurchafed in the
highlands of Scotland, fuddenly left me in
the ftreet : he differed from the common
Ihepherd dog. The Scottifli dog has more
ingenuity and manages a flock of (heep better
than the ordinary kind. It is alfo excellent
for keeping off the fox. I tried, but in vain,
to recover this animal : my dog was loft or
rather ftolen.

Next day we went to fee another vender
of articles of natural hiftory, who was himfelf
a worker in fluor fpar and marble. He re-
fided at one of the extremities of the town,
by the fide of a fmall river, which flowed at
a fhort diftance from his houfe.

He was a very intelligent young man. I
never any other where faw vafes of fuch per-
fed forms, fuch exquifite lightnefs, and fuch
fine materials; but his prices were higher
and lus manners lefs accommodating than

thofc

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 3^7

tbofe of Mr. Brown ; wifhing, however, to
take fomething from him, I purchafed a vafe
which charmed me by the beauty of the co-
lours of the fpar,, its elegant form, and the
deHcate finiih of the workmanfhip. This
dealer had alfo fome of the minerals of Der-
byfhire for fale, but in his collection of them
I found nothino; interefting.

VOL. 11, z CHAP-

33S TRAVELS THROUGH

CHAPTER XX.

Departure from Derby. — Arrlva] at Binmi&ham* —
Its mmierousMdniifadures. — Do5ior IVithering.—^
Benjamin Watt. — Docior Priejlly — His Houfe,
JLibraryy and his chemical FJahoratory.

w,

E left Derby at noon, but as the roads
Were all very bad in this quarter of the coun-
try, we had fome difficulty in arriving on the
lame day at Birmingham. At nine in the
evening we entered an inn in this town, after
having crofTed fome black arrid heaths, and
pafTed through a favage and dreary region.

We had letters of recommendation to
Do61or Withering, the tranflator of the Scia-
graphia of Bergman, and a lover of botani-
cal and chemical fludies : We waited on
him next day. He inhabits a fine houfe, fur-
nifhed with tafte and elegance. We had tea
With him in company with fome amiable and
beautiful ladies, and to complete our good for-
tune, we were here introduced to Mr. Watt,
a man of lingular merit, one of the moft flcil-
ful mechanics of England, and who poffefTes

great

£^GLANlJ AND SCOTLAND. 339

great knowledge in chymiftry and natural
hiftory.

The extenfive Commie rce and manufa6lure$
of Birmm2;ham render it one of the moft in-
terefting towns in England : Here the tra-
veller may have a comprehenfive view of a
moft a£live and varied induftry exercifed h\
the different arts of utility, of pleafure, and
of luxury.

I know that feme travellers who have not
fufficiently reflecled on the importance and
advantage of manufa^lures in a country, fiich
as England, have difapp roved of extenfive
Works of the kind eftablifhed in this town. I
know that even Englifhmen who have taken
but a hafty and inconfiderate view of thefe
magnificent eftablifhments, have obferved
that it was difficult for the e>e to be long
ipleafed in the midfl of fo many frivolous arts,
and where the labours of a hundred men are
confined to the making of a tobacCo box*^.
But befides that this ftatement is exaggerated,
thefe travellers have overlooked the vaft
works where fteam engines are made, thefe
aftonilhirig machines, the perfe6ting of

* Sec Gilpin's Pi£lurefque Tour; '

2 2 which

34^ TRAVELS THROUGH

which does fo«iuch honour to the talents and
knowledge of Mr. Watt ; the manufa<Slories
conflantly employed in making Iheet copper
for flieathing fhips bottoms ; thofe of plate-
tin and plate-iron, which render France tribu-
tary to England, and that varied and exten-
iive hard- ware manufadure which employs to
{o much advantage more than thirty thou-
land hands, and compels all Europe, and a
part of the new H'orid, to lupply themfelves
with thefe articles here, where every thing is
made in greater perfeftion, with more economy
and greater abundance, than in any other
country.

I muft obferve here, what cannot be ro^
peated too often to Frenchmen, that it is the
abundance of coal which gives this advan*
tage, and produces, in the midfl of a barren
defert, a town with forty thoufand inhabitants,
who live in plenty, and enjoy all the comforts
of civilized life.

The various manufaflures in which thisufe-
fiil mineral is employed have covered a fterile
and fombre heath with groves of lillies and
rofcs, and converted a favage wildernefs into
fertile and delicious gardens. The worki
eftablifhed by MefTrs. Boulton and Watt, ia
which more than a thoufand hands are em-
ployed.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 341

ptoyecT, have contributed greatly to promote
this change.

The population of Birmingham encrcafed
{o much during the American war, that at
leaft three hundred new houfes were, during
that period, added aimualty to the town. At
the conclulion of the peace, this increafe was
doubled. The gentleman who made me ac-
quainted with thefe fi6bs, and who pofTefled
much information, one day ihewed me a new
flreet of coniiderable length, in which the
conftru6lion of the houfes was juft commenced
upon an uniform plan, and the building was
carried on with {o much rapidity that there
was little doubt but the whole would be
finifhed in lefs than two months.

I experienced much pleafure in vifiting
Mr. Watt, whofe extenfive knowledge in
chymiftry and the arts, rendered his conver-
fation very intercfting. His moral q^ialities,
and the engaging manner in which he ex-
preffed his thoughts, daily encreafed my
refpedt for him. He has a number of fine
children, who are all diftinguifhed by their
information and their talents.

I dined one day with this agreeable family,

when Dodlor Prieflly, who is a relation of

23 Mr*

^4^ TRAVELS THROUGH

Mr, Watt, was prefent ; I had the pleafure
of forming an acquaintance with this cele^
brated man, to whom experimental philofo-
phy owes fo many obligations, 1 afterwards
vifited him in company with Mr. Withering,
Dodor Prieftly does not refide in Birming-
ham, but at the diftance of about a mile and
a half from the town, in a charming houfe,
with a fine meadow on the one fi ie, and a de-
lightful garden on the other. There was an
air of the moft perfe6l neatnefs in every thing
connected with this hou^e, both without and
within it. I know not how to give a better
idea of it than by comparing it to thofe fnug
houfes fo often to be met with in Holland,
particularly on the road from Harlem to Ley-;
den, and from Leyden to the Hague.

Potior Prieftly received me with the great-,
eft kindnefs. He prefented me to his wife
and his daughter, who were diftinguiihed by
vavacity, intelhgence, and gentlenefs of man-
ners. The young lady fpoke to me of one of
her brothers, who was then finishing his edu-
cation at Geneva, and to whom flie feemed
\'ery much attached.

The building in which Do£lor Pricftly made
his chemical and philofophical experiments

was

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 343

was detached from his houfe to avoid the
danger of fire. It confifted of feveral apart-
ments on a ground floor. Upon entering it
we were ilruck with a fimple and ingenioua
apparatus for making experiments on inflam-
mable s;as extraded from iron and water re-
duced to vapour. The tube, which was thick
and long, was made of red copper and caft in
one piece to avoid joinings. The part ex-,
pofed to the fire was thicker than the refl:.
Into this tube he introduced cuttings or filings
)0f iron, and inftead of dropping in the water,
he preferred making it enter in vapour. The
furnace deflined for this operation was fupplied
with coak made of coal, which is the befl of
all combuftibles for the intenfity and equality
of its heat.

By thefe means he obtained a confiderable
quantity of inflammable gas of great lightnels
and without any fmell He obferved to me,
:thatby increafing the apparatus and ufing irou
or copper tubes of a larger calibre, aeroftatic
balloons might be filled with far lefs trouble
and expence than by vitriolic acid. Dodtor
Prieftly allowed me to take a drawing of this
new appar^itus for the purpofe of communi-
% 4 catiiig

544 TRAVELS THROUGH

eating it to the French chymifts who are en-
gaged in the fame piirfuit.

The compofition which Do6lor Prieflly
tifed to prevent the gas from efcaping, either in
this or other experiments, appeared to me fo
excellent that I begged of him to tell me how
he made it. He informed me, that after a
multitude of trials, he had found nothing an-
fwer the purpofe fo well as the pafle of al-
monds, fuch as it is when the oil is extra£lcd.
This moiftened with a little water, in which
glue had been dilTolved, made an excellent
lute. He obfcrved, however, that the glue
might be difpenfed with.

Do6tor Prieftly did not regard the experi-
ments inade relative to the decompolition of
water as fatisfa6lory. He could not admit
the fad to be demonftrated fo long as the gas
was only obtained through the medium of iron,
a metal which is itfelf fufceptible of inflamma-
bility ; but lie waited with impatience for the
refult of the experiments of the French chy-
mifts, particularly thefe of Lavoifier, who had
invented, and caufed to be conftruded, an ex-
tenlive apparatus for the fame obje£l.

" The decompofition of water," faid this
indefatigable philofqpher, addreffing himfelf

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 345

to me, " is of fo much importance in natural
" philofophy, and would occupy fo diftin-
" guifhed a place among the phenomena of
" the univerfe, that far from admitting the
" fadl upon flight evidence, and as it were
*' from enthuliafm, it were rather to be wifh-
" ed that all objedlions that may be made, and
" which will ftill long continue to be made
*' againft this theory, were completely refuted:
" In the confli6l of opinions, truth may at
" kil be obtained. But I have ftill fo many
*' doubts upon this fubje6l,and I have fo many
" experiments to make, both pro and coUy
" that I can as yet regard the queflion as
" only ftarted *."

Dodor Prieftly has embellifhed his foli-
tude with a philofophical cabinet, which con-
tains all the inftruments neceflary for his ex-
periments, and a library rendered valuable by
a choice of excellent works. The learned

* Mr. Benjamin Watt, who has publiflied fome ex-
cellent papers upon the theory of fire, was of the famd'
opinion with Dr. Prieftly. " The theory of the decom-
" pofition of water is feducing," faid he to me, " as it
" would be convenient for explaining the different pheno-
" mena of nature ; but the more I refle£l on this delicate
*' fubjedtj and upon all that has hitherto been done and
*' written relative to it, the more I find it involved in diffi-
♦»culties/'

poflefTor

34^ TRAVELS THROUGH

pofleflbr employs himfelf in a variety of fludies :
Hifiory, moral philofbphy, and religion, have
all in their turn engaged his pen. An aftive,
intelligent mind, and a natural avidity for
knowledge, gave him a paffion for experiment
tal philofbphy ; but the fenfibiiity and gentle-
nefs of his difpoiition have fometimes directed
his attention to pious and philanthropic ftu-
dies, which do honour to the goodnefs of his
heart, iince they always have for their object
the happinefs of mankind. Befides his litu-
ation as a preacher, renders it often neceffary
for him to fpeak in public *.

Next day I had the pleafure of meeting
Do£lor Prieftly at Mr. Watt's, where we
partook of an agreeable repaft, in company
'tvith feveral amiable and intelligent men.,

* I fliall not here detail the perfecution which this
worthy «ian experienced fince the period in which I faw
him. His chymical elaboratory, his cabinet of natural
philofophy, his library, his charming houfe, were all de-
ilroyed by barbarous fanatics. The government has en-
deavoured to repair this lofs by proportional indemnities,
which amounted to fifteen hundred louis. But wtfhing, as
a philofopher, to fly from intrigue and to feek repofe, and
defirous of avoiding fimilar dangers, he has retired to the
United States of America. Let us hope, that in this
afylum, he may proCxute his ftudies with his ufual zea^,
and that he will be able to repair in part the lofs of hi;$
valuable manufcripts.

Mr.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 347

Mr. Watt is a man of great conceptions; Na-
ture has endowed him with a very vigorous
injnd, and to his other excellent qualities he
joins the mildeft and moft prepoflefiing man"
ners which interefl: even at firft fight.

Mr. Watt ihewed us a corn-mill, which
he had conftruded, and which was let in
motion hy a lleam engine. The application
of this principle to the mechanifm of a mill is a
happy idea, which may be very advantageoufly
applied in a country which has few ftreams,
and is rich in coal. This firil: attempt will
Jead to others, and the principle will foon
be applied to a number of vifeful purpofes *.

Mr.

* Since this period fimilar mills have been fuccefsfully
erefted at Nantes, and fome at Paris, where fome fteant
engints are ufed for ftamping coins. Steam engines were
firft eftablifhed in France, by the brothers Periers, who
joined much atS^ivity'to a great deal of knowledge: But
thefe excellent machines cannot reach the perfedion they
have obtained in England, until our government fliall fe-
rioufly turn Its attention to the opening of coal mines.
Thofe who know the exhaufled ftate of our forefts arc
convinced that the moment will foon arrive when we fhall
be obliged to work them from neceflity. Thofe who arc
acquainted with the negle£ted fituation of our coal mines,
tremble, left it Ihould hereafter happen that we (hall want
both wood and coal at the fame time. There is fome rea-
fon for anxiety on this fubjedl, when we consider that at
Paris a weigh of bad coal cofts fix times more than the beft
fiid Corns years ago, But if the legiflature were to turn to

the

34^ TRAVELS THROUGH

M^. Watt is fo familiar with sTeat inven-

o

tionSypoflefs fo much knowledge in the higher
branches of mechanics, and has brought the
means of execution to fo much perfection,
that he may juftly be ranked among the men
who have chiefly contributed to create the
prefent high profperity of the ufeful arts and
commerce in England. He is a native of
Scotland : A country which has long beeii
accuftomed to fupply England with men wha
honour it the moft in every fcience and pro-,
feffion.

We pafled feveral days at Birmingham^
where we may be faid to have refided in the
midil: of the arts and induftry. The fociety
of enlightened men and amiable women
added new charms to our iituation. Ouj-
minds were informed and delighted; our
heads were filled with fafls, and our hearts
with gratitude. Such were the pleafures we
experienced in this town. We left it with

the confideration of this fubjecSl, as well as that of canal's,
with the earneftnefs they deferve, it would be found that
cur rcfourccs of this kind are as inexhauftible as thofe of
another kind, which we have already exhibited ^to tlic
aftoniilienent of all Europe.

CHAP-

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 349

CHAPTER XXI.

Departure from Birmingham. — Coventry.'-— P far"
wick.. — Oxford. — Saini Albans .-^Baniet . — Lon^
don. — Return to France.

/\S we were preparing to leave Birming-
ham, Mr. Watt requefted to know whether
we could take under our care one of his fons,
who was to go to Paris, and thence to Geneva.
We anfwered, Jthat it gave us a great deal of
pleafure to be able to afford him a feat in our
carriage, in which there was fufficient room
for his accommodation, and that we fhould
pay every poffible attention to his fon, who
was a very engaging young man. Count
Andreani and myfelf were extremely pleafed
to have an opportunity of juftifying the con-
fidence which Mr. Watt repoled in us, and of
proving to him how happy we were to be
able ■ to give him that fmall mark of efteem
and attachment.

On leaving Birmingham we were delighted
to fee the country on every fide fi:udded with
gentlemens feats poffefling a fimple but ele-

35<5 TRAVELS THROUGH

gant appearance, which was greatly heightened
by the efFe£l of the r'ofy colour of the bricks
upon the white ground of the ftone worki
Every thing here was fo much more ftriking^
as thefe elegant habitations were almofl: newi
But fcarcely had we loft fight of them, and
pafTed through fome words, when we entered
upon an extenfive tra^t of wild and barren
heaths.

Between Birmingham dhd Coventry we
had a view of an ancient manfion belonging
to Lord Aylesford. It is not very agreeably
(ituated, but it was eafy to fee that the pro-
prietor had employed the affiftance of tafte
and art in embellifhing it.

Coventry is a pretty neat little town. The
Ipire of the church is feen a great way off*
The foil here confifts of broken flints inter-
mixed with reddifh earth.

From Coventry to Warwick we pafTed over
a flat country, in fome places woody, and in
others naked, and with a foil like the pre-
ceding.

We {topped at Warwick in order to vifit
the church, which is a very fine ftrudlure in
the gothic ftile. The chapel where the chiefs
of the houfe of Warwick have been interred,

and

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 35 1

and where is feen the tomb of thes earl of
Leicefter, is charged with fculptures and go-
thic ornaments of the moft finifhed neatnels.
Having vifited the other curious monuments
of the place, which are defcribed at length in
feveral produ<5tions, we proceeded on our
way to Stratford, celebrated as the birth-
place of the immortal Shakefpeare. We
croffed the river Avon by a bridge of four-
teen arches, erecled at the expence of one
Hugh Clifton, Vho was a mayor of London,
and a native of this town.

We next reached Oxford, where we vifited
the moft remarkable monuments of fciencp
and art. But all thefe are already fo generally
known, that it would be fuperfluous to de-
fcribe them. I fhould have been happy to
have met here with Mr. Thomplbn^ a very
excellent naturalift, with whom I had formed
an acquaintance at London, whence he had
gone to fettle at Oxford. But he was unfor-
tunately abfent from home. It would have
been not only vei-y agreeable, but alfo very
ufeful to us to have {een him, as he could
have introduced us to the learned men of the
place, to whom, from a reliance upon his
prefence, we had not provided ourfelves with
any recommendation.

From

352 TRAVELS THROUGH ENGLAND, See.

From Oxford we proceeded to London
through Saint Albans and Barnet.

Our flay at London was not long. Hav-
ing taken leave of our learned friends, who
had kindly gratified us with the numerous ob-
jedls of inftrudlion and entertainment, which
that city affords, we fet.out for Paris, where
we arrived five days after. Count Andreani
prepared for his return to Milan, young Watt
took the road to Geneva, and I remained at
Paris.

FINIS.

75